PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS DRUG-THEME MOVIES

Frank Sinatra did it. So did Lana Turner, Peter Fonda, Al Pacino, Ben
Stiller and Ewan McGregor -- and, of course, Cheech and Chong. All were
seen taking drugs, or reasonable facsimiles thereof, in movies. Some scenes
were more graphic than others, and some had more of a comedic bent than a
dramatic effect. Many of those moments are compiled in "Hollywood High," an
intriguing new AMC documentary premiering at 7 p.m. today.

Directed by Bruce Sinofsky ("Paradise Lost"), the hourlong program
intercuts movie excerpts with filmmakers' comments. Participants include
actors Willem Dafoe, Gary Sinise, Jared Leto ("Requiem for a Dream"),
Delroy Lindo ("Clockers") and Cheech Marin; directors Oliver Stone ("The
Doors"), John Waters, Darren Aronofsky ("Requiem for a Dream") and Penelope
Spheeris; and writers Stephen Gaghan ("Traffic") and Jerry Stahl
("Permanent Midnight").

Though "Hollywood High" offers a timeline of drug-theme movies (dating to
the now-laughable "Reefer Madness," released in 1936), it isn't the
program's main concern. The emphasis is on the different ways that films
have treated the subject, usually reflecting the time in which the given
movie was made.

Prime examples include Sinatra's harrowing "The Man with the Golden Arm"
(1955) and Fonda's era-defining "Easy Rider" (1969).

Other films get more attention in "Hollywood High," possibly because of the
availability of their talents.

"Requiem for a Dream" (2000) notably examined addictions, which director
Aronofsky stresses involve not only drugs, as evidenced by Ellen Burstyn's
Oscar-nominated performance as a television and food junkie.

Oscar winner Gaghan gets considerable time to reflect on "Traffic" and
points out that not every character today has to pay a moral price for
taking drugs on screen. "I don't think you can declare war on a facet of
human nature," he says.