DRAMA CARNAGES (15) 130min 000
Complicated as calculus
What might a young Spanish matador. a five-year-old girl with epilepsy. a schoolteacher. a struggling Italian actress. a hospital researcher, his pregnant wife, an amateur taxidermist and a suicidal philosopher-turned ice-skater have in common? In Delphine Glei/e's highly acclaimed debut. the destinies of these obscure characters become entangled in a complicated web after each receives
a part of a bull slaughtered in the ring.
An initially engaging storyline unravels through a series of seemingly unrelated subplots. but grows tiresome as the characters” relations and bizarre secrets become as complex as differential calculus equations and less likely than a lottery win — quick. grab the Aspirin. the headache continues. With an overabundance of metaphoric symbols built on the 'carnage' theme. it's virtually impossible to conquer the plot without wanting to down the whole bottle of pills.
The excessive storyline is redeemed. however. by the brilliant visual energy of GIei/e's camera direction and an enchanting musical score. Maybe not for everyone. but those drawn to psycho-masochism are almost sure to adore it.
(Emily Jones) I UGC Glasgow from Fri IS) Mar.
ACTION COMEDY WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE (12A) 104min 00
Don’t go there
In an exhilarating Bondesque opening. The Rock single handedly dismantles an American Football team after having been told to ‘have fun' by Arnold Schwarzeneger. No doubt it was a moment that executive producer Vince McMahon hoped would signal the passing of the action hero mantle from the Californian governor to his WWF prodigy. Despite the hope given in the opening
salvo. it doesn't.
The Rock plays an action hero who refuses to use guns in a similar way that Arnie refused to kill in 72. Mr Muscles is sent to the Brazilian jungle to bring home Sean William Scott. who's on an Indiana Jones ster mission to find an artefact. before a typecast Christopher Walken playing. surprisesurprise. an evil exploiter.
can get his grubby mutts on the treasure.
The Rock and Scott play an unconventional buddy team that has a similar dynamic to Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin in Midnight Run. but without the acting ability or comic touch. A group of animatronic masturbating monkeys show more comedic tinting than Scott and. as for The Rock. the kindest thing to say about his acting is that he's no De Niro. Welcome to another run of the mill
action movie. (Kaleem Aftab) I General release from Fri 75) Mar.
index Film
Films screening this fortnight are listed below with certificate, star rating, credits, brief review and venue details. Film index
compiled by Paul Dale
O Accattone I IS) ll’ier l’ttlllt) l’asolini. Italy. l‘)ol I l‘ranco (‘itti. l-‘ranca l’asut. Roberto Scaringella. Adriana Asti. l20inin. Iiarly I’asolini. set in the slea/y underworld of Ronie. where ('itti's Accattone struggles with the dilemma of poorly paid work or art easier life of crime. Intelligent and subtle exploration of a world the director knew all too well. l’ilmlmusc. lat/inhiire/i.
Against the Ropes (13A) 0
(Charles l)utton. IS 200-“ Meg Ryan. ()mar lipps. (’harles l)utton. I I ltnin. See review. .St’lt't‘lt’t/ I't'lt’th'.
Agent Cody Banks I 12A) 0
tllarald Zw‘art. l'S. 2003) Frankie Muniz. Hilary Duff. Angie Harmon. Keith David. (‘ynthia Stevenson. Ian McShane. Martin Donovan. 102mm. A shy but stnart teenager. Baitks (Muni/I has unwittitigly been trained at
HAIR, BEAR. FLAREEE
summer camp with secret agent skills. When ’4: . noted physics professor Dr ('onnors (Martin -'
Donovan) is kidnapped. it is Banks that the
('lA turns to for help. The girl-shy super-spy
homes in on his target. while enduring an
uneasy relationship with femme fatale Rottica Ream. y: {we Miles (Harman). A crass dumbing down ol a ‘ ' ' laughable genre. Agent ( 'mlv Banks forces
Muni/ to make the jump from highly-Iikeahle moppet on .lIu/t‘olm in the Middle to deeply annoying teen star. lle's aided and abetted by take-the-money-and-gurn performances from Ian McShane and Donovan. while he jumps through lousy blue screen hoops to reach the inevitable ending. .S'lt'r (’t'nturv. Iz‘tlirtlttirgli. Agent Cody Baks 2: Destination London (PG) 0 (Kevin Allen. [S 2004) Frankie Munit. Anthony Anderson. Ilannah Spearritt. 100mm. See review. (it'ltt'm/ I't’ll'th'.
Along Came Polly ( 12A) 00 (John Hamburg. l'S. 2004) Ben Stiller. Jennifer Aniston. Philip Seymour Hoffman. Debra Messing. Alec Baldwin. 90min. l‘orniulaic rom com with Stiller more or less recreating his role lll .llet'l Illl' Parents. A couple of kooky. mismatched midlife muck tips go through a whirlwind of romance and separation. Attracted to one another. they subsequently wind each other tip. split. but ultitnately make up and out. Alec Baldwin steals the show in a catneo as Stiller's lewd. crttde boss while Aniston does the dour post grunge student routine all over again. (iv/feral release. Alphaville I lit 0... (Jean-late (iodard. France. 1965) liddie (’onstantinc. Anna Karina. Howard Vernon. 93min. linjoy able mid-o0s (iodard caper which turns contemporary l’aris into Alpha ()0. a chilly city of the future from which such concepts as love and tenderness have been banned. linter ('onstantine's gi'i/Iled gumshoe Lemmy (‘aution and we're set for art extended and highly idiosyncratic homage to comic strip heroism. (fl-“l. (i/uxgmc
American Splendor I IS) coo” (Shari Springer Berman/Rolx'rt l’ulcini. IS. 2003) Paul (iiametti. llope Day is. Judah I-‘riedlander. James l'rbaniak. 10lmin. ()ne of the finest independent lilms to come otit of America in years. A eulogy to the life and times of comic strip writer Harv ey l’ekar. a man obsessed with the tnundanity of life in ('leveland. .-lnm'itmt Splendor appals and fascinates in its invention. invective and treatment of the humble. (ti/lieu. Iii/inhiirglt.
Archith (tbcI ((ierard Mordillat. l’rance. I995) Joinin. Adaptation of Robert l’inget's play in which a king and his minister wander aimlessly. switching roles and posing each other absurd questions. I/istilut I'runmis (I‘l'a‘rtvu'. Edinburgh.
The Barbarian Invasions I I8) 0.. (Deny s Arcand. ('anada/l‘rance. 2003i Remy (iit'ttt'tl. Stephane Rousseau. I)orothec Berryman. 90min. l-"iftysotncthing academic and sell-styled ‘sensual socialist' Remy ((iirardI lies dying of cancer in an overcrowded Montreal hospital. At his bedside are his ex-wife. his estranged son Sebastien i ? }
STER CENTURY
CINEMAS
18 Mar 1 Apt 2004 THE LIST 31