FILM index
FILM INDEX continued
Claire Dolan (18) *itt (Lodge Kerrigan, US, 2000) Katrin Cartlidgc, Colm Meaney, Vincent D’Onofrio. 105 mins. Upmarket New York call girl Claire Dolan (Cartlidge) is indebted to pimp, Cain (Meaney). When her mother dies Claire fleas the big apple to suburban Newark where she finds love and redemption with taxi driver, Elton (D‘Onofrio). Cain however is never far behind. Austere, pensive and highly stylised, this movie — like his 1993 debut, Clean Shaven — is an edgy, quiet study of urban alienation and mental illness. See review. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
A Clockwork Orange (18) **** (Stanley Kubrick, UK, 1971) Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Warren Clarke. 137 mins. The night of ‘ultra-violenee’ committed by Alex (McDowell) and his gang of ‘droogs‘ gives it its notoriety. But subsequent victimisation by the State still provides much food for thought. This fable of law and disorder, crime and punishment might easily be recast in let century Britain. So, it's about time the British public got to see the late master’s most infamous film. Glasgow: Odeon. Edinburgh: Cameo. Falkirk: F'I‘H Cinema.
Cradle Will Rock (15) *itt (Tim Robbins, US, 2000) Angus Macfadyen, Susan Sarandon, John Cusack, Bill Murray, Emily Watson, Vanessa Redgrave. 134 mins. New York City, 1936. in the midst of the Depression a govemmcnt~sponsored project strives to find work for performers and bring theatre to the unemployed masses, while communist paranoia grips the state. Against this background Orson Welles attempts to stage a socialist musical, The Cradle Will Rock. Robbins builds a terrific portrait of a tumultuous period of American history through a series of overlapping personal dramas. Hugely ambitious, clever, ironic, humorous and with a phenomenal ensemble cast. Glasgow: GFl‘. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. The Cup (PG) *‘ki‘k (Khyentse Norbu, Australia, 1999) Orgyen Tobgyal, Neten Chokling, Jamyang Lodro. 93 mins. The Cup scores a hat trick of firsts: first film directed by a lama, in the Tibetan language with a cast solely comprised of monks. And it’s about football, specifically the footy fever that grips the monks of Chokling Monastery during the 1998 World Cup. Eliciting spirited performances from his cast, Norbu achieves his goal in creating a simple, humorous, humane film. Edinburgh: Lumiere.
Down To You (12) (Kris lsacsson, US, 2000) Freddie Prinze Jr, Julia Styles, Henry Winkler. 96 mins. This summer ram-com partners pretty young things Prinze Jr and Styles as New York college students, Al (a trainee chef) and Imogen (an artist). Love begins to take priority over their career plans, but various obstacles threaten their flowering relationship: a seductive vixen, an anxiety-ridden friend, a crazy roommate, and a guy who thinks he ’5 Jim Morrison. See review. General release.
Edge Of Seventeen (15) (David Moreton, US,,1998) Chris Stafford, Tina Holmes, Lea Delaria. 100 mins. It’s the summer of ‘84 and trendy young Eric is looking forward to fun, fun, fun with a cushy amusement
Vegas crooner Tony Clifton muscles in on comedian Andy Kaufman's territory in Man On The Moon, the biopic in which Jim
arcade job. But when he meets fellow worker Rod, Fric begins a crazy journey of infatuation and desire. Part ofThc Lesbian And Gay Film Festival On Tour. Glasgow: GFI'. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
The End Of The Affair (18) *1an (Neil Jordan, UK. L'S. 2000) Ralph Fienncs, Julianne Moore. Stephen Rea. 101 mins. This is a diary of hate.‘ explains narrator Bendrix (Fiennes). as he attempts to piece together the memories of his war-time affair with Sarah (Moore). the wife of high- ranking civil servant Henry (Rea). Jordan captures the rancorous tone and bitter intensity of Graham Grahame Greene's source novel in this potent adaptation, the impact of which is Compounded by a trio of commanding performances. Edinburgh: Lumiere. Falkirk: I’l‘ll Cinema. Kirkcaldy: Adam Smith.
Erin Brockovich (15) **** (Steven Soderbergh. L'“. 2000) Julia Roberts, Albert Finney, Aaron lickhart. 133 mins. Unemployed single mother Erin (Roberts) shochorns her way into a filing clerk position with Finncy's (‘alifornia law firm. There she accidentally uncovers a conspiracy to conceal the poisoning of the local community, which leads to the largest direct action lav. suit in American history. This might sound like a cliched John Grisharn thriller. but it's based on a true story and Soderbcrgh's direction and Roberts' performance are faultless — together they prove that mainstream American cinema can be something truly great. General release.
Extreme Screen; Everest and The Living Sea (U) ** 40 mins each. Although the
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iWERKS experience impresses on a technical level, neither of these films transcend entertainment as lumbering fairground attraction. Everest is a dry-as- sand account of a recent expedition up the big yin. Filmed in the style of a Sunday afternoon docudrama, it also has the dubious honour of rendering a remarkable adventure mundane. A much better bet is the visually wondrous The Living Sea, an ‘edutaining‘ look at mankind’s relationship with the sea (with voice-over from Meryl Streep). Edinburgh: UGC.
Excuse Me Duckie, But Lucas Loved Me (Perdona Bonita, pero Lucas me queria a mi) (18) (Felix Sabroso/Dunia Ayaso) Jordi Molla, Pepon Nieto. 92 mins. Threatened by their homophobic landlady. three flatmates look for a fourth when they fall behind with their rent. Enter tall, dark and handsome Lucas. who fits the bill until he turns up dead with half the kitchen utensils sticking out of his chest. Next enter the cleaner, a police inspector and a procession of OTI' characters in this high camp farce. Part of The Lesbian And Gay Film Festival On Tour. Glasgow: GET. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
Eyes Without A Face (Les Yeux Sans Visage) (18) *ii* (Georges Franju, France, 1959) Pierre Brasseur, Alida Valli, Edith Scob. 90 mins. A plastic surgeon persuades his devoted female assistant to kidnap and murder beautiful girls w hose facial tissue he is using to graft onto his daughter, disfigured in a car crash. A horror movie that retains a distinctively European poetic quality. Edinburgh: Lumiere.
Fight Club (18) **** (David Fincher, US, 1999) Brad Pitt, Ed Norton, Helena Bonham Caner. 135 mins. Masculinity is in a mess and consumerism is to blame. Men have become docile spectators of life according to Fight Club. Fincher‘s controversial adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's novel. in reckless response to this late twentieth century malaise, Norton‘s docile spectator teams up with Pitt‘s mischievous Tyler Durden to form an arena for men to beat each other to a pulp and thus reconnect with the world. lt‘s hit and miss, but enough of the punches connect to startle even the most docile of viewers. Edinburgh: Odeon, UGC.
Final Destination (15) *it (James Wong, US, 2000) Devon Sawa, Ali Larter, Kerr Smith. 98 mins. After a premonition Alex (Devon Sawa) manages to save a bunch of his classmates from a plane crash. As the survivors gruesornely pop their clogs one-by-one, it becomes apparent that death is playing catch-up. Disposable horror hokum, but the pace, irreverence and sick, black humour ensure the most entertaining
i
Carrey gives a career best performance
teen slasher since the original Scream. See review. General release.
Galaxy Quest (PG) **** (Dean Parisot, US, 2000) Sigourney Weaver, Tim Allen, Alan Rickman. 102 mins. In the film, Galaxy Quest is a Star Trek-style series which ran for a short time years ago and has subsequently developed cult status. To earn a crust the miserable cast make personal appearances at conventions and shopping mall openings. But a naive bunch of aliens mistake them for real heroes and enlist the cast‘s help in battling a real-life evil enemy. What follows is, on the surface, an entertaining display of straightforward, fish-out-of-water comedy, but underlying it is a gently scathing attack on fan culture, and America’s pathological need for heroes. General release.
Getting Animated (U) Approx. 155 mins. Programme of films and talks, hosted in conjunction with the Edinburgh University Film Society, looking at the evolution of animation. The work of well known studios such as Aardman (Wallace and Grommit) and Pixar (Toy Story) is mixed with the best of British and international animation. Edinburgh: Lumiere.
Ghost Dog: The Way Of the Samurai (15) it (Jim Jarmusch. US'Japan/France/ Germany, 2000) Forest Whitaker, John 'I‘ormey, Cliff Gorman. 116 mins. Jim Jarmusch's latest foray into nowhere sees Whitaker's New York street urchin as a professional Mob assassin who lives by an ancient Eastern code of honour. But when a hit goes wrong, the mob are after Ghost Dog and gangster friend Louie (Tormey) is caught between loyalties. It's taken the radical auteur an aw ful long time to miss the particular boat of sending up the mob. Jarmusch should probably stick to making throwaway movies about ageing rockers, Helsinki cabbies and Japanese Elvis fans instead of attempting the grand spiritual narrative. Glasgow: Gl’l‘. Showcase. Edinburgh: Cameo.
Gladiator (15) *** (Ridley Scott, US, 2000) Russell Crowc, Richard Harris, Joaquin Phoenix. 150 mins. Just before dying Caesar Aurelius (Harris) charges general Maximus (Crowe) with cleaning up his beloved. but politically corrupt Rome. Aurelius' son. (‘ommodus (Phoenix), doesn't take kindly to this and has his rival executed. But Maximus survives and. as a gladiator, works his way back to Rome intent on revenge. Parallels must be drawn with .S'purticus and Ben Hur; we've not seen a Roman epic in a long time. Scott's is a handsome spectacle and exciting enough, but that's all it is. See Frontlines and review. General release.