whilc /.ahn impresses as the incorrigible dropout spouse. (ieneral release.
The Secret Of Roan lnish (PG) 0... (John Sayles. l'S/lreland. 1994) Jeni Courtney. liileen ('olgan. John Lynch. 103 mins. .‘ylaster filmmaker Sayles delivers a wonderfttlly wistful ('eltic fantasy that should appeal to older and younger viewers alike. ('apturing the tnood of rural Ireland and the legend of the half-human. half-seal selkies. he spins a rich tale of everyday tnagic which taps into the cultural identity of the setting without a hint of condescenxion. .\lacRobert Arts ('entre. Stirling.
Serendipity ( l2) .0. (Peter ('helsom. [S 2001 l John ('usack. Kate Beckinsale. Molly Shannon. ()0 mins. When Jonathan 'l‘rager ((‘ttxacki and Sara 'l‘homas (Beckinxalet collide while looking for the perfect pair of gloves for their respective other halves, love is well and truly in the air. But the rules of the rom-com dictates that fate should also keep them apart. And so Jonathan and Sara's love is frustrated until. when both are on the verge of marrying other people. their seeds of doubt finally flower into all-out. w ide-cycd adoration. A few line moments of comedy and decent performances lift it out of mediocrity and make this a pleasant piece of seasonal fare. See review. (ieneral release. Seven Brides For Seven Brothers (1') 0... (Stanley l)onen. l'S. Wilt Howard Keel. Jeff Richards, Ruxx 'l‘ambly'n. 103 mins. ('laxxic .\l(i.\l all-singing all- dancing intixical loosely based on the Rape of the Sabine Women. Despite its arch symmetry. it remains a colourful and vigorous affair with a costly el'fectiye score by l)ePaul and Mercer (Spring. Spring. Spring ax iti rites of . . . I. The dancing. choreographed by Michael Kidd. ix its strongest point btit be sure to wear your sunglasses as it's presented in glorious technicolour. liilmhotIxe. lidinburgh.
Sexy Beast( ISI 0... (Jonathan (ila/er. l'ls'. 2000) Ray Winstone. Ben Kingsley. lati .\lcSliane. 88 mins. When retired criminal (iary l)ove (\\'iiixtoiiel gets a visit from liaxt lind headcaxe l)on l.ogan (Kingsley l. who's to persuade Bow to leave his (‘oxta del Sol villa to do one last ‘job' for crime boss 'l‘cddy Bass (.\lcShane t. the sparks fly. l)oye stutterx a nervous ‘.\'o thanks". l.og;ttt sc‘l‘ealttx ‘Yex. you c" "lli. Al length. The back and forth between the hard man who‘s loxt hix bottle and the oflicioux little psychopath is nothing short of Pinter-esque. alternately menacing. liilarioux and terrifying. (‘axt against type. the leads are superb. (ila/er rigorously maintains content oycr style. and the result ix a man xharp drama that's no mere gangxtcr film. Lumiere. lidinburgh. Show Boat ( l ' l O... ((ieorge Sidney. l'S. 1951 i Kathry n (iray son. Ava (iardner. Howard Keel. 108 mins. Kern and llammcrxtein‘x musical gets the MGM colour treatment. and it's one of the best. Set among .‘ylixxixxippi river folk. it contains a hatch of favourites including ‘()l' Man River‘ and ‘.\lakc Believe'. liilmhouxe. lidinburgh. Shrek ( l ‘i .0... (Andrew Adamxon. Vicky Jenxon. l'S. 3(llll 1 Voices of Mike Myers. ('ameron l)ia/. liddie Murphy. 90 mins. Slur/t will have Wall l)ixney turning in
IOQ 5-1
Vinnie Jones stretches his acting ability to take the lead in the prison football film Mean Machine, but merely ends up doing some Porridge
hix cryogenic free/e tank. This truly subversive anitnatcd film takes pot shots at fairytale mythology. while singling out l'nele Walt‘x beloved Snmv ll'liilt'. (‘inrlerr/lu. l’inii'i‘liiu. et al. l'nder the guise of a quest to rescue a princess froin a dragon undertaken by the eponymous green ogre (which kids will lovet. Sliri'k also ruthlessly pillagex corporate l)ixney. satirising its theme parks and executives. And who's behind all this‘.’ Producer Jeffrey Kat/enberg of Disney rival studio l)i‘eam\\'orkx. also formerly head of. yep. l)ixney. Selected releaxe.
Singin’ In The Rain (U 0000. ((iene Kelly & Stanley l)onen. l'S. 1950i (iene Kelly. l)onttld ()'('onttor. Debbie Reynolds. ('yd ('harixxe. 102 mins. Hollywood undergoex the transition from the silent era to the talkies and reputations rise and fall. Absolutely wonderful musical entertainment. with the xlickext of snappy dialogue. endurineg catchy numbers. a cast of genuine charisma. and an engaging picture of the industry in transition into the bargain. Quite splendid. l'(’l. liaxt Kilbride.
Solas ( l5) .0. (Benito Zambrano. Spain. 1999i Ana Fernandez. Maria (ialiana. 08 mins. (’aught in a crappy relationship and with her father ill in hoxpital. .‘ylaria (liernanden is also stuck in a menial cleaning job. has her tnum ((ialianai staying over in her cramped Seville aparttnent and often loses herxclf in an alcohol induced oblivion. Is this neo-rcalixm xquat‘ed'.’ Zambrano‘x film isn't lirst and foremost xoc‘io-political. bttt psycho- generational. Meaning. cart Maria adjust to
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the problems of the past concerning her father that recur in the present in relation to her hoyfriend'.’ The film's conclusion might seem pat. but has an apt emotional logic. (‘ameo. lidinburgh.
Spy Game ( 15) 0.. (Tony Scott. t'S. 2001 J Robert Redford. Brad Pitt. ('atherine .\lc('ormack. tbc mins. (‘overing a sixteen year period in the history of America's ('entral ltitelligetice Agency. Spy (hung tellx the story of(‘old War veteran Nathan .\luir (Redfordi and his protege 'l'om Bishop (Pitt ). ()pening iii 1991 with Bishop awaiting execution iii a jail in (him. .\luir's attempts to save him prompt a series of flashbacks. to Vietnam. Berlin and Beirut during the height of the conflict. ('ould it be that Spy (Junie is not being screened to the press because its subject matter is deemed too politically sensitive. considering lxrael's renewed aggression against the Palestinians‘.’ (ieneral release.
Startup.com ( IS» 000 ((‘hristine Hedegus. Jehane Noujaim. IS. 2001) 107 mins. Buddies since highxehool. Kaleil Isa/a 'l'u/man and Tom llertnan pool their entrepreneurial expertise arid launch a startup internet company (ioonrksconi. But having raised millions of dollars in venture capital. the co-founders find tactical and strategic problems are soon troubling the business. This verite documentary finds an engrossing human interest story in an account of the rise and fall of a high-profile venture. l'sing extensive footage and intimate access to the participants. the filmmakers have constructed
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a salutary tale of a life-long friendship being jeopardised by the cut-throat world of business. (il’l‘. (ilasgow.
The State I’m In ( 15) ((‘hrixtian Pet/old. Germany. 2000) Julia Hummer. Barbara Auer. Richy Muller. [()7 mins. A pair of former (ierman terrorists have spent the past fifteen years hiding from the authorities in Portugal. bttt the married couple's daughter yearns for the everyday friendships other kids enjoy. Part of the (iertnan Film Festival. (il’l'. (ilasgow. Storytelling ( l8) C... (Todd Solondl. IS. 2001 ) Selma Blair. Robert Wisdom. Paul (iiamatti. 86 mins. Happiness writer-director Solond/ returns with another jet-black comedy chronicling the American Nightmare. Split into two unequal parts. ‘l‘iction' and Non-Fiction'. Solond/‘s comic targets are wide-ranging: the lloloeauxt. high-school massacres. racial stereotyping. academic labelling and the film American Beauty. But despite its playfulness. Sturvn'llnig deals with important issues: the burden of artistic responsibility. creative exploitation. the subjective nature of ‘truth'. the allure of revenge. An uneven. yet always intriguing work. (il’l‘. (ilasgow; liilmhouse. lidinbttrgh. Sweet Smell 01‘ Success ( l5l .0000 (Alexander Mackendrick. l'S. l‘)57) Burt Lancaster. Tony (‘urtix. Susan Harrison. 96 mins. (‘lifford ()dets and lirnest Lehman scripted this brilliant study of the destructive effect of power. Sti't’t’! SHIV/l ()fSlltTt'SS tells the story of Sidney lialco ((‘urtist. a slimy publicist worming his way to the top via venomous newspaper columnist J. J. Hunsecker (Lancaster). The two leads are brilliantly cast against type. James Wong Howe'x photography of Broadway at night is as evocative as lilm noir ever got. while lilmer Bernstein's crime jazz score (with contributions from the (’hico Hamilton Quintet) completes the impression of a filthy. corrupt city. And astonishingly. the whole film was pulled together by Scotsman Alexander Mackendrick. who until this time was best known for whimsical lialing comedies. l'(i(‘ Renfrew Street. (ilasgow. The 39 Steps ( PG) .0000 (Alfred Hitchcock. l'K. NBS) Robert l)onat. Madeleine (‘arroll. (iodfrey 'l‘eale. 8| mins. l'ndoubtedly the best film version of John Buchan's novel. as l)onat evades a spy ritig across the length and breadth of the country. with marvellous set pieces in the London Palladium and the Forth Bridge. Hitchcock at his action-packing peak. (’ameo. lidinburgh. 0 This Filthy Earth (15) one (Andrew Kotting. Us. 2001) Rebecca R. Palmer. l)emel/a Randall. Shane Attwooll. Ill) mins. Kotting‘s follow -up to his brilliant- ly eccentric British lxlcs road movie (in/limit! shares his preoccupation with the landscape. In fact. landscape informs the very texture of This I-i/I/iv [furl/i. which is dense with muck and tnire. The story is loosely adapted from limile Zola's novel Lu 'Ii'rri' and concerns two sisters who live on a rainy. w indxwept Yorkshire farm with their decay- ing parents. The strength of Kotting'x film is this Name rural world. It's not easy viewing. but if you‘re prepared to get your hands mucky. it's a rewarding experience. See pre- view and review. (‘ameo. lidinburgh.
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