Film
ROMAN l IC COMtDY MA FEMME EST UNE ACTRICE (15) 95min 0.
It’s not unusual for actors involved in on-screen liaisons to continue the romance long after the cameras stop rolling. Tom Cruise, a case in point - first with Nicole Kidman and then with Penelope Cruz. Nor is it unheard of for actors once involved in a real life romance to pursue projects that see them once again making cinematic whoopee. Say, Cruise and Kidman in
Eyes Wide Shut for example.
Actors getting it together through fiction and trying to keep it together through fiction is the stuff of Yvan Attal’s directorial debut, an Anglo/French romantic comedy shot on location between Paris and London. Attal casts himself as a sports journalist and the jealous husband of his real life wife, Charlotte Gainsbourg (daughter of French balladeer Serge Gainsbourg and British actress Jane Birkin) playing, oddly enough, a famous French actress called Charlotte. When Charlotte is sent to London to shoot some steamy scenes with Terence Stamp, Yvan's jealousy moves into hyper-drive and the farcical scenes that ensue lead to the ‘will they/won’t they stay together?‘ denouement.
As interesting as all this blurring of (f)act and fiction is, Attal’s modest subject matter is hard pushed to go the distance of a full-length feature. Attempts are made to flesh out the film with an additional conflict between Yvan’s sister Natalie (not his real sister) and her husband Vincent over whether or not they should circumcise their son, but not even a few knob- gags can save or enliven this indulgent exercise. (Catherine Bromley)
DOCUMENTARY SCRATCH (15) 86 min 0.0
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Childlike exuberance
Crrca 1981 NYC DJ Grand Wr/ard 'lheodore's gettrng a row from hrs ma. presumably for playrng hrs records too damn loud. Whrle she's bawlrng and shoutrng. he's stopped the record wrth hrs hand on the turntable, rr1oyrng the yrnyl back and forth rn the groove. l-ley presto. the boy's Just Ill‘-.’f;‘lllf;'(l
28 THE LIST "2 Set, -, f; I I.”
scratchrng — a staple part of hrp hop culture and the subject of Doug Pray's feature documentary
In a mder apprecratron of hrp hop. Incorporating key moments lrke the brrth of the break. the role of MCs and the part played by breakers. gr'affrtr artists and trrbal leaders lrke Afrrka Bambaataa. Pray focuses on the art of turntablrsm and the talents; of the \xrnyl- scratchrng DJs. laudable rn rts scope — the frln‘. traces lheodor‘e's accidental drscoyery through (Brand lvlrxer DXl 's rnlluentral scratch solo on l'ler'bre Hancock's 1984 pop hrt 'liockrt' rrght up to present day heroes lrke lVllX Master Mrke. Cut ()hemrst and ()bert — the tone of thrs cut'n'paste over'yrew does. hon-«ever. alternate betv-Jeen trarnspotter tedrum and a patronrsrngly prescr‘rptwe breakdown of the component parts of hrp hop culture.
that sand. the chrldlrke exuberance of Scratch rs begurlrng and those wrth genuine Interest wrll relrsh scenes Irke drggrng for rare breaks ‘.'-./|ll1 DJ Shadow and gurrky C) bert explarnrng how scratching Is our means of cornrnunrcatrng wrth alrens. Bless hrm. 4(lather'rne Hr'omley; I (3/ 1. Glasgow from /rr (’0 fie/r.
POl ll‘lCAL ltlllll l l R TIME OF FAVOR (12) 102min «-
One of the x'rorst thrngs about the events of last September was the drrp effect rt had on the antr-Sernrtrc tendencres of the lrberal press — a complex rssue was reduced to a condemnatron of US support for the exrstence of a Jewrsh homeland.
Arner'rcan-born. Israel rarsed wrrter‘ drrector' Joseph Cedar tr'res rn a small vary to redress thrs ssue wrt'n hrs tale of love. frrendshrp and funrlamentalrsm. lvlenachem rAkr AWN: rs a respected relrgrous offrcer Ill the Israelr army whose career rs berng dictated by the messranrc Rabbi Melt/er l/Xsr Dayan. son of Mosher. lhe r‘abbr has pr‘on‘rsed hrs daughter's hand rn marriage to hrs best puprl Prnr rldan Alter'rrianr. but she has already fallen In loye wrth Menachem. Hurt and angry. l’rnr decrdes to carry out the Vr()l(}ltl dreams of the r‘abbr.
As you may have guessed t'nrs rs a
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(18) 120min .0.
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Critique of terror
not-so-subtle crrtrgue of the terror cells that exrst ‘.'.’|ll‘.|ll the PM). l: rs very ‘.'.ratchable. though. and contarns enough actron In the second half to courrterbalance the slrghtly gloopy early part of Il1(}llll1‘.. lf nothrng else thrs reaffirms the ‘.'.'ords of Kafka on seerng the x'vxork of the father of ll(2l)l‘(3‘\.'./ frlm Yaacoy Ben Dov: ‘V‘Jnat Israel needs rs earth. not lawyers”. Son‘e Palestrnrans \.'v.’()ul(l obwously drsagree. Il’aul Dale:
I Berrho'rt. /'tr')e/dr,=en. Fl! 2}" see; fr/rrrhouse. I’d/nourgr'r. lue r5; Oct.
Absence of compassion
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cataogtre of human rnrsery
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And the parnfurly protracted tortare scene.
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(12) 117min 0...
Jules l); ssrn's enormously rnlluentral frlm cornbrnes a semrnal herst seguence wth
key elements of frlll‘ norr‘. Its Impact on Amencan crnema can't be understated. From the superbly staged 30 mrnute
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srlent sequence at the centre of the frlnt. dur‘:ng whrch a guartet of hoods break rn to Par'rs' most expenswe jewellery store. I to the scene rn whrch ex<con loner Stephanors orders hrs unfaithful lover to 3|- strrp and then beats her to the floor of hrs rundown apartment with a leather belt. Hrfrfr Iryes up to rts name: ‘rough and tumble'. as a nrghtcluh drxa expiarns durrng a raunchy n‘usrcal rnterlude.
l); ssrn's frln‘ leaves rts Amencan cousrns of the same era standrng. lne broads
Harder, darker, sexier, tougher
are breastrer. the hoods harder. the mood darker. the tensron hgher and the plottrng at once doon‘ laden and riddled wrth rronrc t‘.'.'rsts. ,Jear‘. Senars plays I e Stephanors wrthout a hrnt of f;(}lllllt‘(?lll£till‘, It's clear hrs gum laced t‘.'.'o trn‘e loser rs a \.'.rall\:ng dead man front the moment \.'».e are :ntroduced to l‘nll‘ oerng licked at an all nrght card game at the end of nrs first day out at the cl.nk. le'nfrc. erles l relder,
I lr/rrrhouse. ldrhburgh from fr: (’f See.