FILM index
FILM ltlDEX continued
The Colour Of Paradise ( M ii titt (Mayid Maiidi. lrari. :Ml‘ll M liseri Raine/ant. ll~ isein Malii Salaiiieh l‘ey/r. SS mins. 'l'he wilow ed rather it l‘ltttd young .‘yloharririiad picks him tip trorti school tor the summer lyreak, and takes him l‘ack to their l‘edtlllltll llliitlltltillli nus ‘. illage. Btit no sooner are they home and the tatlier w ants to oil-load the hoy‘ onto a l‘llnd carpenter. 'l‘lie lather reckons haying a l‘lllld st in w ill ruin his own chances ot marrying into an upriiarket lslamic tamily. lhe story really is secondary it's as an essay an the sounds and sights ol nature that Maiidi's tilm hits home. See prey iew and re‘. iew, l‘dlltl‘tllglll (IleL‘t i. ( (ilrisg'i iW.
Coyote Ugly ( ll) ** (liay id McNally. l’S..‘llltlli.‘y1ariaBello.l’iperl’eraho..loliri (ioodman. llll miris. l’resumalily the high concept pitcli tor this latest slice ot wish lullilmerit was ‘l'hididd/ir‘r' meets ( "or/trrril'. 'l‘he title reters to a New \3 irk drinking spot. where the drop-dead gorgeous lleriiale) harteriders dance suggestiyely on the liar and pour shots down the custoriiers' throats. lhe latest recruit to this ‘liyely ' eri‘ irorimerit is young Violet ll’eralyo), a girl from New Jersey who dreams ot making it in the Big Apple as a siiiger<sorigwriter. Ignore the claims that this is a tale ot' leniale errirwwermerit: the lilrti is a tease, titillatirig its male y'iewers with its images ot rriidrill- liaring lial‘es in halter tops and tight leather trousers. l‘elore retreating heliirid its l2 certilicate, (ierieral release.
Dinosaur (l’t‘ii stink (tire l.eiglitori. Ralph /.ottd.‘tg. l8. :llllll) Voices till l).li.
Sw eerie-y, Julianna Margulies, Joan l’lowriglit. .S‘Z mins. lltis latest computer animated otteririg trom l)isriey follows the journey otAladar the lguariadori as he tlees across the iiieteor-ray'ished wasteland ol~ prehistoric liarth alone alter lieirig separated trom his lamily'. Initially. the exciteriierit is contagious; the (Til scenes are so realistic it's not that hard to heliey‘e what you are watching could lie real. 'l‘lien tragedy
strikes; the lemurs talk. And talk. Yet as the
Falktrk Town Hall
Fulkirk Council
whys» I’l<i\’ry “it N, La Veuve de Saint-Pierre (15)
i... i‘t} .tJC/‘r'l “My A Muppet Christmas Carol (U)
i
any Elliott )
yIi 't J ‘
A Matter of Life or Death
‘(3l \\‘ i. .v’ <3 "’ ‘. ( t7 ,
Tickets and further information from The Steeple Box office
(Tel: 01324 506850) or on the day from the hall
34 THE LIST 1.: :e: :i:: 7.: :i:'
predictal‘le and. ultimately. hi ring storyline wt Dinosaur untr lds. that '.y inning Disney tormula is guaranteed to keep any dLIiosaur era/y tour-year-old pinned to his oi her seat Wlllt' rut scaring them I ~o much. Selected release.
Disney's The Kid ll’(il tit (Jon ’lurteltauh. liS. It N 'H) Bruce Willis. Spencer Bresliri. 1N mitts. ’l'liis Kid l‘ears great similarity to the liody swap tilms ot the mid slim/31g, lice firm), where characters got the chance to re-eyaltiate their liy es lay seeing the world through their ow n younger eyes. l‘or career driy‘en image consultant Russ l)uritz (Willis) this is an unexpected twist in his otheryy ise caretul planned lite. as he comes lace-to-tace with his podgy. rather gauche eight-year old sell. Rusty (Bresliri). Ultl‘laslilotted eritert.’iiririient that passes the time and raises a smile or two along the way. Selected release.
Dolphins ( l ' ) the producers oi the most successtul lMAX moy ie eyer. [L‘.¢'r<'.\(. take tis undersea into the aquatic home ot dolphins. With narration liy l’ierce Brosrian and music liy Sting. lMAX 'l'lieatre. (ilasgow.
Drole de Felix t 15) in“: (()liy'ier l)ucastel. Jactiues Martineau. l’rarice. leltlt) Sartii Bouajila. Ariane Ascaride. l’ierre-l.otip Rajot. 9" miris. A likeahle gay —tliemed road moy ie about a guy, l-elix (Sami Bouajila). tray elliiig trom Normandy to Marseille in search ot' his tatlier. 1)fr)/t' De l'k'lLt‘ is in essence a rite ol passage. l)utilully' structuring the tilm around lite lessons learned through encounters on the road. the directors' episodic story proy'ides l’elix with a kind ot family in drihs and drahs. Btit tliotigli the lilm‘s tone is generally cosy. it also incorporates the risque and the political. (il’l', (ilasgoyy'.
East-West (Est-Quest) (12) *** (Regis Wargnier. l5rarice. lettll) Sandrine Borinaire. ()leg .‘ylenchikoy‘, Sergetii Bodroy‘ Jr. 12] miris. At'ter hliridly' accepting Stalin‘s propagatida campaign, ottering Russian emigrants liy'ing in the West amnesty arid the chance to participate in the country's post war reconstruction. Alexei (‘ioloy'irie (Merichikoy') realises that Kiey' is no place lor his young lirench yy il’e (Boririaire) and son. A series ol tragic ey ents begin to tinturl as they liotli take Russian loy‘ers, yyliile around them the ogre-like communists
w eay e plots. l.ush riielodramatic stull. that tends to use a mallet where it should use a leather duster. lt's constantly w'atclialyle, how ey'er, and in parts genuinely moy'irig. See rey iew'. l’iiriihouse, lidinhurgh.
Emma (L) mu (Douglas Me(iratli. t'ls'. t'S. 1‘)‘)ti)(iwy'neth l’altrow'. Jeremy Northam. ‘l‘orii Collette. 11 l riiirts. Austeri- itis continues as limma Woodhouse (l’altrow) meddles in other people's loy’e liy'es while ignoring the tact that her own happiness is right under her nose in the shape of handsome Mr Kriiglitley (Northaiii). An attractiy'e and luscious- looking piece. but a lot has heen sacrificed for reasons of length. leay'ing tans ot the hook w isliirig tor those six-part 'l'\' adaptations. ()deori, l)uriterriilirie.
The Escort (Mauvaise Passe) ( is) *irt (Michel Blane. liranee l'ls'. loot!) l)ariiel Auteuil, Stuart low risend. Noah 'l’ay'lor. too mins. Auteuil's l'orty’ tiy e-y ear—old l’arisiari literature protessor goes looking for an alternatiy e lifestyle. and can't get enough ot the hedonism l.oridon otters in this seedy thriller. learning up with ’l'om ('l‘ownsend), Auteuil's l’ierre spends his days working in a Soho cate. his nights prodding upmarket erumpet tor cash. and dreams ot writing the great noy el that yy ill come otit ot' his new tound experiences. ’l‘here‘s plenty here that stretches plausihility. and halt the scenes otter stock decline and tall narratiy'e dey'iees tlial play like diluted delits to (food/Villas and Boogie .Vrg/iry. Showcase. (ilasgow'. The Exorcist — Director's Cut ( is) *1Hr (William l’riedkin. l'S. 1973 Zoom Max yon Sydow, lillen Burstyn. l.irida Blair. 13: mins. Writer William l’eter Blatty' always griped that in excising twenty minutes trorn 'l'lie lftorcryr. l’riedkin remoy ed its moral centre and til‘seUTL‘d its theological message. lo Blatty“s horror. some people thought the l)ey'il won. ’l'w'enty' sey'en years later. l‘riedkrn has reinstated eley en minutes oli tootage. and the re-editing job is done so loy ingly that tans are unlikely to teel
You may not see a better film all year, so start 2001 off with a bang and go see Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, previewing at the Cameo Cinema, Monday 1
cynically exploited. l-,y‘eri so. l‘riedkin's cuts hay e mostly lieen y indicated liy‘ this riewrelease - it now teels too long, while the inlarrioUs ‘spider yyalk' scene merely adds a cheap and redundant shock. ()deort At 'l‘lie ()uay', (ilasgoyy.
Extreme Screen: The Living Sea/Everest (l') *‘k‘k Jll mins each. Although the
lw erks experience impresses on a technical ley'el. neither ot' tliese tilms transcend entertainment as lumheririg lairgrourid attraction. Interest is a dry —as-.sarid account of a recent expedition tip the lug yin. l‘ilmed in the style ot a Sunday alterriooii doctidrariia. it also has the dtiliiotis honour ot' rendering a remarkalile adyenture mundane. A much hetter l‘et is the Vlstllllly wondrous 'l'lrt' laying Star. an ‘edtitairiirig look at mankind's relationship with the sea (with y'oice-oy er trom Meryl Streep). l'tit‘ Cinemas. lidirihurgh.
The Family Man (12) iii: (Brett Rainer. t'S. Juno) Nicolas Cage. 'l‘ea l.eorii. l)ori (‘headle 12o ruins. [it Ratner's inside-out updating oi It's A Blinder/til Life, Cage is a hot-shot Wall Street broker who one (‘hristmas he suddenly tirids himselt inhabiting the lite he would hay e led had he not aliandoned his college sweetheart Kate (l.eorii) thirteen years earlier to pursue his career. No longer a strutting Master ()t'llie l'riiyerse in a SZJHJH suit. he's now a poor sap w ho wears haggy' sweat pants and sells tires tor a living, and naturally he's (initially) horritied hy this trarisl'orriiatiori. (‘age's exquisitely modulated pertorriiarice say'es the film t'rom liecomirig scliriialt/ is; he finally exudes a ruetul. good-natured sweetness that makes him Stew art's worthy heir. See rey'iew. (ieneral release.
Fantasia 2000 (t!) tit (Various. t's, :llllll) Voices of Stey‘e Martin. Bette Midler, Quincy Jones. 75 mins. When Walt Disney first came tip with the idea of turning classical music pops into an animated pot pourri, he originally eny‘isioned that I’tilrrtrsrti would continue to he renewed hy' additional material. Sixty years on. his dream has at last came to truitiori with this new collection ol musical highlights. 'l he star ol the show is the one segment retained trom the original. the l)ukas “Sorcerer's Apprentice" set-piece with Mickey Mouse in a pointy wi/ard's hat and lots ot huckets ot yyater. Being screened with the perennial Christmas animated classic, The Elton/nan. Lumiere. lidinhurgli.
The French Connection ( 1s) ***** (Williarii l’riedkiri. 1S. 1971 ) (ierie llackman, l5erriado Ray. Roy Scheider. llJJ mins. Superh and gritty urhari crime drama rey‘oly ing around the ohsessiy'e attempts ot' a New York y ice stiuad cop (llackriian's ‘l’opeye' Doyle) and his partner to hust a lirerich drug liarron y'isitirig the Big Apple tor the liig husiriess deal. l'eatutes the iiey er- hettered car chase with an eleyated train. which l-‘riedkiri tamously completed in one unrehearsed take. (irosy'enor. (ilasgow.
The Golden Bowl ( ll) *** (James lyory. l'ls'. l'S. Elmo) Nick Nolte. Kate Beckirisale. L'ma 'l'hurriian, Jeremy Northam. miris. 'llie .‘ylerchant—lyory team's polished adaptation ot lleriry' James's 'Hrt' (iii/den Boys i’ pits innocence (Notle's widowed American hillroriaire and his daughter. Beckinsale) against experience 1 Northarri's impoyerished
January
ltaliariatrstotrail’zzzitt.\::::::>.'n::1dlirs illicit loyer. \lai'..'.tt 's worldly lltttllttdltl. Ruth l’t.i'.‘- er liialiyaia's scrip' smooths otil tlic lt'.t\lll1'. lllt’tlllx'tl‘lt‘ ariil‘iguity ol James's writing. l iiougli
remains. lioweycr. of tin liook
elegan' c‘oiiyolutioris ot lyetrayal .tl‘ii yl'lllil. lL.ll and suspicion to make this .i cut .ilioye .. ayerage trock tlick. New l"crtire llwrrs .‘s‘. Andrews
Great Expectations l’t i) 1k 1k It i i (l).iyid l eari.l ls. l‘l-ltti Joltii .'y.iils. Bernan Miles. l'lttl.i'. (urtie il‘i ltt‘il. l.eari‘s adaptation ol tire llickeris ltr i. remains cincma's d"l‘iltl'.l'y e y e! sli‘tl t". it alter halt a century. Ari oipliari mitts. escaped coiiy ict and is introduced rzito a mu world ot adyerituzes and tiiiely i‘l‘sctyt'd characters. l’liotography and dc'sli'lt at its hest. l Ult‘icle. l .liriliuieh.
The Grinch (l’ti) iii (Ron llo‘.y.ird.l S, 21M!) Jim ('arrey‘. lay lor .‘yloiiisen, .lctliey 'l'ariilior. lli5 riiins, Surprisingly. liter/lint Jr is the litst liye action leattire to lie adapted l'toltt the Work til the Worlds l‘est sellilii' children's author. llr Seuss. Arid l'eltt'allt sl'-. riiagiciari Rick Baker's green costume ('arrey the worlth- liigriest paid comedian w wrecks glorious hayoc on his clri‘. in): sweet rieigliliours. tlie Wlioy iaiis or W lio
‘. ille. lloward lays the lit mk's moral ('hristmas is alyout laiiirly riot preserit~ and the sickly syyect scritiiircrit on pretty tliitk. loy‘ Holt 3 got the cross generational .‘iHieal right; golly gosh lloyyard's (iii/ii /: liastit ('arrey 's great though. i ieiieral release Hamlet ( l:l *** (Michael ."\lttie'lr':. .lii. l'S. thlllti litliari llawke, Bill Murray, i4; lc Macl.aclil.’in. Sam Shepard. Julia Stiles. l)iarie \t‘ttiiILt. 111 mins. American indie director Alriiereyda rliiusts Shakespeare's hest-krioyyrt play into the modern world. a New York ol penthouse .‘ipaitnients and stretch limousines, ol cut—throat lug- lyusiness arid claustri vplii il‘llt iiidat lll'.‘ technology. Denmark is now a iiiiilti national corporation. Macl aclilaii's (‘laudius its new president ll.l‘-1ll1: succeeded the lL'c't'tlll‘y decor «d t ll) arid
the dead man's soii, lla‘.ykc's mm d.
llaziilet. a lielte‘lrtlli ill-X slacker. Alriicrt yoa tirids rioycl. otI-kiltcr irixtap sir“ rr.s nit words and images that detariiil; :rrse line- it: Not
eyerytliirig works (the actors l‘..i‘- e '. .itlril‘l';
W e“. e heard tl(‘/L'll\ til little s lieu
success ith the yersei. l‘tll w hen the ideas come “It. W C Set tlte play Lillcslt, 5e”; l'rontliries and re'. iew, (ll-'l. tilasw Himalaya il’(i) tit ll'llc' \alli. l rant e Syyit/erlarid l’ls', Nepal. jolt“) lliilt l,lioriduo, ( iurgon lsyap, lliapka lsariiclii re. ll|~l mrris. lit the lilL'Jl tl‘ii irritairur I the Himalayas. a y illatte prepare-st r'.:ie .iririiial yak cara'.ari t Imirket. llr er. the young chiettairi has l‘e‘t'll killed an l tliei rd e an liead. retuses to rec 'tlllls’c’ t 1- c Karma as his stic'cc‘ssr r A worthy irisi.'l into the liyes it a liirdy people. the landscape is lireatlitakirigly slit r. and the attention to local detail teeis authentic, 'l he plot has less goirigtwr tl.l‘clf1g.1llicr:tlri tairly hackneyed story it an throne hay iris to pri is ‘.'.~rt.;y
crow n. l'ilriihi Itlsc. 'tillllelg'll.
Continued over par 9