FILM index
FILM INDEX continued
Dead Babies (18) iii (William Marsh 111, UK, 2000) Paul Bettany, Andy Nyman, Katy Carmichael. 100 mins. Marsh III updates Martin Amis‘ tale of sex, drugs and more drugs set over a weekend at the Appleseed Rectory from the 705 to the present day, but his adaptation is only partly successful. The tranquillity enjoyed by Appleseed‘s inhabitants, ranging from the tall blond elegant Ilon. Quentin Villiers (Bettany) to the very tiny, very fat court dwarf Keith (Nyman), is rocked by the arrival of a group of Americans, headed by Marvell Buuhardt (played by Marsh Ill) carrying more drugs than an episode ofMiami Vice. Marsh 111 works hard to retain the essence of the novel, but his fidelity to the novel undermines the film with some pointless narration and too many characters to develop. See review. Grosvenor, Glasgow.
les destinees sentimentales (12) *ttt (Oliver Assayas, France, 2000) Charles Berling, Emmanuelle Beart, Isabelle lluppert. 180 mins. Assayas seems one of the most contemporary of French filmmakers, odd choice then this turn of the century period drama about the rise and fall, life and love of impulsive Jean Barnery. Barnery separates from his wife (Huppert) and devotes himself to God, then gives up the cloth for a family business after falling for Béart. The film explores this epic life lived however confusedly, rather than the intimist rigour of earlier Assayas films with their shorter time spans and sparcr narratives. Filmhouse, Edinburgh.
Dinosaur (PG) tit (Eric Leighton, Ralph 'lxindag, US, 2000) Voices of: DB. Sweeney, Julianna Margulies, Joan Plowright. 82 mins. This latest computer animated offering from Disney follows the journey ofAladar the lguanadon as he flees across the meteor-ravished wasteland of prehistoric Earth alone after being separated from his family. Initially, the excitement is contagious; the CGI scenes are so realistic it's not that hard to believe what you are watching could be real. Then 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.
Selected release.
Dolphins (U) The producers of the most successful IMAX movie ever, E i'erest, take us undersea into the aquatic home of dolphins. With narration by Pierce Brosnan and music by Sting. IMAX Theatre, Glasgow.
East Is East (15) ***** (Damien O'Donnell, UK, 1999) Om Puri, Linda Bassett. Jordan Routledge. 96 mins. Based on Ayub Khan-Din's play, East Is East draws its perfectly balanced mix of belly laughs and tears from the conflict within a multi-racial family living in Salford in the 705. Head of the Khan household, George attempts to force his sons into arranged marriages in a belated effort to preserve tradition, but, born in England, the sons are having none of it. Edinburgh Film Guild at Filmhouse, Edinburgh.
Evita (12) *ttt (Alan Parker, US, 1996) Madonna, Antonio Banderas, Jonathan Pryce. 135 mins. Parker's genuine epic, based on the Tim Rice/Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, boasts huge crowd scenes (up to 40,000 extras, according to sources) and stars on top form. The film belongs very much to Madonna in a gift of a role, which follows the rags-to-riches life of Eva Peron from poverty to her place in the hearts of a nation. It’s narrated in song by sardonic revolutionary Che Guevara (Banderas), but once the audience becomes accustomed to the style, the sheer scale of the movie should take effect. Odeon, Dunferrnline.
The Exhibited (De Ustillede) (15) *‘kti (Jesper Jargil, Denmark, 2000) 78 mins. Ignore ‘high concept' Hollywood, here's the deal: Imagine the story isn‘t dictated by the usual formulas, isn't even determined by the human mind. Instead, actors at the Arts Society Building in Copenhagen have their roles dictated by . . . New Mexican ants. Connected through a satellite link-up and colour coded, the ants' movements dictate the characters' actions, so that when, say, an ant moves into the colour yellow, one of the 53 improvising actors must adjust their character accordingly. This documentary by Jesper Jargil films the fascinating developments. GET, Glasgow.
The Exorcist - Director’s Cut (18) *** (William Friedkin, US, 1973/2000) Max von Sydow, Ellen Burstyn, Linda Blair. 132 mins.
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Requiem For A Dream, Darren 'Pi' Aronofsky's harrowing, bleak but brilliant adaptation of Hubert Selby Jr’s novel about the nature of addiction
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. Twenty seven years later, Friedkin has reinstated eleven minutes of footage, and the re-editing job 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. Cameo, Edinburgh.
Extreme Screen (U) tit 40 mins each. Although the lwerks 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.
Faithless (Trolsa) (no cert) (Liv Ullmann, Sweden, 2000) Lena Endre, Krister Henriksson, Thomas Hanzon. 155 mins. Preview of Ingmar Bergman muse Ullmann's film from a script written by, but never filmed by, the late Swedish auteur. It’s an autobiographical study of the devastating effects of adultery. As film it‘s a class act. The Lumiere, Edinburgh.
The Family Man (12) Mt (Brett Ratncr, US, 2000) Nicolas Cage, Tea Leoni, Don Cheadle. 126 mins. In Ratner's inside-out updating of It 's A Wonderful Life, Cage is a hot-shot Wall Street broker who one Christmas Eve suddenly finds himself inhabiting the life he would have led had he not abandoned his college sweetheart Kate
(Leoni) thirteen years earlier to pursue his career.
No longer a strutting Master Of The Universe in a $2,000 suit, he‘s now a poor sap who wears baggy sweat pants and sells tires for a living, and naturally he's (initially) horrified by this transformation. Cage's exquisitely modulated performance saves the film from becoming schmaltz is; he finally exudes a rueful, good- natured sweetness that makes him Stewart's worthy heir General release.
Fantasia 2000 (U) in (Various, US, 2000) Voices of Steve Martin, Bette Midler, Quincy Jones. 75 mins. When Walt Disney first came up with the idea of turning classical music pops into an animated potpourri, he originally envisioned that Fantasia would continue to be renewed by additional material. Sixty years on, his dream has at last came to fruition with this new collection of musical highlights. The star of the show is the one segment retained from the original, the Dukas ‘Sorcerer's Apprentice' set- piece with Mickey Mouse in a pointy wizard's hat and lots of buckets of water. GET, Glasgow. Fidelity (La fidélité) (15) iii (Andrzej Zulawski, France, 2000) Sophie Marceau, Pascal Greggory, Michel Subor. 166 mins. It's tempting to write Polish émigré Zulawski's film off as an exploitative bonkathon hymn to his wife and muse Sophie Marceau's (Braveheart, The World Is Not Enough) sex and box-office appeal. Marceau plays young photographer Clelia who remains faithful to her failure husband (Greggory) no matter the temptations. Adapted
from a 17th century literary classic, and yet with futuristic overtones (a newspaper informs us of Castro‘s death), this is. like earlier Zulawskis. Possession and I.u Femnie Piililiqiie, curiously difficult to get a handle on. See review. I’ilmhouse. Edinburgh.
Fight Club (18) *t** (David Fincher, US, 1999) Brad Pitt, Ed Norton. Helena Bonham Carter. 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. It's hit and miss, but enough of the punches connect to startle even the most docile of viewers. Cameo, Edinburgh.
The Four Seasons (15) *** (Alan Alda, US, 1981)Alda, Carol Burnett, Rita Moreno. 108 mins. 'Ihree married couples find their cosy life challenged when one of them takes a younger woman to be his new wife. Alan Alda's directorial debut elicited some fine performances from his fellow actors. Somewhere within the sparring dialogue lie the hopes and fears of middle-class America in this amusing, if light movie. St Bride's Centre, Edinburgh.
From Russia With Love (PG) this”: (Terence Young, UK, 1963) Sean Connery, Daniela Bianchi, Pedro Armendariz, Ixitte benya, Robert Shaw. 116 mins. The second and among the best of the Bond fiicks, with the usual Cold War shenanigans powered by atmospheric set-pieces, a genuinely witty script and truly inspired performances all round. Tim and Rog should weep. Filmhouse, Edinburgh.
Gaea Girls (PG) (Kim Longinolto/Jano Williams, UK, 2000) 106 mins. At times harrowing study of an all female Japanese wrestling group. Much of the action centres on the training ofa group ofwomen, and what they go through is physical and mental torment. All to become stars in one of Japan's most popular sports. As fascinating as it is disturbing. Part of the Sheffield International Documentary festival on tour. GET, Glasgow.
Get Carter (18) ****t (Mike Hodges, UK, 1971) Michael Caine, Britt Ekland, John Osborne. 112 mins. (jet Carter stands out as a highlight in the artist formerly known as Micklewhite‘s career. His superbly controlled performance as the relentless avenger on a score- settling trip to the North East of England only makes you wish Caine had played more villains. Ilodges grimly effective direction proves that you don't need to be as worthy as Ken Loach to make a document of social history. Filmhouse, Edinburgh.
The Golden Bowl (12) *t* (James Ivory, UK/US, 2000) Nick Nolte. Kate Beckinsale. Uma Thurman, Jeremy Northam. mins. The Merchant-Ivory team's polished adaptation of Henry James's The Golden Bowl pits innocence (Notle's widowed American billionaire and his daughter, Beckinsale) against experience (Northam's impoverished Italian aristocrat Prince Amerigo and his illicit lover, Maggie's worldly friend, Thurman). Ruth Prawer Jhabvala’s script smooths out the teasing, irreducible ambiguity of James‘s writing. Enough remains, however, of the book's elegant