Film index
Down with Love ( 12m 000
(Peyton Reed. ['S. 2003) Renee Zellweger. liwan Mc(iregor. Sarah Paulson. David Hyde Pierce. l()lmin. Very likeable pastiche on the old Doris Day/Rock Hudson romantic comedies. Barbara .\'oy'ak (Zellwegeri has written a book that instructs all women to give tip on love and treat men the same way they treat women. (‘atcher Block (Mc(iregori is a supercool star journalist who wants to get the real story on Noy‘ak, but he gets a whole lot more than he bargained for. This is not half as cleyer as llay'nes' Far From Heaven but it does look a treat and contains a few nice iii-jokes. Things moye along at a fair clip as well. which is always a good thing. Above all. though. the art. set and production designers deserve ey'ery award going. (Mean A! The Quay: (i/uygmi:
Enlightenment Guaranteed (Erleuchtung Garantiert) ( Ixi (l)ot‘ls Dorrie. (iermany. 1999i IUSmin. In this freewheeling comedy two brothers a kitchen salesman and a l-‘eng Shui consultant escape the stress of the workplace by taking a trip to Japan to chill iii a Buddhist monastery. But their night on the town in Tokyo pt'oy‘es to be a more reliable tonic for their problems. Part of the (ierman Film Festival. (hie/lie Instinct. (i/uxgmr.
Fear X ( 12A) 0.. (Nicolas Winding Refit. ('anada/l)enmark/l'K/Bra/il. 3004) John 'l'urturro. Deborah l'nger. James Remar. ()lmin. The seemingly pointless murder of the w ifc of Harry (’ain ('l'urturroi in a Wisconsin mall is the setting for Refn's first foray into linglish language filmmakiiig. a screenwriting collaboration with noy‘elist llubert Selby Jr. It is exhilarating stuff (though marred by a weak second half) as Harry literally driy‘es himself nuts trying to work out why his wife was killed. and in the process perhaps make a little sense of the world he inhabits. As with the Danish director's earlier efforts. the electric l’uslier and Dealer. l-eur X essays‘ the psychology and social circumstance behind crime rather than its \‘iolent external expression. ('(i(‘ Rentrew Street. (I/(lygun'.
Feel Like Going Home (H (Martin Scorsese. l'S. 3003i lltlmin. Part of a series of documentary films made by famous international filmmakers about world roots music. Feel like (inf/1e Home features the music royalty of Willie King. 'l‘aj Malial. Son llouse. Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker and bluesman (‘orey Harris all paying homage to the Delta blues. Scorcese travels through Mississippi and West Africa where he examines the roots of the music with new performances and rare archiy‘al footage. (amen. [xi/in/nu'eli.
50 First Dates ( 12m .0 (Peter Segal. l'S. 2004) Adam Sandler. Drew Barrymore. Rob Schneider. Sean .-\stin. l.usia Strus. Dan .-\y'kroy-d. ‘Nmin. ('harmless reunion of Sandler and Barrymore. the duo were so appealing in The Bet/dine Singer but this take on Pirandello‘s linri'eo Il' fails to recapture past glories. See rey'iew. page 25.(ienerul release.
Flower of the Arabian Nights (II fiore delle Mille e una Notte) (18) (Pier Paolo Pasolini. ltaly/l-‘iance. l‘l7-ll Ninetto Day'oli. l-"ranco ('itti. 'I‘essa ('ouche. 153mm. Inspired by the ancient erotic and mysterious tales of the Middle liast. Pasolini's profound and liberating film is linked together by a series of tales dedicated to the multiplicity of truth. lixpect stories of love. betrayal. loss, demons. slaves and kings. Part of the Pasolini season. (ii-"II Glasgow;
0 The Fog of War (Mb 0.00. (lirrol Morris. l'SA. 2003i l()(imin. Assembled from archiyal footage and some 2() hours of onc-on-one intery iews with Robert McNamara. the former secretary of defence in the Kennedy and Nixon administrations. Morris' compelling documentary presents McNamara's own perspective of his iny‘oly'ement in epochal ey'ents such as World War H. the ('uban missile crisis and the Vietnam war. Morris the questioner stays off-screen. and doesn't
28 THE LIST 1-1:") Apt POO-2
call on other witnesses. as we watch this still pugnacious 85-year-old recollect the decisions be made which shaped world history. With this frightening and fascinating glimpse into the life of the man who is possibly Donald Rumsficld's greatest influence. Morris yet again proyes that he is the most \ ital and important documentary feature filmmaker working in the [S today. See feature. page l4 and rcy‘iew. page 2-1.]“i/mliuuse. lull/'n/nu'eli. The 400 Blows (Les quatre cents coups) (f’( ii 000.. (l’raneois 'l‘rtiffatil. l‘rance. 1959i Jean-Pierre l.eaud. Albert Remy. ('Iaire Maurier. ltllmin. Still ama/ingly fresh after all these years. 'l‘ruffaut's debut about a l3-year-old Parisian boy'\ odyssey through his depressing family life is intensely (nosing and startineg perceptiye about childhood. Time has reyealed this to be a masterpiece. (il'uli (flux gnu:
Fourth Floor (Planta Cuarta) ( lSi (Antonio Mercero. Spain. 2003) Juan Jose Ballcsta. l,uis Angel Priego. (iorka Moreno. lfitlmin. A group of w hcelchair-bound adolescent cancer patients from the foutth floor ward (hence the translated title) striye to carry out their normal teen liyes and maintain their humour against their own fears and restrictiye rules of the hospital. Winner of the Audience Pri/e at the Montreal l'iilltl l'iesliyal. (il'uli (i/(lyguu': Film/muse. lzilinlmreh.
Freaky Friday (l’(ii 0. (Mark S Waters. l'S. 3003i Jamie Lee ('urtis. Lindsay l.ohan. .Mark Harmon. llarold (iould. ("had Michael Murray. 07min. ('ontrol freak mum Dr 'l‘ess ('oleman ((‘urtisi and her 15-year-old daughter .-\nna (l.ohani are not getting along. 'l'hey don't see ey'c-to-ey e on clothes. hair. music. and certainly not in each other's taste in men. Then an old ('hinese lady eattses a little mystic mayhem. and they are both forced to spend a couple of days in each others bodies. So so \ei'sioti of the much loy ed Jodie Foster Disney vehicle from 1070. Mildly diycrting. and as Usual ('urtis giyes it her all. (ii'nsi'enm: (i/uygmr.
Game Over: Kasparov and the Machine (l’(ii (Vikram Jayanti. (‘anada/l'K. 3003) 00min. (iarry Kasparoy is arguably the greatest chess player w ho‘s ey er by ed. and this is the story of the es ents surrounding the 1007 match he lost against ll3.\l's L‘otttpltlet' Deep Blue. The psychological perspectiyes. paranoia. accusations. and defences surrounding the ancient game are explored through
intery iews with Kasparoy. his manager. chess experts and members of the IBM Deep Blue team. Because many saw the loss as a blow against humanity. the film insightfully ponders man's relationship
McCarthy and Keenan begin the evil cradling in Blind Flight
with. and supremacy oy er. machines. film/muse. Ifi/iil/nu'g/i.
Gattaca ( l5) ..... (Andrew .\'iccoI. l'S. 1097i lithan llawke. l‘ma 'l'hurman. Jude l.aw. Hlomin. hi the future. discrimination isn't based on the colour of a man's skin. but his genetic make-up. ‘.\'aturally' born \‘incent (llaw kei forms a pact w ith crippled Jerome (l.aw i to use his genetic identity in an attempt to become an astronaut. The photography is washed by coloured filters and the retro-future design is as distinctiy‘c as Blade Runner. Bold ideas dcyelop at their own pace and. despite the intrusiye ‘llollywood‘ moments. (iii/tum emerges as a true indiy idtial in an industry of clones. I'i/m/iuuse. l'ftli'ii/iiu'u/i.
Ghosts of the Abyss 30 (Pm (James ('ameron. l'S. 2()()—1i 59min. Documentary in which master storyteller James (’ameron leads an expedition back to the site of his greatest inspiration the w reck of the legendary 'l‘itanic where nearly 1500 people lost their liyes oy er a century ago. l'sing state—of-the-ai't technology dcy elopcd specifically for the film. ('ameron and his team are able to explore the wreckage and bring it to screen in .‘yD. The audience is able to experience an archaeological diye as if they were right in the disc ships or ey en as the crew Ul) years ago. I.U.'l.\'. (i/(iyumi. Girl with a Pearl Earring ( (Mi
.0 (Peter Webbcr. l'K/l ,uxembourg. 2003i Scarlett Johansson. ('olin l-‘irth. Tom Wilkinson. Judy Parfitt. (‘illian Murphy. 05min. Adapted from the book by Tracy ('hcyalicr. Webber's sumptuoust upholstered film deals with the story behind the creation of \‘ermeer‘s f’aiiious Painting. Marred by miscasting and an o\ erly literal approach to the cinematography. this is a major disappointment: a fascinating story has been rendered into a dull. sy rup-thick tale of his e and peasantry. ('(EL (i/usgmi .' Dominion. Iii/(ii/iure/i.
Gospel According to St Mathew (lit (Pier Paolo Pasolini. ltaly/l‘rancc. 1004i linrique lra/oqui. Margherita (’arusa. Stisanna Pasolini. 137mm. Simple tale of an oy ertly political messiah driyen by righteous anger at social injustice. This new print highlights the mary ellotts camera work all backed tip by an imaginatiye score featuring anything from Bach lo Billie Holiday. Part of the Pasolini season. (177/: (i/uwuu'.‘ film/muse. Iii/inlmrgli.
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Gothika ( l5i O. (Matthieu Kassowill. lb. IUD-l) llalle Berry. Robert l)owney Jr. (’liarles Dutton. John ('arroll lynch. Bernard llill. Penelope ('ru/. 98min. When criminal psychologist Dr Miranda (iray (Berry i. aw akes in the psychiatric ward of the Woodward Penitentiary. incarcerated with the yery inmates she used lo treat. slte claims she saw the ghost of a distressed young woman and can't remember anything after that; the police say she stabbed her husband to death. What is lot—‘ical'.’ What is sane'.’ Not this Plot. that's for certain. llci' close colleague and would- be loy er. Dr Pete (iraham (Dow ney‘ Jri tries to get throuin to her while her husband's lifelong friend. Sheriff Ryan (l.ynchi inyestigates her truly \ iolent crimes. Quite why recent ()scar-w inner Berry wotild hay c signed tip for (itillii'ku is a mystery. although her role as tortured heroine offers plenty of scope for her trademark histrionics. 'l‘his silly B-moy ie is the latest disappointment from director Matthieu Kassow it/ who has yet to fulfil the promise of his debut feature. Iii Hume. Sec i'ey icw. page 35. General release.
0 Grand Theft Parsons ( 13m 0... (Dayid ('affrey. l’S. 2(X)4i Johnny Knoxyille. (iabriel Macht. (‘hristina .-\pplegate. 88min. This oddball road moy ie dramatises (with pitch-perfect offbeat humouri the immediate aftermath of the death of music legend (iram Parsons. 'l’he ex-Byrds and My ing Burrito Brothers singer made a pact with his road manager. Phil Kaufman (played with wonderful swaggering grace by .luekusy' Knoxy illel. that whomey er shook off his mortal coil first would be ritually cremated in their beloy'ed Joshua Tree National Park. When Parsons took a fatal tequila and morphine cocktail oy ei'dose in 1073. Kaufman stuck to his word. Most of the laughs come from the pairing of odd couple Kaufman and Larry (Michael Shannon). a spun-out. drug-addled liippy whose bright yellow ('adillac hearse
PM“ ides the road liloy le \\ Illt tls wheels. (‘hi'istina Applcgate i'ey s things up as the bitchy. bitter es of Parsons. who remains the ttl‘selll dead centre of this thoroughly entertaining film. ('(i(‘ Ren/rew Streel. (i/useuu ; I‘(i(’. [xi/in/mre/i.
Haunted Mansion tl’(il 00 (Rob Minkof'f'. l'S. 2003i liddie Murphy. 'l‘erence Stamp. Nathaniel Parker. Marsha 'l'homason. Jennifer Tilly. Wallace Shawn. Somm. Jim liycrs (Murphy i is a real estate shark who makes a detour from the family holiday to take his family to an old mansion at the request of a ghostly butler. lli _llll\ and life lessons ensue. .-\naeinic attempt to turn a Disneyland theme park ride into a litlllllly llllll. .Vt'ft’t‘lt‘t/ I'('/('(I.\¢’.