Film index
Pretty Village, Pretty Flame ( 18) COO (Srdan Dragojevic. Serbia. l‘)‘)o) 12‘) mins. This film. made by filmmakers in the former Yugoslavia. charts the destruction of the friendship (and the country) of two young men a Serb and a Muslim »— who take opposing sides after war breaks out. Like (/ndmgrmuul. it ttses allegory to invoke history and emphasise tragedy. and goes a long way towards aii understanding of a horrific civil war. lidinburgh Film (itiild. lidinburgh.
The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie (if) 0... (Ronald Ncame. L'K. 1969) Maggie Smith. ('elia Johnson. Robert Stephens. (iordon Jackson. l in itiiiis. The big screen adaptation of Murial Spark's tale of an eccentric lidinburgh schoolteacher in the l‘)3()s shows sharp characterisations and interesting period fiavour. The Lumiere. lidinburgh. Raiders Of The Lost Ark (PG) 0.... (Steven Spielberg. l'S. 198D Harrison Ford. Karen Allen. 1 l5 mins. l‘ord plays adventuring archaeologist lndiana Jones. who almost bites off more than he can chew when he turns tip the Ark of the Covenant in Nazi-infested wartime Egypt. Return to the breathless excitement of the Saturday morning serial with this rollercoaster of a movie. probably better than either of its sequels. Tongue held very firmly in cheek. L'(i(' ('inemas. lidinburgh. Red Sorghum ( IS) 00000 (Xhang Yimou. China. 1988) (iong l.i. Jian Weng. Jiu Ji. 90 mins. This completely startling piece of New (‘hinese (‘inema is a family saga set in a rural community during the l‘)3()s. and follows a young woman‘s adventures: finding a husband. setting tip a brewery and repelling barbaric Japanese invaders. (‘onceived on a gloriously broad palette. Yimou‘s film controversially explores the stirrings of female sexuality. and includes some endearing knockabout comedy before the tone darkens for the final cataclysm. With a marvellously rich
red colour scheme. this a magnificent debut. lidinburgh l‘lllli (iuild. lidinburgh. Riding In Cars With Boys ( 13)
0. (Penny Marshall. (S. 3001) Drew Barrymore. Steve '/.ahn. Mika Boorem. l3] mins. Drew Barrymore plays
I 1 ’1‘! r / M; .r '. . J/JJ JJ,-.-/_-J-.’-,.,J.--... —* Jc, ' — , - ,
40 THE LIST 2‘.) Nov 13 DOC 1/001
Drew Barrymore is Riding In Cars With Boys in this overly sincere drama r
Bev. an academically -inclined 15-year-old who falls for Zahn's deadbeat and becomes pregnant. an event that destroy s her career plans. Bitter and frustrated. she spends the rest of the film blaming her growing son for every lost opportunity. Based as it is on a memoir. Riding In ('urv is defined by a series of emotional tips and downs that while true to life. make for unsatisfying irony free. episodic fiction. However. Barry more remains engaging iii an ever- mtitaliiig part. while Zahn impresses as the incorrigible dropout spouse. See review. (ienei'al release.
Rugrats In Paris: The Movie (U 0.. (Stig Bei'gtivist. Paul Demeyei‘. l‘S. 2()()| i Voices of (‘hristinc ('avanaugh. Susan Sarandon. Debbie Reynolds. 77 mins. The antics of those diaper-clad tinder-5s. Tommy. ('huckie. Dil. Phil and Li]. and tormenting big cousin Angelica. make a great kids cartoon. Better than its predecessor. Riierulv In Paris has the gang descending on litiroreplarland (read liurodisney ). where conniving Angelica fixes up inotherless (‘huckie and his i—‘ullible father. (’has. with the villainous ('oco La Bouche who hates children. To s;t\e (‘huckie tltc kitls hijack the giant robotic Reptar and race for Notre Dame to stop the wedding. lively. well-paced entertainment for younger children. and
.ill\l smart enough for most adults. Ster
(‘eiittiry ('inema. lidinburgh.
The Season Of Men ( 12) O... tMoufida 'l‘latli. lirance. 2000i Rabiaa Ben Abdallah. Sabah Boti/otiita. (ihalia Ben .'\li. l3~l mitts. Aicha decides to return it) her old home of Djerba by the sea when :\/i/. her son with learning difficulties. just keeps getting worse. Her two grown tip daughters also ~join her. while disaffected husband Said refuses to have anything to do with the return to Djerba. 'l‘heii' homecoming is intercut with the day-to- day events leading tip to the birth of .-\/i/ over past Seasons ()f Meit. the time of year when the men folk briefly return froin the city. ’l‘latli‘s film is achineg beautiful. constructed round themes of past and present. colours aitd light. family and freedom. l-‘ilinhoiise. lidiiibtirgh. Shakespeare Wallah it’( M (James l\()l'_\. llltlitt. l‘)()5i l'lelic‘il} Kendal. Slitislli Ktipooi'. Madhtir Jaffrey. I IS mins. liarly entry into the Merchant lvoi'y canon. the story of a troupe of linglish actors finding their Indian toiii' interrupted by i'oiitance.
evolving around the ups and downs of a young mother
4M M
(iilmorehilKi l 2. (ilasgow.
Shrek (l'i 0.... (Andrew .-\damson. Vicky Jeitson. l'S. Zilill ) Voices of Mike Myers. ('ameron Dial. liddie Murphy. 90 mins. Slit-ck w ill have Walt Disney turning in his cryogenic free/e tank. This truly subversive animated film takes pot shots at fairytale mythology. while singling otit l'ncle \Vall‘s beloved Snow ll’ltilt’. (‘i'Iii/i'ri'llu. Pfilft‘t‘llftl. et al. l'ndcr the guise of a quest to rescue a princess from a dragon undertaken by the eponymous green ogre (which kids will love). Slin'k also ruthlessly pillages corporate Disney. satirising its theme parks and executives. And who's behind all this'.’ Producer Jeffrey Kat/enberg of Disney rival studio Dream\\’orks. also formerly head of. yep. Disney. (ienei‘al release.
Slam ( l5) 0.. (Mark Levin. L'S. I‘N‘N 99 mins. A poet uses his wits and street poetry to survive when he's busted on a petty drugs charge atid sent to prison. (iritty drama fusing poetry. rap and hip- hop. (‘('A. (ilasgow.
Songs From The Second Floor
( l5) .C. (Roy Andersson. Sweden. 200] i l.ars Nordh. Stefan l.ai'sson. 'l'orbjorn Palilstroiit. ()8 mins. .-\ndersson's (‘annes pri/e-w inning first feature film in 25 years comprises a sei'ies of beautifully coitiposed vignettes. each scene shot in a single long take. l'nscripted and tisiiig first time ticlot's. it offers at snapshot of the lives of various characters. A long serving employee clings desperately to his boss‘s leg. pleading for his job back; a man with the wrong skin colour falls victim to a racist attack; while a magician unintentionally saws an unsuspecting volunteer in half. A witty observation on the absurdity and vulnerability of the human condition. Songs I‘m/n The Second Hour is at its best intelligent. moving and funny. (’ameo. lidinburgh.
Spy Game ( IS) .00 (Tony Scott. PS. 2001 ) Robert Redford. Brad Pitt. (‘atherine .\lc(‘oriiiack. tbc mins. (‘overing a si\teen year period in the history of .-\merica‘s (‘entral intelligence Agency. Spy (;(1III(' tells ilte story of (‘old War veteran Nathan Muir (Redford) aitd his protege 'l‘om Bishop tl’itt i. Opening in l‘Nl with Bishop awaiting c\ectitioit in a jail in China. Muir's attempts to save him prompt a series of flashbacks. to Vietnam. Berlin atid Beirut during the height of the conflict. ('otild it be that Spv (ionic is not