index FILM
Season 2000/1
passion destruction youth jealousy
war
0r who insanity thighslapping gob-smacking infidelity pill-popping hilarity romping suicide Broadway mayhem breathtaking memorable loueable kissable
Michael Hordern. 86 mins. Probably the
/ best screen adaptation of Charles Dickens‘s ' A Christmas Carol. The story concerns the overly-prudent businessman Ebeneezcr Scrooge (Sim), whose becomes a saint overnight. But Dickens was never afraid to tackle the big issues: the threat to children‘s lives, whether they are privileged or poverty-stricken is one of the main themes. Still, none of the darkness gets in the way of {I v t a cracking talc. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. mg}; Shaft (18) *‘k‘k (John Singleton, US,
, 2000) Samuel L. Jackson, Jeffrey Wright, Richard Roundtree. 100 mins. Despite what the title may suggest this is neither a remake nor a sequel; its more of a 29 years on here's what happenin'. Jackson runs the show as ‘young' John Shaft, nephew of the eponymous 70s private dick played once again by Roundtree. It‘s a pretty good action movie with some snappy dialogue and a few nifty set pieces, but this Shaft wavers towards a rather unsatisfying end. Singleton (Boyz ‘N' The Hood) was quite clearly a victim of studio bigwig interference (Jesus, it‘s Shaft and there's no shagging!) and because of that it‘s a disappointment. General release.
Shanghai Noon (12) hid: (Tom Dey, US, 2000) Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu, Owen Wilson. 110 mins. The flimsy plot of this ‘East meets Western‘ is merely an excuse for gags and set-pieces, with Chan cast as Chon Wang, a 19th century Imperial Guard who travels to the States to rescue abducted princess Pei Pei (Liu) from the villainous Lo Fong. Things don't go smoothly, however, and Chong finds himself teaming up with an incompetent yet affable criminal, Roy O'Bannon (Wilson). Filmed in widescrecn, Shanghai Noon affectionately sends up the characters and conventions of numerous
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Jamie Bell reaches for the stars in Billy Elliot
Kunohiko Yuyama, Japan/US, 2000) 96 mins. Cloned Pokemon (pocket monster) Mewtwo embarks on world dominance and so hero kids, Ash, Brock and Misty, accompanied by their Pokemon, set out to make him see the error of his ways. Cue a great deal of gratuitous fighting and an interlude in which it‘s explained that fighting is bad (7!). The stupor induced by viewing the film strand of the phenomenal Pokemon franchise (computer game, collecting cards. etc.) as an adult, convincingly confirms that it's a kid thing, good or bad. Odeon. Edinburgh, Ayr, Kilmarnock.
mailed videotape of his infidelity. En route the boys learn about the important things in life: the rules of cheating on your partner, the best way to donate sperm, stealing from the blind and ancient Greek Philosophy. The star of the film is undoubtedly MTV cult phenomenon Tom Green. His performance is guaranteed to have you in stitches as he gives a university tour, woos girls, eats mice and does battle with a python. Stupendous fun. See review. General release.
Romeo Must Die (15) at (Andrzcj Bartkowiak, US, 2000) Jet Li, Aaliyah Houghton. 115 mins. Tagged as an urban Romeo AndJuliet, here's Shakespeare as
US, 1900) Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, warring crime families (one black, one
Psycho (15) *itti (Alfred Hitchcock, I obscured by hip-hop and kung fu. When two
Vera Miles, John Gavin, Martin Balsam, ‘ John Mclntire. 109 mins. Hitch's misogynistic masterpiece has a young 3 secretary take off to hicksville with a bagful of her boss's money. Unfortunately for her she chooses to put up at the Bates' Motel, run by that nice Norman boy. The ironic dialogue (‘Mother's not quite herself today")
Chinese) are hit by tragedy, the surviving offspring (Li and R&B star Aaliyah) team up to avenge their brothers' deaths. This is
basically a martial arts display attached to a
vaguely flirtatious friendship. It‘s a shame that Li‘s first starring role in an American
film (following a supporting part in Lethal ll'eapon 4) is so disappointing. See feature
Westerns, while the ever-smiling Chan's martial arts stunts are still a joy to behold. UCI, Glasgow; Picture House, Campbeltown; Studio Cinema, Dunoon. Silent Scream (15) *Hrt (David Hayman, UK, 1990) Iain Glen, Anne Kirsten, Tom Watson, John Murtagh. 86 mins. Based on the writings of Barlinnie
goosebumps beer
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Special Unit inmate and convicted murderer, Larry Winters, David Hayman‘s impressive feature debut as director is an audacious and passionate attempt to get inside the head of a very complex individual. With an electric, award-winning performance by Iain Glen at its core, Silent Scream provides a massive boost for film production in Scotland. GI’I’, Glasgow.
Silents, Please (U) (Various) The silent era
and review. General release.
Rosetta (15) ***** (Luc and Jean- Pierre Dardenne, Belgium/France, 1999) Iimilie Dequenne, Anne Yernaux, Fabrizio Rongione. 91 mins. Rosetta (Dequenne) is seventeen and has one wish: to find a job that will enable her to move out of the caravan that she co-habits with her alcoholic mother (Yernaux). Despite continual disappointments in the job market Rosetta
make it a joy to catch anytime around. We liked it didn‘t we mother. . . mother? Grosvenor, Glasgow.
Ratcatcher (15) ***** (Lynne Ramsay. UK. 1999) William Iiadie. Tommy Flanagan, Mandy Matthews. 93 mins. Seen through the eyes of twelve-year-old James Gillespie, a sensitive boy haunted by the drowning of a neighbour's son. Ratcatcher paints a bleakly realistic picture of Glasgow
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family life. Ramsay uses meticulous framing, unusual camera angles and atmospheric images to capture the subtle textures of everyday life. as well as complex inner feelings. Cameo, Edinburgh.
Relative Values (PG) *‘k‘k (liric Styles, UK, 2000) Julie Andrews. Colin Firth, Stephen Fry. 89 mins. Noel Coward's satire of the British ciass system circa 1954 sees spoilt brat Nigel(1idward Atterton) upset the Marshwood household when he brings
refuses to give up hope and battles on like a bull facing a matador. A marvellous exposition of the continuing importance of cinema in highlighting social barriers and conflict. Rosetta was rewarded with the Cannes Palme d'()r. Cameo, Edinburgh. Rules Of Engagement (15) hit (William Friedkin. US, 2000) Samuel 1.. Jackson. Tommy Ice Jones, Guy Pearce. 127 mins. When the evacuation of the US ambassador from the riot-torn embassy in
is celebrated with a look at the pioneers,
stars and custard pies which made the uber-
genre what it was. The three films are ‘History Of The Motion Picture', ‘Thirty Years Of Fun' and ‘Gold Old Corn' which follow the likes of Chaplin, Lloyd, Keaton and Laurel & Hardy as well as Scottish legend [Eric Campbell. As part of National Schools Film Week, the three programmes are accompanied by music and narration. Lumiere, Edinburgh.
EOR STUDENTS
Snatch (18) ** (Guy Ritchie, UK, 2000) Brad Pitt, Benicio Del Torro, Vinnie Jones. 102 mins. Ritchie insists that Snatch is not a sequel to Lock Stock A nil Two Smoking Barrels. And he is right; it‘s practically a remake. There's the same swaggering facetiousness, the same juvenile obsession with underworld villains. and the same cod- Cockncy accents. Ritchie's penchant for baroque plotting is also in evidence. although [.ock Stock‘s mildly confusing denouement was crystal clear compared to the opening of Snatch. The acting is a notch up from the first film, while some of the gags and situations are genuinely funny. General release.
Sorted (18) iii (Alex Jovy, UK, 2000) Matthew Rhys, Jason Donovan. Kelly Brook. 99 mins. The world of clubbing rarely fares well on the silver screen, but first-timer Alex Jovy has managed a coup. This cartoon thriller centres around the death of an accountant. party boy while, surprisingly. Jason Donovan steals the scene as a cross-dressing gay DJ and customs officer. In the end, Sorteil is a lightweight knoekabout bit of fluff, and thoroughly enjoyable as such. See review. General release.
Yemen culminates in the massacre of more than 80 men, women and children by Colonel Terry Childers (Jackson) and his unit of Marines, military lawyer Colonel Hays Ilodges (Jones) reluctantly agrees to defend the man who saved his life in Vietnam. l‘riedkin's pot-boiler quickly loses all credibility in the visually and morally murky courtroom scenes. Its simplistic view of military ethics implies that decisions made in the heat of battle exist above the petty expediencies of everyday morality. Magnum Leisure Centre, Irvine; Vikingar Cinema. Largs.
Scary Movie (18) meme (Keenen lvory Wayans. US, 2000) Marion and Shawn Wayans, Carmen Iilectra, Shannon lilizabeth. 88 mins. Poking fun at the whole tcen slasher movie phenomenon. the plot follows the first Scream movie (originally to be titled. yup, Scary Movie): A masked murderer stalks and murders high school kids in a self-consciously ironic manner. It parodies The L'sual Suspects, The .llutrit', The Blair Witch Project, The Exorcist and anything else that gets in the way, and the surprising thing is it actually works with the gags coming thick and fast. Big Stoopid l-‘un. General release.
Scrooge (ll) itirk (Brian Desmond Hurst. L'K, 1951)Alistair Sim, George Cole, I Continued over page
American actress Miranda (Tripplchorn) home to announce his engagement. Modern audiences may find it difficult to identify with Coward‘s now dated play — with its patronising upper classes, senile lower ones and misogy nist attitude to women — but if you can put your own values on hold, there are some laughs to be had. Lumiere, Edinburgh.
The Road To El Dorado (U) *tt (Iiric ‘Bibo' Bergeron, Don Paul, US. 2000) Voices of Kevin Kline, Kenneth Branagh. 90 mins. DreamWorks' animated travelogue moves from ancient ligypt to 16th-century Latin America for this enjoyable if safe musical comedy adventure. Uber-thesps Kline and Branagh provide the voices for Tulio and Miguel, two Spanish ne'er-do- wells who end tip in possession of a map revealing the location of [{l Dorado, mythical city of gold. Ransacking Aztec and Mayan culture for \ isual ideas and themes, the eo-directors introduce lots of bold colour and rich design into the tale. (icneral release.
Road Trip (15) **** (Todd Phillips. US, 2000) Breckin Meyer, Amy Smart,'1‘om Green. 94 mins. liour college pals set out on a road trip from New York to Texas when Josh cheats on his childhood sweetheart Tiffany, and has four days to intercept the
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