FILM index
FILM INDEX continued
Fever Pitch (15) inHr (David Evans, UK, 2000) Colin Firth, Ruth Gemmell, Neil Pearson. 102 mins. In this adaptation of Nick llomby‘s novel, Firth plays Paul. a football-obsessed Arsenal fan and English teacher. Paul finds it impossible to sustain both his love of the game and a relationship with a fellow teacher who hates everything that goes with footy. Not as funny as the novel, but entertaining nevertheless. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
The Filth And The Fury (15) tint (Julian Temple, UK, 2000) 107 mins. In his second attempt at defining the Sex Pistols story, Temple has adopted a revisionist stance with the intention of dispelling the notion that the group were the stooges of an art school movement masterminded by self-proclaimed svengali Malcolm McLaren. Splicing TV ads and stock footage into interviews with the band and previously unseen live footage, Temple wants us to see the group as a genuine explosion of fury at the state of Britain towards the end of the 1970s. Ultimately, The Filth And The Fury is eye candy that manages to tacitly confirm the McLarcn/Westwood aesthetic vision. Edinburgh: UGC Cinemas.
Final Destination (15) *** (James Wong, US, 2000) Devon Sawa, Ali l.arter, Kerr Smith. 98 mins. After a premonition Alex (Devon Sawa) manages to save a bunch of his classmates from a plane crash. As the survivors gruesomely pop their clogs one-by-one, it becomes apparent that death is playing catch-up. Disposable horror hokum, but the pace, irreverence and sick, black humour ensure the most entertaining teen slasher since the original Scream. General release.
Fire (15) *t* (Deepa Mehta, Canada, 1996) Shabana Azmi. 104 mins. Sensitive examination of the break up of a New Delhi family as seen from the perspective of devoted wife Radha. When Radha's brother- in-law brings his feisty, new wife into her home, the ties that bind begin to unwind. Glasgow: Gl’l‘.
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t 1 John Cusack and Jack Black compete in the vinyl junkie stakes in the former's hugely entertaining adaptation of Nick Hornby's
novel, High Fidelity
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The Flintstones In Viva Rock Vegas (PG) it (Brian Levant, 2000) Mark Addy, Stephen Baldwin. 91 mins. This prequel shows l-‘red (Addy) and Barney (Baldwin) in their bachelor days when they first eourt Wilma (Johnston) and Betty (Jane Krakowski). They are abetted in this by a little green alien called Gazoo (Alan Cumming), but are hampered by the rival attentions of Wilma's slimy aristocratic chum Chip Rockefeller (Thomas Gibson). And they all live happily ever after, without a trace of originality, zip or zest. See review. General release.
Frequency (15) *trk (Gregory lloblit, US, 2000) Dennis Quaid. Jim Caviczel, Elizabeth Mitchell. 118 mins. A film of two
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48 THELIST 20 Jul—3 Aug 2000
innings: first, the sentimental story of a long-dead, baseball-loving New York fireman (Quaid) and his 36-year-old cop son (Caviezel), who due to freak weather conditions are somehow able to communicate via ham radio across a time- span of 30 years; second, an over-heated murder mystery involving the brutal slayings of young women in 1969. Scriptwriter Toby Emmerich‘s intriguing concept opens up all sorts of fascinating possibilities, then plumps for the least interesting. Edinburgh: UGC Cinemas. Galaxy Quest (PU) **** (Dean Parisot, US, 2000) Sigourney Weaver, Tim Allen, Alan Rickman. 102 mins. in the film, Galaxy Quest is a Star 'I‘rek-style series which ran for a short time years ago and has subsequently developed cult status. To earn a crust the miserable cast make personal appearances at conventions and shopping mall openings. But a naive bunch of aliens mistake them for real heroes and enlist the cast's help in battling a real-life evil enemy. What follows is, on the surface, an entertaining display of straightfonvard, fish- out-of-water comedy, but underlying it is a gently scathing attack on fan culture, and America's pathological need for heroes. l-‘alkirk: El‘ll Cinema.
Gangster No 1 (18) their (Paul McGuigan, UK, 2000) Malcolm McDowell, David Thewlis. Paul Bettany. 103 mins. Mr McDowell is the eponymous Gangster, an abominable, irredcemably evil thug who is prompted to recount his 30-year rise to infamy when old rival l’reddie Mays (David Thewlis giving it ‘suave') is released from prison. From there we flashback to 1968 when young Gangster (Paul Bettany) is hired as muscle for l’reddie. Stylish, funny and shocking in (mostly) the right places, McGuigan's follow-up to 'l'hexicid House is reminiscent of late 60s films such as Performance. Glasgow: ()dcon.
Ghost Dog: The Way Of the Samurai (15) ** (Jim Jarmusch, US.Japanl’rance/ Germany, 2000) Forest Whitaker, John 'l‘ormey, Cliff Gorman. 116 mins. Jim Jarmusch's latest foray into nowhere sees Whitaker's New York street urchin as a professional Mob assassin who lives by an ancient Eastern code of honour. But when a hit goes wrong, the mob are after Ghost Dog and gangster friend Louie ('l‘ormey) is caught between loyalties. it's taken the radical auteur an awful long time to miss the particular boat of sending up the mob. Jarmusch should probably stick to making throwaway movies about ageing rockers, llelsinki cabbies and Japanese Elvis fans instead of attempting the grand spiritual narrative. Kirkcaldy: Adam Smith. Gladiator ( l5) *** (Ridley Scott. US, 2000) Russell ('rowe, Richard Harris, Joaquin Phoenix. 150 mins. Just before dying (‘aesar Aurelius (Harris) charges General Maximth ((‘rowe) with cleaning up his beloved, but politically corrupt Rome.
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Aurelius' son, Commodus (Phoenix), doesn’t take kindly to this and has his rival executed. But Maximus survives and, as a gladiator, works his way back to Rome intent on revenge. Parallels must be drawn with Sparticus and 8611 Mar; we've not seen a Roman epic in a long time. Scott's is a handsome spectacle and exciting enough, but that‘s all it is. General release.
A Goofy Movie (U) *rkrk (Kevin Lima, US, 1996) With the voices of Bill Farmer, Jason Marsden, Jim Cummings. 74 mins. After a school prank backfires, Goofy decides to take troublesome son Max off on a bonding fishing trip. Max is trying his best to be cool, but that isn't easy when your dad's this particular Disney star. An incident-packed journey provides plenty of laughs which should keep restless kids and accompanying adults amused. Edinburgh: Odeon.
The Goonies (PG) ** (Richard Donner, US, 1985) Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Jeff Cohen. 112 mins. Rather dire teenflick, in which seven kids go in quest of buried treasure, leaving their parents arguing over real estate, and are followed hotly by vicious villains vying for the loot. Ajoyride which is slow to start and doesn't ever depart from well charted highways. Edinburgh: UGC Cinemas.
Grosse Pointe Blank (15) **** (George Armitage, US, 1996) John Cusack, Minnie Driver, Alan Arkin. 108 mins. Depressed freelance hitman Martin O. Blank (Cusack) returns to his home town for a high-school reunion, but finds his past private life and current profession are about to overlap. Armitage turns in a fair post-Woo action sequence here and there, while Cusack positively inhabits Martin, switching from comic/romantic lead to focused killer effortlessly and bclievably. Edinburgh: Eilmhouse.
Hamlet (U) **** (l‘ranco Zeffirelli, US, 1990) Mel Gibson, Alan Bates, Glenn Close, Paul Scofield, Helena Bonham-Carter, Ian llolm. 135 mins. A young man returns home from university to find his father dead and his mother marrying his uncle. Then llamlet senior's ghost shows up, whispering to him of murder most foul, and it's all downhill after that. More than twenty years after Zeffirelli's Romeo And Julie! comes this colourful and lively production of Shakespeare's greatest play. with a very strong. mostly British cast and the best performance in years from Gibson in the title role. Edinburgh: Lumiere.
Hercules (U) **** (John Musker J’c Ron Clements, US, 1997) With the voices of'l'ate Donovan. James Woods, Danny DeVito. 91 mins. British cartoonist Gerald Scarfe's designs marry his customary grotesquery with Uncle Wall’s softer characterisations. llades (a magnificently splenetic James Woods) wants to exact revenge on Zeus by destroying his son Hercules, but luckily our hero has Pegasus as his steed and Phil the