The Pharmacist (Le pharmacien de garde) ( 18) (Jean Veber. l-‘rance. 2003) Vincent Perez. (iuillaume Depardieu. ('lara Bellar. l.aurent (iainelon. l’ascal legititnus. 00min. Yan l.a/arrec is a pharmacist who cares abotit the environment. In the shadow of his laboratory he creates poisons to kill the polluters. The devoted pharmacist has secretly become a serial killer. The irony is that the policetnan in charge of the case is also an environmentalist. During a conference on the safekeeping ot‘ the planet. the two men tneet and bit it till immediately. l’art ol the l‘reneh l-‘ilm Festival. (i/uxemr I‘i/m ]./l('(lll'('. (i/meon': Film/tome. Edinburgh.
Pirates of the Caribbean: the Curse of the Black Pearl ( 12A) 0... ((iore Verbinski. IS. 2003) Johnny l)epp. (ieollt'ey Rtish. Orlando Bloom. Keira Knightley. Jack l)ayenport. l33tnin. Rattling good pirate yarn from the director of ."UHM’IIHHI. Jack Sparrow (l)epp) and Will Turner (Bloom) braye the (‘aribbean Sea to stop a ship of pirates led by ('aptain Barbossa (Rtish). Selected I'l'l(’(l.\'('.
Playing in the Company of Men (En Jouant dans la compagnie des Hommes) ( l5) (Arnaud l)espleehin. France. 2003) Satni Bouajila. Jean-Paul Roussillon. Wladitnir Yordanoll. l.as/lo S/abo. l 18min. A black highly political table of power and corruption. yengeance and renunciation set against the \ iolent world of business. this is the story (it two young men who are both adopted sons ol a wealthy arms dealer. It is adapted from lidward Bond's play and drawing on both Al Pacino's I.Uukilte_lin‘ Ric/turd and the classical t'S thrillers ol' the l070s the tilm is an experimental tragedy rich in \ ioletit poetry: a savage. fractured portrait ot' a world diy'ided itito torturers and \ ictitns. Pan ot the French film l-‘estiyal. (ilmemi- l'ilm 'I'ln'ulrt'. (ilusunn'; l'i/m/muyt'. Edinburgh.
Le Pont du Trieur (The Sorter’s Bridge) (tbe) ((‘harles de Meaux/l’hilippe l’arreno. l-‘ranee. I000) 74min. iiarly documentary film from the makers ol Shim/rth [In/('1. (tit. (i/(lygmt;
Respiro (Respiro Mio) ( IS) 0000 (litnanuele ('rialesc. ltaly. 2002) Valeria (iolino. 00min. ()1) l.anipedusa. an island tiear western Sicily. l'un is restricted to Saturday nights. (ira/ia ((iolino) is the affectionate young mother or three children who is also as unpredictable and stormy as the sea surrounding her island. Set against rough and jagged rocks. this table concerns jealously. cruelty. sexual tension and tolerance. (1mm), lit/inluu'g/i.
Rivers and Tides (l’( i) 0000 (Thomas Riedelsheimer. t'K/(iermany. 200] ) 00min. 'Art for tne is a l‘orm of nourishment.’ suggests sculptor Andy (ioltlsworthy' at the start ol this tnetlitatiye documentary. Audiences oti the continent and ill the l'S hay e certainly i'ound Thomas Riedelsheimer's tiltn a rewarding chew: it's picked tip awards at the (ierman l-‘ilm Awards. the San Francisco l-'ilni l-‘estiy'al and the Montreal International ol Hints on Art. it is not difficult to see w hy: his works have a staying power because they are ephemeral. And while (ioldsworthy's speech is lestoonetl with purple patches. he is also thoroughly down-to-earth. His work is concerned with nature and process arid lite. and it is hard to watch a carefully woyen string ot’ leay'es slip from their pattern arid snake downstream w ithotit feeling your sotil lil't. l-i/m/muu'. Iz'ilililiiu'gli.
Santa vs the Snowman 30 (PG) (Various. IS. 2002) 32min. l.\l:\X big screen presentation. [MAX 'I’lu'um'. (iluygou:
Seabiscuit (PG) 000 ((iary Ross, (S. 2003) Tobey .\lac(iuit'e. Nick Nolte. ('hris (‘oopcr. Jeff Bridges. 150mm. Based on the true story (it the undersi/ed horse. Seabiscuit. arid the men who helped him earn the Horse of the Year honours in I038. See rey'iew page 2(). General release. Secondhand Lions (l’( i) 0.
(Tim .\lc('an|ies. t'S. 2003) Michael ('aine. Robert l)uy'all. llaley Joel ()snient. Kyra
Sedgwick. Nicky Katt. l08min. .-\naetiiie rites ot passage drama with l)u\all and (’aine liatiiiiiitig it up as a couple ol eccentric hillbilly uncles from Texas who take iii their shy lonely nephew with unexpected results. ()sment. you may want to start looking (or a new agent. (inn-ml I-('/('(I.\('.
Shara (Sharasojyu) (l’( t) (Naottii Kawase. Japan. 2003) Kohci litikungaga. Yuka lly'y‘otido. Naotni Kawase. Katsuhisa Namase. l00min. Twelye-year-old Kei is suddenly spirited away almost bel‘ore the eyes of his twin brother Shun. l-‘iye years later. still haunted by the disappearance Shun and his childhood friend Yu share a tentatiy e aw kw ard attraction. The director was the youngest person to win the ('ainera d'()r in 1007 t'or her debut liltn Sti/aku and here she eschew s com entional narratiye iii layour of a rich exploration ol~ liyes detincd by loss. I‘ilillll/IUHH'. Iii/inlmreli. Shimkent Hotel (the) ((‘harles de .\leaux. l‘ranee/t'ls'. 2002) Yann (‘ollette. (‘aroline l)tieey. Romain l)uris. 00min. .-\ lireneh neurologist arriyes in Ka/akhstan; in the Sltimkent llotel he encounters a young man stillering amnesia. .-\s he treats the
stranger. he starts to recount his terrible tale.
('ra/y l-‘reneh and [K co-produetion shot ama/ingly enough on the almost extinct analogue \ ttleo. ('( ‘xl. tilt/semi.
Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (l') 0.. (Patrick (iilinore/l’im Johnson. (‘8. 2003) \‘oices oli lit'atl l’itt. (‘atherine Zeta-Jones. .\lichelle i’leiller. Joseph l‘iennes. l)ennis llay sbert. Timothy \Vest. 85min. Sitibad (Pitt). is a naughty pirate type. lirls (l’leiller) is the (iotltless ol (‘haos who toys with his emotions by throwing \arious diyerting challenges his way. Meanwhile. .\larina (Jones) is on hand (or a high seas romance. Sitibad hasn't got the irreyerent humour that is the saying grace (it so many animations. thankl'ully though it is rarely dull. (‘leyerly. the lilnnnakers hay e opted to paint the \arious monsters arid exotic locations Sinbad encounters with a mighty hyper-real (‘(il- lick which makes it ultimately a trip worth taking (‘( El. (ilusem).
Since you Went Away ( t ‘) 0000 (John ('romw ell. t‘S. I044) (‘laudette ('olbert. Jennifer Jones. Joseph ('otten. Shirley 'l‘emple. .\lonty \Voolley. l72tnin. This is a Sel/nick-si/e ten liatiky wartime soap opera without peer. It's old lashioned tun ol' the sentimental kind. tttggitig heartstrings o\ er ey ery kind oi romantic. l'amily. or patriotic theme. The lilm's length allows it time to include many snapshots of not necessarily dramatic incidents that. taken together. add tip to a compelling portrait ol' upper middle class lite during that time. S! Brit/("y (kn/re. Iii/inlnu'e/i. The Singing Detective ( IS) 0.. (Keith (iot'don. l‘S. 2003) Robert Downcy Jr. Robiti l’enti \Vright. Jcretny Northam. Katie Holmes arid Adrien Brody. min. .\ schi/ophrenie artist lies iii a hospital bed on a cocktail ol drugs. he has trouble deciphering reality i'rom liction. lll thought otit remake oi" the Dennis l’otter TV classic that does how ey et' haye a iew big showy moments worth sayouring and a great turn lrom .\lel (iihson as Dr (iibbon. There is no danger that this w ill erase the memory ol' the l‘)S(i mini series how e\ er. l'rietl (iatnbon anyone'.’ See rey iew page 24. ('(i(‘ Rt'n/ri'u' Street. Glasgow; (i/uygutt .‘ lliu'ni'r til/(tee. lat/I'n/iurg/t.
Snake of June ( 18) .0. (Shinya 'l‘sukamoto. Japan. 2002) :\sttlsa ls'urasawa. Yuii Kohtari. Shinja 'l‘sttkamoto. 77min. \Vild techno-erotic thriller iron) the creator ol' 'Ii'lsim.‘ Illt’ lmn .lltut l‘rustrated housewile Rinko (.v\suka Kurosawa) is married to a boring ‘salary man' with a relish (or domestic cleaning. She works part-time as a counsellor (or patients stillering trom terminal diseases, (hit or the blue. Rinko reeeiyes an anonymous package containing compromising photos: it] them she is seen masturbating while wearing a leather mini-skirt. To reeoy er the incriminating pictures lrom her blackmailet'. she ltlllst wear the mini-skirt in public while l'ollow ing his instructions or) a hands~irec headset ol a mobile phone. 'leehnically
astonishing. arid acted with tar more
com ietioti than it deseryes. 'l‘sukainoto‘s
\ ision indulges rather than challenges its audience. l’l/Ill/lnllu'. lat/in/uu'e/i.
Sole Sisters (Fitles Uniques) ( 15) (Pierre Joliyet. l-‘ranee. 2003) Sandrine ls'iberlain. Sy ly ie 'l‘estud. Vincent Lindon. l‘rancois Berleand. 85min. (‘arole is at) oyerworked inyestigatiug magistrate. married to an o\ erworked doctor. The demands ot their respectiye pt‘olessions mean they rarely interact. ('omparatiycly straitlaced (‘arole intery iew s spunky working-class Tina a candidate l'or parole. These two women from dit'l'erent walks of lit'c form an unlikely btit sincere bond in this w inning oil-heat comedy. Part or the l‘reneh l'iilltt liestiyal. (i/tlygutt I‘i/In 'I'ln'ulrc. (ilusgmr: l‘l/Ht/mllu’. Iidin/mre/i. Space Station 30 (t‘) (Toni .\lycrs. ('anada/t'S. 2003) 47min. Narrated by Tom ('t‘tttse. this big screen l.\l:\.\ presentation t'ollows real astronauts into the big blue. linpressiye. bttt not as awesome as it should hay e beett. I.ll.'l.\' lllt'tlll't'. (i/uwmt: Speak to me of Love (Parlez-moi d’amour) t IS) (Sophie .\tarceau. i‘rance. 2002) Judith (iodreehe. Niels .'\restrup. Anne l.e Ny. Laurence i‘ey rier. 08min. .~\ctress Sophie Marceau makes her directorial debut with this intimate diyoree drama. Jtistine aiid Richard's l5-year relationship comes to an end. liaeh goes about their daily existence as best they can. Both are l'orced to confront their uncertain luttires as well as retlect on the past choices they 'ye tnade that ptit them in the positions they are it) now. l’art ot the French film i'esti\;tl. (i/(HQUH' I'll/III TINT/HT. (HtHL‘UH .‘ l’i/m/iouu'. Iii/I'n/mreli.
Special Delivery (C’est Ie bouquet!) ( 15) (Jeanne l.abrune. l’rance. 2002) Sandrine ls'iberlain. Jean-l’ierre Darroussin. Dominique Blane. .\tathieu Amalrie. 00min. :\ strange phone call sets it] motion a series (it traumatic e\ ents it) this tantasy tilm. (‘atherine and Raphael seem a reasonably happy middle class l’arisian couple until early one morning when an old aetltiaititance calls ('atheritie ottt ol the blue and asks how mtteli she got tor a piece ot' real estate she soltl lilteen years earlier. This one phone call sets in motion a series of eyents and inisundcrstandings that will change their liy‘es. l’art ol the l‘rench liilm l'esti\;tl. (ilmgmt' I'll/n 'Iilu’ulri'. (i/uyemt': l‘l/Iil/IUHH’. I-[i/i'Ii/mre/t.
Spirited Away (l’( t) 0.000 (liay ao .‘yliya/aki. Japan. 200i ) Voices: l)a\'eigh ('hase. Rumi iliragi. Sidonie \on Ki'osigk. .\liyu lrino. Jason Marsden. 125mm. .-\t tnore than two hours long. any Japanese animation with a children's certiticate can only be a hard sell tor western audiences.
index Film
Cameras and ocks in Ma Vie
Despite winning the best animated picture ()scar and getting a hearty push from Disney. Spirited Away didn‘t get the audience it deserted in the States. Which is a shame because llayao .\liya/aki's tilm is an animated masterpiece arid truly takes you by surprise. ('hihiro travels through a tunnel into another world. where she happens upon a bathhouse tor the spirits. Alter chowing down greedily or) some spiked local produce. ('hihiro's parents are transformed into pigs. leaving their suddenly dutit‘ul daughter to seek work in the bathhouse in ordet' to release thetn. Philosophy. anime and shamanism this is something really stunning that needs to be seen to be
beliey ed. ('umw) it'- Sler (’enlury' (inertia. [pilot/Hugh.
State Paint) 0... (Walter l.ang. t'S. I045) Jeanne ('rain. Dana Andrews. l)iek llay mes. \‘iy'ian Blaine. l00min. The sitnpleness. and w holesomeness of this film makes it a treat to watch. The music and songs make it eyen tnore enjoyable. and the beauty ol‘ Jeanne (’rain will make your eyes water. SI Brit/("y ('t'nma [film/Hugh. Strange Gardens (Eftroyables Jardins) ( l5) (Jean Becker. France. 2003) Jacques Villerct. Andre l)usso|licr. Thierry l.hertnitte. Benoit .\lagitnel. Suzanne l-‘lon. 07min. .-\ bittersweet exercise in humanism largely iii the tom) of a flashback from the early sixties to a story of decency and courage iii the closing months of WWII. With a score by '/.bigniew l’reisncr. Kr/s/tol~ Kieslowski's erstwhile composer. Part of the l-‘reneh i-‘ilm l-‘estiy‘al. Glasgow I'll/It Theatre. (i/(HQUH. Film/muse. lei/irt/mre/t.
Taking Sides ( t5) 0.. (lsty‘an S/abo. t'K/l-‘rancc/(iertnany'/.»\tistria. 2003) Nancy Keitel. Stellan Skarsgard. Moritl Bleibtrct). Birgit Miniehmayr. t'lrich Tukur. ()leg 'l'abakoy. l 10min. ()scar winning. worthy historical drama based on the true story ol" Wilhelm l’urtwangler (Skarsgard) the condttctor ot the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and the attempts of American military to cltargc him with conspiring with the Na/is alter WW2. A little simplistic itt its presentation perhaps this is still an intriguing. dialogue heay‘y' dratna (based on Ronald llat‘wood‘s script) that will appeal to tans ot' 'I‘lit' l’i'uniyt. See review page 25. (.(K‘ Rt'II/I'i'u‘ Slrt’t'l. (i/uxgmr. (ilttygmt:
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