Dynamite
Sideways ( )5) eeeee (Alexander Payne. L'S/Hungary. 2004) Paul (iiamatti. Thomas Hadcn Church. Virginia Madsen. Sandra Oh. l2."min. Two temperamentally opposed middle-aged friends head off on a week's break in Californian wine country. before one of them gets married. One is a self-pitying divorcee and w inc snob Miles (Giamatti ). the other his former college roommate Jack (Church) — a w ashed-up TV actor. w hose looks are fading. but \\ ho's still enthusiastically chasing after fresh romantic conquests in the week of his own wedding. L'nfolding at a relaxed tempo. and unobtrusi\cly edited. .S'ideways is a w clcome throw back to the 1970s American cinema of Bob Rafelson and Jerry Schat/berg. in part simply because it reminds us of what fun it can be to hang out with guys like Jack and Miles for a couple of hours. ()deon. Edinburgh.
Solarls (PG) 0... (Andrei Tarkov sky. L'SSR. 1972) 165mm. Tarkov sky 's epic was intended as a socialist response to Kubrick‘s 200/. but some critics have lambasted it for its cod psychology and tired melodrama. Others believe it to be his most accessible film charged \\ ith a genuine poignancy and depth. Critic‘s. L‘h'.’ (I/asgou I‘llnt Theatre. Glasgow
Somersault ( IS) 0000 (Cate Shortland. Australia. 200-1) Abbie Cornish. Sam Worthington. Lynette Curran. l06min. Heidi (Cornish) is a 16-year-old girl who is caught kissing her mother's boy friend. She runs away and uses her asset. her body. to survive. Her experiences teach her the difference between
The king of all alienated youth flicks is back for a one-off screening. Jon Heder as permed geek boy Napoleon is hilarious in what was surely one of the best US comedies of last year. I GFT. Glasgow (Thu 72 May only).
sex and and love. Inventive. dreamy. soulful. oddball and occasionally shocking Australian rites of passage drama. Glasgow Film Theatre. Glasgow
The SpongeBob Squarepants Movie (L') 0. (Stephen Hillenburg. CS. 2004) Voices of Alec Baldwin and Scarlett Johansson. 87min. Charmless Nickelodeon channel spinoff cartoon feature movie. suitable for under fives only. Ster Century Cinema. Edinburgh.
Stalker (PG) 0... (Andrei Tarkovsky. [‘SSR. 1979) Alexander Kaidanovsky. Anaton Solonitsyn. Nikolai Grinko. lbltnin. Tarkovsky ’s adaptation of the Strugatsky novel about the aftermath of an alien visitation. The stalker is a man who is prepared to act as a guide through the contaminated area. but the director uses the Zone as a locale of very human desires and projections. \‘isually splendid and intellectually provocative. Stalker is one of Tarkoy sky's most accessible films. See picture caption. Glasgow Film Theatre. Glasgow
Star Wars (PG) 0.... (Gorge Lucas. LS. 1977') Mark Hamill. Carrie Fisher. Harrison Ford. Alec Guinness. l2lmin. A long time ago in a galaxy far away. a band of young heroes fight to rescue a princess and save her planet from destruction. Hugely influential and successful space epic: a modern fairytale with laser swords. Scotsman Screening Room. Edinburgh.
=2: Star Wars Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith (12A) (George Lucas. LS. 2005) Ewan Mcgregor. Natalie
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Portman. Samuel L Jackson. 140mm. The end of the Star Wars cycle'.’ Reviewed next issue. See feature. page 16. and picture caption. General release.
Strange Bedfellows (15) (Dean Murphy. Australia. 200-1) Paul Hogan. Michael Caton. Pete Postlethwaite. 99min. A warm. small-town comedy of manners about a cinema owner called Vince. who. facing a huge tax demand. persuades his mate Ralph to pretend they're a gay couple so they can use the changes in the tax system to their advantage. But first they have to do a little research . . . Part of the Anstralian Film Festival. Film/louse. Edinburgh.
Super Slze Me (12A) 0000 (Morgan Spurlock. CS. 2004) 100min. Comical documentary in which Spurlock puts himself through a golden M-only diet for 30 days. in the process causing him grievous bodily harm. Spurlock's is an enjoyably cheeky satirical approach to the undertaking but beyond the playful humour and the disturbing self-abuse he makes a serious inquiry into the connection between obesity and fast food and the American way. Cameo, Edinburgh.
The Uncles (E) (Tacita Dean. 200-1) 77min. This is one of two films by Berlin- based British artist Tacita Dean. It consists of a recorded conversation between Winton Dean and Jonathan Balcon about their fathers. who were directors at Ealing Studios. Part artist Dean's An Aside programme in collaboration with the Fruitmarket Gallery. Filmhouse. Edinburgh. Valiant (L') .0 (Gary Chapman. UK. 2005) Ewan McGregor. Ricky Gervais. Hugh Laurie. Tim Curry. 109mm. Animated comedy w hich tells the story of a lowly wood pidgeon Valiant (McGregor). who overcomes his small size to become a hero in Great Britain's Royal Air Force Homing Pigeon Service during WW ll. General release. Vera Drake (12A) .000 (Mike Leigh. CK. 2004) Imelda Staunton. Richard Graham. Eddie Marsan. Anna Keaveney. 125mm. Vera Drake sees Leigh return with a tragic-comic drama that boasts both the warm affection of Life is Sweet and the sharp cruelty of Naked. Set in post-war Britain (1950/1 London) and focusing on the titular good little wife. mother and secret backstreet abonionist (Staunton). l'era Drake benefits frotn compelling narrative that sees the good-hearted if naive protagonist subjected to institutionalised victimisation. ()deon. Edinburgh.
Waqt (PG) (Vipul Amrutlal Shah. India. 2005) Amitabh Bachchan. Shefali Shah. Akshay Kumar. Drama about the relationship between a father and a son and a whole lot of toys which need to be distributed to the local orphans. Remake of a classic 1965 Bollywood drama which has been a huge success in its homeland. Odeon A! The Quay. Glasgow. Glasgow: L'Cl Edinburgh, Edinburgh.
The Wedding Date ( 12A) 00
(Clare Kilner. LS. 2005) Debra Messing. Dermot Mulroney. Amy Adams. Jack Davenport. 88min. Kat Ellis (Messing) is a New York-based singleton who can't bear to tell the truth about her not being married. As
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she prepares to travel to the UK for her sister's wedding. crazy chick Kat hires a handsome male escort Nick (Mulroney) to pose as her new beau. Pale. tepid Working Title auldy English-style farce. General release.
Welcome to Sarajevo (15) 00” (Michael Winterbottom. UK. 1997) Steven Dillane. Woody Harrelson. Emira Nusevic. l07min. The horror of the conflict in Bosnia breaks down the professional detachment of reporter Michael Henderson (Dillane) who decides to smuggle an orphan out of the country. Based on the true story of [TN journalist Michael Nicholson. Winterbottom's film gains further authenticity by being shot on location. An angry. polemical film that barely manages to contain its makers' shame and righteous fury at the West's complacent response to l Bosnia’s suffering. Part of Media Season. Filmhouse. Edinburgh. I What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (15) 00” (Robert Aldrich. US. 1962) Bette Davis. Joan Crawford. Victor Buono. l33min. The catty rivalry between two former screen stars (and of course. resemblance may be intended to persons living or dead) leads to suspicion after a mysterious accident confines La Crawford to a wheelchair in Aldrich's clever but ultimately unsatisfying mystery thriller. Glasgow Film Theatre. Glasgow.
The Woodsman (15) 000. (Nicole Kassell. US. 2004) Kevin Bacon. Kyra Sedgwick. Mos Def. 87min. Paedophile Walter (Bacon) returns to his home town and tries to adapt to life outside prison. After returning to his old job in the lumber trade. he meets another fragile loner (Sedgwick). Can he resist his desires and lead a normal life‘.’ Daring and intelligent polemic of a difficult. emotive issue. Bacon is as commendable as ever. L'CI Edinburgh. Edinburgh.
XXX2: The Next Level (12A) 00
(Lee Tamahouri. US. 2005) Ice Cube. Willem Defoe. Samuel L Jackson. lOlmin. There's a new agent in the XXX secret programme and his name is Darius Stone (Cube). When the Secretary of Defence (Defoe) sets in motion plans to overthrow the president by orchestrating a military coup. Gibbons asks Fatso to save the day. This dreary second film in this alleged L'S James Bond franchise is marginally worst than the first film with Vin Diesel. General release.
5x2 (15) O... (Francois Ozon. France. 200-1) Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi. Stéphane Freiss. Francoise Fabian. Michael Lonsdale. 90min. Five key moments in the relationship between a thirtysomething couple Gilles (Freiss) and Marion (Bruni-Tedeschi) told backwards. so that we begin with a divorce scene in a lawyer's office. and work backwards to the moment the man and woman fall in love. Ozon's approach brings out the dramatic ironies in this love story: unlike the characters. we're aware of the outcome. which adds poignancy to the vitality and happiness of their younger selves. Thought provoking stuff. Cameo. Edinburgh.
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