(Kunihiko Yuyama, US/Japan. 2000) 80 mins. ‘Disturb not the harmony of Fire. Ice and Lightning or' . . . they'll make it the plot of the new Pokemon cartoon movie. The injunction from the ancients is, of course, broken. as a huge Heath Robinson-style flying warship captures three elemental guardian Pokemon from their Oceanic archipelago; and sets off the mother of all El Ninos. Cue our heroes to the rescue, Pokemon trainer Ash. his sweet and dangerous Pokemon Pikachu, Ash's in- denial girlfriend Misty. and buddy Tracy. General release.
Purely Belter (15) *tti (Mark Herman. UK. 2000) Chris Beattie, Greg McLane. Kevin Whatlcy. 98 mins. Based on Jonathan 'l'ulloch's novel The Season Ticket, about two broke Geordie teenagers, Gerry (Beattie) and Sewell (McLane), who attempt to scrape together enough cash for two season tickets to their beloved Newcastle United‘s St James Park. Their increasingly hair-brained schemes create a number of hilarious set pieces. but Herman‘s (Brassed 01]) film also has more than its fair share of bittersweet realism. The thing that really makes this film, however. is the excellent performances from the two unknown kids. plus a delightful supporting cast. 1"1'11 Cinema. Falkirk.
Quills (18) *** (Philip Kaufman. US, 2001) Geoffrey Rush, Kate Winslet. Michael Caine. 124 mins.'1hc film version of Doug Wright's play finds the Marquis de Sade (a gloriously camp Rush) confined within the walls of Charenton Asylum for his last days. There. his writing is indulged by saintly Abbe Coulmier (Joaquin Phoenix). unaware that the ‘pornography' is being smuggled out by maid Madeleine (Winslet) and published. much to the chagrin of Napoleon. Strait-laced Dr Royer-Collard (Cainc) is promptly dispatched to ‘cure' de Sade with methods that wouldn‘t be unfamiliar to the Spanish Inquisition. At times Quills seems haunted by the saucy spirits of Sid James. Kenneth Williams et al — Carry ()n be Sade anyone? — but by the third act Quills has taken a disturbing turn. spiralling into a nightmare of rape. torture and murder. See feature and review. Selected release. Remember The Titans (PG) tit (Boaz Yakin, US. 2001) Denzel Washington. Will Patton. 113 mins. A true story set in Alexandria. Virginia circa 1971. The local school board forces a black school and a white school to integrate. The already unstable situation reaches boiling point when the board replaces T. C. Williams High Titans' white football coach Bill Yoast (Patton) with black coach Herman Boone (Washington). Boone and Yoast's relationship forms the core of the film. and it's Washington and Patton's scenes together that work best. The rising fortunes of the football team and the games themselves are less captivating, but director Boaz Yakin holds the film together like a good coach does his team. See review. General release. Requiem For A Dream (18) ***** (Darren Aronofsky. US. 2000) Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto. Jennifer Connelly, Marlon Wayans. 101 mins. Aronofsky follows his debut, the ingenious sci-fi fable Pi. with an adaptation of Hubert Selby Jr's novel that's as harrowing as it is brilliantly executed. It‘s a bleak vision focusing on four addictive personalities. Harry Goldfarb (Leto). his mother Sara (Burstyn). girlfriend Marion ((‘onnelly) and pal Tyrone (Wayans). whose vices range from hard drugs to television game shows. Aronofsky creates a strikingly subjective experience with various stylistic tricks, while the eerie retro-futuristic soundtrack by Clint Mansell and the Kronos Quartet underscores the filmmaker‘s vision. Yet. bleak as the film is, it's also heart-rending drama thanks to the gutsy performances, particularly Burstyn's devastating turn that‘ll have grown men weeping in isles. Gf-‘T, Glasgow.
The Rest Of The Pommegran (Les Siestes Grenadine) (12) (Mahmoud Ben Mahmoud. Tunisia. 1999) 90 mins. Part of Cinemamed. see preview. Filmhousc. Edinburgh.
The Scented Garden (Le Jardin Parfume) (Yamina Benguigui. France/Algeria. 2000) 52 mins. Part of Cinemamed, see preview. Filmhouse. Edinburgh.
Seven Brides For Seven Brothers (U) *iit (Stanley Donen. US. 1954)11oward
Keel. Jeff Richards. Russ Tamblyn. 103 mins. Classic MGM all-singing all-dancing musical loosely based on the Rape of the Sabine Women. Despite its arch symmetry. it remains a colourful and vigorous affair with a cosin effective score by DePaul and Mercer (Spring, Spring, Spring - as in rites of. . .). The dancing. choreographed by Michael Kidd. is its strongest point but be sure to wear your sunglasses as it's presented in glorious technicolour. The Bathgate Regal. Bathgate.
Sexy Beast (18) **** (Jonathan Glazer. UK. 2000) Ray Winstone, Ben Kingsley. lan McShane. 88 mins. When retired criminal Gary Dove (Winstone) gets a visit from East End headcase Don Logan (Kingsley), whose job is to persuade Dove to leave his Costa del Sol villa to do one last ‘job‘ for crime boss Teddy Bass (McShane). the sparks fly. Dove stutters a nervous ‘No thanks'; Logan screams ‘Yes, you cuntl’At length. The back and forth jockeying between the hard man who's lost his bottle and the officious little psychopath is nothing short of Pinter-esque, alternately menacing. hilarious and terrifying. Cast against type. the leads are superb. Glazer rigorously maintains content over style, and the result is a razor-sharp drama that's no mere gangster film. Selected release.
Shadow Of The Vampire (15) **** (ii. Elias Merhige, US, 2001) Willem Dafoe. John Malkovich, Eddie lzzard. 91 mins. Illuminated by a remarkable performance from Dafoe. this sly horror follows the filming of F. W. Murnau‘s silent classic Nosferatu. Arriving in Eastern Europe for location shooting, Murnau (Malkovich) wams his crew that the man who is to play Nosferatu (Dafoe) is a method actor who inhabits his roles completely. What Murnau hasn't told them is the extent of his lead’s familiarity with the ways of the undead. As the incident-filled shoot continues and Murnau becomes blindly obsessed with finishing the picture. the film ultimately becomes a tongue-in-cheek meditation on directors who will do anything to get the perfect shot. See Frontlines and review. Selected release.
Short Cuts (18) ***** (Robert Altman, US, 1993) Andie MacDowell, Tim Robbins, Lily Tomlin, Tom Waits. 187 mins. Long and absorbing, Altman's patchwork approach shifts Raymond Carver's short stories to Los Angeles, a city socially and geologically on the point of falling apart. The stories cross over, character's lives rub together. threads are picked up after receding for a while; this is classy soap opera at its best, with flawless acting and construction. Cameo. Edinburgh.
Singin' In The Rain (U) ***** (Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen. US, 1950) Gene Kelly, Donald O‘Connor. Debbie Reynolds. Cyd Charisse. 102 mins. Hollywood undergoes the transition from the silent era to the talkies and reputations rise and fall. Absolutely wonderful musical entertainment. with the slickest of snappy dialogue, enduringly catchy numbers. a cast of genuine charisma. and an engaging picture of the industry in transition into the bargain. Quite splendid. OFT. Glasgow. Snatch (18) it (Guy Ritchie. UK. 2000) Brad Pitt. Benicio Del Torro. Vinnie Jones. 102 mins. Ritchie insists that Snatch is not a sequel to Lock Stock And 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- Cockney accents. Ritchie's penchant for
baroque plotting is also in evidence. although
Lock 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. Cameo. Edinburgh. Some Like It Hot (PG) ***** (Billy Wilder. US, 1959) Tony Curtis. Jack lemmon, Marilyn Monroe. 120 mins. Two impecunious male musicians inadvertently witness the St Valentine‘s Day Massacre and take refuge in Florida with Sweet Sue and her Society Syncopators. an all-female band. Brilliant. brittle. crackerjack farce with all concerned at a peak in their careers. Adam Smith Theatre. Kirkcaldy.
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