Ratcatcher

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FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 147 WIDTH="491"><div> <IMG SRC="1334638c0.jpg" border=0 width="99" height="140" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"><B>DVD <script language="JavaScript"> function popUp(URL,NAME) { amznwin=window.open(URL,NAME,'location=yes,scrollbars=yes,status=yes,toolbar=yes,resizable=yes,width=380,height=450,screenX=10,screenY=10,top=10,left=10'); amznwin.focus();} document.open(); document.write("<a href=javascript:popUp('http://buybox.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=reelmoviecriticc&link_code=xsc&creative=23424&camp=2025&path=/dt/assoc/tg/aa/xml/assoc/-/B000069CF9/reelmoviecriticc/ref=ac_bb1_,_amazon')><img src=http://rcm-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/associates/remote-buy-box/buy1.gif border=0 alt='Buy from Amazon.com' ></a>"); document.close(); </script> <noscript> <form method="POST" action="http://buybox.amazon.com/o/dt/assoc/handle-buy-box=B000069CF9"> <input type="hidden" name="asin.B000069CF9" value="1"> <input type="hidden" name="tag-value" value="reelmoviecriticc"> <input type="hidden" name="tag_value" value="reelmoviecriticc"> <input type="image" name="submit.add-to-cart" value="Buy from Amazon.com" border="0" alt="Buy from Amazon.com" src="http://rcm-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/associates/add-to-cart.gif"> </form> </noscript>  </B></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="579" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="575"><div> <B>Ratcatcher </B>***1/2 (R)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="575"><div> Reviewed By George O. Singleton</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="549" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 23 WIDTH="545"><div> We all need a helping hand</div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="580" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> James Gillespie: William Eadie</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> George Gillespie: Tommy Flanagan</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Anne Gillespie: Mandy Matthews</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> Margaret Anne: Leanne Mullen</div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Writer & director: Lynne Ramsay</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="304"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="19" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="304" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <B>30 Second Bottom Line</B>: This is a coming of age story about a twelve year old boy dealing with guilt over the accidental drowning of a friend, and the sexual awakening of a fourteen year old girl.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Story Line:</B> <I>Ratcatcher</I> is a pre and early teen coming of age movie along the lines of <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFF33" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="id650.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="George Washington"><U><I><B>George Washington</B></I></U></A><A HREF="id650.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="George Washington"><U><B>,</B></U></A></FONT> which is to be released later this month. Both deal with children from poor families, living with and relating to adults and parents that can kindly be described as somewhat dysfunctional. </div> <bR> <div> Set in Glasgow, we find twelve-year-old James Gillespie (William Eadie) living with his parents and two sisters in a neighborhood of dingy row houses, that are comparable to American public housing projects. He and his family are on a waiting list for their new dream house, which is at the end of the bus line, adjacent to open fields. The bleakness of the city setting is accentuated with the trash in black garbage bags on the streets and in yards because of a labor strike by sanitation workers. Rats are in evidence outside the home as well as inside, where they are considered almost as family pets. </div> <bR> <div> James becomes guilt ridden when a friend accidentally drowns while they are playing by a nearby canal. His parents George and Anne (Tommy Flanagan and Mandy Matthews) are at a loss as to how to help their son with the strange behavior related to his secret, because they are in a fog themselves. Anne has her hands full with his two sisters and a husband who finds her gorgeous only when he's drunk. </div> <bR> <div> James befriends a fourteen-year-old girl, Margaret Anne (Leanne Mullen), when bullies take her eyeglasses and throw them into the canal.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Tell Me More About It</B>: Normally a coming of age film is targeted at an audience for people in that age bracket. This film is aimed more at the adults in the lives of those children rather than the children themselves. When children have little to no guidance from responsible adults, their lives become a crap shoot with the odds against them. The message of adult responsibility and mentoring is subtle here, unlike in <A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/2000/id809.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/2000/id80"><U><I><B>Finding Forrester</B></I></U></A><A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/2000/id809.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/2000/id80"><U><I>,</I></U></A><I> </I>when Sean Connery helps a sixteen year old boy develop his writing skills.</div> <bR> <div> The friendship between James and Margaret helps him work through learning to handle a situation he can't change (the drowning). For Margaret, her not so casual sex with the town bullies could lead to depression and loss of what little self-esteem she has to begin with. James spends tender moments with her, which helps heal both of their souls.</div> <bR> <div> The <I>relationship</I> that develops between James and Margaret offers hope, to be sure, but it is also disturbing. I don't recall ever seeing a fully nude scene between such young people before. It's more non-sexual than sexual. The things that happen in the bathtub and on the toilet make you hold your breath wondering what <B>is</B> going on?!  If you love movies with great scenes, you'll remember this one for a long time.</div> <bR> <div> Two other times Margaret and James lay side by side, as they spend the night together. We wonder more about their minds than their bodies because emotional molding is taking place before our very eyes. It's reminiscent of the development of the young woman boxer in <A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/2000/id611.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/2000/id61"><U><I><B>Girlfight</B></I></U></A><A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/2000/id611.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/2000/id61"><U><B>,</B></U></A> with the exception that you expect a young adult to do certain things when they are closer to twenty rather than ten years of age.</div> <bR> <div> Getting out of the ghetto requires a change both in location and mindset. Friendship, faith and at times a helping hand can be the difference maker.<B> </B>The least desirable path is being in a rut that only gets deeper.</div> <bR> <div> Although <I>Ratcatcher</I> has the dark tone and feel of a documentary, it ends on a realistically positive note. Some may think the ending would have to be a fabrication but anyone who was fortunate enough to see the documentary, <I>Legacy</I> last year, will know that people can improve their lives and move out of the ghetto without having a college education or winning the lottery. The more I think about this film, the better I like it. </div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="591" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><div> R (sex; nudity; violence; language)</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><div> George O. Singleton © 2001</div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="587"><div> <A HREF="mailto:Reelmoviec@aol.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:Reelmoviec@aol.com"><U><U>George@reelmoviecritic.com</U></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> Mini Filmography </div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="579" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="286"><div> William Eadie: <I>Debut</I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="286"><div> Tommy Flanagan: <I>Face Off</I></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 ><NOBR><div> Mandy Matthews: Looking After JoJo-TV</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="286"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="19" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="286" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 38 WIDTH="286"><div> Lynne Ramsay: <I>Debut feature film; Small Deaths, a short won an award at Cannes</I></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="286"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="38" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="286" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="504" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 19 WIDTH="498"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="19" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="498" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>  </div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>