Get Spiked! by MATTHEW HAYS Spike and Mike's 2000 Sick & Twisted Festival of Animation lands at Cinéma du Parc this weekend. Those animation buffs who've caught this varied anthology in previous years will undoubtedly be back; the uninitiated should really check it out. It's all a bit, well, twisted, but there's something about this bizarre collection of shorts that's a wee bit addictive. Animators as diverse as Tim Burton, Nick Park and Bill Plympton have all praised Spike and Mike for their promotion of the medium. Consider this praise, coming from none other than South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker: "Spike and Mike are to animation what salad dressing is to sex." This year's offerings are, as always, wildly uneven. Walter Santucci returns with his sick Mafia storyteller in Pussy Da Rednosed Reindeer, whose narrator is typically foul-mouthed. Indeed, this one's good for a laugh or two, but ends awfully early. Don Hertzfeldt's entry, titled simply Rejected, consists of several promotional segments commissioned by the Family Learning Channel, all of which were rejected after completion. You can really see why they might have passed after watching them. Overall, I'd say this year's offerings are better than usual. But my reservations about this touring show are the same as they always are: is there really anything innately funny in the mere mention of filthy words or various bodily fluids? It's all a bit immature, but presumably that's something Spike and Mike would receive as a compliment. The fest opens Friday, Dec. 8. See repertory listings for showtimes. The Cinémathèque québécoise continues screening its series of silent Hitchcock films, which run all the way into March. Early signs of the macabre sensibility of the master can be felt in such films as The Pleasure Garden and The Lodger. And while we're on the topic of Hitchcock, I caught the much-hyped Montreal Museum of Fine Arts show on the weekend and must report that, while the show isn't bad, it's being wildly overrated. Shows like these get some heat from museum and gallery snobs, who argue--incorrectly, I feel--that the events are merely a way to cash in with bigger crowds than a traditional art show could. Cash-strapped museums are accused of "selling out." In this case, though, the argument doesn't really follow, seeing as Hitch is an entirely worthy subject. Besides, if they were really out to cash in, the folks at the MMFA might have thought to actually offer some decent Hitch-related merchandise at their shop. Aside from some cool posters and books, the T-shirts, cups and other various accessories struck me as very mediocre offerings. The very first Jewish Student Film Festival will be held in April. If you're interested in entering, submit your kosher celluloid and see if you can be part of the event. For information about applications, contact fest coordinator Stephanie Finkelstein at s_finkelstein@hotmail.com. COMMENTS: mhays@mtl-mirror.com