Film index
0 Enigma ( (51 0000 (Michael Aptcd. (K. 2001) I)ougray Scott. Kate Winslett. Saffron Burrows. l 17 mins. Tom Jericho (Scott). a crack WWII codebreaker. is called back frotn premature retirement to break the Nazis' new cypher. ()n his return. he discov- ers that (‘laire (Burrows). the woman who broke his heart. has gone missing and. with the aid of her liousemate (Winslctt ). begins to discover that she was not entirely what she seemed. Apted's screen adaptation of Robert Harris's best-selling novel is. rarely enough. both relatively faithful and rather good. though scriptwriter Tom Stoppard increases the love interest and liddles the plot a little. bttt the mixture of cynicism and heroism that characterised Harris’s charac- ters is undiluted in the film. See feature and review. (ieneral release.
Enter The Dragon ( IS) 00.
(Robert (‘lousc. Ib/IlK. 1973) Bruce Lee. John Saxon. Shih Kien. Jim Kelly. 98 mins. First in a spate of kung-fu films that were to spawn playground imitators throughout the 70s. Bruce infiltrates a martial arts crew converging on llong Kong in the course of his inquiries into an opium ring. Forget the plot and acting. the action. however. was groundbreaking then and it‘s still hard- hitting chop-socky now. (irosvenor. (ilasgow.
O The Fast And The Furious ( 15) 0... (Rob Cohen. LS. 2001) Paul Walker. Vin Diesel. Michelle Rodrigue/. 108 mins. Roaring off the start line in a cloud of burning rubber. (’ohen‘s stripped-down illic- it street-racing movie was a deserved ‘sleep- er‘ success in the LS. delivering the pure. adrenalised entertainment that ov er-powered. poorly-tuned auto movies such as (imie In ()0 St‘t‘UIlt/K tllttl Drit‘r'lt only promised. Through the associated clothing. music and slang. it also captures the multi-ethnic. tribal flavour of a distinctive urban sub-culture built around fast cars. sex and defying authority. That said. this is strictly ‘B' movie stuff. so don't go expecting originality.
(iencral release.
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (P(i) O... (Ilironobu Sakaguchi. Montonori Sakakibara. l‘S/Japan. 2001 ) Voices of Ming-Na Wen. Alec Baldwin. Steve Btiscemi. 105 mins. I’i/tul I'imrusv unquestionably represents a quantum leap for animation. Adapted from the phenomenally successful Japanese role- playing computer game series. The Spirits ll'irln'n tells a new story in which the Iiarth of 2005 has succumbed to an alien invasion. (‘o-produced by a Japanese and American crew. co-directed by game creator llironobu Sakaguchi and voiced by Hollywood talent. the liastern spiritualism and questing element of the game is given the standard Hollywood blockbuster treatment. The results are mixed human movement is still problematic btit often astonishingly believable. The future of film has arrived. Magnum Theatre. Irvine.
The Flintstones In Viva Rock Vegas (PG) .0 (Brian Levant. 1S. 2000) Mark Addy. Stephen Baldwin. ()1 mins. This prequel shows l-‘red (Addy) and Barney (Baldwin) in their bachelor days when they first court Wilma (Johnston) and Betty (Jane Krakow ski). They are abetted in this by a little green alien called (ia/oo (Alan (‘umzning ). but are hampered by the rival attentions of Wilma‘s slimy aristocratic chum (’hip Rockefeller (Thomas (iibson). And they all live happily ever after. without a trace of originality. lip or rest. (‘ineworltL l"alkirk.
Flipper ( P(i) 0.. (Alan Shapiro. LS. 1996) lilijah Wood. Paul Hogan. (‘helsca Held. ()6 mins. Difficult city teenager Sandy (Wood) doesn't warm to ex-hippy uncle Porter (Ilogan) down in the Florida Keys until along comes friendly dolphin l-‘lipper. The story brings to mind aspects of .‘lllt/l’t’ and Free ll'illv. but there are only so many scripts that can accommodate an acquatic star. Predictable stuff in the heart-warming category. ('ineworld. l'alkirk.
I'IIII last war
Faithfull
by Marianne Faithfull
12 September - 6 October
“retains the honesty and lyricism of Faithfu/l’s book but sharpens it up into a riveting stream of cack/ing dialogue “
BOX OFFICE 0141 429 0022
The Scotsman
ITIZENS 'I'llEllTll
32 THE LIST 20 Sop—u”. ()(21 2001
Another clash of te'sc
The Forsaken (18)... (JS. (‘ardone. LS. 2001) Kerr Smith. Brendan I‘ehr. Isabella Miko. ()0 mins. The Forsaken (18)... (178.2001) Johnathon Schaech. Kerr Smith. Brendan l-‘ehr. 90 mins. A post-Hammer. post-AIDs vampire road movie. The l-brsuken has a charismatically menacing Schaech as a latter day Nosferatu of the American Southwest. He and his young converts scour the desert highways at night. hunting for humans to feed on as Dawson 's ( 'n'ek alumni Kerr Smith discovers while driving from LA to Florida in a vintage Mere. Reworking the vampire genre. The Forsaken dispenses with the big-teeth. bats and prosthetic make-up cliches in favour of a metaphor about visceral. infectious blood-Inst. and it does have a degree of bite. See review. Selected release.
Full Metal Jacket ( 18) 0...
(Stanley Kubrick. l'K. 1987) Matthew Modine. Dorian Harewood. Lee Iirmey. 109 mins. 'l‘echnically effective and narratively balanced depiction of raw Vietnam recruits as they endure basic training and the even greater horrors of the 1968 Tet offensive. Though Kubrick's film came in late in the 80s cycle of ‘Nam films that began with Platoon. it remains one of the better Vietnam movies. l,'(}(’. lidinburgh.
Galaxy Quest (PG) 00.. (Dean Parisot. 2000) Sigourney Weaver. Tim Allen. Alan Rickman. 102 mins. In the film. Galaxy Quest is a Star 'I‘rrk-style series which ran for a short time years ago and has subsequently developed cult status. To earn a crust the miserable cast make personal appearances at conventions and shopping mall openings. But a naive bunch of aliens mistake them for real heroes and enlist the cast’s help in battling a real-life evil enemy. What follows is. on the surface. an entertaining display of straightforward. fish- out-of-water comedy. but underlying it is a gently scathing attack on fan culture. and America‘s pathological need for heroes. l'(‘l.(i1asgow; l'('l. Iidinburgh.
Gohatto ( 15) .0. (Nagisa ()shima. Japan. 2001 ) Ryuhei Matsuda. Beat Takeshi. 101 mins. ()shima's new film recall his popular earlier works xlf No ('orridu and Merry ('ltris'imux. Mr leti'l't’nt‘i'. also films emphasising a hothouse sexual atmosphere and closed off space. In this study of a much-desired young samurai recruit (Matsuda) in a Japanese samurai temple in the letls. ()shima combines the sexually ripe with the coldly ritualistic. Where that master of larger than life samurai cinema. the late. great Akira Kurosawa. often emphasised the realistic with difficult on location shoots. it’s as if()shima wants to play up the dreamily mythic with a studio set design suggesting the whole samurai world could have been a wispy erotic fiction. (il’l‘. (ilasgow; l-‘ilmhouse. Edinburgh. Greenfingers ( 15) 0. (Joel Ilershmann. (K. 2001 ) ('live ()wen. Helen Mirren. Natasha Little. 8‘) mins. Transferred to an open prison in the ('otswolds. convicted murderer (‘olin (()wen) discovers a remarkable aptitude for horticulture. and his imaginative efforts in building a garden attract the attention of local TV celebrity (ieorgina Woodhouse (Helen Mirren ). (iruvi/ingt'rs might just be the quaintest British film of 2001. even though it was
m“ it: we;
reen Titans in The Score, which teams Marlon
Brando with Robert De Niro
inspired by a New York Times article and written and directed by American Joel llershman. A tale of comic redemption which provides a supremely benevolent view of the penal system. Selected release.
A Hard Day’s Night (1') 0..
(Richard Lester. 17K. 1964) John Lennon. Paul McCartney. (icorgc Harrison. Ringo Starr. 87 mins. This re-relcase of the Beatles' screen debut. complete with digitally restored soundtrack. sees the Fab l‘our supposedly preparing fora live TV performance. Actually. jigging with the exuberant energy of youth and the fearless arrogance of tltose who are adored. they dodge their manager. taunt their fans and make a playground of the streets. Lester‘s mock documentary received two Academy Award nominations. Today. the camera tricks may seem less than impressive. but the innocent upbeat humour comes as a timely relief. Lumiere. Iidinburgh. Heartbreakers ( 15) 0000 (David Merkin. IS. 2001 ) Sigourney Weaver. Jennifer Love Hewitt. (iene Hackinan. 123 mins. Max and Page ('onners are a mother- and-daughter team of con artists. Max reels in a wealthy sticker and gets him to pop the question. Soon after the wedding. the groom is caught in a compromising position with Page and a lucrative annulment follows. Having lleeced Ray Liotta's New Jersey chop-shop owner in this manner. the pair head for Palm Beach. I’lorida. where they target tobacco billionaire William B Tensy (Hackman). Like its protagonists. Hmriln'eukt'rs is both cheerfully amoral and charming. cynical and sweet. The cast are quite obviously having a ball and their enthusiasm is delightfully infectious. (ieneral release.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch ( 15) C... (John (‘ameron Mitchell. LS.
2001 ) John (‘ameron Mitchell. Miriam Shor. Stephen Trask. 91 mins. In order to escape communist liast (iermany. young Hansel marries a gay (3.1.. which involves undergoing a sex change operation. This is botched leaving Hansel. now Hedwig. with just an ‘angry inch‘. Jump forward a few years and Hedwig is touring middle-America with her punk rock band named after his phallic stump. She‘s also stalking former lover and mLisical protege Tommy (inosis. who‘s stolen Hedwig‘s songs and hit the big time. Mitchell. star of the cult rock mttsical. gives it his all once more. directing. writing and acting in this lively and liberating film version of his stage collaboration with Trask. ()deon. (ilasgow; (‘amco. Iidinburgh.
Help! I’m A Fish (1') 0.. (Michael llegner. Stefan l'jeldmark. I)enmark/(iermany/lreland. 2001 ) Voices of Alan Rickman. Terry Jones. Teryl Rothery. 78 mins. This cheerful offering involves three kids: pesky I’ly. his sweet little sister Stella and their geeky cousin ('huck. After sneaking otit of the house they come across a secret tttnnel by the sea. in 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—fish (villainous Rickman). Younger children should enjoy it. but if you're looking for humour or any real moments of high drama. you'll be disappointed. Selected release.