Film index
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (PG) 0... ((‘hris (‘olumbus. L'S/t’K. 2002) Danicl Radcliffc. Kcnncth Branagh. Robbic (‘oltranu l()(lllllll. lt's thc boy-wilard's sccond ycar at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and \Vi/ai'dry w hci'c cvil forccs hay'c rclcascd a vicious scrpcnl into the corridors. Who's to blamc'.’ ls it Harry's rival pupil [)raco .\lalfoy. thc loy'cablc giant llagrid (Robbic ('oltranc) or a my'stcrious formcr ptipil who communicatcs through thc pagcs of a magical diary? Whocycr it is. thcy 'rc pctrifying thc pupils and sctting loosc an army of scurrying spidcrs. ()ncc again faithful to thc original noy'cl. this film is darkcr than thc first and gcts morc quickly into thc mcat of thc story. And with thc samc fantastic cast of British characicr actors. it's anothcr surc-firc hit. (icncral rclcasc.
He Loves Me . . . He Loves Me Not ( l2) .O. (Lactitia (‘olonthanL lirancc. 2002) Audrcy 'l‘autou. Samucl l.c Bihan. ()lmin. Watching clfin bcatity Audrcy 'l'atitou cmcrgc from a ficld of chhnicolor flowcrs during thc opcning scqucncc. you'd bc forgiy'cn for thinking you‘rc watching Amy/iv 2. And thc first half of (‘olombani's w'riting-dirccting dcbut plays as a saccharinc romancc in which 'I‘autou's Bordcux art collcgc sttidcnt Angcliquc falls for an oldcr man. cardiologist l.o'i'c (Bihan). Btit as it bccomcs clcar l.o‘i'c isn't thc loy‘cr hc sccms. ('olombani's film takcs a dark turn. quitc at odds with swcct. sw cct .'llll(’ll(’. ('olombani citcs among hcr inflticnccs thc films of Hitchcock and Polanski. 'I‘hat hcr film school thcsis cxamincd madncss in cincnia ought to point you in thc dircction ll" Inn’s .Wt'. lit’ /.U\'¢'.\ .llt' .Vtil's initially s\\ cct romancc takcs. l‘ilmhousc. lidinbtirgh. Hey Arnold! the Movie (t‘) (luck Tuckcr. [8. 2002) VoiL‘Cs of Spcnccr ls'lcin. Jcnnifcr Jason I.cigh. l’aul Sory ino. 70min. Anothcr Nicklcodcon cablc 'l‘V cartoon
makcs it to thc big scrccn. But w hcrc thc 'l‘\' scrics dcalt wiili down to carth mattcrs. thc moy ic has boltcd on to it an oy crblown story abotit a i'uthlcss propcity dcyclopcr intcnt on commcrcial gain oycr rcsidcntial spacc. ()f coursc. Amcrican football-licmlcd Arnold and his pals arc haying nonc of this. And hircd hclp and mcrccnary babc Bridch thc film is proyidcd with somc high spccd action scqticnccs. Sclcctcd rclcasc.
His Girl Friday (l') .0... (Howard llaw ks. t‘S. 10-10) ('ary (irant. Rosalind Rtisscll. Ralph Bcllamy. 92min. llawks‘s dynamic comcdy is onc of thc bcst
llolly wood cycr madc. (irant and Rtisscll arc simply fantastic as thc sparring
ncw spapcr cditor and top rcportcr drawing battlc linc sin thcir profcssional and l‘crsonal liycs. llccht and .\tac.-\rtlitii"s script from thcir original play 'I'lu' [Vi-mi! l’uui'. spits out a scrics of rapid-firc quips and cross-cutting gags. but allows thc supporting charactcrs to hayc thcir sccnc- stcaling momcnts too. l)on't miss it. l-"ilmhousc. lidinburgh.
Into the Deep (l‘) (\ariotis. t'S. 2001) Min tbc. 3i) IMAX prcscntation. l.\lAX. (ilasgow.
Kaante (ccrt tbc) (2002) Min tbc. Asian film pi'cscntation. ()dcon At 'l'hc Quay. (ilasgow; \Varncr Villagc. lidinburgh. Kind Hearts and Coronets (PG) 0... (Robcrt llamcr. l'K. I‘M”) l)cnnis l’ricc. Alcc (itiinncss. Joan (irccnwood. \‘alcric llobson. lflbiiiin. Blackcr than black lialing conicdy has a stiayc and sophisticach l’ricc killing off an cntirc family trcc (all playcd by (iuinncss) in ol‘tlcl‘ to tilt“ c liiliisclli closci' to thc d‘Ascoync family titlc. l.ow-kcy cynicism and disarming callousncss makc it a trtic gcm of British post-war cincma. (il’l‘. (ilasgow.
Kissing Jessica Stein (15) 0.0 ((‘Iiai'lcs llcrman-\\‘tirmfc|d. l'S. 2002) llcathci' Jucrgcnscn. Jcnnifcr \Vcstfcldt. ()(iillin. \Vcsll'cltlt plays Jcssica. a ttL‘lli‘otic
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32 THE LIST 2—16 Jan 2003
journalist who's fcd tip with thc string of
loscr datcs sltL"s had in thc past. ()n a whim. shc answcrs an intriguing woman sccking woman pcrsonal ad and mccts llclcn (Jucrgcnscn). a scxually curious an gallcry owncr intcnding to cmbark on hcr first lcsbian affair. 'l‘hc pcrformanccs arc stipcrb with a wry strong support cast with somc grcat Manhattan location work (not an casy achicycmcnt in such a Visually familiar city). this has oodle of quirky indcpcndcnt appcal. Rccommcndcd. (‘amco. lidinburgh. Kundun ( IS) 00.. (Martin Scoi‘scsc. IS. 1907) l-ltlmin. Scorscsc's biography of thc l-lth Dalai Lama is also a painstaking rccord of a ctilturc closc to cstinction. 'l‘hc bcauty of 'l‘ibct and gcntlc naturc of thc pcoplc is disrupch by iny'asion by ('hina. but thc Dalai Lama rcmains truc to thc idcal of non-\iolcncc. A highly cincmatic. though hcayily wrought film. Kumlim also fcaturcs a pulsating music scorc by Philip (ilass. 'l‘hc first hour. whilc bcatitiftil to watch. docs sccm to pass ycry slowly. btit. by thc cnd. it has a curious calming cncrgy' all of its own. (‘ircuit ('incma. l.i\‘ingstoli. L.I.E(18).O.. (Michacl (‘ucsta. l'S. 2001) Brian (ox. l’aul lirankliii l)ano. Billy Kay. ‘Hmin. Aftcr thc dcath of his mothcr and FBI inycstigation of his fathcr. troublcd youth llow ic's (l)ano) dclinqucnt pattcrns start to dcy‘clop. A robbcry brings his actiyitics to thc attcntion of pillar of thc community. and pacdophilc. ‘Big John' llarrigan ((‘ox.) A strangc mutual rclationsliip dcyclops. all in thc shadow of tlic cycr opprcssiy c Long island lixprcssway (from w hcrc thc tii()\'ic gcts its titlc). l'irst timc dircctor (‘ucsta's film is a darkly hcait- warming talc of a confuscd tccn's angst in small town Amcrica. (‘ox ptits in a carccr bcst pcrformancc. bringing yirtually unimaginablc pathos to a charactcr you initially hatc. (‘losc to thc cdgc. btit rcincd in by undcrstatcd pcrformanccs. (il’l'. (ilasgow.
The Ladykillers (t’( n 000. (Alcsandcr Mackciiidrick. t'K. 1955) Alcc (iuinncss. (‘ccil l’arkcr. Katic Johnson. 97min. A bunch of not-so-bright crooks planning a daring robbcry gct morc than thcy bargain for w hcn thcy sct up hcadquartcrs with a .sccmingly harmlcss littlc old lady. \Vry lialing comcdy. with (itiinncss as tisual otitshining a plcthora of Vigorous comic characlcr actors. (il’l‘. (ilasgow.
Lawrence of Arabia (t’( it com (“an id l.can. [‘K. 1902) l’ctcr ()"loolc. Alcc (itiinncss. Jack llawkins. ()mar Sharif. 222mm. l.can's mammoth dcscrl cpic. i'cstorcd to its dircctor‘s original ctit and thc big scrccn. w hcrc film-making on this scalc bclongs. ()"l‘oolc's dcbtit as thc cniginatic ady‘cnturcr still imprcsscs. btit apart from thc iiiajcstic action sctiticnccs. it's thc disturbing scnsc of clinical and cold- bloodcd \ iolcncc hanging oy‘cr thc highly Iitcratc chai'actcrisation that today sccms Cspccially striking. (il’l‘. (ilasgow.
Like Mike (l’(i) 0 (John Schultz. (S. 2002) Lil Bow Wow. Morris (‘hcstnuL ('rispin (iloy cr. l00min. A half-hcartcd baskctball (’indcrclla. A pair of wcathcrcd sncakcrs bcaring thc iconic baskctball lcgcnd's initials. '.\lJ' lcad thc littlc orphan ('alyin to fcign skills on thc court at a Knights baskctball gamc. Rccrtiitcd for thc struggling NBA tcam. ('aly'in lcads thc tcam to succcss. Acting skills hcrc arc qucstionablc and dcpth of charactcr limitcd. t'nimaginatiyc dialoguc falls foul within thc pi‘ctlictahlc. chccsy plot. \Voi‘sc. thc baskctball scqucnccs arc formulaic. w hilc camco appcaraiiccs of NBA stars and a fairytalc cnding do not imprcss. (icncral rclcasc.
Lilo 8: Stitch (l') .0. tl)can l)cblois and (’hris Sandcrs. l'S. 2002) Voiccs of Daycigh ('hasc. (‘hl'is Sandci‘s. 'l‘ia ('arrcrc. 85min. This is all about bcing bad. it's a [)isncy cartoon that pits a wilful toddlcr. lilo (pronotinccd [cc-low ). against a gcnctically cnginccrcd spacc crcalurc (Stitch) programmcd for maximum mischicf. 'l‘hlls thc Iliaysls‘ish l‘otitc hcloy cd of I)isncy animators is w'cll and truly blockcd. UK. so it‘s a minor moy'ic it docsn't hay c llic budgct or \ ision of a
.tlmisivrs. Inc. and just bccausc it‘s got watcr-colour backdrops docsn't makc it [him/m btit what it docs. it docs with frcshncss and iny’cntiycncss. not to mcntion gags for thc grown-tips. l,'('l lidinburgh & l'(i('. lidinburgh.
0 The Lord of the Rings: The No Towers ( IZA ) .00 (l’ctcr Jackson. l'S/Ncw anland. 2002) lilijah Wood. \"iggo Mortcnscn. Liy' ’l‘ylcr. l7‘)min. 'l‘hc sccond thrcc hour instalmcnt of Jackson's mammoth adaptation of JRR 'lolkcin‘s cpic sword and sorccry fantasy ady'cnturc llitprcsscs on a largcr scalc. but is darkcr in tonc than thc first film. The licllowship of thc Ring hayc scparatcd. now on diffcrcnt missions to oycrcomc thc cy il forccs of Sauron and tiltimatcly dcstroy thc ring. 'l‘wo fully computcr animatcd charactcrs. (iolltim. and 'l‘rccbcard. arc bcing liaich as somcthing of an innovation in ('(il tcchnology. whilc thc digitally gcncratcd 10.000 strong inhuman army is. likc. wow? (icncral rclcasc.
Lynne Ramsay’s Shorts ( 15) (Lynnc Ramsay. l'K. 1996 ‘)7)-10min. ()o-cr? .\'o. no. not thc lady's lingcric. btit carly short films by onc of Scotland and thc [TK‘s fincst young filmmakcrs. madc prior to hcr fcaturc dcbut. Rtllt'tlll'llt'l'. 'l'hc films incltidc Small [)(Ul/M‘. (layman and Kill llll‘ Day. ('(‘A. (ilasgow.
Maelstrom (15)... (Dcnis Villcncuy'c. (‘anada. 2001) .‘slaric-Joscc ('ro/c. Jcan-Nicolas \'crrault. Stcphanic Morgcnstcrn. 88min. A fishy talc from Qucbcc. From its slaughtcr slab an ugly fish tclls thc story of Bibianc ('hampagnc ((‘ro/c). thc ncurotic daughtcr of a famous fashion dcsigncr who. upon losing hcr grasp on thc family busincss. accidcntally hits a man w liilc driying drunk onc fatcftil rainy night. This strangc. multiplc-award winning surrcalist thrillcr is by turns stunningly prctcntious. joyous to watch and ridiculous. Bcautifully shot. though. with a wondcrful soundtrack which shifts scamlL‘ssly from onc of (iricg's adagios to Tom Waits. (ii-'1'. (ilasgow; l-‘ilmhousc. lidinburgh.
The Man Who Wasn’t There ( IS) .0.” (Jocl (‘ocn. (S. 2001) Billy Bob 'l'hornion. l-‘ranccs .\lcl)ormand. Jamcs (iandolfini. l 16min. Sct in thc (‘alifornian backwatcr town of Santa Rosa circa thc l‘)-l0s. 'l‘ln' .‘llmi who it‘(l.\'lt 'i lltr’l'l' takcs its cuc from thc cynical world of pulp crimc writcrs likc Jamcs M. ('ain. 'l'hc talc turns on a rcgulai' fclla. 'l'hornton's mild- manncrcd barbcr lid ('ranc. who is unwittingly thc catalyst for a spiralling scrics of cycnts bcginning with infidclity and cstortion and cnding with. wcll. maybc you can gucss. 'l‘hc ('ocn brothcrs‘ laICst rcinycntion of a classic Hollywood film gcnrc is thcir most audacious to datc. mixing hard-boilcd. small town film noir with cxistcntialism and mctaphysics. It’s a wry-humourcd. rctro-stylcd. wickcdly- ploltcd. moody gcm. lidinburgh l-‘ilm (iuild. lidinburgh.
Mean Streets ( 18) .000 (Martin Scoi‘sCsc. 1'5. l973) llary‘cy Kcitcl. Rohcrt dc .\'iro. l)ayid l’roy'al. l 10min. Tony's Bar is thc basc for four young ltalian- Amcricans. whosc incrcasingly illcgal actiy'itics lcad to tragcdy. Viyidly obscry'cd charactcr study which combincs brcathtaking tcchniquc with a pcryasiy'c scnsc of corruption. Kcitcl and dc .\'iro giyc off thcir y-cry bcst. (‘(‘A. (ilasgoyy‘.
Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hal (t') (lndia. 2002) 158mm. In this llindi rom-com a dithcring (‘asanoya hcars his childhood fricnd is about to marry a handsomc. charismatic community figurc and attcmpts to w in hci' for himsclf. (il’l'. (ilasgow. Monsieur Hire ( IS) 000. (l’atricc