ev er)one. including Robbie tlte seal. Alter convincing the other bears to stop eating seals and leed on liin instead. he is laced with a dilemma vvlten tlte lish run otit and the seals are abotit to becotne lunch again. Based on the storybooks by lltttls De Beer. the arctic setting ol this anitnated lilm creates a ximilar tnagical atmosphere to that ol 'l‘lte Snow/mm. A cttte aitd slttshy story 101' young children. providing a lew light- ltearted laughs. (‘ eleetrie. lit/inlmrgh. Love Actually ( l5) .0. (Richard ('urtis. l'K. 2003) Bill Nighy. (iregoi' l‘isher. lltigh (irant. ('olin l‘irth. Martine .\Ie('utcheon. l.iant Neexon. limma ililltmlpxtm. l I0min. (‘tlt‘tix sets out to prove the lairly anody ne point tltat love ix actually all arottnd us in all its ntany lormx. btit to do thix he indulges a huge cast and several dillerent story xtrandx. So we see a new prime minixter bachelor ((irant) lull in love w ith a Ntnnber I0 tea girl (.\Ic('utcheon). And then there ix tltc story ol the broken- heat'ted writer (I’irth) who lallx lor his liastern Iiuropean cleaner. ()1) top ol this Iimma ’I'hompxoit. Alait Rickman. Keira Kniglttley. Andrew Lincoln. l.iam Neexon and Laura l.inney all pop tip to play otit tlteir roles as either object ol. or giver ol. the sweet gilt ol love. l.ightw eight and enjoyable. il a little ov er-populated. romantic comedy. This is actually lairly impressive considering it ix writer ('urtix' 0er time in the director's seat. (‘e/et'lrit'. Iz'tlinlmrg/i.
Madagascar ( l ') 000 (lirle Darnell (k 'l‘om Mc(irath. IS. 2005) Ben Stiller. ('hrix Rock. I)av id Schw iinmer. Jada I’inkett Smith. 86min. .Ilmluguseur openx with xteak-lov iitg Iion AIe\ enjoying his pampered existence in New York'x ('entral Zoo. Ilix lt'icnds. Marty the lebt'a (Rock). (ilm‘ia the hippo (Smith) and Melman the lty pochondriac giralle (Schw inimer) discover that the ci‘alty penguins are planning a breakout. and set oll lor Alrica to re-connect with their inner animals. But interaction w ill) a tribe ol' lemurx uncovers the hitter truth about Alex's carnivoroux nature. 'lhoroughly enjoyable. blackly contic I)ream\\‘orkx animation musical. (lettel‘ul I't’lt'(l\(’.
* Me and you and Everyone we Know ( 15).... (Miranda July. l'S/I‘K. 2005) John Ilaw kes. Miranda July. Miles 'l‘hoinpxon. Ulmin. See interview. page l7. aitd review. page 18. (ilusguw I'ilm 'I‘heutre. (ilusguw; (tuner). Ifd’inlnugli.
Melinda and Melinda ( l2.-\) 0. (Woody Allen. IS. 2004) Will l'errell. Jonny Lee Miller. Wallace Shawn. Radlta Mitchell. 99min. Sltavv n listenx to more alter-dinner xtoriex as two writers relay to him the tale ol two Melindas (both play ed by Mitchell). lierrell lolltmx in the laltering lootxtepx ol Branagh ((eleltl'itv ) and Jason Biggs (Anvllting l-[lvel in the alway x undignilied task ol playing Allen's idea ol himsell on xcreen. Yet again. Allen ix repeating himxell obv hardy and annoyingly in thix mediocre ollering. ()(ll’UII. lit/llllflll'g’ll.
The Mighty Celt ( 12A) (l’earxe lilliot. Ireland. 2005) (iillian Anderson. Robert (‘arlyle. 82min. Deceptiver simple lilm about a teenage lrixh boy 'x growing obsession with greyhottnd racing which it) lact xerv ex ax something ax a political allegory to Ireland's recent troubled hixtory. l’rcv iew only. Reviewed next ixxue. (liteti‘urltl Ken/fen Street. (iltlvgm); (ilttvgmt.
Monty Python’s Meaning of Life (18) .0. ('lei‘i‘y‘ Jones. l'K. I983) John (‘leexe. (iraham ('hapinan. Michael l’alin. liric Idle. I03min. Ragbag oloccaxionally gross l’ython xketchex loosely lollowing this mortal coil lrom womb to grave. Watcl) otit lUl' tlte c\ploding .Ml' (.I'L‘tktllL‘. (it'lt’t'll'lt’. Iitlinlmrgh.
Moulin Rouge ( I2) .0. (Ba/ I.uhrmann. I‘S. 200| ) liw an Mc(iregor. Nicole Kidtiiait. Jim Broadbent. I0h’ntin. l.uhrtitaim'x lollow -up to Rumeu A" .litliet ix a wildly unrextrained. gloriouny camp. lewd ax hell tnttxical love story which ix by turns either nauseating. attnoy itig or awesome depending on your tolerance lor gay spectacle. (‘t'lt't’l/‘i't‘. lat/inlmrgh.
My House in Umbria ( l2.-\) 0.. (Richard l.oncraine. l'K/ltaly. 2003) Maggie Smith. Ronnie Barker. ('hrix ('ooper. limmy ('larke. 103mm. 'I‘rain craxh xurv l\'()t‘x repair to limin 'x (Maggie Smith) sun-drenched house in l'mbria to recuperate. Aimee ((‘larke). an orphaned eight-year old. hasn't spoken since the disaster. and the arrival ol her uncle ((‘oopet‘l throws limily's house into disarray. Quintexxential character drama which revelx in sensitive writing. acting and scoring. An examination ol perxonal loss. and the complexity ol the healing process. which repays the ellort ol tttning into the gentle conversational rlty thins oit oll'er. lire lz'tlinlturgh ()eeun. lit/inlnirg/t.
Natural Born Killers ( 18) .00. (Oliver Stone. l'S. l‘)‘)~l) Woody Ilarrelson. Juliette I.ewix. Robert I)owney' Jr. 1 10min. Stone's visual attd aural assault iitakex lor one ol the most remarkable cinematic experiences it) years. Ilis attemptx to marry style with content. while providing a damning expose ol the media adulation ol xcrial killerx. ix lexx succesxlul. let down by Itix trademark ovei'xtatement. Violent. mesmerixing. hallucinatory aitd bold in its uxe ol various lilm lot‘tttats. Nil/v ix a landmark Ill M’I‘V-inlIuenced Iilmmaking. (’ eleetrie. Iz'tlinlturgh.
The Never Ending Story (t‘) 000 (Wollgang Petersen. l'S/W. I085) Barret ()Iiv er. Noalt llathaway. Moses (itltltl. ‘)-lmin. l.onely yotiitg boy Bastian starts to read a my xterioux book. and is miraculouxly drawn into the pages to undergo an exciting aitd dangeroux adventure in a land ol lantaxy. l’assable adaptation ol the Michael linde bestseller. w itlt plenty ol cute lurry lit)ll\ It) engage tlte kiddies. (.(lt't‘ll'lt‘. Iftli/tlmrgh.
Ocean’s Eleven ( IS) 000. (Steven Sodet'bergh. IS. 2001 ) (ieorge ('Iooney. Brad Pitt. Jtilia Robertx. llomin. Oil the cull ix the operative term lor Stev en Soderbergh'x remake ol the I.ax Vegas casino heist thriller that l‘rankie and I)ino and their Rat Pack had so much ltiii making back in I‘)()(). But where the Rat Pack rascals ttxed the original lilm ax at) excuse to rttn riot itt their adopted home city. Sodcrbergh. screenwriter 'I'ed (irillin aittl an all-star cast have worked to produce a stylish. tightly excripted mov ie which remains at all tiinex erl-conxciouxly throwaway lun. Not qtiite ax cool as the original. btit a better lilm. ('elet'trit‘. Iztlirilnu'g/i.
Ocean’s Nelve ( l2.-\) .0 (Steven Soderbergh. lS/Auxtralia. 2004) Brad Pitt. (ieorge (’Iooney. Matt Damon. Julia Robertx. 125mm. Wixhy waxhy sequel to (heart 'v lilt'l‘t’ll xet in littt‘ope where the boyx‘ paxt linally catches tip with them. A levv nice set pieces and l)av id lIolmcx' excellent xcore xhould xuxtain lanx ol the original Iilm. ('e/eetrie. lat/inlmrgh.
The Perfect Catch (l’( i) 000
(Bobby l‘iti'i't‘llfll’c‘tc‘i' l‘at'rclly. IS. 2005) Drew Barrymore. Jimmy l‘allon. Jaxon Spevack. Jack Kehler. I03min. ’l‘he l-ai't'elly brotherx transatlantic take on lIornby 'x I'ei‘er l’ilt'h replaces lootball with baxeball bttt retainx much ol the charm ol the book. bill with the romance quota tipped. Willi l'allon aitd Barry more as the kooky couple tltix ix likeable and amusing btit never quite hits at home run. (it'llet'tll I't'lettvt'.
The Perfect Man (Hi) (Mark Roxman. IS. 2005) Hilary l)ull'. lIeather l.ocklear. ('hris Notlt. Amy Acker. l00min. Another anody ne l)ull (A (’intlerellti Sturv ) comedy drama. 'I‘hix timeout she tries to sort her Ilaky itttiti) (l.ocklear) tip with a hall decent man. Yaw ntaxtic. (ieneml releuve.
Psycho ( l5) 00... (Alfred Hitchcock. I‘S. l‘)()0) Anthony Perkins. Janet Leigh. \cra .\Iilex. John (iav in. Martin Balxam. John Mclntire. I0‘)min. Ilitch‘x ntixogynixtic masterpiece has a young secretary take oil to hickxv iIle w till a baglul ol her boxx' money l'nlot‘tunatcly lul’ Iter. she chooses It) pttt tip at the Bates' Motel. rtm by that nice Norntan boy. The ironic dialogue ( ‘Mother'x l)()l qttite ltet'xell today ' I lllillsL' it a joy It) catch any time around. We liked it. didn't we mother . . tttothct".’ (‘elet'tritx I'.(liItltii/'glt.
Racing Stripes (t') .00 (liretlerik I)u ('hau. South Alrica/l 'S. 2004) Voices ol
I‘rankie Muni/. Mandy Moore. llayden l’anettiere. 101mm. ()rpltaned zebra (Muni/) ix adopted by wannabe jockey (‘hanning (l’anettierre). ()nce Stripex gets a load of the racecourse next door. the cocky yottng animal’s desire to compete alongxide them outstrips ('hanning‘s urge to ride him. bttt the oddx are stacked against him. 'I‘hix innocuous lamin comedy set on a lartn in Kentucky w ranglex live action animals to cttte ellect. lite I'ftlinlnu‘gh ()eeun. Iz'tlinlmrgh.
Raiders of the Lost Ark (PG)
.0. (Steven Spielberg. l’S. IUXI) llarrixon liord. Karen Allen. I I5min. l‘ord play x adventuring archaeologist Indiana Jones. who almost bites oll tnore than he can chew w hen he turnx tip at the Ark ol the ('ovenant iit Na/i—inl‘exted wartime ligypt. Return to the breathlexs excitement ol the Saturday morning xerial with this rollercoaxter M a movie. which ix probany better than either ol itx xeqtielx. 'l‘ongue held very lirme in cheek. (‘elet'tritx lit/inlnu‘glt. Red Trousers - The Life of the Hong Kong Stuntmen ( IS) (Robin Sltoti. Ilong Kong/I'SA . 2003) Robin Shou. Beatrice (‘Itia. Keith ('ooke. l00min. l’art documentary. part leature lilm which looks behind the scenes ol one ol Axia'x most dangeroux prolcxxions. (iltivgmt I'ilni l'liettll‘e. (iltlygnu’.
Ring ( lb’) 0... (llideo Nakalo. Japan. NUS) Nanako Matxuxhima. Miki Nakataiti. lliroyttki Sanada. 95min. A horror lilm phenomenon it) southeast Axia. in which the story turns on an escalating ttrban myth with a body cottnt. lt begitis with a teenage girl telling her lriend about a my xterioux videotape that workx like a very nasty chain letter. l'npleaxantly. myth turns otit to be lact. The original industrial-eIectronic score by Kenji Kawai delivers its share ol the cltills. while the sudden flashbacks and moments ol' xpiritttal connection between the murders in the modern day aitd the past come at you hard and otit the blue. A
terrily ing joy to behold. (‘elet'tritz Iitlinlmrgh.
Ring 2 ( l2) 0.. (llideo Nakata. Japan. 2001) Miki Nakatatti. Kyoko l‘ukada. Yuko 'l‘aketichi. 05min. Part two ol' the Ring horror trilogy a phenomenon in the liast that's achieved dcxet‘v ed cult status in the West dev elopx the original urban legend revolving around a video tape contaitting a cryptic image ol a haunting yotiitg woman which v ixits a terrin ittg death upon anyone who watches it. More is revealed about the
Singin' in the Rain/The Band aqon
Joyous double bill action with Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly’s 1952 hammy drizzle-soaked classic followed by Vincente Minelli’s 1953 musical made with the same team as Singin’ in the Rain just one year on. Great fun for all the family.
I GFF Glasgow (Sun 27 Aug only).
woman in white on the tape. aitd it lalls to a schoolgirl and a young boy with telepathic powers to solve the mystery. Ring 's' plotting is messy. btit the mix of modern and traditional myths is wholly original. and the scares are hair-raising. (‘ eleetrie. Edinburgh.
The Rising ( 12A) 000 (Ketan Mehta. India. 2005) Aamir Khan. ('oral Beed. Amin Ilajee. Kailash Kher. 135mm. lluge epic xet during India's First War ()l Independence between 1857-58. The story locuses on the lreedom lighter Mangal l’anday (Khan) a soldier in the army of the British Iiast India (‘ompanyz It's been considerably shortened to make it more amenable to British tastes and some of the most melodramatic moments have been culled. l'nlortunately. this does not paper over all ()l the cracks. The obligatory Bollyvvood songs are ol poor qttality and ottt ol kilter with the tension of the narrative. It's a shame because the central story and the dynamics ol power explored by lllt’ Rising are lirst class and in keeping with the traditions ol the 50s golden age ()l Indian cinema. Seleeletl release.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (18).... (Jim Sharman. L'K. 1975) Tim ('urry. Susan Sarandon. Barry Boxtwick. Meat l.oal. 100mm. The cult film to end all others. this rock spool on old ltorror mov iex ltas created a breed of Rocky Horror era/ies. and packs them in at late show s everywhere. The lilm has its moments. and (‘urry is splendidly camp as the bixe.\ual Frank N. I-‘urter. (' electric. Iz'tlinlmrgli.
The Royal Tenenbaums ( IS) 00000 (Wes Anderson. IS. 2002) (iene Hackman. Anielica lluxton. (iw'yneth I’altrow. l I0min. 'I‘he 'l'enenlmums are no ordinary lamily. I)excended lront a long line of ovcrachievers. these New York geniuses are now it) stuItilying decline. The memory ()l the brilliance ol the young 'l‘enenbaums has since been erased by two decades ()l betrayal. laiIure and domestic disaster. most ol which is perceived by the lamily to be the lault ()l abxent lather. Royal (Ilackman). Then. at the very moment his three grown- up children have. lot various reasons. all moved back into the rambling home ol their mother. Royal decides he wants his lamily. With 'Ienenlmmnv. Anderson (Rushmore) has xurpaxsed himsell w ith an enchanting. odd tale ol' an awkward lamin and its memberx' impossible tnagnetic attraction to each other. ('elet'trie. lit/inlmrgh.
18 ~25) Aug; 2001') THE LIST 23