|
Film
Lynda
Del Sasso previews this month's new films
SPIDER
CANADA/UK 2002, CERT. 15
Director: DAVID CRONENBERG
Star Rating * * * * *
 London's
East End, the 1980s, and Spider Cleg (Ralph Fiennes) arrives
at a halfway house after spending most of his life in
a mental institution. Now a fragile and isolated man,
he finds that the sights and sounds of the streets awaken
buried memories of his childhood. He takes to re-visiting
his boyhood haunts and piecing together the trauma that
occurred after his father (Gabriel Byrne) took up with
a local prostitute.
Mrs
Wilkinson (Lynn Redgrave), the stern landlady of the halfway
house, shows little sensitivity towards Spider or the
other residents and he soon begins to confuse her with
his step-mother , the woman he believes destroyed his
family, Yvonne (Miranda Richardson).
Superbly
adapted for the screen by Patrick McGrath from his own
novel, Spider is an intimate portrait of a confused man
struggling to make sense of his fractured world. Fiennes,
with little dialogue, portrays his character's alienation
mainly through body language, and his performance is as
sensitive as it is intense. Cronenberg's dark directorial
style and Peter Suschitzky's moody camerawork gel perfectly,
achieving a fascinating exploration of a disturbed mind.
Duke
of York's from January 17.
CITY
OF GOD
BRAZIL 2002, CERT. 18
Director: FERNANDO MEIRELLES
Star Rating * * * *
In
the 1960s, a group of boys are growing up in a tough suburb
of Rio de Janeiro, named City of God. 11-year-old Rocket
(Alexandre Rodrigues), one of the quieter boys, observes
the exploits and small-time crimes of his friends. Lil
Dice (Douglas Silva/Leandro Firmino da Hora) sets his
sights on being the most dangerous criminal in town. In
the 1970s both boys have moved on: Rocket now studies,
while Lil Dice has become a drug dealer. By the 1980s,
Rocket achieves his dream of becoming a photographer,
while his friend has become a brutal hoodlum.
This
well-made tale of gang warfare in Brazil has been likened
to Martin Scorsese's classic Goodfellas. Similar in structure,
it follows its characters through the decades while the
narrator reflects on life choices made. The young cast,
largely non-professional actors, put in remarkable performances.
The violence feels dangerously authentic. Based on the
novel by Paolo Lins, which traced dozens of intertwined
stories, City of God is an astonishing film and proof
of Meirelles' emerging directorial talent.
Duke
of York's from January 3.
STAR
TREK: NEMESIS
US 2002, CERT. 12A
Director: STUART BAIRD
Star Rating * * *
After
investigating an unusual electromagnetic signature from
a nearby planet, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart)
and the crew of the starship Enterprise discover the dismantled
pieces of a familiar android.
Fans
of Star Trek: The Next Generation will be pleased to recognise
all the old favourites - Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis),
Will Ryker (Jonathan Frakes) Geordi (Le Var Burton) and
the sublime Data (Brent Spiner). As always, the effects
are spectacular, and Patrick Stewart and Brent Spiner
deliver first class performances. Entertaining enough,
though most of the TV episodes were superior in terms
of originality and imagination.
Odeon and UGC from January 3.
Spider
Competition
The Duke of York's Picture House is offering three very
special prizes (a script signed by Ralph Fiennes and two
novels signed by author Patrick McGrath) to the first
three correct solutions to the question: in which Cronenberg
film did Geena Davis and Jeff Goldblum star? Answers on
a postcard please to DOY Competition at The Insight office
(see elsewhere for address details), by January 13.
copyright The Insight 2002
|
