boot loam/ix. UNITED 93 (15) 110min O.
l-lollyr.r'rood's first attempt to deprtt the catastrophic e-rents of if Septerrrber 2001 l‘; rather pointless. When dealing wrth real lrfe events, American cinema has traditionally been at its strongest when it attempts to frrrd a new angle to the story. as .‘rrfh Stone's JFK. Paktila's All The President's or Antonia Bird's backstory heat“; TV frlm The Ila/hf)ng Cell. Ignoring these precedents, Bl'lllSllvlltfl'll drrector Paul ’rreengrass has opted to rrrake (In/ted 93. a strargfrt Crrrrrewatch style re erractrrrerrt of the events pretty nruch as they unfolded. Yet. five years on. the audrerrce has more guestrons about the events then the frlrrr rs prepared to raise. Greengrass has already shown hrs prowess at re enactrrrerrts wrth Bloody Sunday. about the ffiir'f? massacre of crvrl rights protestors by British troops in Derry. and hrs actrorr rrrettle wrth The Bourne Supremacy. The problem Greengrass faces rs that the events of E) l l were captured live and nothrrrg can add to the drama or sense of wonder of that day. Indeed. the most powerful rrnage of the frlrrr rs footage of the second plane hitting the World Trade Centre Where United 93 does succeed rs rn its deprcfrorr of the events that took place in the flight control centre. Here Greengrass captures the sense of beerderment. wrth characters that are not just onedimensional cardboard cutouts of heroes and villains.
(Kaleem Affabl
I General release from Fri 2 Jun.
DRAMA ADAPTATION TONY TAKITANI (U) 77min 000.
Death, Iii/X and loneliness have always been constants in Tony Takrtanr's lrfe. Tony (lssey Ogatal lost hrs mun: when he was yOung and hrs ra/z musrcran father was always away. so hrs best friend was solrtude. Out of thrs corrres a talent for technical illustration and a feeling that all emotions are untenable, Then one day he meets Erko (Mryazawa Riel. a clrent who rs fascrnated by hrgh-end fashron. and hrs lrfe takes an rllogrcal turn. Japanese filrrrmaker and
[JISASH H ADVE, Nll llil POSEIDON (12A) 99min on
Capitalising on our fond remembrances of the 1972 disaster movie based on Paul Gallico’s novel (with the best ever nightmare scenario: towering rogue wave capsizes luxury ocean liner), this blockbuster remake doesn’t waste any time with trifling set-ups. Barely have the motley crew of passengers been introduced - Kurt Russell’s Rudy Giuliani-alike ex-hero mayor of NYC, Josh Lucas‘ every-man-for—himself card sharp, Richard Dreyfuss’ heartbroken rich gay guy, plus the de rigeur young lovers - than the moon-obscuring surge is upon them. Thereafter, the remaining 80-odd minutes of this pleasingly modest-length film are devoted to putting the survivors through all manner of fiendish waterlogged challenges as they climb down (or up) into the bowels of the vessel in search of a way out. There’s some play with audience expectation as fans of the original will no doubt attempt to work out how the modern cast relates to the earlier character stereotypes (the always reliable Russell sort of takes the place of Gene Hackman’s priest who’s lost his faith but nevertheless leads his flock to safety), and thus can deduce who will make it out of the Poseidon’s upturned hull (the answers aren’t obvious). Mostly, though, director Wolfgang Petersen (no stranger to subterranean action with The Perfect Storm and before that Das Boot to his credit) concentrates on the largely nail-biting set pieces, such as the sweaty palm-inducing burning elevator sequence. The remake certainly benefits from CGI technology, but the attending big budget never swamps what is, in effect, a glorified and
enjoyable B-movie. (Miles Fielder) I General release from Thu 1 Jun.
distinguished multr award winning commercrals director Jun Ichrka'.va (Tokyo Lit/labia Dying at the Hosp/tat) offers up a masterclass on how to adapt with this remarkable film version of Harukr Murakamr's iKallga on the Shore. The ll’rnd—Up Bird Chronicle: short story. Elegantly told through a series of narrated vrgneftes. rn which the characters frnrsh off the sentences of the narrator. lchrkawa rmbues his frlnr wrth all the guret resen'e. short focus muted browns. and passion for the minute that he can muster. The result s somethrng as off-krlter and unforgettable as fvlurikarrrr's frctron rto date thrs rs the only work the author has sanctioned for the Cinemai. On top of thrs. Ryurchr Sakamoto's brilliantly rnturtrve. mrnrmal piano score seals the deal and makes this irlm that is so full of grief and medrtatrons on the ennui of materialism and the burdens of the past. into one of the subtlest and most sublime satires of consumerism you will ever see. An absolute treat. rPaul Daler
I Film/reuse. Edi/tourgh from Tue 30 May—Thu 7 Jun only. GFT. Glasgow from Mon 72- Thu 75 Jun only.
ANIMATION THE WILD (U) 94 min .0
I
Of the 2:3 named animal characters in this Walt Disney ,am. a rrrere three are voiced by women. What message are we grvrng to our children when even Crocodiles. squirrels and snakes are assumed to be male? And guess what: the one female close to the centre of the slob, — a giraffe called Bridget — gets to play the lone interest. Such forrrrurarc thinking reflected in the stem. a Current Hollywood favourite abort a father and son failing to bond because of tne pressure to be macho. Chicken Little had the same oreOCCuoatron. and we can see how this one rs going to pan Out the moment we meet Ryan the lion cub who plans
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The saving graces of this rrrrrthles'; moxie b, Ste/e 'Spax' errrarrrs ixrlr/ rs he allowed to be called that’h are the resonant tones of Krefer 24 Sutherland as Samson the Iron and the slurrrng whrmsy of Eddre lzzard as a wry koala bear. (Mark Fisher) I Genera/ release from Fri 26 May.
25 May—‘1 June 20‘)"; THE LIST 43