FREEZE FRAMES

A weekly update of film releases THE TERRITORY - Hikers lose their way in a forest and revert to savage ways, raising questions of how civilized Western civilization really is. This pitch-black comedy is perhaps the most accessible and ``linear'' work of Chilean-born filmmaker Raul Ruiz, who calls it ``a movie about passports ... about boundaries ... shot like an old Troy Donahue horror film.'' Photographed by Henri Alekan, it was made in tandem with Wim Wenders's underrated ``The State of Things'' in 1981. (Not rated)

THE TWO JAKES - Sequel to the 1974 classic ``Chinatown,'' with private eye Jake Gittes plunged into another case involving Los Angeles real estate, natural resources, and sexual intrigue. Atmospherically directed by Jack Nicholson, who also gives a complex and intelligent performance as the hero. Unfortunately, the story has an unsteady rhythm that prevents it from picking up the momentum it needs, and the climactic moments are surprisingly flat. Still, the cinematography by Vilmos Zsigmond is stunning, and Robert Towne's screenplay is less opportunistic than many of his efforts in recent years, although it still contains moments designed merely to shock or titillate. (Rated R)

WILD AT HEART - Comic melodrama about a young couple on the road, where each new acquaintance and adventure is more outrageous than the last. As usual, filmmaker David Lynch offers an incredibly wild ride for those who can stand his excesses of sex and violence. But he doesn't find the originality of his ``Blue Velvet'' or the engrossing mood of his ``Twin Peaks,'' and the story is so disjointed it ends up making no sense at all. (Rated R).