McGuigan, UK, 2000) Malcolm McDowell, David 'l‘hewlis, Paul Bettany. 103 mins. Mr McDowell is the eponymous Gangster, an abominable, irredeemably evil thug who is prompted to recount his 30-year rise to infamy when old rival Freddie Mays (David 'Ihewlis giving it ‘suave') is released from prison. From there we flashback to 1968 when young Gangster (Paul Bettany) is hired as muscle for Freddie. Stylish, funny and shocking in (mostly) the right places, McGuigan‘s follow-up to The Acid House is reminiscent of late ()0s films such as Performance. Glasgow: Odeon At The Quay, Showcase. Edinburgh: UCI, UGC Cinemas. Paisley: Showcase.
Ghost Dog: The Way Of the Samurai (15) ** (Jim Jarmusch, US."Japan/France/ Germany, 2000) Forest Whitaker, John Tomiey, 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 ('1'ormey) is caught between loyalties. lt‘s taken the radical auteur an awful 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. Edinburgh: Cameo.
Gladiator (15) *** (Ridley Scott, US, 2000) Russell Crowe, Richard Harris, Joaquin Phoenix. 150 mins. Just before dying Caesar Aurelius (llarris) charges General Maximus (Crowe) with cleaning up his beloved, but politically corrupt Rome. Aurelius‘ son, Commodus (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 Sparticus 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. General release.
The Godfather (18) ***** (Francis Ford Coppola, US, 1971) Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan. 175 mins. Mafia epic that follows the collapse of the Corleone empire under the old Don (Brando) and the struggle for power this causes between rival families and his own sons. Al Pacino is magnificent as the good son who has to turn bad in order to regain family honour. llugely enjoyable, violent movie is a landmark in American filmmaking. Glasgow: Grosvenor. Goldfinger (PG) **** (Guy Hamilton, UK, 196-1) Sean Connery, llonor Blackman, Gert Frobe. 112 mins. The one with Pussy Galore, Odd Job, Shirley Bassey belting it out, Shirley Eaton covered in gold and a typically over-the-top plot as mad Auric plans to break into Fort Knox. Much better on the big screen, when it doesn't have to be crammed into the TV frame. Glasgow: Grosvenor.
A Goofy Movie (U) *** (Kevin Lima, US, 1996) With the voices of Bill Farmer, Jason Marsden, Jim Cummings. 74 mins. After a school prank backfires, Goofy decides to take troublesome son Max off on a bonding fishing trip. Max is trying his best to be cool, but that isn‘t easy when your dad's this particular Disney star. An incident-packed journey provides plenty of laughs which should keep restless kids and accompanying adults amused. Glasgow: ()deon At The Quay.
Hail The Conquering Hero (U) **** (Preston Sturges, US, 194-1) Eddie Bracken, Ella Raines. 101 mins. In a kind of reverse Saving Private Ryan scenario, a group of marines, veterans of Guadalcanal, take mothers boy Woodrow Truesmith home, passing him off as a hero in honour of his father who died in World War 1. Sophisticated wartime comedy. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. Happiness (18) ***** (Todd Solondz, US, 1998) Cynthia Stevenson, Lara Flynn Boyle, Philip Seymour Hoffman. 139 mins. Three sisters, two small boys, one psychologist and a phone-harassment specialist. ()ut of these unlikely elements Todd Solondl. has wrought pure cinematic gold, which veers from belly laughter one moment to stark pathos in another. Edinburgh: Cameo.
Herbie Goes Bananas (U) be (Vincent McEveety, US, 1980) Charles Martin Smith, Stephen W. Burns, Cloris Leachman. 100 mins. Late addition and the not the best of the series about the magically intelligent Volkswagon. Still, the South American locations are picturesque and the cast distinguish it, some. Glasgow: Grosvenor. Hercules (U) *it* (John Muskcr & Ron Clements, US, 1997) With the voices of Tate Donovan, James Woods, Danny DeVito. 91 mins. British cartoonist Gerald Scarfe's designs marry his customary grotesquery with Uncle Walt's softer characterisations. Hades (a magnificently splenetic James Woods) wants to exact revenge on Zeus by destroying his son Hercules, but luckily our hero has Pegasus as his steed and Phil the grumpy satyr (Danny DeVito) as his coach. Classical purists might grumble, but this is one of the studio’s most dynamic and entertaining features. Glasgow: Odeon. Holy Smoke (18) he (Jane Campion, US, 2000) Kate Winslet, Harvey Keitel, Julie Hamilton, Pam Grier. 114 mins. Winslet courageously throws herself into the role of Ruth, a spirited young woman who falls under the spell of a Guru in India, and then finds herself confronted by an American Exit Counsellor (Keitel) enlisted by her Australian family to lure her back home. Holy Smoke is packed with provocative ideas, but Campion’s failure to explore them and, more damagingly, her heavy-handed attempts at comedy, wipe out any interest the film might hold. Falkirk: FTH Cinema. Kirkcaldy: Adam Smith.
House! (15) **** (Julian Kemp, UK, 2000) Freddie Jones, Kelly Macdonald, Jason Hughes. 89 mins. The staff of a crumbling bingo hall in Wales battle impending bankruptcy when a bingo megaplex opens a mile down the valley, a plot lifted from 1957‘s paean to cinemas, The Smallest Show On Earth. At the heart of this assured debut is the rebellion of a small community against encroaching modern business practises, a conflict which embodied many a classic Ealing comedy. Irvine: Magnum Theatre.
The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (PG) **** (Gary Trousdale/Kirk Wise, US, 1996) With the voices of Tom Hulce, Demi Moore, Kevin Kline. 90 mins. Young Quasimodo is kept prisoner in medieval Paris‘s great cathedral by the evil Judge Frollo, but when the beautiful gypsy Esmeralda comes on the scene, the boy ‘5 heroic instincts save the day. Strong vocal performances, stunning cityscapes, grand songs and an expertly mature handling of adult themes make this an instant classic with plenty to say about moral hypocrisy. Edinburgh: Odeon. Ayr: Odeon.
II Postino (U) **** (Michael Radford, Italy, 1995) Massimo Troisi, Philippe Noiret, Maria Grazia Cucinotta. 108 mins. When exiled Chilean poet Pablo Neruda (Noiret) arrives on a remote island off the Neapolitan coast, he aids local postman Mario (Troisi) to woo the village barmaid. Gently paced and full of Mediterranean sun, Radford’s film is nicely unsentimental. Sadly, 'l‘roisi died the day after shooting was completed, but he couldn’t have left a finer legacy. Glasgow: Grosvenor.
In All Innocence (En plein coeur) (15) **** (Pierre Jolivct, France, 2000) Virginie Ledoyen, Gerard Lanvin, Carole Bouquet. 101 mins. Middle-aged lawyer Michel (Lanvin) is seduced by gorgeous Cécile (Ledoyen) after she's accused of breaking into a jewellery shop. Adapted from Georges Simenon's novel, this is plot driven French cinema in the style of
L ’Appartement and Place VendUme, but with enough of a social edge to hint at 90s French films with a political conscience: The Bait and La Haine. In fact, the film’s story comes as readily from class contrasts as the expected sexual enticements. Se review. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
The Insider (15) attain (Michael Mann, US, 2000) Russell Crowc, Al Pacino, Christopher Plummer. 157 mins. Mann's heist movie, Heat, boasted some electrifying set pieces, yet while The Insider contains virtually no ‘action‘ there's a terrific sense of dramatic urgency that drives the film. It all starts in the mid-90$ with Jeffrey
Continued over page
The official guide to the largest arts festival in the world is
out now,
Grab a copy on
0906 557 55 77
(calls cost £1/min)
To search the programme on-line, check out
www.edfringe.com
index FILM
22 Jun—6 Jul 2000 THE LIST 51