i MAJ;- MACHUCA (15) 120mm 000.
Santiago. t’n'”. and Chile is about to lose its dernocrac. Socialist president Salrador Allende has been in pox/er for three short years and the US are getting worried that the, might have another renegade communist country on their doorstep. As Henry Kissinger is freeing up US cash and the 'illlliélry to enable right Wing General Pinochet to stage a coup. f.(;lt()f)|I)(i,' Con/an Infante lMatias Ouen has troubles of his own. His mother is haying an affair “.‘JIIIl some aged millionaire and he is the only one who knows about it, plus the posh school he goes to is peopled by snobs and bullies. Then one day Pedro Machiica iAriel Matelunai. a boy from the slums. walks into his life. Installed in the school With a bunch of other raggedtrousered gypos by the school's MarXIst leaning priest and headmaster, Machuca and hrs sister Silvana llvtanuella Martellil quickly become Pedro‘s conscience, but history is soon to overtake them all. Economics graduate Andres Wood‘s brave attempt to examine Chile's loss of democracy through the eyes of those who do not possess the faculty to understand what they are actually witnessing deserves to be applauded on every level. Vivid and simply eloquent. the work echoes that of the young Pasolini (Accatone and Mama Roma. in particular). and his unflinching characterisations and gentle uneasrness with this type of populist. socially political drama mark him out from many of his South American contemporaries. By siphoning themes of political imperialism through the opaque yet wide-eyed gaze of childhood. Wood has created something that deserves to be rated alongside more polished gems — Gurllermo del Toro's The Devr/‘s Backbone and Gabriele Salvatores' I'm Not Scared. A small triumph. (Paul Dale) I GIL—T. G/asgow from Fri 6 May and Film/iouse. Edinburgh from Fri 27 May.
bod: THE NEXT LEVEL (12A) 101 min I.
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Sam Jackson reprises ' ie as secret serurce head honcl: ,Arimistiis Gibbons ifunny. considering "l he's éiI\.'.’£t\,'E$ going on about hos. rap stars should not automatically be gruen acting rolesi. \‘Vhen the Secretar‘. of Defence i\.".’illem Defoei sets in motion plans to o.'er'thro.‘.' the president by orchestrating a llllIlIéll‘y coup. Gibbons asks Fatso to save the day (linen the fact that the straightf<irward plot is simply a ruse to move from one action seguence to the next. it's galling that the only thing outnumber'ing the bullet holes are the plot holes.
With New Zealander' lee lamahori taking the directorial reigns from New Yorker Rob Cohen. XXXQ’s only redeeming features are a few cutting asides aimed at the current American administration. When XXX commandeers a bunch of criminal mechanics to help stop the military coup, he states: ‘The fate of the free world is in the hands of thieves and hustlers.’ to which one of his cohorts
cL'iFFonD's REALLY BIG MOVIE (U) 74min .0
Clifford is an enormous red dog, :ll kno‘.‘.'n to under fixes e‘.'er\,‘.'.heie through the IUIfE‘JTSIOll shows based on the stor‘ybooks of Norman Brirl=.'.ell. ln his first big screen adventure the colourful canine. ‘."(>I(L(,‘(I by the late John Hitter. embarks on an adventure that even the smallest child ‘.‘.’IH IlllfI blunt and obvious. Racked with some vague eXistential angst about the high cost of feeding him, Clifford leaves his beloved owner Emily iCrey Del isle. and Joins up With his doggy friends Cleo (Cree Summer) and T Bone i’Kel Mitchelli for a Visit to the carnival. hoping to form a successful animal act and bring home a year's supply of pet treats.
Reaching us a full year after its American release. C/iffor'd's Rea/h Big Movre seems as dogeared as a tattered soft toy iammed in the dirt covered bumper of a dump truck. Unlike most kids' films. which practically fall over themselves to .‘iink knoxyingly to adults. Clifford's Really Big Movie lacks any cultural reference points. offering little in the .‘ray of comedy or dramatic tension to compensate. The vocal talent. including Jenna Elfman and Judge Reinhold. is decidedly second rate. not helped by animation .vhich sorely lacks the simplicity that makes the l(3|C‘.'l8|Oll show so charming And while a seguence in .vhich the carni.al animals use their individua skills to rescue Clifford has a certain Fellini- esgue appeal. this sorely iacks the Svriftian wit of the definitive gigantic pooch flick. f973's classic Digby: The Biggest Dog in the Liver/d. iEddie Harrisoni I Genera/ release from Fri 29 Apr.
buck" SEASON (15) 85min oooo
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Film news and 9N88l1’8_l'3 for beautiful Cineaste types
I Interested in journalism? Check out allmedia scotland.com’s Media Season at Filmhouse, Edinburgh from Friday 6 May. It starts with Alexander MacKendrick's venomous 1957 satire Sweet Smell of Success (pictured) and includes Lumet’s Network and Winterbottom’s Welcome to Sarajevo. There’s free beer from Coors in the bar afterwards. Match me, Sidney.
I Congratulations to SBI Productions. which presented the world premiere of The Bridge at the Filmhouse on Friday 22 April to an audience of extremely proud parents. teachers and arts staff from East Lothian Council. SBI stands for ‘Sevens Big Idea' — a P7 class from Pencaitland Primary School did everything on the film themselves. The result was a fantastic movre about a witch hunt. Now they have the experience. several of them want a career in the film industry. The future of the Scottish film may iust be in safe hands after all.
I Young People Speak Out has received a £50,000 award from the UK Film Council and intends to spend the money on four professional films and 52 basic productions over two years. It’s looking for four individuals with ideas for short films. If you are 12-18 and want to enter, submit a film idea by Wednesday 11th May. Phone 0131 220 4244 or visit www.ypso.tv for more information.
WIN HAPPY TREE FRIENDS ON DVD
We have five copies of the new Happy , Tree Friends ’ DVD Third Strike (Ventura International) to give away. This DVD boasts 14 superbly inventive, sick and darkly entertaining 90- second animated shorts, 11 premiering here. To be in with the chance, email promotions@list.co.uk by no later than May 12 2005. Usual List rules apply.
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