It Might Get Loud is Davis Guggenheim's summer after science class. The director has followed up his Oscar-winning 2006 documentary on global warming, An Inconvenient Truth, with a film that nourishes his inner music fan, another doc that brings together three titans of rock -- Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page, U2's the Edge, and the White Stripes' Jack White -- to jam, talk about how they got started, and ruminate on that most revolutionary of rock 'n' roll instruments, the electric guitar.

The film is as narratively loose and occasionally meandering as a casual noodling session. It's occasionally trippy, such as when a child shows up dressed exactly like White and plays along with him in several scenes. (One passing mention tells us it's White as a kid. Which doesn't really explain much.) It's often thrilling, such as when the three musicians learn each other's hits or, near the end, perform a soulfully imperfect version of the Band's “The Weight.”

But most of all, It Might Get Loud is intimate. Guggenheim captured some astonishing moments here, including White composing a song on the spot or the Edge admitting that he sometimes feels "like a complete idiot" if inspiration doesn't strike. The highlight, though? A shot of Page standing over a record player while Link Wray's “Rumble” spins, a huge smile across the legend's bobbing head.

And then he air-guitars.

Guggenheim spent some time talking about the film with Washington City Paper, sometimes sounding like he'd be just as happy bouncing in a 9:30 club mosh pit as standing behind a camera.

WCP: I've had a hard time describing this movie. It's not really a three-way biopic, it's not a doc about the electric guitar. How do you sum it up?

That's the challenge in selling the movie. I think of it as a reinvention of the rock documentary. Edge talks in the movie about how when [U2] started out as a band, they knew what they didn't want to be -- that's how we started. We knew we didn't want to be a documentary about car wrecks and drug overdoses.

WCP: You've said that you didn't want the film to speak to music critics.

No music critics. This is personal portraiture. We wanted to create an event where these three guys, three generations of [musicians], come together and teach each other how to play.

WCP: Whose idea was it?

[Producer] Thomas Tull said, “I want to make a film about the electric guitar.” And then Lesley Chilcott, Peter Afterman, and I thought, How do we do this different? Rock stars are kind of mysterious creatures. How do you puncture through that?

WCP: How did you pick the three?

Jimi Hendrix was not available -- we checked. You know, there's a burnout factor. Some rock stars, sober or not, you have to put subtitles for what they're saying...so I didn't want to do that. We wanted to find three guys who could [intelligibly] talk about what they did. These guys are searchers; people who've found their voice. This is a movie about three distinct characters and how they found their voice. I think that's [the best way] to sum up what the movie's about.

WCP: Had they met each other before?

Glancing hellos...I don't think Edge and Jack ever met. I think Jimmy and Jack had met.

WCP: How much footage did you shoot of them together?

Two days. From the minute they said, “Hello,” we were filming.

WCP: Did you give them any instructions?

No instruction, no notes, no background. They were all calling me on their own and saying, “What do you want me to do? What do you want me to play?” And I was nervous about that, because they were nervous.

But I had this instinct that what they came up with on their own would have this energy to it. I bought into a process more than I bought into an idea. And the process was: “Let's let these guys tell their own stories.” There are no girlfriends, no rock critics, no historians, no band mates. And wouldn't that be interesting? You see something about Bob Dylan, and he talks about 5 percent of the time. Here, Jimmy Page tells his own story -- and it's emotional, ethereal. More than accurate, I wanted it to be personal.

WCP: And unlike how musicians can sound during more formal, promotional interviews, none of them seemed rehearsed or jaded. They all seemed really passionate. Especially the “Rumble” moment. It must have been great to catch that.

And the thing is, if I had asked Jimmy, “Hey, play your favorite song and air-guitar,” he probably would have said no. But, organically, we just started talking and I said, “That album you're talking about -- let's listen to it.” Everyone wants to tell their own story. You just have to encourage them, get them to relax, get them to trust.

Edge (l), Guggenheim

WCP: Did you see any diva behavior? Jack White seemed like such a contrarian. Like when he talking about learning an instrument when he was a kid and said, “Everyone plays guitar. Why bother?” Almost to the point of being angry.

I would love to have a diva story. I don't. Maybe because they were around each other? Musicians, when they get around each other, are very generous. I mean, when Jimmy plays “Whole Lotta Love,” it was kind of a throwdown, like “Look what I can do.” And then you see Jack and Edge go, “Oh, OK. Now it's time for me to step up.” Edge teaches Jimmy and Jack to play “I Will Follow.” It was a gradual opening-up.

WCP: Were you concerned about it all coming across as too self-congratulatory?

Friends of mine have called it a love letter -- too glossified, maybe I'm too much of a fan? And I've done harder stuff, like An Inconvenient Truth. But I didn't want [Behind the Music-esque drama] to distract from what these guys did. I wanna know, How do you write a song? How did Led Zeppelin become Led Zeppelin, while all the other bands sort of fell away? Why did all these punk bands disappear, and why did U2 remain? What is it about their path, what is it about who they were that made them so distinct?

They each in the movie have a deep crisis. But it's more of a soulful, I don't know who I am, I don't know how to write crisis. Now that may not be as sexy as a band mate dying, but I wanted the movie to be about something more.

WCP: Who did you find yourself more in awe around: the rock stars or Al Gore?

The rock stars. I mean, when you work, you're working -- I'm doing what I'm supposed to do. But then when they'd play a song, you can't help but go...[total fan face]. So it's harder to stay focused when you're right there, alone in a studio with Jimmy Page playing to you.

WCP: What kind of music do you listen to?

Right now, I like this band called Department of Eagles. And Delta Spirit. I love new music. Though I'm listening to a lot more Led Zeppelin right now. I love Dead Weather. [White's newest project.] It's pretty hardcore -- Jack is still pushing it. He's so distinct, even in his three bands.

WCP: Speaking of Jack, who was that little kid in the movie who helped tell his story?

That's Jack White as a 9-year-old boy. Did it throw you off?

WCP: A little bit.

Yeah. Jack said to me, “I want to teach myself how to play guitar.” And I was like, cool. And the next day he shows up in a hat and a bowtie and a suit, and in the back, seriously, was a 9-year-old kid dressed exactly like him. And he said, “Davis, this is Jack. Jack, this is Davis.”

WCP: Any idea how he found the kid?

Not a clue. I let them tell their own stories, and how he told his was quintessential Jack.

WCP: The kid was good.

The kid was good. [Pause.] How do you know it's not him as a 9-year-old?

WCP: You just blew my mind.

For anyone who hasn't caught a glimpse of entertainment news the past few weeks, today is your "unprecedented!" chance to see a 16-minute sneak peek of James Cameron's new movie, Avatar, in IMAX 3D.

Or, more accurately, was your chance. Tickets to this ridiculous publicity stunt went so fast they crashed the film's Web site, though you may still be able to pick up a pair to the Virginia showings on craigslist. The whole thing makes Cameron's "I'm king of the world!" Oscar speech sound like "Aww, shucks."

In the meantime, here's the plain ol' regular-length trailer of the sci-fi flick, out Dec. 18. And below that is today's other "event" trailer release, for Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story. (A preview for the 2010 remake of The Wolf Man, with Benicio Del Toro, also surfaced briefly this week, but right now there's no trace of it on the 'net.)

Anyway, don't wet your pants.

No, seriously. He loved Anything Else. See for yourself and catch the remaining 18:

Husbands, boyfriends, and anyone else not particularly interested in French cooking and feminine angst who is dragged to Julie & Julia should at least enjoy one moment: a clip of Dan Aykroyd channeling a bloodied Julia Child on Saturday Night Live.

Meryl Streep does an impressive impersonation, too, but big-girl body language and a parade of nearly high-British "Ooowwhhs!" is not enough to keep this two-plus hour film from turning into a snooze. Neither is its second story arc involving Julie Powell (Amy Adams), a real New Yorker and aspiring writer who, dissatisfied with her life, gave herself the assignment of making all of Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking recipes in one year and blogging about it.

That blog turned into a book, and now writer-director Nora Ephron turned that book into this movie, which is at its best when it's showing Child as she fumbled her way to her calling. Streep and Stanley Tucci, playing Child's husband, Paul, make an improbably lusty and fun couple. Adams, however, is mousy and underwhelming here, though even a wan role and sensible hair can't keep the luminous actress from being unlikable.

Of course, nearly a cookbook's worth of French food is also a co-star, and the film's luscious food-centered moments will leave you eager to experiment. That is, after you wake from your doze. It seems impossible, but Ephron has crafted a movie that is bursting with butter and sweets yet ends up completely bland.

Especially satisfying after so much failed quirkiness this year:

Humpday: Judd Apatow has made a joke of straight-dude friendships so gushy they stop just short of PDAs; Lynn Shelton toys with the idea of a pair actually going for it. Her mumblecore film about a project for Seattle's real-life porn festival deems the action "beyond gay." Though the script is somewhat novel, you may call it "beyond logic."

In the Loop: British and American politicos clash Office-style over war. Armando Iannucci’s comedy, based on his BBC series, is fast-paced, sharp, and often ridiculously funny. But the deluge of jokes eventually feels like a comedic filibuster.

Orphan: There's something wrong with Esther, all right -- and it's that this Omen/Bad Seed knockoff is funny instead of scary.

The Ugly Truth: Katherine Heigl in a romantic comedy. Enough said.

G-Force: A Jerry Bruckheimer/Disney joint about secret-agent guinea pigs. The story's no good, but it's in 3D! Go empty your wallets immediately; there are only approximately another billion kids movies coming out with that extra dimension.

Brüno reinforces what Borat already showed us: that Sacha Baron Cohen, literally and figuratively, has balls. You may wince when things get graphic -- and they do, suddenly, brazenly, hilariously -- but you'll truly cringe if you consider the situations Cohen is putting himself in for a laugh.

Brüno is a character from the comedian's television show, a gay Austrian "fashionista" who insists he's 19 years old and moves to Los Angeles determined to become one of the famous-for-being-famous. His strategies are cherry-picked from celebrity whims, including starting his own talk show and adopting an African baby. In a desperate attempt to simply get in the news, he provokes a terrorist in hope of getting kidnapped, telling the guy that "Your King Osama looks like a dirty wizard." And, finally, he decides his homosexuality is a crutch and turns to church counseling to brainwash the gay right out of him.

Like Borat, the tightly edited, 83-minute Brüno, both directed by Larry Charles, is less a story than a series of situations that are sometimes obscene (it's astonishing the rating is a mere R), sometimes silly (the actor can flail spectacularly), but are mostly meant to wring maximum awkwardness between Cohen and his allegedly unsuspecting victims.

But, also like Borat, you can be easily taken out of the film by wondering what's real and what's staged. The climactic scene of Cohen posing as "Straight Dave" in an Arkansas cage match, sadly, feels quite genuine, its audience reacting with horror and violence when he doesn't fight an opponent but kisses him instead. A self-defense lesson is another story -- really, would a mullet'd karate instructor humor several questions about protecting oneself from a dildo-wielding attacker?

Regardless, the bottom line is this: If you're offended by Hitler jokes, racial stereotyping, explicit sexuality, or the gay caricature that is Brüno himself, this film will boil your blood. Otherwise, it's so outlandishly riotous it should be considered a choking hazard.

To promote the remake/redo/reimagining of 1980's Fame (out Sept. '09), MGM is hosting a virtual competition for U.S. residents 14 and older to show off their stuff. (Tastefully.)

It apparently doesn't matter what you do -- a flier claims that possibilities include "singing, dancing, acting, or surprise us!" -- nor how many folks you do it with. (Again, tasteful, people.)

Just upload your video at MySpace.com/Fame by Aug. 3 for the chance to win various prizes, including $5000 cash, a photo spread (!) in OK! Magazine, a trip to Hollywood, a "meet-and-greet with a top talent agent and studio executive," and -- wait for it -- inclusion of your wowza performance on the Fame DVD. Which I'm guessing will be released not too long after the film tanks.

Go to the MySpace site for more info, and consider: The promo's promise that the winning bit of entertainment will "live forever" on the DVD could be a blessing or a curse.

I started perusing reviews immediately after seeing the movie but quickly had to stop, fearing that all the good digs had already been taken and that if it were inevitable that some of my adjectives would match another's, it wasn't going to be because I read that person's critique first.

But man, are some of them funny. I finally went back to Rotten Tomatoes to read all of the vitriol -- and 20 percent of the fresh ratings -- and have listed the best below, in no particular order.

A horrible experience of unbearable length. -- Roger Ebert

Like watching paint dry while getting hit over the head with a frying pan. -- Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

A giant, lumbering idiot of a movie. -- David Edwards, Daily Mirror

A 150-minute simulation of life in a garbage disposal. -- Matt Pais, Metromix

The male teenage cinematic equivalent of snorting cocaine off a hooker's ass. -- Garth Franklin, Dark Horizons

If you ever wondered what a movie would look like geared toward the underdeveloped brain of a gestating zygote...then Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is the insipid illustration you've been waiting for. -- Bill Gibron, PopMatters

After 149 minutes, I felt like I had been sitting in an aluminum garbage can while someone drummed on the outside with a wrench.
-- Laura Clifford, Reeling Reviews

#transformersfail -- Nell Minow, Beliefnet

Putrid, offensive, and life-sucking. -- Dustin Putman, The Movie Boy

And finally, a man after my own heart:

Only an asshole could have made this film. -- Rob Humanick, House Next Door

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, which has already made an obscene amount of money since opening Wednesday, so you should not give it one more cent. And if you already have, shame on you.

$9.99, Etgar Keret's short stories adapted with stop-motion animation. More novel than compelling.

My Sister's Keeper, starring Cameron Diaz (being serious without being ugly!) and Abigail Breslin. Adapted from a book about a cancer-ridden teenager and the younger sister her parents conceived exclusively as a source of compatible body parts. Plenty o' people are trashing the film as Lifetime-y melodrama, but I thought it was pretty realistic and, at least until its second half, relatively restrained. But maybe I was just feeling charitable after getting through my weekly deadline.

Cheri, a Stephen Frears film starring Pfeiffer as a retired courtesan in pre-World War I Paris. But the title actually refers to a dude. Reviews divided almost exactly down the middle.

The Country Teacher, a Czech drama about a closeted gay schoolteacher and the complications that arise when he develops feelings for one of his students while befriending the boy's mother.

The Stoning of Soraya M., a based-on-a-true-story drama set in 1986 Iran about the persecution of a young woman whose arranged marriage resulted in abuse. Starring House of Sand and Fog's Shohreh Aghdashloo.

Under Our Skin, a must-see documentary about Lyme disease, particularly for those who still believe the illness is short-term or psychosomatic.

Until then, here's a list of fest winners:

Sterling US Feature Award: October Country
Sterling World Feature Award: Mugabe and the White African
Sterling Short Award: 12 Notes Down
Special Jury Mention: Salt
Music Documentary Award: RiseUp
Special Jury Mention: Soul Power
Cinematic Vision Award: Old Partner
WITNESS Award: Good Fortune
Writers Guild of America Documentary Screenplay Award: Off and Running
ACE Grant Winner: Cinema Chimp
Feature Audience Award: The Cove
Short Audience Award: 12 Notes Down

Here are some of today's highlights:

Carmen Meets Borat, which profiles a 17-year-old who tells what it was like when her village was accosted by Sacha Baron Cohen. 4:15 p.m.

Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo, a look at Oklahoma’s rodeo-as-rehabilitation program. 4:30 p.m.

Sacred Places, which digs into the dearth of African cinema. 7 p.m.

The September Issue, R.J. Cutler's sneak peek into Anna Wintour's den as she and her staff prepare Vogue's biggest issue of the year. 7:15 p.m.

Best Worst Movie, Michael Stephenson's documentation of the phenomenon of the terrifically bad Troll 2, a B movie in which he starred that's now reached cult status. 8:45 p.m.; a screening of Troll 2 follows.

21 Below, Samantha Buck's intimate profile of a Buffalo, N.Y., family dealing with issues of illness, teen pregnancy, and race. 9 p.m.

Soul Power, footage of the three-day concert that preceded Muhammad Ali and George Foreman's famed 1974 Rumble in the Jungle, featuring James Brown, Bill Withers, B.B. King, and the Spinners. 9:45 p.m.