(iriffin's darkly funny. filthy ensemble drama about the Fringe Festival may just be the vaccine you need against the August madness. Selected release.
Fight Club ( IX) 0... (David Fincher. [’5. I999) Brad Pitt. lid Norton. Helena Bonham (‘arter I35min. .‘vlasculinity is in a mess and consumerism is to blame. Men have become docile spectators of life according to Eight (‘lub. Fincher's controversial adaptation of (‘huck Palahniuk's novel. (' electric. Edinburgh.
=I< Football Days ( I2A) 0000 (David Serrano. Spain. 2004) lirnesto Alterio. Alberto San Juan. Natalia Verbeke. I 18min. See review. page I9. ('inevmrld Rentrevi Street. Glasgow:
Goldfingertl’m 0... (Guy Hamilton. l'K. I964) Sean Connery. Honor Blackman. (iert Frobe. l 12min. The one with Pussy (ialore. ()dd Job. Shirley Bassey belting it out. Shirley liaton covered in gold alld a typically over-the-top plot as mad Auric plans to break into Fort Knox. Much better on the big screen when it doesn‘t have to be crammed into the TV frame. Scotsman .S'creening Run/ti. Edinburgh.
GoodFeIlas ( )8) 0000. (Martin Scorsese. l'S. I990) Robert De Niro. Ray l.iotta. Joe Pesci. Lorraine Braco. Paul Sorvino. I45min. l.iotta plays Henry Hill. a real-life niatiow. with De Niro as his mentor in crime. And while the btillets. fists and carving knives fiy. Scorsese brings us back to that unavoidable question yes. it's glamorous and lucrative to live this way. but can anyone really live with the consequences'.’ Winner of BAI’I'A awards for best film. director and screenplay. and a Best Supporting .Actor Oscar for Joe l’esci. (' electric. Edinburgh.
The Goonies (PG) 00 (Richard Donner. l’S. I985) Sean Astin. Josh Brolin. Jeff (‘ohen I 12min. Rather dire teenfiick. in which seven kids go in search of buried treasure and are followed hotly by v icioUs villains vying for the loot. A joy'ride which is slow to start and doesn't ever depart from well charted highways. (‘ electric. Edinburgh. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (PG) .0. ((‘hris ('olumbus. l'S/l.'K. 2002) Daniel Radcliffe. Kenneth Branagh. Robbie (‘oltrane Iotlmin. It's the boy -w i/ard's second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wi/ardry where evil forces have released a vicious serpent into the corridors. lll line with JK Rowling's book. the second film is darker than the first. It‘s perhaps somewhat over-long. but the combination of old-fashioned kids' storytelling and blockbuster budget special effects make for something more pleasing than standard Hollywood eye candy. (‘ electric. Edinburgh.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (PG) .0. (Alfonso (‘tlarolL l‘S. 2004) Daniel Radcliffe. Richard (irif'fiths. Pam Ferris. Fiona Shaw. (iary ()Idman. I4lmin. It is the summer before Harry 's third year at Hogwarts. and he has heard that it is SiriUs Black ((iary ()ldman). a renegade wi/ard. is the Prisoner of A/kaban. What Harry doesn't suspect is that Black has escaped and is coming after him.
Fine
Expectations are riding high for Harry Potter .1‘. with a new director in (‘uaron (Y 'Iii Mania
‘lanibie'm. and a darker. more complex book to adapt. There is enough dark humour. spectacular effects and appealing performances to keep you trapped ill the franchise. Btit Harry‘s new adventure is also ponderous and ov'erlong. regular Potter screenwriter Steven Kloves' conf'Using. rambling. structurally incoherent script. in which characters appear and disappear and plot turns are never realised. keeps the door firmly closed on this private club. (' electric. Edinburgh.
Herbie: Fully Loaded (if) u
(Angela Robinson. L'SA. 2005) Lindsay [.ohan. Michael Keaton. Matt Dillon. I00min. This very literal Lindsay l.ohan vehicle sees dad Michael Keaton give his
daughter a car on graduation. In the traditions
of the franchise. the Beetle has a mind of its own. and l.ohan is soon learning lessons in life and entering the Daytona 500. General release.
Hitch ( 12A) .0 (Andy Tennent. LS. 2004) Will Smith. Kevin James. Amber Valletta. Eva Mendes. I I5min. Smith plays Alex ‘Hitch' Hitchens. a New York ‘date doctor' whose job it is to school the city's guileless men in the ways of covert wooing. His latest challenge is Albert ( James). a rotund accountant who wants nothing more
than an evening out with his client. party girl Allegra (Valletta). Albert‘s tutelage ensues. as
does Hitch's. who does his best to overcome his own fear of commitment. FatuoLis comedy about the mores of dating in an implausibly picture postcard New York. ()deon. Edinburgh.
I Know Where I’m Going! (L')
C... (Michael Powell & Emeric
Pressburger. L‘K. I945) Wendy Hiller. Roger Livesey. Finlay Currie. Pamela Brown. Nancy
Price. 9lmin. Beautifully shot in black and white. this is an intriguing comedy romance with dark undertones. in which the young. confident Ms lliller sets out to marry her rich. elderly fiance in the Hebrides. but falls instead for l.ivesey‘s sexy young naval officer. The visual symbols. all drawn from the islands' natural landscape. underline the story 's deeper resonances. Part of Piping Live? (ilaxgmr I'ilnl Theatre. Glasgow: ITV50: Action/Adventure Drama (P(i) (Various. L‘K. 2005) VarioUs. I05min. Part of the [1150 series that celebrates 50 years of ITV. Attum/Adventure Drama focuses on The xll'enget'v and The Saint. two [TV programmes that were made into big budget Hollywood films. This documentary takes a fond look back on the globe trotting adventures that filled our screens. Part of ITV50 season. (ilasgmi' Eilni Theatre. (ilaxgmv‘.
ITVSO: Award-winning Documentaries (PG) (Various. tiK. 1964/1974) Various. 90min. Two great old ITV documentaries get an airing. A ll'edding on Saturday looks at the preparations for a wedding ceremony in a Yorkshire mining village and Beauty. Bunny. Daisy. linlel. (irace and Geoffrey .ll()rl(m looks ill the life of a shire horse farmer. Part of the ITV50 season. I'ilinhouse. Edinburgh.
m
at a fraction of the price
Eat out for less
ITVSO: Bloody Sunday ( )5) 0000 (Paul (ireengrass. UK. 2002) James Nesbitt. Allan (iildea. Tom Piggott-Smith. (ierard (‘rossan 1 10min. (ireengrass‘ excellent docudrama recreating the terrible events which took place in Derry. Northern Ireland on 30 January I972. Part of the ITV50 season. Film/louse. Edinburgh.
Ice Age (ti) .0 ((‘hris Wedge &
(‘arlos Saldanha. IS 2002) Voices of John
Legui/amo. (ioran Visnjic. Jack Black. 81min. (‘harmless animation. (' electric. Edinburgh.
Imaginary Heroes ( I8) 00 (Dan Harris. l.'S/(iermany/Belgium. 2004) Sigourney Weaver. limile Hirsch. Jeff Daniels. Michelle Williams. Kip Pardue.
I I Imin. Matt (Pardue). a young ()ly mpic swimming prospect. commits suicide. The story is then told from the perspective of his brother Tim (llirsh) and we are introduced to his typical suburban movie family. overbearing father (Daniels). cool college student sister (Williams) and kooky mother (Weaver). Interesting familial dissection. (‘ittevi'arld Rea/rev) Street. Glasgow: Eilnlluiuse. Edinburgh.
The Incredibles (PG) 000. (Brad Bird. ISA. 2004) Voices of (‘raig T Nelson. Holly Hunter. Samuel I. Jackson. Jason Lee. l20min. Witty and funny Pixar animated adventure film that pUshes all the right buttons and references all the best films and classic TV series. Let's face it. this may just be too good for mere kids. (' electric. Edinburgh.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (PG) .0. (Steven Spielberg. L'S. I989) Harrison Ford. Sean ('onnery. Alison Doody. Denholm lilliot. I27min. The third and supposedly final instalment of Spielberg's blockbuster series. in which the archaeological adventurer is joined by his father ((‘onnery ) for a romp through the Middle Iiast in search of the Hon (irail.
hotly pursued (as ever) by the Na/is. A rather
dodgy quasi-('hristian morality and a more- of-the-same-ish plot are offset by strong performances from Ford and (‘onnery and technical bravura. (' electric. Edinburgh. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (P(i) 0... (Steven Spielberg. L'S. I984) Harrison Ford. Kate (‘apshaw. Kc Huy Quan. Amrish Puri. l l8min. Again the foreigners find it hard going keeping up with the Jones. as master entertainer Spielberg piles on the action sequences. This time. how ever. the frantic pace has even less credibility than Raiders had. (' electric. Edinburgh.
Iron Giant (l') 0... (Brad Bird. IS. 1999) Voices of Jennifer Aniston. Harry (‘onick Jr. Vin Diesel. 80min. In this animated film adaptation of Ted Hughes' classic children's story about a boy who befriends a 50ft robot from outer space. The action is transported from rural lingland to small-town America in the late l950s. The resulting film is a fast-moving thrillfest featuring bongo-beating beatniks. a great rockabilly soundtrack and explosive destruction on a grand scale. This being a kids film. through. it's violence with a conscience. (' electric. Edinburgh.
Film
The Island ( 12A) .0 (Michael Bay. (TS. 2005) liwan Mc(iregor. Scarlett Johansson. Djimon Hounsou. Sean Bean. Steve Buscemi. 136mm. Woeful big budget action adventure sci-fi. a kind of Logan 'v Rim for the (EM foods generation. from bang and whistle man Bay. A huge flunk despite the impressive cast. See review. page Ix. (icncral release.
Kicking and Screaming (PG) 0
(Jesse Dylan. LS. 2005) Will Ferrell. Robert Duvall. Mike Ditka. Kate Walsh. 94min. Dreadful. hysterical famin sporting comedy which is clearly just a bland spoiler designed to take the wind out of Richard l.inklater's forthcoming The Bad News Bears remake. Selected release.
The Last Mitterand (Le Promeneur du Champ de Mars) (PG) 000 (Robert (iuediguian. France. 2005) Michel Bouquet. Jalil i.espert. Philippe Fretun. Anne (‘antineau I Iomin. A journalist follows the behaviour of French President in the last two months of his life. after he has resigned from office and is dying from cancer. Based on the book written by (ieorges-Mark Benamou. this drama concentrates far too much on the boring writer. Antoine (Lespart). and his procrastinations aiid as a result deadens interest in the far more interesting title character. A disappointment from the immensely talented filmmaker (iuediguian. Film/muse. Edinburgh.
Laura’s Starit') O. (Pic-1 De Ryckerfl‘hilo Rothkirch. (lermany /Bulgaria. 2004) 80min. Sickly sweet animation about a seven-year-old girl who finds a lucky star which she miist return to the sky before it dies. lite Edinburgh ()cean. Edinburgh. The League of Gentlemen’s Apocalypse ( IS) 000 (Steve Bendelack. l'K. 2005) Reece Shearsmith. Mark (iatiss. Steve Pemberton. 9Imin. For their debut feature. the League have married endless allusions to horror film with a plot of multiple realities. lt's ambitious. Ieanly scripted and expertly balanced between three different worlds. l'nfortunately. it‘s just not as consistently funny as the group's best work. (amen. Edinburgh.
A Little Princess (PG) .00
(Alfonso ('tlaron. I’S. I995) lileanor Bron. l.iam ('unningham. l.iese| Matthew s. 97min. Young Sara is forced to leave her privileged life in India for a New York girls' boarding school when WWI breaks out. Things turn for the worst. however. when her father is reported missing in action and. pcnniless. she is subjected to the cruelty of schoolmistress Miss Milichill. A movie with a sense of real magic and love of storytelling. that is beautifully designed and intelligently acted. (i elet‘lt‘ic. Edinburgh.
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I I )8 Aug 2005) THE LIST 23