Film
Films screening this fortnight are listed below with certificate, star rating, credits, brief review and venue details. Film index compiled by Paul Dale
Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London (P(i) 0 (Kevin Allen. [S 2004) Frankie Muniz. Anthony Anderson. Ilatiiiali Spearritt. I00min. This feeble seqtiel to last year's hardly overwhelming actioti comedy for kids.(ieneral release.
Along Came Polly ( 12A) co (Johti Hamburg. LS. 2004) Ben Stiller. Jennifer Aniston. Philip Seymour Hoffman. Debra Messing. Alec Baldwin. 90min. I-‘oriiiulaic rom com with Stiller more or less recreating his role in Meet the Parents. Sltoii‘ease ('inerna. Paisley; Paisley: ('(i(' Rea/rew- .Str‘eel. Glasgow:
American Splendor ( 15) com (Shari Springer Berman/Robert Pulcini. LS. 2003) Patil (iiametti. Hope I)avis. Judah
I-‘riedlander. James l‘rbaniak. l()lmin. ()ne of
the finest independent films to come out of America in years. A eulogy to the life atid times of comic strip writer Harvey Pekar. a man obsessed with the mundanity of life in ('Ieveland. Arrreriean Splendor appals and fascinates in its invention. invective and treatment of the humble. ('(‘I. Edinlmr'glt. The Arabian Nights ( I8) (Pier Paolo Pasoliiii. Italy. 197-1) Ninetto I)avoIi. Ines Pellegrini. France ('itti. I30min. The last of Pasolini's medieval trilogy recounts several of the Thousand and ()ne .Viglits stories framed by the tale of a slave girl who becomes ‘king' of a great city. Liberal doses of sex. violence and anti—establishinent blasphemy. Part of the PasoIoini season. Eilrnhouse. Edinburgh.
Balseros ( 12A) ((‘arlos Bosch/Josep .\1 I)omenech. Spain. 2002) I20min. l'pdate of 199-1 documentary detailing the plight of seven (‘ubans and their families who headed for IS shores on homemade rafts and ended tip at the refugee camp at the LS base at (iuantanamo. ('(IA. (ilasgow:
Barbershop 2: Back in Business
( 12A) .0. (Kevin Rodney Sullivan. IS. 2004) Ice (‘ube. (‘edric the Iintertainer. Sean Patrick Thomas. live. 105mm. See review. page 2‘). ('(K. Rertfr‘eii' Sll't'el. (iltts‘gmv': .Slt’r' ( 'enturjv. Edinburgh.
The Battleship Potemkin (PG) .0... (Sergei Iiisenstein. l'SSR. I925) A. Antonov. Vladimir Barski. (irigori Alexandrov. 75min. Made for the 20th anniversary of the 1905 revolution. Iiisenstein's all-time classic follows the mutiny by the crew of the Prince I’oternkin and the support given by the local civilian population. who are mown down by the ('Iar's troops in the famous ()dessa Steps sequence. Iixpressive camera technique and a grasp of editing that wrote the textbooks are just some of the innovations that put Iiisenstein and Russian film firmly on the cinematic map. (il’ll Glasgow.
Benzina ( I5) 0.. (Monica Stambrini. Italy. 200I) Maya Sansa. Regina ()rioli. Mariella Valentini. Luigi Maria Burruano.'l'wo lesbian lovers a butch motor mechanic and her femme waitress girlfriend ~- are caught in a clinch by the unexpected arrival of the waitress' mother. Things lead to murder and a road trip to oblivion. Monica Stambrini‘s Iirst feature has attracted plaudits on the queer film festival circuit. btit that's because there is such a dearth of lesbian representation in movies. The main problem with Berizina is its lack of a distinctive voice. I'ilrnliouse. Edinburgh.
The Best Day of My Life (Ill Piu Bel Giorno Della Mia Vita) (12) ((‘risiina ('omencini. Italy. 2002) Virna Lisi. Margherita Buy. Sandra (‘eccarelli. Luigi Lo (’ascio. Marco Baliani. 102mm. A discerning drama looking at different generations of a formal Italian family. The tale revolves around widowed grandmother Irene and her grandson ('laudio who is struggling to admit his homosexuality within the strict family environment. Part of the Italian film festival. (il'ul. Glasgow; I'ilrn/iouse. Edinburgh.
34 THE LIST iii-~29 Apr 2004
The Best of Youth (La Meglio Gioventu) ( IS) (Marco Tullio (iiordana. Italy. 2003) Adriana Asti. Sonia Bergamasco. Alessio Boni. Fabri/io (iifuni. Luigi Lo ('ascio. 360mm. lipic six-hour family saga that proved to be one of the most successful recent films in Italian cinema. The story follows the ('aratis a middle-class family from Rome as the narrative delicately intertwines personal and national histories over the past 40 years. Part of the Italian film festival. (ii-“II (ilasgoir: Film/rouse. Edinburgh.
The Best Years of our Lives (PG) (William Wyler. [8. I940) Myrna Loy, Fredric March. Dana Andrews. Teresa Wright. Virginia Mayo. I82inin. Three I'S servicemen return home to Boone (‘ity after the WWII. to find their lives irrevocably changed by their military experience. Together. the three must find a way to come to terms w ith their experiences atid pick tip the pieces. lest wartime turns out to be the best years of their lives. ('lassic timeless epic that has been remade many times in many different languages. St Bride's ('entre. Edinburgh. Bitter Victory (P(i) (Nicholas Ray. I-‘rance/I'SA. I958) Richard Burton. (‘urd Jtirgens. Ruth Roman. (‘hristopher I.ee.Wartiiiie classic about the rivalry between art archaeologist and a professtioiial soldier. Starring Richard Burton. Part of the Ray season. (il‘il: (iluvgmv‘.
0 Blind Flight ( IS) on. (John rinse. I'K. 2003) Ian Hart. l.inus Roache. 97min. This dramatisation of the kidnapping of Brian Keenan and John Mc('arthy confines itself to the four and a half years the Irish teacher and the Iinglish journalist spent in captivity in the Lebanon in the l980s. Roache and Hart give the performances of their respective careers. and praise. too. must go to w titer-director John Furse. who spent time with Keenan and McCarthy. getting to know them after their separate releases. This low budget film effectiver employs a single dramatic location (a series of cells. with chilly Belfast and (ilasgow w arelioiises dotibliiig for the roasting Lebanon locatioiis)and is a riveting piece of
drama. Brutal. tender and powerful stuff. ('(i(‘
Rert/r‘ew' Street. Glasgow .' l'(r'('. Edinburgh. Bolivia ( I5) (Adrian ('aetano. Argenti(ta/Netherlands. 200] I Freddy Flores. Rosa Sanchez. ()scar Bei'tea. Iinrique Liporace. 75min. This story. shot in grainy monochrome. follows Freddy leaving his family and home in Bolivia to try his Iiick in Argentina. A relationship between Freddy and a Paraguayan waitress forms behind a wider background of immigrant exploitation. ('('.-l. (ilasgoii:
Breath Control: A History of the Human Beatbox ( 15) coco (Joey (iarlield. LS. 2002) 75min. ('elebration of one
of hip hop‘s most exciting elements. Breath (‘ontrol follows a range of practitioners from New York to lidinburgh. Part of Triptych. (il'i'll (r‘lasgoir.
The Butterfly Effect ( 15) coo
(Iiric Bress/J Mackye (iruber. IS. 2004) Ashton Kutcher. Melora Walters. Amy Smart. lilden Henson. 1 I3min. See review. page 29.0eltel‘rtl release.
The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari (PU) com (Robert Wieiie. (iermany. l9I9) Werner Kraiiss. (‘onrad Veidt. Lil Dagover. 90min. A landmark of expressionist cinema. feasting the eyes with bizarre. angular visuals despite its technical crudity. The acting and directing are superb. and the story of a fairground hypnotist who tises a sleepwalker to carry otit murders still retains a unique sense of horror. See Rough (‘uts. page 28. I’ilrnlious'e. Edinlntrgh.
Can DVD (15) (Rtidi I)oIe/al. llannes Rossacher. (iermany. 2003) 90min. Iixcerpts from this new (on DVD which features exclusive footage and insight into the legend that was the Krautrock pioneer band (‘an. undoubtedly one of the most influential bands of the last century. Part of 'I‘ryptych. l’ilrnliouse. Edinburgh.
The Canterbury Tales ( 18) (Pier Paolo Pasoliiii. Italy/Fiance. I971 ) Laura Betti. Hugh (iriflith. Jenny Runacre. l09min. Pasolini appears as (‘haucer overseeing the telling of four of the (‘anterbury Tales. Baw'dy. sadistic and terminally tedious. Part of Pasolini season. (il’i: (ilasgovr; I’ilrnhouse. Edinburgh.
0 Capturing the Friedmans (15) (Andrew Jarecki. ISA. 2002) I07min. Paedophilia is proving itself to be fertile ground for great movies. What Happiness did for fiction. ('aptur'irig the l-‘riedrnans' does for documentaries. The l-‘riednians are the archetypal dysfunctional American family. who were way ahead of their time when they used video cameras in the 80s to film their personal response to police allegations that two members of the family. the father and youngest child. were sodomising children. The material they produced is often hilarious despite the torrid subject matter and director Andrew Jarecki cleverly ties together this archival footage to ensure that the boundaries between fact and fiction are suIlied like bed sheets after an orgy. It might be sick. but it's also a brilliant look at media-led hysteria and the vagaries of human relationships. Selected release.
Carandiru ( 15) coco (llectot‘
Babenco. Brazil Argentina. 2003) Lui/ ('ai‘los Vasconcelos. Milhem ('ortal. Milton (‘oncalves. [van de Aliiieida. I-lSmin. See interview. page 29 and review. page 32. I‘ilrnltouse. Edinbro'g/i.
Ice Cube gets ahead in Barbershop 2
The Card Player (ll Cartaio) ( l8) (Dario Argento. Italy. 2003) Stefano Roeca. Liam Cunningham. Silvio Mucciiio. (‘Iaudio Santamaria. 96min. A dangerous game of cards is played between policewoman Anna Mari and a serial killer. If she loses. she is to be forced to watch the films of the killings close-up via webcam. Part of Dead by Dawn. see Rough (‘uts. page 28. (r'E'II Glasgow; Eilrnliouse. Edinburgh.
Charlie (18) (Malcolm Needs. I'K. 2004) Luke (itiss. Steven Berkoff. Leslie Grantham. Anita I)obson. Marius Weyers. Nicole SherwinAVell received film biopic of (‘harlie Richardson. the Kray Twins' sometime right hand man and business associate of the omnipresent Mad Frankie Frazer. Made on a low budget by the director of last year's .S‘liorediteli. this may be a British period gangland flick worth checking out despite some very bizarre casting. Show-ease ('inerna. (intlbr‘idge.
Charlie is My Darling ( 15) (Peter Whitehead. Britain. I966) Mick Jagger. Keith Richards. Brian Jones. Bill Wyman. (‘harlie Watts. 75min. ('harlie is My Darling is a previously unreleased documentary of the Rolling Stones' totir of Ireland. Followed by a Q&A with former Stones manager Andrew Loog ()ldhain. Part of Triptych 04. (iE'II Glasgow; I-ilrnhouse. Edinburgh. Chernobyl Heart (PU) (Maryann I)el.eo, Belarus/I'S. 2003) 39min. Award-winning documentary short that takes a look at children born after the I986 (‘hernobyl nuclear plant disaster. .Man has indeed invented his own doom. Eilrnliouse. Edinburgh.
Chicken Run (1') «co (Nick Park/Peter Lord. l‘K. 2000) Voices of Mel (iihson. Jtilia Saw'alha. Miranda Richardson. 85min. For its first feature Aardinan studios has re-w'ritten the WWII P()W experience as an ()rvvellian satire. albeit with laughs. .Vorth Edinburgh Arts ('entre. Edinburgh.
Un Chien Andalou (18) cm. (Luis Bunuel. France. I928) Simone Mareuil. Pierre Batcheff. Jaime Miravilles. Salvador Dali. Luis Bllfillllel. sundry dead donkeys. I7min. (‘Iassic Spanish surrealism. with the famous eyeball-slitting scene and a great deal of bizarre imagery and obscure meaning. Seventeen tiiiiitites not easily forgotten. l‘ilntllnll.\‘t’. Edinburgh.
The Circumstance (La Circostanza) (I8) (Iirmanno ()lmi. Italy. I973) Lordana Savelli. (iaetano Porro. Raffaella Bianchi. .Mario Sereci. Massimo Tabat. 97min. ()ne of ()Imi's most courageous films about a family in crisis. A timeless film about the things that bring its together and the things that keep us apart. Part of the Italian film festival. Part of the Italian film festival. (r‘l'T (ilas‘govi'; film/muse. Edinburgh.
Cold Mountain ( 15) 0... (Anthony Minghella. l'S/Romania. 2003) Jtide Law. Nicole Kidman. Renee Zellweger. Natalie Ponman. Philip Seymour Hoffman. (iiovaniii Ribisi. Brendan (Ileeson. 152mm. Iiimaii (Law). is a ('onfederate soldier who deserts after being gravely wounded in battle and sets off on a perilous trek across the ravaged South to reach his home in the North ('arolina mountains. Brunton Theatre. Edinburgh. Cutting Edge Short Film Competition ( 18) (Various. 2001 ) Ten short horror films from around the world showcasing emerging genre talent. I'llmlmuxt'. Edinburgh.
Dark Crystal (PG) .0. (Jim Henson. Frank ()1. I982) 94min. The Muppet men branch otit with this unoriginal children‘s fantasy surrounding the quest for a missing shard from the all-powerful dark crystal which must be retrieved to prevent evil consuming the know ii world. .S‘ter ( 'enturjv. Edinburgh. Dawn of the Dead (18).... (Zack Synder. IS. 2004) Sarah Polley. Ving Rhames. Jake Weber. Remake of (ieorge Romeo‘s I978 lombie classic. scripted by James (iunn (who graduated from trash film factory Troma to also write Seoobv Duo and its sequel). The plot remains the same: when North America is overrun by a plague of zombies. a group of survivors hole up in a shopping maul where they're besieged by the flesh eaters. The original was a wry commentary on the perils of modern day consumerism. (r‘erieral release.