Film index
The Story of the Weeping Camel (PG) 0.. (Bayambasuren Davaa/Luigi Falorni. Germany/Mongolia. 2003) Janchiv Ayurzana. Chimcd ()hin. Amgaabazar Gonson. Zeveljamz Nyam. 90min. See review. page 30. Selected release.
Sweet and Lowdown (PG) 0000 (Woody Allen. US. 2000) Sean Penn. Samantha Morton. L'ma Thurman. 95min. Penn is simply awesome as l930s musician Emmet Ray. the self-proclaimed second best guitar player in the world. Respect for the ‘gypsy guitar man' Django Reinhardt is Ray‘s sole element of humility; he is rude. egomaniacal and utterly selfish and the one who suffers most is the mute Hattie (the splendid Morton). Visually. musically. dramatically and comedically. Sweet and Lowdown can sit comfortably among Woody Allen's best works. And with the passing of cinematic time. they will surely be reflected upon as his lead pair’s finest hour and a half. Grosvenot; Glasgow.
Talk to Her ( 15) 0.000 (Pedro Almodovar. Spain. 2002) Javier (‘amara. Dario (irandinetti. Rosario Flores. Leonor Watling. 1 12min. Benigno ((Tamara) and Marco (Grandinetti) are in love with two women . . . both of whom are hospitalised in comatose states. Benigno became a nurse so that he could care full time for his beloved. once aspiring ballerina Alicia (Walling). In the hospital room next door Marco visits Lydia (Flores). a female bullfighter who was butchered in the ring. Out of these tragic circumstances a friendship forms between the two men. 7211/.- to Her is mature Almodovar; Spain's most famous filmmaker on top form. describing complex characters and complicated emotional states in expert storytelling fashion. From the gorgeoUs photography. design and music to the script and remarkable performances. 'lalk to Her is a fiawless film and a treat for cinema lovers. Part of Almodovar retrospective. I'll/tiltouse. Edinburgh.
Taxi Driver ( 18) .0000 (Martin Scorsese. 1976) Robert De Niro. (‘ybill Shepherd. Jodie Foster. 1 14min. An alienated taxi driver in New York is so repelled by the squalor and the moral decay around him that he is driven to terrible violence. ()ne of the key films of the 70s with the Scorsese-De .\'iro partnership at its peak. Cameo, Edinburgh.
Temptress Moon (15) 000 (Chen Kaigc. Hong Kong. 1996) (iong Li. Leslie Cheung. Zhou Yemang. l30min. ()pium addiction. incest and raging passions are the highlights of this complex love storywhich mirrors the fate of a changing (‘hina during the 1920s. The film shares the visual luxury of Kaige's I'arewell My Cbneubine. but sacrifices clarity by attempting to tackle a mountain of issues. Rich in period detail. this emotional storm of political and personal passion is perhaps too confusing for those unfamiliar with Chinese history. Film/rouse. Edinburgh.
The Tenant ( l8) 0... (Roman Polanski. France. 1976) Roman Polanski. Melvyn Douglas. Isabelle Adjani. Shelley Winters. 126mm. A bureaucratic clerk (Polanski) takes over the lease of a gloomy Parisian apartment. but finds himself at the centre of a real (or is it imagined?) conspiracy. Well crafted but creakily plotted return to the paranoiac territory of the more successful Reptilsion. Part of Polanski retrospective. ('(‘xL Glasgow.
Tess (PG) .0. (Roman Polanski. L'K/France. 1979) Nastassja Kinski. Peter Firth. Leigh Lawson. l70min. Sumptuous adaptation of Thomas llardy"s tragic story of ill-fated love set in Victorian lingland where social circumstances conspire with unforseeable misfortunes to break the spirit of an innocent heroine. Handsome. evocative and absorbing if rather laboured this features a marvellous performance from Ms Kinski. Part of Polanski retrospective. CCA. Glasgow.
30 Mania (L') (the. US. 2003) Stuan Pankin. lilviralMAX 3D animation hell. For tnasochists and computer render geeks only. IMAX Theatre, Glasgow.
Touching the Void ( I5) ooooo (Kevin Macdonald. Canada. 2003) Nicholas
38 THE LIST 8—22 Jul 2004
Aaron. Brendan Mackey. Simon Yates. Joe Simpson. 106mm. Brilliant cliff-hanging reconstruction feature documentary of the terrible events that overtook mountaineers Joe Simpson and Simon Yates when they tried to climb a Peruvian mountain in 1985. Macdonald pulls every trick out of the bag to make this as heart-churningly scary as a real climb in blizzard conditions. It is. as they say. quite a ride. Glasgow I’ilnt 'Iheatre. Glasgow.
Toy Story 2 (L') .0... (John Lassetcr. US. 2000) Tom Hanks. Tim Allen. Joan C‘usack. 95min. The new film expands on the original settings and themes. When Woody is not taken to (‘owboy Camp by his owner Andy. he begins to question the meaning of his ‘life‘. When he‘s subsequently stolen by a collector who plans to sell him to a Japanese toy museum — Buzz and the gang travel across town to rescue their pal. The emotive range of the animated characters is extraordinary: they say that computer generated images will never replace the real thing. but lov Story 2 makes you wonder. Grosvenm; Glasgow. Treasure Planet (ti) 0 (Ron (‘lements and John Muskar. 2003) Voices of Jospeh (iordon Levitt. David Hyde Pierce. Iimma Thompson. 96min. Dreadful Disney animated version of the Robert Louis Stevenson's classic Treasure Island. [WAX Theatre. Glasgow
Troy ( l5) .0. (Wolfgang Petersen. 2004) Brad Pitt. Brian Cox. Orlando Bloom. Julian (ilover. 162mm. Within Troy‘s towering walls lovers Paris (Bloom) and Helen (Kruger) flee to avoid the attentions of her husband Menelaus ((ileeson) and his all conquering brother Agamernnon (Cox). To make things worse Paris' brother Hector (Bana) and father Priam (O‘Toole) turn out to be less than enthused by the young prince's choice. lipic complications can only ensue. The real star of Troy is. of course. Brad Pitt as the warrior‘s warrior Achilles. Agamemnon‘s weapon of tnass destruction. Pitt cuts a
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homo erotic dash as he slices and diccs his way through the Trojan armies. He's a super-soldier whose bravery is harnessed to the corrupt yolk of a greedy king. Like its hero. Troy is not without fiaws — the range of accents on show is simply bewildering. the action is schematic at best and any story which revolves around the construction of a large wooden horse isn't about to spring many surprises on anyone. But Pitt and the super-sized set pieces are superb. a worthy successor to Gladiator in the epic action stakes. General release.
Nisted ( 18) (Stuart Who‘.’/Wayne (i. l7K. 2004) Stuart Who‘.’. Wayne (3. 57min. ()n the road documentary with DJs Stuart and Wayne as they traverse three continents with a video camera. A drug-fuelled and frank account of the club DJs‘ life circa 1997. Part of the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival on tour. Glasgow I'll/n Theatre, Glasgow.
TWisted ( 15) 0 (Philip Kaufman. 2004) Ashley Judd. Samuel 1. Jackson. Andy (iarcia. David Strathairn. RUssell Wong. 96min. Jessica Shepard (Judd) is a perky. attractive San Francisco cop. just turned inspector. with a talent for intuitive detective work and a penchant for brutal sex with passing strangers. But when the police start fishing the bodies of her past lovers out of the sea. Shepard realises that she's rapidly becoming the number one suspect in her own investigation. And could her mysterious blackouts have anything to do with it‘.’ ()r do mysterious mentor (Jackson) or shifty colleague ((iarcia) have something to hide'.’ Piddle and tosh from the Usually very reliable Kaufman (Quil/s. The Right Sta/j). .S'eleeted release.
Under the Tuscan Sun ( IZA)
O. (Audrey Wells. L'S/ltaly. 2004) Diane Lane. Sandra ()h. Lindsay Duncan.
1 13min. An unfaithful adaptation of Frances Mayes‘ autobiographical book about her summers spent with her new lover renovating a house in the Tuscan hills. Wells does little to disguise the fact that the inspiration for Lane is (iiulietta Massina in the Fellini classic Nights of('al)iria. The Fellini references do not stop there: Duncan even takes a dip in a fountain a la Anita likberg in La Unlee Vita. Unfortunately. Wells gives us Fellini as seen through the eyes of a Mills and Boon novel. Whereas Fellini essayed the troubled internal confiict
Going for goal in The Miracle of Bern
of a woman in a heartless world. Wells delivers only artifice and cliche. Ster ('entury ( ‘inetna. Edinburgh.
Van Helsing (12A) coo (Stephen Sommers. LS. 2004) Hugh Jackman. Kate Beckinsale. Richard Roxburgh. David Wenham. Shuler Hensley. Will Kemp. 145mm. Summer's first bona fide blockbuster. reimagines Van llelsing as Hugh Jackman in full quick witted Wolverine mode. A Victorian James Bond. the Vatican's very own Batman kicking ass for God. Jackman gets to take on a selection of famous monsters from filmland: Frankenstein‘s Monster. the Wolfman and. of course. Dracula. In terms of plot that really is it. with pretty much the entire running time taken up with one big fight spun out for over two hours. Dumb but pretty thrilling flick. as franchises go (and you can tell from the word go they want this to run and run). this is a great start and then there's the rest of l'niversal's cellars to plunder for foes. .S‘liowease ( ‘inema. Paisley. l’aislev.
Walking Tall ( 15) 0. (Kevin Bray. LS. 2004) The Rock. Johnny Knoxville. Kristen Wilson. Ashley Scott. 87min. See review. page 2‘). General release.
What Have I Done to Deserve This? ( lb’) 0... (Pedro Almodovar. Spain. 1984) (‘armen Maura. Luis Hostalot. l00min. From the camera that brought you Women ()2: the lerge . . .. an earlier. more surreal vision of desperation. .sex and bizarre familial interactions in middle-class Spain. The central role is again played by a distracted Maura. this time as a housewife coping with her depression and her ghastly family by taking a wee snort of cleaning fiuid with her prescribed amphetamines. Another gem. Part of .-\|m(wlovar retrospective. l‘llttt/tuttse. lz‘dittlmrgh.
Wild Chimpanzees (ti) (David Lickley. l7S/(‘anada. 2002) Jane Goodall and a load of chimpanzees. 53min. (iet tip close and personal with the wild (iombe chimpanzees in this big screen IMAX presentation. IMAX Theatre. Glasgow.
You Got Served (PG) 00 ((‘hris Stokes. L'SA. 2004) ()marion. Marques llotiston. Jennifer Freeman. J-Boog. 94min. Multi cliche-ridden street dancing movie that features some of the very worst acting you will ever see from these young leads but some very cool dancing. Seleeted release.