Film
Les Journees Telecinerna (l-Z) (Various. France. VariouslThe INA (French National Institute of television and radio archives) reveal the fruits of their annual foray into their archives. including more than (10 years of French TV footage. which aims to allow the public to rediscover the best of screen through the free viewing of two selected programmes. Institut Francois
d 'lz'i'ovse. lidinburgh.
Just my Luck (PG) eo (Donald Petrie. US. 200(1) Lindsay Lohan. Chris
Name Kevin Smith
Born 2 August 1970 Background Born and raised in New Jersey he worked at a local convenience store until one day in 1991. like a lost puppy. he travelled to the Big City across the Hudson river and went to see Richard Linklater's Slacker at the Angelika theatre. As he watched the film, he realised that he could make a movie about his own life and people might watch that too. On returning to New Jersey. he wrote the script to Clerks. which he filmed at the convenience store when it was closed at night.
What’s he up to now?
Having had a string of missteps. mishaps and misadventures. the critical and box office mauling that accompanied his last film Jersey Girl led to Smith taking a close look at his career and in doing so. he decided to return to the scene and the characters that first made him a fan-boy's wet dream. The result is Clerks 2. What he says about seeing Jason Mewes naked ‘ I've seen Jason’s dick more than I've seen my own in the last 20 years. The whole reason that cock and balls tuck is in the movie is because he’s been doing that since I’ve known him. Even when I went to see Silence of the Lambs with my friend Brian Johnson. I turned to Johnson and said. “He's doing a Mewes." Mewes was forever tucking it back saying “look at my man-gina." But part of the reason I've seen his dick. more than my own has to do with my gut.’ Interesting Fact Originally Smith wanted to cast his wife Jennifer Schwalbach Smith as his main love interest. but Harvey Weinstein insisted he get one name actor on board for the film, which is when he turned to the delightful Rosario Dawson. (Kaleem Aftab)
I Clerks 2 is on general release from Fri 22 Sep. See rewéw, page 43-
52 THE LIST 21 Sep—5 Oct 2006
Pine. Fallon Love. Missi Pyle. McFIy. l03min. One for Lohan and McFIy fans. ()deon. Edinburgh.
3|! Keane ( 15) use (Lodge II Kerrigan. IS. 2004) Damian Lewis. Abigail Breslin. Amy Ryan. 94min. See review. page 43. Film/tome. Edinburgh.
The Ladykillers (l'i eoee
(Alexander Mackendrick. l'K. I955) Alec Guiness. ('ecil Parker. Herbert I.om. Peter Sellers. 97min. Classic. brilliant lialing heist Comedy in which a bunch of criminals pretend to be travelling musicians in order to hide out in an old lady's house. The only trouble is that the old lady is a little bit more ofa handful than they expected. Guiness. Loni and Parker were rarely better than here and the young Sellers shows his great promise. Scotsman Screening Room. Edinburgh.
Lage Haho Munnabhai (PG) (Rajkumar Hirani. India. 200(1) Saniay I)utt. Arshad Warsi. Vidya Balan. l30min. Another of leaditig man l)utt's rambling slapstick heavy comedies involving magic men and poor children. For fans of the star only. (Mean A! The Quay. Glasgow; ()deon Fort K innaird. Edinburgh.
The Lake House (PG) ee
(Alejandro Agresti. I'S. 200(1) Keanu Reeves. Satidra Bullock. l05miii. Florid. stilted. boring. banal but occasionally poetic supernatural romancer starring Speed freaks Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves. Ifl‘mllull Theatre. Edinburgh.
Life and Lyrics ( l5) e (Richard Laxlon. UK. 200(1) Ashley Walters. Louise Rose. Chris Steward. 99min. See Also released. page 45. General release.
Lift to The Scaffold (PG) eeee (Louis Malle. France. I957) Jeanne Moreau. Maurice Ronet. Georges Poujouly. 90min. Considered quite a gripping thriller in its day. Malle‘s first dramatic feature hinges on a perfect crime of murder that does not go according to plan. The cool noir elements are still effective. the Miles Davis score still sets a decadent tone. and Moreau is still glowing (in screen. Glasgott' Film 'I'heatre. (ilas‘goii'. Little Man ( I 2A) 0 (Keenan Ivory Wayans. US. 200(1) Marlon Wayans. Shawn Wayans. Tracy Morgan. Kerry Washington. 90min. A Wayans brothers offering that makes Big Momma 's llouse look as intellectually sprightly as Moliere. In this rude. crude low-brow farce Shawn plays a tiny thief and Marlon the aspiring father who inadvertently adopts him. General release. Little Miss Sunshine ( I5) eooe (Jonathan Dayton. Valerie Faris. US. 200(1) Abigail Breslin. Greg Kinnear. Paul Dano. Alan Arkin. Toni Collette. l0|min. Probably the planet's most dysfunctional family embark on a road trip to that totem of American aspirations: a children's beauty contest in California. An amusing script. impressive acting and memorable fantasy sequences round out the critique of the prevailing win-at-all-costs culture. Selected release.
* The Long Goodbye ( I100”. (Robert Altman. US. I973) Elliott Gould. Sterling Hayden. Nina Van Pallandt. I |2min. A shock to the system for Raymond Chandler aficionados. this iconoclastic contemporary Marlowe mystery features a shatnbling. unkempt Gould engagingly shuffling through a troupe of shady characters including a missing pal. a mysterious woman and the alcoholic Hayden. Immenser agreeable. Part of Chandler season. Filmhouse. Edinburgh. The Magnificent Ambersons (PG) 0”. (Orson Welles. US. I942) Joseph Cotton. Dolores Costello. Agnes Moorehead. 88min. The decline and fall of an American family. told when Welles was at the peak of his cinematic power. Even studio tinkering can‘t lessen its impact. as the director takes an ambivolent view of how American life was changed by the industrial age. Unmissable. given the current re-assessment of Welles’ talent as a filmmaker. Pan of Bernard Herrmann season. Film/rouse. Edinburgh.
The Man who Knew Too Much ( I5) eee (Alfred Hitchcock. US. I956) James Stewart. Doris Day. Brenda De Banzie. I20min. Not the I934 original with Leslie Banks and Peter Lorre. nor the Bill
Murray spoof with the 'l.ittle' appendix. btit Hitch's remake of his own film with the monumental James Stewart as the doctor on vacation in Marrakech who w itnesses a murder and thereafter gets into all kinds of trouble. A passable remake. Part of Bernard Herrmann season. Filliihouse. Edinburgh. Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing It Charm School ( IBM
0 (Randall Miller. [S 2005) Roben Carlyle. Marisa Tomei. John Goodman. I04min. Robert Carlyle takes the lead in the extended version of Randall Miller's I990 short film about a group of diverse strangers w ho discover their Iong~buried self-esteem through the healing powers of music and dance. (irovi'enot; Glasgow;
Marnie ( l5) 0” (Alfred Hitchcock. L’S. l9t14iTippi Hedren. Sean Connery. Diane Baker. I30min. Hedren (in a role intended for Grace Kelly) is the glacial blonde heroine in this most florid of Hitchcock's psychological melodramas. After her boss Connery catches her robbing his safe. he becomes attracted to her and the two marry. but her frigidity in the bedroom hides a tntich darker secret. The usual late Hitch mixture of carelessness (those backdrops!) and technical virtuosity. A playground for veteran I-‘reudians. Part of Bernard Herrmann season. l'lltttllttuye. Edinburgh.
Le Mepris ( I5) 0... (Jean-Luc Godard. France. I963) Brigitte Bardot. Jack I’alauce. Michel Piccoli. I03min. Godard's comment on international l'ilmmaking is re- released in a new print. A scriptvvriter is increasingly despised by his wife as he tries to set up a film in Rome to be directed by Fritz Lang. The breakdown of a marriage contrasts with the chequebook wedding that marked so much collaborative lilmmaking during the (10s. while the Mediterranean photography makes this the most handsome film Godard ever made. Part of Introduction to European Cinema programme. l-‘ilmliouse. Edinburgh.
Monster House ((7) secs (Gil Kenan. US. 200(1) Voices of Steve Btiscemi. Maggie Gyllenhaal. Mitchel Musso. 9Imin. Trouble-making tykes investigate the creepy house in this film. which is wicked fun for all ages. CGI production in which not only is the titular house a personable villain. it actually tears itself up from its foundations in the climax of Kenan’s skilfully realised family lllm. General release.
Mountain Patrol ( l5) eeee (Chuan Lu. China. 2005) Duobuji. 7.haug Lei. Qi Liang. See review. page 45. Cinevi'orld ReIt/revi' Street. Glasgow:
My Dog Skip (U) see (Jay Russell. US. 2000) Kevin Bacon. Diane Lane. Frankie Munir. 95min. My Dog Skip is an unashamedly sentimental coming-of-age story about a nine-year-old boy‘s relationship with his pet Jack Russell terrier. set during World War Two in the small Mississippi town of Yazoo. The film casts a nostalgic glow over the past. but it doesn't shy away frotn giving us glimpses of harsher realities. including nods to the era's racism and the traumas of war. The prevailing mood is appropriately one of gentle sweetness. (irosi'enor. Glasgow.
Nacho Libre ( IZA) see (Jared Hess. US. 200(1) Jack Black. Ana de la Reguera. Hector Jimenez. 92min. Jack Black vehicle about a Mexican monk who adopts a secret identity as a masked wrestler. becomes famous and wins enough money to save the
orphanage in which he works. But the film. co-written and directed by Jared Hess.
(Napoleon Dynamite). is lacking a spicy edge. Cineworld Renfrevi' Street. Glasgow: The Night Listener ( I5) ee
(Patrick Stettner. US. 200(1) Robin Williams. Toni Collette. Sandra Oh. 8lmin. In this adaptation of Armistead Maupin's novel. Williams is a repressed. morose author and broadcaster receiving phone calls and tortured literary manUscripts from abused
child Pete. A taut but pointless film. which
addresses the current vogue for literary hoaxes without sufficient interest in the nuances of its central characters. General release.
Nina’s Heavenly Delights (PG) .0 (Pratibha Pannar. UK. 200(1) Shelley Conn. Laura Fraser. Ronny Jhutti
94min. See review. page 44. Selected release. No More Tears, Sister ( IS) (Helene Klodaw sky. Sn l-anka/Canada. 200I l 78min. Raiani Thiranagama is considered a hero tn Sri Lanka. A doctor. teacher and activist. she was assassinated tn I989 after publicly objecting to the rev olutionary Tamil Tigers‘ increasingly brutal methods. In this deftly constructed documentary Iver equally courageous sister returns to the troubled islatid to pay tribute to her legacy Filmhouse. Edinburgh. North By Northwest l PG) eeeoe (Alfred Hitchcock. l'S. I959) Cary Grant. Eve Marie Saint. James Mason. Martin Landau. mem. Quintessential Hitchcock comedy -actioner. Part of Bernard Herrmann season. l'ilmhnuve. lz'dinlmrgh. Over the Hedge (l'i eee (Tim Johnson/Karey Kirkpatrick. l'S. 200(1) Bruce Willis. Garry Shandliug. Avril I.avigne 83min. Above av cragc l)ream\\'orks animation about an audacious raccoon who fools a family of forest creatures to invade suburbia with unexpected results. (‘ineii'orld l’arkhead. (ilatgmv: Pelicanman (Pelikaanimies) it'i (I.iisa IIcIminen. Sweden/Finland. 2004) Kari Ketonen. Roui Haarakangas. Inka Nuorgam. 40min. A subtitled film for children aged six and over. iii which a pelican joins the human world. Btit will they discover Mr Bertl's secrct'.’ Part of the Diveoverv I‘ilm l'i'vlti'al. (ilIlIlUI't'llll/(ilj. Glasgow. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest I IZA) eo ((iorc Verbinski. US. 200(1) Johnny Depp. Keira Knightley. Orlando Bloom. Bill Nighy. I(10miii. The hapless gaiig are thrown back into another adventure. with Bloom's clean
cut Turner atid Knightley 's mandatory girl Swann attempting to save |)epp‘s staggering Sparrow from Davy Jones. Rubbish sequel. Selected release. The Producers ( I2Ai eee (Susan
Stroman. US. 2005) Nathan Lane. Matthew Broderick. Uma Thurman. Will Ferrell. I34inin. ()verlong but enjoyable remake. Ifrunton Theatre. Edinburgh.
Psycho ( l5) m” (Alfred Hitchcock.
US. l9(10) Anthony Perkins. Janet Leigh.
Vera Miles. John Gavin. Martin Balsam.
John McIntire. I09min. We liked it. didn‘t
we mother . . . mother'.’ Part of Bernard
Herrmann season. l-'ilmliouse. lidinlmrgli.
Pulse ( I5) .0 (Jim Son/ero. l‘S.
200(1) Kristen Bell. Ian Somerhalder.
Christina Militin. 88min. Underwhelmiiig
US remake of Kiyoshi Kurosawa's 200I
Japanese horror hit about the weird link between a group of student suicides and a computer programme. Co-writteu and
produced by Wes Craven. this is a fairly hollow. flashy remake which manages to waste the clever and fascinating original premise. Selet'Ied release. The Queen ( IZAi eeoe (Stephen Frears. UK/France/ltaly. 200(1) Helen Mirren. Michael Sheen. James Cromwell. l02min. A behind the scenes glimpse into
the relationship between HM Elizabeth II and Prime Minister Tony Blair during their struggle. after the death of Diana. to reach a compromise between what was a private tragedy and the public's demand for an overt
display of mourning. Beautifully written and performed by all. this is the second part of
director Frears' Blair trilogy. General
release.
' Rabbit Fever( (8) so (Ian Denyer.
UK. 2006) Lisa Barbuscia. Julian Rhind-
Tutt. Tara Summers. 85min. See Also
Released. page 45. ('ineworld Renfreiv Street. Glasgow; Cinevi'orld Edinburgh.
Edinburgh.
Raiders of The Lost Ark (PC)
0” (Steven Spielberg. US. l98l) Harrison Ford. Karen Allen. I |5min. Ford
plays adventuring archaeologist Indiana
Jones. who almost bites off more than he can
I chew when he turns up at the Ark of the
l Covenant in Nazi-infested wartime Egypt.
Return to the breathless excitement of the
Saturday morning serial with this
rollercoaster of a movie. which is probably
better than either of its sequels. Tongue held
i very finnly in Cheek. Gmsvenor. Glasgow:
C ineworld Edinburgh. Edinburgh.