Films screening this fortnight are listed below with certificate, star rating, credits, brief review and venue details. Film index compiled by Paul Dale
After the Sunset ( in: ca (Brett Ratner. ['S. 300-4; Pierce Brosnan. Salrna Hayek. Woody Harrelson 97min Jewel thieves .‘vlax (Brosnani and Lola (Hayeki have retired at the top oi their game. but has he really given up his old criminal ways" ()ld adversary FBI agent Stan (Harrelsoni doesn't believe so tor a second. He reckons that Max has his eye on a labulous diamond and this time he wants a cut. Lame. cliched crime caper. Sler ('enturv (inemu. Izi/tn/mre/i.
* Amarcord ( lHi (Federico Fellini. ltaly/France. WW) l’uppela Maggio. Magali Noel. Armando Brancia. l33min. Fellini's joyous. autobiographical look back at liie in Rimini in the 1930s is the work oi the master in his most outgoing mood. a constant procession oi remarkable images and memorable moments. despite the looming shadow oi ltalian Fascism. (i/useow l-ilm Theatre. (ilusgow.
Animatrix ( l5) .C. (VitfioUs. LS. 300‘) IUZmin. A collection ol' several animated short iilms. detailing the back story oi The Matrix universe. and the original war between man and machines which led to the creation oi The Matrix. l’art oi Sci Fi London on Tour 2005. Cameo, Edinburgh.
Are We There Yet? (PG) 000
(Brian Levant. CS. 2005) Ice Cube. Nia Long. Aleisha Allen. Philip Bolden. 94min. See review. page 47. General release. Arsenic and Old Lace (PO) 00000 (Frank Capra. US. I‘Ml) Cary (irant. Raymond Massey. l’eter Lorre. Josephine Hull. Jean Adair. l 18min. Priceless black comedy has (irant upping the double-take iactor when sinister criminals Massey and Lorre come to stay with his two sweet aunts. a double-act who, oi course. are jUsl as murderous themselves. Scotsman Screening Room. Edinburgh.
Assault on Precinct 13 (15) see (Jean-Francois Richet. US. 2005) lithan Hawke. Laurence Fishburne. Maria Bello. lt)9min. Finally. a remake worthy oi the name. one which respects John Carpenter's M76 urban Western enough to retain its gritty edge. shocking violence and playful use oi Hollywle conventions. Director Richet and American writer James DeMoiiaco have taken some liberties, but all in all this is intelligent. muscular iilmmaking. (ieneml release.
The Aviator ( 12A) 0000 (Martin Scorsese. L'S. 200-1) Leonardo DiCaprio. Cate Blanchett. Alan Alda. Alec Baldwin. 169mm. Scorsese‘s Howard Hughes biopic is his best work in years. He depicts the bonkers millionaire as a maniacal. passionate and deeply ilaw'ed womaniser. tilm producer and airplanes enthusiast. DiCaprio has never been better than he is here. even ii Blanchett virtually steals the show irom him in a twitch perfect impression of Katharine Hepburn. At almost three hours this propels by. General release.
>l< Back to the Future (Hit em (Robert [emeckis [‘S. 19%: .\lichael J Fox. Lea 'l‘hompson. Crispiri (ilov er llbmiri Deservedly popular time-travelling tantasy adventure with street-siiiart bits teenager whisked back in time tor a little chicanery with his iuture parents (r/(HL’UH l'I/Irt Theatre. (iiiivemv
The Ballad of Ramblin’ Jack «PU. (Aiyana ltlliot. l'S. ItNlli lllmm Ramblin‘ Jack lilllitl certainly lived up to his moniker whether buskmg round North .-\iiierica. gigging with Woody (iuthrie or mentoring Bob Dylan. he certainly got around this 'Ballad' is his daughter .-\iyaiia‘s iourney in search oi the man who. ior tiiucli oi her lite. was an absent tather. :\rlo ( iuthrie. Kris Kristoiterson and others provide their recollections in this ilil\ oi interview. archive and contemporary iootage which won the Special Jury l’ri/e at the Sundance l'llltl Festival. l'i/m/touve. Izi/iIi/mre/i
Black (l'i (SanJay Leela Bhansali. liidia. 2005i Amitabh Bachchan. Rani Mukheriee. Nandana Sen. 133mm Impressive and progressive Hindi iilm about a physically disabled girl and her teacher. 'lhe girl struggles to break out oi her limitations and realise the dreams oi her mentor. Sixty -year old Hollywood veteran and star oi Bachchan says he his more proud oi this iilm than any other he has made. ()ileon it! the Quiiv. (i/iiveow; (i/uwovi.
Bound for Glory (l’(il ooeo (llal Ashby. l'S. l‘)7(ii Dav id Carradme. Melinda Dillon. Randy ()uaid. Ronny Cox. 148mm, A biopic oi one oi .-\merica's greatest tolk singers. Woody (iuthrie. who leit his dust- devastated Texas home in the l‘HHs to look ior work. only to discover the suiieremg and strength oi America‘s working class. This is one oi Asliby"s very best lilms which has been bewilderingly' overlooked. l’art oi American Folk season. l“t/Nt/tull.\(’. Edinburgh.
The Bridesmaid ( 15) (Claude Chabrol. France. 2004) Benoit Magimel. Laura Stiiet. Aurore Clement. l ltlmin. Filmmaker Chabrol takes on a Ruth Retidell adaptation tor a second time to winning eiiect. with this tale oi weird iamily' machinations in rural France. Pan oi (ilasgow World Film Festival. (iluvgow' I’i/ni Theatre. (ilusgow:
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (15) O. (Beeban Kidron . l'K. 2004i Renee Zellweger. Colin Firth. Hugh Grant. 108mm. lt's iour weeks aiter the end oi the last movie and Bridget (Zellw'eger) is happily in love with Mark Darcy (Firthi but paranoia. stupidity and the advice oi her ridiculous mates is about to lead her in the most bizarre oi directions. 'l‘iresome sequel. iour years too late. ()ileon u! Ilie Quay: Glasgow; Glasgow: ()deon. Edinburgh.
Bridging the Gap: Journeys (PU) (VarioUs. Scotland. ZOO-ii l37min. Six short creative documentaries irom new iilmmakers commissioned by the Scottish Documentary Institute and based on the theme oi Journeys. Expect a wide interpretation oi the narrative ranging irom the story oi a 25-year-old woman who returns to her Bangladeshi roots to the history oi a box oi old French identity cards. Film/rouse. Edinburgh.
House of the Tiger King
‘Tense’ doesn‘t do this documentary justice as three men slowly grow to
hate each other as they venture deeper and deeper into the Peruvian jungle. A filmmaker, an explorer and a Vietnam vet would always be a volatile mix and here true danger comes to the fore. Utterly compelling. I Fi/m/iouse. Edinburgh Sat 79 and Son 20 fol) o/i/w.
Casshern ( l5i C... (Ka/uaki Kiriya. Japan. 200-1) Ytisukc lseya. Kunuko :\so. Akira 'l‘erao. l-llmin. Sec rev iew. page 5“. ('(I'C. Rr‘It/t‘i'it .Sll'r't’l. (i/ilvuim.
Cat People il’(ii .0. (Jacques 'l‘ourneur. l'S. l‘Mii Simone Simon. Kent Smith. Tom Conway. 71min. Writer/ producer Val Lewton showed that horror was a matter oi the liillitl. the WM original sees Simon haunted by legends oi her homeland. leading her to believe that she is about to metamorphose into a panther. In the iollow- up. Simon's spectre returns to take control oi a young girl. You could read a iiiisogyiiist subtext into the tiliiis. but ior all the melodrama and shaky dialogue. there is a dark intelligence and restraint w liicli marks them out as superior B-mov ie nonsense. (i/uveoii‘ I'ilni 'I'lieuire. (i/iiveow.
Chicken Run (t'i es (Nick Park/Peter Lord. l'K. 3000i Voices ol .\lcl (iibson. Julia Saw alha. Miranda Richardson. 85min. For its lirst teature .-\ardiiiaii Studios has re-wrotc the \\'\\'ll l’( )\\' experience as an ()rwelliaii satire. albeit with laughs. So. Stalag 17 becomes a battery larm and the camp commandant iarmer 'l‘weedy 's
domineering wile. while in the hutches. (linger rallies liei tellow hens lo tly theii coop though the characters aren't as established as Wallace and (iromit and the lcature length running time slows the .l\ lion l'Ui .-\ardiiian this is very halt baked (i/uxeuu l'l/m Ilit’illli'. (l./(l\'\’U\\
Closeri 1M 0000 (Mike Nichols. Is. 3004» Natalie l’ottiiian. Jude law. Julia Roberts. Clive Owen ‘lb'iiiin ('lovci allows its a tront row seat to the intimate tires that burn inside each oi its well-heeled protagonists l’atrick \larbers structure plays Law ‘s hapless attempts to split up w illi l’ortiiiaii against ()wen‘s impotent rage as he struggles to accept that his iiiaiiiage to is coming to a close .-\s the iiiei'ry goi'ouiid oi eliiotlonal discord spins taster. 0w en and l’ortmaii share a raw scene over a chance encounter in a strip club. her provocative tease incites his iurious tirade over a perceived coldness lit the hearts oi woiiicti It‘s his willingness to accept this that gives him the upper hand iii an increasingly bitter competition ior sexual control A glossy soap opera laced with underlying resonance (it‘m'l‘tl/ "('ll'tlH'.
‘ 7 Feb—’1 Mar Z’JC'C THE LIST 55