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All articles by Allan Hunter – Page 63
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Reviews
Fahrenheit 911
Dir/scr: Michael Moore.US. 2004. 112minsA generation ago, thedogged, unwavering efforts of investigative journalists Bob Woodward and CarlBernstein helped to dislodge a president from power. Times change but couldhistory repeat itself with Fahrenheit 911' Probably not, but MichaelMoore's blistering documentary offers such a comprehensive assault on thefailings, lies and deceptions of ...
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Reviews
Life Is A Miracle (Zivot Je Cudo)
Dir:Emir Kusturica. Fr-Serb-Mont. 2004. 154minsExperiencingan Emir Kusturica film is like being stone cold sober in a room of drunken,overwrought revellers. Life Is A Miracle is no exception. A boisterousbear hug of a film, it explores the bitter ironies of the Bosnian-Serbianconflict with an irrepressible appetite for the joys and sorrows ...
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Reviews
The Calcium Kid
Dir:Alex De Rakoff. UK-US-Fr. 2004. 89mins.Orlando Bloom's post-Lord Of The Rings appeal will be sorely testedby The Calcium Kid, a title fight mockumentary that packs a puny punch.A world removed from the genre-defining classics of Christopher Guest and histroupe, this uninspired effort has more in common with parochial British farelike ...
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Reviews
Bad Education (La Mala Educacion)
Dir/scr: Pedro Almodovar. Spain. 2004. 104 minsPedro Almodovar's status as Europe's most distinctive and bankable auteur is effortlessly maintained with Bad Education, a rich fusion of film noir and melodrama spun with all the intricacy of a spider's web. Autobiographical memories and Almodovar's trademark preoccupations with death and desire are ...
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Reviews
Death In Gaza
Dirs: James Miller/ Misha Manson-Smith. UK/US. 2004. 80minsJames Miller was considered one of his generation's most observant witnesses to war. An Emmy-winning journalist who had reported from Bosnia, Lebanon and Iraq, he was shot dead by an Israeli soldier in May 2003. Miller was just 34 and had been working ...
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Reviews
Blind Flight
Dir: John Furse. UK. 2003. 96 minsExceptional performances from Ian Hart and Linus Roache lend a compelling authority to the true story of hostages Brian Keenan and John McCarthy. Both actors get under the skin of two very different characters, capturing their individual personalities but also illuminating the common humanity ...
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Reviews
Hush Hush Baby (Shouf Shouf Haibibi)
Dir: Albert ter Heerdt. The Netherlands. 2004. 88minsThe ever expanding borders of the European Union have pushed immigration to the top of the political agenda. Hush, Hush Baby touches on some of the serious global issues surrounding the topic but is generally happy to settle for broad, knockabout comedy and ...
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News
Sylvain Chomet does tartan jig
Oscar-nominated animator Sylvain Chomet is reported to be considering establishing a base in the Scottish capital of Edinburgh.Chomet, an Oscar contender for The Triplets Of Belleville, will be working with Four Way Pictures, the Scottish company established by Robert Carlyle, Antonia Bird, Irvine Welsh and Mark Cousins.The Triplets Of Belleville ...
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Reviews
Silmido
Dir: Kang Woo-suk. South Korea. 2003. 133 minsIf Quentin Tarantino ever gets around to his men on a mission flick, he could do worse than cast an eye over Silmido. Kang woo-suk's muscular tale of Death Row desperados combines brawn and brain to compelling effect. The political complexities of a ...
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Reviews
Twin Sisters (De Tweeling)
Dir: Ben Sombogaart. Netherlands. 2002. 135minsProving that Miramax doesn't have a monopoly on well-crafted, Oscar-friendly literary adaptations, Twin Sisters is a sweeping version of the European best-seller by Tessa de Loo. A straightforward account of twin sisters separated by family circumstances and the bitter divisions in wartime Europe, it should ...
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News
Scotland's New Found scheme to back two more features
The New Found Films scheme has announced that it will finance two further low-budget Scottish digital features.The scheme, run by Scottish Screen, Scottish Television and Grampian Television, offers production companies a budget of £300,000 to make a feature that has relevance to Scotland and is capable of international release.The first ...
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News
BAFTA Scotland to launch annual awards event
BAFTA Scotland is to establish an annual awards ceremony recognising excellence in the Scottish screen industries. The organisation hosted a major ceremony every two years throughout the 1990s until the Scottish Media Group (SMG) withdrew their support for the event in 1999. SMG owns Scottish Television and Grampian Television. BAFTA ...
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Reviews
Sea Of Silence (Verder Dan De Maan)
Dir: Stijn Coninx. Neth/Belg. 2003. 100 minsAn endearing, old-fashioned coming of age drama, Sea Of Silence travels a well worn road with care and craft. An episodic account of a family's joys and sorrows, it views the world through the eyes of a grave-faced, God-fearing little girl. A poised, mature ...
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Reviews
Skagerrak
Dir: Soren Kragh-Jacobsen. Denmark-UK. 2003. 104minsA modern fairytale about friendship, second chances and the unpredictable nature of happiness, Skagerrak is an unwieldy romantic charmer from writer-director Soren Kragh-Jacobsen. Lacking the focus and obvious commercial appeal of Berlin prize-winner Mifune, his English-language debut is the kind of slow burner that worms ...
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Reviews
Cheeky
Dir: David Thewlis. UK/France. 2003. 94 minsTen years ago, Mike Leigh's Naked confirmed David Thewlis as one of the most electrifying actors of his generation. His tour de force earned him a Best Actor prize at Cannes and a far from satisfactory international career that includes the disastrous remake ...
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Reviews
Love Actually
Dir: Richard Curtis. UK. 2003. 129 minsLike a latter-day Frank Capra, Richard Curtis believes in the innate decency of the ordinary individual. His films salute the power of love and the possibility of harmony in a world riven with division. His vision may not be dark or cutting-edge but it ...
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News
Verve takes UK rights to Edinburgh winner Afterlife
Verve Films have acquired UK theatrical rights to Gabriel Films' Afterlife, the winner of the Standard Life Audience Award at the 2003 Edinburgh International Film Festival. Written by Andrea Gibb and directed by Alison Peebles, the low-budget digital feature is the first title created under the New Found Films scheme ...
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Reviews
11:14
Dir: Greg Marcks. US. 2003. 95 minsThe random acts of desperate individuals propel the frantic, fashionably dark-hued ensemble 11:14. The first feature from writer-director Greg Marcks is distinguished by the intricacy of its plotting and a fondness for bad taste humour. A calling card for Marcks abilities, it lacks the ...
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News
Toronto restores faith in festival experience
There are times this year when Toronto must have felt like a city under siege - the combination of SARS, a strong Canadian dollar and a power blackout had a devastating effect on the city's allure. The film festival circuit has been suffering from a similar cocktail of misfortune with ...
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Reviews
The Boys From County Clare
Dir: John Irvin. Ireland/UK/Germany. 2003. 90 minsWarm in spirit but slight in terms of substance, The Boys From County Clare is a lightweight period charmer. Attractively photographed and ably performed, it is a nice little inoffensive film that lacks the bite or grit to make much headway in theatrical terms. ...