(l.ohan) are not getting along. They don‘t see eye-to-eye on clothes. hair. music. and certainly not in each other's taste in men. Then an old (‘hinese lady causes a little mystic mayhem. and they are both forced to spend a couple of days in each others' bodies. So so version of the much loved Jodie Foster Disney vehicle from 1976. Mildly diverting. and as usual (‘urtis gives it her all. (ieneral release.
Gandolfl: Family Business (PG) (Ken (iriffiths. l'K. 2003) 97min. An elcgiac yet humorous documentary about brothers Frederick and Arthur two irascible old men who have just sold one of the most prestigious camera-making businesses in the world. (iandulji: l-ann'lv Business invites outsiders to share an enthusiasm of the lost art of camera-making while taking a trip back in time to a much simpler Britain of 20 years ago. Part of the Sheffield International Documentary Festival on Tour. (il’lI (ilaxgow.
Ghost World ( 15) .0... (Terry Zwigoff. [S 2001 ) Thora Birch. Scarlett Johansson. Steve Buscemi. l l lmin. l)aniel (‘lowes adapts his own cttlt comic with Zwigoff. opting not to translate parrot— fashion. but to distil the essence of the source material. Thus. characters. setting and tone are spot on. but the episodic nature of the serialised strip is shaped into a low key story revolving around high school graduates linid and Rebecca (Birch and Johansson) who temper disgust with the bland Western world of shopping malls and theme restaurants with cynical bemusement. The dialogue. humour. production design and performances are a world apart from lesser American teen fiicks. ('(i'l. (ilus‘gnu‘. Ghosts of the Abyss 30 (PG) (James ('ameron. l'S. 200-1) 59min. Documentary in which master storyteller James ('arncron leads an expedition back to the site of his greatest inspiration the wreck of the legendary Titanic where nearly l500 people lost their lives over a century ago. l'sing state-of-the-art technology developed specifically for the film. (‘ameron and his team are able to explore the wreckage and bring it to screen in 3D. The audience is able to experience an archaeological dive as if as if they were right in the dive ships or even as the crew 90 years ago. I.ll.'l.\'. Glasgow".
Girl With a Pearl Earring (12A)
0. (Peter Webber. l'K/l.uxembourg. 2003) Scarlett Johansson. (‘olin l‘irth. Tom Wilkinson. Judy Parfitt. ('illian Murphy. 95min. Adapted from the book by Tracy Chevalier. Webber's sumptuoust upholstered film deals with the story behind the creation of Vermeer's famous painting. Marred by miscasting and an overly literal approach to the cinematography. this is a major disappointment: a fascinating story has been rendered into a dull. syrup-thick tale of love and peasantry. Selected release. 6006 Boy! (l') ... (John Robert Hoffman. ['S. 2003) Molly Shannon. l.iarn Aiken. Kevin Nealon. Brittany Moldowan. 87min. When ()wen (Aiken) gets a new pooch from the local pound he's in for more than he realised. Httbble may look like a cuter than average Norfolk terrier. but he's actually an interstellar emissary from the planet Dog Star. the home world of all the galaxy"s canines. Arriving on liarth to discover that the hounds are no longer top dog. Hubble with the help of ()wen has only got a few days to whip the neighbourhtmd dogs into shape before the arrival of the (ireat Dane (voiced by Vanessa Redgrave). If they don't manage to pull this off. she's likely to order a global recall that will deprive man of his best friend once and for all. l.ikeable talking animals comedy that is suitable for all ages. ()rleon ll'exrer Ilai/es. lirlinlnu'glr.
Goodbye Dragon Inn (l') ('I‘sai Ming l.iang. Taiwan. 2003) Li Kang Sheng. Miao Tan. 82min. Love cinemas'.’ l.ove films‘.’ Then this film is for you. It tells the story of the last screening of an old movie before the movie theatre closes its doors. The movie playing is an old kung fu flick called Dragon Inn. In the auditorium. a young man encounters a handful of strange people. He tries to connect with the same people
while the movie is being shown. then realises that there is a certain connection between the people sitting in the rows of the theatre and the actors on the screen. Magical and very different. Part of lilcctr'ic Shadows (’hinese Film Festival. (ii-"II (ilavgnu‘.
Hamlet ( l2) 0.. (Michael Almereyda. l'S. 2000) lithan Haw ke. Bill Murray. Kyle Macl.achlan. Sam Shepard. Julia Stiles. Diane Venora. ll lmin. American indie director .»\lrnercyda thrusts Shakespeare‘s best-known play into the modern world. a New York of penthouse apartments and stretch lirriotisines. of cut- throat big-business and claustrophobia— inducing technology. Denmark is now a multi-national corporation. .\lacl.achlan's ('laudius its new president having succeeded the recently deceased (’li() and the dead man's son. Hawke‘s moody Hamlet. a (icneration-X slacker. Alrnereyda finds novel. off-kilter juxtapositions of words and images that defarniliarise lines we've heard do/ens of times before. Not everything works (the actors’ success with the verse is varied). but when the ideas come off. we see the play afresh. .\'orrlr [filinlnu‘glr Arts (‘enlre. lfrlinlmrg/i.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone if’( i) I.
((‘hris ('oltirnbus. l'S/l'K. 200l ) Daniel Radcliffe. Robbie Coltrane. Maggie Smith. John (‘lCCSLX Richard Harris. Jtrlie Walters. 152mm. l-‘eeble. hideous big screen version of a JK Rowling yawn-inspiring debut children's fantasy about a public school wizard and his repellent friends. (irmrenm: (ilasgrm‘.
Haunted Mansion (Po) 0. (Rob Minkoff. IS. 2003) liddie Murphy. 'l'er'ence Stamp. Nathaniel Parker. Marsha Thomason. Jennifer Tilly. Wallace Shawn Somin. See review page 30. (ieneral release.
Holes (PG) 0... (Andrew Day is. l'S. 2003) Sigourney Weaver. Jon Voight. Tim Blake Nelson. Shia I.aBeouf. Khleo Thomas. I l7min. A wrongfully convicted boy is sent to a desert detention camp where he digs holes and listens to spooky stories. Bi/arre. episodic and oddly endearing this is one weird Disney family flick that escapes from the usual cliclic‘s of the genre. (T 'A. (ilasgmr’.
The Human Stain ( 18) (Robert Benton. l'S/( iermany/l’rance. 2003) Anthony Hopkins. Nicole Kidman. lid Harris. (iary Sinise. 106mm. ('ollege professor ('oleman Silk (Hopkins). has inadvertently commented on two absent students and now he has been sacked on grounds of political correctness. After the death of his wife. he is offered redemption in the form of a relationship with the feisty young l"aunia (Kidman). Intelligent. beautifully adapted film that has been unfairly mauled by critics who have clearly never immersed themselves in the works of the great modern American writers. Roth. l'pdike. Wolfe and Mailer. Selet‘lerl release.
I Know Where I’m Going! (t‘) .0... (Michael Powell & lirner'ic Pressburger. l'K. HHS) Wendy lliller. Roger l.ivesey. Finlay ('urrie. Pamela Brown. Nancy Price. ()lmin. Beautifully shot in black and white. this is an intriguing comedy romance with dark undertones. in which the young. confident Ms Hiller sets out to marry her rich. elderly fiance in the Hebrides. bttt falls instead for l.ivesey 's sexy young naval officer. The visual symbols. all drawn from the islands' natural landscape. underline the story's deeper resonances. Part of 5/50. five of the fifty best Scottish films ever made. (ii-“II (ilasgmv; l'ilmlmuse. l-frlinlnnjg/t. Intolerable Cruelty ( 12A) 00. (Joel/lithan (‘oen. l'S. 2003) (ieorge (‘looney. (‘atherine Zeta Jones. Billy Bob Thornton. 99min. The ('oens‘ latest is a return to the screwball comedies of yesteryear. With this cast it‘s going to be a success but this is their weakest film to date. It's your typical lawyer meets goldigger romantic comedy. A lot of fun. but closer in studied. slightly cheerless spirit to llrulsueker l’rmv than anything they have done in the last few years. ('('I. (‘lvrle/rank: .S'Ier ('enlurv. Ifrlinlnrrg/r.
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