attentions of Kennedy ‘5 fellow teacher while fantasising about McKinnon‘s school girl; in the other he is reacquainted with old school pal Fraser Rowan (Dougray Scott), an entrepreneur involved in highly unethical business dealings. Glasgow: GFI'.
Heaven Can Wait (PG) iii (Warren Beatty, US, 1978) Warren Beatty, James Mason, Julie Christie, Charles Grodin. 101 mins. Due to an administrative error in Heaven American footballer Joe Pendleton (Beatty) is called before his time. However, archangel Mr Jordan (Mason) takes pity on him and they return him to earth, albeit in a brand new body. A lightly amusing romantic comedy, though it hardly lives up to its 1941 precursor Here Comes Mr Jordan. Edinburgh: Lumiere.
High Fidelity (15) ***** (Stephen Frears, US, 2000) John Cusack, lben Hjejle, Jack Black. 113 mins. Nick Hornby's story of a vinyl junkie who's more interested in his music collection than his relationships with women is practically a British institution. Yet, Cusack — and co~writer/producer pals D.V. DeVincentis and Steve Pink — have drawn on their own pasts to make a film that's as funny and profound as the book. But the great script, cast and music wouldn‘t have meant a thing without a filmmaker of Frears' calibre taking charge. Glasgow: Odeon, Odeon At The Quay. Edinburgh: Dominion, Odeon, UGC Cinemas. Stirling: Carlton. Hillsborough (18) *** (UK, 1996) Christopher Eccleston, Ricky 'I’omlinson, Annabelle Apsion. 105 mins. This drama- documentary about the 1989 disaster that saw 95 football fans lose their lives in the llillsborough stadium is a long-cherished project of writer Jimmy McGovern. His film focuses on three families before the fatal game and after, during the legal struggle that followed. Special guests are expected to attend the screening. Glasgow: GF'I‘. Himalaya (PG) *** (Eric Valli, France/ Switzerland/U K/Nepal, 2000) Thilen Lhondup, Gurgon Kyap, Lhapka Tsamchoe. 104 mins. In the high mountains of the Himalayas, a village prepares for the annual yak caravan to market. However, the young
Chieftain has been killed and the old clan head, refuses to recognise the hot-headed Karma as his successor. A worthy insight into the lives of a hardy people, the landscape is breathtakingly shot, and the attention to local detail feels authentic. The plot has less going for it, being at heart a fairly hackneyed story of an heir to the throne having to prove he is worthy of the crown. Glasgow: GF'T. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
The Horse Thief (15) *it* (Tran Zhuangzhuang, China, 1986) Tsehang Rigzin, Dan Jiji. 88 mins. Tibet, 1923. To provide for his poverty-stricken family, Norbu steals horses from wandering nomads and offerings reserved for the gods. His actions earn him the contempt of his village and ultimately, expulsion from his tribe. An episodic narrative, occasionally lacking in pace, The Horse Thief lingers on the rituals of the tribe, with a steely gaze that renders their strangeness all the more striking. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
James And The Giant Peach (U) *ttt (Henry Selick, US, 1996) Paul Terry, Susan Sarandon, Simon Callow. 79 mins. From the director of Tim Burton '3 The Nightmare Before Christmas comes a wonderfully colourful adaptation of Roald Dahl‘s much- loved novel. Live action tops and tails the story, but for the most part, it’s fun times with stop-motion puppets. By turns funny and scary, it stays true to Dahl‘s surreal and whimsical vision. Ayr: Odeon.
Janice Beard: 45 wpm (15) whit (Clare Kilner, UK, 2000) Eileen Walsh, Patsy Kensit, Rhys Ifans. 81 mins. After Janice‘s dad dies of a heart attack during her birth, her mum sinks into ‘post-natal, post-mortem depression'. Reaching her twenties, Janice, now a habitual liar, sets off to London to find mum a medical cure. Further plot convulsions fall short of the often hilarious character comedy, but the lead newcomer Walsh is simply astonishing as the goofy, endearing Janice. Falkirk: FTH Cinema. Jaya Ganga (15) it (Vijay Singh, France/India, 1996) 85 mins. Based on his own book, Jaya Ganga, In Search Of The River Goddess, this is the directorial debut of
Indian writer living in Paris, Singh. And, surprise, surprise, the plot concerns an Indian writer living in Paris who returns to his homeland to travel down the sacred Ganges river in an attempt to discover his country and himself. Although made competently enough, it’s self-indulgent and introspective and, ultimately, dull. See review. Glasgow: GF'I‘. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
Jesus' Son (18) **** (Alison MacLean, US, 2000) Billy Crudup, Samantha Morton, Denis Leary. 109 mins. Just occasionally a film about drugs can contain something of the magic and warmth of an addict’s high. Fuckhead (Billy Crudup) is a likeable young bum in 70's Iowa with a roaring drug problem, a crazy girlfriend (Morton) and a consuming need to help everyone he comes across, usually with dire consequences. This soulful diary of a ‘head’ is everything the grossly contrived Trainspotting was not: intelligent, playful and full of big-hearted love. Kirkcaldy: Adam Smith.
Joan Of Arc (15) ivth (Luc Besson, France, 2000) Milla Jovovich, John Malkovich, Faye Dunaway. 148 mins. The heroine of this would-be international blockbuster is reinvented as the standard bearer of in a valiant endeavour to repel the forces of Anglo-American cultural imperialism. But made with English dialogue, the film has much in common with the gory spectacle of Braveheart. The uneven opening and closing parts - Joan’s childhood, and imprisonment and trial - cannot efface the impact of the film’s central battle scenes nor the image of the armour-clad Joan in the midst of the carnage. Edinburgh: Lumiere. Kilmamock: Odeon.
Keeping The Faith (12) *ttt (Edward Norton, US, 2000) Edward Norton, Ben Stiller, Jenna Elfman. 129 mins. In this Woody Allen-esque romantic comedy Norton's Catholic priest and his rabbi best pal (Stiller) have trouble keeping their faiths when childhood friend Elfman arrives in the Big Apple. In no time at all the trio are falling for each other precipitating a messy love triangle. Making his directing debut, Norton's comic touch is light and sure and
listings FILM
this threesome perform like a dream, but what distinguishes Keeping The Faith from other rom-coms is its flip, but never disrespectful attitude, toward religion. See review. General release.
Kikujiro (12) *ii* (Takeshi Kitano, Japan, 2000) ‘Beat’ Takeshi, Yusuke Sekiguchi. 122 mins. Kitano plays the title role (interestingly, also his father's name), a small-time criminal who finds himself the surrogate father to nine-year-old Masao (Sekiguchi) when the boy sets OR in search of the mother he has never met. In a departure from the gangster films his European reputation is built on, Kitano's sharply observed comic road movie shows the Japanese director/actor in more slapstick mode, giving his offbeat wit a freer rein. Stirling: MacRobert.
La Veuve de Saint-Pierre (15) *inlr (Patrice Leconte, France, 2000) Juliette Binoche, Daniel Auteil, Emir Kusturica. 112 mins. The ever-versatile Leconte follows the fairytale playfulness of The Girl On The Bridge with this moumful period melodrama. Partly an examination of the iniquity of the death penalty and partly a portrait of the harshness of life in a godforsaken 19th century colonial outpost, La Veuve is above all a fatalistic love story, in which l‘amour, in both the physical and platonic senses, leads to such tragic consequences. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
Love And Basketball (PG) **** (Gina Prince-Blythewood, US, 2000) Sanaa Lathan, Omar Epps. 122 mins. Produced by Spike lee and directed by first timer Prince- Blythewood, this is a gem about how to keep true to your ambition and to your love at the same time. Marked by real warmth and intelligence, this film really makes you care for its characters, from the moment eleven- year-old Monica steps up to challenge new neighbour Quincy on a basketball court, through their pre-adolescent first kiss, to the sex, love and conflict of their adult lives. Glasgow: Odeon.
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7-21 Sep 2000 THE UST 27