Film index
Maya ( l5) (l)igvi_iay Singh. India. 2001) Anant Nag. Mita Vasishit. Nitya Shctty. l0(tmin. Drama about a woman's transition froru childhood to adulthood. and the crtrcl traditions carried out in the rtarttc of religion. Part of IruagineASI.-\. I‘ilruhouse. lidinhurgh. Memento ( IS) .0000 (Christopher Nolan. IS. 2000) (iuy Pearce. Carrie-Ann Moss. Joe Pantoliano. 1 16min. Beginning
w here most other films wotrld end with at) act of vengeance. w titer-director Nolan tells his story by gradually working backwards in tirue. Leonard Shelby (Pearce) is obsessed with avenging his w ife's rape artd murder. 'l‘rouble is Leonard suffers frotu a condition of short- terru rueruory loss. and so he relies on an elaborate sy stern of ruerueutocs maps. polaroids. body tattoos - to piece together the clues in his investigation. A compelling. elliptical reconstruction of the revenge thriller. which skilfully examines the connections between ruemory. identity and perception. Filruhouse. Edinburgh.
Men in Black II (P0) 000 (Barry Sonnenfeld. IS 2002) Will Sruith. Tommy Lee Jones. l.ara I‘lynn Boyle. I03ruin. The tagline for Men in Black II sums up the film qttite succinctly: ‘Same planet. New scum'. ()r. to put it another way: Sarue filru. New special effects. Once again we are introduced to the quasi-official government agency. MIB. which secretly polices the multitude of alien immigrants who. unbeknown to Joe Public. ltave ruade a home on Iiarth. And once again Agents Jay (Smith) and Kay (Jones) don shades and black suits to save the world in cool. laconic fashion. The gags come thick and fast. the chemistry between Jones and Smith remains and Sonnenfeld directs with the kind of liare he completely lost on the dreadful IIi/r/ Iii/«I II'esr. (ieneral release. Minor Mishaps ( I5) 0.. (Atttruette K ()lesen. Denmark. 2002) Jorgcn Kiil. Maria Wtigler Rich. Jannie l-"aurschou. l04min. John has never takert life very seriously. So when he informs his unstable daughter Marianne that her mother has been killed she initially
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36 THE LIST 1‘.) 80;) It Oct 200?
thinks it's yet another jest. Joining these odd- ish balls we also have the rcttrrn of the prodigal daughter. liva. a isolated lesbian artist. an overworked son. arid art uncle who lives ottl his life on the sofa. Tlte performances are worthy but slight. the humour almost too subtle to he witty. .llt'nur .Ilr'sltu/rv is. unfortunately. the most accurately titled film of the year. See review. (El-T. (ilasgow; I-‘ilruhouse. lidinburgh.
Minority Report ( 12) 000 (Steven Spielberg. IS. 2002) Tom Cruise. Saruantha Morton. Max von Sydow. l-l-Imin. Strbruerged beucatlt Spielberg‘s patented lay er of sentimental schmalt/ and another vigorously self-indulgent [wrfortuance from Cruise is a half-decent futuristic thriller. The scribes get the credit for this: screenwriter Scott I-‘rank and the late writer Philip K. Dick. In the year 205-1 the ruttrder rate in America's crime capital (Washington DC) has been reduced to zero through the introduction of the controversial pre-crime police division. Psychics predict murders before they happen. Cruise‘s l)eteclive John Anderton arrests felons for crimes they will (or rather won't) commit. Btrt when Morton's ‘pre-cog' predicts a ruurdcr corutuitted by Anderton himself. the Detective goes on the rtrn. Selected release. Monster‘s Ball ( IS) .00 (Marc l‘orster. IS. 2002) llalle Berry. Billy Bob Thornton. Sean Corubs. l I ltuirt. WaIIow it) the deep South ruire with this painful tale of death. bigotry and awkward redemption. This is so bleak it makes Strindberg‘s .llivv Julie look like a lake full of laughing monkeys. (ir'cat performances though. Cameo. lidiuburgh.
Mother India (l') (Melrhoob Khan. India. I957) l72tuin. Iipic. ()scar'-nominated filrrr telling the story of a village woman who marries into a poo" family. but lights against all odds to ruakc her new life with her beloved husband work. Part of IruagincASlA. Iiiltuhouse. lidinburgh.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding (PG) 0.. (Joel [wick IS. 2002) Nia
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Vardalos. John Corhet. (ii (‘arides. 90min. (ieeky Greek-American Toula (Vardalos) is never going to get a man. A heavy girl with huge glasses. she is destined to work away her spinster life it) the family‘s restaurant. ’l)ancing Zorba's’. Iler faruily are ready to despair all they want is for her to find a nice (ireek boy so she cart cook lots of food artd pop oltl ruorc little Zorbas. Then she finds a guy. Ian (Corhct). Btrt he's not (ireekll Oh no. what are they going to do?! The film's jokes and its exploration of cross-culture is vaguely in the same vein as [first is [fax] or Hem! i! like Beck/tum. but without any of the hard edge. Syrupy sweet in parts. moments are as hard to swallow as a shot of ()u/o. See review. (ieueral release.
My Little Devil (l') ((iopi l)esai. India. 2000) 96min. In this filru about childhood and social awareness. a ten-year-old boy is sent aware from his village to attend boarding school. where he has problems fitting in. Part of lrnagineASlA. (iFT. Glasgow.
The Navigators ( (5) 0” (Ken I.oach. UK. 2001 ) l)ean Andrews. Tout Craig. Joe l)uttine. 93min. You know what you're going to get with l.oach: commitment and social and political criticism. This time round. Ken is Iarubastirtg rail privatisation and. as ever. pinpointing a microcosm (here a crew of south Yorkshire railway workers in the mid 90s) to speak for the whole. But Loach bludgeons us with his message and lays on the socio-symbolisru: a three-legged dog, for exaruple. is the limping British economy. Predictable and foolish. btrt obvioust has its heart it) the right place. Cameo. Iidinburgh. The New Guy ( (BA) 00 did l)ecter. IS. 2002) DJ ()ualls. liIi/a I)trshku. Ross Patterson. 88min. There is nothing remotely new in this corucdy about the teenage dilemma of trying to be true to yourself whilst also seeking to be popular. Whilst the majority of the cast are woeful to watch. however. Dushku bla/es (even when the script requires her do a multiple eye candy bikini change). Surprisingly. the celebrity cameos give life to the filrrr. with Vanilla Ice. Tommy Lee. Tony Hawk and David Ilasselholff taking the piss. The New (irrv is really rather been-tItere-done- that. brrt if you can sit through the first hour. you may corue otrt laughing. See review. Selected release.
Newfoundland Event ( l8) (Various. t'ts') Short filtu prograrurue showcasing local talent. Min the. Short filru programme showcasing local talent. (il’l‘. (ilasgow.
O ( I5) 0... (Tim Blake Nelson. IS. 2002) Mekhi Pfifet'. Jtrlia Stiles. Josh llartnett. 95min. A modern version of ()rlrel/n. transposing the story to a high school in the Deep South. ‘0 is an eloquent and highly relevant piece of filrutuaking. l'nlike any recent llolly wood take on the Bard. it has gravity and darkness. llav ing started frqu a set-up in which Odin/Othello (Pfif'er) and I)esi/l)csderuona (Stiles) are blissfully happy. we are shown perfection only to see it wilfully destroyed by Hugo/Iago (llartnett ). The film's bloody climactic sequence is devastating. and Shakespeare's text is imbued with new power in its tnodern. mist-Columbine setting. reminding us this is anything but ‘just an old play ‘. (Jeneral release.
Ocean’s Eleven (15) 0000 (Steven Soderbergh. l'S. 200l ) (ieorge ('Iooney. Brad Pitt. Julia Roberts. I Ioruin. Off the cuff is the operative term for Steven Soderbergh's remake of the l.as Vegas casino heist thriller that I‘rankie and Dino and their Rat Pack had so rttuch fun making back in I960. But where the Rat Pack rascals Used the original filrrr as an excuse to run riot in their adopted home city Soderbergh. screenwriter Ted (iriffin and an all-star cast have worked to produce a tightly-scripted stylish movie. ()ue. however. which remains at all times self-consciously throwaway fun. Not quite as cool as the original. but a better filrrt. Iiilmhouse. Iidinburgh.
Once upon a Time in the Midlands (l5) 0... (Shane Meadows. I'K. 200i) Robert Carlyle. Rhys Ifans. Shirley llelttlet’solt. l0-truin. When (ilasgovv petty criminal Jimmy (Carlyle) sees his childhood sweetheart and ex Shirley (Henderson) on the Vanessa lielt/ show. he decides to take the proceeds of a bungled robbery arid travel down to Nottingharu to win her back froru her
geekish boyfriend l)ek (lfaus). There are. however. a few obstacles in the way for the avenging 'cowboy'. including l)ek's his crazy step sister (Kathy Burke) and her estranged (KW-obsessed husband Charlie (Ricky 'l'orulinson). Meadows directs his all-star cast with skill. aware that the best domestic stories are those that are told with simplicity and eruotion. Moments in this film can be clawing. not least the treacle-arubushed ending. btrt Meadows aim is generally true. Selected release.
One False Move ( I8) 0000 (Carl l-‘r‘anklin. l‘S. I992) Bill Paxton. Cynda Williams. Billy Bob Thornton. l0oruin. Tight li'l crime thriller in the Jim Thomson mould begins with a brutal set of drugs-related slayings. but soon becomes a fascinating character study as a trio of crooks head towards a small town in Arkansas and the cops who await them. Excellent perfonuances all round. particularly Paxton as the over-zealous. but not wholly innocent. Southern sheriff holding his own against the boys frotu l.A. I‘ilruhouse. Iidinburgh.
Out of Sight ( I5) .0... (Steven Soderbergh. I'S. I998) (ieorge (‘Iooueyz Jennifer Lopez. V'ing Rharues. I23min. This stylish adaptation of lilmore Leonard's novel tearrts Clooney‘s bank robber Jack I-‘oley with Jennifer Lopez' chic. Chanel-wearing cop. Soderbergh catches perfectly Leonard's sly. deadpan wit. while infusing it with a wistful melancholy. Stuart. sexy and deliciously bitter-sweet. Iiilmhouse. Iidinhurgh.
Panic Room (15) 000. (David I‘incher. IS. 2002) Jodie Foster. Forest Whitaker. Jared I.eto. I l2rnin. I’unre Room may well be ruore style than substance but it nevertheless soon has the viewer gripped. Jodie l-‘oster's rich. eruotionally bruised divorcee and her teenage daughter have barely taken possession of their new Manhattan horue when they have need of its fortified. hidden chamber aka the panic room. On their first night in the place. they are forced to take refuge there when three intruders break in and what follows is a tense. cunning game of cat artd mouse. Foster gives shades to her character that the script doesn't deserve. and of the bad gtrys. Whitaker is doleftrl attd honourable and [em is cartoon- Iikc as the loud-mouthed Junior. \I'ikingar Cinema. l.args.
The Punk Rock Movie ( I5) (Don l.etts. I'K. I978) 84min. A chance to see punk as it happened as I.etts films its explosion into the mainstrcan hack in I977. Part of Never Mind the Jubilee. I"ilruhouse. lidinhurgh.
Reign of Fire ( 12) 00 (Rob
Bow rnau. IS. 2002) Christian Bale. Matthew McConaughey. I/abelIa Scorupco. l02ruin. Of all the films this summer. the film with the best poster is undoubtedly Reign ol'l-‘r're. Problem is the filru corupletely fails to deliver on the promise of its publicity. We see no fiery attack on London. as the fall of the capital is conveyed by a ruontage of newspaper headlines because the setting is Northuruberland ( l) in the year 2020. l)espite the (K'casional appearance of a solitary dragon. the greatest entertainment corues froru the contest between dragon-slayers Bale and McConaughey to see who cart have the most risible combination of haircut and facial hair. (ieneral release.
0 Riflfl ( I2) 0... (Jules l)assin. France. I955) Jean Servais. ('arl Mohner. Robert Manuel. l 17min. l)assin‘s crrortrtously influential filrn combines a seminal heist sequence with key elements of filth noir. Its impact on Aruerican cinetua can't be understated. l)assin's filru leaves its Aruerican cousins of the same era standing. The broads are breastier. the hoods harder. the mood darker. the tension higher and the plotting at once dtmm-laden and riddled with ironic twists. Artd Ritiri lives tip to its name: ‘rough arid turuble'. as a nightclub diva explains during a raunchy trrttsical interlude. See review. (il’l‘. (ilasgow; I-‘ilruhouse. Iidinburglt. Road to Perdition t ll) .00 (Sam Mendes. IS 2002) Tom Hanks. Paul Newruatt. Jude Law. I 17min. A l)epression era gangster picture with solid American family values. It may also. like Mendes' absurdly overrated ()scar-w inner :lmerit'un lierrrtrv. fool cinema-goers into confusing its moody self-iruimrtance for profound insight. I’or here are Big Star's. Big 'I'henres (Fathers