Films screening this fortnight are listed below with certificate, star rating, credits, brief review and venue details. Film index compiled by Paul Dale
The Actors t Ht .000 i(‘onor McPherson. Ireland. .3le3) Michael (lime. Dylan Moran. Michael (iambon. ‘Nimrri, Times are hard for ()‘Malley it‘ainei and Tommy iMoranr. two struggling actors working on a ramshackle Dublin production of Ru hunt [I]. (‘haos ensues after ()'Mallcy convinces Tommy. an apparently hopeless actor. to scam some local gangsters by imitating their mysterious creditor and intercepting the repayment of a loan. Based on a story by Neil Jordan t'l'lie ('rvme (iunrei. this farcical. feelgood caper owes much to play w r‘tglit/set‘eenw rrtcr/director McPherson. who subverts the tweeness potential with brillraritly understated humour. And there's an astonishing performance from stand up comic Moran. llirrner Til/tree. Iz'ilrrrlmrg/r.
Alice i l5! (Sylvie Bally'ot. l‘ratiee. 2002) Anne Bargain. l.ei Dinety'. lilodie Mennegand. iniiin. Alice's sister is getting married. It is an event that is going to cause problems with both her long term girlfriend. not to mention tension within her family. Spare. sensitive and sensual drama. Part of the l7th London Lesbian and (iay Film Festival on totrr. film/rouse. Iz'i/r'n/mrg/r. Amadeus - Director’s Cut tl’(il O... (Milos l-'oriiiari. l'S. 1984) Murray Abraham. Torn llulce. lili/abeth Berridge. l72miri. Whether we need a new version of l-‘orman's ()scar-winning life of Mount is a moot point. Screenwriter l’eter Shaffer's story of Vienna court composer Antonio Salieri and his plot to engineer the downfall of Wolfgang Amadeus Mo/art. a “giggling. dirty-minded creature‘ with a (iod-giveti musical talent. thankfully remains intact. But what is most clear from a repeat viewing is the undimiriished quality of Abraham's performance. giving depth to a glitterball of a rnov ie whose colourful surface could otherwise be too diverting. (lily/i (i/uvguivi
Amores Perros (Love’s a Bitch) 418) 0.... (Alejandro (ion/ale/ lrritu. Mexico. 2001) limilio lichevarria. (iael (iarcia Bernal. (ioya Toledo. 153mm. lnarritu's debut feature is billed as ‘the Mexrcan Pulp I-‘r'eti'mi‘. a description that sells it short. The 'l'arantino comparison is a irseful starting point: the film tells three overlapping stories 7 a teenager drawn into the world of illegal dog-fighting. the infidelity of a middle-aged media executive and the life of an elderly homeless man
by using shifting time frames. tangentially linked characters and jagged verbal rhythms. l‘ierce humanity underpins lriarritu's beautiful. grainy visuals and (iuillermo Arriaga Jordan‘s multi-Iay'ered script. The best film of the year so far. and unlikely to be surpassed. I'i/Itt/trmvi‘. Iz'i/r'lrhrirglr.
Anger Management t lSi 0..
(Peter Segal. [8. 3003) Jack Nicholson. Adam Sandler. Marisa Tomei. Luis (iii/man. ltltimin. Adam Sandler once again plays the downtrodden liveryman. here meek businessman Dave Bu/nik. Following an air rage incident of which Bti/riik is completely innocent. the bewildered businessman is sentenced to an anger management programme on pain of imprisonment. But the unorthodox methods of fury specialist Dr Buddy Rydell (Jack
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34 THE LIST 3—1 7 Jul 2003
Nicholson) push Bii/mk to the breaking point. Is Rydell a charlatan or is be emotionally beefing up Bu/nrk‘.’ It's a one joke movie and the joke isn’t Sandler's. It was dreamed up by Paul Thomas Anderson who previously cast Sandler as a man with an anger management problem in I’rureh Drunk Lure. (ierrerul release.
0 Animal Factory 1 ISi COO
tSteve Buscemi. l'S. 3003) Willerii Defoe. lidvvard l-‘urlong. Mickey Rourke. Danny Trejo. Mark Boone Junior. lidward Bunker. Steve Buscemi. Michael Busccmi. 94mm. Animal I-"ueturv‘ tells the story of Ron Decker tl’urlong). a fresh-faced kid who‘s locked up with some serious villains and forced to wise up to the ways of prison life. of course. being a pretty young thing. Decker comes in for abuse. but the film eschews such S&M nightmares to focus upon the father-son relationship that develops between Decker and veteran con (‘open (Daf‘oei. Just as he told the story of a low life drunk in Treev lxmnge in a rio- nonserise manner. here too Btrscemi adapts lidvvard Bunker's novel without resorting to over the top theatrics. Look out for a great turn by Mickey Rourke 7 almost unrecognisable here as the queen Jan the Actress. See review. ('(i(‘ Rerifren Street. (ilrrvgmi‘.
Annie Hall t IS) 00000 iw'ootty- Allen. l'S. 1977) Woody Allen. Diane Keaton. Tony Roberts. 93min. Two decades before Set and the (‘m- had its first orgasm. Annie Hall was laying bare the mores of modern. urban romance to devastating effect while also Ioning in on the specific psyche of Allen Konigsberg: anti-Semitic paranoia. metaphysical angst. the search for true love. There‘s a highly charged onscreen
4.“ Who’s the daddy? Willem Defoe in The
electricity between Allen and Keaton. glorious vistas of the old New York and hilarious set pieces Alvy fighting with lobsters. the scene of his childhood home below the rollercoaster and a stream of one-liners to end them all: ‘Don't knock masturbation; it‘s sex with someone I love.‘ They really don’t make ‘cm like Annie Hull any more. ('umeu. Iidnrbrireli.
Artists’ Films (Beck’s Futures 2003 Prize tor Music 8. Video) ice“ the) (Various. l'K. 2003i ltlfiniin. l-‘ourteen artists and their films show tis why they got shortlisted. (tel. (ilirvgmi.
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress 1 DA) 0. (Dar Sijie. (‘hina/l’rarice. 2002) l lilltllll. :\ couple of college students. [an and Ma 4(‘hen Kun. I.ru Yet. go to a remote mountain prov mcc as part of ('hairmari Mao's re-education programme. The seamstress of the title they meet there receives a sentimental education from the boys through the reading of the selected works of Bal/ac. l‘laubert and Dumas. In This adaptation of his ow n book. the three characters enter a learning curve. The boys come across a case full of banned French literature and find in the young seamstress a willing learner. A lovely looking. often enchanting film. But it is to wonder whether such films really can tell Us anything new or whether they're just happy telling yet another rite-of-passage story with only a vague historical or political edge. (ti/'7: (i/uvgmi.
Basic t 15) O. tJolin McTiernan. l'S. 2003i John Travolta. Samuel 1. Jackson. (‘orinie Nielsen. 98min. When a bunch of crack marines are found shooting each other in a jungle in Panama under the watch of hard-faced Sgt Nathan West
Animal Factory
IJackson ». the base coiiiriiander calls iii maverick es Ranger loin llaidy rlohri lravoltai. a persuasive iiiteirogator. to get to the bottom of the story llaidy opens a \JH of worms \loic bends than a beaver m .i gerbil cage do not a thriller riiake latiies illrmsm vv I...'.fo \aridcrbilt's st ieeriplav glisterrs with ineptitude. lravolta rpateiitly niiscasti runs through his hunted range of cheesy charisma and disingenuous grins wlirle Jackson counts the pennies in n. ma Ii l’lti‘t
Biggie and Tupac IV 0.00 Bioorntield.l S. 3002» lupac Shakirr. Biggie Smalls Illirriin (tire of documentary investigator \ick Broointield‘s
Desi creations iii vlalt'. It‘l'c'g'tr rift“, [tr/Hit
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delves into the vvoild of the rap lllll\l\ industry By probing the bat k to back murders of high profile rappers Tlll‘dv Shakur arid Biggie Smalls. Broornfield asserts the two were not killed oirt of a ridiculous east, west \v‘.l\i.li gang war. but in a music cvecutrves warped bid to \ ieatc publicity T his is the delicious and disturbing tale of two good friends and gifted artists div ided .iiid killed by .i nasty Svellgalt (T .l. (i/uvgmi
Biker Boyz 1 l.‘ \i O. tReggre Rock Bylhevvood. l'S. limit I auicrice l‘rshburric. Derek 1 rrke. (lilaiido loncs. l rsa Boiiet llllmm The story of \laiiuel ‘the King of ('ali‘ (ialloway il-ishburriei the president of a motorc ycle club whose members are all .'\lllv.lll -\rneiican rneii
lav cry year he travels to l'resno to take place at an annual drag racing event where he tries to retain his championship title Basically this is a cheap rip off of Illi‘ luv! and (lie I‘lll'ltrllv. with fewer thrills. fewer spills. and two fevv er wheels The gang ultimater learn to respect each other and turn to family reconciliation and wholesome living. little more than a fashion show brought to you from the pages of [film Illuvtrirteil. it boasts the dubious talents of pretty boys Derek luke and Djimoii llouiisou. ('urvaccous gals Meagan (iood arid Borict are s.l\l to lure dads and sons into the cinema at the same time Set“ It it I'tili’il\('
Blue Gate Crossing (Lanse 03 Men) (H il tYee (‘hilirycrL Taiwari/l'rancc. IlXDi Bo-I.rri ('hcri. l.uii Mei (irrey. Shuri lluc l.iang. 82min. Three teeris iii a Taipei high school: two girls and a boy The girls are best friends. who chat about the boys they like. One night they go looking for the boy one of them faricrcs. btrt things don't go to plan. llrghly regarded drama about the growing pains of adolescence. Its simple narrative and delicate riatirralisrii have charmed many l‘l/Itf/tt’llvi'. [print/Hugh Bringing Down the House I 13m (Adam Sliarikiiiaii. l'S. lellii Steve Martin. ()ueeri l.alrfah. lzugene l.evy IllSmrn. l.atifah play s a com ict. ('har‘lene Morton. Steve Martin is an attorney. l’ctei Sanderson. She dupes him into taking on her case for false imprisonment by compromising him on an irrter'riet dating service. She moves into his house w rtli the inevitable clash of her ghetto bliiig with his lllldtiit‘w‘lrtSs blong She fiiriks tip the suburbs. he learns to take the bug otrt of his arse. Oh dear. Ster (‘e/iturv. Ia/rn/rrue/r. ('(l. ( 'lvr/e/nrnk.
Broken Wings 1 lfir O. i.\'ir Bergman. lsracl. llitll I ()in Silbei'sat/ Banal. Maya Maron. .\'rtai (iaviraII. 87min Teenage daughter Maya is caught between making a go of becoming the singer‘- songwriter of a rock band and helping liei mother raise her young brother and sister. Mother Dafna spends her time working nights or sleeping. Brother Yair is out of school suffering an esrsteritial L‘rlsls. ()f course. the family members are all. iii their own ways. avoiding dealrrig with their grief And while they 're doing that. they keep themselves busy making each another unhappy. Maya resents her mother for not getting over her father. Dafria is not at all stipponive of her daughter's musical talent and Yarr writes everyone off as a speck of dUsl. So. the family members moon about. unable to do anything with their lives. ('heery Israeli kitchen sink drama ('(}(‘ Renfrew Street. (iluvemi.