Films screening this fortnight are listed below with certificate, star rating, credits, brief review and venue details. Film index compiled by Paul Dale
Alien Adventure 30 it?) sees (Ben Strassen. Japan. 2001 ) Voice of John Boyle. Bouli Lanners. 37min. An alien race looking i for a planet to colonise find earth and I unfortunater enter a theme park where they I cause much amusing mayhem. IMAX
Theatre. Glasgow. Aliens ( l8) 0... (James Cameron. US. 1986) Sigourney Weaver. Michael Biehn. l37min. Revived from a 57-year snooze in deep space. Warrant ()fficer Weaver is cajoled intojoining a marine rescue mission to the planet that is home for the original alien beastie. l'nrelentingly paced with a terrifically gutsy performance from Weaver. this nerve-shredding sequel not only matches its predecessor but cannily surpasses it. An Oscar winner for special effects. Ster' ('enturjv ('irierna. Edinburgh.
The Amityville Horror ( 15)..
(Andrew Douglas. LS. 2005) Ryan
Reynolds. Melissa George. Philip Baker
Hall. Jimmy Bennett. 89min. Pointless.
flacid reworking of Stuart Rosenberg's dull 197‘) ‘haunted house‘ movie. which claims
as its ‘inspiration' unused bits of Jay Anson’s discredited source book. General release.
3:: Anatomy of a Murder ( 12A)
.0... (()tto Prerninger. [S 1959) James Stewart. Lee Remick. Ben Gauara. George
C Scott. live Arden 160mm. See review.
page 50.
The Assassination of Richard
Nixon (15) G... (Niels Mueller. L'S/Mexico. 2004) Sean Pean. Naomi Watts. Don (‘headle 95min. Excellent slow-
building drama based on the true story of
Sam Byck who. in February 1974. drove to Baltimore-Washington International Airport and attempted to hijack a plane. He intended to crash into the White Ilouse in the hope of killing President Nixon. Penn in the lead is extraordinary. Well worth checking out.
UGC Ren/i'ew Street. Glasgow. Glasgow;
Ster ('entury' ( 'inerna. Edinburgh.
Be Cool ( I2A) G. (F Gary Gray.
US. 2005) John Travolta. l'ma Thurman. Vince Vaughn. I 18min. Very uncool sequel
to Get Shorty: Selected release.
Beauty Shop ( IZA) so (Bille Woodmff. US. 2004) Queen l.atifah. Alicia Silverstone. Andie .‘vIacDowell. Kevin
Bacon. I05min. Lame Barbershop offshoot with Latifah reprising her hairdresser Gina role. This time around she has moved to Atlanta and is teaching a nice white girl how to secure herself a big. handsome black
man. Selected release.
The Best of British ( I5) (Various. UK. 2004) 94min. This series of home-grown. shoestring shorts. which have been winning awards globally. Highlights include local filmmaker Jim McRoberts’ Who Do You
love? and early shorts from Shane
Meadows. Glasgow l’ilrn Theatre. Glasgow. Best of Filmfest Dresden ( 15)
(Various. 2004/2005) 90min. Founded in the former GDR in l988. the early Dresden Filmfest screened films that were either previously banned or rarely shown.
Animated films feature prominently. highlighting animation production‘s link
with Dresden. where the DliFA Animation Studio was established in 1955. Filmfest Dresden has developed into one of biggest short film festivals in Germany. Part of Dresden Shorts. Glasgow I’ilrrr Theatre. Glasgow: l-‘ilrnhouse. Edinburgh.
Bill Hicks: Relentless and Revelations ( I8) oooo (Various. t'K. “NZ/1993) Bill Hicks. 90min. Two classic filmed performances of this brilliant
comedian who died from pancreatic cancer
in 1994. Eilrnhouse. Edinburgh.
The Birds ( l8) .0... (Alfred
Hitchcock. L'S. I963) Rod 'I'aylor. Tippi Hendren. Suzanne Pleshctte. I I9min. Brilliant macabre idea from a Du Maurier tale to have our winged friends turned into malevolent killers. This is Hitch at his most mischevious. ()h and for the amateur psychologists among you. there is a glacial blonde leading lady and she is mistreated.
See picture caption. Glasgow I-‘ilm Theatre. Glasgow.
Black ( 12A) “0 (Sanjay Leela Bhansali. India. 2005) Amitabh Bachchan. Rani Mukherjee. Nandana Sen. l22min. Impressive and progressive Hindi film about a physically disabled girl and her teacher. The girl struggles to break out of her limitations and realise the dreams of her mentor. sixty-year-old Bollywood veteran and star of Bachchan says be his more proud of this film than any other he has made. Glasgow Film Theatre. Glasgow.
Bless their Little Hearts ( 15)
0”. (Billy Woodberry. IFS. l984) Nate lIardman. Kaycee Moore. Angela Burnett. 80min. Woodberry was a graduate of the School of Black Independent Filmmakers and collaborated with writer and fellow graduate (‘harles Burnett on this project. Described as a neorealist film. it centres on a family struggling to survive in the ghettos of South (‘entral LA. A pioneering examination of poverty and working-Yclass struggle. Part of the LA Season. l-‘ilrnhouse. Edinburgh.
The Bourne Identity ( 12A) ooo (Doug I.iman. L'S. 2002) Matt Damon. Franka Potente. ('Iive ()wen. (‘hris (‘ooper I l8min. Damon plays a liS-trained master assassin who. during the film's opening. is fished out of the Mediterranean riddled with bullet holes and suffering from amnesia. As he attempts to piece together the jigsaw puzzle of his past (with the help of Potente's German traveller Marie). his Stateside bosses activate three more killers to silence him. Loosely adapted from Robert l.udlum's 80s spy novel. this espionage thriller works to undermine the cliches of the genre. but ultimately plays like a souped-down Bond film. However. l.iman keeps the action lively and beefed-up Damon acquits himself well. Film/rouse. Edinburgh.
The Bourne Supremacy ( 12A) 0... (Peter Greengrass. I'S/Germany. 2004) Matt Damon. Julia Stiles. Brian ('ox. Joan Allen. 108mm. I.ast spotted chatting up the beautiful Marie (Potente) in a Greek motorcycle hire shop. ex-(‘IA assassin Bourne (Damon) has spirited his unlikely companion off to the leafy seclusion of Goa. But their idyll is interrupted when a multiple murder brings Bourne under the suspicion of (‘IA chief Pamela I.andy (Allen). A satisfyingly bleak and mean spirited sequel to The Bourne Identity. this is shaping up in to a half decent rival to the Bond series. l'ilrnhouse. Edinburgh.
The Breakfast Club ( )5) see
(John Hughes. ITS. 1985) Iimilio listevez. Ally Sheedy. Judd Nelson. Molly Ringwald. 97min. The film that helped launch the Brat Pack. which ain't a compliment. Five American teenagers -- punk. swot. nut case. etc - spend a Saturday afternoon in school detention. where they go through a tribal bonding experience while spewing all manner of teen angst: it‘s all my parents fault and other old chestnuts. .S'ter (’enturjv ('irrerna. Edinburgh.
The Bridesmaid ( l5) ooo ((‘laude (‘habrol. France. 2004) Benoit Magimel. Laura Smct. Aurore Clement. 1 10min. See interview. page 47. and review. page 4‘). l'TlIrtltottXt’. Edinburgh.
Bridging the Gap: Journeys (P(E) (Various. Scotland. 2004) 137mm. Six short creative documentaries from new filmmakers commissioned by the Scottish Documentary Institute and based on the theme of Journeys. lixpect a wide interpretation of the narrative ranging from the story of a 25-year-old woman who returns to her Bangladeshi roots to the history of a box of old French identity cards. Glasgow l'ilrn Theatre. Glasgow.
Bruce and "C(15) (Oren Siedler. Australia. 2004) 83min. Siedlcr's documentary exploration of her relationship with her con- artist criminal father follows her eccentric
Checkout the
r “onpaqeta
extended family from Australia to (‘anada. (’uba and the ISA. Part of the Australian Film Festival. I-‘ilrnhouse. Edinburgh.
Bullet Boy ( 18) G... (Saul Dibb. L'K. 2004) Luke Fraser. Ashley Walters. Leon Black. Louise Delamcre. 89min. (‘unis (Fraser) is the boy of the title and the gun that he fires belongs to his older brother Ricky (Walters). (‘unis looks up to Ricky and slowly he is drawn into a petty gangland feud over a broken wing mirror. which escalates into real life gunplay. Curtis. inevitably. gets involved. Dibb‘s accomplished debut feature thorougth examines how urban violence affects both family and community without sensationalising the situation. Bullet Ii‘ov may be a small-scale film with modest ambitious. but Dibb deserves credit for addressing the contemporary issues and coming up with a British film with rare humour and compassion. .S‘howease ('irrerna. ('oatbr'idge. Glasgow.
Carve her Name with Pride (t') .0. (Lewis Gilbert. I'K. 1958)
l 19min. Tale of war-time heroism based on the exploits of allied spy Violette S/abo. The good old British stiff upper lip sees the gal through and the film's that inspired too. An Iincourage 2005 presentation. Glasgow l-‘ilrn Theatre. Glasgow.
The Chorus I I2x\) 0.. ((‘hristophc Barratier. France/Swit/erIand/(iermany. 2004) Gerard Jugnot. Francois Berleand. Jean-Baptiste Maunier. 961nm. Set in an austere boarding school in the post-WWII period. The ('horus follows new teacher (‘lenient Mathieu (Jugnot). who almost immediately recognises the pupils‘ desperation for real encouragement and respect. And once he discovers that several of the boys are gifted singers. he decides that music could be their salvation and. in a strange way. his. Heartwarming. old- fashioned. sentimental Gallic box office smash. ('arneo, Edinburgh.
Clifford’s Really Big Movie (t')
0. (Robert (‘ Ramirel. IS 2004)
A I‘ll." BV GREGG AMI"
***** *i'int **** **** *‘k‘k‘k
Film
Voices of John Ritter. Wayne Brady. Grey Delisle. Jenna lilfman. 74min. ('Iifford is an enormous big red dog: who's well known to under-lives every where through the
WIN ision shows. Here he embarks on an adventure that es en the smallest child will find blunt and obv ious. I.ow grade kiddie cartoon big screen adaptation. featuring second-rate voice artists. Selected release. The Corporation (P(i) oooo (Jennifer Abbott and Mark Achbar. Canada. 2003) I44min. l'nusually searching ('anadian documentary of a how a veneer of reasonableness cloaks the rapacious activities of modern-day corporations. The filmmakers' key argument is that if the entirely profit-driven corporation were a person. it would have to be classified as a psychopth amoral. deceitful. guilt~frce and devoted to self-interest. Intelligently combining archive footage. graphics and interviews with ('I‘.()s and with left-w ing critics. The (’or'lroration may not has e the entertainment value of Morgan Spurlock's Super sm .lle. yet its conceptual analysis is far more wide ranging and substantial. incot‘imrating examples of corporate exploitation in Bolivia. India and Indonesia. and explaining how IBM profited from the Final Solution. ('arrieo. Edinburgh. Cursed ( I5) .0 (Wes ('ray en. IS. 2004) ('hristina Ricci. Jesse Iiisenbcrg. 07min. Key in Williamson and ('raycn feature which is. unbelievably. not part of the Stream franchise. 'I’his silly werewolf Hick set in [A does boast some nice pop references but little else. (.(i( . Rt'lt/i‘i’H‘ Sll‘t’Cl. Glasgow; (ibngtru .‘ .hilt'l‘ (.(Vllllll (‘irrerruL Edinburgh.
Cyberworld 30 (P( 3) (Various. IS. 2000) Jenna Iilfman. Matt I‘rewer. Woody Allen. 44min. Jenna Iilfman is the cy ber- host who introduces its to various unrelated segments of cy ber animation. The Simpsons and Ant. make 3|) appearances in a spectacular display of today 's most impressive graphic technology. I.II.-l.\' Theatre. Glasgow.
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12—20 May 2005) THE LIST 53