Film index
Die Another Day t l2.-\) see (Lee 'l‘amahort. l‘K/l 'S. 2002) Pierce Brosnan. llallc Berry. Rick Yune. l35mrn. ‘Bond 20' opens w ith 007 betray ed during a mission to assasslnalc rogue North Korean (ioloncl Moon. which althotrgh successful sees him subsequently lelt to rot in prison. Released fourteen months later. Bond makes the trneartlung ol the individual who betrayed him a personal vendetta So far. so divergent lrom the standard Bond plot. 'l’hereatter. however. [he ."Ile/lt’l' I)uv relaxes back into the fanultar formula: globe-hoping. girls and gadgets. The appearartcc of Berry 'x American agent. bikini- clad from the ('aribbean sea. is a direct reference to l'rsula Andresx' tnernorablc entrance in Dr .\'u. .-\nd the new film thtis celebrates the Bond filtn franchise's 40th anniversary by paying homage to previous films. llow ev er. I)f(' .'lIlUI/l(’l' I)uv is a top heavy film. w ith a great opemng xet-piece and dixaplmmting littalc. Still. Brosnan remains more that) tip to the role. Selected releaxe. Dirty Pretty Things ( lb’) see
(Stephen l‘rears. l'K. 2002) 2002. 96min. ln tlits gritty tale of London's illegal rtrtmrgrants Nigerian ()kvve lijiofor) and Turkish Senay ('l‘autou) ruake a dark discovery abottt goings on at the hotel which they built work nights: the sale of human organs. The leads are good. particularly lijiofor. who elicits real sympathy as the wary Nigerian. ."Hlt'lft' star 'l‘autou also impresses in her speaking part. Veteran director l-"rears knows how to get good performances ottt of his cast despite the lattgttage difficulties. But it‘s a shame ttotte of tlte above talents were served with a decent script. one not full of cliched dialogtte attd unimaginative thriller gertre conventions. l'(i(' l’arkhead. Glasgow.
Donnie Darko ( I5) eeee (Richard Kelly. l'S. 2002) Jake (iyllcnhaal. Drew Barrymore. Patrick vaay /e. I 13min. Kelly's debut feature ix a mesmerizing science fiction fable which ptrxhes the concept of cinematic tirrte travel into a whole rtcw dimension. Its somnambulant teenage protagonist seems to slip into a parallel universe. vv here a giant demonic rabbit called lirank proclaims that the world will end - in 28 day s. o hours. 42 minutes and I2 seconds. Set in I988. this genre-bending film is ttot only an intriguing meditation on tirue travel and a deeply disturbing horror movie. it is also a John Hughes-style coming-of-age movie and a black comic satire on Reagartite greed. individualism atrd (‘hristian ftmdamentalism. l'('l. Edinburgh.
Drifting Clouds ( IS) eeee (.-\ki Kaurismaki. l‘inland. I990) Kati ()utinen. Kari \"aananen. 90min. The Scandinavian director‘s most sumptuous work to date twarrn bltres. ltixh reds and deep greens) tells the tale of a couple and their struggle against stagnation both economic and emotional. While Kaurtsmaki tnay not come across as the partying kind. ltis films continue to offer warmth. wit and subtlety. Cameo. Edinburgh. 8 Mile t l5) .0 ((‘urtix llanson. l'S. 2002) Iiminem. Kim Basinger. Brittany Murphy. | ltlmin. Directed by Academy Award vvitmer llanxon tl...'l. ("nitride/trial). shot by hip Mevican cinematographer Rodrigo l’rreto (:lnmrt'v I’t'rmv) attd featuring the big screen
30 THE LIST 13—27 Feb 2003
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debttt of white boy rapper liminem in a semi- autobiographical tale about his rise to stardom. 8 Mile ix a promising proposition. llovv ev er. the film's plot ix sparse; it's supposed to read like a hip hop version of Rm‘kv'. evcept there's no meat in the pie. Disapimintingly. all this adds up to liminem presenting a xanitised version of himself as plucky underdog turned pedigree champ. General release.
8 Women ( IS) sees (Francois ()mn. France. 200i ) lein. A classy cast of French divas including ('atherine Deneuve and Isabelle lluppen find themselves embroiled in a tnurder mystery in the French countryside. Which of thexe glatrtorous women ix guilty"? l’art muxical. part whodunnit with plenty of bitchinexx. wit and lavish finery. l’l‘ll ('inema. l-‘alkirk.
Elephants and Grass (Filler ve Cimen) (cert tbc) (Dervis Zaim. Turkey. 2000) Mitt the. it) this politicixed drama the efforts of an international marathon rutmer to w in prize money to pay for the tnedical needs of her brother are endangered when she's caught up in a tangled web of drttg dealers and corrupt politicians. l:iltt)lt()ltsc. Edinburgh. 11’ 09’ 01 - September 11 (l2:\) “0. (Various. France. 2002) l35min. lileven films by renowned international film directors that each last I l minutes. 9 seconds and l fratne and which reflect their feelings about the Twin Towers tragedy. l’rom Egyptian director Youssef (‘hahine‘s whimsical take on how we sanctify certain dead above others through Ken l.oach‘s documentary detailing the events of l I September I970 — when America helped remove the democratically elected socialist (‘hilean government by battkrolling the Pinochet led coup - to Amos Gitai's clever and funny condemnation of the media. what this group of directors have to say is both powerful and in most cases dismissive of the party line. (TA. Glasgow.
Everest tt') (Various. L'S. 2002) Min tbc. IMAX big screen presentation. iMAX. Glasgow.
Farewell my Concubine ( I5) eeee ((‘hen Kaige. ('Itina. I993) Gong Li. Leslie (‘heung. Zhang l-‘engyi. lemin. The story of two l’eking ()pera actors and the woman who
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comes between them providex an intimately detailed story which is set to a constantly shifting backdrop of Chinese politics during the 20th century. The Opera xetting prov ides colour and spectacle. and questions how far a man will go for his art: the historical episodes give this Palme d'()r winning film the flavour of a genurne epic. Edinburgh Film Guild. Edinburgh.
Fidel - 'l’he Untold Story (PG) (Estela Bravo. Cuba. 2002) 91min. He‘s been called Machiavellian. brutal. charistnatic. clever. seductive. a man and brother. This documentary attempts to get to the bottom of one of the most influential. controversial figures of our time. GFT. Glasgow.
508 Memories (L') (Various. l'K. Various) Min the. An afternoon of film showing Scotland as it used to be in the 50s. North Edinburgh Arts Centre. Edinburgh. Final Destination 2 ( IS) on
R Ellis. L'S. 2003) Ali Carter. AJ Cook. Michael Landers. l()()min. Ellis‘ sequel to 2000‘s enjoyable supernatural thriller copies its recipe of risible dialogue. B-list acting and excessively grisly. tortuouxly plotted slaughter. It is this black humour that saves the film frotn horror sequel mediocrity. as the likes of plate glass. pigeons and prosthetic limbs contribute to an inventive series of Heath Robinson-inspired fatalities. all preceded by at least one false ending. Ellis skilfully orchestrates the set pieces but does less well with the silly coincidental links between characters that the script conjures up. General release.
Gandhi (PG) me (Richard Attenborough. L'K. I982) Ben Kingsley. Candice Bergen. Edward Fox. Trevor Howard. John Mills. l88min. ()scar-laden biopic of the great Indian leader and man of peace chronicles and clarifies the country's birth pains. Although the choice attracted sortie flak. Kingsley gives an outstanding performance in the title role. and packed out by star cameos the film has the feel of an old- fashioned epic. But a good one. C inevvorld. Falkirk.
Gangs of New York ( 18) m
(Manin Scorsese. US. 2002) Leonardo DiCaprio. Cameron Dial. Daniel Day-Lewis. lbhrnin. Thirty years in the making and plagued with production problems. Scorsese's long cherished film about the brutal street gangs who fought for control of a corner of late nineteenth New York City finally arrives. and it's a big disappointment. The most noticeable flaw is that Scorsese's efforts to tell an epic story. which encompasses prototype mobsters. the immigrant experience. racism. corrupt politicians and the Civil War. are seriously undermined by a flimsy romantic subplot involving DiCaprio‘s street urchin and Diaz‘s purse-snatcher. This has the unwanted result of compromising a fascinating history lesson with teen-pleasing romantic nonsense. Think Gomlfellus meets 7lltlllft‘. But even a poor film by Scorsese' standards is an interesting one by anyone elxe'x. And if for no other reason. Gangs is worth seeing for Day- l.ewis' towering perfomtance as the terrifying. charismatic anti-immigration gang leader Bill the Butcher General release.
Ghost Ship ( I5) ee (Steve Beck. US. 2003) Gabriel Byme. Julianna Margulies. Ron Eldard. 9lmin. More fonnulaic ‘haunted house' horror from Thirteen Ghosts director
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Beck. the only rnnovatton being the marine xetting. an Italian luxury liner found drifting off the coast of Labrador forty years after it mysteriouny disappeared. When the crew of the salvage tugboat Arctic Warrior board the spooky. Mane Celeste-like vessel they find a fortune in unmarked gold bullrott. Unfortunately. it's guarded by the unqutet spirits. The one eye-catching sequence occurs in the first five minutes. but. there's nothtng else to grab one's attention. least of all the unspeakable dialogue uttered by salvage captain Byrne. and the (‘GI images are fully. the plot logic funier still. Selected releaxe. Ghost ( l2) m (Gerry Zucker. l'S. l99()) Patrick Sway 1e. Detni Moore. Whoop) Goldberg. Tony Goldwyn. llbmin. Death doll) part happy couple Sway/e and Moore when the former falls victim to a late-night mugging. Not content merely to pass on. however. he returns to try and get back tn touch with his wife via medium Goldberg (who won an Oscar for her supporting role). In an attempt to wam her about financial and other dangers. Amiable xupematural comedy- dratna. which spawned a few inferior imitations. l’GC Renfrew Street. Glasgow. The Girl with the Red Scarf (Selvi Boylum, al Yumalim) (cert the) (AM Yilmaz. Turkey. I977) 90min. Melancholtc love story between a lorry driver and a young girl from a village. reflecting traditional aspects of love and life in Turkish society. Filmhouse. Edinburgh.
The Good Girl ( l5) em (Miguel Aneta. L'S. 2002) Jennifer Anixton. John ('. Reilly. Tim Blake Nelson. 93min. Antston breaks away from her safe image as 'that kooky actress from I-‘rrertdv' by making a film with director Arteta and scribe Mike White. who first tnade their mark with the marvelloust edgy ('Imr‘k um! Burk. Here they cast Aniston as dowdy supermarket girl JUstine l.ast. a prom queen who‘s lost her crown and whose painter hubby l’hil (Reilly ) spends more time with his best friend Bttbba (Nelson) than he does with her. Her chance for a great escape comes in the shape llolden (Jake Gyllenhaal). the Salinger-obsessed checkout boy who falls for her. With less focUs on her image. Aniston gives a vulnerable and accomplished performance. And though The Guru! Girl lacks the anarchic energy of Chuck and Buck. it is nevenhelexx indie filmmaking at its best. SB('. Hamilton. The Ourut15ieee (l)aisy Von Scherier. US. 2002) Jirni Mistry. Heather Graham. Marisa Totnei. l00min. The Noni/ti: Hill team do Bollywood. Dance teacher Ratnu Gupta (Mistry) moves from Bombay to New York to pursue his dream of becoming an actor. But the only job he can find is on a porn film and. unfortunately. he can't get it tip. Help is on hand. however. when his co-star Sharonna (Grahatn) takes pity on hitn and starts giving him advice on improving his sexual performance. Subsequently Ramu realises his dream of becoming a star by passing himself off as a sex guru. mixing Bollywood dance moves with Sharonna's advice. The occasionally hilarious results may make your (Delhi) belly ache. MacRobert. Stirling.
Harem Snare (18) (Ferzan szetek. Turkey/ltaly/France. 1999) 94min. From Harnarn to harem as The Turkish Bur/r director ()zpetek tells the story of the impossible love affair between a Sultan's concubine and her eunuch in the last Harem of the ()ttornan Empire. FilmhoUse. Edinburgh.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (PG) me (Chris ColumbUs. US/UK. 2002) Daniel Radcliffe. Kenneth Branagh. Robbie Coltrane. 160mm. It's the boy-wizard's second year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where evil forces have released a vicious serpent into the corridors. Who's to blame'.’ Is it Han'y'x rival pupil Draco Malfoy. the loveable giant Hagrid (Robbie Coltrane) or a mysterioUs fomter pupil who communicates through the pages of a magical diary"? Whoever it is. they're petrifying the pupils and setting loose an army of scurrying spiders. Once again faithful to the original novel. this film is darker than the first and gets more quickly into the meat of the story. And with the same fantastic cast of British character actors. it's another sure-fire hit. General release.