Torture in the Movies, Making Us Squirm  From the art house to
mainstream films, torture is a cropping up as a trendy cinematic
theme. How did torture become hip? And why are directors putting
viewers on the side of the torturers? Film critic A.S. Hamrah
offers his insights.    While Director Paul Verhoeven may have
cut back on violence in his new movie, it is a hot commodity in
Hollywood. But ads for a film called "Captivity," which featured
young actress Elisha Cuthbert being tortured, have been taken
down because of public reaction to them. The film is still
scheduled to open next month.  It seems that every weekend, a
movie with excruciating scenes of torture hits the theaters.
A.S. Hamrah is a film critic. Last year, he wrote an editorial
for the Los Angeles Times called "We Love to Torture," and he's
in our New York bureau. Thanks for being with us.  Mr. A.S.
HAMRAH (Film Critic): Thank you for having me.  HANSEN: Any
theories about why audiences want to watch people suffer?  Mr.
HAMRAH: Well, I think t