FILM INDEX continued
Dancer In The Dark (15) intuit (Lars von Trier, Denmarlc’Sweden/Germany/France, 2000) Bjork, Catherine Deneuve, David Morse. 137 mins. Having founded the Dogme school of back-to-basics filmmaking, von Trier's now turned his back on it with this digitally-shot homage to the Hollywood musical. Set in 60s America, it's the story of Czech immigrant Selma (played by Bjork, whose extraordinary performance takes naturalism to its extreme), a single mother whose only escape from her dreary factory work life are her daydreams which transport her into a Hollywood-style musical. As with Breaking The ll'aves, the drama revolves around a naive young woman who becomes the victim ofcircumstance, and the ensuing protracted tragedy gives the film astonishing emotional clout. UGC Cinemas, Edinburgh. Days And Nights In The Forest (PG) iii (Satyajit Ray, India, 1969) Soumitra Chatterjee, Sharmilla Tagore, Shubhendu Chatterjee. 115 mins. Four batchelor friends from Calcutta drive to a bungalow in the countryside for a holiday, where they interact with local women. A delicate study of relationships that's almost like a Chekhov play. Lumiere, Edinburgh.
Dinosaur (PG) tit (Eric Leighton, Ralph Zondag, US, 2000) Voices of: DB. Sweeney, Julianna Margulies, Joan Plowright. 82 mins. This latest computer animated offering from Disney follows the joumey of Aladar the lguanadon as he flees across the meteor-ravisth wasteland of prehistoric Earth alone after being separated from his family. Initially, the excitement is contagious; the CGl scenes are so realistic it’s not that hard to believe what you are watching could be real. 'Ihen tragedy strikes; the lemurs talk. And talk. Yet as the predictable and, ultimately, boring storyline of Dinosaur unfolds, that winning Disney formula is guaranteed to keep any dinosaur crazy four-year-old pinned to his or her seat without scaring them too much. General release.
Disney’s The Kid (PC) the (Jon Turteltaub, US, 2000) Bruce Willis, Spencer Breslin. 104 mins. This Kid bears great similarity to the body swap films of the mid 80s (Big, Vtca l’ersa), where characters got the chance to re-evaluate their lives by seeing the world through their own younger eyes. For career driven image consultant Russ Duritz (Willis) this is an unexpected twist in his otherwise careful planned life, as he comes face-to-face with his podgy, rather gauche eight-year-old self, Rusty (Breslin). Old-fashioned entertainment that passes the time and raises a smile or two along the way. General release.
Dolphins (U) The producers of the most successful [MAX movie ever, Everest, take us undersea into the aquatic home of dolphins. With narration by Pierce Brosnan and music by Sting. IMAX, Glasgow. Down Argentine Way (U) tit (Irving Cummings, US, 1940) Betty Grable, Carmen Miranda, Don Ameche. 94 mins. Musical about a wealthy American girl falling in love with an Argentinian horse breeder that's unremarkable - though watchable - in itself, but significant in as much as it launched a series of highly popular studio musicals. St Bride‘s, Edinburgh.
Drole de Felix (I5) *tt (Olivier Ducastel. Jacques Martineau, France, 2000) Sami Bouajila, Ariane Ascaride, Pierre-Loup Rajot. 97 mins. A likeable gay-themed road movie about a guy, Felix (Sami Bouajila), travelling from Normandy to Marseille in search of his father, Drole De Felix“ is in essence a rite of passage. Dutifully structuring the film around life lessons learned through encounters on the road, the directors' episodic story provides Felix with a kind of family in dribs and drabs. But though the film's tone is generally cosy, it also incorporates the risque and the political. GFT, Glasgow.
Duets (15) iii (Bruce Paltrow, US, 2000) Gwyneth Paltrow, Huey Lewis, Mario Bello. 114 mins. This screenplay, about the American karaoke scene (jeez), has been kicking around Hollywood since the early 705, and the only plausible explanation as to why it has now been made is that the writer-
director's daughter blossomed into Gwyneth Paltrow. Their film follows six sad characters - suffering from broken dreams, wasted lives, etc. — who pair up and head for the $5000 Grand Prize Karaoke Contest in Omaha. But as with nights in Karaoke bars, where the expectation of the singing standards is low, Duets surprises like the occasional singers who can actually hit a note. Odeon, Glasgow.
Edward Scissorhands (PG) lulu (Tim Burton, US, 1991) Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest, Vincent Price. 105 mins. Burton follows up the excesses of Batman with this fairy tale for the 905, which works as a welcome return to the darker side of the genre. Depp is the unfinished creation of The Inventor (Price), who lives alone in a crumbling mansion, unable to even scratch his nose without needing stitches. Discovered by a friendly Avon lady, his talent for coiffure and topiary makes him a neighbourhood favourite until tragedy strikes. Beautifully shot, tenderly acted and full of hidden depths. Cameo, Edinburgh.
Enlightenment Guaranteed (Erleuchtung Garantiert) (18) (Doris Dorrie, Germany, 1999) 108 mins. In this freewheeling comedy two brothers, a kitchen salesman and a Feng Shui consultant, escape the stress of the workplace by taking a trip to Japan to chill in a Buddhist monastery. But their night on the town in Tokyo proves to be a more reliable tonic for their problems. Part of the German Film Festival. GET, Glasgow.
The Escort (Mauvaise Passe) (18) *** (Michel Blanc, France/UK, 2000) Daniel Auteuil, Stuart Townsend, Noah Taylor. 106mins. Auteuil's forty five-year-old Parisian literature professor goes looking for an alternative lifestyle, and can't get enough of the hedonism London offers in this seedy thriller. Teaming up with Tom (Townsend), Auteuil's Pierre spends his days working in a Soho cafe, his nights prodding upmarket crumpet for cash, and dreams of writing the great novel that will come out of his new found experiences. There‘s plenty here that stretches plausibility, and half the scenes offer stock decline and fall narrative devices that play like diluted debts to GoodFellas and Boogie Nights. See review. Selected release.
The Exorcist - The Director's Cut (18) iii (William Friedkin, US, 1973/2000) Max von Sydow, Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair. 132 mins. Writer William Peter Blatty always griped that in excising twenty minutes from The Exorcist, Friedkin removed its moral centre and obscured its theological message. To Blatty's horror, some people thought the Devil won. 27 years later, Friedkin has reinstated eleven minutes of footage, and the re-editingjob is done so lovingly that fans are unlikely to feel cynically exploited. Even so, Friedkin's cuts have mostly been vindicated by this new release - it now feels too long, while the infamous ‘spider walk' scene merely adds a cheap and redundant shock. See review. Selected release.
The Exterminating Angel (18) tutti (Luis Bunuel, Mexico, 1962) Silvia Pinal, Enrique Rambal, Jacqueline Andere. 95 mins. Bunuel's satirical drive may not be as fine as in The Discreet Charm 0] The Bourgeoisie, but this remains a classic example of what could be called Cinema of
Woody Allen and Tracy Ullman are the Small Time Crooks who hit the big time but
can't handle New York’s high society
the Absurd. A group of dinner guests are unable to leave the room in which they ate; soon the small-talk descends to insults. A brilliant depiction of how breaches in social etiquette become the breakdown of society’s laws. Filmhouse, Edinburgh.
Extreme Screen (U) *** 40 mins each. Although the lwcrks 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). UGC Cinemas, Edinburgh.
Fargo (18) *ttirk (Joel Coen, US, 1996) Frances McDormand, Steve Buscemi, William H. Macy. 97 mins. Hoping to make some bucks, a car salesman attempts to have his wife kidnapped by hitmen; but quickly blood is spilt. As the pregnant police detective on the case, McDormand provides a warm-hearted centre for the movie, while
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index FILM
the absurdist plot and weird local colour gain momentum. It'll be considered a classic. given time. Cameo, Edinburgh. First Of The Name (Le premier du nom) (15) (Sabine Franel, 2000) 112 mins. Franel creates a fascinating history of French Jewry with her film about the gathering of 100 people who share a common ancestor, Mose Blin. a 18th century Jewish pedlcr. The gathering, where Blin spent his days, was organised by two relatives who share a common interest in genealogy. Part of the French Film Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh.
Flamenco (U) iii (Carlos Saura, Spain. 2000) Joaquin Cortes, Marlo Maya, Matilde Coral. 1(X) mins. One of the most thrilling things about watching live Flamenco is the atmosphere. Translate that to the screen and much of the thrill is gone. Luckily for Saura, he had cinematographer Vittorio Storaro (Last Tango In Paris, Apocalypse Now) on his side. Visually striking throughout, Flamenco was filmed in a disused railway station bathed in an orange glow, giving rise to sleek silhouettes and shadows. But this homage to the Flamenco art is strictly for hardcore fans. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Flawless (15) iii (Joel Schumacher, US, 2000) Robert De Niro, PhilipSeymour Hoffman. 106 mins. The best thing about Flawless are the leads. De Niro plays bigoted ex-cop Walt Koontz, Hoffman drag queen Rusty. They share the same apartment building and mutual hatred of each other, but when Koontz suffers a debilitating stroke while attempting to help a neighbour, the odd couple are thrown together as patient and carer. But why is DeNiro's character a cop? Why does a fouled up drug deal go down in his apartment building? So that we get a bit of action in, that's why. This is a two-header character piece; had Schumacker left it that way it might have lived up to its title. Selected release.
Gaea Girls See Rough cuts. Cameo, Edinburgh.
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