Film
SCIENCE FICTION so ; i-tttiii: 1t: MINORITY REPORT RESIDENT EVIL (12) 144mm 000 (15) 100min oo
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t" a " ::t<,..s take :1" “assert Em," that antes ;i<:~:;t to A _;e " 7.7:;"tierxano. the homage to Alice in Wonderland is
1'3; a::t o" t"-:,- and. as the complete. the film descends into an §}ét'tl£3i§ ' tr: fl‘e an. action flick for prepubescent boys. ;;::. ’1 “"t..". the opponents Hence all of the gratuitous shots of /<:~~:: -:;-s; ~ '."f3 ;;=.:;.:- £‘:"i: ft; ()‘.(3"CC.’1‘.€. Jovovich's considerable talents. A‘te' ::.~:,-.:'-.;°. -:,~><:;-::" "‘t.-"'. "e eases the The T—virus may be deadly. but the 'i-V "f: ,.“:::",-';;"f:.."i(l genetic SCript iS positively tOxiC With the "-:3:;-:;zi"':" ‘a;: t. was." as the assembled cast struggling to deliver A r:-:‘: .i 5; er: "s (it) by their cheeseball lines. It's a shame really crack :‘:>'7"i‘a" :: s; Ra " C:Z£t'i‘;)() because Res/dent Evil looks great inflow:- -::- Pica" :Il..€}/ a":i Matt Atliso'i watch out fOr the dead dogs). and the Er :: Viaz; ..s a 'i‘ ss :2" to :l scover action sequences eureken the heart There’s a decent film in there, somewhere Tl.i..:1{:’l '."i} eakagie. rate. Ultimately thOugh. the film's Over "<;"-':- git-r:- sz'ui::.:2:: Joztt‘. :er reliance on computer generated effects Given how appalling Steven Spielberg's and Tom Cruise's last. separate ‘cr'a', s "to t"-::- r:-:‘:"‘.t"'v‘si"”ir " “z? i" ‘7" i: ewe"? as and the guarantee of a brain damaged science fiction genre were 'Al and Vanilla Sky. respectiie‘, your: tnnk t"e r sc ~" :1, :* . :::.t':'.-:>';: 2:."e :s after a audience over-familiar with the original collabOration. Minority Report. would be likewlse ax'xt'ui. \"lell. 'T‘..C" of it '53. Hex. :tr:..t ’ " :i'Wa-s; ::°' :t::..."s(:~. sne game will be to its downfall. submerged beneath Spielberg's patented layer of sent 'i‘e"tai SClT"‘El.'./ a"?! a":>'."»:,-" ::<:-;; 'y k >;'t'*‘i: :t..'_'.. Sam 3. '."()..§}'T. IKaleem Aftabi Vigorously self-indulgent performance from Cruise S a liar-decent ‘ut..r st.:: :15: ~; a: ~:,-':-~'-::: rt‘ t"e T-V'RlS and I General release from Fri 72 Jul.
The seribes get the credit for this: sereenwrtter Scott Frank :Ger She/1",. C‘...’ :2" N ‘ ‘ _ _ [I H * ‘~ “
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Sig/ill and the late writer Ehrlip K Dick l‘..’nOS€ snOrtrsto c w SPIRIT: STALLION OF THE realised on screen in Blade Runner and Total Recall. An .n.riguing ioea urea." ea or. CIMARRON Dick. the master of SCI-fl paranOia - likely the result of too much drug ab..se Clu'flt‘g; t"-:2 (U) 84mm ... — is neatly rendered by Frank within a murder mystery chase thriller context.
In the year 2054 the murder rate in America's crime capital i\‘.’asn.ngto" DC- has '2 """"" ’: .,-:2“"~' . been reduced to zero through the introduction of the controversial ore-crime no ce r<zitx-:-"::-'-v; .igigi " :1";:::'\ at divi8i0n. 'Pre-cogs'. children of drug addicts bom with the ability to foresee t'ie ‘..t.i"<:-. ‘;:"“-:-' -:"‘:: T? :1,"-:;g. t" " s ates: Animated subversion from the predict murders before they happen. Cruise's Detectrge John Aneertor‘ a"(: his a" :. .13." ' f: <2" :3" .'."e makers of Shrek act upon said predictions. arresting felons for crimes the. will or rather .'.cn't cow”? a " .'.“~':'-:: "811‘ as ::"-::~ek, as down the line. But when Samantha Merton's pre-cog predicts a l“.i"(}{3" ::::'~"“ tic-“l as: '." 1:1. s ,. pokes at Disney's cartoon heritage. but in its own Anderton himself. the Detective goes on the ru". aided by ‘at'ier‘ I. pass Max ‘.:;" t <-.-;:" :;..:“.»::-"s For an animal fable in which none of the Sydov.’ and purSued by pre-crin‘e-sceptc cop Coin Farrell. :~ sneak.
Things move along apace until Anderton eventuain escapes £‘l;:)"(3":-Z3."S§ :1" ::,. h s : " ’;-::'. ":1, ’2-1‘: ’."-:} "ear: and head of the movie's eponymOuS equine colleagues. and there's a VISLlaliy pleasing retro-look to t"- s ..t<::: a" firm-:2 a 53k. 3a": '3 ' Nani: :t. Danton 'COlT‘.’€\/ll'lg Spirit's thoughts) and songs by and rocket meni. But. once again. Spielberg ta :8 to edit Iti'i‘se‘ and so t"e as: ‘15: ES" " ‘- '13:? . Apex-:2 a . Spirit. a Wild mustang living in the Old West. minutes drag towards an ultimater predictable ending. 'M .es F eider '. asst: anus "1m in the hands of the US cavalry. The I General release from Thu 4 Jul. 7" r::::. -4 2 : . :zilr'“ ~:: ::"e no ced . y James Cromwell) are busy taming the
1 . \ 1 f";‘:'. Si: " t's — and that of his fellow captive. Lakota brave 1. '.'. (Sn-amt i 81...: - tl‘..f3'. asz: be crushed. Unless. that is. the pair can OUt‘.‘/|t
THRILLER BIRTHDAY GIRL
(15) 93min .0. “ ,' ' ‘ ‘ . ‘. 2 ~:, " -- . :t-r; "::..se:i (:1. Spirit 3 Questioning of the US myth of
Birthday Girl has Nicole Kidman taking ' l“‘ :z' "'39:: by the quality of the animation. which t "2i"<l-::rai.'.iri animation wrth computer-generated
time off from Hollywood to appear in a
low budget BrltiSh affair from the
Buttenvonh brothers Jez. Tom and
Stephen. It's a romantic thriller wrtn Ben
Chaplin as John. a yen; dull St Albans
bank clerk who deCides he hasn't time ) _.. ., ,.
to pursue women and so opts for a Flimsy hour-and-a-half DANCING (LE
RUSSIafi internet bride instead. Nadia ROI DANSE)
il<idmani duly arrives. chain-smoking while Chaplin does a I‘ghq. (15) 105mm ...
and not speaking a word of English. but accomplished iiiii‘)ersonation of
conversant enough an the language of someone not veny interesting at al: i'te lt' 'iii" trigie :"‘a :1 s:.ii:r>osed to he
'ove (or at least sex to keep John from does ho‘.'ie\.'er get to deliver most of tl‘t: ai><:.:t s:;i'~t.i;i~;i l“f3't§>.’“.. then the
sending her back. Indeed John seems film's '.'.’ltt\y' one-liners. Kassovitx a",:: l r‘i:"<tl‘. l‘a'~.~..- tux-en ’2'.) “ll their
to be ento a good — if not very talkative. Cassel. two French actors (ioirg (lll'I"*-:}<lv:>:i. :r: ;:-::- sar‘ use it through De-sanitising history
thing — but then Nadia's birthday comes Russian accents. oreat'ie a ta," ct of ti;- at west" ll :. has '7."(‘ cnaracter
rOund and She Surprises him wrth two into the proceedings. out t r'eriiairis a" g; ‘.i:." a ,i’; i l» -' '.'.'f‘.il(} la Reine it/it'i/‘got shows the queen of the title finding
unlikely 'cous:ns'. Yura llvlatnieu a'.'.~<'.'.'ar<l and curiously ‘lnis. "ear an: lint !' \.-::' l :r :k :i‘ a cart fiili of the dead and dying. Gerard Corbiau's look at
Kassovitm and Alexei lVincent Cassel; a-half. to. fit ti,» managing if: TL’il‘iIl; "e t!» w ‘ zit. we"; r.-.:: .'.-t:i,-r‘ l ours; XlV iBerioit Magrrnell and Italian musmal maestro
seem very friendly and entertaining at its overaf. =Itll". corn rt tf)"<:- t'i f;.’1l‘.l(: ' " (3v ,~. Eiat', «1: I all. Hons; lt?l'l'£tll opens with Lully hammering a sceptre into his
first. until John decides they have its darker l)"(3'.<3'\f;1’)-".f;. ’>.'.'i f , '. ,i'vi "Vt"... hiring; told his leg'll have to be amputated.
Overstayed their welcome. ‘.'l'nereupon In part <;..:ar'. the t;::-:,-.';-:2 .'.'.'Tt)"-T: Nana N if» I. ix‘:;'r‘.e5;:; here. then. but like La Reine Margot there's a kind
they turn nasty and threaten to kill Nadia threatened has a Itltkl‘ilTL-L: {tl‘fl term :7" ol . 1;...i ~ ..ik “inn: 1:: '..'lt;- riotteedihgs twinned to narrative convolution that may
unless he robs his own bank. Thereafter. redolent of Kassantx :iitii Cass-f; 'i; iza'tr sprint-at .“ti rgl' 1‘, i -..'. :"Titlltt eiiiiallx. signal an inability to find focus. Corbiau's
as a fugitive. he finds that Nadia may Or collaboration .ii the French it"étllll‘: l rig‘itigh‘t i:-_,-i :w t-. : l-r‘gl :.-.'<: :;t()l'l(?f; that of Louis and that of Lully — as he flashes
may not have been 'xlortli saying. Harrie. '.'.’:'l11(2£liétlfil’(l'lfffSiifiSYlil‘it‘fl'Ut: hack 773‘ i .. . .'.;i;"'iii tll‘t).l’. his amputated limb to his arrogance at Louis' court. Like -ts central character. But/idaj./ Girl John on her at :iiii‘nox‘t. [Sat f;(,l'.lvi:":t.'. It'~. t '2» i ii iii 1.23:; plot logic than £‘tl)](—}Ct purpose as it looks for the
T1888 0011b“? lJ‘GlSOHalIly. The ear‘y these seem ';.:t of kt... t" f"~:: " mi; r‘i;,-:t a. t -' at ‘.'.":’ :thi -' that n‘eans witnessing bleeding the king. painful births
scenes of ‘xrord'essness are (lllltC general term and W.- ::’.-::ra iii: '-’:t;r; «i .':;, in r alt-at". (Iorlaati captures well the preoccupations of
engaging. gin/.ng Kidrnan a Chance to is one of t.'."> strain; "-:;.-'.» '~:;i . l i- -' i‘ ." is. r l"-.'.'l‘tl. t‘t.l less; impressively tells us what he's getting at
show off her Russian turn much as 'rttert‘xiwe. John i‘t/lar:'r<~:.-"/ i: ire, r t i : «:2. " .'.-t'i a king who made his career. (Tony Mckibblnl
SMOU-"Kfil/ \rf'r/C‘a‘lfll (“U Ill Ht'h'l/W)l’ffii'lktfl'f;i. I (it).’.‘(?'(il "t;/(}(.i‘.‘;i,‘- flail?) f "3 l.” l}. I f ,3/ i’_ (5.134. _‘ i' ‘i i. :' hinting!) from Fri :3 Jul
'7'::':- a ma. '.~: " :;:,"1-"- "g; setluences that Simulate the movements of a . ., win-uni. .i"‘§"‘;l f"<:~"t scenes of galloping horses. a soaring eagle and.
.'“',rl'_ :;'-,-.:'."t:iv«. '3; ' " .i . ;:.:::'n;:'. at) crashing down a mountain. (Jason Best)
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38 THE LIST ‘1 "i l. 77,?