We didn’t deliberately set out to be cruel; it just happened that way. (Though we have to admit that, like April, we like nothing more than whipping up a batch of memory and desire.) Yes, despite our abiding allegiance to peace — make that peace and quiet — eagle-eyed readers will notice a certain viciousness filigreeing the new issue of Bright Lights. Much to our shock, our writers apparently care little for sacred cows. Alan Vanneman applies the verbal violet wand to Oscar nominees in his reviews of Gosford Park and In the Bedroom, a trend he continues in his exegesis of Fred & Ginger’s Carefree. Even poor Bill Clinton, and Wag the Dog, and the mindset that produced it get bitch-slapped by Bob Castle in "The Clinton Syndrome." Steve Stewart compounds the cruelty in his lively survey of queer motifs in some military movies — a noxious genre experiencing a revival thanks to recent depressing events.

Of course, April is about more than dishing ex-presidents and excoriating pretentious mock-indie movies. Yes, Bright Lights’ nobler impulses are also happily evident this time. Lynne d Johnson engagingly examines the ins and outs and ups and downs of both indie and mainstream black film distribution. Peter Tonguette explains why Richard Lester’s Superman films are worth a reappraisal. Megan Ratner stylishly explores the bitter charms of Amelio’s The Way We Laughed. John Champagne and Maria van Dijk offer two thoughtful views of Michael Haneke’s Piano Teacher. Richard Armstrong thoughtfully eulogizes the late Billy Wilder. Yours truly spews out a few choices words on The Fluffer. And Jane Mills handily investigates the career of a name some of our older readers may remember from some years ago, Quentin Tarantino. Ring a bell, anyone?

A peek into the Film Festivals antechamber shows three recent worthy mid-range fests: Belfort (France) International, the Victoria (Canada) Independent, and the Bergamo (Italy) Film Meeting. A tip of the chapeau to, respectively, Maria van Dijk, Joanne Bealy, and Megan Ratner for these pithy write-ups.

Fans of old-school technologies will be happy to see that instead of our usual ratio of ten DVD reviews for every book review, this issue we’ve reviewed eleven books this time and only four DVDs. A hearty salute to Scott Thill for taking on Rockers and Andrew Grossman for shrewdly using three Japanese pink film DVDs for a bracing discussion of some larger issues. Book reviews by Julia Leyda, Richard Armstrong, Scott Thill, and yours truly wrap it up.

Finally, a word to students. It isn’t that we don’t admire your increasingly crafty strategies for extracting quiz answers, exam essays, doctoral theses, etc. from our staff, but we must remind you that it’s your responsibility to "compare and contrast the Nabokov novel with Kubrick’s Lolita" and to determine whether "the gaze" in Psycho is "male or female, both or neither." Here’s a typical, deceptively sweet e-mail, one of far too many lately, from a young man trying to get us to do his homework: "We are having an ongoing discussion amongst friends that perhaps you could help us out with and provide some professional insight. The topic at hand deals with prostitution in Nights of Cabiria and its significance throughout the movie. What are your thoughts on this idea? Hope we hear from you. We are all interested to hear what you have to say. Thanks, Chad T." Interested indeed. Chad, please, if you’re smart enough to almost put this over on us (we might have succumbed had we not finished our last box of wine), you’re surely smart enough to give some thought to this question yourself. Do it for yourself, your parents, your teachers, your country, the children, and most of all, for us.