The Saddest Music in the World
( IS) 0... ((iuy .\laddin. (‘anada. 2003i .\lark .\IcKinncy'. lsabella Rossellini. Maria de .\Iedeiros. It)()min. The yy eird and wonderful .story of one yyoman's quest to find the saddest music in the yyorld. In Ka/tio lshiguro's screenplay. beer mogul I.ady I’ort-Iluiitly (Rossellinii hosts a competition to find this elusiy e sound. “ith a prize so big that hoards of people tray el from all across the globe to compete. Another truly mad homage to eyeryone from Robert “cure (The (ii/tine! (if/h ('uli'eurii to I-‘rit/ Lang. Salyador Dali and Dayid lynch from ('anada's best kept lilmmaking .sccrct. .\Iadder than a bag of depression era badgers. (}I'”I. (i/uscuu : Film/muse. Edinburgh.
The Savage Innocents (t’( n .00. (Nicholas Ray. l‘rancc/ltaly/Britain. WSW Anthony Quinn. Yoko 'I‘ani. ('arlo (iiustini. Peter O'Toole. .\Iarie Yang. l Illiiiin. An oil- beat story abotit the hardships endured by Quinn the Iiskimo. his struggles to sury he the harsh conditions of the Arctic and. more lethally. the iiiy'asion of Western ‘ciy'ilisation‘. (iod bless Nicholas Ray. Part of the Ray season. I'i/m/iuuye. Iii/inburg/i. The School of Rock (Poi 00.. (Richard l.inklater. l'S/(iermaiiy. 3003) Jack Black. Mike White. Joan (‘usack. Sarah Silyerman. Joey (iaydos Jr. .\Iiraiida (‘osgroye 100mm. I)eyyey l‘inn (Black) gets thrown out of his rock hand. the other members of \yhich are tired of his ten minute guitar solos and his propensity for inappropriate stage-diyery. In need of some quick cash. he takes a job. assuming the identity of his Ilatmate .\'ed (Whitei and ends up as a supply teacher at a posh kids‘ prep school. Knoyying next to nothing about history or maths. I)ey\ey puts his class on permanent recess until. that is. he in erhears them playing classical music. Well. it they can play Rodrigo. they can play Zeppelin and there's the Battle ot. the Bands competition coming tip. Ingenious. smart. sassy comedy that play s to star Blacks and director |.inklater‘s strengths. I-i/ni/iuuse. Iii/inlmreli.
Secret Window ( 12A» 00. (Day id Koepp. t'S. IOU-Ii Johnny Depp. John 'I‘urturro. Maria Bello. 'l‘imothy Ilutton. ('liarles |)utton. 95min. Psychological thriller based on a Stephen King noy ella lrom I‘Nl. \Vlieii noyelist .\lort Raiiiey (Deppi. retreats to a country cabin alter discoyering his “He. Amy (Belloi. in bed with another man. he starts getting y isits from the menacing John Shooter ('I‘urturroi. yy ho accuses him ol' plagiarising one ol' his stories. ’l'here are some nice King referential touches here. most notably the casting of Hutton as .-\my 's loy er (llution. of course. had a dual role in the tilm adaptation of The Dark [Iii/fl. Playing one ot’ King‘s many lictioiial alter egos (the drinking.
dy slunclional one). I)epp once again turns a leading man role into a character part. to yyatchable el't‘ect. (ieiieml release.
A Sense of Freedom ( [xi .0.
(John .\IacKen/ie. I'K. IUSI illard Iiittiiig and \ iolent portrayal ol- prison ltlc. based on the autobiography ol' cony icted iiiurdei'er Jimmy Boyle. Ilis journey l'rom the mean streets of (ilasgoyy. through yai'ious Iiiin security prisons. to ey entual rehabilitation in Barlinnie. raises serious questions about the et‘t‘ectiyeness ol the penal sy stem. I'i/m/iuuye. Iii/iii/mre/i.
Q Shattered Glass ( 12m 000
(Billy Ray. IS. 3003) Hayden Christensen. Peter Sarsgaard. ('hloe Sey igny. Rosario l)ayyson. .\Ielanie l.ynskey. ‘Mmin. Sec
rey icyy. page 25. I'(i(' Rt’ll/l‘t'lt Street. Glasgow: ('(i(‘. I'fe/iii/Jure/i.
Shaun of the Dead ( IS) 000
(lidgar \Vright. I'K. 2004i Simon l’egg. .\'ick I’rost. Kate Aslilield. l)y Ian .\Ioran. I.ucy l)a\is. Bill .\'ighy. ‘Nmin. The team behind the cult TV series Spin eel yeiiture into lilm yy ith a Iikeable /oiii--roiii~com that pits a bunch ol l,oiidon slackers against the undead. l’leasingly puci'ile. (ieneriil re/eme. Solaris ( 12m 0000 (Stcyeli Soderbcrgh, l-S. ZIIIBI (icorge (iltmltey. Natascha .\Iclilhone. 00mm. ‘l‘his truncated. but sttll yery el'l'ectiyc. iicyy \et'sitin til the noy eI by Staiiislayy l.eiii demonstrates the
enormous \ersatility ol Stey en Soderbergh. lIis screenplay compresses the tirst hour ol' 'l‘arkoysky 's I‘FZ tilm iiilo ten minutes. sending psychologist Kely in ((ieorge (‘looney in tremendous l'ormi oll to the troubled space station orbiting the planet ol' the title early on. Here. be Is all'eetetl by a debilitating neurosis. tts llls \\ lle Rhcya (.\‘atascha .\Iclilhonei \y ho committed suicide years belore appears. and is as real as Kely in himself. It amounts to one ol' the most thought-prosoking and moy ing lilms ot‘ last year. (mum. I-fi/i'Ii/iiu'eli.
Spirited Away (I’( it 0.... ( llay ao .\Iiya/aki. Japan. ltltll i \iiteesi l)a\eigli ('hase. Rumi lliragi. Sidonie \on Krosigk. .\liyu lrino. Jason .\Iarsden. 125mm. .«\t more than No hours long. any Japanese animation \y ith a children's cei'titicate can only be a hard sell lor \Vestern audiences. Despite winning the best animated picture ()scar and getting a heayy push Irom l)isney. .S/W'Ih'i/xliiil\ tlltllfl get the audience It deserycd it] the States. \Vltlcli Is a shame because llayao .\liya/aki's Illltl is an animated masterpiece and truly takes you by surprise. ('hihii‘o tray els through a tunnel into another \yorld. “here she happens upon a bathhouse tor the spirits. .»\t'ter choyy mg doyyn grcedily on some spiked local produce. ('hihiro's parents are traiist'oriiied into pigs. leay ing their suddenly dutitul daughter to seek \york in the bathhouse iii order to release them. l’hilosopliy. anime and shamanism this is something really stunning that needs to be seen to be
beliey ed. (il'i'l. (i/iiyemi.
0 Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter and . . . Spring I IS» 0000 (Kim Ki-l)uk. South Korea/tieriiiany. ltltlli ()h Yeong-Su. Kim Ki»l)uk. Kim Yeoiig .\lllt. lllzlltltl. See reyieyy. page :5. (il'H/i (i/(lyemi.
Starsky & Hutch ( ISi O... ('I'odd I’liillips. l‘S. 2t)()-1i()\yen \Vilson. Ben Stiller. Vice Vaughn. ltllmin. (’omic duo \Vilson and Stiller take the leads in this big screen [Msllelle Ul- the classic “’70s .-\iiierican cop slioyy. \Vilsoii’s lackadaisical charms \ytil‘ls perl'eclly as the \yorkshy Ilutch. and Stiller e\cels again as an uptight. but loy eable doolus. and the pair do pel'ltil'lll some real buddy moy ie magic. Snoop Dog plays their snitch. Iluggy Bear. and originals I)a\id Sotil and Paul .\Iicliael later both make cameo appearances. .\ smattering ol' corny moments aside. it's smartly played and skillully acted. and tor once you don't Icaye the cinema \y islimg that your beloy ed originals had iiey er been resurrected. (iinii'u. l'.i/IIi/iiii'g/i.
The Station Agent 1 Iii O... .\Iccai'thy. l'S.r\. 3003i I’cter I)iiik|agc. Bobby (’aniiayale. l’atricia ('larkson. SSmm.
('I‘om
Clive Owen returns to London for one last job in I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead
Dinklage's l‘inn is a train-obsessed dyyarl. yyho has inherited a disused railyyay depot in rural \eyy Jersey lrotli an old btisiness partner. lle \yants to be let't in peace to do up the property. \yalk the tracks and count the trains that still pass through the area. IIis solitude is disturbed. though. by [no other lonely iiiistits. artist ()liyia ((‘larksoni and garrulous hot dog salesman .loe ((';iiiii;i\;ilei. It's a seiisitiyely acted. gently amusing and carelully crat'ted lilm. \yhich ney er leayes tls in much doubt as to its Iinal destination. Still. it‘s unalraid lo meander along at its oyyn rela\ed tempo. and l)ink|age pro\ ides an impressiyely understated Iead performance. (irmienoi; (i/meim .‘ I‘ll/Il/IHIIH’. [xi/mlwrgli.
0 Sunrise (I’(ii 0.... (l5 \V .\lurnau. t'S. l‘)2"i (ieorge ()' Brien. Janet (iay nor. .\Iargaret I.iyingston. Bodil Rosing. ‘Wiiiiii. See rey icyy. page 25. /-'i//ii/ioii\e. lat/iii/mreli. 21 Grams ( lSi 0.00. (.-\leiaiidro (iaon/ale/ Inarritu. t‘S.'\. 2003i Sean Penn. ('harlotte (iainsbourg. Benicio Del 'I‘oro. Naomi \Vatts. IZ-lmin. .\ car accident changes the liyes ol three total strangers:
e\ com ict-turned-youth worker and lainin man Jack .Iordan (l)e| 'l'oi'oi. suburban \\ lie and mother ('ristina I’eck (Watts! and college prolessor I’aul Riyers (best actor ()scar \yinner l’eiiiii. \yho's terminally ill and ayyaiting an organ transplant. I‘olloyy iiig the accident. Jack. ('era and Paul are throyyii together on a journey toyyards retribution. Brilliant. tragic drama yyith a comple\ plot l'rom the tilmmakers behind
.lnim‘ey pernn. The title t’elers to the \\ eight
\y c all lose \\ hen \\ e die. A major moy ic. a elitssle. tlllllllsstlhle. (til. (i/(Iygmi. Taking Lives t 15» O (1)] ('aruso. t’S/('anada. IIItHi .-\ngelina Jolie. Iitliaii Ilayy kc. Kieler Sutherland. (iena Roxy lands. ()liy ier .\Iartine/ ltl3mm .\ gilted I‘Bl prol'iler (Angelina Joliei is summoned to help out ('anadian layy eiit'orceiiient to hunt doyyn a serial killer \y ho assumes the liyes and identities ol the people he kills. l’redictablc slll‘ Nth-it’ll pill'le. .\it'lt't’ll'tl I't'lt’ilyi’.
Three Walls (3 Deewarein) t IS» (.\'agesh Kukanoor. liidia. Illtlli Jlllll
(‘hayy la. Jackie Shi‘ott'. .\'agesh Kukunoor. \aseerudin Shah. lltlmm. The tale ol' three \ei'y dill'erent men. .laggu. .\‘agya and lshaan. \y ho dey elop a special bond \y ith one another yyhile sery ing time in prison. 'l'hcii' Iriendship changes dramatically yy lien their \yardeii .\Iohan introduces them to (‘handrika. a documentary lilmiiiaker \yhose presence sets Ull tl bi/arrc chain Ul‘ cy eltls. (il'i/i (i/ilygmi.
Tibet: Cry of the Snow Lion ( lSi ('I'om l’eosay. l'S. 2”th Ill-1min. .\ moying and disturbing documentary about the
index Film
reality of life lor 'l'ibetans. yy ho. since 1050. hay e liy ed under the oppressiyely y iolent .shadoyy of Beijing. 'l‘om l’eosay emphasises hoyy their plight yyas made \yorse by their betrayal at the hands ol Washington under the .\'i\on Administration. ()ne ol lyyo lilms trotted out as part ol the t'estiyal of ex ents leading tip to the \ isit ol' the Dalai I.ama. (i/‘U/i (Iliiyuim.
Tokyo Story (ti .0... ( Yasujiro ()/u. Japan. I053) ('hisliu Ryu. ('liieko lligashiyama. Setsuko lIara. llaruko Sugimura. So Yamamura. Kuniko .\IiyakeI-Zlderly couple Shukishi (Ryui and Tomi (lligashiyamai Ieaye their proy incial home to \ isit their tyyo married children in post-\yar 'I‘okyo. 'l‘heir ollspring. hoyyey er. are too busy yy ith their liyes to look alter them properly and send them to a noisy spa resort. Realising they are a burden. mother and lather return home. yyith only their
yy idoyy ed daughter-in-Iayy .\'oriko (llarai hay ing shoyy ii them any real compassion. Then an unc\pectcd bereay emenl reunites the disparate lainin members. ()Iu's brilliant seminal meditation on age and the generation gap yyas alyyay s one ol ciiicma's post our masterpieces; here in its neyy reissued cleaned tip form it is breathtaking. It you hay eii't seen this bet’ore then miss at your peril. ('( It. (i/uyeim.
Tooth (ll 0 (lidouard Namiiiour. I'K. 2004i Yasmin I’aige. Rory ('opiis. .\Iaisic l’reston. Sally l’hillips. 'l‘im l)utton. llarry lintield. I’hyllida l.a\y. Ulmin. Young lairy Tooth (Yasmin l’aigei giyes all ot' I-';iii‘ytopi;i's money ayyay to a needy brother and sister. thereby bankrupting her home and potentially scuppering ('hristmas. With only So hours to say e the holiday. Tooth and her companions set oil to tind .\Irs ('hristiiias. noyy in retirement. I’redictable and yet cack-liaiidcdly chaotic pantomime sty Ie children's film that appears to hay e been ptit together solely around the ayailability ol the adult stars. It 'I. (‘lyi/e/mnlt.’ ('( 'I. Iii/in/nu'e/i.
LUCID SOUNDS presents
lillll Ila . S'ug 8pm
l ...a voice like Howlin Wolf in honey... The Scotsman
EGDHGE
0131 228 1155 £9.50 I £8
13, 1’7 Ma. .‘t‘iisi THE LIST 35