Films screening this fortnight are listed below with certificate, star rating, credits, brief review and venue details. Film index compiled by Miles Fielder
AJ. ( l2) .0. (Steven Spielberg. [S 200] l Haley" Joel ()sniont. Jude Law. 1-11 mins. Stanley Kubrick spent years planning Artificial Intelligence. inspired by a Brian Aldiss short story. ‘Super-toys l.ast 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 commodificd. Forget cyborgs the robots in this film are pure artificial intelligence. The question is. can the)’ 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 Spiclbergian sentimentality. ('ineworld. Falkirk.
alaska.de - A Love Story ( IS) (Iisther (ironenborn. (iermany. 2000) Jana Palleske. Frank Droese. 'l‘oni Blume. 86 mins. Social drama in which a teenager. constantly in trouble with mother's boyfriend. is sent to live with her father iii a suburb of liast Berlin. Part of the (iernian Film Festival. (il’l‘. (ilasgow: Filmhouse. lidinburgh.
O Amelie ( 15) .0... (Jean-Pierre qunet. France. 200] ) Audrey 'I‘autou. Mathieu Kassovitl. Serge Merlin. I20 mins. As with his two previous French fati- tasies. I)('/i(‘(llt’.s’.y'elt and The (‘itv (If/xiv! ('Itililren. Jeunet creates a fantastical world. here reimagining Paris' oldest quar- ter. .‘ylontniartre. Within it the eccentric adventures of his eponymous heroine (played by captivating clfin newcomer 'l'autou) tiiifold in a manner as complex as a Swiss timepiece when Amelie decides to bring happiness to deserving people by playing elaborate practical jokes on them. ('omposed of many moments of absolute wonder. this is a film which celebrates all the little. great things in life. Selected release.
American Pie 2 ( lSi 00 (J. B. Rogers. IS. 2001 ) Jason Biggs. litigene Levy. Mcna Suvari. I05 mins. Despite the fact that the opening scene (featuring another sexual mishap) will be reassuringly familiar to fans of the first movie. it is not entirely representative of what is to come. Having gone to college. our horny heroes are made to mature. ('ollege comedies. in the tradition of Animal House and l’ar'ky"s. are supposed to be all-out bawdy. brainless fun. The problem with American 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. (ieneral release.
American Teens ( IS) (Various. [IS/L'K. 2001 i. The Halloween Society brings its multimedia showcase to Scotland with a selection of short films based around the theme of American teenagers. (TA. (ilasgow.
America’s Sweethearts ( Ill
0. (Joe Roth. l'S. 2001 l Jttlia Roberts. Billy ('rystal. (’athcrine '/.eta- Jones. John ('usack. 103 mins. This appears to be a case of life imitating art. Ameriea 's Sweethearts revolves around a big-budget movie that threatens to sink the studio that produced it. Time Over Time is the last film made by Hollywood's leading romantic couple. ('usack's liddie llttiflliis and Zeta-Jones's (iwcn Harrison.
Btit (iwen and liddic have broken tip. Veteran publicist |.ee Phillips‘ ((‘rystali only hope of averting disaster is to convince the media at the forthcoming press 'jtinket that liddie and (iw en are back together again. To this end. he recruits
(iw en's sister and long-suffering personal assistant Kiki (Roberts). On paper. Arneriea 'y Sii'eeI/iearlv reads like a dream. Sadly. Roth's liliti is a stinls'ei‘. (iciteral release.
Samuel L. Jackson's Californian drug ch ah, Liverpool in the patchy comedy thriller The 51st State
An American In Paris the... (\‘incente Minnelli. l'S. 195! t (iene Kelly. Leslie ('aron. ()scar Levant. Nina Foch. 113 mins. Splendid if sometimes garish romantic musical. with Kelly on top form as a would-be artist kickitig tip a storm in la belle i'ile. (irosvenoi‘. (ilasgow.
The Animal ( 12) 0
(Luke (ireenfield. 1S. 2001) Rob Sclmcider. ('ollccn llttsls‘ell. Joltn (‘. Mc(iinley. S4 mins. Deuce li’iea/im star Schneider play s another schniuck.
His Marvin Mange is a wannabe cop
who drives his car off a cliff and is rescued by a mad scientist who rebuilds hitii Six Million Dollar Man-sly lc. though on the cheap. replacing his broken parts with animal ‘spares'. 'l'hei'eaftcr. Mange is transformed into super schmuck and gets frisky around sheep on heat. This is the lev cl of humour in life Animal. and while lavatory laughs are perfectly acceptable. these gags are crap. Selected release.
Anita Takes A Chance (Anita no
perd el tren) ( IS) (\‘entura Pons. Spain.
2000) mins. Barcelona-set comedy about the highs and low s of a iiiiddleragcd romance from veteran (‘atalan director l’ons. Part of the London Film f'csti\al on tour. (il’l‘. (ilasgow.
Annie Hall ( 15) 00000 (woody Allen. l'S. W77) Woody Allen. Diane Keaton. 'l‘ony Roberts. ()3 mins. Two decades before Set And The ('ilv had its first orgasm. Annie Ila/l was laying bare the mores of modern. urban romance to devastating effect while also zoning iii on the specific psyche of Allen Konigsberg: anti-Semitic paranoia. metaphysical angst. the search for true love. There‘s a highl." chttt‘getl on-screen electricity bctw ccn Allen and Keaton. glorious vistas of the old New York and hilarious set pieces Alvy lighting w ith lobsters. the scene of his childhood home helow the rollercoaster and a stream of one-liners to end them all: ‘don't knock iiiasturlmtion; it‘s sex with someone I one.‘ They really don't make ‘em like Annie Hall anymore. ('ineworld. l‘allsit‘ls.
Apocalypse Now Redux ( 15» 0... (Francis Ford ('oppola. l'S. l‘)7‘)/200l i Martin Sheen. Marlon Brando. Robert Duvall. 202 mins. ('oppola's new. longer cut of his Vietnam war masterpiece includes more of l)u\a|l's cra/y chopper commander Kilgorc. a second encounter w ith the Playboy Bunnies. a new sequence set on a remote French plantation adding historical background and Brando c\pounding upon the insanity of war. It
index Film
isn't an improvement. btit considering the circumstances under which it was filmed - in the Philippines where everything from hurricanes to heart attacks plagued the cast and crew u you want to see everything they got on film. See review. l‘(i(' Renfrew Street. (ilasgow.
Asterix And The Big Fight ([7) .0. (Keith lngham. L'K. l989) With the voices of Bill ()ddie. Michael lilphiek. Andrew Sachs. 82 mins. Asterix celebrates his thirtieth anniversary with this new animated feature in which he and his baiid of plucky (iallic mates take on the might of the Roman army. (il’l‘. (ilasgow. Atlantis: The Lost Empire (t7)
0. (Kirk Wise. (iary' Trousdale. IS. 200! ) Voices of Michael J. Fox. James (Earner. John Mahoney. 96 mins. The basic premise of Disney‘s latest. the discovery of the lost. mythical empire of Atlantis. is a scenario with soooooooo much scope for magic and enchantment it should be impossible to fail. Btit it is realised with all the visual and imaginative panache of a jaded street artist. Furthermore. it sorely lacks an eyebrow-archiiig. pupil- narrowing. gloriously caricattired villain. Similarly. Milo. the geeky hero (voiced by Fox) is deficient of charm and arouses little sympathy. As Disney‘s raison d'etre is the good/bad dichotomy. it seems not only was the limpire lost. btit a grand opportunity too. (ieneral release.
Autumn In New Yorlu IS) 0.. (Joan Chen. ['S. 200] i Richard gere. Winona Ryder. I05 mins. Actress (‘hcn made her directing debut in (‘hina three years ago with the bleak btit moving Xiu Xiu.‘ 'I'lte Sent-[Mun (iirl. Autumn In New l’ark. her first film for Hollywood. could not be more different. This Love Story- style weepie stars (iere as a playboy restaurateur who goes from girlfriend to girlfriend until he meets kooky hat designer Ryder. When he reels off his standard cop-out line. ‘We have no future.‘ she surprisingly agrees. She has a dodgy heart. Btit can she teach him about love before she dies'.’ ()deon. Ay‘r.
Bandits ( l2) 0.. (Barry Levinson. l'S.2001) Bruce Willis. Billy Bob 'I‘hornton. (‘ate Blanchett. 122 mins. Written by Harley Peyton (Twin Peaks). Bani/its is a tale of modern day bank robbers Joe Blake (Willis) and Jerry Lee (‘ollins ('I‘hornton). Having become folk heroes. their crime spree is complicated by Blanchett's neurotic housewife who falls in love with botli men whilst re-enacting the Patty Hearst story. Levinson and Peyton fail their likeable east. btit Thornton salvagcs the filtn with a genius comic performance as a hypochondriac criminal. It's a crime 'I‘hornton's poker face talents weren‘t matched by this overlong. unremarkable romp. See review. (ieneral release.
The Bank ( l5) (Robert Connolly. Australia. 200l ) mins. Slick contemporary thriller about corporate greed from debuting Australian filmmaker Robert (‘onnollyz Part of the London Film festival on tour. (il‘vl'. (ilasgow.
FTH
Sat 75th December Nightmare Before
Christmas (PG) 7 7:00am Mon 2 75! January Moulin Rouge (12) 7.30pm
Please note new screening date.
Wed 23rd January
Together (15) 7.30pm
Tickets and further information from The Steeple Box office
(Tel: 01324 506850)
or on the day from the ball
9‘.) Ntt‘. 13 DOC 2001 THE LIST 33