Film index
Charlie’s Angels ( IS) 000 (Mc(i. t'S. 2000) Cameron Dial. Drew Barry more. Lucy Liu. 90 mitts. This update of the T\’ series has three chief attractions which are so pleasing on the eye it almost gets away with everything else: the gorgeous trio of Diaz. Barrymore and Liu. the otitfits and action sequences. There's nothing believable about these three crittte fighters and that's why girls needn't get excited about this being a rare action filitt lead by women A but the lack of realism is also one of the film‘s strengths; its thrills and spills have a cartooiiish. laws of nature-defying brilliance. ()n the other side of the coin. the plot is pants. the characters are wafer-thin and the jokes aren't half as funny as they otight to be. Cameo. lidinburgh.
Chltty Chitty Bang Bang (t') 0000 (Ken Hughes. CK. 1968) Sally Anne Howes. Dick Van Dyke. Lionel Jeffries. HS mins. Lengthy. effects-filled children‘s adventure conceived in the wake of Mary Poppins" huge commercial succes btit will) a charm (and great songs) all of its own. Dick Van Dy kc is the mad inventor whose fly iitg car propels his children and romantic interest How es to a far- off land of adventure. (if-T. (ilasgow.
City Of Angels ( 12) 000 (Brad Siberling. l7S. l998) Meg Ryan. Nicolas Cage. Dennis l'Télll'l. ll7 mins. Cage play s an angel who falls iii love with heart surgeon Ryan in this earnest btit unintentionally leaden remake of Witt) Weiiders‘s sublime llilltfy ()r’Ih’s-ire. Moments of high emotion are off-set by flashes of humour. btit the (iothic magnificence of Wenders‘s lilii) is replaced by a soft focus. filtered earnestness that pushes the story towards soapy melodrama. ()deon. Edinburgh.
The Colour Of Lies (Au Coeur Du Mensonge) ( l8) .0. (Claude (‘habroL France. I998) Sandrine Bonnaire. Antoine de Caunes. Jacques (iamblin. I I3 units. A more straightforward thriller than we're ttscd to from Chabrol. (iamblin is a struggling. ageing artist. Rene. implicated in the murder of a ten-year- old girl. Bttt if Rene looks gttilty. what abottt his wife. Viviane (Bonnaire)? Not gttilty of the crime of course. but of a lesser offence. of embarking on an affair with an undeniably obnoxious media celebrity. (iermain (dc Caunes). Chabrol settles here less for psychological depth than the width of social culpability. arid offers tip an impressive study in toxic milieu. (il’l‘. (ilasgow.
The Crimson Rivers ( 15) 000
(Mathieu Kassov it/.. l-‘rance. 2001 ) Jean Reno. Vincent ('assel. Nadia l‘ares. 105 mins. Kassov'itz's fourth film as director is a gruesome. glossy Seven-style murder mystery adapted by Jean-Christophe (irang front his own bestselling crime novel. Reno and Cassel‘s police detectives are investigating two seemingly unrelated cases: a brutal murder outside at) Alpine university town and the desecrated grave of a child in suburban Sar/ac. The action and suspense sequences are very slick. but once the mystery is solved the film looses impact. and ultimately fails to deliver the shockitig denouement that sealed St'ven's place in cinema history. Adatn Smith Theatre. Kirkcaldy.
Crocodile Dundee In Los Angeles (PG) 0 (Simon Wincer. L’S. 200l ) Pattl Hogan. Linda Kozlowski. Serge Cockburn. 94 mins. lf Mick Dundee was a Crocodile. he would be put down. In this belated. lante third adventure Mick's longtime companion journo Sue (‘harleton (Kozlow ski. aka Mrs Hogan) is called to LA when her father needs someone to edit a newspaper. The couple head to California with son Mickey ((‘ockburnt w here they become embroiled in a smuggling operation involving dodgy-looking liast liuropean filmmakers. Mick goes undercover and finds work on the set of [mi/ml Agent .i. a sequel so bad that no one cat) understand why it is being made (oh the irony 7). Let's jttst hope that no one comes tip with another sequel. or no. please a prequel. See review. (ieneral release.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (12) moo (Ang Lee. China/LS. 2000) Michelle Yeoh. (‘how Yuri-Pat. [hang '/.iy i. Chang ('hen. 120 mins. Jane Austen meets Bruce Lee lll Ang ‘Senvi' Am! .S’t'nsilulity' Lee's astonishing martial arts period drama. In a fictionalised version of early 19th century China. a world of heroic warriors and deep
18 THE LIST 1/") Aliq 5’) Sui, 77/21
philosophical values. Lee seamlessly interweaves the stories of two sets of lovers. and a revenge tale with a feminist twist. The fight scenes are groundbreaking. as choreographed by expert Yuen Wo Ping. At once breathtaking and beautiful. ('mur/iingTiger‘s also a cinematic landmark: its fusion of the best elements from liast and West cinema has created something wholly new. ('ameo. Edinburgh.
The Croupiert 15).... (Mike Hodges. l'K. 1997) ('live ()w en. (iina McKee. Alex Kingston. 9-1 iitiiis. Jack (()vvcn) is a struggling writer who takes tip a job ill a London casino where he quickly proves himself to be an accomplished croupier. Bttt he finds himself assisting Jeni (Kingston). a South African gambler w ho's apparently in debt to a gang of criminals, Hodges' taut. intelligent and darkly amusing drama combines cinematic flair arid thematic substance. unfolding in a dream-like. hall-of-mirrors world. peopled by con-artists. card-sharks. and inveterate liars. Propelled by ()wen's impressively watchful arid poised central performance. it boasts a delicious ()edipal twist in its denouement. Cameo. lidinburgh.
Dil Chahta Hai (PG) (India. 300l ) Asian cinema presentation. iii Hindi without subtitles. ()deon At The Quay. (ilasgow.
The Dish ( ll) 00.. (Rob Sitch. Australia. 2000) Sari) Neill. Kevin Harrington. Tom Long. 101 mins. It's 1969. Apollo Xl is about to land and Neil Armstrong is due to take the first human steps upon the moon. A bumbling team of country boys. at Parkes Radio Telescope Facility in New South Wales. are responsible for providing the images scheduled to appear on ()00 million television screens around the world. l'nfoittinately. they seem to have lost Armstrong in space. The resulting tension is high. the optimism infectious and the outcome astounding. Willi unfailingly quirky humour and sincere performances. the result has to be one of the most uplifting and entertaining history lessons ever filmed. Pilmhouse & The Lumiere. lidinburgh.
Dolphins (l') (2000) The producers of the iitost successful IMAX movie ever. live/est. take its undersea itito the aquatic home of dolphins. With narration by Pierce Brosnan aitd music by Sting. lMAX Theatre. (ilasgow. Dr Dolittle 2 (PG) .00 (Steve ('arr. l'S. 2001)liddie Murphy. Kristen Wilson. voice of Lisa Kudrow. 87 mins. A Malioso racoon turns tip at the doc‘s home and demands that he visit Beaver. (iodfather of the forest creatures. Beaver's problem is that two nasty humans want to ‘develop‘ their home. If only Dolittle can tttate endangered species bear Ava (voiced by Lisa Kudrow) with circus dude bear Archie. then by law the forest will be protected. Simple. cheesy and cco-friendly. (ieneral release.
Faithless (Trélosa) ( IS) 0000 (Liv l'llmann. Sweden. 2000) Lena lindre. Thomas Han/on. Kristcr llenrikson. 155 mins. l'llntan‘s fine film from her former mentor Ingmar Bergman's script concerns a woman. Marianne (lindt'e). who is happily ntarried
Forget spaghetti westerns, Tears Of The Black Tiger is a noo
dle western from Thailand that reinvents the whole genre
with a much-cherished child. Her relationship with orchestra condttctor Markus (Han/on) boasts affluence and stability. yet when his theatre director pal David (llenrikson) makes unexpected advances she consents. The affair leads to divorce. ugly emotional game-playing and tragedy. and the child manifests the greatest traumas of all. l'llman‘s framing creates the effect of soap opera. btit re-explorcs the emotional cliches attached to the form. Cameo. lidinburgh.
0 Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (P(i) O... (llironobu Sakaguchi. Montonori Sakakibara. l'S/Japan. 200] ) Voices of Ming-Na Wen. Alec Baldwin. Steve Btiscemi. I05 mitts. Final Fantasy unquestion- ably represents a quantum leap for animation. Adapted frotn the phenomenally successful Japanese role-play iitg computer game series. The Spin/v llitltin tells a new story it] which the liarth of 2065 has succumbed to an alien invasion. (‘o~produced by a Japanese and Anterican crew. co-directed by game creator llironobu Sakaguclti and voiced by Hollywood talent. the liasterit spiritualism arid questing element of the game is given the standard Hollywood blockbuster treatment. The results are mixed human movement is still problematic bttt often astonishingly believable. The future of film has arrived. (ieneral release.
Fly Away Home (l) 0000 ((‘aroll Ballard. l'S. I996) Anna Paqttin. Jeff Daniels. Dana Delany. l07 mins. When her mother is killed in a car crash. young Amy lT/lt' l’imto‘s Paquin) is sent to live with her estranged father in Canada. Soon they've hatched a plan to help a flock of baby geese migrate south for the winter by leading them in a modified glider. An orphaned kid. some fiuffy animals - but this gets beyong the formula by injecting sortie credible emotional depth into the performances by the two leads. (irosvenor. (ilasgow.
Ginger Snaps ( IX) 00.. (Johtt l-‘aweett. Canada. 200l ) Katharine Isabelle. limily Perkins. Mimi Rogers. 108 mins. Writer- director liawcett’s sardonic treatment of the American bourgeoisie gives this ltorror movie the feeling of an acutely observational romp. lsabelle's blossoming nymph sprouts a tail after a werewolf attack. btit after mttch pcrplexity begins to bear it with fortitude spreading her infection with her sexual favours. As her slavishly devoted sister tries to intervene. (iinger transforms from empowered teen to tragic monster. Despite Hollywood's long flirtation with lycanthropy. liawcett's ftmny. tragic film still contrives to be original. ()deon. (ilasgovv.
Le Gout Des Autres ( IS) 000
(Agniis Jaotii. l-‘rancc. 200i ) Jean-Pierre Bacri. Anne Alvaro. (ierard Lanv'in. I ll titiiis. Britain doesn't have exclusive rights on the provincial class comedy. [1’ got}! shows the workings of a small town. which are brought into focus whet) Jacques ('astcllo (Bacri) falls for actress and linglish tutor (‘lara (Alvaro). a bohemian looking for love btit hardly expecting it front Bacri's crude factory owner. There are a number of other sub-plots that
shows Jaotti borrowing as readily from farce as the provincial comedy. The surprise is that they‘re cotnbined to make for something iitore wistfully winning than either forin usually offers. l’I'H Cinema. lialkirk. O Heartbreakers ( IS ) 0000 (David Merkin. LS. 200] ) Sigourney Weaver. Jennifer Love Hewitt. (iene llacktnan. 123 mins. Max and Page Contiers are a mother- and-daughter teatn of con artists. Max reels in a wealthy sucker and gets him to pop the question. Soon after the wedding. the groom is caught iii a compromising position with Page and a lucrative annulment follows. Having fieeced Ray Liotta‘s New Jersey chop-shop owner it) this manner. the pair head for Palm Beach. Florida. where they target tobacco bil- lionaire William B Tensy (Hackmatt). Like its protagonists. Ili'uribrmknzv is both cheerfully amoral and charming. cynical and sweet. The cast are quite obviously having a ball and their enthusiasm is delightfully infectious. See review. (ieneral release. 0 Hedwig And The Angry inch (15) C... (John Cameron Mitchell. LS. 200]) John Cameron Mitchell. Miriam Shor. Stephen Trask. 91 mitts. In order to escape communist liast (iermany. young Hansel marries a gay (i.l.. which involves undergoing a sex change operation. This is botched leaving Hansel. now Hedwig. with jtist an ‘angry inch‘. Jump forward a few years and Hedwig is touring middle-America with her punk rock band named after his phallic sttiiiip. She's also stalking former lover and musical protege Tommy (inosis. who‘s stolen Hedwig's songs and hit the big time. Mitchell. star of the cult rock musical. gives it his all once more. directing. writing arid acting in this lively and liberating film version of his stage collabora- tion with Trask. See review. Selected release. Help! I’m A Fish (1') 000 (Michael Hegncr. Stefan l'jeldmark. Denmark/(iermany/lreland. 200l ) Voices of Alan Rickman. Terry Jones. Teryl Rothery. 78 mins. This cheerful offering involves three kids: pesky lily. his sweet little sister Stella and their geeky cousin ('huck. After sneaking otit of the house they coiiie across a secret tunnel by the sea. iii which lives a professor (voiced by Jones) who‘s created a formula to turn humans into fish. Lo‘ and behold ourjunior heroes are soon swimming with the fishes. trying to find an antidote and doing battle with an evil pilot-fiin (villainous Rickman). Younger children should enjoy it. btit if you're looking for humour or any real moments of high drama. you'll be disappointed. (ieneral release. 0 Josie And The Pussycats (l’(;) 0... (Deborah Kaplait. Harry lilfont. l'S. 200l) Rachael Leigh Cook. Alan Cumming. Parker Posey. 98 mins. Josie (smart/cute Cook on vocals attd guitar) and her punk band The Pussycats are ‘discovered' by slitney McgaRecords manager Wyatt l-‘ramc (Cumming) and re-packaged as the next big pop sensation. But the presctice of government grey suits suggests there's more to MegaRecords than the kind of obvious media manipulation we've come to expect from. say. the backers of Hear‘say. The performances in this film. based on the ()0s Arr/tie cotiiic are a joy arid the satirical script by the co-directors is kitty-cat claw sharp. See review. (ieneral release. Jurassic Park Ill (PG) 000 (Joe Johnston. [S 200] ) Sam Neil. Tea Leoni. William H. Macy. 92 iitiits. The flimsy excuse to get the cast over to the Park is a young lad who has become stranded on the dinosaur island. An unofficial search party. headed by his parents (Macy and Leoni l. hoodwink palaeontologist Dr (irant (Neil. reprising his role) iitto helping them ottt. ()fcourse. things go wrong as soon as they arrive and they are attacked by a Spinosaur. a new and improved T—rex. l‘rom there on in the cast jump from one perilous situation to another. A complete retrcad of the first two movies with ever) more dinosaur attacks. more ridiculous predicaments and bigger monsters. (ieneral release. The King Is Alive ( IS) 0000 (Kristian Levring. llS/Scandinavia. 200! ) Jennifer Jason Leigh. Janet McTeer. Ronianc Bohringer. 109 mins. The films released under the Danish manifesto (this is the fourth) have enormous power in terms of capturing raw. often physical emotion. In this category alone. Levring‘s film