Film Index
FalkHK Town Hall
Thurs 10th May Himalaya (PG) 7:30pm
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Thurs 17th May
Tho Advanturoa Of Rocky And Bullwlnkla (L‘) .00 (Des McAnuff. LS. 2001 ) Robert De Niro. Rene Russo. Janeane Garofalo. 91 mins. A hilariOUsly ironic opening sequence to this update of the 60s cartoon. that sees the eponymous flying squirrel and best pal moose living in an animated world suffering from recession. sets the film's playful post-modern tone. And when the animated animals' nemeses. lead by De Niro‘s Fearless Leader. cross over into the ‘real' world the film moves into the live action/animation territory of Who Framed Roger Rahhirffl And like that film. its dialogue is packed with cultural references that will have adults laughing harder than the kids. Selected release. Allan Advanturo (L') lwerks Extreme Screen presentation. L'GC. Edinburgh. Almoat Famous (15) 0000
(Cameron Crowe. LS. 2001) Kate Hudson. Patrick Fugit. Billy Crudup. 123 mins. Writer-director Crowe's autobiographical re- view ofAmerica's 70s rock scene is seen through rose-tinted shades. Though it isn't an expose of the underbelly of rock 'n' roll. it's a magical carpet ride that appropriates the tnost exhilarating elements of the scene and makes of them an enormously satisfying. often very funny drama. Crowe's very personal filtn. seen through the eyes of teenage rock journo William Miller (Fugit). never takes the lazy cliched route. nor does it lapse into parody. which in these post- .S'pinal Tap days. is no mean feat. And in the luminous Kate Hudson. a star is bom. MacRobert. Stirling.
Along Gama A Spldar ( 15) 000
Billy Elliot (1 5) 7:30pm
Sun 27th May Almost Famous (15) 5:00pm Shadow of a Vampire (15) 7:30pm
Wed 30th May The Apartment (U) 7:30pm
Thurs 31st May Entertaining the Nation 7:00pm
An interactive cinema event. for the whole family, recreating the experiences of life during the war.
Sun 3rd June Best in Show (12) 5:00pm The Terminator (1 8) 7:30pm
Tickets and further I information from The Steeple Box office
(Tel: 01324 506850)
_or_ on the day from the hall'
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34 TH! LIST 10—24 May 2001
(Lee Tamahori. L'S. 2(Xll) Morgan Freeman. Monica Potter. Michael Wincott. tbc mins. This similarly nursery rhy me-inspired sequel to the serial killer thriller Kiss The Girls secs Freeman return as an intelligent. dedicated cop Alex Cross — the kind of role he's been saddled with ever since Seven. While grieving the loss of his police partner. Cross signs on a kidnapping case involving a senator's daughter. Tamahori. who hasn't bettered his striking directing debut. Once Were Warriors. since leaving New Zealand for Hollywood. is at the helm of a solid if run-of-the-mill cat-and-mouse chase thriller. General release.
Amoraa Parroa (18) 0000. (Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu. Mexico. 2001) Emilio Echevarria. Gael Garcia Berna]. Goya Toledo. 153 mins. Inarritu‘s debut feature is billed as ‘the Mexican Pulp Fierion'. a description which sells it short. The Tarantino comparison is a useful start- ing point: the film tells three overlapping stories - a teenager drawn into the world of illegal dog-fighting. the infidelity of a mid- dle-aged media executive and an elderly homeless man — by using shifting time- frames. tangentially linked characters and jagged verbal rhythms. Fierce humanity underpins Inarritu's beautiful. grainy visuals and Guillermo Arriaga Jordan's multi-Iay- ered script. The best film of the year so far. and unlikely to be surpassed. See preview and review. Filmhouse. Edinburgh. Antltruat (12) 000 (Peter Howitt. US. 2001) Ryan Phillippe. Tim Robbins. Rachel Leigh Cook. 120 mins. The smarmy bad guy ofAnrirrusr is digital pioneer Gary Winston (Robbins). a dressed-down CEO with the global reach of a Gates. He hand- picks computer genius Milo (Phillippe) to help launch his new satellite communication network. Milo is at first delighted with his challenging work. but all is not well in Silicone Valley. It's hackneyed but habitually stirring stuff. but any serious message is lost in the race against time. and hardly reinstated by the film's glib conclusion that information should be free for all. General release.
AuatIn Powara: Tho Spy Who Shaggad Mo (12) 0000 (Jay Roach. US. 1999) Mike Myers. Heather Graham. Elizabeth Hurley. 96 mins. The Spy Who Shagged Me doesn‘t really make any advances in what is surely. by now. a new film franchise — Austin Powers 3: Live And Let Shag. Austin Powers 4: The Man With The Golden Mojo. perhaps? — rather. it consolidates its three types ofjokery — 60s kitsch. film references and sexual innuendo. New Picture House. St Andrews. Donjamln Smoko (15) 0000 (Jem Coen/Peter Sillen. US. 2000) 76 mins. Benjamin Smoke takes a loose look at Cabbagetown. an impoverished suburb on the wrong side of Atlanta's tracks and its micro-scene of punkish musicians. It's also a eulogy for Robert Dickerson. better known as Benjamin. the lead singer and lyricist in alt.country obscurities. Smoke. Dickerson's addled anecdotes are often hilarious. sometimes painfully non-sensical. but mostly moving. The documentary peaks when Patti Smith. Dickerson's life-long heroine. asks him to provide support at a concert. then brings a lump to the throat as the singer's lengthy struggle with AIDS reaches its inevitable conclusion. Adam Smith Theatre. Kirkcaldy.
Ollly IIIIot ( 15) O... (Stephen Daldry. L'kK 2000) Jamie Bell. Julie Walters. Gary Lewis. 111 mins. Billy (superb newcomer Bell) finds release from life's daily drudgery. and ultimately self- fulfilment. through ballet dancing. As unlikely a leisure pursuit as that might be for a teenage boy growing up in the recession- hit Yorkshire of the 80s (and that's the point). it becomes young Billy's ticket out of hard times. Making his film debut. theatre director Daldry handles the political backdrop and dramatic foreground with equal assurance. The dance routines provide much of the film's humour and quite overwhelming feelgood factor. Filmhouse. Edinburgh; FTH Cinema. Falkirk.
Black Daauty (L') .0. (Caroline Thomson. L'S/L'K. 1994) Sean Bean. David
Thewlis. Peter Cook. 82 mins. The most famous horse in children's literature returns in a faithful screen version by debut director Thomson. whose work as a screenwriter — The Secret Garden. Edward St'ismrhands. The Nightmare Before Christmas — taps into a darker current of childhood vision. The pace sets oil at a gallop. and should intrigue adults as well as younger viewers. MacRobert. Stirling.
IIaokboardo (PG) 0... (Samira Makhmalbaf. Iran. 2000) Saeed Mohamadi. Behnaz Jafari. Baham Ghobadi. 84 mins. A boldly uncompromising portrait of life on the margins of Iranian society. L'nfolding in the mountainous region between Iran and Iraq. Blackboards follows a group of impoverished. itinerant teachers who are looking for pupils. Partly an allegory about national identity and statelessness. Illat'khoartls also considers whether education is a luxury for those engaged in a primitive battle for survival. Makhmalbaf creates moments of acute tension alongside the dark humour. Furthermore. the non- professional cast acquit themselves admirably. whilst the striking cinematography demands to be experienced on the big-screen. GFT. Glasgow.
Blood Woddlng (Dodaa Do Sangro) (P010... (Carlos Saura. Spain. 1981) Antonio Gades. Cristina Hoyos. Juan Antonio. 7l mins. The most popular of Saura's celebrated dance films. Blood Wedding is choreographed by Flamenco legend Gades from the novel by Lorca. Beautifully shot. it tells a classic story of honour and revenge. GF'T. Glasgow. Broad And Rona ( 15) 0000 (Ken Loach. UK. 2001) Pilar Padilla. Adrien Brody. Elpidia Carrillo. 1 10 mins. Bread And Roses bravely dramatises the daily struggle of Los Angeles' immigrant Hispanic population. Maya (Padilla) is a gorgeous. gutsy young Mexican. who escapes kidnapping by smugglers to toil alongside her sister. Rosa (Carrillo). cleaning offices. In a downtown office block. she meets passionate white activist. Sam (Brody). who is running the Janitors For Jastice campaign. Loach has forsaken neither of his trademark concems — the drama within the mundane. the indomitable spirit of the oppressed. This is essentially a film about victory. and the tone is surprisingly upbeat. Selected release. Iroalttaat At Tlflany'a ( 15) «00 (Blake Edwards. US. 1961 ) Audrey Hepbum. George Peppard. Patricia Neal. Buddy Ebsen. Mickey Rooney. l 15 mins. ‘How Do I look?’ asks original waif Hepburn in the role of borderline schizophrenic Holly Golightly. ‘Very Good. I must say I'm amazed‘ replies Peppard in the role of frustrated writer and part-time gigolo Paul Varjak. The iconic Hepburn has never made neurosis look so good. and while the film may have numerous redeeming features (not least the exquisite cinematography by Franz F. Plane and the swinging soundtrack by Henry Mancini). it is she who remains responsible for making it such a well-loved classic adapted from the novel by Truman Capote. Lumiere. Edinburgh.
lrldgot Jonaa'a Dlary ( 15) 0000 (Sharon Maguire. L'S/L'K. 2001) Renee Zellweger. Hugh Grant. Colin Firth. 96 mins. Bridget Jones ’5 Diary is that rare thing. an adaptation that vastly improves on an over-rated original. in this case Helen Fielding's bestselling newspaper column- cum-book. Jones has a rather nice job. and looks rather nice. but worries a lot about her appearance and career. In between weighing herself and ranting about the modern male. she entanglcs herself with nasty boss Daniel Cleaver (Grant). before taking up with nice Mark Darcy (Firth). On paper. Jones was a snivclling. neurotic wreck. on film she's a snivclling. neurotic wreck who also happens to be consistently hilarious. And Zellweger adds a touch of warmth to what is essentially a wholly unsympathetic. brittle character. General release.
A lrlghtor summor Day ( 15)
GOO. (Edward Yang. Taiwan. 1991) 237 mins. The epic tale of a generation of Taiwanese high school kids in the 60s who.