Films screening this fortnight are listed below with certificate, star rating, credits, brief review and venue details. Film index compiled by Miles Fielder
A.I. (121... (Steven Spielberg. L'S. 20011 Haley Joel ()smont. Jude Law. 1-11 mins. Stanley Kubrick spent years planning Artificial Intelligence. inspired by a Brian Aldiss short story. ‘Super-toy's Last All Summer Long'. ()n his death. the project was bequeathed to Spielberg. Together they have created a future world where the human body is completely commoditied. Forget cyborgs -- the robots in this film are pure artificial intelligence. The question is. can they be programmed to fall in love‘.’ However. the immense difference between the two filmmakers' approach makes this a torturous two hours. as you are tugged between two extremes: Kubrickian cool and Spielbergian sentimentality. (ieneral release. Aimee And Jaguan 151 0000 (Max Farberbock. (iermany. 2001 1 Juliane Kohler. Maria Schrader. 126 mins. Truth is indeed stranger than fiction. lt’s 19-13. wartime Berlin. Lilly (Kohler1. paragon of .\'azi motherhood. brazenly conducts affairs while her soldier husband is at the front. lielice (Schrader). a Jewish lesbian posing as a (icntile. works fora Nazi newspaper while supplying the underground with information. Two more unlikely bedfellow s could not be found. But the pair become lovers. An inspiring. thrilling. moving and completely true tale. The 1-‘i1mhoUse. Edinburgh.
Alien ( 181 OOOOMRidfey- Scott. t'S. 19791 Sigourney Weaver. lan Holm. John Hurt. 1 16 mins. Agatha (‘hristie in outer space as a freighter lands on a mysterious planet and is ingeniously invaded by a ravenous intruder which proceeds to chomp
the steve martland band
8pm thursday 29 november tickets: £12/E1O cone: EfO/8
its way through the cast list. lidge-of-the- seat suspense thriller with a strong cast and ghastly special effects. l'(i(‘ ('inemas. lidinburgh.
All About My Mother ( 151 0.... (Pedro Almodovar. Spain. 19991 (‘ecilia Roth. Penelope ('ruz. Antonia San Juan. 101 mins. Almodovar's new film is without a doubt his best to date. When Madrid hospital worker Manuela's son is killed in a car accident the grief-stricken woman sets out to fulfil her son's last wish to know his father. and goes to Barcelona to find the transvestite she ran away from eighteen years earlier. Renowned for his portrayal of strong women. Almodovar pay s tribute here to their capacity to act. to mother and to create strong bonds of solidarity in the face ofcxtremities. ('ameo. lidinburgh.
All The Pretty Horses ( 1510... (Billy Bob Thornton. l‘S. 311011 Matt Damon. Henry Thomas. Penelope (’ruz. I 16 mins. The year is 19-19. but Mexico continues to exert a gravitational pull on Yankees chasing a vanishing frontier. not least Damon's dispossessed young Texas cowboy John (irady ('ole and best friend Lacey Rawlins ('l'homas1. The boy's chase their dream until a tangle with the law leads them to take refuge on a ranch. where (’olc‘s prowess at breaking wild horses wins him respect and piques the interest of the
ow ncr‘s high-spirited daughter ((‘ruz 1. 'I‘hornton's film. adapted from ('ormac .\1c('arthy's bestseller. is leisurely paced and gloriotis to behold. with splendid w idcscrccn cinematography cyoking the majesty of the western landscape. The Lumiere. lidinburgh. GAmelie ( 151 0....(Jean-1’icrrc Jeunct. lirancc. 211111 1 Audrey 'l‘autou. Mathieu Kassovitz. Serge Merlin. 121) mins. As with his two previous l'i'ench fantasies. Delicatessen arid Hie (lily ()f 1.0.x! ('lit/(ll't'lt. Jeunet creates a fantastical world. here reimagining Paris' oldest quarter. Monlmartre. Within it the eccentric adven- tures of his eponymous heroine (played by
mr mcfall's chamber
8pm friday 7 december tickets: £10/8 cone: £8/6
captivating clfin newcomer Tautou1 unfold in a manner as complex as a Swiss time- piece when Amelie dccidcs to bring happi- ness to deserving people by playing elabo- rate practical jokes on them. (’omposed of many moments of absolute wonder. this is a film which celebrates all the little. great things in life. See review. Selected release. American Pie 2115100 (1.13. Rogers. LS. 2001 1 Jason Biggs.1iugenc Levy. Mena Suvari. 105 mins. 1)espite the fact that the opening scene (featuring another sexual mishap1 will be reassurineg familiar to fans of the first movie. it is not entirely representatiyc of what is to come. Having gone to college. our horny heroes are made to mature. (‘ollegc comedies. in the tradition of .‘lllfllltl/ Home uml l’urkv'y. are supposed to be all-out bawdy. brainless fun. The problem with .'ll)I('I.f(‘(Hl Pie 2 is that despite the gross-out humour and preoccupation with sex. it is a film which ironically also tries to be responsible and mature and the two just don't work together. See review. (iencral release. Amores Perms (Love’s A Bitch) ( 181 .0... ( Alejandro (ion/ach lrritu. Mexico. 211(111limiliolichcyarria.(iacl (iarcia Bcrnal. (ioya Toledo. 153 mins. lnarritu's debut feature is billed as ‘thc Mexican I’ll/p lit'Iimi'. a description which sells it short. The 'l‘arantino comparison is a tiscful starting point: the film tells thrcc
oy erlapping stories - a teenager drawn into the world of illegal dog-fighting. the infidelity of a middle-aged media executive and an elderly homeless man by Using shifting time-frames. tangentially linked characters and jagged \erbal rhythms. l'iiercc humanity underpins lnarritu's beautiful. grainy \ isuals and (iuillermo Arriaga Jordan‘s multi-lay cred script. The best filiii of the year so far. and unlikely to be surpassed. Selected release.
GAngels Of The Universe ( 151 O... (l‘redrik Thor 1‘redrikson. lceland/Norway/Sweden/l)enmark/(icrmany . 311(1()19(1mins. Where /(I/ Reykjavik stig- gcstcd lccland was a place of lackadaisical ennui created out of a decent social security sy stem and t1 bloody good night life. (in/(l l'i'H’I‘ director l’ridriksson‘s latest film is ll/l's flipsidc. with the central character Paul‘s sense of dismay harder to locate. Despair initially seems generated from a girlfriend who finishes with him. but l‘ridriksson looks less for catises than resul- tant losses. This is a great film of inexorable collapse as the director‘s gliding camera
sty 1c is at one with Paul‘s catatonic approach to his ow n existence. The crisp soundtrack by Sigur Ros and llilmar ()rn Hilniarsson emphasises the mood. See review. (ilasgow l-‘ilm 'l‘ltcatrc. (ilasgow: The l-ilmhoiIsc. Edinburgh.
Annie (1’1 0.. (John lluston. LS. 1931 1 Albert l-inncy. Aileen Quinn. ('arol Burnett. Tim (‘uriy 128 mins. licelgood musical sclimalt/ courtesy of the orphaned red-head who sings her way into the heart of hard-nosed businessman Daddy Warbucks (l‘inney 1. (’arol Burnett was born to play
c\ if orphanage boss Miss llannigan and Tim ('urry exudes just the right amount of slime as her money -gt‘abbing brother. The Lumiere. litlitiburgh.
Atlantis: The Lost Empire Atlantis (1'1 (Kirk Wise. (iai'y 'li'ousdalc. l‘S. 2111111 Voices of Michael J. l'iox. Jiltties (iarnct'. John Mahoney. 90 mins. l’rc\ icw screening of the latest from l'nclc Wall’s empire. l)isncy ‘s animators turn their attention to the fabled lost city. bringing to hear an army of pencillcrs. painters and computer operators to recreate the sunken community. The setting is 19th century and the technology inspired by the imagination of Jules Verne. ('ineworld. 1‘alkii'k; ()deon At The ()uay. (ilasgow; Pavilion. (ialasliiels.
Bande é Partit’m O... (Jean-lite (iodard. lirancc. 19(141 Anna Karina. Sanii l‘rcy. ('laude Biasscur. 95 mins. 11's been said of ( iodat'd that lie enioy s such critical favour because he turns view crs into critics. It's certainly a \alid comment iii [his self- consciotis take on the heist movie as l‘rcy and lli'assetir persuade Karina to help them break into her employ ct”s house. Yet such arclincss curiously doesn't result in a smug
index Film
movie. We're turned not into knowing viewers so much as sensitive. unsure spectators. as (iodard here creates a meaningful film out of undermining specific. easily consumable slick meaning. (ireat stuff. Adam Smith Theatre. Kirkcaldy. OBattle Hoyale (181 O... (litikasaku Kinji. Japan. 2111111 118 mins. Lon! ()r' Tllt’ Him is re-imagined as a vio- lent pre-millennial nightmare as a class of teenage Japanese schoolchildren is aban- doned on an island. given a variety of weapons. and told that only the last survivor w ill be allowed to leave. Selected release. Before Night Falls ( 151 0... (Julian Schnabel. [‘S. 20011 13(1mins. This biopic of the gay ('uban author Reinaldo Arenas has been garlandcd with praise and awards. including a deserved Oscar nomination for leading actor Javier Bardem. It‘s more recognition than its subject achieved in his lifetime. an irony the persecuted Arenas might have found wryly amusing. Schnabel's film is based on the memoirs Arenas dictated in exile in .\'ew York. terminally ill with Aids. before his suicide in 1991). The painter turned director finds a style in keeping with the man and his work. mixing truth. poetic hyperbole and magic realism to dizzying effect. The Lumiere. lidinburgh.
The Birds ( 181 OOOOOtAlfred Hitchcock. [S 19631 Rod Taylor. Tippi Hendren. Suzanne l’leshette. 1 19mins. Brilliant macabi'c idea from a 1)u Mauricr tale to have our winged friends turned into malevolent killers. this is Hitch at his most mischevious. ()h and for the amateur psychologists among you. there is a glacial blondc leading lady. and she is mistreated. The l'iltitliotlse. lidinburgh.
Blood Simple ( 181 0... (Joel (‘oen. [S 19831 John (ietz. l‘i‘aneis .\lc1)ormand. M. limmct Walsh. 99 mins. Atispicious debut from the (‘oen brothers' direction/production team. Walsh excels as the seedy Sheriff investigating a simple murder whose devilish Texan chronicle of double-crossing is anything but simple. An enthusiastic attempt at contemporary film noir. which keeps everyone guessing even after the final frame. ('ameo. lidinburgh. Bridget Jones’s Diary ( 151 .000 (Sharon Maguire. l'S/l'K. 2001) Renee '/.ellweger. Hugh (irant. (‘olin birth. 96 mins. Brit/eel Jmtm '3 Diary is that rare thing. an adaptation that vastly improves on an over-rated original. in this case Helen 1-‘iclding'sbestselling newspaper column- cuni-book. Jones has a rather nice job. and looks rather nice. but worries a lot about her appearance and career. In between weighing herself and ranting about the modern male. she entangles herself with nasty boss Daniel ('lcaver ((irant 1. before taking tip with nice Mark Darcy (15irth1. On paper. Jones was a snivclling. neurotic wreck. on film she's a sniyelling. neurotic wreck who also happens to be consistently liilariotis. And Xellweger adds a touch of warmth to what is essentially a wholly unsympathetic. brittle character. Stcr ('entury Cinema: lidinburgh. Bringing Up Baby (P01 .0000 (Howard llaw ks. LS. 19331 (‘ary' (irant. Katharine Hepburn. (’harles Ruggles. 102 mins. [any gal Hepburn catises timid zoology professor (irant to lose it Valuable dinosaur bone and mislay a pet leopard within the course of one screwball evening. Archer pal Thirties crazy comedy with one outlandisth fiilai'ioiis scene following another within the progression of an uncrringly logical narrative. Both stars at their charismatic best. The liilmhousc. lidinburgh.
The Broken Hearts Club ( 151
.0. ((ireg Berlanti. (S. 30011 Ben Weber. Timothy ()lypliant. John Maloney'. 9-1 mins. This poignant. heartfelt comedy drama about a group of gay friends in downtown 1.os.-\ngelcs explores notions of alternative families. commitment-phobia and feeling ancient approaching the big 31). How much it w ill appeal to a wider audience is open to question. but it's a nicely acted ensemble piece with lots of truth aiid gentle humour. Sometimes there's too much dialogue and American reference but that said. its largely unknown cast are interesting and all too human. l-TH ('inema. 1’a|kirk.
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