FILM listings
FILM LISTINGS continued
The Flintstones In Viva Rock Vegas (PG) ** (Brian Levant, US, 2000) Mark Addy, Stephen Baldwin. 91 mins. This prequel shows Fred (Addy) and Barney (Baldwin) in their bachelor days when they first court 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. General release.
Ghost Dog: The Way Of the Samurai (15) ** (Jim Jarmusch, US/Japan/France/ Germany, 2000) Forest Whitaker, John Tormey, 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 (Tormey) is caught between loyalties. It’s taken the radical auteur an awful long time to miss the particular boat of sending up the mob. Jarrnusch should probably stick to making throwaway movies about ageing rockers, Helsinki cabbies and Japanese Elvis fans instead of attempting the grand spiritual narrative. Stirling: MacRobert.
Gladiator (15) iii (Ridley Scott, US, 2000) Russell Crowe, Richard Harris, Joaquin Phoenix. 150 mins. Just before dying Caesar Aurelius (Harris) charges General Maximus (Crowe) with cleaning up his beloved, but politically corrupt Rome. 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 Ben Hur; 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.
Gone In 60 Seconds (15) it (Dominic Sena, US, 2000) Nicolas Cage, Angelina Jolie, Vinnie Jones. 118 mins. A re-working of H.B. Halicki’s 1974 cult car-chase movie which, despite its flashy paint-job and hip- hop in-car stereo soundtrack, lacks grunt and growl beneath the hood. Forced out of retirement when his kid brother, Kip (Ribisi), crosses some heavy duty criminals, legendary car thief ‘Memphis' Raines (Cage) must reunite his old crew and steal fifty cars in one night, or kiss his sibling's ass goodbye. The original had too many car chases and not enough plot or characterisation; this has too much plot, too many characters and not enough metal- crunching, tyre-squealing action. General release.
A Goofy Movie (U) iii: (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. Glasgow: Odeon At The Quay.
Hercules (U) **** (John Musker & Ron Clements, US, 1997) With the voices of Tate Donovan, James Woods, Danny DeVito. 91 mins. British cartoonist Gerald Scarfe's designs marry his customary grotesquery with Uncle Wall‘s softer characterisations. Hades (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 grumpy satyr (Danny DeVito) as his coach. Classical purists might grumble, but this is one of the studio‘s most dynamic and entertaining features. Glasgow: Odeon. High Fidelity (15) *‘k‘ki' (Stephen Frears, US, 2000) John Cusack, lben Hjejlc, Jack Black. 113 mins. Nick Hornby's story of a vinyl junkie who‘s more interested in his music collection than his relationships with women is practically a British institution. Yet, Cusack — and co-writer/produccr pals D.V. DeVincentis and Steve Pink — have drawn on their own pasts to make a film
18 rususr 17—24 Aug 2000
that's as funny and profound as the book. But the great script, cast and music wouldn‘t have meant a thing without a filmmaker of Frears‘ calibre taking charge. General release.
The Hunchback Of Notre Dame (PG) *‘k‘ki (Gary Trousdale/Kirk Wise, US, 1996) With the voices of Tom Hulce, Demi Moore, Kevin Kline. 90 mins. Young Quasimodo is kept prisoner in medieval Paris‘s great cathedral by the evil Judge Frollo, but when the beautiful gypsy Esmeralda comes on the scene, the boy's heroic instincts save the day. Strong vocal performances, stunning cityscapes, grand songs and an expertly mature handling of adult themes make this an instant classic with plenty to say about moral hypocrisy. Edinburgh: Odeon. Ayr: Odeon.
Joan Of Arc (15) *‘kt (Luc Besson, France, 2000) Milla Jovovich, John Malkovich, Faye Dunaway. 148 mins. The heroine of this would-be international blockbuster is reinvented as the standard bearer of in a valiant endeavour to repel the forces of Anglo-American cultural imperialism. But made with English dialogue, the film has much in common with the gory spectacle of Braveheart. The uneven opening and closing parts — Joan's childhood, and imprisonment and trial — cannot efface the impact of the film's central battle scenes nor the image of the armour- clad Joan in the midst of the carnage. Edinburgh: Lumiere.
M:I-2 (15) Anti (John Woo, US, 2000) Tom Cruise, Thandie Newton, Dougray Scott. 124 mins. Evil ex-super spy Sean Ambrose (Scott) has stolen a lethal chemical weapon, and he wants big bucks not to unleash it. Ethan Hunt (Cruise) is charged with retrieving it and enlists beautiful cat thief — and Ambrose's ex- lover — Nyah Hall (Newton). M.'12 works best and is most faithful to the spirit of the original Mission: Impossible while the operation remains covert, but Woo blows it with a clumsy all-out action finale. General release.
Macbeth (15) **** (Roman Polanski, UK, 1971) Jon Finch, Francesca Annis, Martin Shaw. 140 mins. Blood-soaked version of Shakespeare 's turbulent Scots tragedy which manages to convey the play 's pervasive spirit of evil. The Polc's dark imagination provides scenes of horror encompassed in a brooding vision of fate, mortality and power. Edinburgh: Lumiere. Magnolia (18) **** (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 70s 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. Edinburgh: Lumiere. A Man Is A Woman (L'homrne est une femme comme les autres) (15) it (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 footing of its own. Stirling: MacRobert. Man On The Moon (15) *tttt (Milos Forman, US, 2000) Jim Carrey, Danny DeVito. Courtney Love. 119 mins. Carrey was unfairly snubbed at the Oscars: as comedian Andy Kaufman (Latka in Taxi), Carrey gives a career best performance. That Kaufman was best known in the UK as Latka - and little known for his astonishing, often sadistic practical jokes — works in the film's favour. Forrnan and his screenwriters from Larry Flynt, Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, have crafted a film that plays as many tricks with its audience as Kaufman did with the American public. And that’s the highest honour the film could have paid Kaufman. Stirling: MacRobert.
Me, Myself. I (15) *Hrir (Pip Karmel, Australia, 2000) Rachel Griffiths, David Roberts. 104 mins. Hit with the overwhelming feeling that she left love and happiness behind when she turned down Mr Right at a juncture thirteen years earlier, career woman Pamela Drury (Griffiths) hits crisis point. All's not lost however when she magically collides with the Pamela who did many all those years ago - her alternative self. Despite the film‘s relatively serious undertone about the futility of regret, Me, Myself; I is a great feelgood movie, an upbeat comedy about oneself. See review. Glasgow: Showcase. Paisley: Showcase.
A Midsummer Night's Dream (U) *ivvkvk (Max Reinhardt/William Dieterle, US, 1935) James Cagney, Dick Powell, Jean Muir. 133 mins. Cagney‘s Bottom, Mendelssohn's music, Rooney 's Puck, Hollywood panache. Oh, and even a bit of stuff by a bloke called Shakespeare. Actually, this is one of the most successful American cinema version of the bard, with the magic of the play transforming itself onto the screen with case. Edinburgh: Lumiere.
Mulan (U) **** (Barry Cook, Tony Bancroft, 1998) Voices of: Ming-Na Wen, Donny Osmond, Eddie Murphy. 89 mins. After Disney‘s tastin designed venture into Greek mythology with Hercules, the studio has brought its lens to bear on the rich and
\. :.
TWO European adventurers discover the land of their dreams in The Road To El Dorado
colourful possibilities of Chinese legend. The most striking aspect of this romantic epic is its magnificent animation. Details of character, movement and expression are as fine as should be expected from the world's best known cartoon studio, but the stunning large-scale set pieces are truly astonishing, while the design team stirs in an authentic flavour of China. Kilmamock: Odeon.
My Dog Skip (U) *** (Jay Russell, US, 2000) Kevin Bacon, Diane Lane, Frankie Muniz. 95 mins. My Dog Skip is an unashamedly sentimental coming-of-age story about a nine-year-old boy’s relationship with his pet Jack Russell terrier, set during World War Two in the small Mississippi town of Yazoo. The film casts a nostalgic glow over the past, but it doesn‘t shy away from giving us glimpses of harsher realities, including nods to the era's racism and the traumas of war. But the prevailing mood is appropriately one of gentle sweetness. General release.
One Day In September (15) *t*** (Kevin MacDonald, UK, 2000) Narrator: Michael Douglas. 94 mins. Macdonald's Oscar-winning documentary about the Palestinian organisation Black September's terrorist action at the 1972 Olympic Games plays like a tense political thriller. The tragic story is told through grieving Israeli relatives, a vengeful Mossad agent, feckless Bavarian security officers and the sole living terrorist. lfgaining the full context ofthe Arab/Israeli struggle is your goal, libraries are full of the stuff. If an absorbing retelling of a jet black day where the sport/politics interface fatally clashed, then this should be your starting block. Falkirk: F'I'H Cinema. Kirkcaldy: Adam Smith.
The Patriot (15) *vkaHr (Roland Emmerich, US, 2000) Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger, Jason lsaacs. 160 mins. Swapping his saltire for the stars and stripes, Gibson‘s revolutionary fervour is back on the boil as he trounces King George '5 Redcoats during the American War of Independence. The Patriot is epic, action-packed stuff and
there 's something for everyone: corn and cringeworthy American backslaps, adventure and battle scenes, issues of loyalty and honour, and a strong performance from Gibson forming the bedrock of it all. General release.
The Perfect Storm (12) ink (Wolfgang Petersen, US, 2000) George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. 129 mins. As the director of one of the best maritime movies of all-time, Das Boot, Petersen was an obvious choice to helm this adaptation of Sebastian Junger‘s riveting factual book about a fishing boat caught up in the most ferocious North Atlantic storm ever recorded. However, in trying to be true to the actual events, Bill Wittliff's pedestrian script suffers from chronic structural flaws, leading to a complete lack of suspense. tension and emotional undertow. If ever a film deserved to sleep with the fishes, then this is it. General release.