0 My Little Eye ( is) 0000 (Marc titans. l'K/l'S. 2002) Sean (‘w Johnson. Kris l.emeche. Laura Regan. 95min. The simple premise. which riffs on TV show s such as Big Brother. sees fiye twenty'somethings attempting to stay for six months in an isolated liouse as part of a w eb- based reality show. the cash pri/e for which is SI million. The unseen hosts do their best to scare the contestants out of the house and the prize money. but things going bump in the night fails to faze the obnoxious kids . . . until. that is. they find out why they ‘re really there. The action is presented y ia spycams dotted all over the house. as though we were the web show-'s' audience. and the building sense of isolation. malign observation and paranoia tnakes for chilling viewing. See preview and review. General release.
The New Guy ( 12A) 00 (Ed Decter. (S. 2002) DJ Qualls. Eliza Dushku. Ross Patterson. 88min. There is nothing remotely new in this comedy 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. howey'er. Dushku blazes (ey en when the script requires her do a multiple eye candy bikini change). Surprisingly. the celebrity cameos giy'e life to the film. with Vanilla Ice. Tommy Lee. Tony Hawk and Day‘id l-lasselholff taking the piss. The New Guy is really rather beet)-there-done-that. but if you can sit through the first hour. you may come out laughing. (‘ineworld l‘alkirk. Nine Queens ( 15) O... (liabian Bielinsky. Argentina. 2002) Ricardo Darin. (iaston Pauls. lgnasi Abadal. 1 15min. ’l'wo small-time swindlers meet seemingly by chance in a Buenos Aires com enieiice store and agree to team tip for the day. And then an opportunity to pull a major-league scam lands on their laps. as an expert forgcr contacts Marcos about a set of rare stamps from \Veiinar Germany. the so-called .\'ine Queens of the title. A huge hit in its natiy'e Argentina. Bielinsky ‘s fast-tttoy ing .\‘ine Queens is both an engrossing con-artist yarn and a sly commentary on a society currently in economic free-fall. (‘ameo. lidinburgh; l’l‘ll ('inema. l-‘alkirk.
Once Upon a Time in the Midlands ( l5) 0... (Shane Meadows. I'K. 2(llll ) Robei't ('arly le. Rhys lfans. Shirley Henderson. l0-lmin. \Vhen (ilasgow petty criminal Jimmy (Carlyle) sees his childhood sweetheart and ex Shirley (Henderson) on the Vanessa l-‘elt/ show. he decides to take the proceeds of a bungled robbery and travel down to Nottingham to win her back from her geekish boyfriend Dek (lfans). There are. how men a few obstacles in the way for the ayenging ‘cowboy'. including Dek's his crazy step sister (Kathy Burke) and her estranged (KW—obsessed husband ('harlie (Ricky 'l‘omlinson ). Meadow s directs his all- star cast with skill. aware that the best domestic stories are those that are told with simplicity and emotion. Moments in this film can be clawing. not least the treacle- ambushed ending. but Meadows aim is generally true. L'(}(‘ Renfrew Street. Glasgow; Cameo. Edinburgh.
(Mark Romanek. l'S. 2002) Robin Williams. (‘onnie .\'ie|sen. liriq La Salle. 05min. Sy Parrish. a lonely photo technician who finds
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joy in the precious moments of other
people's liyes. most notably a picture- perfect family w ho'ye y isited the Say mart mini-lab where Sy works since the birth of their nine-year-old son. His own life de\oid of colour and humanity. as represented by his working enyironmcnt - the great w hite church of consumerism - Sy tries to take his place in the frame of the ideal family. When he finds the picture to be less than perfect. Sy takes matters into his own considerably psychotic hands. The casting of Robin Williams is inspired - likcable because he's good old Mrs Doubtfire and terrifying for the same reason. (‘onccrns that pop promo director Romanek has tiiadc a film that is style oyer substance is not so clear cut. how ey er. See i'ey iew, (ieneral release.
Panic Room ( 15) 0000 (l)a\ id liincher. [-5. 2002) Jodie l'ittstet’. littlest Whitaker. Jared l.eto. 1 12min. l’unie Room may well be more style than substance btit it neyertheless soon has the \ icwel' gripped. Jodie Poster's rich. emotionally bruised diyorcee and her teenage daughter haye barely taken possession of their new Manhattan home when they hayc 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 w hat follow s is a tense. cunning game of cat and mouse. Foster giVes shades to her character that the script doesn't deserye. and of the bad guy s. Whitaker is doleful and honourable and l.eto is cartoon-like as the loud-mouthed Junior. Vikingar Cinema. l.args.
Playing By Heart ( IS) 0
(Willard (’arroll. l'S. 1909) Sean ('onnel‘). (lena Row lands. (iillian Anderson. Dennis Quaid. 119mm. This is a kind of self- contained soap set in LA in er eight day s and nights. which features a number of famous faces. and which attempts to say something about love and relationships through a seemingly unconnected group of people. L'nfortunately. none of the relationships really holds water. and
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sop/(lying By Ht’tll‘! seems dilettante. sell-- absorbed and basically misguided. Perhaps for the mawkish. but definitely not for the cerebral. ()deon. Dunfermline.
Punk in London (cert tbc) (Wolfgang Btild. (ierinany. 1977') S-lmin. liilmed by a (icrman documentary crew in autumn 1975. when the punk phenomenon had became a national obsession and a lucratiye music business \enture. l’ilmhouse. lidinburgh. Punk (cert tbc) (\'ai'ious. l'K. l‘)‘)l) 80min. Assembly of documentary footage from (iranada 'l‘\"s music series So it (him, which pt'oy ided regular coyerage of the punk phenomenon as it was happening. (TA. (ilasgow.
Read my Lips (Sur mes Ievres)(15) .0. (Jacques Audiard. l‘rancc. 200l ) limmanuelle Deyos. Vincent ('assel. ()li\ ier (iottt'tttet. l 15min. When a partially deaf secretary is partnered at work with an ex- con colleague. a strange relationship arises. The two set out on an elaborate crime spree. aiming to extract i'eyengc on cruel co- workers and friends. l‘nusual camera techniques and a largely unsentimental script ensure you're in constant collusion
w ith the characters. The result: a quietly discerning gangster thriller seyeral notches aboyc the standard llollywood fare. ('(’.-\. (ilasgow.
Red Dragon ( 18) 00 (Brett Rattler. l'S. 2002) Anthony Hopkins. lid Norton. Ralph l-‘iennes. Min tbc. 'l‘his cynical attempt to cash-in on the burgeoning
llannibal l.ecter ctilt distorts the storyline of
Thomas llai'ris' first noyel (prey iously filmed as .llrin/iiinleri to place l.ecter (Hopkins once again) centre-stage. liBl agent \Vill (it'aham's (Norton) search for the family -slaughtering ‘looth liairy' has been reduced to a side-show. incidental to the symbiotic relationship between the incarcerated l.ecter and the agent who put him behind bars. 'l'o enumerate the film's myriad failings would require a book. Red Dragon is. in short. a cannibalistic crime. See reyiew. (ieneral release.
Reign of Fire ( 12) 00 (Rob Bowman. IS. 2002) ('hristian Bale. Matthew .\lc('onaughey. l/abella Scorupco. 102mm. Of all the films this summer. the film with the best poster is undoubtedly
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Reign of fire. Problem is the film completely fails to deliy er on the promise of its publicity. We see no fiery attack on London. as the fall of the capital is conyey ed by a montage of newspaper headlines because the setting is .\’orthumberland ( T) in the year 2020. Despite the occasional appearance of a solitary dragon. the greatest entertainment comes from the contest between dragon- slay ers Bale and .\lc('onaughey to see who can haye the most risible combination of haircut and facial hair. Selected release. Riflfl ( l2) 0... (Jules Dassin. France. 1955) Jean Seryais. (‘arl Mohner. Robert Manuel. ll7min. Dassin‘s enormously influential tilm combines a seminal heist sequence with key elements of film noir. lts impact on American cinema can't be understated. Dassin's film leay'es its American cousins of the same era standing. The broads are bi'eastier. the hoods harder. the mood darker. the tension higher and the plotting at once doom-laden and riddled with ironic twists. And Ri/iii liy'es tip to its name: ‘rough and tumble‘. as a nightclub diy‘a explains during a raunchy musical interlude. liilmhouse. lidinburgh. Road to Perdition ( (5) 000 Mendcs. l'S. 2002) Tom Hanks. Paul New man. Jude Law. 1 17min. A Depression era gangster picture w ill) solid American family \alues. It may also. like Mendes‘ absurdly oyerrated ()scar-w inner .-lnterieun Beauty. fool cinema-goers into confusing its moody self-importance for profound insight. lior here are Big Stars. Big ThClile (l'iathers and Sons. Loyalty and Betrayal. Sin and Saly'ation) and Heavy Symbolism (Water Death). ’I‘hrough (‘onrad llall's darkly glistening cinematography. many of the mdiy idual tableaux are impressiyely staged and stunning to behold. If only Mendes' empty. t)\ er-dressed spectacle had done justice to the fine photography and performances. (ieneral release. Romance of the Book and Sword Part 1 & 2 (cert the) (Ann lltii. ('hina. l‘)(\".") [hang Duofu. Da Schichang. \tto Ali. lb’lmin. 'l'his romantic adyenture set something of a precedent for (‘hinese cinema. Short on the Mainland with a fully authentic ('hinese cast. the period detail is authentic. the martial arts scenes realistic. ('ameo. lidinburgh. The Rookie (t') 00 (John l.ee llancock. (S. 2002) Dennis Quaid. Rachel (iriffiths. Brian ('ox. l2‘lmin. The Rookie is seemingly made solely for Stateside audiences. at film which has a bluegrass soundtrack and the idea of the American Dream at its yery core. l'nfortunately. it's also a massiyely' oy'et’lottg film about baseball. Based on a true story. it concerns thirtysomething high school coach Jim Morris (Quaid) whose i‘aggedy baseball team say that. if they win their championship. he must gi\e professional baseball a shot. 'l‘hat (iriffiths and ('ox are both wasted in insubstantial supporting roles is just one in a long list of disappointments. See t'C\‘iC\\'. (ieneral release.
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