Galway Advertiser 2005/2005_09_22/GA_2209_E1_080.pdf 

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Galway Advertiser

September 22 2005

Th W e e ek QUICK FLICS
A weekly guide to what's on at the cinema compiled by UNA SINNOTT
BOY EATS GIRL: A boy is turned into a flesh eating zombie by his mother in this hilarious teen rom com. Nathan (David Leon) is having a hard time at school but things get even worse when his first date with the lovely Jessica (Samantha Mumba) ends in tragedy. Nathan's mother (Deirdre O'Kane) decides to use voodoo to bring her son back to life, but Nathan soon finds he has no pulse and a taste for human flesh, and the zombie plague is soon spreading through his peers. REVOLVER: An ex-con attempts to settle an old score using a newly acquired system for cheating at blackjack in Guy Ritchie's obtuse metaphysical drama. Jake (Jason Stratham) plans to use his newly acquired cheating skills to exact revenge on his casinoowning nemesis (Ray Liotta), but is waylaid by a pair of metaphor-happy gangsters along the way. The film is stylistically slick with the usual dollop of cockney violence, but the plot and dialogue are bizarre. PRIDE & PREJUDICE: Keira Knightley and Matthew McFadyen make a decent fist of romantic heroes Elizabeth and Mr Darcy in this retelling of Jane Austin's slow burning period romance. With a mother (Brenda Blethyn) desperate to marry off her daughters to wealthy socialites, Elizabeth is initially unimpressed with the arrogant and aloof Mr Darcy, but the social norms of the day make it difficult for the pair to reveal the feelings which they develop for each other during the story. The film features an impressive supporting cast, including Donald Sutherland and Dame Judi Dench. WOLF CREEK: A hapless trio of backpackers fall prey to an outback psycho (John Jarratt) in this genuinely scary Australian horror. The three find themselves stranded and receive assistance from friendly Mick before he unleashes himself upon them, and good character development means his victims are more than just camera fodder. While not strictly based on a true story, writer/director Greg McLean keeps the film moving along at a jaunty, if sometimes jolting, pace. MUST LOVE DOGS: Gary David Goldberg's romantic comedy about a fortysomething teacher looking for love is more hilarity than humanity. Diane Lane's lovelorn teacher is helped by a meddling sister who puts her details on an dating site in a bid to find her a man, and she soon strikes up a rapport with a lonely boatbuilder (John Cusack) who replies to the ad. Meanwhile a pupil's parent (Dermot Mulroney) also has designs on her. It is Christopher Plummer, however, who steals the show as Lane's hilarious randy Irish dad.

CINEMA REVIEWS

Pride and Prejudice proves a worthwile remake

Kiera Knightley and Matthew MacFadyen in Pride and Prejudice.

BY KATIE MOYLAN

NEW SCREEN adaptations of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice seem to proliferate on a regular basis. In 1995 Austen frenzy reached a summit when the BBC serial of Pride and Prejudice not only pulled in record viewing figures but also apparently provided the definitive version of Mr Darcy in Colin Firth, clad in a dripping white shirt. Last year Bend It Like Beckham director Gurinder Chadha combined Austen's early 19th century social satire with Bollywood cinema in

the rambunctious Bride and Prejudice. This year's Pride and Prejudice goes back to the source. Director Joe Wright is faithful to the original novel both in substance and in setting. This film is less full of traditional set pieces than most period drama, with more scenes in the ramshackle Bennet household or outdoors in the rain than in stuffy salons and chilly mansions. Even the requisite ball scene is shot differently. Instead of using a static camera to emphasise the dancing and social ritual, Wright zeroes in on each character as he/she are dancing, displaying the ridiculousness of trying to chat and two step simultaneously. Later in the same scene, Lizzie's angst is captured as she decorously flees the overcrowded hall, glancing back in horror at the nuanced social disharmonies within. The result of these and other, similarly unstructured moments is an earthier, less mannered Pride and Prejudice than we're used to seeing. Keira Knightley, originally deemed too pretty for the role, shines as the spirited Lizzie. While the camera makes the most of Knightley's beauty through repeated close-ups of her wistful

face, the actress's natural energy and clear comprehension of Lizzie's motivations are what drive her performance. The usually appealing Matthew MacFadyen is a little too stiff as the rigid and glowering Darcy, although he broods with finesse. The best acting by far, however, comes from the supporting cast. Donald Sutherland plays the grumpy and taciturn patriarch Mr Bennet, moving between distanced bemusement, polite exasperation, and occasionally sublime tenderness for his belligerent offspring. He is perfectly balanced by Brenda Blethyn as the deeply silly Mrs Bennet, in a hysterical performance which once again demonstrates Blethyn's underused range. Kelly Reilly is icily superb as supercilious Caroline Bingley. This version of Pride and Prejudice is wonderfully done: great cast, respect rather than reverence for the source novel, and beautifully shot. While this adaptation incorporates Austen's searing critique of the political economy of marriage, it is first and foremost a love story and will be appreciated most by romance fans.

Gruesome murders depicted in Wolf Creek
road trip. The detail is great, right down to the Lonely Planet guide book and easkeys filled with boxes of goon (the affectionate name given to cheap wine bought in litres which is favoured especially by backpackers in Australia). Travelling together are English girls Liz (Cassandra McGrath), Kristy (Kestie Morassi), and Sydney native Ben (Nathan Phipips). All three actors are Australian, but you would never guess it by the pitch perfect middle class English accents assumed by the two girls. The film drifts along nicely for the first while, establishing a romantic relationship between Liz and Ben and detailing the daily ups and downs of spending time with the same two people. A lot of emphasis is put on the norm - driving along making up songs, sneaking a snooze in the back seat - resulting in a real documentary-feel to the film. This just adds to the effect when things start to get gruesome. Unlike a lot of more Hollywood-type `horror' films, Wolf Creek is based on actual events which occurred in

BY SINEAD MCGOVERN

DVD REVIEW
ROBOTS: An idealistic young robot sets out for the big city only to find himself fighting social injustice in this delightfully drawn adventure. Despite his humble beginnings, young Rodney Copperbottom (Ewan McGregor) dreams of becoming a great inventor, and spurred by the speeches of legendary industrialist Bigweld (Mel Brooks) he sets out for Robot City to realise his ambitions. However he soon discovers Bigweld is missing and has been replaced by a robot with ambitions to destroy the city's social underclass and sell everyone expensive upgrades. The animation is incredibly slick, with the huge mechanical world of Robot City rendered in minute detail. Robin Williams provides his usual offbeat brand of humour as comedy sidekick Fender, the leader of a rusty gang of rebels who defy orders that older robots be scrapped. There is also a plethora of celebrity cameos, from Jay Leno as a fire hydrant to James Earl Jones reprising his role as the voice of Darth Vader.

HE OPENING scenes in Wolf Creek will be very familiar to anyone who has been away backpacking, be it in Australia where the film is set - or any other country. It's all about being young and carefree and enjoying having heaps of time on your hands with which to see and do exactly what you want. The first 15 minutes or so of the film is dedicated to introducing us to the three backpackers who are embarking on a cross country trip from Broome in Western Australia to Cairns on the north east coast. Last moments on the beach are enjoyed, postcards are sent, and a car is bought before the three 20-something-year-olds head off on what should have been a great

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Australian actress Kestie Morassi in Wolf Creek.

Australia between 1989 and 1992, so you can't help but think all the way through that you're paying witness to a horror story in realtime. Things start to go wrong at Wolf Creek National Park, where they go to visit the site of a meteor crash. In totally isolated surroundings, their car refuses to start and it looks like they could be in for a long wait to be rescued. That is until a real country hick called Mick (John Jarrett) comes across them and offers to help them out. Not really having many options available to them, they take him

up on his offer and hours later pull up outside a gathering of work-sheds in the middle of nowhere. But the country hick is not as harmless as he first appeared. John Jarrett gives a very disturbing performance as a former animal slaughterer who misses the blood and gore of his glory days. He turns the road-trip into the worst kind of nightmare. The film is preceded by The Ten Steps, a short Irish horror film which is just the trick to set the mood for what is one of the most unsettling films released in a quite a while.

New courses at the Galway Film Centre

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HOSE INTERESTED in film should take note of two upcoming courses at The Galway Film Centre - the film foundation course and the makeup for TV course. The seven weekend film

foundation course starts on Saturday October 1 and is an opportunity to get an overview of the film making process. Learn about scriptwriting, film history, editing and directing, and get hands on experience with professional

cameras, sound, and lights. Be part of a crew and shoot a short digital film. The cost of the course is 670/610 plus membership of 55/45. The weekend makeup for TV course takes place on Saturday

October 8 and Sunday 9. It will be taught by Rosin Derrane who works in television, advertising, and fashion. The course costs 220/180 plus membership of 55/45. For more information contact the Galway Film Centre on 091 - 770748.