Pallndromos
Batman Begins
THE CINEASTE
Film editor PAUL DALE is known at The List for his love of arcane and sometimes challenging art house cinema. So why is he looking forward to mainstream nonsense like Batman, Robert Altman and Narnia?
hcn askcd l'or any kind ol
rcctimmcndation I litid it hard to rcsist
muttcring thc words ol‘ thc assistant dircctor on thc Michacl (‘ainc/()tto l’rcmingcr lilni Hurry Stun/own ( l9(i7l. who whcn askcd hy an clcctrician what hc should do with a rcncgadc Iaddcr shoutcd: '.Iust go to thc door and kccp on walking till yottr hat lloats.‘ \Vhat IUIItm‘s is a mild rant about what I will hc looking out l‘or in 2005. You will noticc that this list docsn‘t contain any rcl’crcncc to rcality tclcy‘ision. thc paintings ol .lack Vcttriano. thc lilms Richard (runs or thc collcctcd works ol Ilclcn I‘iclding. so I atn prohahly coming lrom way out ol Icl‘t licld. Il‘ you could allow inc to hold you undcr thc watcr tor a w'hilc. howcy'cr. that would hc just dandy lol‘ thc two ol' us.
Amcrican dircctor ’I‘aylor Ilackl‘ord hasn't actually madc a dcccnt lilm cycr. hut hc is thc man who gay'c thc world Richard (icrc in a rcgitncntal whitc nayy uniform in .-In ()[lit‘t'r (Hill
‘THEY SAY THAT ALL MEN RETURN TO CHILDISH YEARNINGS AS THEY GET OLDER'
u (iv/illr'mun and hc produccd thc csccllcnt l99o Ali/Forman documcntary ll'lim ll't' IIt'l't’ Kings (shortly hcl'orc marrying his long tcrm panncr. a ccttain IIcIcn Mirrcn. in I997). So I lch justilicd in gctting rcally cxcitcd ahout Ray. This is his hiopic ol‘ Ray ('harlcs starring .lamic lioxx otit latcr this month. (‘harlcs is onc ol~ my layouritc musicians of thc last ccntury hut in this casc it is actually Jamic lioxx who l'ascinatcs mc. Ilay'ing llittcd hctwccn a fairly unrcmarkahlc lilm acting carccr and a dcccnt stand up carccr sincc l99ll. lioxx annihilach all thc douhtcrs last ycar with a phcnomcnal pcrl'ormancc as Max. thc trouhlcd taxi driy'cr in Michacl Mann's ('o/lurt'ml. By my rcckoning this 38—ycar-old lrom 'I‘cxas is linally rcady to cmcrgc as onc ol‘ thc kcy .»\l‘rican Amcrican pcrl'ormcrs ol‘ his gcncration.
'I‘hcy say that all mcn rcturn to thcir childish or adolcsccnt ycamings as they gct oldcr and l‘or this
rcason. it no othcr. I am gclting all giddy ahout thc liltn \crsions ol' The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe duc out at thc cnd ol‘ thc ycar and ol' coursc (’hristophcr .llt'mt'iilo Nolan‘s supcrhcro l'L‘ttsscsslllL‘llt. Batman Begins. sttll‘l'lllg (‘Itl‘lstlttlt Balc as thc Dark Knight. which promiscs to hc morc rcminisccnt ol' I‘rank Millcr's l9.\’(ls rc intcrprctalions than has prcy iously hccn atlcniptcd. I.ikc l/ilt‘li/Irltt'r'x. it will hc out in .May. chs. 'I'hcy arc all mainstrcam lilms. lint tor a changc. thcy arc good onch
'I‘odd Solond/ is a lilmmakcr who can l'rustratc. i‘cyolt and surprisc in cqual mcasurc arid that makcs him a trcmcndous talcnt in my tawdry Iittlc hook. His ncw' lilm Palindromes will hc out in April and is anothcr nasty lamilial hlack cotncdy tw'istcd hy' thc appcarancc ol ciglit dil'l'crcnt actrcsscs in thc samc rolc. :\nothcr lilmmakcr cut li'om thc samc cloth is (ircgg 'llit' Iii-mg lint! Araki. his latcst lilm. Mysterious Skin out in May. is also said to hc his hcst mm: In tcrms ol‘ rc—rclcascs. thcrc is only onc must-scc Iilm and that is thc Blil's sparkling ncw print ol' Rohcrt Altman‘s I975 mastcrpiccc Nashville.
Iic‘ytllld L‘lltcllla (ls tItL‘l'c such a placc'.’) I hopc to spcnd my sparc hours this summcr curch up with The Complete Crumb. lhc dclinitiy'c collcclion (it. this grcat altisl‘s work and Ho (‘hc Andcrson‘s Scream Queen. Andcrson. a ’Iomnm .S'rur rcportcr. has inst cotnc oil" a Iiyc— ycar stint on hcr graphic noycl scrics King ahout thc y'cncratcd ciy'il rights lcadcr. Ilcr ncw' work will scc hcr sprcading hcr horror gcnrc wings.
Bookw'isc I can't wait to rcad Kalccm Allah's hiography ol' thc conlcntious but always intcrcsting lilmmakcr Spike Lee (luncl. I was ahlc to gct a look at sonic y'cry carly dral'ts ol thc hook and it promiscs to hc an cnlightcning rc- asscssmcnt iii a much maligncd autcur.
Quirky I'S lilm writcr Joc ()uccnan trics to lind otit what makcs thc Brits tick in his ncw hook Queenan Country: A Reluctant Anglophile’s Pilgrimage to the Mother Country lI'chruary’l. and linally Morgan Spurlock's Don’t Eat This Book. accompanying his documcntary .S‘u/u'r .S'iIv .Ilt'. has got to hc worth a look. Ilcll. I may act] ordcr it in largc print.
2005
This year’s unmissable moments in the central belt and beyond
Celtic Connections Annual folk bonanza With mu5ical talent from Aberteldy to Andrea Zonn. ma most of the people who matter on the roots scene
EVENTS OF 1 mm E.~_Aa._ac~
Sunshine that sweeps the board”
The month for a snap general election? Glasgow World Film Festival Amb'ttouS new event that swears it's not trialling Edinourgh
Aye write! New.» literary testwa? tOr Glasgow including LOurse Welsh and Rot; Hattersle‘,
The Oscars will :1 De The Anamr. or Eternal
Glasgow International Comedy Festival IlllS year‘s line up includes Julian Clam, Paul Merton and Joan was
26 THE LIST 6—30 Jan 2005