Pleylng It for laugh
unlike their parents. hadn't suffered the tyranny of the Chinese. Yang shows them go through the typical twists and turns of coming of age. but widens it out to offer a vast panorama of a society in a state of flux. Filmhouse. Edinburgh.
Irlnglng Out The Deed (18) 000 - (Martin Scorsese. US. 1999) Nicolas Cage. Patricia Arquette. John Goodman. 130 mins. When darkness falls on New York. paramedic Frank Pierce (Cage) descends into a bleak world where. night after night. he tries hopelessly to help the homeless. the hookers. the mentally ill. Bringing Out The Dead grafts a desperate edge onto traditional gallows humour. but while showing bursts of brilliance. suffers from too many lulls and. surprisingly given that it‘s screenplay is by Paul Schrader. doesn‘t quite pull off its redemption plot. Cameo. Edinburgh.
The Broken Heerte Club (15)
.00.: =-‘ (Greg Berlanti. US. 2001) Ben Weber. Timothy Olyphant. John Maloney. 94 mins. This poignant. heartfelt comedy drama about a group of gay friends in downtown Los Angeles explores notions of alternative families. commitment-phobia and feeling ancient approaching the big 30. How much it will appeal to a wider audience is open to question. but it's a nicely acted ensemble piece with lots of truth and gentle humour. Sometimes there's too much dialogue and American reference but that said. its largely unknown cast are interesting and all too human. See review. Filmhouse. Edinburgh. Cepteln Corelll'e Mendolln (15) “Cu (John Madden. UK/US/France. 2001) Nicolas Cage. Penelope Cruz. John Hurt. 120 mins. This adaptation of Louis de Berniéres‘ bestseller sees Greece taken by the Italian Army during World War II. Captain Corelli and his squad of opera enthusiasts arrive on the island of Cephallonia. causing much uproar. And when the Captain is billeted to Dr lannis' (Hurt) house. Corelli and the Doctor's beautiful daughter. Pelagia (Cruz). fall in forbidden love. Madden has stuck to his guns and made a movie at once distinctly European and likely to appeal to American audiences. Commercial. unfaithful to the book. but still head and shoulders above any of the eye candy Hollywood has to offer. General release.
Le Captive (15) 0000s: (Chantal Akerman. France. 2001) Stanislas Merhar. Sylvie Testud. 112 mins. Akerman's study of emotional projection. loosely based on the writing of Proust. Simon (Merhar) is obsessed by a plain-ish woman who's happier keeping her thoughts to herself. and her actions slightly out of her lover's reach.
'-
as John Hannah, In The Mummy Returns
This wealthy Parisian initially follows Ariane (Testud) around as if a stranger in voyeuristic pursuit. only for us to realise later on that it's probably been a ruse: Simon too seems to want a formal. masochistic distance. Akerman's approach keeps us guessing as we wonder how much of the archness is the product of Simon's obscure way of being. or simply the director's deliberate play with form. Filmhouse. Edinburgh.
Chloken Run (L') 0000 (Nick Park/Peter Lord. CK. 2000) Voices of Mel Gibson. Julia Sawalha. Miranda Richardson. 85 mins. For their first feature Aardman studios have re-written the WW1] POW. experience as an Orwellian satire. albeit
with laughs. So. Stalag 17 becomes a battery
farm and the camp commandant farmer Tweedy's domineering wife. while in the hutches. Ginger rallies her fellow hens to fly their coop. Though the characters aren't as established as Wallace and Gromit and the feature length running time slows the action. Aardman continue to work real wonders with their familiar Plasticine animation. Magnum Theatre. Irvine.
Chocolet ( 12) O. (Lasse Hallstrom. US. 2001) Juliette Binoche. Johnny Depp. Judi Dench. 121 mins. Adapted from Joanne Harris's novel. Chm‘ulut unfolds ‘once upon a time' in a tranquil French village where sexy unwed single mother Vianne (Binochc) opens up a chocolaterie during Lent. Her magical confections are soon having a liberating effect on various locals. though her actions incur the wrath of the reigning count (Alfred .Vlolina). who fears that the traditional order may be irrevocably damaged. Unfortunately. Hallstrom's (The Cider House Rules) feelgood fairytale relies on its calculatedly cosmopolitan cast and glossy production values to disguise its lack of substance. Selected release.
Cquue Du Solell (L') lwerks Extreme Screen presentation. L'GC. Edinburgh.
The Contender t 15) 00. (Rod Lurie. US. 2000) Gary Oldman. Joan Allen. Jeff Bridges. Christian Slater. 126 mins. ln writer~director Lurie‘s post-Clinton dream version of a Democratic presidency. Allen‘s high-minded senator becomes the subject of a sex scandal. She is targeted by Oldman's right-wing congressman when President Jackson Evans (Bridges) chooses her to succeed the recently deceased vice- president. Lurie. however. hasn't found a way of making committed liberal drama without descending into sanctimony. Accept The Contender as a fantasy. though. and it works effectively as a political thriller. Odeon At The Quay. Glasgow; L'GC. Edinburgh.
r'iaex Film
FROM THE DIRECTOR OF ‘
'LA.CONF|DENTIAI.’
COMES ONE OF THE MOST HIGHLY
ACCLAIMED FILMS OF THE YEAR
MlCHAEL DOUGLAS
“AS ENJOYABLE AND COMICALLY THOUGHT-PROVOKING AS LAST YEAR'S AMERICAN BEAUTY”
JONATHAN ROSS
“GRIPPING. INTELLIGENT AND FULL OF INSPIRED PERFORMANCES”
MARIELLA FROSTRUP - NEWS OF THE WORLD
“. . .FUNNY, SMART. WARM-HEARTED ORIGINAL AND DELIGHTFUL MOVIE”
JONATHAN ROSS - FILM 2000
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