Film index
‘ Film Index
Ring (18) O... (Hideo Nakato. Japan. 1998) .‘s'anako Matsushima. Miki Nakatani. Hiroyuki Sanada. 95 mins. A horror film phenomenon in southeast Asia. the story turns on an escalating urban myth with a body count. It begins with a teenage girl telling her friend about a mysterioUs videotape that works like a very nasty chain letter. Unpleasantly. myth turns out to be fact. The original industrial-electronic score by Kenji Kawai delivers its share of the chills. while the sudden flashbacks and moments of spiritual connection between the murders in the modern day and the past come at you hard and out the blue. A terrifying joy to behold. The Lumiere. Edinburgh.
Ring 2 (12) CO. (Nakata Hideo. Japan. 2001) Miki Nakatani. Kyoko Eukada. Yuko Takeuchi. 95 mins. Part two of the Ring horror trilogy — a phenomenon in the East that's achieved deserved cult status in the West _ develops the original urban legend revolving around a video tape containing a cryptic image of a haunting young woman which visits a terrifying death upon anyone who watches it. More is revealed about the woman in white on the tape. and it falls to a schoolgirl and a young boy with telepathic powers to solve the mystery. Ring 2's plotting is messy.but the mix of modern and traditional myths is wholly original. and the scares are hair- raising. GET. Glasgow.
Rio Bravo (PG) 0... (Howard Hawks. US. 1959) John Wayne. Dean Martin. Angie Dickinson. Walter Brennan. Ricky Nelson. 141 mins. (‘lassically sprawling western. in which the Duke plays a lawman trying to go it alone against the gang trying to spring their colleague from the local jailhouse. He's too proud to enlist support from youthful Nelson. alcoholic Martin or geriatric Brennan. but can he hold out without their help‘.’ A powerful and unforgettable epic. assembled with the assured drive. visual scope and attention to detail which typifies Hawks' best work. Edinburgh Film Guild at The Filmhotise. The Road Home (L') .0. (Zhang Yimou. China. 2000) Zhang Ziyi. Sun Honglei. Zhao Yuelin. 100 mins. (‘ity businessman Luo returns to his home village in Northern China for the funeral of his father. the local schoolteacher. With his weeping mother adamant that her husband's corpse be carried by haiid rather than driven back from hospital. Luo recalls the story of his parents‘ courtship several decades earlier. Shifting from black and white (the present) to colour (the past). the bulk of the film consists of a rather sentimental recreation of the love-affair between Liio‘s parents. told from the perspective of the female character. Though in the radiant Ziyi. Yimou has perhaps unearthed a muse to rival his favoured actress Gong Li. GET. Glasgow.
Seul Contre Tous (I Stand Alone)
( 18) O... (Gaspar No . France. 1998) 93 mins. Hardcore penetrative sex and a nauseating scene in which a pregnant woman is repeatedly punched in the stomach. Disturbing and graphic‘.’ Yes. Gratuitous shock tactics'.’ No: only material of such uncompromising brutality can bring the viewer close to the utter desolation felt by the main character. an unemployed 50- year-old butcher who has been slammed into a dead-end existence. The Lumiere. Edinburgh.
Sexy Beast ( 18) O... (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). who's 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 c**t!'. At length. The back and forth between the hard man who‘s lost his bottle and the officious little psychopath is nothing short of Pinter- esque. altemately menacing. hilarious and terrifying. Cast against type. the leads are superb. Glazer rigorously maintains content
34 THE LIST 1—15 Mar 2001
over style. and the result is a mum sharp drama that's no mere gangster lllllt. Adam Smith Theatre. Kirkcaldy.
Shadow Of The Vampire ( )5) O... (E. Elias Merhige. LS. 2001) Willem Dafoe. John Malkov icli. Eddie Hand. 91 mins. Illuminated by a remarkable performance from Dafoe. this sly horror follows the filming of l-'. \V. Murnau's silent classic Aim/«rum. Arriv ing in Eastern Europe for location shooting. Murnau (Malkov icli) warns his crew that the man who is to play Nosferatu (Dafoei is a method actor who inhabits his roles completely. What Murnau littsttd told them is the extent of his lead's familiarity with the ways of the undead. As the incident-tilled shoot continues and Murnati becomes blindly obsessed with finishing the picture. the film ultimately becomes a tongue-in- cheek meditation on directors w ho will do anything to get the perfect shot. l-‘ilmhouse. Edinburgh.
Shoot The Pianist (Tire: Sur La Pianiste) ( I5) 0.. (Francois Truffaut. France. 1960) (‘harles A/navour. Marie Diibois. Nicole Berger. 80 mins. Ex- concert pianist A/navour. now working seedy Parisian bars. gets involved with vengeful gangsters when he tries to help his two petty-crook brothers escape from the heat. A'ouvel/e liigm' adaptation of David Goodis‘ novel concentrates more on a breezy camera style than on the despondency of the original source. Eilmhouse. Edinburgh.
Singin’ In The Rain (1') 0000. (Gene Kelly. Stanley Donen. 1S. 1950) Gene Kelly. Donald ()'('onnor. Debbie Reynolds. (‘yd (‘harisse 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. Brtinton 'l'heatre. Edinburgh.
The 6th Day ( )5) CO (Roget' Spottiswoode. LS. 2000) Arnold Schwarzenegger. Tony Goldwyn. Robert Duvall. 123 mins. Synthetic blend of futuristic thriller and Bond-style action movie secs Schwarlenegger's average family man Adam Gibson returning home fora ‘secret’ birthday party to find that he has been replaced by an identical clone. Kidnapped by the perpetrators of this scientific ‘mistake'. he escapes and goes on the run. trying to unravel the mystery and recover the life. wife and children that have been stolen from him. llaiii-fistedly directed by Spottiswoode. this is little more than a random series of shoot-outs. chase scenes
and helicopter stunts. Most depressing of all.
however. is the realisation that Arnold simply cannot hack it anymore as an Action Man. Cameo. Edinburgh.
Small Time Crooks (PG) 0.. (“body Allen. LS. 2000) \Voody‘ Allen. Tracey t'llman. Hugh Grant. 92 mins. Allen’s strike rate dips again with this slight tale of Ray' (Allen). a bumbling. insecure thief who convinces his wife Erenchy' (the splendidly shrill l'llman) that his next job is fool-proof. Ray".s plan takes a while to get off the ground. Meantime. Erenchy's covering role as cookie-maker earns her celebrity status. So far. so fairly funny. Then. in drops Hugh Grant as a posh suitor
given the task of making sophisticates ottt of
the common pair. Pvgmulion without so many laughs. Selected release.
Some Like It Hot (PG) “(Billy Wilder. L'S. 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. Selected release.
State And Main ( IS) 000 (David Mamet. l'S. 2001 ) William H. Macy. Rebecca Pidgeon. Philip Seymour Hoffman. 102 mins. Given that irascible playwright/ftlmmaker Mamet has never
Meg Ryan looks on at Russell Crowe’s hostage negotiator in Proof Of Life, unaware that their off-screen affair was about to overshadow the decidedly average film's release
shied away from lambasting Hollywood. it's surprising that this satire on studio filmmaking is relatively gentle. This comic tale of what happens when a Holly wood film crew overruns a sleepy East ('oast community is positively ('apraesquc iii its whimsical admiration of small town life and the whimsy and satire don't sit well together. Hard-nosed Mamet is no ('apra‘. he should stick to what he does best: tough (‘hicago gangsters and unscrupulous con men. Selected release. Strangers On A Train (1)0)...” (Alfred Hitchcock. LS. 1951 ) l-arlcy Granger. Robert Walker. 101 mins. Hitch's appropriation of Patricia Highsmith's novel. the conceit for which is two strangers who get chatting aboard a long train journey and both admit to people they would like to kill one is joking. the other is deadly serious. With it's climax aboard an out-of—control fairgrotind ride and two superb central performances. this is one of Hitchcock's best. ('ameo. Edinburgh. Strictly Ballroom (PG) 00.. (Ba/ Ltihrmann. Australia. 1991 ) l’aul Mercurio. Tara Morice. Bill Hunter. 9-1 mins. Daiicelloor hopeful Scott Hastings incurs the wrath of the Aiistralian Dance Federation by using his own steps in competition. loses his partner and his friends. but finds love and artistic integrity with the local wallllow er. The ultimate feelgood movie. it is crammed with colour. glitter. music and spectacle. The Bathgate Regal. Batltgate. The Talented Mr Ripley ( )5) .000 (Anthony Minghella. l'S/l'K. 2000) Matt Damon. Jude Law. Gwyneth l’altrow. 139 mins. Tom Ripley (Damon) befriends then adopts the life of rich kid Dickie (ireenlcaf (Law). Ripley being an infamous literary murderer. it's no surprise how he goes about claiming Dickie's ex pat lifestyle in late 50s Italy. but Minghella's film - and Highsmith's novel is so much more than a tale of murder; it's also about ltist. love and the interchangeability of identities. (’lassy all the way. ('ameo. Edinburgh. The Tao Of Steve ( IS) .00 (Jennipher Goodman. LS. 2001) Donal Logue. Greer Goddiiiaii. 88 mins. Dex is an average looking. overweight kindergarten teacher. and a big hit with the ladies. The key to his unlikely romantic success is the Tao of Steve. a self-invented mix of Buddhist thought and bar-room wisdom in which a man aspires to be like film star Steve McQueen. A Sundance favourite. The 7810 ()t'Stei‘r' is based on the Name real life of the director‘s friend. who co-w rote the script. Showing how rules for dating can become a male defence against emotional commitment. the comedy steers an amiable. if fairly predictable path. See review. Selected release. Thomas And The Magic Railroad (l') O. (Britt Allcroft. l'K/l'S. 2000)
Voices of Alec littltlw Hi. Peter l‘onda. Michael li. Rodgers, 79 mins. This adaptation of the Reverend Wilbur Awdi'y books is aimed squarely at under tens Whilst children w ill be lapping tip the tale of Thomas The Tank Engine aiding The ('onductor (Baldwin) against the evil Diesel train. accompanying guardians will be wondering wlial happened to Allcroft's classic series narrated by Ringo Starr. Surely it was never this juvenile? Selected release. Thrill Ride (Po) (Ben Stassen. l'S. loot) A mix of computer graphics and live action. providing a scientific. but fun look at the history of rides. from their early origins in 17th century Rtissia to today's ride simulators. IMAX Theatre. Glasgow.
To Catch A Thief( 15) .0. (Allied Hitchcock. LS. 1955) ('ary (iraiit. Grace Kelly. ('harles Vanel. 107 mins. .\'ot considered one of llitch‘s ltest. tltts lightweight comedy thriller abotit a cat and mouse game between Grant‘s thief and Kelly's l‘rench Riviera socialite nevertheless scores for its bree/y screen couple and picturesque locations. .\'ot seen nearly as often as the likes of the superior I’vvi'lin and lime“. don't miss the opportunity to catch this thief. St Brides ('entre. Edinburgh. Traffic ( IS) 0... (Steven Soderbergli. LS. .21le1) Belttcio Del Toro. Michael Douglas. (‘atherine Zeta—Jones. 147 mins. This ambitious. multi-lay ered epic drama exposes the conftisioii. hypocrisy and sheer futility of America's war on drugs. Three interwoven storylines - involving decent cop Del Toro. conservative ()liio jtidge Douglas. the country's newly appointed new drug war. atid w ell-heeled society wife Zeta- .l()llL'\ show how the drug trade touches and corrupts every level of society on both sides of the l'S-Mexico border. l'sing different film stocks and techniques. Soderbergh prov ides each of these story lines with a distinct look while linking them with persistent tise of hand-held cameras. which gives the film an air of documentary authenticity and gripping immediacy. Intelligent and provocative. 'I‘ru/lir avoids sermonising. but in scene after scene. the message gets through. General release. Transition ( IS) 0.. (Andy Mackinnon. l'K. 2000) 75 mins. Mackinnon‘s labour of love is an ambitious and technically brilliant project. l'sing specially developed time lapse photography as well as super 8 film. 'I'runvi'rimi aims to explore the changing Scottisli landscape: contrasting the natural beatin of the country's wildest places with the industrial cityscape. l'nfortuiiately. Transition will only reinforce the image of Scotland awash in its own sentiment. MacRobert. Stirling. Unbreakable ( 12) I... (M. Night Shyamalan. LS. 2000) Bruce Willis. Samuel 1.. Jackson. Robin Wright Penn. 10(i mins. Dav id Dunn (Willis) crawls from the wreckage of a train crash. the sole survivor