Film
Reviews
DRAMATHRILLLR THE BAD SLEEP WELL
(PG) 144mm
lBFI Publishing DVD retail) 0...
Maoe 'l ‘960 tns was Kurosawa's ‘trst in for his own productoh (:oriipa'ig.. it s an em: revenge tragedy bend 'ig dst net Shakespearean It‘eO"‘(}S “ e remanscent ol \.‘.’ar"er Brothers tar ’lers of the tEi-fifis.
Koichi Nich iToshtro Miftibe . a riSing executive for a ritalor housmg compmiy. marries the daughter of the ceiitpahy boss in an attempt to seek out the truth b8h!"(f his father's alleged swede. As his guest develops. Koichr uncovers a web of corruption. '.-'.'lllC.'T_ it is Suggested. stretches even further beyond the rriorally corrosi'e crcrld of big bus
Packed vrtn acerbic sooai crlt'gue. the film was hugely controversal at the time of its release and trimmed by over 3f} minutes for overseas (JiStTlfhiIlOf‘. It has been restored to tea ‘Llfl lengt‘r: for the very first trine for this DVD release and. thanks «argely to Kurosag'ta's truly masterful use of Tohoscope. :'. feliiall‘fi Che of the director's most ‘xistially arresting films. Minimal extras. Pasquale lanonnei
oCleor
.’ w". (I ..S)\A(i Sui. U
FILM NOIR
DOUBLE INDEMNITY
(PG) 107min
(Universal Pictures Video DVD retail; 00000
Not the first. nor the last. film noir, but certainly among the nastiest and Without a doubt boasting the sharpest seript of them all. Try this verbal foreplay between Barbara Stanwyck's lemme fatale Phyllis Dietrichson and Fred lVlacMurray's sleazy insurance salesman Walter Neff:
Phyllis: I was lust fixing some ice tea. Would yeti like a glass?
Nell: Yeah. unless yOu got a bottle of beer that's not working.
[timer-ii
1.5
Humili- Simiiiti
I
The film is adapted from James M Cain's novel ab0ut an :i‘suraitce rep who lets hzrnself be talked into a murder :nsurance fraud scheme by a client's wile — by Rayriiorid Chander and Billy Wilder :who noIOriOusly oadn't get alongi. This tale of infidelity. greed and horncide is actually based on the case of one Ruth Snyder. It’s hard to imagine anyone else in the leads. but Stanwka was unhappy wath her ill-fitting blonde wig and MacMurray. who wanted to get away from the fluffy comedies he'd been making. only got the part after Dick Powell‘s
‘
contract elsewhere stopped him being cast and old ham George Raft turned the part down. (Miles Fielder)
PSYCHOLOGICAL DRAMA EXOTICA
(18) 103min
(Network DVD retail) 0...
g i I ‘
Thomas (Don McKellar) smuggles rare bird eggs into the COuntry for sale under the COunter in his exotic pet-shop. Francis iBruce Greenwood) is a regular at strip-club ‘Exotica'. where Christina (Mia Kirshner) dances for him, watched by Eric (Elias KoteaS). her ex- boyfriend. who prowdes loguaclous commentary as the club's MC.
Clumsin packaged as soft-core titillation. Exotica is really a tliOught-provoklng film abOut pain rather than sex, scrutiniSing the ritualised behaVIour of the damaged partiCipants in a place where Jealousy and obsessron strangle deSire.
The Symbiotic relationship between Christina and FranCis. a man shattered by the murder of his daughter. undercuts obvious expectations. and plays out slowly in shots exquisnely composed by Cairo-born Armenian director Atom Egoyan. who brings an intensely personal Vision to the piece.
LeaVing several unanswered questions. and demanding almost immediate re-watchlng. this is a complex. adult film that av0ids easy answers in the search for deeper emotional truth. No extras.
(Dave Martin)
Reviews
MUSIC DOCUMENTARY BRITPOP NIGHT 8804, Tue 16 Aug, 8.30pm .0.
Who says living in the past is a bad thing? Stupid people. that's who. Be honest. you've already stopped listening to that Kaiser Chiefs album you bought and are still secretly Singing along to that Boo Radleys CD in the car. Yeah. that’s cos Britpop was great and this entire night of programming is recycling that whole sentiment. There's Live Forever. John Dower's 2003 feature documentary on the whole phenomenon which is wodh watching purely to see Damon Albarn souirm like a bug on a pin as he refuses to say that the Blur/Oasis wars were
over Liam Gallagher saying he wanted to shag Damo's girlfriend. Thatandthe Gallaghers' unintentionally hilari0us one-liners.
Further down the line there's Br/fpop Now.’. a Later Wit/i Joo/s-style live iamboree which reminds us just how bloody awful Marion and Menswear were. Thankfully. Pulp GO Public. a dOCUmentary followrng the fortunes of Sheffield's finest and prOVIng that deSpite the hype and glory they were by far the most conSistent act to come out of the whole guddle — smart. informed and seemingly down to earth. No more worthwhile than Channel 4's endless stream of Top Tens perhaps. but a flabby yet warm evening of retrOist entertainment. (Mark RobertSOni
US DRAMA
SIX FEET UNDER
E4, Tue 16 Aug, 10pm 0...
Get yOur mourning hats On as the finest drama about the Los Angeles funeral industry ever reaches its final. shattering climax. If you recall the last episode of series four. you'll remember that Ruth's hubbie was haying a full-blown breakdown. holing himself up in the basement while Nate discovered the full horrific truth behind Lisa's death. prompting the killer to blew his freakin' brains out. Still. a pOSSible Silver lining for Nate ill there's such a thing in Alan Ball's created unwersei appears to be on a CIOud naiited Brenda. clean and empty of at her f)l'(-}‘.’IOUS '.'/Olf(iliC'SS. But. as season fl‘«.’C Cracks open ‘.'.’|If‘ one of the most ingenious yet gruesome deaths in the shows entrail-drenched history the key question seems to be: can anyone truly change for the better? Whale Brenda seems an the xerge of SOl‘TGIiiiltg unpleasant .vhen sne sees \':SiOf‘.S of a taunting Lisa. her b- porar brother B:i:\, seems to be hoop ng back aboard the bonkers Dus. ‘r‘.’r cl‘ is bad news for Claire. tatho's started to haze dayinares about nr'n flipping aga-ii. lt'i? be a sad day '.-.'l‘er‘ S x Fee? Urtoer passes away but somehow .'.’e *.'.'i?l carry on. «Brian Donaldson
ALL DVDS WERE REVIEWED ON A SYSTEM SUPPLIED AND INSTALLED BY LOUD 8: CLEAR
= -ll»‘»li= '::: i7, i ii i~ f r it llir ill-l
(trill.
e
20 THE LIST“ "4 A .f; 27,-“