FILM index
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34 THE “ST 15 Feb—t Mar 200)
film
index
Films screening this fortnight are listed below with certificate, star rating, credits, brief review and venue details. Film index compiled by Miles Fielder.
Accelerator: l5) (Vinny Murphy. lrelaiid. 2000) 88 mins. Road movie in which a youngster named Johnny T.. on the run from the paraiiiilitaries in Belfast. heads for tfie relative tranquillity of Dublin. Part of the Irish Film Festival. Lumiere. Edinburgh.
The Adventures Of Rocky And Bullwinkle (l') *tt (Des McAnuff. l'S. 30m ) Robert De Niro. Rene Rtisso. Janeane (iarofalo. 91 mins. A hilariously ironic opening sequence to this update of the (itis cartoon. tfiat sees the eponymous fiying squirrel and best pal moose living in an animated world suffering from recession. sets the film's playful post-modern tone. And when the animated aniinals' neineses. lead by De Niro’s Fearless Leader. cross over into the 'real‘ world the film moves into tfie live action/animalion territory of Win Framed Roger Rabbit". And like that film. its dialogue is packed with cultural references that vvifl have adults laughing harder than the kids. (ieneraf release.
Almost Famous ( 15) *‘ktt ((‘ameron ('rovve. f'S. 2()()l ) Kate Hudson. Patrick Fugit. Billy ('rudup. 123 mins. Writer— director ('rowe‘s autobiographical re-v iew of America’s 7()s rock scene is seen through rose-tinted shades. Though it isn't an expose of the underbelly of rock ‘n' roll. it's a magical carpet ride that appropriates the most exhilarating elements of the scene and makes of them an enormously satisfying. often very funny drama. (‘rowe‘s very personal film. seen through the eyes of teenage rock iourno William Miller (Fugit). never takes the lazy cliched route. nor does it lapse into parody. wfiicli in these post-Spinal 'Iap days. is no mean feat. And in the luminous Kate Hudson. a star is born. (ieneral release.
Annie (l') *tt (John Htiston. l9xl) Albert Finney. Aileen Quinn. (‘arol Burnett. Tim (‘urryz 128 mins. Feelgood musical schmaltl. courtesy of the orphaned red-head who sings her way into the heart of hard- nosed businessman Daddy Warbucks (Finney). Carol Burnett was born to play evil orphanage boss Miss Hannigan and Tim (‘urry exudes just the right amount of slime as her money-grabbing brother. (iilmorehifiG l 2. (ilasgow.
Bethlehem 2000 Project (PU) (VarioUs. Palestine. I999) ~15 mins. Five young short filmmakers illustrate life in Palestine at the dawn of the new millennium. Part of (‘inemamed Arab .‘vlediterranean Film Festival. Filmhouse. lidinburgh.
Billy Elliot ( l5) **** (Stephen Daldry. lfk. 2000) Jamie Bell. Julie Walters. (iary Lewis. 1 I 1 mins. Billy (superb newcomer Bell) finds release from life's daily drudgery. and ultimately self-fulfilment. through ballet dancing. As unlikely a leisure pursuit as that might be fora teenage boy growing up in the recession-hit Yorkshire of the 80s (and that‘s the point). it becomes young Billy‘s ticket out of hard times. Making his film debut. theatre director [)aldry handles the political backdrop and dramatic foreground with equal assurance. The dance routines provide much of the film's humour and quite overwhelming feelgood factor. Selected release.
The Blue Angel (PG) *ttt (Josef von Sternberg. Germany. I930) limil Jannings. Marlene Dietrich. Kurt (ierron. [08 mins. Berlin‘s decadent cabaret era is vibrantly brought to life as Dietrich's voluptuous singer Lola-Lola sets out to seduce and destroy a bourgeois schoolteacher. In her first major role. the actress taps into a potent current of female sexuality. (EFT. (ilasgow.
The Blue Kite ( IS) inka (Tian Zhuangzhuang. (‘hina/HK. I993) Lu Liping. Zhang Wenyao. Chen Xiaoman. 138 mins. A mother and son struggle to survive the upheavals of the Mao regime and the violent turmoil of the Cultural Revolution. Tian‘s film tells it straight. where others, such as Farewell My ('micuhine. have taken a more metaphorical approach. and the result is an honest and moving account of a still sensitive issue. Filmhouse. Edinburgh.
Blue Planet (U) An awesome trip around. above and beyond our planet on the IMAX giant screen which prompted the Washington
Post to write ‘If a picture is worth a thousand words. one image from Blue Planet is worth a zillion'. IMAX Theatre. (ilasgovv.
The Boston Strangler f ls) *‘ktt (Richard Fleischer. 1S. 1965‘) Tony (‘urtis. Henry Fonda. (ieorge Kennedy. Mike Keflin. 120 mins. Albert de Salvo i(’urtis) is a maintenance man with a wife and a split- personality whose horrific murders leave Boston in turmoil. \Vhilc Fleischer focuses on the Jekyll and HH/t‘ scenario using the somewhat tinstibtlc technique of split-screen images. the horrific real-life tale has a fund fascination which dims only during the interminable interrogation scenes. lidinbui'gh Film (imld at Filmhouse.
Bounce ( I2) tit (Don Row, t'K. Zoom Ben Affieck. (ivvyneth Paltrow. Johnny (ialccki. 106 mins. Adinan Buddy (Affieck). overwhelmed by (‘firistmas spirit. bestows his ticket home on a fellow rev eller, However. the plaiie crashes and Buddy 's relief is tempered by responsibility for the dead man's family, Thus follow s an incognito check tip on vv idovv Abby (Paltrow ) that inevitably leads to romance. This is one courtship rather less convincing than director Don Roos's previous effort in The ()liplnfit' ()r’Set gone is the arch dialogue atid pop postmodernism. Instead. we have Paltrow trundling otit monologues of absurd banality. The unfeasibly horizontal love scene say s it all: dull. tedious and plodding. All words that would more accuiately describe this film with a misnomer of a title. Magnum 'l‘heati‘e.
Irv ine.
The Boy From Mercury (t’ti) *ttt (Martin Duffy. lFK/Francc. I996) James Hickey. Rita 'l‘ushingham. Tom ('ourtney. 87 mins. liight-year-old Harry (Hickey) believes he has special powers granted him through his birthplace being Mercury rather than Dublin - a belief boosted by visits to the Saturday morning film cltib and his lack of a father figure. An irresistible tale of memory. loss and the search for a better future. If you manage to sit through this without wilting intojelly at Hickey's painfully innocent performance. then you have the heart of a tyrant. Lumiere. lidinburgh.
Breakfast At Tiffany’s ( )5) t t t 1: (Blake lidwards. l'S. l9(il ) Audrey Hepburn. (icorgc Peppard. Patricia Neal. Buddy libsen. Mickey Rooney. I I5 mins. ‘How Do I look." asks original waif Hepburn in the role of borderline schizophrenic Holly (iolightly. “Very (iood. l iiitist say I'm amazed' replies Peppard in the role of frustrated writer and part-time gigolo Paul Varjak. The iconic Hepburn has never made neurosis look so good. and while the film may have numerous redeeming features (not least the exquisite cinematography by Fran/ F. Plane and the swinging soundtrack by Henry Mancini). it is she who remains responsible for making it such a well-loved classic adapted from the novel by Truman (‘apote See review. Fifmhouse. lidinburgh.
Breeze Of The Soul (Le Souffle de I'Ame) (12) (Abdel Hamid Abdel l.atif. Syria. I998) 105 mins. Surreal melodrama in which a woman is blackmailed into marriage by a lovesick man. Part of ('inemamed Arab Mediterranean Film Festival. l-‘ilmhoUse. Edinburgh.
Broken Blossoms (PG) iii (I). W. Griffith. l9l9) Richard Barthelmess. Lillian (iish. Donald ('risp. 95 mins. London‘s Limehouse. and Bartheliness plays an oriental who protects frail waif (iish from the unpleasant attentions of nasty landlord Crisp. Badly dated now. this remains one of Griffith‘s most understated and undervalued movies. though the melodramatic acting sty le can grate after a while. Edinburgh Film (iuild at Filinhouse.
Butterfly’s Tongue ( IS) *Hr (Jose Luis Guerda. Spain. 1995) 95 mins. In the tradition of ('inwna I’urm/tsn. this film explores the extraordinary relationship between a shy young boy and his compassionate teacher. MacRobert. Stirling.
Cairo 30 (Al-thra thalathin) (PU) (Salah Abu Seif. Egypt. 1967) 135 mins. Tale of three students set during Egypt's turbulent 30s. Part of (‘incmamed Arab Mediterranean Film Festival. FilmhoUse. Edinburgh.
Cast Away ( 12) iii (Robert Zemeckis. US. 2000) Tom flanks. Helen Hunt. Christopher Noth. 1-13 mins. In this solidly told tale of a modern-day Robinson Cmsoe. Hanks' FedEx systems engineer Chuck