:: FILM

K-19: The Widowmaker

It is 1961, and with the Kremlin desperate to show its ability to counter Washington's overbearing military might, the K-19 submarine is hastily completed and sent off on its maiden voyage. It test-fires a nuclear missile in the Arctic and proceeds to the east coast of the States. A leak springs in its reactor, crippling the engine and threatening an impending meltdown that will explode the on board nuclear arsenal and probably spark World War 3.

Second in command, but still number one to his crew, is the fatherly Polenin (Liam Neeson), who has been demoted following his complaints that the K-19 is not ready for operations. At the helm is now the steely Captain Vostrikov (Harrison Ford), who believes in driving his crew to exhaustion and motivating them through fear. As the crisis develops, a fascinating power struggle ensues between the two, and we marvel at the heroism of the men stressed to breaking point.

Neeson and Ford are at their best (despite wonky Soviet accents) and are all the more watchable for playing characters unusual to them. But the film is a career-making tour de force for director Kathryn Bigelow, cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth and screenwriter Christopher Kyle, who leave the cinemagoer feeling like a tinned fish in a freezer, and at the same time manage to steer clear of any moral or cultural depth charges. See it.

From 12/14
Dir: Kathryn Bigelow
Cast: Harrison Ford, Liam Neeson, Peter Sarsgaard
2002/U.K., U.S./138min.

Minority Report

Speilberg re-invents his genius in this film noir sci-fi that pokes a finger at our current tender spot - balancing personal freedom with safety in society - and at the same time rivets us to our seats with a wry and dazzling vision of the future.

Fifty years from now, in a world where cereal packets are animated and holographic adverts greet you by name, but people still shop at Gap, murder has been eliminated in New York through the predicitons of psychics, whose visions of crimes-about-to-happen are relayed via computer to the cops. While authorities debate the possibility of the system going national, John Anderton (Tom Cruise), an officer in the Department of Pre-Crime, is suddenly told that he himself is about to commit a murder, which leaves him no choice but to go on the run and try to prove his innocence before his own department tracks him down.

The film's two and a half hours are powered by a carefully constructed plot, and are relatively free from explosions or other cheap gimmicks. Answers to the central questions are perhaps a little too obviously dealt with at the end, but others are left to be mulled over, and one or two twists are coiled tight, waiting to surprise you.

From 12/7
Dir: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton
2002/U.S./145min.

Showtime

Complaining about the cliches would be like complaining your gazpacho is cold - that's the point. Unfortunately the plot is thinner than any cold tomato soup though. Wiliam Shatner is funny, but hardly anyone else is.

2002/U.S./135min./Warner Bros.
Dir: Tom Day
Cast: Eddie Murphy, Robert DeNiro, Rene Russo

Gangs of New York

An apparently stunning Scorsese epic drama about the rise of Irish and Italian gangsters in 1860's New York. Daniel Day-Lewis's seems to already have the Oscar in his hand. Surely a smash.

2002/U.S
Dir: Martin Scorsese
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, Cameron Diaz

The Santa Clause 2

Santa substitute Tim Allen leaves a robot in charge in Lapland while he tries to get hitched before a December 24th deadline. Not on par with the original, but still a fun family yuletide yarn.

2002/U.S./105min
Dir: Michael Lembeck
Cast:Tim Allen, Judge Reinhold, Wendy Crewson

Return to Never Land

Disney cleaves off another slice of sacred cow, but this time minces it into a fresh juicy quarter pounder, rather than a tasteless \59 burger. Kids will enjoy this quality follow-up to the classic original.

2002/U.S./74min.
Dir: Robin Budd, Donovan Cook
Voices of: Harriet Owen, Blayne Weaver, Corey Burton

Charlotte Gray

Cate Blanchett, as a Francophone Scot searching for her lover in occupied France, bumbles through this melodramatic adaptation of Sebastian Faulks's bestselling wartime romance.

2002/U.K.,Australia/2h1min
Dir: Gillian Armstrong
Cast: Cate Blanchett, Billy Crudup, Michael Gambon

Eight Legged Freaks

If you actually scaled up a spider, you'd square the cross-section of its legs while cubing its mass, and its legs would snap. This 50s-style "Attack Of The..." tribute/rip-off is equally flimsy.

2002/U.S./99min.
Dir: Ellory Elkayem
Cast: David Arquette, Kari Wuhrer, Scarlett Johansson

Waking Life

A man looks for meaning in his dream world, where he meets people who can enlighten him. And turn into clouds. The 'animation' effect used is clever, but the lack of plot and arguably trite philosophies will irritate some.

2001/U.S./101mins./20th Century Fox
Dir: Richard Linklater
Cast: Wiley Wiggins, Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy

8 Femmes (8 Women)

A French Agatha Christie-style whodunnit musical, with an all-star cast. Eight women are snowed into a house, each with a motive for having stabbed to death the man of the house. Silly and fun. In French.

2002/France/111min.
Dir: Francois Ozon
Cast: Catherine Deneuve, Fanny Ardant, Emmanuelle Beart

A Walk to Remember

A totally forgettable forced-march through over an hour and a half of textbook, tissue-tugging, soppy nonsense, "starring" MTV popette Mandy Moore making a tiresome transition to the silver screen.

2002/U.S./102min
Dir: Adam Shankman
Cast: Mandy Moore, Shane West, Daryl Hannah

Che, Un Hombre de Este Mundo

Interviews with a dozen or so former associates of history's most photogenic guerrila leader, who offer a close up look at his life and times. No need to see it on the big screen. In Spanish.

1999/Argentina/ 88min.
Dir: Marcele Schapces

Cet Amour-La

A biopic of French novelist Marguerite Duras (Hiroshima, Mon Amour), based on a book by her toyboy lover. Hollywood fans should steer clear, as nothing much really happens. In French.

2000/France/100min.
Dir: Josee Dayan
Cast: Jeanne Moreau, Aymeric Demarigny

Jam Films

A new project that attempts to collect the best in Japanese short films. Seven must-see works by different directors and spirited casts including some notable actors.

2002/Japan/109min.
Dir: Shinji Iwai
Cast: Ryoko Hirosue,Takao Osawa,Takami Yoshimoto