Film
2021
Love rekindled in the New York of
DANISH SCI—Fl ROMANCE IT’S ALL ABOUT LOVE (15) 104 min 0...
Thomas Vinterberg (Festen) has followed the example of Kubrick (2001), Tarkovsky (Solaris) and, at a push, even Verhoeven (Starship Troopers) in this his sophomore feature film. By setting it in an imaginary future world in order to comment on the ills of modern society — global warming, the cult of celebrity, drugs and materialism - Vinterberg essays his own deeply personal catastrophic vision of the future.
The bulk of the film takes place in New York 2021, a place full of Felini- esque characters and quirks. People are mysteriously dropping dead in the street and nobody seems to care. It is the hottest summer on record until it starts snowing in July, and on the news there are reports of flying humans in Uganda. It is a world suffering because of the absence of humanity and love.
Ostensibly, the story is about John (Joaquin Phoenix) coming to New York to finalise his divorce with Elena (Claire Danes) and how their love is rekindled. But this is merely a conceit that Vinterberg uses to make a film that is more concerned with emotional resonance than formulaic Hollywood storytelling. There are few explanations, just a lot of hints that the central romance holds the key to world harmony.
It’s All About Love - with its expressionistic aesthetic and many SFX — is also about the rejection of Dogma 95. By breaking the very rules that put this auteur on the map, Vinterberg seems to be redefining the experimental film form. Well worth catching. (Kaleem Aftab)
I Selected release from Fri 73 Fel).
SHOWBIZ t‘HHlLLFR PEOPLE I KNOW (15) 100min O.
This movre has all the elements of a salacious front page news story -— political corruption. drugs. murder. celebrity romance and Max Clittordesgue. tablord—lerxliiig spin- doctors.
Al Pacino plays Eli Wurman. an ageing celebrity publicist. His career is on the downturn hut in his autumn years he seems more than happy to concentrate on his charity work.
Wurman is raising money for a group of wrongly imprisoned Nigerian immigrants when his last remaining client of note. a slea/y actor called Cary Launer iRyan O'Neali calls on him to bail .Jilli Hopper Flea leonii out of Jail discreetly. Hopper is Launer's starlet mistress and Wurman has Just opened a can of worms.
The spin doctor as good guy is a nice role reversal. but it's an idea that doesn't WOrk. Pacino slouches through the drab set pieces like a /()lttt’)l(} on downers. Instead of using this gait to portray a character hored ‘.'-/lttl his lite. Pacino just cruises. The same can he said of the movre which. despite its
Pacino wearin plays the fame game
marginally intriguing pot and some surprising insight into the Ne\.'.' York political scene iespecialli, the antagonism hetixreen \t(:‘.'.‘|f;tl and African American (Il\.'l(i puloikersi. this is ti‘ightfully dull. iKaleem Altai ii
I Selected release from In .‘Zi‘ l er).
30 THE LIST 5; 'e t at 21:3:
cons [)V wortitoa THE HAUNTED MANSION (PG) 86min 0.
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LOONEY TUNES: BACK IN ACTION
(PG) 90min .0
Bugs Bunny; [Daffy Duck and all the other lox'eahle tooris retuiii for this teafui‘e length riirxture of tl‘.(} acton arid :iiiiiiiatioii. But I oorie‘. [ti/res: Back rri flcflort otters little more than triesc'he slapstick and endless in j()t\-I‘rf} instead of gerrtiiite laughs. the
Roger Rabbit it ain’t
pct. '.'.'i’.t‘. Brendan l "riser and Jenna t 'tl‘ilil" teariirrig up with ‘ugs and Datty to stop Acme hoss Steve Martin from turrii'ig the ".iiiian race into l>|ue rrienkeys. pi; ys as dumb as it sounds.
Marin: gees a career \.'./or'st pe'toriiiance. liaiiiii‘iing :ll) teehle Jokes and tierrei'alli. eriziiarr‘assing hiriisell. Back in /\-::tioi‘.’:‘ jack to the (tl’t't‘~.'.’l.'t§) hoard more like. it (litre t tainsoni
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(it it. [WE N'X‘S t .5\.T\."5\SY TOOTH (U) 91 min 0
On paper thu; ttlxiidreri's t;tl‘.t(t.;‘. ari".ei‘.ture looks llttl)l'(3$§f$|‘.'(}. Combining the myths of the tooth i ai'y t attier (Zliristi'ias and the Laster Bunny. this low hudget tilm l;oasts air l.".‘.l)l'(1'i3f;l‘.(.' British cast. :riciudirig Harry t-iitield. Stephen Fry Jim tSicadherit. Richard t (’iiarit {tl‘.(2. eriii. Vinnie Jones. Yet. if seems unlikely that tdeuarrr‘ Nariiir‘oiu. a coiii'iiei'cials director here making his film ‘.'.’l'|tlllg and directing deliut. ever actually committed anything to paper in terms of the script. liir: plot. such as it is. sees over eager young tarp, tooth iYasriiin Paigei givrng {lli oi t aii‘i.t.:ipia's .".l()l‘.(:‘. away to a needy hiether and sister. hankr‘upting her home and [twtillttltltt‘y scui:peiing the iiiiriiinentli, arri\ing Christmas. With oiin 36 tooth and her companions set oil to tind Mrs ()hrzstirras. ll‘i retirement. hut ‘.‘.ltl()$;(} iiiasten of magic is much needed. Cue .itli xaiious pantomririe ster friends and foes. Prerrrctaliie and yet (Lack hantiedly chaotic. loot/i appears to have been put together sol-eh, around the axailahilih ol the adult stais. One set-piece crashes iiito another. all of them mounted iii a mind ttllltlt)llt(lt\ amateurish manner. [\lisoititeii. idiotic. iMiEes t ielderi I (term/.1: release fro/ii lri iii" lei).
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Needs root canal work