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All articles by Allan Hunter – Page 58
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Reviews
Jindabyne
Dir: Ray Lawrence. Australia. 2006. 123 minsIn a time of uncertainty or crisis, the only things you can cling on to are personal integrity and a sense of community. That is the hard lesson learnt by the residents of Jindabyne in director Ray Lawrence's haunting companion piece to his award-winning ...
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Reviews
The Singer (Quand J'Etais Chanteur)
Dir/Scr: Xavier Giannoli. France. 2006. 112 minsSad songs say so much in The Singer, an unashamedly sentimental love story that features one of Gerard Depardieu's most fully realised and endearing performances in recent years. His melancholy, smalltime singer has the same weary charm as Burt Lancaster's aging hood in Atlantic ...
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News
Ambitious auteurs at Cannes still lack the 'wow factor'
It only takes two or threefilms to bring a festival alive. They don't even have to be touched bygreatness, just talking points that make everyone glad to be here. Cache set Cannes buzzing last year. The Brown Bunny managed it on an unforgettable scale in 2003. This year, a respectableroll ...
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Reviews
Marie Antoinette
Dir/scr: Sofia Coppola. US. 2006. 123 minsIt's history but not as we know it in Marie Antoinette, Sofia Coppola's frivolous, fun-filled attempt to make 18th century Versailles accessible to 21st century audiences.Her version of Marie Antoinette is more Paris Hilton than Paris, France as we meet a shallow young woman ...
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News
Irvine Welsh to direct The Man Who Walks
Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh is to make his directorial debuton TheMan Who Walks.The $3.7m (£2m) productionwill be made for his own company4way Pictures and is an adaptation ofthe 2002 novel by fellow Scottishauthor Alan Warner, who also wrote MorvernCallar. Producer Catherine Aitken iscurrently in Cannesfinalising finance.A blackly comic road moviethriller,the ...
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Reviews
Fast Food Nation
Dir: Richard Linklater. US. 2006. 116mins.The American Dream is full of shit but everyone stillwants a slice of it in Fast Food Nation,an uneven attempt to pick the dramatic meat from the bones of Eric Schlosser's2001 non-fiction bestseller. Following the multi-story template established by Traffic, it traces the food chain ...
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Reviews
Summer Palace
Dir: Lou Ye. Chi-Fr. 2006.140mins.Social upheaval and sexual liberation make for areasonably potent cocktail in SummerPalace, an ambitious attempt to convey the sweep of recent world historythrough the life and loves of a young Chinese woman. The fourth feature from Suzhou River director Lou Ye is easily hismost accessible, although ...
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Reviews
Bug
Dir: William Friedkin. US. 2006. 102mins.An old dogtries to show off some new tricks in Bug,as veteran director William Friedkin (The Exorcist) attempts the trickytransfer of a bizarre theatrical hybrid to the cinema screen. The back-to-basicsapproach pays dividends in terms of the intensity of the performances and thesustained sense of ...
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News
Mackenzie to start shooting fourth film Hallam Foe
David Mackenzie is to direct Hallam Foe on location in Scotland from March 27. Mackenzie1s fourth feature after The Last Great Wilderness (2002), Young Adam (2003) and Asylum (2005) is a $5.4m ( £3.1m) adaptation of the Peter Jinks novel in which JamieBell stars as a misfit teenager who becomes ...
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News
James Marsh's gothic horror to open Glasgow festival
James Marsh's gothic horrortale The King starring Gael GarciaBernal will open the Glasgow Film Festival on February 16. Marsh andscreenwriter Milo Addica will attend and also takepart in a master class on the making of the film. The 2nd edition of this newScottish event runs until February 26 and includes ...
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News
Scots producer enters distribution fray
Scottish producer Ros Borland hasestablished BS Distribution to handle the UKrelease of her latest feature WildCountry. The low-budget teen horror movie was made by Borland's GabrielPictures and co-stars Martin (Sweet Sixteen)Compston and Peter Capaldi.It will be released in six prints in Scotlandon February 24 with a wider release across the ...
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Reviews
Brothers Of The Head
Dirs: Keith Fulton, Louis Pepe. UK. 2005. 90mins.Keith Fulton and Louis Pepetake a small step from documentary to mockumentarywith Brothers Of The Head, a bizarreriff on the source novel by Brian Aldiss.The story of conjoined twinbrothers and their brief rush of rock star fame during the 1970s is technically beyond ...
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News
Major honours shared at Bafta Scotland awards
Honours were equally shared between On A Clear Day and Festival at the annual BAFTA Scotland Awards announced in Glasgow.StarringPeter Mullan, On A Clear Day tells of an unemployedman's determination to regain his self esteem by swimming the English Channeland wonboth Best Film and Best Screenplay for Alex Rose. Thebawdy ...
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News
Festival heads Scottish Bafta contenders
AnnieGriffin's ensemble comedy Festivalheadsthe contenders for this year's BAFTA Scotland Awards with six nominations including best film. Writer/directorGriffin's feature debut took its inspiration from Robert Altman'sNashville and casts a jaundiced eye over the agonyand the ecstasy of theannual arts Festival in Edinburgh.GabyDellal's On A Clear Day starringPeter Mullan has received ...
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News
Festival heads Scottish Bafta contenders
Annie Griffin's ensemble comedy Festivalheadsthe contenders for this year'sBAFTA Scotland Awards with six nominations including best film. Writer/directorGriffin's feature debut took its inspiration from Robert Altman'sNashville and casts a jaundiced eye over the agonyand the ecstasy of theannual arts Festival in Edinburgh.GabyDellal's On A Clear Day starringPeter Mullan has received ...
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Reviews
A Woman In Winter
Dir/scr: Richard Jobson.UK. 2005. 100mins.Once pitched as "Solarismeets Last Year At Marienbad",A Woman in Winter is a soulful,metaphysical love story that exhibits the same virtues and shortcomings aswriter/director Richard Jobson's critically admireddebut feature 16 Years Of Alcohol.Jobson's third feature also makes the most of its modestbudget, adopting a radical, digital ...
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News
Merged festivals to boost French cinema in UK
French cinema is set to receive a significant boost to its UK profile with the merging of two festivals into a single focused promotional event to be held each Spring. The UK's annual French Film Festival, first launched in 1991, is to merge with the Renault French Film Season to ...
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Reviews
River Queen
Dir: Vincent Ward. NZ-UK.2005. 114mins.Long before Peter Jacksonbecame the Lord of the Kiwis, Vincent Ward was the leading light of New Zealandcinema. After disappointing Hollywood ventures and aborted projects, Wardfinally returns home for River Queen, a labour of love period drama thatemerges virtually unscathed from a difficult, fractured production history.The ...
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Reviews
Mistress Of Spices
Dir: Paul Mayeda Berges.UK. 2005. 92mins.A featherweight, feelgoodromance, The Mistress Of Spices is heavily reliant on the radiant beautyof Aishwarya Rai for any modest charm that it may possess. The directorialdebut of Paul Mayeda Berges promises to add a taste of India to a Chocolat-stylescenario but falls considerably short of ...