excels beyond all expectation establishing the direst of circumstances: a motley crew of tourists are stranded in the middle of the desolate Namibian desert. To lift the company‘s spirits while awaiting rescue. a retired actor suggests they stage a production of Shakespeare's most bitter tragedy. King Lear. What follows is an impressive and dramatic descent into madness as thee desperate individuals frantically attempt to stay alive. l’l‘ll (‘inema. lialkirk.
King Lear ( 15) 0.. (Jean-Inc (iodard. France. 1987) Burgess Meredith. Molly Ringwald. Woody Allen. ()0 mins. (‘haracteristically unconventional approach to the Bard's classic by (iodard who has a character called William Shakespeare V trying to ascertain whether King Lear holds any significance or message for any of us in the wake of Chernobyl. A film about ‘humility. anguish and guilt‘. Probably as unintelligible and impenetrable as the rest of the director's recent oeuvrel. Filmhouse. Iidinburgh.
A Knight’s Tale (PG) 00. (Brian llelgeland. IS. 2001) Heath Ledger. Mark Addy. Paul Bettany. 132 mins. After his master dies halfway through a jousting tournament in medieval l‘rance. peasant William Thatcher (Ledger) dons his suit of armour and drags begrudgng pals Roland (Addy) and Wat (Alan Tudy'k) across liurope towards victory. Writer- director IIclgeIand's ILA. (‘mi/irlerilial. Pavhar‘k) film display s a playful sense of humour with its anachronistic soundtrack featuring Queen. David Bowie and other 7()s rockers. and amusing allusions to the World (‘up. And unusually it also emphasises character interaction so that the working class heroes are aided by Laura I‘raser‘s w idow- turned-blacksmith and Bettany's scene- stealing gambler/poet ‘(ieoff' ('haucer. See feature and review. (ieneral release.
Lara Croft: Tomb Raidert l2) 0.. (Simon West. l'S. 2()()l ) Angelina Jolie. lain (ilenn. Jon \‘oight. mins. Jolie is amazing as the globe-trotting adventurer pitted against villain Manfred Powell ((ilenn) and a secret
cult known as The Illuminati. Meanwhile. ('roft's search for the ‘clock of ages' is underpinned by an emotional quest the mystery surrounding the death of her father (Jolie's real-life father. \‘oighti But the lilm betrays a complete lack of narrative logic. leaving a jerky. fragmented tale that jumps from one ‘level' to the next. ludiv idual images. like the stone monkey warriors which spring to life inside the temple complex at Angkor Wat are spectacular. but completely lacking in excitement. (‘ompared to the synthetic silliness of The .l’limmiv. this just about makes the grade. Selected release.
The Last Picture Show ( I5) 0000 (Peter Bogdanovich. US. 197] ) 'l'imothy Bottoms. Jeff Bridges. (‘ybill Shepherd. Ben Johnson. (‘loris Leachman. Randy Quaid. 1 l8 mins. The film that made Bogdanovich. far superior to its sequel 'Ii'xasri/le. and indeed most of the director's other work. Set in small- town Texas in the 1950s. it captures the local atmosphere and the traumas of adolescence to perfection. focusing on the growing pains of a group of teenagers on the brink of adulthood. to whom the closure of the local cinema symbolises loss of youth and innocence. MacRoben Arts (‘entre. Stirling.
Last Resort ( IS) 0000 (Pach Pawlikowski. l'K. 300] ) Dina Kor/un. Paddy ('onsidine. 76 mins. In a rundown seaside resort on Iingland‘s south coast that resembles a Siberian concentration camp. refugees seeking shelter in Britain are held at the (iovernment's pleasure. facing interminable imprisonment or eventual deportation. Into this shameful xenophobic mess blunders Tanya. a young woman arriying from Moscow with her ten-year-old son. This is tough. politicised cinema. reminiscent of waking nightmares ()rw ell and Kafta. Polish writer-director
Paw likow ski effectively draw s on his documentary background. while the main players are superb. particularly ('onsidine making only his second appearance after his extraordinary debut in A Room I’m- Romeo Brass. Selected release.
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