Film
The Lizard (Marmoulak) (12A)
.0. (Katnal Tabrizi. Iran. 2004) Parviz Parastui. Bahrain Ibrahimi. Shahrokh Ikwoutanian. l05min. Hugely popular in Iran this daring. if rather thin cotnedy has rocked a few taboos in its homeland. Reza (Parastouie) is a petty thief who escapes jail by posing as a mullah. When he has to stay in disguise for longer than he expected. he accidentally becomes the revered leader of a small town mosque. Satirical sttiff. Glasgow I'ilrrt Theatre. Glasgow.
Madagascar (t3) coo ( tiric Darnell & Tom McGrath. CS. 2005) Ben Stiller. Chris Rock. David Schwimmer. Jada Pinkett Smith. 86min. .lfadagascar' opens with steak-loving lion Alex enjoying his pampered existence in New York's Central Zoo. Ilis friends. Marty the zebra (Rock). Gloria the hippo (Smith) and Melrnan the hy'pochondriac giraffe (Schwirnrner) discover that the crafty penguins are planning a breakout. and set off for Africa to re—connect with their inner animals. But interaction with a tribe of lemurs uncovers the bitter truth about Alex's carnivorous nature. 'I‘horoughly enjoyable. blackly comic DreamWorks animation musical. General release.
The Maggie (t.') cos (Alexander Mackendrick. CK. I953) Paul Douglas. Alex MacKenzie. Tommy Kearins. 92min. A rich America proves easy fodder for the crew of a Scottish cargo boat in Mackendrick‘s Iialing comedy. which lacks sortie of the sparkle of ll'hiskv Galore. Part of Piping Live? Glasgow I'ilrrt Theatre. Glasgow.
Man of the House (12A) 0
(Stephen Ilerek. CS. 2005) Tommy Lee Jones. Cedric the Entertainer. Christina Milian. Paula Garces. 99min. Jones is the supposed selling point for this dour-Texas Ranger-protects-bubbly-cheerleaders farrago. directed with considerable uncertainty by Herek (Rock Star). Playing off his totiin guy image. Jones grimly determined to show us his softer side. which means Jones on rollerskates. dancing to Abba‘s ‘Dancing Queen'. having a facial with cucumbers over his eyes. buying tampons. and. most demeaning of all. hatnming his way through a series of musical/comedy numbers with the ill-named Cedric the lintertainer. Dire and embarrassing. ()deort. Edinburgh.
Mean Creek ( l5) ooo (Jacon Aaron listes. CS. 2005) Rory Culkin. Ryan Kelly. Trevor Morgan. Carly Schroeder. Josh Peck. 89min. Shy young Sam (Culkin) is being bullied at school by backward fat boy (icorge (Josh Peck). Stupidly. Sam tells his over protective older brother Rocky (Morgan). who then arranges a trip tip the local creek with some friends. The resulting travelogue is more Lord oft/re l’lies. shall we say. than Deliverance. Interesting but flawed hybrid horror movie which never quite delivers in the way one wishes it would. Glasgow I-‘ilrn 'I‘heatr'e. Glasgow. Monty Python’s Meaning of Life (l8) 0.. (Terry Jones. ['K. I983) John Cleese. Graham Chapman. Michael Palin. Eric Idle. 103mm. Ragbag ofoccasionally
gross Python sketches loosely following this mortal coil frorn womb to grave. Watch out for the exploding Mr Creosote. C electric. Edirtburgh.
Moulin Rouge (I2) ooo (Bar. Luhrmann. US. 200i) Ewan McGregor. Nicole Kidrnan. Jim Broadbent. 108mm. Tiresome. wildly unrestrained camp musical. C electric. Edinburgh.
Mrs Brown (PG) 0... (John Madden. L'K. I997) Judi Dench. Billy Connolly. Antony Sher. 103mm. Queen Victoria‘s obsessive mouming for Prince Albert is casting gloom over the entire country. so Highland ghillie John Brown is called down frotn Balmoral to shake up the stuffy English court. Madden‘s film can't match the comic brio and visual panache of The Madness of King George. but his understated direction undeniably suits the story. The performances are uniformly splendid. with Dench and Connolly (both perfectly cast) giving the film a surprising etnotional depth. Grosi'enor; Glasgow.
My Name is Joe ( I5) one (Ken Loach. CK. 1998) Peter Mullan. Louise Goodall. David McKay. |05min. My Narrie ls Joe‘s blend of comedy. social drama. love interest and tense thriller make for a more accessible movie than we'd normally expect from Loach. Recovering alcoholic Joe Kavanagh (Mullan) meets and falls in love with health visitor Sarah (Goodall). but his well-intentioned scheme to get a young friend out of the grip of a vicious drug dealer looks likely to backfire on everyone he cares for. Part of Scotching the Myth season. l-‘ilrnhouse. Edinburgh.
Night Mail (L') 0000 (Basil Wright & Harry Watt. CK. 1936) 24min. Incredibly influential British documentary of the l930s. recently plagiarised for a television commercial. This is a film poem following the mail train from London to Glasgow. The text was written by WH Auden. the music by Benjamin Britten. Part of Piping Live! Glasgow I-‘ilrrt Theatre. Glasgow.
Oliver! ([7) 0.. (Carol Reed. UK. 1968) Ron Moody. ()liver Reed. Mark Lester. Jack Wild. Harry Secornbe. l46min. A sparkling cast. great choreography and some dashed good tunes provide handsome entertainment in Lionel Bart's musical adaptation of Oliver Twist. The grim satire of greed. poverty and corrupted innocence that Dickens wrote is almost entirely smothered. which is just line here in this sing-along-with screening of Reed‘s musical. Glasgow I-‘ilrrt Theatre. Glasgow. The Perfect Catch (PG) 000 (Bobby I-‘arrelly/Peter Farrelly. US. 2005) Drew Barrymore. Jimmy Fallon. Jason Spevack. Jack Kehler. l03min. See review. page l8. General release.
>l< Pickpocket (PG) ooooo (Robert Bresson. France. I959) Martin LaSaIle. Marika Green. Jean Pelegri. Dolly Scal. 79min. See review. page 19. I’ilrnhouse. Edinburgh.
Polar Express (L') 0. (Robert Zemeckis. US. 2004) Voices: Tom Hanks. [.eslie Zemeckis. 99min. At an estimated cost of SibSm plus. Robert Zemeckis‘ The Polar Express is the most expensive
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Christmas shop window display in history. It’s based on Chris Jumanji van Allsberg's rather more charming 32 page children's book. and rendered entirely in stunning high-tech animation that resembles a Radio Times cover circa 1985. but it's a teeth rotting ride. C electric. Edinburgh. Psycho (15) ooooo (Alfred Hitchcock. US. l960) Anthony Perkins. Janet Leigh. Vera Miles. John Gavin. Martin Balsam. John McIntire. I09min. Hitch‘s rnisogynistic masterpiece has a young secretary take off to hicksville with a bagful of her boss' money. Unfortunately for her. she chooses to put up at the Bates‘ Motel. run by that nice Norman boy. The ironic dialogue (‘Mother‘s not quite herself today") make it a joy to catch any time around. We liked it. didn‘t we mother . . . mother'.’. C electric. Edinburgh.
Pulp Fiction (18) 0.... (Quentin Tarantino. US. I994) John Travolta. Samuel Jackson. L'ma Thurman. Bruce Willis. 150mm. Much tnore ambitious than Reservoir Dogs. the most awaited second feature of the 90s has many scenes that crackle with Tarantino wit. and a few others that fall flat as the writer-director bravely experiments. Interlocking stories in the pulp crime manner concem hitmen. ailing boxers. gang bosses and their molls. drug fiends. and assorted riff-raff. A surprise Cannes Palme d‘()r winner is a trip. all the way. C electric. Edinburgh.
Raiders of the Lost Ark (PG)
0.. (Steven Spielberg. LS. 1981) Harrison Ford. Karen Allen. ll5min. Ford plays adventuring archaeologist Indiana Jones. who almost bites off more than he can chew when he tums up the Ark of the Covenant in Nazi-infested wartime Egypt. Return to the breathless excitement of the Saturday moming serial with this rollercoaster of a movie. probably better than either of its sequels. Tongue held very firmly in cheek. C electric. Edinburgh. Red Trousers - The Life of the Hong Kong Stuntmen ( l5) (Robin Shou. Hong Kong/L'SA . 2003) Robin Shou. Beatrice Chia. Keith Cooke. l()0min. Part documentary. part feature film which looks behind the scenes of one of Asia's most dangerous professions. Glasgow I‘i/rrt Theatre. Glasgow.
Reservoir Dogs ( 18) 0.... (Quentin Tarantino. US. 1992) Harvey Keitel. Tim Roth. Michael Madsen. |00min. A gang of hoods. known only to each other by colour- coded nicknames. meets at an abandoned warehouse to figure how out their rigorously planned heist went so drastically wrong. The best debut in years from writer- director Tarantino. whose stylish violence seduces the audience into complicity. Brilliant in every sense of the word. C electric. Edinburgh.
Ring ( l8) 0... (Hideo Nakato. Japan. I998) Nanako Matsushima. Miki Nakatani. Hiroyuki Sanada. 95min. A horror film phenomenon in southeast Asia. in which the story tums on an escalating urban myth with a body count. It begins with a teenage girl telling her friend about a mysterious videotape that works like a very nasty chain letter. linpleasantly. myth turns out to be fact. The original industrial-electronic score by Kenji Kawai delivers its share of the chills. while the sudden flashbacks and motnents of spiritual connection between the murders in the modern day and the past cotnc at you hard and out the blue. A terrifying joy to behold. C electric. Edirtburgh.
Ring 2 ( l2) 0.. (Hideo Nakata.
Japan. 200i) Miki Nakatani. Ky’oko Iiukada.
Yuko Takeuchi. 95min. Part two of the Ring horror trilogy — a phenomenon in the Iiast that's achieved deserved cult status in the West — develops the original urban legend revolving around a video tape containing a cryptic image of a haunting young woman which visits a terrifying death upon anyone who watches it. More is revealed about the woman in white on the tape. and it falls to a schoolgirl and a young boy with telepathic powers to solve the mystery. Ring 's plotting is messy. but the mix of tnodern and traditional myths is wholly original. and the scares are hair-raising. C electric. Edinburgh.
The Rising ( l2A) 0.. (Ketan Mehta. India. 2005) Aamir Khan. Coral Beed. Amin llajee. Kailash Kher 135mm. See interview. page 17. and res iew. page lb’. Selected release.
Romeo and Juliet ( 12) 0000 (Bill Luhrmann. Australia/CS. I996) Leonardo DiCaprio. Clare Danes. l20min. The Strictly Ballroom director‘s treatment of the Shakespeare tragedy is a magnificent riot of colour. action and sexy teen romance. without any need to sacrifice the te\t. To call it ‘MTV filmmaking' misses the point that the camera tricks and iii-jokes don't in any way distract frotn the fact that Luhrmann has completely grasped the issues at the centre of the play. An intoxicating. breathtaking mix of Catholic iconography. high camp and street \ iolence that's both deliciously feverish and studiedly cool. C electric. Edinburgh. Scotch Myths (PG) (Murray (irigot'. L'K. I983) 90min. Intriguing collage of what passes for Scottish culture. bringing together a diversity of material. ranging frotn the tourist industry to cinematic perceptions to literature. in art incisiyc investigation of the country ‘s political and historical legacy. Part of Scotching the Myth season. I'ilrrthouse. Edinburgh.
Shallow Grave ( 18) case (Danny Boyle. l.'K. I994) Kerry I‘ox. Iiw an McGregor. Christopher liccleston. 90min. Three Edinburgh flatmates find their new cohabitant dead with a stack of money under his bed. so after performing a little DIY on the corpse. they reckon all their worries are over. But the cops are closing in. there are two thugs after the money. and the psychological tension is beginning to show. Filled with dark humour and cynical one-liners. this Scottish thriller is bloody and intelligent enough to please the cult audience while remaining accessible enough to be a mainstream hit. C electric. Edinburgh.
Shark Tale (t') ooo (Bibo Bergeron/Vicky Jenson/Rob Letterman. IS. 2004) Will Stnith. Robert De Niro. Jack Black. Martin Scorsese. 90min. ()scar (Smith) is a little fish who Iivcs happily in the oceon. But one day he gets in debt to a vegetarian shark (Black) whose maliosi father Don Lino (De Niro) rules the reef. what can he do to get himself out of this situation'.’ Lively. silly if occassionally fiat C(i animation that is clearly trying to hustle in on l'illt/itlg’ .\'erno territory. Ce/ectrit'. Edinburgh.
Shaun of the Dead t 15) cos
(Iidgar Wright. CK. 2004) Simon Pegg. Nick Iirost. Kate Ashlield. Dylan Moran. Lucy Davis. Bill Nighy. 99min. The learn behind the cttlt TV series Spaced venture into film with a likeable loin-rom-com that pits a bunch of London slackers against the undead. Pleasineg puerilc. C electric. Edinburgh.
Shrek (l') 0.... (Andrew Adamson. Vicky Jensutl. LS. 2001 ) Voices (if Mike Myers. Cameron Dial. liddie Murphy. 90min. l'ndcr the guise of a quest to rescue a princess from a dragon undertaken by the eponymous green ogre (which kids w ill love). Shrek also ruthlessly pillages corporate Disney. satirising its theme parks and executives. And who‘s behind all this‘.’ Producer Jeffrey Kat/cnbcrg of Disney rival studio Dream\\'orks. also formerly head of. yep. Disney. C electric. Edinburgh.
Shrek 2 (l') 0.. (Andrew Adamson. Kelly Asbury. Conrad Vernon . l'S. 200-1) Mike Myers. liddic Murphy. Cameron I)ia/. Julie Andrews. Antonio Banderas. John Cleese. Rupert Iivcrett. Jennifer Saunders. 92min. Patchy. episodic sequel to Dream\\'orks' inspired. satirical riff on Disney fairy tales. this fails to replicate the magic of the original. ('e/ectric. lat/inlnogh. Silver City ( l5) 0... (John Say les. l'S. 200-1) Chris Cooper. Richard Drey fuss. Cajardo Lindsey. lili/abeth Rainer. l2b‘ntin. Sayles' detective story -cum-political satire is a pitch-perfect parody of small town Republican mores and the detritus that hangs around them. Not classic Say les but good enough. ('arneo. Edinburgh.
The Skeleton Key ( l5) oooo (lain Sofllcy. IS. 2005) Kate Hudson. (iena Rowlands. Peter Sarsgaard. John Ilurt.