'l‘ian. 94min. In l‘~)20s (‘hina. a young tnan (Li Wei) talls innocently for his tyrannical uncle's third w il‘e .lu l)oti ((iong Li). and they embark on a l‘orbidden romance. But the truth w ill out. with tragic consequences. In the conlines ol~ the uncle‘s dyeing lactory. the story 's crttel logic is ol'l’sct by an intense beauty and eroticism. li\ceptional tilmmaking l'rotn the director ol~ It’et/ .S'urg/nmi. Part of (‘inetna (‘hina I'estiyal. film/muse. [Jilin/Hugh.
=3: The King of Masks (Bian Lan) (l’(l) (Wu 'I'ian-ming. ('liina/Ilong Kong. I‘Nb) [hang [higang '/.hao Xhigang. /.hou Reny ing. 95min. An ageing mask maker is nearing the end of his life with no one to pass his craft on to. He buys a boy from a market to act as his apprentice but the boy turns out to be more than he appears. part of ('inerna (’hina l‘cstiyal. (i/usemr l’i/m 'lilieulre. (i/usgnu': Film/muse. lir/in/mrg/i.
Kohei’s Race (Ii) (Suguru ls'ubota. Japan. 1003) .\liyuki Komatsn. I13inin. A young man w ho l'ecls responsible for the death of his brother linally learns to take risks again. (ii/mul'e/II‘I/(iI}. (i/mgmt:
The Lady Vanishes ( P( i) 00.. (Alfred Hitchcock. LR. 1038) Margaret Lockwood. Michael Redgrayc. Dame .\Iay Witty. 07min. Iin rottte to Iingland yia
Sw it/erland at the outbreak of World War II. an old lady does a disappearing act on a train. Suspicious. a young man and woman inyestigate. in Hitchcock's mary'ellously entertaining thriller. Sen/mum .X'ereening Room. lie/I'n/mre/i.
The Last King of Scotland ( 15) 0... (Key in \lacdonald. I'S/I'K. 200m liorest Whitaker. (iillian .-\udcrson. .Iames .\Ic.-\\oy. I33min. \Iacdonald's lit'st Iictional liltn secs .\ch\oy playing Nicholas (iarrigan as a smooth-talking Imablc rogue who accidentally ingratiates himself with I‘l7lls ligandan president Idi Amin (Whitaker). With a career best perlormancc lrom Whitaker and an action packed pace. it makes for a comtnendable action tilm rather than an astute political portrait. .S'e/eerer/ re/eme.
ROBERT IIIIWIIEY JR. MARTIN MPSTIIII GIIAIIIIIIIG TATIIM
Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man (l’(i) 0.. (Lian Lunson. LS. 2005) l03min. A loy'ing tribute to the man responsible for a unique style ol‘ downbeat yet irresistibly beautiful and emotiyc music. It l‘eatures performances of his songs by .\'ick ('ay'e. Bono. Jaryis ('ocket‘ and tnorc. but only hints at the man's intriguing lil‘c. film/rouse. lit/inhure/i.
=31 Letters from Iwo Jima ( t5) 0... ((‘lint Iiastwood. LS. 2006) Ken Watanabe. Ka/unari Nitiomiya. 'l'suyoshi
lhara. I4 I min. A companion piece to l-'/ug.\'
ofUur I'itI/Iers. this lilm looks at the battle for the Pacific island of lwo Jima l‘rom a Japanese perspectiye. Less an action tttoy'ie. the striking humanity giyes liastwood’s undertaking a heightened itnportance in our troubled times. .S‘e/eelerl release.
Little Children ( IS) .000 ('l‘odd Held. [8. 2006) Kate \Vitlslc‘l. Patrick Wilson. .lennil'er (‘onnellyx l20min. In the big screen adaptation ol'lom I’errotta‘s noy cl. an unsatisfied couple cotne together in an otherworldly suburban community. The unwanted presence of a suspected ses ol‘l‘ender and the use of an unusual third person narrator add to the 'Iiri'li'g/il Zone I'eel in this superb adaptation that is only let down by too much exposition. ('i/ten'orlrl Park/rem]. (ilusgon:
Little Miss Sunshine ( 15) 00.. (Jonathan l)ayton. Valerie liaris. ('8. 300m Abigail Breslin. (ireg Kinuear. l’aul l)ano. Alan Arkin. 'I'oni ('ollette. l0|min. Probably the planet's most dysfunctional lamin etnbark on a road trip to that totetn ol' American aspirations: a children's beauty contest in ('alilornia. An amusing script. impressiye acting and memorable fantasy sequences round out the critique of the preyailing w iii—at—all—costs culture. ('umeu. Ifrliu/mreli.
London to Brighton ( )8) 000
(Paul Andrew Williams. l'ls'. 200m Lorraine Stanley. Johnny llarris. (ieot'gia (irootnc. 85min. Seasoned prostitute
“Brilliant” **** THE sun “Remarkable... every frame bursts with energy”
Joanne ((irooine) and a lost young girl called Kelly (Stanley) exist in a world of pushers. pimps and kingpin London gangsters. Williams' impressiyc debut l'eature sticks steadlastly to the tested ‘hard boiled l‘lick' formula and the finely structured result is curiously joyless. but you‘ll be pushed to recall a recent British film more Visceral or seamlessly executed. ()(lt’rm :I! The Quay. (i/usgmi:
>2: The Love Eterne (l') 00. (Li llan Ilsiang. Ilong Kong. l‘)()3) Le I)i. Ling Bo. Jen (‘hielr llbmin. A retelling of the ('hinese legend of the Butterfly Loyers’ using a mix of llttangtnei opera. layish production with classically trained actresses (Di and Po) in the lead roles. Part of (‘ineina (‘bina l'estiyal. (ilus-gmi' l'i'lm 'I'lteulre. (i/uxeou': Film/muse. lz'rliII/Ittrg/z. Maggie Cheung Masterclass ()ne of the icons of the contemporary film world. .‘ylaggie (‘heung is in attendance for an exclusiyc talk with writer Mark ('otisins about her lilc and work. Film/muse. Ifr/in/rtuje/i.
Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon SD (t') 00 (Mark (‘owen. LS. 2005) Tom Ilanks (narrator). Brandy Blackledge. (iarrison llershberger. Andrew Ilusmann. Aaron White. 40min. Tom Hanks narrates this homage to the L? tnen who walked on the moon between 196‘) and 1972. This spectacular documentary re-enacts the landings in art oyerbcaringly dramatic fashion. IMAX Theatre. (i/(lsgrml
Man Push Cart ( l5) 0... (Ramin Bahrani. LS. 2006) Ahmad Ra/yi. (‘harles l)aniel Sandoval. l.cticia l)olcra. 86min. Pakistani immigrant in New York. Ahmad (Ra/Vi ). works nonstop. cmering secrets that begin to surlace when he befriends (‘atalan girl Noemi (l)olera). l’art kooky love story. part dissection of Pakistani subcultures in post 0/1 I New York and part loner sketch. this is a wonderful ['8 indie. one of the best this year. Film/muse. I-[r/m/iure/i.
* * * * * FILM REVIEW
* * * * LOADED
* * * * TOTAL FILM
“Superb” **** EMPIRE
**** HEAT
Film
Material Girls (PG) 0 (Martha Coolidge. L'S. 2006) Hilary Dull. llay‘lie Dull. Anjelica Iluston. 97min. See Also Released. page 42. (ienerul release.
The Merry Heirs (Lachende Erben) (l’(i) 0.. (Max ()phuls. (iermany. I933) Lien l)ey'ers. llein/ Rulunann. Ida Wust. 86min. A comedic rotnance about the heir to a chatnpagne business. The Merry Heirs was criticised at the time for espousing a hedonistic lifestyle. (ineI/Ie Institul. Glasgow.
Miss Potter (PG) .0 ((‘hris .\'oonan. I'K/I'S. 2006) Renee Xellweger. liniin Watson. liwan Mc(iregor. 92min. Zellweger’s sell-produced biopic of the creator of Peter Rabbit is a sell-conscious y'anity project that plays even less interestingly than any llul‘l'y bunny bedtime story. Dominion. lirlin/mrglz. Mrs Henderson Presents ( 12A) .0. (Stephen l’rears. ITK. 2005) Judi I)ench. Bob lloskins. 'I‘helma Barlow. Will Young. Kelly Reilly. (‘hristopher (iuest. 103mm. This drama charts the early history of London's celebrated Windmill Theatre. a naughty show theatre which proyided a tonic for the troops during WWII. Through this detailed. lightweight confection. director I’rears and writer Sherman play on comparisons between Blitz-ruined London and the jittery tnodern media obsession with the fresh spate of bombings that London now faces. But ultimately this is I)ench’s film: she is tremendous as the eccentric. deliant Henderson. SI Bride '5' ('enlre. Iz'ilt'rilm/jelt. Music and Lyrics ( 12A) 00
(Marc Lawrence. LS. 2007) Hugh (irant. Drew Barrymore. 90min. (irant is Alex. a washed-up 80s pop star reduced to working the nostalgia circuit. He gets a chance at a comeback but Alex hasn‘t written a song in years. Luckily the kooky girl Sophie (Barrymore) has a talent he can tap into in tnore ways than one. Ilarmless rotncotn nonsense. (ienerul I'('/('(l.\‘('.
m ‘5, BEST DIRECTOR men ‘5 camcs WEEK
ear-mm
BEST my
\
QUEENS, NEW YORK. 1986. YOU HAD TO BE TOUGH TO SURVIVE AND EVEN TOUGHER TO GET OUT.
IN CINEMAS NATIONWIDE MARCH 2
U U N Cineworld Wat»; CAM—Ei—Eomsuncu
www.saintsthemovie.com
“38% Home 01312202000
1—15 Mar 2007 THE LIST 49