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ROMANCE/COMEDY WILD CHILD (12A) 98min 0
‘What is this, Hogwarts?’ exclaims bratty Californian kid Poppy (Emma Roberts, niece of Julia) on her arrival at a genteel girls boarding school in England, ruled over by tough-but-fair headmistress (Natasha Richardson). With her mother long dead, Poppy’s concerned father (Aidan Quinn) sends the foul-mouthed, obnoxious Malibu-mite to the posh school her late mother flourished at, in the hope that she learn that values and price-tags are not the same thing.
Much like last year’s Nancy Drew, Wild Child is another failed vehicle for Roberts, an illuminating presence who deserves better than this. Despite coming from the pen of Lucy Dahl, daughter of Roald, first time director Nick Moore’s unsteady hand ensures Wild Child plays as a vacuous rehash of teen movie cliches. Despite the title, Poppy does not smoke, drink or take drugs, and yet Dahl’s script maintains a constant emphasis on teenage sexuality that’s likely to put off family audiences. At the same time, the goody-goody nature of Poppy’s progress as she wins friends in her dorm, influences the school’s imbecile staff and leads the lacrosse team to triumph is likely to put off the Bratz/St Trinian’s crowd. Complete with a finale ripped from Dead Poets Society and a soundtrack that includes such hip songs as, erm, Robbie Williams’ ‘Angels’, Wild Child is yet another dog- eared slice of Working Title crapola aimed squarely at the dumbest of US teens. Seekers of teenage enlightenment should re-watch Mean Girls or Superbad and mind the enormous gap. (Eddie Harrison)
I General release from Fri 75 Aug.
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FARCEPOMANCE MISS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY (PG) 91 min 00
Opinionated. unemployable London governess Miss Pettigrew (Frances McDormand) has just lost another JOb. Dumped by her agency and homeless Miss Pettigrew manages to worm her way in to the house of American wannabe starlet Delysia Lafosse (Amy Adams). Flighty. silly and with a social diary messy with lovers. Delysia is a handful but she may just be Miss Pettigrew's last chance.
Adapted from Winifred Watson‘s charming 1938 book by David Finding Never/and Magee and Simon Blow Dry Beaufoy. Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day is the type of playful pre WWII sub-Cowardian farce that makes one wants to gouge one's eyes out with shrapnel from the undercarriage of a Spitfire.
TV and film director Bharat Downtime Nalluri attempt to create a sparkling Mitchell Leisen style romantic comedy is undone by inferior performances. screenplay and the complete predictability inherent in this kind of mentally painful experience. Michael The Last King of Scotland O'Connor's costume dCSlgll and Nick Atonement Gottschalk's art direction are. however. top notch. old fruit. (Paul Dale)
I General release from Fri 75 Aug.
COMEDY
ALSO RELEASED
Star Wars: Clone Wars (PG)
98min 0. Emperor Palpatine. Count Dooku and General Grievous are poised to rule the galaxy. The universe rests in the hands of the daring Jedi Knights led by Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi along With brand-new heroes like Anakin's padawan learner. Ahsoka. George Lucas clearly feels he hasn't made quite enough cash from the half-baked internecine sci-Ii adventure he cobbled together from Vladimir Propp's more accessible writings on fairytale theory all those years ago. So now he's sanctioned the director of The Clone Wars TV series to make a technologically cutting edge feature length animation. Like the more recent Star Wars films this is fairly tedious and convoluted stuff. but it is nicely animated and fans. of which there are too many. WI” probably love it. The opium-induced masses Will not be dissuaded. General release from Fri 75 Aug. Hellboy II: The Golden Army (12A) 119mm (unable to review at time of going to press) The ghoulie busting red brute is back With new enemies and new friends. This time out director Guillermo Del Toro has. allegedly. given himself a freer reign over artist and writer Mike Mignola's original creations so expect extreme visual madness and much more. Reviewed next issue. General release from Wed 20 Aug.
YOU DON’T MESS WITH THE ZOI'IAN
(12A) 112min u
Anyone who tries to understand Middle Eastern politics based on the contents of an Adam Sandler comedy deserves all they get. Despite his good intentions he bites off more than he can posSibly chew in this. his new comic opus. For you see You Don't Mess With The Zohan is a tragic attempt to use outrageous comedy to smooth relationships between New York's Israeli and Palestinian
communities.
This new potential cash cow for Sandler's Happy Madison production company and director Dennis / Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry Dugan has reportedly been in development since before the Twin Towers attack. but any notions that its delay is due to questions of taste are immediately removed by the introduction of Zohan (Sandler) an superhuman Mossad agent who renounces violence to pursue his real dream; a new life as a NY hairdresser. As well a Borat- style delight in his own nakedness. Zohan is characterised by his 'funin foreigner' enthusiasm for hummus. Euro-disco (Ace of Base's “Beautiful Life' features prominently) and Wham-era hairstyling. Most of all. he loves the older women who frequent his salon and whom he artlessly pleasures in his backroom. until romance with one encourages the hairdresser to face his past and put down
some roots.
Attempts to ring humour from topical subjects like home-made bomb-making sit uneasily with Sandler's obVious ambitions to political gravitas. With the gags drying up in favour of an climactic mix of sentiment and action. Sandler has tried to refine his angry-guy persona in Punch Drunk Love and Reign On Me. but Zohan's call for understanding lacks conViction or bite. (Eddie Harrison)
I General release from Fri (5 Aug.
l.‘. 21 Aug 2008 THE LIST 23