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The Boys
(18) 86mins : 1 a Australian director Rowan Woods' fierce study of male Violence, family loyalty and domestic imprisonment dissects the twisted psycho-dynamics of a dysftinttronal, working-class family Coupled With scriptwriter Stephen Sewell's (left handling of the complex time-shifts inherited from Gordon Graham’s original stage play, Woods' rich vrsual language transforms The Boys into a Quintessentially cinematic exi'ierience And a damned scary one at that
Fresh out of prison, sentimental sociopath Brett Sprague fDavrd \'Venliarir‘= tries to contain the seething vrolence that threatens to tear apart his 'whrte fart)th But during the course cf one drink and drug fuelled day, the fraught relationships between Brett, his downtrodden mother
Burnt by the son: David Wenham in The Boys
firi‘sl‘.
Sing-song accent: Pierre Arditi and Sabine Azema in On Connait La Chanson
On Connait La Chanson (PG) 122 mins ..
and no -;'.‘:lii(?l‘:t a fair
descriptro". of the fornialist’s concerns7
Alain Resnais, who gave his characters initials and a distintt lack of narrative n’rrrmenturrt in last Year A: i‘t/iar/nht'id, is at rt again :n th-s hint of a musical. Ch". tl‘is ’)(t<i81()ll, ltossever, we can say wt". some :::nfrdence Resnars' frlm is 'about' SOP-it‘llillift namely love and sed-resprrct in modern-day Paris There s Andre Dussolrer's radio playwright rrrortnnlrghting as an estate agent Agnes Jaoui, meanwhile, finishes off a PhD on a subject so arcane, she has llf,‘ conceivable readership Also floating around the city are Jean-Rierre Barn in search of a flat, Sabine Azeina, the pushy yet indecisive sister of Jaoui, and poor Pierre Arditit, harried at every turn by
(Lynette Curran), his brothers Glenn (John Poison) and Stevre (Anthony Hayes), and hrs Sullen girlfriend Michelle (Toni Collette) reach breaking pOint
lntercuttrng spiralling domestic madness wrth flashes forward to its future consequences, The Boys burlds inexorably to a controlled explosion of savagery, Yet the act itself, the defining moment of the entrre film, is never seen It doesn't need to be We've seen all we need to see. Fusing the sooal observation of a Ken Loach film wrth some exceptional ensemble acting and the unbearable tension a horror-thriller, this extraordinary debut feature from Down Under puts most American independent cinema to shame (Nigel Floyd) Edinburgh Cameo from Fri 7 7 Dec Glasgow Film Theatre from Sun 27 Dec
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wrfe Azema’s demands
The novelty here lies in how the characters express their emotions. Resnais structures hrs film around song-snippets to which the characters mime Dussolrer asks, wrth the aid of Johnny Hallrday, 'what’s wrong With my rnug', Azerna, clenching her fists, decides to 'resrs't', courtesy of one of France's biggest pop hits of the 80s
With hrs regular cast and crew, Resnars fashions a frlm that contains emotion, but avcirds overemphasisrng rt Most musicals reflect an emotional ideal - a full blown release of thought and feeling through lengthy lyrical rnterludes. Resnais' formalrst constraints, however, allow for moments of genuine sooal rnteractron, -but not for the false optimism of the utopian musical. (Tony McKibbin) Glasgow Fr/m Theatre and Edinburgh Frlmhouse from Fri 4 Dec.
new releases FILM
Rush Hour
(PG) 97 mins *iririr
The journey from Hong Kong video success to international superstardom has been a long and arduous one for
Jackie Chan, but he surely reached his 1
stated destination with this mismatched buddy movie. He and Chris Tucker — familiar for his high-pitched motor- mouthed performances in The Fifth Element, Friday and Dead Presidents —
complement each other nicely, even if ,
they do fulfil audience stereotypes. Chan is Hong Kong c0p Lee, sent to
America to assist in the hunt for the "
kidnapped daughter of his friend, the Chinese consul. Sidelined by the FBI, he
1:7": ,l
Chris Tucker in Rush flour
is paired with a maverick LA cop suffering delusions of competence. After the initial squabbles subside and the two men realise that they are each an outsider in this case, they unite and . . . well, you hardly need a degree in film theory to predict the outcome. But the action and comedy work well, and the whole thing is directed at
pace and with confidence by Brett Ratner.
What tension there is is cheerfully exploded by Tucker's antics, a verbal countering to his co-star’s more physical performance. It’s the kind of mindlessly enjoyable, action-packed romp that you might wish the Lethal Weapon films still were, and is the film that could convert non-fans to the talents of Chan or even — and this is a mark of its considerable appeal — Chris Tucker. (Anwar Brett)
I General release from Fri 4 Dec.
FILM SEASON Czech Cinema
With the exception of only a handful of directors -- Milos Forman, Jiri Menzel — Czech cinema isn’t very well known even to arthouse audiences in the UK. Interest has been raised on a wrder level, however, followrng the Best Foreign Language Film
Oscar won by Ko/ya last year
It's appropriate, then, that a short season of Czech films at the Glasgow Film Theatre and Edinburgh Frlmhouse running until the end of January features works by Ko/ya director Jan Sverak and its writer/star Zdenek Sverak. The Elementary School (1991) rs a lightly observed comedy that captures the playfulness of childhood at a time of national transition. The Ride (1994) combines a loose road movie format with eternal truths about male and female interaction, while Three Veterans (1983, written by Zdenek Sverak) comes from the strong Czech tradition of
the fairy tale.
Completing the programme are Wictor Grodeckr's Mandragora (1997), a tough story about runaway boys survrvrng a world of sex and drugs on the streets of Prague; and, at the other end of the spectrum, The Cow (Karel Kachyna's film from 1995), which is set in the lonely mountains at the turn of the century. (Alan
Morrison)
. The Elementary School (GFT, Sat 12 Dec), The Ride (Frlmhouse, Fri 78—Sun 20
Dec). See listings.
Film Soundtracks
The films themselves won't appear here for months (if at all), but you certainly can't complain about the range of soundtracks on the market. This way it's possible to rate the music without reliving the (often inappropriate) screen image attached.
Once the target of tabl0id hysteria, the world’s most infamous demon doll returns in Bride 0f Chucky (SPV -« w), in which Bound's Jennifer Tilly resurrects the killer toy. Unsurprrsingly, all these evrl deeds are carried out to the s0und of harry-arsed old-school rock (Judas Priest, Motorhead, Bruce Dickinson) and the acceptable face of new metal (Monster Magnet, Type O Negative).
spircd by the Motion 9,360"
Music from o -
Chucky says Teletubbies must die
The frlm version of Ian McEwan’s story First Love, Last Rites (Epic k x s k) finds Shudder To Think bringing in guest vocalists ranging from Jeff Buckley to Billy Corgan to The Cardigans Nina Persson. The tracks are equally varied in sound, wrth the mood slipping from Spector-esque epic to glam and country, A disc that stands
up on its own right.
A hit at the 1997 Edinburgh Film Festival, Topless Women Talk About Their lives (Flying Nun ii 1% * ix) is an ensemble movre that happily isn’t what the title suggests. The album (which also lifts tracks from a spin-off TV series) also has collective appeal and works as a showcase for New Zealand’s lo-fr guitar bands. Eight artists are featured, including The 305, The Chills and The Bats. (Alan Morrison)
3-17 Dec 1998 THE U8T39