FILM index

FILM index continued

Boiler Room (18) turn: (Ben Younger, US, 2000) Giovanni Ribisi, Nia Long, Ben Afileck. 119 mins. The twentysomething financial brokers of the 905 in this promising but uneven first feature worship 805 icon Gordon Gekko, materialist anti-hero of Wall Street. Into this shady world steps Ribisi, a sensitive college drop-out who closes down the illegal casino he ran from his own apartment and opts for something more honest. Or so he thinks. Younger’s keen ear for hard-boiled dialogue, reinforced by the kinetic camerawork, immerse us in this corrupt, adrenalised world. See review. Selected release.

Boys Don't Cry (18) ***** (Kimberly Peirce, US, 2000) Hilary Swank, Chloe Sevigny, Peter Sarsgaard. 114 mins. Writer/director Kimberly Peirce’s first feature is based upon the life of Brandon Teena, the transgendered Nebraska girl who lived her life as a male, and whose love afi'air with a smalltown girl named Lana Tisdel met a bloody end in 1993. Swank is simply astonishing. The credibility of the film rests entirely upon her performance, but it’s a burden she shoulders with consummate skill and grace. A humbling example of brave, beautiful, brutal filmmaking. Glasgow: GFI'. Edinburgh: Cameo.

The Brave Little Toaster (U) tint (Jerry Rees, US, 1990) 94 mins. Fun animated adventure as a group of plucky electrical appliances go off in search of their master who's moved to the big city. Yet for Toaster, Lampy the lamp, Kirby the vacuum cleaner and Blankey the electric blanket there are many dangers to be face along the way. Stirling: MacRobert.

Brief Encounter (PG) *‘k‘k (David Lean, UK, 1945) Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard, Stanley Holloway. 86 mins. Stiff upper lips and emotionally charged brushes of the hands are all that Johnson and Howard will allow themselves as their extra-marital ‘affair’ doesn’t develop much beyond unspoken longings at a railway station. For some, the tears will still flow; for others, the

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ungiving morality is exasperating. Given the rigidity of this English romance, the Rachmaninov soundtrack is unfittingly sweet. Edinburgh: Cameo.

The Children Of The Marshland (PG) tit (Jean Becker, France, 1999) Jacques

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es the Hollywood blockbuster for arthouse cinema, but retains his tough guy persona in Wim Wenders' film

based on a story by 02's Bono, The Million Dollar Hotel

Villeret, Jacques Gamblin, Michel Serrault. 115 mins. Set in France’s Rhone-Alpes region where Riton (Villeret) and Garris (Gamblin) scrape a living any way they can. The story eschews narrative focus for a series of privileged moments. narrated by Riton's daughter and the film's immediacy is always secondary to its clcgiac tone. Edinburgh: Lumiere.

The Cider House Rules (12) *~k* (Lasse Hallstrom, US, 2000) Tobey Maguire, Michael Caine, Charlize Theron. 126 mins. Maguire takes the lead as Homer Wells, an orphan who grows up to continue the worthy work of his mentor and surrogate father, Dr Larch (Caine). On route to manhood, Homer undertakes a small-scale odyssey around 19405 New England, during which time he works on an apple farm and has an affair with farm owner Candy Kendall (Theron). Somewhere between Irving’s screenplay and Hallstrom’s direction there '5 an overabundance of sentimentality which undermines Irving’s brand of tragi-comedy. Glasgow: Odeon At The Quay. Edinburgh: Dominion.

Circus (18) (Rob Walker, UK, 2000) John Hannah, Famke Janssen, Eddie lzzard. 96 mins. The tidal wave of low budget British crime thrillers continues unabated, and this week’s rollercoaster ride with guns and stuff is Circus. Set in sunny Brighton, John Hannah stars as Leo, a two bit conman masterrninding the ultimate scam. Spinning around this main thread is a dizzying array of chancers and losers, played by what could be the strangest cast ever assembled on celluloid, and a plot that twists and turns in a Tarantino-esque manner. See review. Selected release.

A Clockwork Orange (18) boat (Stanley Kubrick, UK, 1971) Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Warren Clarke. 137 mins. The night of ‘ultra-violence' committed by Alex (McDowell) and his gang of ‘droogs’ gives it its notoriety. But subsequent victimisation by the State still provides much food for thought. This fable of law and disorder, crime and punishment might easily be recast in let century Britain. 80, it’s about time the British public got to see the late master’s most infamous film. Glasgow: Odeon. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. Irvine: Magnum Theatre. Cradle Will Rock (15) hurt (Tim Robbins, US, 2000) Angus Macfadyen, Susan Sarandon, John Cusack, Bill Murray, Emily Watson, Vanessa Redgrave. 134 mins.

New York City, 1936. In the midst of the Depression a government-sponsored project strives to find work for performers and bring theatre to the unemployed masses, while communist paranoia grips the state. Against this background Orson Welles attempts to stage a socialist musical, The Cradle Will Rock. Robbins builds a terrific portrait of a tumultuous period of American history through a series of overlapping personal dramas. Hugely ambitious, clever, ironic, humorous and with a phenomenal ensemble cast. See preview and review. Glasgow: GFI‘. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.

Dangerous Liaisons (15) *ti (Stephen Frears, US, 1988) Glenn Close, John Malkovich, Michelle Pfeiffer, Keanu Reeves. 120 mins. Madame dc Tourvel and the Vicomte de Valmont (Close and Malkovich) are treacherous 18th century aristocrats weaving a web of erotic duplicity around one another. Erears makes a notable Hollywood debut, guiding his east through a difficult set of narrative pirouettes. Yet for all the pent-up emotion on screen, little fervour seeps through, and the result is rather cold and calculating. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.

Dr Dolittle (PG) * (Betty Thomas, US, 1998) Eddie Murphy, Ossie Davies, Oliver Platt. 85 mins. A turkey with Rex Harrison in its original form, and still pretty dire this time round. This wild family adventure offers crude bottom humour for the Babe audience, but the talking animals gimmick battles with cheesy morality and nothing comes together. Ayr: Odeon.

Earth Storm (A Tempastade da Terra) (15) (Fernando d'Almeda e Silva, 1997) Maria de Madeiros. 119 mins. Switching between 19705 Lisbon and Mozambique, this mysterious tale of obsession and desire follows the disappearance of a young woman (Madeiros) which sets a young African on a journey through childhood and political rebellion. Part of Sea Changes, the new Portuguese cinema season. Edinburgh: Lumiere.

The End Of The Affair (18) *ttt (Neil Jordan, UK/US, 2000) Ralph Fienncs, Julianne Moore, Stephen Rea. 101 mins. This is a diary of hate,’ explains narrator Bendrix (Ficnnes), as he attempts to piece together the memories of his war-time affair with Sarah (Moore), the wife of high- ranking civil servant Henry (Rca). Jordan captures the rancorous tone and bitter intensity of Graham Grahame Greene's