Film index
City of God ( IX) .0... (I‘ernando Meirelles. Brazil. 2002) l29min. The international resurgence of Latin American cinema shows no signs of slowing down. liollowing ('enIrul Sluiion. Amorev I’erros. l' Tu .llunui 'Iimibien and Nine Queens comes an exhilarating Bra/ilian drama. ('iiv of (iod. Based on Paulo Lins's sprawling novel and spanning three decades. it's an epic account of the growth of organised drug- dealing in a sltnn housing project. the so- called (’ity of (iod in Rio de Janeiro. ('(i('. Edinburgh.
Cold Creek Manor 1 IS) 000 (Mike liiggis. l'S/(‘anadzL 2003) Dennis Quaid. Sharon Stone. Stephen I)orff. Juliette Lew is. ('hristopher I’lummer. 1 18min. l'nsuccessfully mixing the ‘home-invasion' plot of a movie like Pacific Heights with the overwrought (iothic of (ripe I-eur. this pitches the new owners of ('old ('I't'ek .llunor slick Manhattanite ('ooper (Quaid) and his career-woman wife Leah (Stone) against local bad boy I)ale (l)orff). Dale thinks the repossessed property still rightly belongs to him and his cruel. domineering father (Plummer). After a slow htiild tip it's all snakes in the beds and spooky talk. Surprising script choice for the ttsually more experimental l‘iggis but an above average psychological thriller nonetheless. (ienertil release.
Cold Mountain I IS) .000 (Anthony Minghella. l'S/Romania. 2003) Jude Law, Nicole Kidman. Renee '/.ellweger. Natalie Portman. Philip Seymour Hoffman. (iiovanni Ribisi. Brendan (ileeson. 152mm. Inman (Law). is a (‘onfederate soldier who deserts after being gravely wounded in battle and sets off on a perilous trek across the ravaged Sottth to reach his home in the North ('arolina mountains. An American ()dysseus. he goes through one trail after another. sustained by a yearning for the woman with whom he enjoyed a hesitant and chaste courtship before the war. Kidman's genteel (‘harleston belle. Ada. Btit did Jude and .\'icole get it on while filming Anthony Minghella‘s ()scar ga/ing adaptation of (‘harles I‘t'a/ier's popular novel’.’ Like who cares. (it'ltt'l‘u/ I't’ll’lIM’.
The Count of Monte Cristo (PG) 0. (Kevin Reynolds. IS. 2002) James ('avie/el. (iuy Pearce. Richard Harris.
13 I min. As swashbucklers go. Alexandre I)umas‘ yarn rollocks the socks off most. boasting high drama. romance and adventure in equal measure. The tale. which turns on a man‘s desire for revenge. concerns yotmg sailor lidmond Dantes ((‘avie/el) who is betrayed by his childhood friend liernand Mottdcgo (Pearce). There's a lot of story to get through in jtist over two hours. and it shows. Badly. The pacing of Reynolds' film is shot. To squee/e in the twists and turns of I)umas‘ plot. Reynolds gallops through the events. barely allowing his quite decent cast to perform. nor the action sequences to flourish. Edinburgh I'i/m (iuild. Edin/mrgh. Crumb ( 18) 0... (Terry '/.wigoff. IS. 1994) 1 19min. ('omic artist Robert ('rumh has remained resolutely part of the counter- culture since he started drawing in the 60s. In this fascinating and personal film. long- time friend Xwigoff tries to explain the cartoonist's disturbing output. finding a casual connection between childhood. madness and creativity. but skimming over legititnate concern at his portrayal of women. ('(‘A. (ilusgou:
Culloden ( IS) I... (Peter Watkins. (K. 1904) 73min. Watkins' first full length piece for television was an attempt to film a period conflict in the manner of a present day newsreel. and on the spot interviews blend with an impassioned and committed conunentary. Part of 5/50. five of the best 50 Scottish films ever made. (iE'II (i/uxgim'.‘ Eibnhouxe. Edinburgh.
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34 THE LIST 53—10 Feb 2004
Cyberworld 30 (P( i) (Various. l‘S. 2000) Jenna lilfman. Matt l-‘rewer. Woody Allen. JJmin. Jenna lilfman is the cyber- host who introduces its to various unrelated segments of cyber animation. The Simmons and Anlz. make 31) appearances in a spectacular display of today's most impressive graphic technology. IJIAX. (i/uvgon:
Dogville ( t5) 0.... (Lars \‘on Trier. I)enmark/Sweden/lirance/Norway/ Netherlands/IiinIand/(lermany/Italy/Japan/l' S/I'K. 2002) Nicole Kidman. llarriet Andersson. Lauren Bacall. Jean-Marc Barr. Paul Bettany. l78min. See think piece page 28. and review page 29. (ii-“II (ilusgon‘.
The Dreamers ( I3) 0000 (Bernardo Bertolucci. l'K/I"rance/ltaly. 2003) Michael Pitt. Louis (iarrel. liva (ireen. Robin chucci. Anna (‘hancellor I 15min. See review page 28. Se/et'led release.
8 Women ( 15) C... (l-‘rancois ()lml. France. 200]) 103mm. A classy cast of French divas including (‘atherine I)eneuve and Isabelle lluppert find themselves embroiled in a murder mystery in the French countryside. Which of these glamorous women is guilty'.’ Part musical. part whodunnit with plenty of bitchiness. wit and lavish linery. Edinburgh Eilm (iuild. Edinlmrgh.
Elephant I IS) 0... ((ius Van Sant. LS. 2003) Alex lirost. Iiric Deulen. John Robinson. lilias Mc(‘onnell. Jordan 'l'aylor. Slmin. Quiet. intelligent. non judgemental pseudo reconstruction of the evettts that could ha\e led tip to a ('olumbine style school massacre. Van Sant tises real students to play the parts of the kids as slowly he reveals different parts of the day through various points of view. A major work. this is a fascinating experiment in the heart of the LS indie scene. Seleeied I't'l('(l.\.('.
Elf (PG) “0 (Jon l-‘avreau. LS. 2003) Will Ferrell. James (‘aan. Iidward Asner. 96min. Buddy (Ferrell) is a big lilf who. though accepted in his Iilvish community in the North Pole. manages to wreak havoc on a daily basis. l-‘ed tip and confused by his charge. Papa Iilf (Bob Newhart) sends him to the IS in search of his true identity. Hilarious and puerile Yuletide comedy from the star of Swingers. Showcase ('inemu.
( 'ouIbridge.’ Showcase ( 'inemu. I’uis/ev. I’uis/ev.
The Emperor‘s New Clothes (PG) 0.. (Alan Taylor. l'K/ltaIy/(iermany. 2001) Ian Ilolm. Iben lljejle. Tim Mclnnerny. Nigel Terry. llugh Bonneville. 107mm. Based on the novel The Death of .'\'upoleon by Simon I.eys. this whimsical
low budget fantasy re-imagines Napoleon on the run from St Helena in the guise of a pauper. llolm is great in the dual role (Napoleon puts a real pauper look-a-like in his place on the island). veering from impotent megalomania to exhausted acceptance of the fact that the sands of time can bring even the mightiest of tnen to their knees. ('(K. Rt’nfri'u‘ SIN'CI. (i/usgim‘.’ ('(K'. Edinlmrgh.
The End of Summer (l‘) 0”. (Yasujiro ()zu. Japan. I961 ) Yoko Tsukasa. Setsttko llara. (ianjiro Nakamura. l02min. ()Iu's penultimate film focuses on the extended Kohayagawa family in post-war Japan. They are planning for the youngest daughter .\'oriko (Tstikasa) to enter into an arranged marriage. and for their widowed daughter-in-law Akiko (llara) to find a suitable new husband. A health scare for the head of the clan. Manbei (Nakamura). results in everyone gathering round the old man's bed. Beautifully shot in colour. The End o/‘Summer acknowledges both the passing of a traditional way of life and the inevitability of death. yet it's also filled with generous qualities of warmth and humour. Part of a small Yasujiro ()lll season. l-‘ibnhouse. Edinburgh.
Farewell my Concubine ( IS) 0.” ((‘hen Kaige. (‘hina. I993) (iong Li. Leslie (‘heung. [hang I‘engyi. ISontin. The story of two Peking ()pera actors and the woman who comes between them provides an intimately detailed story which is set to a constantly shifting backdrop of ('hinese politics during the 20th century. The opera setting provides colour and spectacle. and questions how far a man will go for his art: the historical episodes give this Palme d'()r- winning film the flavour of a genuine epic. Part of a (‘hen Kaige season. Film/rouse. Edinburgh.
Fifteen (Shiwu) ( 18) .0. tRoystott Tan. Singapore. 2003) Melvin (‘hen. Shaun Tan. 90min. Director Royston Tan informs us at the beginning of his movie that he set out to make a film about teenage boys in Singapore. btit in the process reconciled himself ‘with a pan of myself that was forgotten'. Though there's maybe more cleverness in the technique than required. the director zeroes in on the casual boredom of teen existence where piercing. tattooing and measuring dick size pass for a life. Part of lilectric Shadows ('hinese Film Festival. (i171. Glasgow.
Fight Club (18) C”. (David Iiincher. l'S. I999) Brad Pitt. lid Norton. Ilelena Bonham Carter. 135mm. Masculinity is in a mess and consumerism is to blame. Men have become docile spectators of life according to Fight ('lub. I‘incher's
'. wail v i" It’s All About Lov
and weird special effects
controversial adaptation of (‘huck Palahniuk‘s novel. In reckless response to this late 20th century malaise. Norton‘s compliant spectator teams up with Pitt's mischievous Tyler Durden to form an arena for men to beat each other to a pulp and thus reconnect with the world. It’s hit and miss. but enough of the punches connect to startle even the most meek of viewers. (.'(}(' Renfretv Street. Glasgow:
Finding Home (l') 0... (Andrew Stanton/Lee l'nkrich. IS. 2003) Voices of Albert Brooks. Ellen DeGeneres. Alexander (iould. Willem I)afoe. Brad Garrett. Allison Janney. 100mm. Pixar‘s latest now that it is free from the umbrella of Disney is the delightful tale of a little fish and his daddy's attempts to find him when he gets scooped out of the water by a human. Clever. funny and better than The Little .llermuid (just). ()deon. Edinburgh.
Floating Weeds (PG) .00.
(Yasujiro ()zu. Japan. I959) (ianjiro Nakamura. Machiko Kyo. Ayako Wakao. lliroshi Kawaguchi. llaruko Sugimura.
1 19min. In a sleepy seaside village in southern Japan. a group of travelling players arrive one sultry summer. The troupe's leader Komajuro (Nakamura) soon looks up his former flame ()yoshi (Sugimura). Out of jealousy. Komajuro's current mistress and leading lady Sumiko (Ky-o) instructs a young actress Kayo (Ayako Wako) to seduce Kiyoshi. Richly atmospheric late period ()zu that illustrates the filmmaker‘s accomplished visual artistry. Floating ll'eeds deftly shifts from the comic to the melancholic. ever respectful of the transience of human lives. the film treats its beleaguered characters with notable generosity. Pan of a small Yasujiro ()zu season. Film/louse. Edinburgh.
Four Weddings and a Funeral (IS) «0 (Mike Newell. I'K. 1993) Hugh (irant. Andie MacDowell. Kristin Scott Thomas. 1 17min. Sweet btit stuffy Iinglishman (‘harlie (Grant) is convinced that he is not the marrying sort. btit when he keeps meeting the alluring American (‘arrie (MacDowell) at an assortment of church ceremonies. he begins to doubt his resolve. The sort of charming British comedy that was destined to storm America. but which adds a little grit to the glamour of the pretty settings thanks to Richard (Bluekudder2) (‘urtis‘ script. ( '(i(‘ Renji'ew Street. Glasgow:
Freaky Friday (PG) .0 (Mark S Waters. LS. 2003) Jamie Lee Curtis. Lindsay Lohan. Mark llarmon. Harold (iould. Chad Michael Murray. 97min. (‘ontrol freak mtnn l)r Tess (‘oleman (Curtis) and her l5-year-old daughter Anna