Film
Oliver Wrist (PG) «0 (Rotiiaii Polanski. Britain/('Iech Republic/I‘rance/ Italy. 2005) Barney ('Iark. Bert Kingsley. Jamie I-‘oreman. Harry Iiden. l.eanue Rowe. l30min. In his version of Dickens‘ classic. Polanski eschews the grim (iothic look and tone of the l.ean film atid emphasises the harsh realities of working-class life iii the I‘)th centttry big smoke while examining the unforgiving nature of a class-dominated Victorian society. as filtered through ()liver's travails. Bttt who cares‘.’ Do we really need any more versions of this storyl’ (ienem/ release.
The Omen (IX) 0”. (Richard Donner. tlS. l97b) (iregory Peck. l.ee Remick. David Warner. I I liiiiti. The young son of the American Ambassador to Britain and his wife turns out to be the Antichrist in this effective and gory horror piece that was popular enough to spawn a succession of secquels. Jerry (ioldsiuith's ()scar-w inning score certainly helps the mood of unease. (i/(tvgnw' I'tlm Theatre. (i/(tventt‘.
Out on a Limb (15).. (Robert Heath. UK. 3005) Henry (ioodman. Neil Stuke. Julianne White. (‘osta .‘vliltoii. 98min. liarcical drama about a TV chef caught in the middle of a hostage situation. Vulgar and predictable comedy which has a few good moments. ('iltetvurlrl Renfreic Street. Glasgow: Glasgow:
Pride and Prejudice (l') 000 Wright. UK. 2005) Keira Kuightlcy'. Matthew Mact-‘adyen. Brenda Blethyn. Donald Sutherland. I37min. In this solid and likeable new version of Austen‘s timeless novel. director Wright and screenwriter Deborah Moggach cut the source material down to size allowing time for the secondary tales to develop while never losing sight of the all pervading romance between Darcy and I-Ili/abeth. Like the novel. it makes for a tale fttll of plot twists and emotional turbulence without ever acquiring the mannered subtlety of Atig l.ee's Sense and .S‘envi/tilitv. (intent! release. The Prince and Me (PG) oo
(Martha ('oolidge. t'SA/(‘Iech Republic. 300-1) Jtilia Stiles. Miaranda Richardson. Iiddie Irvine. Bert Miller. l07min. Paige Morgan (Stiles) meets playboy prince liddie (Mably) at university. mtteh to his parents‘ dismay. Will her medical ambitions suffer if she accepts his offer to go back to Denmark and become his qtteeu'.’ The Prince and Me is a glibbest of royalty themed romantic comedies. offering very little iii the way of compensation. ('i'netmrlrl Park/tend. Glasgow; Glasgow:
The Princess and the Pea (1’) (Boris Rytsarev. Rttssia. I976) Irina .Vlalysheva. Andrew Podoshyan. ltinokenti Smoktunosky. 89min. Adaptation of the Ilans (‘hristian Anderson fairytale about a prince's search for a real princess. Film/muse. lirlt'nhmgli.* Pusher 2 - With Blood on my Hands ( IX) 0.” (Nicolas Winding Refn. Denmark/UK. 3004) Mads Mikkelseu. l.eif Sylvester. Anne Sorensen. I00min. See review. page 43. Glasgow I-‘ilnt Theatre. (i/(tvgme; Film/muse. Edinburgh.
Racing Stripes (t') “C (Frederik Du (‘hau. South Africa/US. 2004) Voices of Frankie Munil. Mandy Moore. Hayden Panettiere. l0|min. ()rphaned Iehra (Mttnil) is adopted by wannabe jockey (‘hanniug (Pauettierre). ()nce Stripes gets a load of the racecourse next door. the cocky young animal‘s desire to compete alongside them outstrips (‘hanning's urge to ride him. bttt the odds are stacked against him. This innocuous famin comedy set on a farm iii Kentucky wrangles live action animals to cttte effect. l/('I ('lvtlelmnk. ('Iv‘tlehrtnk; ('(‘l Edinburgh. Iz‘rlt'n/mrgli.
The Railway Children tl') m (Lionel Jeffries. th. I970) Dinah Sheridan.
(Joe
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50 THE LIST ?() Oct 3 Nov 2005
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William .\Iervyu. .Ieuiiy Agtitter. I0b’niin. trio of youngsters‘ involvement with the railway that runs past their garden leads them into adventure. Pleasing family film with an old-fashioned. comfortably British feel that sets it apart from contemporary kids movies. (iluvgmv I’ll/n ‘I'lteritrt'. (I‘llle’Uil'.
Red Angel (Altai Tenshi) I I5)
“0. (Yasu/o .‘vtasumura. Japan. loom Ayako Wakao. Shinsuke Ashida. Ytisuke Kawa/y. Raiiko Akagi. 95min. A military nurse is raped by her patients during the Sino-Japanese War tti l‘H‘). When she cotiiplaiiit. she is sent to the front Iiiie where she falls in love with an ailitig surgeon. This beautiful. thought provoking piece is set against the brutality and carnage of war. Part of .\tastimura season. I'iI/HI/IUHH‘. lir/In/mre/i. Red Shoes (I’( t) 00000 (Michael Powell & litnertc Pressbiirger. t'K. IU-lts’) Anton Wallbrook. Marius (iortug. .\loira Shearer. l33min. Ballerina Shearer is torn between art autocratic inipressario and a starving young composer as she dances her way towards madness. Remarkably seriotis treatment of the subiect matter is helped by superlative design and cinematography in this classic piece of Pow'ell/I’rcssbtirger cypressionisiit. Part of tlte Pow ell retrospective. (iluvemi' I'i/nt 'I‘lieulre. (iluvgoii'; l-i/ni/touve. Ifr/itilnu’eli. Rosemary‘s Baby ( IX) coco
(Roman Polanski. t’S. was) .\tia barrow, John (‘assavetes. Ruth (iordott. l37min. In this fastidious. frightening adaptatioti of Ira l.evin‘s novel. young housewife barrow moves into a new apartment block where she comes to believe that her neighbours are witches atid her litisbaiid is the Devil. Polanski works at the ambiguity factor all the way through by contrasting the everyday surroundings with the extraordinary events (imagined or otherwise) taking place iii and around them. while the cast all play it with some conviction. ()‘luveoiv I‘I/ni 'l'lieulre. (i/uvgmi:
Rusalka tt') (Dav id Pourtney. t’K. I‘liS’o) Iiileue Hannan. John 'I‘releaveu. Rodney .‘vlc(‘anu. Ann Iloward. Phyllis ('auuau. ISXmiu. In this The I.II!/(' .tlermuit/ inspired film. Rtisalka is a water nymph who falls in love with a human. This tale delves deeper itito underlining layers of this story and shows Rtisalka as a young girl on the brink of sexual maturity. l't/Hl/lnllvt’. Ifrli/t/ture/t, Satin Rouge ( l5) (Raia Amart. Tunisia. 3003) Iliatii Abbass. Hend Al l‘ahcm. .\laher Kamoun. I00uiin. A sensual awakening of se\ttttltty‘ as widow |.tlia (Abbass) rediscov'ers tlte pow er of the fetnale forttt through part-tune work as a seamstress for a group of nightclub dancers. Soon dippitig her toe it) this new evotic world of belly'dancing aitd nocturnal pleasures. she starts a relationship with one of the musicians. only to Iiiid out he is also dating her teenage daughter Part of Mama Africa. See Rottgh ('uts. page it), I‘ll/tiliouve. Int/inhiuje/i.
Saw 2 (the) (Darren I.ynn Botisman. IS. 3005) Tobin Bell. I.yriq Bent. Tim Btird. John liallon tbcmiu. The Jigsaw Killer is back in this sequel to last year's gri/Ily sleeper horror hit. (ieneru/ release.
The Secret Lives of Dentists ( t5) “0. (Alati Rudolph. t'S. 3003) ('ampbell Scott. Denis l.eary. Robin 'I‘unuey'. Hope Davis. I05inin. See review. page 43. Glasgow I-tlm 'I‘lteulre. (ilrtvemi:
=I= Serenity ( IS) 0000 (Joss Whedon. t'S. 3005) Nathan Iiillion. (iina Torres. Alan Tudyk. l l‘lmiu. Having had his post [lit/Iv [he Hint/tire .S/(Iv‘t'l' television science fiction space opera I'tre/Iv cancelled by the Iiov network. creator Joss Whedou got Hollywood's t'niversal Studios to finance a blockbtister big screen continuation of the series. and the result is the film George Lucas shotild have been making instead of the last tltree episodes of Slur Il'urv. Sequel please. (is-neru/ relt'itve
The Shining t lb’) 0... tStanlcy Kubrick, t'S. IUts‘tt) Jack Nicholson. Shelly Duv'all. Philip Stone. l-tointn. Kubrick's overwrought. ov erlong horror film dispenses with much of the psy chic apparatus of Stephen King‘s novel to concentrate on the deeper horror of a family turning tit on itself. Nicholson. with all the stops ottt. is
bugey ed atid demonic as the writer cracking tip violently iii ati isolated hotel. and the final scenes are. literally. chilling. St “Iv/mm Screening Room. lat/inlmreli.
Short Cuts ( l3) (Various. Rwanda/ l-‘rauce. Sotith Africa. Btirktua liaso, t'K. Various) 78min. Short dtwtimentary films investigating a range of subject matters influencing the lives of Africans front hair braiding to dealing with HIV-related deaths Part of Mama Africa. I-t/nt/touve. Iz't/IIt/mrc/i. Show Me Love ( IS) .0. (I.ttkus Moody sson. Sweden. 3000) Rebecca I.tl_|ebei‘g. Alexandra Dahlstrom. S‘Imiu. A slight tale of two teenage girls falling iii love iii the small Swedish town of Amal. Moody‘ssoii‘s film combines a cinema verite eye with some stock situations .iitd characters. ('reatiug tension and turmoil ottt of the rite of passage mov ie gets harder aitd harder. bitt Moody‘ssou manages a modicum of freshness. and there are enough variables at work to keep the film going for art engaging hour attd a half (tluvemi' I'i/ni Iii/It’llll't'. (i/(lvuuu‘
The Shutka Book of Records ( IS) (Aleksauder Manic. ('Iecb Republic. 3005) 78min. Slitttka. the Romany capital of the world. prides itself on breaking records atid setting goals. from goose lights to vampire littiits. A good humoured and light hearted documentary that goes inside a world usually closed off frotii outsiders. (i/uvgim I-tlm ‘l'lieutre. (i/uvemi;
Sky High (PG) 0. (Mike Mitchell. t'S. 3005) Michael Angai'auo. Kurt Russell. Kelly Preston. Danielle Panabaker. l00iniu. See rev ievv. page 4 l. (it'nem/ I‘t'lt’tlu'.
Star Wars Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith i I 3:\) COO ((ieorge I.ticas. IS. 3005) liwau .\lc(it'egot'. Natalie Pot'tinan. Samuel I. Jackson. Hayden (‘hristenseti I-ltlniiu. At last. the series turns to the dark side. Lucas is still vvitliotit inspiration when It comes to dialogue bitt about two-thirds iii the whole movie starts to get a little grimy. worn and 70s lookitig. While clunky in places. it has flashes of the earthy charm of ." New Hope and the emotive drive of The lint/tire Strikev llmt arid prov es a worthy conclusion to this tiiost epic of epics. (i/rlvgtui I't/m I‘ltt'illn'. (i/tlverttt.
The Story of the Weeping Camel (P( i) .0. (Bayatnlxistiren Davaa/l .itigi I‘alorui. (iertnauy/SIoiigolta. 3003) Janchiv Ayur/ana. ('himed ()hiii. Amgaaba/ar (iottsotl. /.eve||ain/ .\'yam. 00min. A cauiel delivers a snow white call Botok but rejects her offspring, \'omadtc shepherds send two youngsters. Dtidc .itid ()gtia. on ati important quest to return with a violinist who will play music to heal the rift between mother atid baby camel. The patient observational approach by the filmmakers certame pays div idetids iii this fascinating ethnographic study of a community. (tuner). lir/t/t/nn'e/t. Summer Storm (Sommersturm) ( IS) 0. (\laico Ki‘ett/paiuttiet‘. (ici'tiiauy. 300-1) Robert Stadlobet'. Kostla t'lltiianti Ub'miu. Tobi (Stadlobert and Achim tl'llmann) are best li‘ieuds atid this summer they are down by the lakes to compete iii the annual towing cotiipetitiou. Tobi is in love with Achttn. btit Achiiii is lust too hetero Luckily for Tobi this year there is a new team in the competition called the Queerstrokes. Silly btit faintly enjoyable homoerotic drama that piles on so many cliches (communal ierk-otl scenes. predatory gay s. skinny dipping. best friend liotiiopliobia. annoying politically correct lesltlalts etc) that it Is often tltlllettll to look away. (it/new. lit/IIt/HH'L'II.
The Sun (Sotntse) (I’m oooo (Alevatider Soktirov. Russia/ll.in/l‘rauce/ Swit/ei'land. 3004) lsset ()gata. Robert Dawson. Kaoi't .\touiot. Shtro Sauo ||5n2iu It‘s late August I‘HS. llirosliiitia and Nagasaki have been tittked oll tltc lace ol the earth and lapan‘s div tiie I'tiipeioi llit‘ohtto it )gatat bttt when (ieucial .‘vlacAttliiir iRobett Dawson) lorces hint to renounce his divine status Ilit‘ohito begins to leel the weight ol lits legacy The third pait ol Alevander Sokurov 's great leaders tcttalogy boasts botlt a w tdei' distiibitttoii than its predecessors and ati almost ornate beatin which befits its chamber piece genie, A unique. itiesniei'ising. tiiad .iiid brilliantly
intuitive study of the mundanity of history ‘s titarclt. (i/(lvumi‘ I’il/Itt ill/It'llll't'. (i/rlveoti‘, Switchblade Romance ( l8) oooo (Alexandre Ara. I‘rauce. 3003) (‘ecile de France. Matw enn l.e Besco. Phillipe Nation. I-‘ranck Khalfouu. ()0min. Marie and Alev go to spend some time at Alev's fatnin holiday homestead iii the I‘rench countryside Btit an unevpected \ Isttot' arrives to cause havoc and mayhem. Superb hiin tension. blackly comic. very l-reuch take on the slasher genre. .-\ cult following ts guaranteed. (tuner). Ifr/Iiiltiire/t
The Snow Queen it) .000
((ienuadt Ka/ansky. Rtissia. l‘)(i(i) 35min. Beautifully cinematic version of Hans ('hristian Anderson‘s classic fairytale from one of Rttssia's great forgotten filmmakers IVI/Itt/ioitve. Iii/in/mre/i.
The Third Man (I’m ooooo ((‘at‘ol Reed. t'S/l its. l‘J-W) Joseph ('ottoii. Orson Welles. l00miii Holly .‘vtartins has bcett
itiv ited to unstable. post World War II Vienna by his old clittiii l.ime. who is now in the grand scale drug dealing business. otin to discover that he is dead. Iivcept. he isn't of course. atid a nitiltilayercd cat atid mouse scenario is triggered. So. what‘s so good about it ’ Well. you have a stirring Ittltet' score by Aiitott Karas. the ferrts wheel atid the 'cttckoo clock. \Iteeclt _\ct Dosstbl} its greatest triumph is to cram so iiiticli wonder itito so little tttite. [VI/ni/tnitve. Iii/In/nu'e/t.
Thumbsucker ( t5) 0.. iytike .\tills. IS. 3005) Ion l’ticct. 'I‘tlda vaintoti. Keanti Reeves. Vince Vaughn. \‘tncent D'()uofrio. Beuiauiin Bratt 07”)!” See review. page ~13. (;('ll(’lll/ I't’lt'tlvt'. Thunderbirds (Ii) ((ierry Anderson. l'K. NOS) 55min Selected episodes of the classlc TV \et'le\. .SI "I'll/("v (t'ItII'i’. l'fr/nt/ttire/i.
Together I l5) 0... tl.uk.is
\toody ssoit. va edett. 3000) list! l.tndgt'ett. (histaf Hamuiarsten. Sam Kessel I0oniin Set iii the mid-70s, Moody sson's follow up to the highly rated Show Me [Ut't' gives a gentle. comic dig in the ribs to the liippy ideal. When lilisabeth (l.indgreu) and her children take refuge from a v ioleui husband with her placid brother (ioran illamuiarsteu) at his commune. tiamed 'l'ogether. their lifestyles are not the otin ones that end up beiiig reassessed lmportantly. the film eschews both nostalgia for the period and mockery of it. despite the retro soundtrack (Abba. naturally ) .iitd embarrassing contemporary clothing (i/uvemi l't/m I‘llt'tlflt'. (i/rtvgnti:
Vital t lb’) 0... tShinya 'I'sttkatiioto. Japan. 3004) 'l'adauobn Asano. \'.imt ’l‘sukaiuoto. Ktki 35min. lliroshi t '\saito) is a medical student dissecting his giill't'tenil Ryoko t'l‘siikamoto). who died iii the same car crash that left litiii teiitporarily I” a coma atid iiieinoi'y impaired. yet away ftoiii the morgue. she continues to v istt liitii. Shot through with a lttsli. seductive and hypnotic quality. I'ilri/ uses dissection as metaphor for the characters. recall of memory. identity atid purpose. This is an intimate. delicate atid bcatttifttl tale of grief and rotiiance Part of Tiger Beer 'lat'tati Asia livti‘eitie 3005 (-IIH'H (tr/(l Iv’r'It/I‘r’tt .Slt'r’r’l. (i/rlvr'ott. (i/uvgnn.
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit tt'i oooo (Nick l’at‘k/SIL‘H‘ lit“. l-K. 3005) \Ittlv‘es of Peter Sallis. Ralph l'itettlItN. llelcna Boutiam ('ai'tet', 85mm The lotig awaited leattire length debttl for Parks plasttctiie itiastci atid mutt Wallace .k' (Emma. is to coin .i phrase. a grand day otit This time. the cheese
lov tttg \Vallace .iiid his canine cliiiiti have reinvented themselves as .i humane pest control otltlit ‘x\tttt Pesto. and there's .t
my sterioiis 'vv ere rabbit' on the prova at the local iieighboutliood (iiatii Vegetable coiitpetition l's'iiovvitig liiit lot' .Ill the tamilv (ii'ttt ut’ u It'ilvi'
War of the Worlds ( l3.\| 000
(Steven Spielberg. IS. 3005) Toni ('rtttsc. .Itistin ('hatwiii. Dakota I‘aunttig. Tim Robbins. .\lii'anda ()tto. lloniin. |l(i \y'ells' alien invasion as seen through the eyes of Spielberg and divorced east coast blue collar dockwot'kei' Ray I-ei'i‘ici' t('i'uise). Despite good .‘llllttt\])llt‘l'tv‘ vvoik iii the first half. pyrotechnics and noise t'cndci this to be only