Day of the Wacko (Dzien Swira) (tbci (Marek ls'oterski. Poland. 2003i Marek Kondrat. Janina 'l’rac/ykowna. Andr/ej (irabowski. 93min. .‘ylisanthropic l’olish tale ol a middle-aged tnan who hates his lile. other people and himself. Dark. prolouttd addition to the cinema ol the nihilistic that rates alongside (iasper Noe's Swirl (‘mtm' 'Iiitty. l'l/IN/IUHM'. lz'tliitbm'g/i.
Deep Blue (PG) (Andy Byatt & Alastair l’othergill. l'K/(iermany. 2003i 00min. See review. page 26. Film/must: Ifr/iu/ttufieli. Dev (tbci ((ioyind Nihlani. India. 2003) Atnitabh Bachchan. ()m l’uri. l-‘arheen Khan. Kareena Kapoor.Weatltered but decettt police oll'icer [)ey l’ratap Singh (Bachchani atid special commissioner 'l‘ejinder Khosla (l’uri) are a great learn. especially when laced with [lie slightly corrttpt actions ol chiel minister Bhandarker. But one day unemployed law graduate liarheen (Khan) enters tlteir life and driy‘es a wedge between them that will test their bottd ol lriendship to the limits. Remarkably hard hitting Hindi police thriller starring India's answer to Sean Connery atid the superb l’uri (15ml [5 limit iii a surprising return to Indian film. ()llt’UH ur f/It’ Quay. (i/usgmr; ('(‘l. Iz‘iliIt/mrg/i. Dieu Seul Me Voit (God’s Got my Number) (PG) (Bruno l’odalyd. l‘rance. 1998i Denis l’odalyd. Jeanne Balibat‘. lsabelle (‘andelietz 1 18min. A super indecisiye man (deciding whether or not to cross the road is a problem) meets three decisiy e and determined wometi. A lresh. loose. insightlul comedy. part ol a trilogy devoted to the director and star brothers team. (iI'U/i Glasgow:
Dirty Pretty Things ( Its» 00. (Stephen l’t'ears. l'ls'. 2002i 2002. mein. In this gift”) tale ol London's illegal immigrants Nigerian ()kwe lijiolori atid 'l'urkish Settay ('l‘autoui make a dark discoyet'y' about goings on at the hotel which they botlt work nights: the sale of human organs. The leads are good. particularly lijiolor. who elicits real sympathy as the wary Nigerian. Amelie star 'l‘autou also impresses in her speaking part. Veteran director lirears knows how to get good perlortnances ()ttl ()l ltts cast despite the language difficulties. But it's a shame none ol the aboy‘e talents were sery ed with a decent script. one not ltill ol cliched dialogue and unimaginatiy'e thriller genre conyentions. I-"i/m/muu'. lz‘iliiilmrgli.
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde t l2) (Rottben Mamoulin. l'S. l‘l32i l‘redric March. Miriam llopkins. Rose llobart. llolmes llerbert. llalliwell Hobbes. lidgar Norton. 'l'empe l’igott. 08min. (‘lassic adaptation of Robert Louis Steyenson's noy ella. which focuses on Jekyll's attempts to separate the good attd ey‘il natures ol tuatt. (ii/molrliillU/l (i/mgon:
Dracula: Pages from a Virgin’s Diary ( l2) 0.... (Guy Maddin. (’anada. 2002i Wei-()iang thang. Tara Birtwhistle. Day'e Moroni. ('indy Marie Stnall. Johnny A Wright. 75min. (iuy' Madden is (‘anada's best kept cinematic secret. and since 1086 he has been producing a body ol lilmic work with his brilliant producer (ireg Klymkiw. His best known works blur the line between fairytale storytelling. camp commentary and perlormance art. lle is to cinema what (‘indy Sherman is to photography; his lilms are dillicult to source btit well worth searching out. So it comes as a bit of a surprise that this moy'ie is getting a hall decent distribution. Madden has basically taken Mark (iodden‘s Royal Winnipeg Ballet production ol the Dracula myth atid giy‘en it a thorough cinematic listing. The result is remarkable. dreamlike and altogether entrancing. Hint/tome. lz‘i/irthtu'g/i.
The Dreamers ( 18) 0000 (Bernardo Bertolucci. l‘K/li‘rance/ltaly. 2003) Michael l’itt. Louis (iarrel. liya (ireen. Robiti Rettucci. Attna (‘hancellotz l l5min. lw iits Isabelle ((ireen) and Theo ((iat‘t'el) ltt‘sl meet Attterican student Matthew (l’itti at a protest rally surrounding the sacking ol the director ol the cineniatheque. llenri l.anglots. The trio bond thr iugh their shared loye ol imitating their screen idols and
recreating scenes lrom their lay'ottt‘ite lilms. Much ol this elegantly shot lilm unlolds iii a rambling l’at‘isian apartment. iti which the three adolescents can retreat lrom the outside world and engage iit sexual eyperimentation. A return to lornt lor this great director. (tinten. Iz'iliIi/uujeli.
ECA Degree Show/Film/TV (thei (Various. l'K. 2002) \ttt'ltttlswliis tlte season lol‘ those student sltowt‘eels. 'l‘alcnt scottls alct'tl l‘l/Hl/IUHM’. [Jilin/Hugh.
Eating Out ( 18) (Allan Brocka. l'S. 2004i Scott l.iitislord. Jitn Vert'at'os. Ryan ('arnes. 90min. (iay Kyle (Jittt Vert'arosi atid his straight llatmate (‘aleb (Scott l.itttsl'ot'di are both young and unlucky in loy'e in this highly rated comedy. l)esperatc lor some action. muscle-bound (‘aleb pretends to be gay to get iti with the girlies. When he meets cttte. kook)‘ (iw en (limin Stiles). he pretends to lancy her llatmate Marc (Ryan ('arnest in order to get closer to her. But then he linds himsell alone with Marc and his resolute straightness is ptit to the test. Part of the London lesbian atid (lay liilm l‘estiyal on Tour. film/muse. l-fi/I'itlitirg/t.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind ( 15) 0.... (Michel (iotidt'y. l'S. 200-1i Kate Winslet. Jim ('arey. loll] Wilkinson. Kirstin l)unst. lllSmin. (‘hat'lie ls'aulman‘s second collaboration with director Michel (iondry (alter Iliumm Milim'i is his best lilm yet. l.ike Irvine .lolui .lIu/korit‘li. Internal Sims/line is a wildly imaginatiye llight ol lantasy. ‘l‘his lilm's gloriously balmy conceit sees (‘arrey's loyelorn loser. Joel Barish. haying the painful memories ol his es~girllriend surgically remoy ed. She‘s (‘Icmentine ls't'uc/ynski (Winsleti. a loyeably wild. impettious girl who. ait increasingly miserable Barish discoyers. had the procedure perlormed upon her alter she got bored with their relationship aitd ended it. ()\ er the course ol a night the stall (Mark
Rulallo. l)unst atid Wilkinson) ol a non- descript medical lacility. lacuna lnc. obliterate Barish's memories. btit when he finds himsell semi-conscious. he decides he wants to retain his memories. l'nable to lully wake to halt the procedure. a era/y cat-aml-mouse chase through the patient's subconscious begins. with Bat'ish attempting to hide (‘Iementine itt deeply repressed memories places the Lacuna techies would ney er think of probing. It‘s an outrageously demented ride. bttt underlying this tet't'ilic trip are some serious metaphysical questions about human relationships. (’an loyc endut'c'.’ ll not. was it worth it iii the lirst place'.’ ('ienius. (it'ltr’l'u/ I'i’lt’ilyi'.
The Event ( 15i ('l‘hom l‘it/gerald. ('anada. 2003) Olympia l)ukakis. l)on McKellar. l’arker l’osey. Sarah l’olley.
l l2ntin. lntense relationship drama that morphs itito a mystery. centring around a series ol unexplained deaths that occur aitiotig the gay community in New York‘s lttslttttttttltle ('hclsea tlislt'tel. l’arket' l’osey. |)on Mcls'ellar. Sarah l’olley star. l’art ol the London Lesbian and (lay l‘ilm l‘estiyal on Tour. HIV/L (i/ityemi .' I'll/HIIUHH’. I'fi/I'Ii/mrg/i.
50 First Dates ( 12m .0 (Peter Segal. l'S. 2004i Adam Sattdler. Drew Barrymore. Rob Schneider. Sean Astin. I.usia Strus. l)an Ay kt'oy d. ‘Nmin. ('harmless reunion ol Sandler and Barrymore. The duo were so appealing in The lli'i/i/ing Singer bill this take on l’irandello‘s lz'nrii'o ll' lails to recapture past glories. S/ioni'uyt' ('im'mu. Pitt's/m. l’ttiy/t'r. C9 FUBAR ( is. oooo (Michael l)owse. ('anada. 2002) Paul Spence. l)ay*id law rencc. (iot'tlon Skilling. 'l‘racey Lawrence. Sage Lawrence. 70min. See
t'ey icw. page :7. (i171: (i/(lygmt': .‘ilt'l' (ht/my. Iz't/t'Ii/tm'g/i.
Fear X ( l2Ai .0. (Nicolas Winding Reln. ('anada/l)enmat'k/l’K/llra/il. 2004i
Paul ad David Lawrenc are lie ttally FUBAR
index Film
John 'l‘urturro. Deborah l'nger. James Retnar. ‘Jlmin. 'l‘he seemingly pointless tnurder ol the wile of Harry (‘ain ('l‘urturroi iii a Wisconsin mall is the setting lot' Reln's lirst loray' itito linglish language lilmmaking. a screenwriting collaboration with noy'elist llubert Selby Jr. It is exhilarating stttll (though marred by a weak second halli as Harry literally tlt‘lyes himsell nuts trying to work otit why his wile was killed. atid iii the process perhaps make a little sense ol the world he inhabits. As with the Danish director's earlier ellorts. the electric I’us/n'r atid Dru/er. I'i'ur .\' essays the psychology and social circumstance behind crime rather than its y'iolent external expression. ('('.-l. (iluygon; The Flower of My Secret ( ISi (l’cdt'o .»\ltnodoy‘ar. Spaiti. 1005i Marisa l’aredes. Juan licltanoy'e. Rttssy' de l’alma. l01min. The cult director ntoy'cs away from hysterical higli camp towards a tnore serious melodrama as writer l’aredes despairs ol her lilc as a popular romantic noy elist. A matttrc. controlled. olten deeply moy ittg work that retains some typically arch humour and sly ironies. ('unu'o. I'.’iliii/iiiifieli. The Football Factory ( lis‘i oo
(Nick l.oye. l'K. 200-1i Danny l)y et'. l-‘rank llarper. Neil Maskell. Roland Manookian. ()0min. liilm adaptation of John Kings 1006 noyel that lacks both imagination and technique while taking a cheap. brutal no- nonsense approach to the story. Director l.o\ c ((imu/ln't' ('lturlit' Brig/i!) has decided to make a film that. like his debut ellort. is a poor rip oll ol blurry/tuning. We are treated to ()0 minutes ol dreadful digital imagery lollowing 'l‘ommy l)a\idson's (Danny l)y eri se\-drugs-and-throw ing-rocks lilcsty le on match day which is then juxtaposed against his mundane eyeryday lilc. This is another occasion on which the linal whistle does ttot come a moment too soon. .S‘limu'uyi' (‘ilti'mir (Mir/Hitler: .S'It’r ('c'nlun. l'fr/i/t/nu'u/i.
.Jtii‘ POO-1 THE LIST 35