www.list.co.uk/film
WESTERN THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY (15) 180min 0000.
The third part of Sergio Leone’s spaghetti western ‘Dollars trilogy’ receives a new print re-release ahead of its predecessors A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More (their digital re-release comes in September). As stupid as this may seem there is commendable logic at work here. Made in 1966, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is undoubtedly the masterpiece of this trilogy. It’s a Chianti and tomato sauce stained epic parable that signalled the riches that lay a head in Leone’s equally brilliant 1968 film Once Upon a Time in the West. It was also the point at which Leone came into his own, leaving his contemporaries behind on the far off plains of Cinecitta. The previous films seem like stylistic workouts by comparison, albeit ones where a naturally gifted filmmaker was trying to figure out how to hide his left-wing diatribes and anti-capitalist messages in bloody, slow- build revenge tales that would please the international drive-in crowds.
Set during the American Civil War, the film follows the fortunes of a questionany ‘good’ gunslinger (Clint Eastwood), a ‘bad’ hitman (Lee Van Cleef) and an ‘ugly’ bandit/outlaw (Eli Wallach) as they go in search of bounty and buried gold. In a desertscape too desolate for Indians or good men, Leone works his magic and craft, one honed by exposure to both the cinema of Americana and more European sensibilities (John Ford, Luchino \fisconti and Vincente Minnelli being the most prominent).
With its Ennio Morricone soundtrack, elemental themes, nihilistic heroes, labyrinthine plots, keyhole surgery close ups and macrocosmic vistas (to say nothing of the now clichéd triangular shoot-outs) this is Leone working at the top of his game creating “pure cinema’ as only genius can. Leone even makes Eli Wallach, then noted as one of America’s greatest method actors, endure a morbidly funny hanging crucifixion. Really, what more do you want? It is little wonder that Quentin Tarantino considers this to be his favourite film ever. (Paul Dale)
I Fi/mhouse, Edinburgh and selected release from Fri 7 Aug.
MYSTERY/SCl—FI
(15) 104min oo
(Georgina Wilson-Powell) I General release from Fri 1 Aug.
COMEDY
SARAH SILVERMAN - JESUS IS MAGIC
(18) 72min ooo
. 0 'Q1 3&3 .,
Taboos are there to be shattered. barriers are in place to be broken down and sweary words are there to be bellowed out on prime time television. Sarah Silverman knows all this and has made it her speciality.
This rather deceptiver marketed film appears to be a movie in the spirit of Tenacious D's Pick of Destiny. but after a ten-minute sketch set-up. pretty much boils down to her stand- up show interspersed with a few songs (which she delivers in her best Annie-esque yowl). Essentially a TV special reduxed for the cinema then.
Silverman — in her odd, joyoust naive character — systematically wrestles with pretty much every taboo she can find: AIDS. 9/1 1. death. paedophilia, incest. rape. sexism, homophobia ageism and potentially offends Jews. Catholics. Mexicans. African Americans, the Japanese. Germans. Puerto Ricans and the Chinese in turn. Rather than providing some kind of commentary or insight she simply reiterates these taboos in their most searing. some of which is so ridiculous it is amazing, while others fall flat. She carries on unabashed anyway. She doesn’t know any better we're to assume.
You either love or hate Silverman’s shtick. and that polarising effect is something the most successful comedians will tell you is no bad thing. The overall effect is partially hilarious. but ultimately a bit empty.
(Mark Robertson) I Cameo, Edinburgh from Fri 7 Aug.
THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE
Ten years after the first X-Fi/es film. and six years after the end of the series. Mulder and Scully are back and they are together-together. When Scully persuades Mulder to get involved in a case involving psychic priest Father Crissman (Billy Connolly), and his vague visions things get about as paranormal as Button Moon. Informed that this is meant to be a stand-alone film, but also answers the relationship question from the series, writer and director Chris Carter never decides what he's actually trying to achieve. The plot is weak, the villains are nameless and characterless and their weird experiments are never explained. It's not even as though the film has amazing special effects, all the action happens in snowbound countryside. and considering how the portrayal of forensics analysis has been forever upped by TV's many (admittedly ridiculous) CS/ spin-offs. the lack of diverting locations are a mistake.
Mulder and Scully's roles as ‘believer' and ‘skeptic' that provided so much tension in the series are massively overplayed. almost to comic effect. He is still looking for his sister, wedged into the plot by Scully in the first few minutes; she is still trying to find reason in her life to have faith, played out by a dislocated side plot. The truth may still be out there, it certainly isn't here.
Name Gurinder Chadha
Born Nairobi. 1960
Background Born in Kenya but raised in England. Chadha began her career as a BBC news reporter. breaking into directing with the 1989 documentary I'm British But. . ., focusing on the life and culture of British-born Asians. Notions of ethnicity and identity remained central to Chadha's concerns as she began making feature films. from debut Bhaji on the Beach (1993) through 2000's LA-set What's Cooking? to her commercial breakthrough Bend it Like Beckham in 2002, which also launched the mainstream careers of Keira Knightley and Parminder Nagra (now part of the EB furniture). After her Austen/Bollywood mash-up Bride and Prejudice got a lukewarm reception in 2004, Chadha decamped to Hollywood for a time. where she was involved in initial development of movie adaptations for Dallas and I Dream of Jeannie.
What’s she up to now? Directing the subtly titled Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging, the first in a possible series adapted from the fictional teenage diaries of Georgia Nicolson. by bestselling author Louise Bennison.
What she says about directing teenagers ‘Towards the end of the shoot me and Georgia Groome were both knackered, so we took to impersonating each other to keep going. In one scene in particular I needed her to be really stroppy, and she’d kind of blanked out, so I decided to revert to a 14-year- old to direct it, and l was like, “You’re not doing it right! I told you! You’re so unfair!“ Interesting fact Chadha gave birth to twins between the pre— production and filming of Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging. (Paul Gallagher)
I Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging is out now on general release.
31 Jul—7 Aug 2008 me last 25 H