Film index
Silent Invasion ( I8) (tiric I.a\()te. Canada. 2000) 50 mins. Homage to Z-grade horror films featuring Mexican wrestling superheroes. killer robots and space (ioths. Nice trash. Part of Dead By Dawn. The Lumiere. Iidinburgh.
Sonatine ( IS) 0... ('Iakeshi Kitano. Japan. I‘J‘B) 'Beat' 'I‘akcshi. Ay a Kokumai. Tctsii Watanabe. ()3 mins. A hitmari is sent to ()kiriavv a. ostensiny to sort out a gang war. but he soon realises he's being set up for a hit. More innovative that) 'larantino. more controlled than Woo. Takeshi rewrites the book on policrcr rev'isioriisrri with this challenging. flirtatious. highly individual movie. Cameo. Iidinbur'gh.
South Side Story (Sud side stori) (IS) (2000. Italy. 2000) 90 mins. Wildly outrageotIs and wacky lilm drawing inspiration from Romeo Am] .lulr'et. and perhaps West Side Story. too. Part ()f the Italian I‘ilm I-‘estival. Sec preview. (il’l‘. (ilasgovv; Iiilriihouse. Iidinburgh.
Space Cowboys (I’(I) 00 (Clint liastwood. CS. 2000) Clint liastwood. James (iarner. Tommy Lee Jones. Donald Sutherland. l30 mins. The first Iialf of Space ('orv'lmvs cotild be called l-our (irrmr/rv Old Men. as we're introduced gradually to each ageing member of Team Daedalus. an aborted space project in the 50s. Then halfway through the film Iiastwood flicks a switch and it becomes Apollo 13. except full of old folks. And a million times more daft. The first part works better. Let‘s face it. this acting combo has got a few miles on the clock. btrt not even this cast can salvage much respect from this lame duck ()f a filrii. Iiilmhouse. Iidinburgh.
Star Trek: First Contact ( I2) 0000 (Jonathan lirakes. l'S. l‘)‘)()) Patrick Stewart. Jonathan l-‘rakes. Brent Spiner. I I l mins. The eighth and most impressive instalment in the series gives the Next (reiteration crew a chance to be fully centrestage. A brooding Captain Picard (Stewart) leads the Iiglit against the half-flesh. half-machine Borg. who are intent on attacking Iiarth and changing history. (ienuinely scary in parts. with line performances throughout. Idliiihousc‘. Iidinburgh.
Stygian ( l8) (Shannon Young. Aiistralia. I990) 72 mins. I'Itra low budget Atissie horror which aims to prove budget is no match for creative drive. Part of Dead By Dawn. The Lumiere. Iidinburgh.
The Sweet Hereafter ( IS) 0.0” (Atom Iigoyan. Canada. 1997) Ian llolm. Bruce (ireenwood. Sarah Polley. I 10 mins. When a small community is torn apart by a school bus accident that claims the lives of most of their children. an ambiguous lawyer with family troubles of his own comes to represent them in a compensation case. The film unfolds in a patchwork of flashbacks and set-pieces. but it's Holm's beautifully judged performance that's the bedrock of the film. As a study of helpless grief. it's rarely been hettered. . (iuest appearance by soundtrack composer My'chael Danna. See City Life. (il’l'. (ilasgow.
The Terminator ( IX) .0000 (James Cameron. LS. 1934) Arnold Schwarzenegger. Michael Biehn. Linda Ilarnilton. I07 mins. In 202‘) machines have all but conquered the planet but a saviour is at hand in the form of a new human leader. The machines respond by sending Schwar/enegger's cyborg back in time to Whit on a mission to kill the future leader‘s mother. Inventive. excitingly-paced science- fiction adventure with a notable performance from Arnie in his first villainous role. I-‘iliiihouse. Iidinburgh.
Thirteen Days ( 12) 00.. (Roger Donaldson. I'S. 200l ) Kev in Costner. Bruce Cireenwood. Steven Culp. 145 mins. America and Russia went head to head over the Cuban Missile Crisis when the Soviets placed nuclear weapons on Castro‘s island. Thirteen Days dramatises the pressures for all-out war exerted by the CS military on President John I’ Kennedy. his brother Robert and his team of advisors. led by special aide Kenny O'Donnell (Costner). For Costner. the film is a welcome return to form. to movies of the stature of JFK and The Untouchables. There‘s a little bit of polish being applied to the Kennedy myth. but that doesn't diminish
36 THE LIST 15-29 Mar 2001
the film's dramatic pow er. Rarely is Ilollywood as intelligent and as gripping in a single sitting. (ieneral release.
Three Kings ( IS) 000” (David O. Riissell. CS. 2000) (icorge Clooney. .Mark Wahlberg. Ice Cube. I [4 mins. At the butt end of the (iulf War. four I'S soldiers who have seen no action whatsoever and don't even understand what the war is about. follow a treasure map to where Saddam Ilussein has hidden stolen Kuwati gold. A masterpiece of inhumanity. Russell’s w my script and super sharp direction captures the futility of the situation. This film begs some of the most pertinent political questions ever asked in an American movie 7 it's ama/ing it got passed congress. Cameo. Iidinburgh. Thrill Ride (I’(i) (Ben Stassen. LS. 200]) mins. A mix ()f computer graphics and live action. providing a scientific. btit fun look at the history of rides. from their early origins in l7tlt century Rtissia to today ‘s ride simulators. IMAX Theatre. (ilasgow. Tora-san, My Uncle ( IS) .00 (you Yamada. Japan. I990) mins. Having starred in upwards of 50 films in Japan. the eponymotis 'I‘ora-san here attempts to play Cupid and save his nephew from a broken heart. (iilmorehill(i I 2. (ilasgow.
Traffic ( IX) 0... (Steven Soderbergh. IFS. 2000) Benicio Del Toro. Michael Douglas. Catherine Zeta-Jones. 147 mins. This ambitious. iiiulti-layered epic drama exposes the confusion. hypocrisy and sheer futility of America's war on drugs. Three interwoven sioryliries -- involving decent cop Del Toro. conservative ()liio judge Douglas. the country's newly appointed new drug war. and well-heeled society wife Zeta~Jones - show how the drug trade touches and corrupts every level (if society on both sides of the I'S-Mexico border. I’sing different film stocks and techniques. Soderbergh provides each (if these storylines with a distinct look while linking them with persistent use ()f hand-held cameras. which gives the film an air (if documentary authenticity and gripping immediacy. Intelligent and provocative. Truffle avoids sermonising. but in scene after scene. the message gets through. (ieneral release. “twentieth Century ( PG) 0000 (Ilovvard Hawks. l'S. ION) John Barrymore. Carole Lombard. Iitienne (iiradot. 9] mins. 'I’emperamental Broadway producer Barrymore coaches untutored actress Lombard. who very soon proves a match for him. Memorable early burlesque comedy with a bree/y second half set on the New York-Chicago train of the title. Iidinburgh I‘ilm (itllld at Filiiihouse. Iidinburgh. Unbreakable ( 12) 0000 (M. Night Shyamalan. CS. 2000) Bruce Willis. Samuel L. Jackson. Robin Wright Penn. 106 mins. David Dunn (Willis) crawls from the
wreckage of a train crash. the sole survivor of
the l I8 passengers. Dunn's miraculous escape is the catalyst for three events: him and his estranged wife Audrey (Penn) re- think their impending split'. eccentric art collector and sufferer ()f a debilitating brittle bone condition Iilijah Price (Jackson) pesters Dunn about his medical history; and Dunn's son Joseph (Spencer Treat Clark) takes hero worship a little too far. Once again Shyariialan (The Sixth Sense) takes a preposterous story full of crazy revelations and grounds it with low key plotting and a spare style. making a Hollywood blockbuster in the style of an art hoUse film. Cameo. Edinburgh.
0 Uneasy Riders (Nationale 7) ( IS) 0... (Jean-Pierre Sinapi. France. 2001) ()livier Gourmet. Nadia Kaci. Said 'I‘aghmaoui. 95 mins. Based on a true story. this wry comedy set in a home near Toulon for the physically and mentally handicapped cheerfully dismantles taboos around the sex- uality of disabled people. The cantankeroUs Rene (Gourmet) is a former union activist. now confined to a wheelchair with a wasting disease. who‘s determined to get laid before his condition deteriorates even further. Julie (Nadia Kaci) is the inexperienced new nurse. who decides to find a prostitute prepared to satisfy Rene's sexual needs. A real crowd- pleaser. See preview and review. Filmhouse. Edinburgh.
Ursula Ferraro Shorts (IS) (t'rsula
V . g ~ Cuba Gooding Jr plays the first black man to dive to the bottom of the sea and rise to the rank of Master Chief in the US Navy in the overly-earnest Men Of Honour
I‘errara. Italy. 1088) ()0 mins. Short filii) showcasing the talent of aw ard-w mning director lierrara. Part of the Italian liilm I'lcstival. See preview. (il’l‘. (ilasgow‘. I‘ilmhouse. lidinburgh.
Vampyres I IS) (Jose Ramon I.arra/. I'K. l‘l7-1)‘)2 mins. Two stunning women spend their time seducing men and luring them to their remote castle where they stick their blood. Mrrirn. Part of Dead By Dawn. The Lumiere. Iidinburgh.
War Of The Worlds (PG) 0... (Byron Ilaskin. IS. 1053) (ieric Barry. Arm Robinson. Les 'l'remayne. SS mins. H.(i. Wells's classic is hijacked by the Americans and transported to California in the l‘)5()s. thereby giving it that distinctive post-atomic sci-Ii feel. The ()scars (still pretty impressive) won ()scars in their day. and it is stirring to see these vast cityscapes under attack from Martian spaceships. l-‘ilmhouse. Iidmburgh.
Watch The Sky (Guarda ll Cielo) ( IS) (Piergiorgio (iay. Italy. 2000) 97 mins. A look at similar problems faced by three different women in three different times. the ~10s. 70s and 90s. Part of the Italian I‘ilm Festival. See preview. (il’l'. (llasgow; I-‘ilmhouse. Iidinburgh.
Watch With Mother (t') (Various. I'Is'. 1970) mins. Cartoon and animation classic from 70s British television. Y'knovv. The Chi/leery. Bug/nos and stuff. I-‘ilnihouse. Iidinburgh.
The Watcher ( IS) 0. (Joe Charbanic. I'S. 200l ) Keanu Reeves. James Spadcr. Marisa Tomei. 97 mins. Reeves play s a serial killer in this derivative movie as a favour to Charbanic. who made several pop promos for his rock band. Dog Star. but phones in his performance. long-distance. By contrast. Spader and Tomei. as a haunted ex- cop and his lonely shrink. add a human dimension to the hackney ed scenario. \‘eteran cinematographer Michael Chapman ('Iirii' I)t't\‘(’l'. The l‘ill‘g’fffl't'l adds undeserved class to the city scapes and over-designed interiors. but Charbanic's penchant for M'I‘Y-style flashbacks and shaky-cam kilIer‘s-point-of- view shots. merely induces headaches. Selected release.
The Wedding Planner ( I’(i) 00
(Adam Shankman. LS. 200! ) Jennifer Lopel. Matthew McConaughey. Bridgette Wilson. I03 mins. Romantic comedies are filled with beautiful people who can't get dates. I.ope/. hot from dumping Puff Daddy and scorching the transatlantic pop charts. is the latest absurdly attractive babe having trouble in the romance department. She plays Italian-American Mary I-‘iore who plans other people‘s weddings. When a handsome doctor (McConaughey) saves her from certain death. her troubles seem to be over. except for the fact that McConaughey is engaged to be married in a ceremony organised by Lope/ herself. The pacing gets sluggish as the wedding bells start to chime. and dubious acting combine with every cliche in the book to make this an ultimately forgettable movie. See review. Selected release.
Weddings (Matrimoni) ( I3) (t‘r-rsrina Comcncmi. Italy. I‘NSI I02 mms livamination of the cotiiple\ feelings of women caught between familial responsibility and iiidiv iduality Part of the Italian I'tllll I‘c‘\ll\;ll Sec prev iew (il'T. Cilasgovv. l'fllllllittl\L‘. Itdmburgh
West (Occidente) t Is) (Coiso Salaiii. Italy. 2000) I04 mms New \\estei'n ideals and ()Id \\oild values clash in the northeast Italian border region where .iii old low it play s host to a NATO base Part of the Italian l‘lllll l‘e\ll\.tl. Sec preview (il’l'. (ilasgow; I'ilriihouse. Iidmburgh
What Women Want( 1:) .00
(Nancy Meyers. I‘S. 200l ) Mel (iibson. Helen Hunt. l2~ mins. (iibson's divorced. playboy advertising evecutive is a testoster‘orie-fuelled chauv mist whose brand of tits 'n' ass .id caiiipargns have long e\cceded IlleII' sell~by date. Ills company. however. wants to reach female consumers and has given the top iob to .i woman (Iliiiit ). But. follow mg .iii accident. the e\ec wakes UP to discover he's able to hear women's unspoken thoughts. a gift which scores him brownie points all round. (iibson iw irikles roguishly m the lead role and handles the film's scenes of screwball farce well. But he's let down by a lack of chemistry w ill) his co-star'. (iertcral release
What You Never Knew (Aunque tu no lo Sepas) t I5) (Juan Vicente Cordoba. Spain. 2000) Silvia Mimt. (iary l’iquci'. Andres (iertr'udis. I0o mins. Intimate drama recounting an interrupted romance that spans 25 years of Spanish history Lucia and Juan meet and fall in Iov e during the dy mg days of I-ranco‘s regime. but class tears them apart. Years later they meet again and |.ucia wonders if they can rekindle their feels‘.’ Part of the ;\'ival Spanish Iiilrn festival I'llllllltflhc'. Izdinbur'gh.
X-Men ( l2) 0... (Bryan Singer. LS. 2000) Patrick Stewart. Ian McKellcri. Hugh Jackman. I04 mins. This adaptation of the popular Marvel Comic sees supei‘~povver'e(l mutants outlaw ed in America of the near future. Magneto (McKellen). the master of magnetism and llolocaiist survivor. will not stop at mass murder to protect his ow i) kind; Professor Xav Iet' (Stew art ). a telepatl). seeks peaceful co-cyistence w ill) humankind. To further their ends the two old foes employ rival teams of mutants in a deadly game of chess. It's a difficult balance. satisfying the fans without alienating those unfamiliar w ill) the comic book. .\'-.lIe)i pulls it off with speedy pacing. imaginatively staged action set pieces and a smart script l'tIll (II \\ Illy dialogue and a message about race pr'eiudice that's not overplayed. Cameo. Iidinburgh. The Yards ( IS) 0... (James (iray. IS. 2000) Mark Wahlberg. Joaquin Phoenix. James Caan. I It) mins. l.eo (Wahlbei'g) is just out of prison and welcomed back mto the fold in his old neighbourhood in Queens. New York. Longtime friend Willie (I’hoeiiiv) gets uncle I‘rank ((‘aaiii. who wields influence in the New York (‘in subway yards. to get Leo a Job. btit business ain't what it used to be. Brisiness is pay -offs. sabotage and murder. and when I.eo don’t play ball this time round he incurs the wrath of his powerful and corrupt family. A top class thriller that's less about chases and shoot-outs. instead draw mg its thrills and suspense fr()ni the shifting family allegiances. 'I'he Lumiere. lidinburgh.
You Can Count On Me ( 1S) 0000 (Kenneth Lonergan. l'S. 200I ) Laura Linney. Mark Ruffalo. Matthew Broderick. I l l mins. Single mother Sammy (Linney ) enjoys an orderly existence in upstate-New York town. Scottsville. She works at the local batik. devotedly brings up her kid Rudy (Rory Culkrn). and attends the local church. However. the arrival of her brother and fellow orphan Terry (Mark Ruffalo) turns her cosy world upside down. Written and directed by New York playwright Lonergan. lim ('mi Count on Me is a touchineg perceptive portrayal of a sibling relationship. Accompanied by an elegant chamber music score. and filmed with quiet. naturalistic assurance. Lonergan's debut is notable for the depth of the writing and impressively modulated performances. (il’l‘. (ilasgow: Cameo. Iidinburgh.