Films screening this fortnight are
listed below with certificate, star rating, credits, brief review and venue details. Film index compiled by Paul Dale
Aetbaar (15) (Vikram Bhatt. India. 2004) Amitabh Bachchan. John Abraham. Bipasha Basu. Supriya Pilgaonkar. 152mm. Dr Malhotra (Bachchan) loves his daughter Ria (Basu) so muc that he is smothering her. One day Aryan (Abraham) walks into their life. Dad hates his wild. unpredictable ways but Ria falls for him and he for her. Soon a battle line of wit is drawn between these two strong men. Clever. witty and wise familial drama from the writer of Chalie Chalie and the director of the excellent thriller Inteha. UCI. Edinburgh.
Aileen (15) 0... (Nick Broomfield. UK/L'S. 2002) After 12 years Broomfield returns to the scene of the crime of his 1992 film Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer. to see her be executed by the very people who were happy to condone her exploitation in the state of Florida. Moving and incredibly low key for Broomfield and his co-director Joan Churchill. GI'T Glasgow; Filrnhouse. Edinburgh. Amandla! (12A) eeee (Lee Hirsch. US. 2003) I()3min. Award-winning documentary Arnand/a.’ A Revolution in Four Par! Harmony tells the story of black South African freedom music and the pivotal role it played in the battle against apartheid across the decades. featuring interviews with Hugh Masekela. Abdullah lbrahim and Sibongile Khumalo. C(‘A. Glasgow. American Splendor ( 15 ) 00.00 (Shari Springer Herman/Robert Pulcini. 2003) Paul Giametti. Hope Davis. Judah Friedlander. James llrbaniak. ltllmin. ()ne of the finest independent films to come out of America in years. A eulogy to the life and times of comic strip writer Harvey Pekar. a man obsessed with the mundanity of life in Cleveland. American Splendor appals and fascinates in its invention. invective and treatment of the humble. (.'(‘A. Glasgow. Annie Hall (15) 00000 (Wixxly Allen. US. 1977) Woody Allen. Diane Keaton. Tony Roberts. 93min. Two decades before Set and the City had its first orgasm. Annie Hall was laying bare the mores of modern. urban romance to devastating effect while also zoning in on the specific psyche of Allen Konigsberg: anti-Semitic paranoia. metaphysical angst. the search for true love. There‘s a highly charged on-screen 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 ‘em like Annie Hall anymore. Edinburgh l-‘ilm Guild. Edinburgh.
‘ l. Histoire d’eaux - Bertolucci’s segment fro
Best in Show (12) em (Christopher Guest. US. 200]) Christopher Guest. Parker Posey. Michael McKean. 90min. Directed. co-written by and starring Christopher Guest (better known as Nigel Tufnel the rock guitarist whose amp goes up to l l in This is Spinal Tap). Best in Show adheres to the spoof documentary format of 721p. The largely improvised action revolves around a bunch of dog-loving oddballs who dream of their canines winning the prestigious Mayflower Dog Show. Best in Show is hilarious because it plays the humour straight. With no pause for laughter. this is comedy without the punchline. and it's definitely the better for it. (amen, Edinburgh.
Big Fish (PG) 0” (Tim Burton. US. 2003) Ewan McGregor. Albert Finney. Billy (‘rudup. Jessica Lange. Alison Lohman.
1 10min. Edward Bloom (Finney) is muchloved. but his compulsive yarn- spinning has alienated him from his journalist son Will (Crudup). whose wedding day Edward upstaged with a typically scene-stealing speech. Estranged since then. Edward and Will are reunited when the father falls ill and the son returns from Paris. together with his French wife. Josephine (Marion Cotillard) who soon falls for Edward‘s entertaining mendacity. Will. on the other hand. is determined to find the truth behind his father‘s slippery fictions. Cue gentle giants. utopian villages full of happy-shiny people. exotic circus performers. cabaret-performing conjoined twins and poetry-spouting bank robbers. Unfortunately. the film‘s big moral message is mawkish and disappointingly conventional. but Burton country is always worth venturing into for a bit. General release.
Bill Douglas Trilogytlz) 0000 (Bill Douglas. UK. 1972) 48/55/78min. This trio of films about a boy growing up in a harsh mining community represents perhaps the peak of Scottish filmmaking. Bare narrative. stark images. painful memories -- the distillation of feeling on screen is as close to poetry as cinema gets. GE]: Glasgow; I’ilrnhous‘e. Edinburgh.
Breakfast at Tiffany's (15) 0.” (Blake Edwards. US. 1961) Audrey Hepburn. George Peppard. Patricia Neal. Buddy Ebsen. Mickey Rooney. l l5min. ‘How Do I look'." asks original waif Hepburn in the role of borderline schizophrenic Holly Golightly. ‘Very good. I must say I'm amazed.‘ replies Peppard in the role of frustrated writer and part-time gigolo Paul Varjak. The iconic Hepburn has never made neurosis look so good. and while the film may have numerous redeeming features (not least the exquisite cinematography by Franz F Plane and the swinging soundtrack by Henry Mancini). it is she who remains responsible for making it such a well-loved classic adapted from the novel by Truman Capote. Grosvenor. Glasgow.
Bridget Jones’s Diary ( IS ) 0000 (Sharon Maguire. L’S/L'K. 2001) Renee Zellweger. Hugh Grant. Colin Firth. 96min.
m i’en Minutes Older: The Cello
Bridget Jones '5 Diary is that rare thing. an adaptation that vastly improves on an over- rated origina ~ in this case Helen Fielding‘s bestselling newspaper column-cum-book. Jones has a rather nice job. and looks rather nice. but worries a lot about her appearance and career. in between weighing herself and ranting about the modern male. she entangles herself with nasty boss Daniel (‘Ieaver (Grant). before taking up with nice Mark Darcy (Firth). On paper. Jones was a snivelling. neurotic wreck; on film she‘s a snivelling. neurotic wreck who also happens to be consistently hilarious. And Zellweger adds a touch of warmth to what is essentially a wholly unsympathetic. brittle character. UG(' Ren/rew Street. Glasgow:
Brief Encounter (PG) eee (David Lean. UK. 1945) (‘elia Johnson. Trevor Howard. Stanley ilolloway. 86min. Stiff upper lips and emotionally charged brushes of the hands are all that Johnson and Howard will allow themselves as their extra- marital ‘affair‘ doean develop much beyond unspoken longings at a railway station. For some. the tears will still flow; for others. the ungiving morality is exasperating. Given the rigidity of this English romance. the Rachmaninov soundtrack is unlittingiy sweet. Gl'vl: Glasgow
British Animation Awards Frog 1 (l5) (Various. L'K. 2003) 80min. A rare opportunity to see some unique and fantastic British animation while voting for your favourite work at each screening. Programme 1 features a story about a man without a nose who longs to overcome his nasal deficiency. a take on the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale. and a documentary about the irresistible lure of competitive sweet pea growing. Gl-“l; Glasgow; I’ilrnhouse. Edinburgh.
British Animation Awards Frog 2 (l5) (Various. (K. 2003) 80min. Another chance to view and vote for your favourite British Animation Awards nominee. Round Two features a film that attempts to answer the questions of how mermaids breed. an exploration of 2D and 3i) space. and a racy film about sex. religion and the weather. GFE Glasgow; I'ilrnhouse. Edinburgh. Brother Bear (l') .0 (Aaron Blaise/Robert Walker. l'S. 2003) Voices of Joaquin Phoenix. Jeremy Suarez. Jason Raize. Rick Moranis. Dave Thomas. DB Sweeney. 85min. Soppy. uninspired take on an Inuktitut legend about a bear who wants to do more than just shit in the woods. Seler‘letl release.
Bugs! 30 (if) (Mike Slee. (K. 2003) 40min. Dame Judi Dench narrates this giant screen 3D film which focUses on the life cycles of a praying mantis and a butterfly from their birth to their inevitable demise in the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia. IMAX. Glasgow.
Casablanca ( PG) .0000 (Michael (‘urtiz. US. 1942) Humphrey Bogart. lngrid Bergman. Dooley Wilson. l02min. You must remember this . . . Bogart being impossibly noble. Bergman torn between two lovers. (‘laude Rains playing both ends against the middle. devious Nazis. a fogbound airport. a piano-player tinkling that tune . . . A wonderful hill of beans. GI-"I: Glasgow. Cheaper By the Dozen (PG) 00 (Shawn Levy. US. 2003) Steve Martin. Bonnie Hunt. Piper Perabo. Tom Welling. Hilary Duf. 97min. See review page 28. General release.
Le Chignon D’Olga (15) 00.
(Jerome Bonnel. France. 2003) Hubert Benhamdine. Nathalie Boutefeu. Serge Riaboukine. Florence Loiret. Delphine Rollin. 95min. Drifting through the summer holidays in his sleepy French town. Julien (Benhamdine) hangs out with best friend Alice (Boutefeu). while yearning for ()lga (Rollin). a beautiful bookshop assistant whose hair is tied into a chignon style. At home Julien's writer Dad Gilles (Ribaoukine) is struggling with his writing. while his sister is trying to cope with her own adolescent sexual confusion. Engaging performances. evocative sense of place. a relaxed narrative drive. and an unexpectedly moving conclusion all suggest that Bonnell is a talent to watch. ( 'arneo. Edinburgh.
index Film
BAKER'S DOZEN
STER CENTURY
ON TRACK
FOOD OF LOVE
5—19 Feb 2004 THE LIST 33