Film index

{ Film Index continued

Chuck And Buck ( IS) .000 (Miguel Arteta. l'S. Zoom ('hris Weitx. Mike. 95 mins. ('huck (Weit/i and Buck (White. also scriptw riter) tised to suck and fuck each other. when they were kids. .As the years pass they drift apart. (‘huck niov es to his Angelcs and becomes a successful music industry executive w liile Brick stays at home with his mother. living in a state of perpetual childhood at 27 years-of-age. But the death of Bucks inom brings the boys back together. much to Buck's delight and ('huck's chagrin. You'll find ('liia'lt Am/ [fiat either irritating or endearing. but it's an American indie mov ic that makes a truth of those iiiticli overused adjectives: quirky. offbeat and oddball. liasl Kilht’ide Arts ('entre. liast Kilbride; MacRobert. Stirling. Chutney Popcorn ( Is) 0.. (.‘s'isha (iaiiatra. l‘S. I‘NU) Madhur Jaffrey. Nisha (ianatra. 93 mins. liast meets West in this tale of two Asiari-American sisters with an overbearing mother who is determincd to iiiarry' them off. The girls have other problems. one wrestling w itli her latent lesbianism. the other infertile. Jaffrey makes a personal appearance at the (il’l~ to talk about the film. (il'vl‘. (ilasgovv'. Cinefeel/Project Dark ( )5) (Various. t'K. 2000) St) mins. ('inefeel. the initiative established in 1995 to promote music and filmmakers working within digital culture. presents a selection of ltitisie-dt'iv'en short films. featuring l-‘oundSound. (‘argo and Ninja Tune vs Burning Man. Part of l‘unct. (il'vl‘. (ilasgovv.

Close Encounters Of The Third Kind: Special Edition (P( i) 0.... (Steven Spielberg. l'S. l‘)77) Richard Dreyftiss. l‘rancois 'l‘ruffaut. Teri (iarr. l3: mins. There may be additional effects and an extended ending inside the alien spacecraft. but the Special lidition isn't overlong. mainly because Spielberg tightened the central section detailing Dreyfuss‘ growing obsession with Devil's Tower. A magnificent movie. the master at his best. (irosvenor. (ilasgow.

Coyote Ugly ( t2) .0 (David McNally. l'S. 2000) Maria Bello. Piper l’erabo. John (ioodinan. f()l mins. Presumably the high concept pitch for this latest slice of wiin fulfilment was .l'ftlfillt/(UHY' meets (infirm-lb The title refers to a New York drinking spot. where the drop-dead gorgeous (female) bartenders dance suggestively on the bar and pour shots down the customers‘ throats. The latest recruit to this ‘lively' environment is young Violet (Perabo). a girl from New Jersey who dreams of making it in the Big .Apple as a singer-songwriter. Ignore the claims that this is a tale of female empowerment: the film is a tease. titillating its male viewers with its images of midriff-baring babes in halter tops and tight leather trousers. before retreating behind its l3 certificate. llighlatid 'l'heatre. ()ban.

0 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ( l2) .0... (Ang Lee. (‘hina/l'S. 2000) Michelle Yeoh. ('how- Yun- l5tit. [hang Xiyi. (‘hang (‘hen. l2t) mins. Jane Atisten meets Bruce Lee in Aiig 'Sense And Swi.vilnlir_v" Lee‘s astonishing martial arts period drama. In a fictionalised version of early l‘lth century (him. a world of heroic warriors and deep philosophical val- ues. l.ee seamlessly interweaves the stories of two sets of lovers. and a revenge tale with a feminist twist. The fight scenes are groundbreaking. as choreographed by expert Yuen Wo Ping. At once breathtaking and beautiful. (‘nna‘liingIiger's also a cinematic landmark: its fusion of the best elements from liast and West cinema has created something wholly new. (ieneral release. Cutting It Short (PG) .00 (Jiri Men/cl. Czechoslovakia. 1980) Jiri Schinit/er. Madga V'asryov. 93 mins. Nostalgic comedy set in a small provincial town in the former (‘zech Republic just prior to World War One. The larks concern the manager of the local brewery who doesn't have much luck controlling his w ife‘s high

.s )irits. The Lumiere. lidinburgh. 6 Dark Days ( t5) 0000 (Marc Singer. l'S. 2()()| ) 82 mins. l-‘ilmed over two

30 THE LIST 1—15 Mar 2001

years in the laby rinthine underground tun- nels of New York (‘ity. using a crew com- prised entirely of homeless people strug- gling to survive there. young British direc- tor Singer's debut marks a new standard of excellence and integrity in documentary filiiiriiakiiig. Wise-ass humour is juxtaposed with tragic anecdotes in this deeply human poratrait of subterranean people; it gives dignity to a section of society prev rously denied it. l‘iiially. DJ Shadow 's soundtrack is superb. See preview and rev iew. (‘ameo. lidinburgh.

The Deer Hunter( Its) .00.. (Michael ('imiiio. l'S. l‘)7S) Robert De Niro. Meryl Streep. Jon Savage. Jon (‘a/ale. Int) mins. The Vietnam war has the effect of disrupting the lt\cs of a stttall steel tow n. as various friends go off to face the horrors of war and return with emotional scars. A daring triptych structure. the first part of which display s a rare sympathy for the traditions and rituals of the emigrant community. marks this otit as a (‘imino movie. as he explores his favourite theme of American idealism being stretched almost to breaking point. Superb performances all round. (irosvenor‘. (ilasgovv.

Digital Monsters: Digimon The Movie (P( i) .0. (Takaaki Yaiiiashita. Ilishashi Nakatatiia. Masashiro Ai/avv a. Japan/l'S. 2()()| ) SS mins. Digimons are not relatives of l’okeinons btit do share some traits. being odd-looking atid fighting when requested by pre-teen masters. lissentially Die/mun offers a beginners guide in three parts. It explains how the little monsters came about (they're from the digital world). describes a world- or w eb-threatening adventure aitd finishes with the personal story of one boy and his Digimon gone rogue. All in glorious Japanese animation with loud rock music and a battle every fifteen minutes. Adult brains are kept alive with asides like. ‘Maybe we should call Bill (iates'. and email account-holding. mobile phone-wielding under 10's w ill be in their element. (ieiieral release.

Dinosaur ( P( i) .00 (liric Leighton. Ralph Zondag. lb. 20”“) Voices of: l).l3. Sweeney. Julianna Margulies. Joan l’lowright. 82 mins. This latest computer animated offering frqu Disney follows the

journey of Aladar the Iguanadon as he flees

across the meteor-ravished wasteland of prehistoric liarth alone after being separated from his family. Initially. the excitement is contagious; the (’(il scenes are so realistic it's not that hard to believe what you are watching could be real. Then tragedy strikes; the lemurs talk. And talk. Yet as the predictable and. ultimately. boring storyline of “Humour unfolds. that winning Disney formula is guaranteed to keep any dinosaur cra/y four-year-old pinned to his or her seat without scaring them too much. ()deon. Duiiferiiiline.

Dude, Where’s My Car ( IS) 0

(Danny l.einer. (S. 200] ) Ashton Kutcher. Sean William Scott. Kristy Swanson. 82 mins. Dru/e. ll'liere's .llv ('ar is being promoted as this year's Road Trip. btit if Rural Trip was the l‘errari of gross out American college comedies. Dru/e would be the Skoda. Jesse and Chester. who make Bill and Ted seem smart. wake tip after a raucous night on the town unable to remember a thing. Said dudes find themselves in riiajor league trouble when they realise that their car. containing anniversary gifts for their girlfriends. has gone missing. A new nadir in filmmaking is reached in a sequence where the dtides burst into song. mimicking a Vanilla Ice music video. (ieueral release. Dungeons And Dragons ( 12)

O. ((‘ourtney Solomon. IS. 2001 ) Thora Bircfi. Jeremy Irons. Marlon Way-ans, 108 mins. Based on the cult role-play ing game itself inspired by everything from 'l‘olkein's 1.1m] ()f'l'lit' Rings to Robert li. Howard's ('onan The Barbarian this sfx fantasy blockbuster has arrived twenty years too late (‘D&D' peaked in popularity during the 80s). Director and garner Solomon. remains reasonably faithful to the spirit of the game with a story involving five young adventurers attempting to secure the powerful Rod of Savrille (which controls dragons) on behalf of [impress Sav ina

This man is about to go through a world of pain you will not believe in Miike

Takashi’s Japanese shocker Audition, previewing at Stirling macRobert

(Birch). w ho is about to be deposed by ev il w i/ard Prolion (lronsl. How ever. \\ hat made the game so compelling its iiiiprov ised nature which raised it above its cliched fantasy oeuvre is lost on film. (ieneral release.

East Is Eastt l5) 00m (Damien O'Donnell. l'ls'. I‘M”) ()ni Puri. l.inda Bassett. Jordan Routledge. ‘lb tiiitis. Based on Ay rib Khaii-Diii‘s play. [Lily] Iv Iiavr draws its perfectly balanced mix of belly laughs and tears from the conflict within a multi-racial family living in Salford in the 70s. Head of the Khan household. (icorge attempts to force his sons into arranged marriages in a belated effort to preserve tradition. btit. born iii lingland. the sons are having none of it. l‘iliiihouse. lidinburgh. The Emperor And The Assassin (l3) 0.. ((‘hen Kaige. ('hina. 2t)()()) (iong l.i. [hang l"engyi. l.i Xuejian. fol mins. After their collaboration on the gangster melodrama 'lt'In/nresv .llnun. Kaige and Li. both superstars of contemporary ('hinese cinema. reunite for this aiiibitiotis. epic period drama about ('hina‘s first emperor. reputedly the most expensive Asian film ever made. The film is packed with stunning images and interesting ideas. btit aiming at both epic spectacle and psychological complexity. (‘hen liiis the former more surely than the latter. l'(i(’ Cinemas. (ilasgow.

The Emperor’s New Groove (t'i 0.. (Mark Dindal. l'S. Zillil ) Dav id Spade. John (ioodtnan. liartha Kill. 78 mins. limperor Kti/co is monarch of an unspecified South American land who is turned itito a llama by his scheming assistant Y/ma (voiced most appropriately by Kitt) during a botched assassination attempt. The llama emperor goes on the run and is befriended by good-w illed herder Paclia ((ioodnian). who helps return his four- legged ruler to his throne. There are the occasional clever postmodern touches Kit/co stopping the film reel to talk to the audience but mostly this is prime old- school Disney stuff. it lacks the animated landscape innovations of 'Iarran. nor does it enjoy the character development of Alta/in. which is why. ultimately. its missing edge. (ieneral release.

The End Of The Affair( l8) 0... (Neil Jordan. l'K/l'S. 2()()()) Ralph l‘iennes. Julianne Moore. Stephen Rea. l()l mins. This is a diary of hate.‘ explains narrator Bendrix (l‘iennes). as he attempts to piece together the memories of his war-time affair with Sarah (Moore). the wife of high- ranking civil servant llenry (Rea). Jordan captures the rancorous tone and bitter intensity of (iraham (irahame (ireene's source novel in this potent adaptation. the impact of which is compounded by a trio of commanding performances. lidinburgh l'ilm (iuild at The liilmhouse.

Erin Brockovich ( IS) 0000 (Steven Soderbergh. [S 2000) Julia Roberts. Albert l-‘inney'. Aaron lickhart. IR} mins. l'nemployed single mother lirin (Roberts) shoehorns her way into a filing clerk position with l‘inney‘s (‘alifornia law firm. There she accidentally uncovers a conspiracy to conceal the poisoning of the local community. which leads to the largest direct action lawsuit in American history. This might sound like a cliched John

(irisham thriller. but it's based on a true story arid Soderbergh's direction and Roberts‘ performance are faultless

together they prove that mainstream American cinema can be something truly great. (‘ameo. l1diiiburgh.

Extreme Screen: The Living Sea and Luanda... (l'S. zoom-to units each. Although the lwcrks experience impresses on a technical level. neither of these films transcend entertainment as lumbering fairgrouiid attraction. Izi'i'n‘vt is a dry -as<sand account of a recent expedition tip the big _\lll. l'lltltcd in the sly |c of a Sunday afternoon docudraiiia. it also has the dubious honour of rendering a remarkable adventure iiitiiidatie. A much better bet is the visually wondrous I‘lit' I.ll'lIlL' Sea. an ‘edutaining' look at mankind‘s relationship witli the sea (with voicc»ovei' from Meryl Streep). l'(i(' (‘iiiciiias. lidinburgh. Finding Forrester( ll) 0. Van Saiit. l'S. Zilltl ) Sean ('oniiery. RobBrown. 13o mins. A troubled young genius finds a mentor in an older man w itli demons of his own. Sound familiar'.’ Well. Van Sant's new movie is a blatant copy of his first mainstream success. (haul “in Hunting. This time around. however. rather than a maths prodigy and his shrink. the pricklypair are a teenager from the Bronx and a reclusive Salinger—like writer. The ja/I score is excellent. ('oniiery‘ breathes life Into a character constructed almost entirely from cliches and Brown gives a naturalistic and “llSSll'W Performance. btit the film's mix of indie pacing and camera work w itli llollywood gloss and sentimentality never really gels. (ieiiei'al release.

Forrest Gump ( 12) 00. (Robert /.emeckis. 1S. 1904) Tom Hanks. Robiii Wright. Gary Sinise. f4? mins. liven those with the lowest l()s can rise to the top in the land of the free. as this picaresqtic tale sets out to prove. But despite its incurany sweet hero and its fairly standard love story core. 1mm; (nun/I has a surprisingly dark-tinted view on recent American history complete with racism. drug and child abuse. war and political assassination. There are some bitter tasting choices hidden among the soft centres. Pavilion. (ialashiels.

The 400 Blows (Les quatre cents coups) (P( i ) 0.”. tl-‘raneois 'l'ruffaut. France. WSU) Jean-Pierre l.eaud. Albert Remy. ('laire Maurier. llll mins. Still ama/ingly fresh after all these years. 'l'ruffaut's debut about a thirteen-year-old Parisian boy 's odyssey through his depressing family life is intensely moving and startineg perceptive about childhood. Time has rev called this to be a masterpiece. l‘ilmhouse. lidinburgh.

Full Metal Jacket( is) 0000

(Stanley Kubrick. l'K. WW) Matthew Modine. Dorian llarewood. l.ee lirmey. 10‘) mins. ’l‘echnically effective and narratively balanced depiction of raw Vietnam recruits as they endure basic training and the even greater horrors of the 1068 Tel offensive. ()ne of the better Vietnam movies of recent years. ('ameo. lidinburgh.

The Gift ( IS) 0.. (Sam Raimi. l'S. 20m ) ('ate Blanchett. Keanu Reeves. Katie Holmes. Ill mins. lt's murder in the smalltown Brixton. (ieorgia when the sassy daughter of the wealthy King family. Jessica (Holmes). goes missing. Wife-beating

f(itls