Film index
the Idiots ( 18) em (Lars von Trier. Denmark/France/ltaly/Netherlands/Germany/S weden. 1999) Bodil Jorgensen. Jens Albinus.
l I4min. ln Lars von Trier‘s follow up to Breaking the Waves. a bunch of ‘idiots‘ run a little bit amok in their village. get thrown out of tea-rooms. make whoopee at the swimming baths and disrupt board meetings. But these misfits are as sane as you or I. with a simple aim to test society‘s attitudes to the disabled. Appreciation naturally conquers enjoyment but The Idiots is a challenge well worth taking up. Film/muse. Edinburgh.
II Postino (U) one (Michael Radford. Italy. 1995) Massimo Troisi. Philippe Noiret. Maria Grazia Cucinotta. l08min. When exiled Chilean poet Pablo Neruda (Noiret) arrives on a remote island off the Neapolitan coast. he aids local postman Mario (Troisi) to woo the village barmaid. Gently paced and full of Mediterranean sun. Radford's film is nicely unsentimental. Sadly. Troisi died the day after shooting was completed. but he couldn't have left a finer legacy. Filtnhous‘e. Edinburgh.
In America (12A) mo (Jim Sheridan. Ireland/UK. 2002) Samantha Morton. Paddy Considine. Sarah Bolger. Emma Bolger. Djimon Hounsou. 105mm. Reeling from the death of a child. man and wife Irish émigrés Johnny (Considine) and Sarah (Morton) hit modem day Manhattan with their young feisty daughters in tow Christy and Ariel. They have just about enough money to hole up in a crumbling junkie infested block in the city's Hell‘s Kitchen area. A deceptively simple tale of grief. redemption. acclimatization and friendship as Johnny. a jobbing actor and taxi driver struggles to keep his brood‘s above the breadline. Moving drama from the director and writer of In the Name of the Father. L'GC Parkhead. Glasgow.
In the Cut(18) .0 (Jane Campion. US. 2003) Meg Ryan. Mark Ruffalo. Kevin Bacon. l 18min. Frannie Avery (Ryan) becomes a witness in a murder investigation and then begins an erotic affair with detective James Malloy (Ruffalo). A young woman has
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been mutilated in a pattern of serial killings and Frannie may have seen her in a seedy
Manhattan bar on the night she was butchered.
But what Frannie saw in the bar's darkened cellar was the victim giving a man with a distinctive tattoo on his arm a blowjob. So. when Malloy comes calling to her apartment and she notices the same tattoo, l‘rannie begins to suspect the cop's the killer. Pretentious. cringy erotic thriller adapted from Suzanne Moore's trashy novel and dressed up as an. Cameo. Edinburgh.
interMission ( [8) C.” (John (‘row ley. lreland. 2003) I06min. Pacy romantic comedy thriller set in Dublin. it uses the satne multi-
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character device as Love Actually with much greater effect. Superb performances and a wicked dark streak run through llllt’l‘.llf.\slutt. It is as if Roddy Doyle and 'l‘arantino dreamt up a version of La Rmtrle. Selected release. Interstella 5555 (PG) 00 (Ka/uhisa 'l‘akenouchi. Japan. 2003) (within. Animation Battle ofthe l’lanets homage seems to be the way to go for Daft Punk since their sales started dipping. This hour and a bit promo seems to hit all the wrong buttons but you have to admire them for trying to traverse the boundaries of self promotion. (TA A" (.‘(i(' Ken/ten“ Street. Glasgow:
Intolerable Cruelty ( 12A) 000 (Joel/lithan ('oen. {'S. 2003) (icorge ('looncy. ('atherine Zeta Jones, Billy Bob Thornton. Winin. The ('oens‘ latest is a return to the screwball comedies of yesteryear. With this cast it's going to be a success but this is their weakest film to date. lt‘s your typical lawyer meets goldigger romantic comedy. A lot of ftrn. but closer in studied. slightly cheerless spirit to Ilia/sucker l’nuv than anything they have done in the last few years. Seleeted release.
Italian for Beginners ( IS) 0000 (Lone Scherfig. Italy. 2001) 1 12min. The first outright comedy from the Dogme school of filtmnaking. Six (‘openhagen-ites fall in love with one another and cross the barriers of class. temperament. even language. Think Mike Leigh crossed with Lars von Trier. if that's possible. (amen. Edinburgh.
The Italian Job (12A) 0000 (f‘ (iary (iray. LS. 2003) Mark Wahlberg. (‘harlizc Theron. lidward Norton. l l0min. Wisely. the producers of this remake have junked almost everything but the heist theme. a couple of character names and the Minis. Theron plays one of these gorgeous safecrackers who only exist in films. and Wahlberg's scowl is Used to good effect. for once. ()nly~ Norton. twirling his [)ick Dastardly tnoustache without an ounce of credibility. comes out as anything other than a w inner in the last set of wacky races round the streets. drains and skies of LA. But the cars remain the stars in this Mini adventure. Ster ( 'entrajv. lidinlmrgh.
It’s a Wonderful Life (PG) 0”” (Frank Capra. LS 1946) James Stewart. Donna Reed. Henry Travers. Thomas Mitchell. 129mm. Small-town boy Stewart runs into financial difficulties and is on the brink of suicide when an elderly angel descends to earth to show him all the good his life has done for those around him. Archetypal (‘apra sentimentality with a superbly detailed
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fantasy framework and one of Stewart‘s most lovable performances. One to warm even the most glacial heart. (ii-"II (iluseuw: ('umeu. Iz'din/mrgh.
Jingle All the Way (PG) 0 (Brian Levant. l'S. 10%) Arnold Schwarzenegger. Sinbad. Phil Hartman. 90min. Having failed to leam his lesson with Kindergarten (up. Arnie tries again for a broad comedy with children in this attempt at a ‘heartwarming' (‘hristmas movie. tackling the Yuletide shopping crowds in search of Minnesota's last remaining Turbo Man toy. Running gags are run into the ground. the slapstick is lurnpen and the spurious moral sentiments hypocritical. Still. not a Tellytubby in sight. Ster ('entury'. Ifdinhta'eh.
Jour De Fete (l') .000 (Jacques Tau. France. l‘J-lx) Jacques Tati. (iuy Decomble. 87min. A rural l-‘rench postie sees a film about the efficiency of the American mail service and decides to smanen up his act. This debut feature by Tali. effortlessly builds visual set- pieces and establishes the amiable duffcr of a central role that was later to become the unforgettable M Hulot. (ii-"ll (ilaserm:
Kal Ho Ma No (the) (Nikhil Advani. India. 2003) Shah Rukh Khan. Saif Ali Khan. Prcity Xinta. .laya Bhaduri. tbcrnin. Three friends. one of whom is a stockbroker in Manhattan. go through a series of incidents that change their lives completely. Romantic drama from India starring the eminently watchable Khan. (Mean .4! The Quay. (ilasemv: l'('/. Edinburgh.
Kill Bill: Volume 1 (IX) .0000 (Quentin 'l’arantino. [S 2003) l'ma 'l’hurman. David (’arradine. Lucy l.iu. Daryl Hannah. Vivica A Fox. Michael Madsen. l l0min. A long time in the coming. 'larantino‘s two-part martial arts sword fighting epic gets off to a roaring rampaging start with Vol I. 'larantino wears those influences on his sleeves: Chinese/Japanese martial arts flicks. blasploitation and anime. Something of a departure from his previoUs films in that there is no smart era defining dialogue here. just glorious bloody driven narrative. A must for anyone with a passion for the left field low budget joys of people like Argento. Jodorowsky and any of the directors who came out of the Shaw Brothers studios in the 70s. Selected release.
6 Kiss of Life 1 12A) oooo (limin Young. l'K/l-‘rance. 2003) Peter Mullan. lngeborga Dapkunaite. David Warner. S‘omin. Bizarre. troubling. elliptical tragic drama that was originally w ritten for the late actress Katrin ('artlidge. See review. page 34. l'ilttt/tnus'e. Ifdinlmreh.
0 Kitchen Stories (tbc) 0000 (Bent Hamer. Norway. 2003) Joachim (‘almeyen Tomas Norstrom. Bjorn l‘loberg. Reine Brynolfsson. Sverre Anker ()usdal. 95min. Beautifully observed. wry comedy drama that lays open many of the 1950s' scientific research myths with an assured sense of detail and deadpan humour. Also the photography is outstanding. See review. page 36. Selected release.
Krampack ( l5) 0.. ((‘esc (iay. Spain. 2000) Fernando Rarnallo. Jordi Vilches. Marieta ()rozco. 89min. Two 16-year-old boys engage in a bit of mutual masturbation while on holiday with their parents but what begins as a harmless activity soon leads into jealousy and deceit. linjoyable Spanish coming of age drama. (ii-"II (ilasgmi;
Landscape in the Mist ( 15) (Theo Angelopoulos. (ireece. 1088) Miclialis Zeke. Tania Palaiologou. Stratis 'I‘lort/oglou. l25min. A small boy and his older sister leave home in search of their father and travel across a grubby (irecian landscape unable to find anyone to look after thetn. but from time to time witnessing visionary epiphanies. Mcsmerising (ircek road movie in a similar style as Angelopoulos's previous cffon lite Beekeeper]. and once again beautiful/v perj/in'med. (‘( 'A. (ilasgmi;
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen ( 12A) 0 (Stephen Norrington. l'S/(iermany /('/cch Republic/['K. 2003) Sean Connery. Nasceruddin Shah. Peta Wilson. Tony Curran. Stuart 'l'ownsend. Shane West. I 10min. [)iabolical version of Alan Moore's great graphic novel. Shuuurse ('inetna. ('uatltridee.’ Showcase ('inetna. l’ai.\le\'. Paisley.