SUMMER FILM SPECIAL
The Notorious Bettie Page
The original pin up girl pops up on the big screen.
The pitch Loving. whimsical biopic of the 30th century‘s greatest pin tip girl.
The backstory Director Mary llarron‘s (I Shot Ant/y liill'llril. American Psycho) poignant commentary on the sexual mores of thc |‘)5()s casts (iretchen Mol (The Shape of Things) as Bettie Page. the sweet btit strangely wise na'i'f from Tennessee. a woman more sinned against than sinner. who was buoyed by a cheerful optimism. After an abusive marriage and a brutal gang rape. Bettie flees to New York and begins a modelling career. for which she has a natural talent. llarron‘s film concerns itself largely with her relationship with photographers Irving and Paula Klaw ((‘hris Bauer and l.ili Taylor) and the notorious bondage photographs they took of her. The pictures were harbingers of US society's awakening sexuality. The story is bookended by the trial the Klaws were subjected to for selling obscene materials. which led to Bettie‘s retirement to her much—loved Miami getaway. The verdict Writer/director/producer Mary llarron is one of the great unheralded women currently working in the US media. She has spent far too much time recently in television. and it will be good to have her and the notorious Bettie Page back in the limelight. (Paul Dale)
I Fn 4 Aug
LADY IN THE WATER More metaphysical mystery from M Night Shyamalan
The Pitch .S'i'ileu'uys star Paul Giametti plays building manager Cleveland Heep who rescues a mysterious young woman from danger and discovers she is not who or what she says she is. The consequences for him and the other tenants are possibly lethal.
The Backstory M Night Shyamalan returns with another mystery thriller to twist our melons and tempt all those spoiler spoilers in going public.
The Verdict Is this going to be as brilliant as The Sixth Sense and The lilluge. or as frankly
rubbish as .S‘i'gns‘.’ There‘s never any way of
knowing with this filmmaker but like Hitchcock before. a new film from Shyamalan is always an event. (PD)
I Fri 7 7 Aug
18 THE LIST 6—20 Jul 2006
NACHO LIBRE The Mexican wrestler movie finally gets a US comic makeover
The Pitch A monastery cook (.lack Black) attempts to raise funds for the orphans as a l.ucha Libre (masked) wrestler.
The Backstory Writer/dii'ector .lared lless follows up his sleeper hit .\'u/mleoii Dynamite with this deliberately crude but occasionally very funny comedy which makes the most of a truly great Mexican support cast. and of course the mighty Black in the lead role. Black was born to play this character.
The Verdict The film has been given a heating by critics stateside btit they all seem to have misjudged the cult stattis of the masked wrestler as well as l-less and Black‘s ability to always take these things one step too far. This rings our bell. (PD)
I Fri iiAag
A SCANNER DARKLY Dick gets the rub on colour treatment
The Pitch Roloscope animation \ei'sioii ol Philip K l)ick\ seminal paranoid novel about a future America where individuals spy on one another in the name of national security (sounds familiar huh .’)
The Backstory Sliol back to back by writer/director Richard l.inklatei‘ with lost him! Mil/on. this is another one of linklater's provocative espei‘iments in IS aii lioiise cinema. The man continues to push cii\clii[)cs with c\ci'_\tliiiig he does.
The Verdict li/m/e Runner apai't. lliis thoughtful. demanding. opaque film may not be for lovers of mainstream cinema. but it could
just be one of the best l)ick adaptations to date.
(l’l)i I ft' .5 r: ."4'