Film index
Berlin: Symphony of a Great City (thci (Walter Ruttman. Germany. 1927) 77min. A heatitifully haunting docunrentary celeht‘ating the rhythm of life oy er a one— day period in 1927 Berlin. Studying across section of the populace that inhahit this lively city. the film eoti\'ey‘.s an appreciation of the joys and atmosphere of city life. Edinburgh I'ilm (inf/(I. Edinburgh.
Big Fish (l’(ii .0. (Tim Burton. l'S. 3003i iiwan Mc(iregor. Alhert l-‘inney. Billy (‘rudup. Jessica l.ange. Alison l.oliman.
l |()min. lidward Bloom (I-‘inneyi is much lmed. htit his compulsiy‘e yarn—spinning has alienated him from his journalist son \Vill ((‘rudupi. whose wedding day lidward upstaged with a typically scene-stealing speech. listranged since then. lidward and “iii are retrnited when the father falls ill arid the son returns from Paris. together with his l-‘rench wife. Josephitre (Marion (‘otillardi who soott falls for lidward's entertaining tnendacity. “ill. on the other hand. is determined to find the truth hehind his father‘s slippery fictions. (‘ue gentle giants. titopiari Villages ftill of happy-shiny People. exotic cit‘ctis performers. caharet- performing conjoined twins and poetry- spouting hank rohhers. l'nfortunately. the film's hig moral message is mawkish and disappointingly comentional. htit Burton country is always worth \‘enturing itito for a hit. (ii'ltr'ru/ release.
The Big Lebowski ( Ixi O... (‘oen. [-5. l‘)‘)7l Jeff Bridges. Joliti (ioodman. Stey'e Buscemi. l l3min. The ('oen hrothers giy‘e their trttiqtte twist to a ('handler-esque l.A noir. as 7()s hippy thrtwyhack Jeff 'thc Dude' l.chow ski (Bridges) is drawn irtto the sordid affairs of his millionaire namesake. Suddenly he has to sleuth his way through disorganised crime. 'I‘rademark oddhall characters. surreal imagery and excellent performances grace this Virtuoso comedy. (Mm/r. lat/iit/mrelr.
Black and White ( ISi O. ((‘raig l.ahiff. Atistt'alia/l'K. 2003i Rohcrt (’at'ly le. (‘harles Dance. Kerry l-‘ox. ('olin i't'iels. David Ngoomhujarra. 99min. lt'ish- .-\ustralian lawyer Dayid ()‘Sulliyan ((‘at'ly'lei is appointed by the court to defend an Ahorigine named Max Stuart tNgoomhujarrai who has hecir arrested for. and confessed to. raping ai.d murdering a nine-year-old white girl outside the desert town of ('eduna and thinks it is an open and shtit case. But when ()‘Sulliyan discoy'ers the police heat a false confession otit of Stuart. the ease hecomes a crusade for justice that takes the lawyer to the highest court on the land. The dramatisation of this significant moment in Australian legal history henefrts from strong casting htit little else. lts lutnpen pace arid unsurprising twists rey’eal it as little more than a worthy teley ision ttio\ ie. (’(Il (i/uy’gmi‘.
Blind Shaft ( [Si C... (Li Yang. liong Kong/(iet'ttiany. 2003i Qiang |.i. Baoqiang Wang. Shuanghao Wang. Jing Ai. Xhenjiang Bao. Strtr Wei. 92min. Dark and hrilliant thriller set around the coal faces of Northern ('hina. Tang and Song are a
(Joel
FTH
Falkirk Town Hall
Wed 70th Mystic River (15) 7:30pm Wed 77th
Lost In Translation (15) 7 & 7:30pm
Thurs 78th Cold Mountain (15) CUPPA at (0:30 for I 7.00ch
7:30pm
Tickets and further information from The Steeple Box office
(Tel: 01324 506850)
or on the day from the hall
34 THE LIST 19 Hit; -'. Mar 901).:
couple of con men who hay e got their sting
down to a fine art. until greed gets the hetter
of thetn. l'i/nrliutisr’. Edinburgh.
The Boy who Plays on the Buddhas of Bamiyan (Poi (Phil (it'ahsky. Britain. 2(i()3i 05min. Following the 'l‘alihan‘s destruction of the Buddhas iii :00]. 350 refugees fled to Bamiy_an's cay e and set ahotrt rehuilding the treasures. As documented itr (irahsky ‘s film. (TI-l. (iluwmi .‘ I'i/in/muw. Ifrli/i/riirg/r.
Broken Wings ( ISr O. (Nir Bergman. Israel. loot i ()rly Silhersat/ Banai. .Maya Maron. Nitai (iayirat/. Shunt. 'lcenagct' Maya is caught hetween making a go of heconring the singer-songw titer of a rock hand and helping her mother raise her young hrothcr and sister. Mother Dafna spends her trrne working nights or sleeping. Brother Yan' is otrt of school suffering art existential crisis. Of course. the fatnin memhers are all. in their own way s. ayoitliltg dealing with their grief. Arid w hilc they 're doing that. they keep themselyes husy making each another unhappy. Maya resents her mother for not getting oy er her father. Daftra is not at all suppot'tiye of her daughter‘s musical talent arid Yair w rites cycryone oil as a speck of dust. So. the family nroon ahotit. unahle to do anything with their ll\es. ('heery lst'aeli kttchcti siiik drama. I'i/in/rnuu’. Ink/in/ttu'ulr.
The Bridgeman (then i( ie/a Beremeny i. llutigary. Soul) l45tnin. Set against the hackground of the llashut‘g monarchy during the nnd—lSUHs. this is the true story of Hungarian aristocrat (’otint lst\an S/echenyi w ho ruins his military career hy seducing his ht‘othcr's wife. (ii/Illitl'i'III/l(i/:. (i/uxgmt.
Brother Bear ( t 'i 00 (Aaron Blaise/Rohet't \Valket'. l'S. 21MB! Voices of Joaquin Phoenix. Jeremy Stiat‘el. Jason Rat/e. Rick Moranis. Dayc Thomas. DB Sweeney. 85min. Soppy. uninspired take on an lnuktrttrt legend ahotit a hear who wants to do more than rust shit in the woods. S/rmu'uu' (Ali/It'lilil. ’rny/m. I’uiylr'y'; Slr'r (kn/tin. lat/iit/mrg/r.
Bugs! 30 if) (Mike Slce. l'K. 2003i .ltimin. Dame Jtidi Derich narrates this giant screen 3D film which focuses on the life cycles of a praying mantis attd a hutterfly from their hrrth to their ine\ itahle demise iii the tropical rarirl'or‘csts of Southeast Asia. /.ll.'i.\'. (i/ihQrHt.
Calendar Girls t I2.-\r 0.. (Nigel (‘olc. l'K. limit llclcti Mirr'en. Julie \Vallci's. ('clia linric. lUSmin. 'l‘hts feclgood comedy drama is hascd on the true story of a group of horcd middle-aged women from
Leo: predictable two-story drama linked by, er, James Joyce
a small Yorkshire \ illage who all posed nude for a Women's institute calendar in 190‘) in order to raise funds for the local hospital. ('ri/r'irrlur (ifI'/.\ is the sexed-up \ersion of ey ents that happened in the Dales. ('ole. who had prey iously dahhled with middle-aged women saga iii Sin-tire (irm'c. once again proyes he's adept with this material. particularly when he centres the film on the relationships that (‘hris (Mirreni has with her family atrd hest friend. widower Annie i\\'a|ter‘si. (him/r A! The (Jinn. (i/mgmi:
Chaos and Desire ( tSi (Manon Bi‘iaird. (‘anada. Zlilili l’ascale Btissieres. Julie (iayct. (ieney icyc Btrrold. 115mm. A seismologisr who works in 'l’okyo ls \Clll hack to her honrc town in ()uehec w here she is reunited with old friends arid makes some new acqainlcnces. (il‘l. (i/iiygmi. Cheaper By the Dozen mm .0 (Shaer l.e\y. (S. 20in Stey e Martin. Bonnie Hunt. l’ipet' l’eraho. 'l‘om Welling. llilary Duf. 07min. Tom Baker (Martini is a foothail coach who finds himself nroy ing to a hig-name ioh in ('hicago while trying to keep his huge fatnin under control when his author wife Kate (Bonnie llunti has to go on an unexpected hook totrr. Another dull. harassed dad comedy from Martin. remade from a MS” (’Iilton \\'ehh \chicle. (i(’ll('l'(l/ I‘i'ii’rlsr’.
Chocolat ( lli C. (l.assc llallstroitt. l'S. 300i i Juliette Binoclte. Johnny Dcpp. Judi Dench. lllmin. Adapted from Joanne llari'is's tio\ el. ('lrm'n/in unfolds 'once upon a time' in a tranquil i‘t‘ench \ illage w here sexy unwed single mother Vianne (Binochei opens up a chocolaterie during l.ent. ller tnagical confections are soon haying a lihcrating effect on yarious locals. though her actions incur the wrath of the reigning count (Alfred Molinai. who fears that the traditional order may he irt‘eyocahly damaged. l'nfortunately. llallstrom's ('I’lrr' (ii/er Iluuyr' It’ll/mi l'eclgood fairytale relies on its calctilatedly costtropolitan cast arid glossy production \alttes to disguise ils lack of suhstancc. ()(li’UII. I‘.i/fiI/)lll'L’/I.
Cocteau Cineaste tl'i (Saltdt'ine 'l‘rciner and l-t‘ancois ('hay ei 53min. Sandrine 'l‘rciner and l‘rancois (‘haye's documentary on the poet turned film producer Jean (’octcau. Ins/tin! l-i'uiir‘uit r/‘Ift‘nxyt'. Ifi/ili/Iui'u/l.
Cold Mountain ( lSi .00. (Anthony Mingltella. l'S/Romania. 2003i Jttde l.aw. Nicole Kidman. Renee '/.ellw egcr. Natalie l’ortman. Philip Seymour Hoffman. (iioyatttti Rihisi. Brendan (ileesorr.
l53min. lrrrnan (l.aw i. is a ('onlcderate
soldier who deserts after heing gravely wotrndcd in hattle and sets off on a perilous trek across the ravaged Sotrth to reach his home in the North ('arolina mountains. An .-\tnerican ()dysscus. he goes through one trail after another. sustained hy a yearning for Kidman's genteel ('harleston helle. Ada. with whom he enjoyed a hesitant and chaste courtship hefore the war. But did Jtide and Nicole get it on while filming Anthony Minghella’s ()scar ga/ing adaptation of (‘harles I't'a/ier's popular noyel'.’ like who cares. (ir’Hi'I‘il/ release.
Colonel Redl ( l5i (lsty'an Syaho. Ilungary'/(iermany/Atrstria. 1084i Klaus .Maria Brandauer. Hans-('hristian Blecli. Armin Muller-Stahl. l-Wmin. A ritatt from a poor hackground rises through the ranks of the llapshurg limpire's army. hut is treated as an outsider and persecutes himself for his class. his Jew ishness and his homosexuality. Brandauer"s towering performance is set iii the midst of some wonderful Visuals. (ii/nmre/ri/IUII. (iluxerm;
Crazy English (l’(ii 00.. (Zhang Yuan. (‘hina. l‘i‘Wi 92min. A jaw -dropping documentary ahotrt l.i Yang. who attempts to increase (’hittese trade arid export (‘hincse culture to the tnain world markets hy teaching linglish to large auditorium groups. Yang's motiyational rallies may have you thinking of loll] (‘ruise in .llugiruliu. hut his success is tnore connected to (’hina's open arms approach to new enterprise culture. Hilarious and a hit scary. ('( 3‘. Glasgow;
The Cremaster Cycle: Part Five (IS) 00000 (Matthew Barney. ISA. 1997) l'rsula Andress. Matthew Barney. Joantre Rita. Norman Mailer. Susan Rha. Amy ('hiang. Atrd so it hegins (the wrong way around naturally i: .-\merican artist Matthew Barney 's films haye taken a long tiriie to come to Scotland. htrt if you like your cinetna sery'ed w ith a slice of ttradness attd lashings of ayant garde stylisation then this is for you. These films are hased on a certain testicular mttscle thence the title) and in the course of these lilitts it hecomes quite clear that it is the particular muscle that helped produce little hahy Bjork. like it really matters. but gittsl for the record ('i'i'musler 5 is a tragic loy'c story set iii 19th century Budapest on a campin operatic set. 'l‘ruly honkers htit unforgettahle. (’(IA. Glasgow;
The Cremaster Cycle: Part Four
( 15) .0.” (Matthew Barney. l'S. NUS) Matthew Barney. 42min. ('n'nruslr'r 4 allegedly offers tip the hegintring of Matthew Barney’s hi/arre and hrilliant ayant garde series of films. It has hy far the most linear and easy to follow time litre as it inyestigates the union hetween mythology and technology. (TA. (i/iHL’rm;
The Cremaster Cycle: Part One
( l5) 0.. (Matthew Barney. 1S. 1900: Marti Doriiination. (iemma Bourdon Smith. Kathleen ('repeau. Nina Kotoy. Jessica Sherwood. 42min. (‘ri’ntusrr'r / gets right to the tritty gritty of reproduction. Despite heitrg a pery erse take on the I‘Blis‘ Btrshy Berkeley -style musical it in\ estigates themes of hirtlr atrd fertility. Barney's demented \ iew of the world is acttrally a lot of friii especially if Warhol. (ireenaway. Mekas. Snow or Braklrage are atnong your heroes. And let‘s face it. the) should he.
('( ‘xl. Glasgow;
The Cremaster Cycle: Part No
( l5) 0... (Matthew Barney. ISA. 1900) Norman Mailer. Matthew Barney. .-\rronymous. l.atrren l’ine. 70min. ('ri’niirylr’r 3 is a golhic western that sortiehow links murderer (iary (iilnrorc and writer Norman Mailer. If you care. these films are actually all ahotit the creation of America arid its many historic renegades and characters. ('( ‘A. (i/irsenw. Cyberworld 3D (l’(ii (Various. (S. 200th Jenna lilfman. .Matt l‘i‘ew er. Woody Allen. 44min. Jenna lilfrnan is the cyhcr- host who introduces us to \at'ious unrelated ‘Cts'lm‘nh of c) her animation. The Sim/nuns and Ant; make 3D appearances in a spectacular display of today 's most impressiye graphic technology. IJIAX.
(ifily QUH'.