FILM index
FILM INDEX continued
Wigand, the corporate man who blew the whistle on the American tobacco industry, triggering a $246 million lawsuit. The performances are excellent and not since All The President's Men has fact and drama merged so powerfully on screen. Falkirk: FTH Cinema. Stirling: MacRobert. Inspector Gadget (U) *it (David Kellogg, US, 1999) Matthew Broderick, Rupert Everett, Joely Fisher. 79 mins. Disney’s take on the French kids‘ cartoon follows the part human, part gizmo Gadget’s (Broderick) quest to become a proper, respected cop. Unfortunately, the dastardly Claw (Everett) has a scheme for world domination, which includes creating an evil doppelganger of the trenchcoated wonder. The inspector’s many contraptions will delight younger viewers, and oldies will be amused by the plentiful self-referential moments. Dunfermline: Odeon.
Into The West (PG) *A'i'k (Mike Newell, Eire/UK, 1992) Gabriel Byrne, Ellen Barkin, Ciaran Fitzgerald, Ruaidhri Conroy. 102 mins. Following the death of his wife, a former traveller (Byrne) sets up home with his two sons in a Dublin slum. But when a mystical white horse appears and the boys head off into the Irish countryside with it, he is forced to come to terms with his present life and past culture. A wonderful piece of family storytelling, blending ancient and modern myths. Glasgow: GF'T.
Isn't She Great? (15) ** (Andrew Bergman, US, 2000) Bette Midler, Nathan Lane, Stockard Channing. 93 mins. More hasty biopsy than bio-pic, this flimsy, underwritten comedy is based very loosely on the life of Valley Of The Dolls writer Jacqueline Suzann (Midler). Suzann's doting, publicist husband Irving Mansfield (Lane) narrates the story of her fight against breast cancer, and against literary taste, to top the bestseller list and win the fame she so coveted. Their friend Flo (Charming) adds a nice line, advising that ‘talent isn't everything’. See review. Glasgow: Odeon At The Quay. Kilmarnock: Odeon. Paisley: Showcase.
James And The Giant Peach (U) **** (Henry Selick, US, 1996) Paul Terry, Susan Sarandon, Simon Callow. 79 mins. From the director ofTim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas comes a wonderfully colourful adaptation of Roald Dahl‘s much- loved novel. Live action tops and tails the story, but for the most part, it’s fun times with stop-motion puppets. By turns funny and scary, it stays true to Dahl’s surreal and whimsical vision. Stirling: Carlton.
Kevin 8: Perry Go Large (15) it (Ed Bye, UK, 2000) Harry Enfield, Kathy Burke, Laura Fraser. 82 mins. This big-screen spin- off for one of the sketches from TV’s Harry EnfieldAnd Chums follows its two teenage characters on a quest to lose their virginity and become top DJs. The key influence here is the Carry On series, so prepare yourself for a stream of erection, urinating and vomiting gags. There are some enjoyable performances, but there’s a nagging sense that, with this predictable satire, Enfield and chums are milking a cash-cow. Glasgow: Showcase. Paisley: Showcase. Wishaw:
Arrow Multiplex. 1w 3 \ . ' I
m
Thurs 22nd June The Insider (15)
7:30pm
Sun 25th June ET The Extra Terrestrial (U)
5:00pm Holy Smoke (18) 7:75pm Mon 26th June Being John Malkovich (15) 7:30pm
Tickets and further information from The Steeple Box othce (Tel: 01324 506850) or on the day from the hall
32 THE LIST 22 Jun-6 Jul 2000
Beach babe Virginie Ledoyen turns on her feminine charm to startling effect in Pierre Jolivet’s efficient adaptation of Georges Simenon's novel, In All Innocence
Kikujiro (12) *iii (Takeshi Kitano, Japan, 2000) ‘Beat’ Takeshi, Yusuke Sekiguchi. 122 mins. Kitano plays the title role (interestingly, also his father’s name), a small-time criminal who finds himself the surrogate father to nine-year-old Masao (Sekiguchi) when the boy sets off in search of the mother he has never met. In a departure from the gangster films his European reputation is built on, Kitano’s sharply observed comic road movie shows the Japanese director/actor in more slapstick mode, giving his offbeat wit a freer rein. See review. Glasgow: GFT. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
La Nouvelle Eve (The New Eve) (18) iii (Catherine Corsini, France, 2000) Karin Viard, Sergi Lopez, Pierre-Loup Rajot. 94 mins. Camille (Viard), a swimming pool attendant with no money to burn, embarks on an affair with the wonderfully understanding Ben (Lopez), while falling for married father Alexis (Rajot), whose contended domesticity she has few qualms about destroying. Acerbic case study of the thirtysomething woman who wants it all, or a wish fulfilment tale destined to provoke audiences? The latter seems to be the answer, there are truthful moments to observe and much to enjoy. See review. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
The Lady Eve (U) *tivk (Preston Sturges, US, 1941) Henry Fonda, Barbara Stanwyck, Charles Coburn. 94 mins. Upon returning from a trip up the Amazon, Fonda’s snake-expert is bitten by Stanwyck’s con girl. Love blossoms and all running very smoothly for her and her cardsharp father, until the deception is revealed and Stanwka gets what’s coming to her. There’s plenty of slapstick and a scene-stealing performance from Stanwyck. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
Lake Placid (15) 1&er (Steve Miner, US, 2000) Brendan Gleeson, Bridget Fonda, Bill Pullman, Oliver Platt. 82 mins. Big monster eating people in a lake in Maine. local sheriff, game warden, scientist and hunter team up to kill it. Plenty of extras get munched. Doesn’t sound particularly appetising — we’ve seen it all before in Jaws, Alligator, Pirahna, etc. — except Lake Placid has the smartest, funniest dialogue you’re likely to hear all year: ‘The sooner we catch this thing, Sheriff, the sooner you can get back to sleeping with your sister.’ Goes for cheap belly laughs and gets ‘em every time. Irvine: Magnum Theatre. Largs: Vikingar Cinema.
The Last September (15) ** (Deborah Warner, UK, 2000) Keeley Hawes, Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon. 104 mins. Adapted by John Banville from Elizabeth Bowen’s novel, the film charts the end of British rule in Ireland through the eyes of the aristocratic Naylor family. There the conflict between the IRA and the Army creates a stifling atmosphere for budding debutante Lois (llawes). Bowen’s vision is awkwardly realised in celluloid. As costume dramas go, it’s respectable enough, but given Warner’s reputation for innovative spin on canonical
works, it’s something of a disappointment. See review. Glasgow: Grosvenor. Odeon. Edinburgh: Lumiere.
Les Convoyeurs Attendent (The Carriers Are Waiting) (15) *** (Benoit Mariage, Belgium, 2000) Benoit Poelvoorde, Jean- Franqois Devigne. 94 mins. Playing the struggling patriarch determined to make something of himself and his family, Benoit Poelvoorde (the serial killer in Man Bites Dog) has decided his reluctant son (Jean- Francois Devigne) will beat the world record for opening and closing a door within 24 hours: the present record stands at around 40,000. It’s an offbeat device used to work up that old mainstay of father/son tension, but the film requires more than a figurative scenario and vivid locations to sustain its 90 minutes. Kirkcaldy: Adam Smith.
Little Women (U) **** (Gillian Armstrong, US, 1994) Winona Ryder, Susan Sarandon, Gabriel Byme. 118 mins. Louisa May Alcott’s novel has charmed readers for generations, despite weighing down its morals with a mountain of sentimentality. 1n Hollywood’s third screen version, the March girls are still unbelievably good and forgiving, but Armstrong and writer Robin Swicord have added a touch of 905 post- feminism to give a contemporary relevance to their bonding and independence. A glowing view of family love. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
Loch Ness (U) *** (John Henderson, US, 1995) Ted Danson, Joely Richardson, Kirsty Graham. 100 mins. An American scientist comes to Scotland to disprove the existence of Nessie, but is charmed by the place and the people. So far, so Local Hero. But in its later stages, this family movie leaps into action, keeping you on the edge of your seat. Better than you might expect, but not remarkably special. Glasgow: GilmorehillGlZ.
Love Me Not: Boys' Shorts (18) (Various 1998-99) 84 mins. From erotica to kitsch to hilarious, a programme of new gay shorts including: Barry Dignam’s Dream Kitchen, Didier Blasco’s Pain au chocolat, Duncan Tucker’s The Mountain King, Bradley Rust Grey’s thCH and Bavo Defurne’s Campfire. Part of the Lesbian And Gay Film Festival On Tour. Glasgow: GET.
Love The One You‘re With (15) whit (Robbie Moffat, 2000, UK) Paul Cunningham, Hazel Ann Crawford. 92 mins. Filmed in Glasgow with largely local actors, Love The One You 're With highlights the realities of homelessness in the city. London property dealer Charlie Grant (Cunningham) finds himself stranded in Glasgow without cash, credit cards or car after an impounding and a mugging. Befriended by the local homeless he spends the long weekend on the streets and in the soup kitchens. A worthy glimpse into Glasgow’s underworld and homelessness problem. Here, the medium really is the message. Glasgow: Grosvenor. Lovers Of The Arctic Circle (15) *it* (Julio Medem, Spain, 1999) Fele Martinez, Najwa Nimri, Nancho Novo. 104 mins. When eight-year-old Otto spots Ana outside
the school gates, it's love at first sight, but life’s tragedies intervene, however, and the pair are set apart - until years later when both are drawn, irrepressibly, to a Finnish cottage just inside the Arctic Circle. Medem, whose expressive style was honed in Vacas, The Red Squirrel and 77erra, has crafted a beguiling love story - as strange and original as it is romantic - which surely places Medem in the top rank of European directors. Edinburgh: Cameo, Filmhouse. Love's Labour’s Lost (U) tit (Kenneth Branagh, US, 2000) Kenneth Branagh, Alicia Silverstone, Adrian Lester. 93 mins. Branagh's attempt to make Shakespeare multiplex-friendly will shock textual purists for he has taken the early, wordy, romantic comedy, cut 70 per cent of its dialogue and filled the holes with show tunes from the 305 and 405. Branagh’s most audacious, and frankly maddest, Shakespeare adaptation to date proves to be a funny, engaging, and consistently entertaining trifle. Edinburgh: Lumiere. Galashiels: Pavilion.
Magnolia (18) *ttt (Paul Thomas Anderson, US, 2000) Julianne Moore, William H. Macy, Philip Seymour Hoffman, John C. Reilly, Tom Cruise. 185 mins. P.T. Anderson’s follow-up to his superb 705 LA porn industry flick, Boogie Nights is a snapshot of the lives of a dozen residents of LA's San Fernando Valley . Their stories are sad, funny and moving without ever becoming overly-sentimental and Anderson's script is full of humble humanity and beautifully observed moments. And the quite stunning miraculous conclusion is audacious but it works — the same can be said of the whole film. Kirkcaldy: Adam Smith. Stirling: MacRobert.
Mal (Evil) (18) it (Alberto Seixas Santos, Portugal, 2000) Pauline Cadell, Rui Morrison, Alexandre Pinto, Maria Santos. 87 mins. Santos’ mosaic narrative interweaves various stories across Lisbon culminating in an apocalyptic climax. The key figures are a pair of former 70$ activists, Cathy (Cadell) and Pedro (Morrison), whose marriage is torn apart by the discovery of the husband’s serial infidelities. A relentlessly grim study of blighted urban lives, Mal is shot without visual distinction, and is hampered by a screenplay in which the characters are weighted down with overbearing metaphorical/religious significance. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
A Man Is A Woman (L'homme est une femme comme les autres) (15) ** (Jean-Jacques Zilbermann, France, 2000) Antoine de Caunes, Elsa Zylberstein. Michel Aumont. 99 mins. De Caunes’ Parisian clarinettist Simon Eskenazy is the last in the line of Eskenazy Jews. His uncle (Aumont) hopes for a continuation of the family name; he's even willing to offer ten million francs for Simon to switch sexual proclivities. Plenty of room for farce, especially when it looks like Simon’s going to take up with the eccentric Yiddish soprano Rosalie (Zylberstein). But Zilbermann’s muted movie keeps retreating from expectation without finding sure