Film index
La Grande Ventrouille (l’(if ((ierard ()ury. l-‘rance. 196m Louis de runes. Marie Dubois. l25min. Very welcome reissue of this light-hearted vvar filiii concerning the survival of three British airmen who get shot down by the Nazi‘s and have to trek across l-‘rance to neutral territory. The filtii is as much abotit the children and clerics who risk their lives to help as it is abotit the airmen. (il’l'. (ilasgow. Hardball ( l2) .0. (Brian Robbins. l'S. 2()()| i Keanu Reeves. Diane Lane. ltioniin. Hun/bull has too many adtilt themes to be a kids movie and too many kids to appeal to adults. PIUs Keatiu Reeves as usual stinks but somehow it is both engrossing and enjoyable. Reeves plays Connor O'Neil a gambler iti debt to street crooks and running out of time to make good his loss. He borrows funds from his trader pal Mike McGlone (Jimmy Fleming) on the condition that Connor coach a baseball team based iii the projects that Mike's company sponsor. The child actors are great and in sortie sceties there is the effective mix between the lighthearted and hard hitting. (ieneral release.
Human Body (l'i (. ['S. 200] i tbcmin. Simulation ride bringing you the full-blown wonder of all those really. really small places itiside tis. 1M:\X.(ilasgow.
lmposteri 15> ((iary fileder. IS 3002) (iary Sinisc. Madeleine Stowe. Viticetit d‘()nofrio. 8(iiiiiii. The year is 307‘). ()n his way into work one day government scientist Spence ()lham (Sinisei gets nabbed by the secret police and acctised of being ati alien imposter. He escapes and is determined to clear his name with the help of his doctor \\ il‘e (Stowe). This is Allie l-‘ueitive courtesy of Philip K Dick. the man who wrote the stories tipoii which 'lotttl Rt't'tll/ atid Blade Runner were based. This unfortunately is not in the same league. :\ bit of a curiosity that should really have gone straight to video. One for Dick (oofi er missus) enthusiasts only. (ieneral release.
In the Bedroom ( lSi one (Todd l‘ield. TS. 2001) Sissy Spacek. Tom Wilkinson. Marisa Tomei. l3lliiiiii. Inspired by Andre Dubus' short story Killings. In Illt’ Bedroom is ati exceptional debut feature from actor-turned-filmmaker Todd l-‘ield. It examines. with great sensitivity and insight. the aftermath of an unexpected bereavetiient when the son of Matt and Ruth liow'ler (Wilkinson and Spaceki is murdered. Stylistic indulgences are prudently kept at bay. and it's also blessed with a series of expertly calibrated performances. not least from Wilkinson and Spacek. And there's no clear-cut closure or cheap redemption. ()deon (‘ity ('entre. (ilasgow: l'il’ll ('itietiia. lialkirk.
Into the Deep (t'i (Vat‘iotis. t'S. loot. tbcmin. 3D IMAX presentation. IMAX. (ilasgow'.
The Italian Job (l’(il 0000 (Peter ('ollinson. L'K. 1969i Michael ('aiiic. .\'oel ('oward. Benny Hill. l()()min. Re-released for its 30th anniversary. this larf-a-minute caper movie ties iii nicely with the sixties cockney kitsch sensibility that's been infusing fashion. pop arid filtii ever since Blur put out Park l.ife. Lock. Stock and Two Smoking Barrels paid homage to The Italian Joli with its scaled down cliffhanger ending. but the Michael
('aine film is the grandaddy of caper movies. The centrepiece remains the mini cooper car chase across. atop and under the streets of Turin. while ('aine's closing line is top: ".-\ng on a minute lads. I've got a great idea.‘ (it'osvetior. (ilasgow'.
Iris ( l5) 0... (Richard liy re. L'K. 300D Judi Dench. Kate \Vinslet. Jim Broadbent. ‘)()min. The love story of two of this century's most significant writer-acadeiiiics. lris Murdocfi and John Bayley. is lovingly created from Bayley‘s recent memoirs. lt ultimately plots Murdoch's descent itito the agotiising fog of Alzheimer’s. but is inter-cut with scenes of the early. tentative love between these two ()xford starlets. Although the later years are more involving than the early ones. the two narratives switch with deft slickness. Take tissues. you might need a few. L'C‘l. Edinburgh: Carnegie Hall. Dunferiiiline. Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (L'i
0.. (John A. Davis. CS. 3002) Voices of Debi Derrybcrry. Megan ('avanaugh. Patrick Stewart. 82min. Jimmy Isaac Neutron‘s inventions often cause more problems than they solve. so when he contacts an ultra- intelligent alien life form. the boy getiiUs sets off a chain of events that lead to the Yokians imagine an egg with a see-through shell and green yolks kidnapping all of the parents iii Retroville. So Jimmy leads an expedition of fellow l‘fills retro-sly led classmates itito space to rescue their parents. .-\s is the norm since 'on Story. Jimmy .Veutron is packed with pop- references. btit lacks sufficient sophistication to appeal to adults. Selected release. Journalists (Les Diseurs de Verite)
( ISI (Karim Traida. Netherlands. 2()()()i 75min. .-\n Algerian journalist is urged to seek political asylum iii the Netherlands. Part of (’ineiiiaiiied Arab .‘ylediterranean Film Festival. l’ilmhouse. lidinburgh.
Julie Johnston ( (Dr (Bob (iosse. ('8.
Zoo] i l.ili Taylor. (‘ouitney Love. ()Jmin. Part of the Lesbian and (Say film festival. Julie has a secret crush on (’laire. btit Julie is a
hotisew ife from New Jersey with a propensity for theoretical physics. Will she jump or was she pushed‘.’ Well-respected indie that comes with two fantastic lead performances. (ii-T. (ilasgow.
Just Visiting (l’(ii O. (Jean-Marie (iaubett. France/LS. 200] i Jean Reno. ('liristian ('lavier. Malcolm McDowell. 88min. \Vhen Medieval lirench nobleman Thibault (Renoi accidentally kills his wife on the eve of his wedding he implores his potion-concocting wi/ard McDowell to send him back in time to right the wrongs. Btit the w i/ard mistakenly sends Tliibatilt atid his devoted servant Andre ((‘lav ieri forward to 21st century (‘hicago where they have 'hilarious adv entures‘ with itidoor plumbing and electrical appliances. While the original. l.e.v liviteurs exuded a certain l’ythonesque charm with its petit bourgeoisie parody and schoolboy vulgarity. this slushy remake is saddled with aii anaemic. w itless script co-written by 80's teen flick director John Hughes (The Brett/(tits! (lit/ii. l.'(i(‘ l’arkhead. (ilasgow.
Kate & Leopold (I’Gi 00 (James
Marigold. LS 200?.) Meg Ryan. Hugh Jackman. l.iev Schreiber. lllmin. Leopold
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(Jacktiiani. an linglish Duke in 1376 New York. is being forced to marry for money. (living chase to a furtivc fellow he finds at a party at his home. the two men finally fall from the Brooklyn Bridge. Switching to 21st century Manhattan. the man iii question. Stuart (Schreiberi. has discovered a portal to cross time atid has inadvertently taken Leopold back with him. Stuart's downstairs neighbour happens to be his ex-girlfriend Kate (Ryan J. (’ue lo\ e interest for Leopold. What follows is an often tiresome. otin occasionally amusing combination of titiie-trav el. humour arid romantic comedy. interspersed with the clumsily delivered message that in modern times we have forgotten the itiiportant things iii life. especially the arts of courtesy and courtship. I’I‘Il (‘inema. l‘alkirk.
0 Killing Me Softly ( lb’l O ((‘lieii lx'aigc. I'S. 2002i Heather (iraliam. Joseph Iiiennes. l()()min. Hurrah. a film so bad it's good. .»\ true modern classic. Probably the worst filtii you will see this year. this glorious- ly tacky fodder only comes round once or twice iii a lifetime. This sub-l'itlul .-\ttruetion bunny boiler based on a popular airport trash thriller is simply a camp classic. See review and Hitlist. Selected release.
Kissing Jessica Stein ( (Si 000 ((‘harles llermati-\Vurtiifeld. l‘S. 3003i
Heather Jucrgensen. Jennifer \Vestfeldt. ()(illllll.
\Vestfeldt play s Jessica. a neurotic journalist
w lio's fed up with the string of loser dates she's had iii the past. ()n a w him. she answers ati intriguing woman seeking woman personal ad and meets Helen (Juergensen i. a sexually curious art gallery ow ncr intending to embark on her first lesbian affair. The performances are superb with a very strong support cast with some great Manhattan location work (not an easy achievement iii such a visually familiar city ). this has oodles of quirky independent appeal. Recommended. Selected release. L.I.E(18) (Michael (‘uesta. TS 2001 f Brian Cox. 94min. Part of the Lesbian and (Bay film festival. (‘ourageous and uncomfortable film about the relationship between a sexually curious 15 year old Howe atid Big John ((‘oxi the neighbourhood loner. See (iay section for preview. (il’l‘. (ilasgow.
The Last Resort ( 15).... (Paw el Pawlikow ski. l'lx'. 2001 f Ditia Kor/un. Paddy ('onsidine. 76min. In a rutidown seaside resort on Iingland‘s south coast that resembles a Siberian concentration camp. refugees seeking shelter in Britain are held at the (iovermiient's pleasure. facing interminable imprisonment or eventual deportation. liito this shameful xenophobic mess blunders Tanya. a young woman arriving from Moscow with her ten- year-old son. This is tough. politicised cinema. retiiiniscent of waking nightmares ()rwcll and lx'afta. l’olish w titer-director l’aw likow ski effectively draw s on his documentary background. while the tiiaiti play crs are superb. particularly ('otisidine making only his second appearance after his extraordinary dcbtil iti 'l Room tor Romeo Ifritvv. l'iltiihousc. lidinburgh.
The Lawless Heart 1 fit (Tom llunsitiger/Neil lluntcr. l'lx’. thtfl f Bill \ighy.
Douglas Henshall. Tom Hollander. llllniin. Three overlapping segments. each filmed iii a distinctive style. show the same tangled events from the viewpoint of each of the three men: Dan (Nighy i. a faithful husband and loving father; restaurateur Nick (llollatidct‘i. who was Stuart's gay lov er'. and the wayward Titii illenshall i. w ho had been the dead man's best frictid before he left to travel the world. .-\lthough it would have benefited frotii some of the melancholic intelligence that informed Day id lx'anc's similar This Year's Love. \cil Huntch script has plenty of wry. telling humour. (il’l‘. (ilasgovv; liiltiiliouse. lidinburgh.
Lebanon Dream ( 15i (.\'urit lx'cdar. Israel. 3000) (illllllll. Another cotiipelling documentary from the maker of the excellent lion/en. This time focusing on Samir l‘arhat. a successful Lebanese merchant who profiteers betweeti the borders of South Lebanon atid Israel. (il'ill. (iltisgow.
Little Otik (Otesanek) ( l5) 0.. (Jati Svanktiiaier. ('lecli Republic/I'K. Ztltftii Veronika Zilkova. Jati llartl. Jaroslava lx'retschmerova. l.ilmin. l'tilising an old (‘lech folktale. Svankmaier focuses on a barren couple who go to extreme lengths to become parents. When their ‘child' gets otit of control. snacking on anything which stumbles into its path. hard decisions need to be made. ('ollllltg' on like a cross bctw ccn lz'mverlteutl and 'l’lie lieuvt in tlie ('ellur. Svankmaietk eye for a beautifully framed image is flawless for the first twenty minutes. btit wears thin as soon as the o\ crlong. repetitive story takes hold. .-\s an animated short. it would have made a wonderful addition to his surrealist repertoire. (El-T. (ilasgow.
Looking for Karma it'i (Jak Milroy. Scotlatid. 2002i 50min. Two Scottish football coaches train a group of young Tibetan refugees atid make them re-enact the 1971 Scottish League ('up Final in the mountains of Nepal. Spellbinding documentary steeped iii whimsy from a great Scottish filmmaker. Tobe reviewed next issue. (il’l‘. (ilasgow‘.
Mary Poppins (ft 0000 (Robert Stevenson. l'S. Wo-iiJulie Andrew s. Dick Van Dy kc. Dav id 'liitiilinson. l39min. \Vhen high- spirited youngsters. Jane and Michael Banks send yet another nanny packing w ith their shenanigans. they advertise fora replacement w ho'll ‘sing songs and bake cakes'. liziter Jtilie Andrews as the loveable Mary. a woiiiati who turns the household on its head and forces their stiffragcttc tnothcr and banker father to fitially pay their children some attention. (ircat songs, wonderful Technicolor animation in the
fantas} scenes. and if it weren‘t for Dick Vati Dy kc's appalling l.ondon accent this would. like Mary. be ‘practically perfect in every way'. (irosvciior. (ilasgow.
Master Game (Das Meisterspiel) I (St ll.lll/ Dammbcck. (iermany. l‘Nh’i 105mm. .\ humorous itiv estigatioii into the still unsolved crime concerning someone breaking itito the Vienna :\cadeiiiy of .'\rt and painting over the work of .'\ll\ll'l;lll painter. .-\mulf Rainer. In the form of a game. Datiitiibeck entreats its to consider a list of possibilities of what