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Headstart: an alien called Mikey tries a Mexican disguise in Men In Black
tantalises the powerful king Raj Singh. A richly atmospheric film — ftill of sensuality. vibrant colours. traditional music and alluring dances — that encourages female empowerment. (ilasgow: ABC Film Centre. Lady And The Tramp (U) (Hamilton Luske. US. 1955) With the voices of Peggy Lee and Bill 'I‘hompson. 75 mins. Disney's first animated feature in cinemascope has mongrel Tramp helping pedigree pooch lady out of a sticky situation and falling in Iurve along the way. Richly drawn with hummable tunes and endearing characterisations. this is the classic Disney mix as before. Lovely spaghetti-eating sequence. (ieneral release.
Larger Than Life (PG) (Howard l-‘ranklin. US. 1996) Bill Murray. Janeane (iarafalo. 'lai the elephant. 93 mins. Popular theraptist Jack (‘orcoran (Murray) inherits his father's circus elephant Vera. and aims to sell her to a heartless Hollywood animal trainer. But on their journey across America. Jack becomes a better person. This loosely plotted odyssey is drowned in mindless elephant worship — there are only so many times you really want to see a performing pachyderm stand on three legs — and the results are truly desperate. Ayr: ()deon. Stirling: MacRobert.
Lawrence Of Arabia (Hi) (David Lean. UK. 1962) Peter O'Toole. Alec (iuinness. Jack Hawkins, ()mar Sharif. 222 mins. Lean‘s mammoth desert epic is restored to its directors original cut. ()"l‘oole's debut as the enigmatic adventurer still impresses. but apart from the majestic action sequences. it's the disturbing sense of clinical and cold- blooded violence hanging over the highly literate characterisatiiin that today seems especially striking. Stirling: MacRobert. Liar Liar ( 12) (Tom Shadyac. US. 1997) Jim (‘arrcy Jennifer Tilly. Amanda Donohoe. 87 mins. After the bevs ilderingly ill—focused (ii/ili' (im. Jim (‘arrcy delivers a likcable. effective. btit decidedly mainstream comedy with a set up that's blissftilly simple 9a birthday w ish by (’arrey ‘s son means lawyer dad must stop telling lies for a single day. A very workable springboard for Jim (‘arrcy‘s tisual repertoire of play-dob facial tics and energetic slapstick. (ilasgow; ('ity Centre ()deon. Show case. Virgin. (ialashiels; Pavilion. Kirkcaldy: Adam Smith. Paisley: Showcase. ' Lone Star ( l5) (John Sayles. US. 19%) Chris (‘oopciz lili/abeth Pena. Kris Kristofferson. 135 mins. When a modern- day ‘l‘cxan sheriff investigates a decades-old murder. past clashes with present and local mythologies have to be re-examined. Sayles‘s various sub-plots don't distract from each other: It) fact. they re-inforce and counterpoint. building a complex social. historical arid political backdrop to the rivetting thriller on the surface. lidinburgh; l-‘ilmhousc.
Looking For Richard (15) (Al Pacino. US.
1996) Al Pacino. Winona Ryder. Alec Baldwin. 112 mins. Pacino investigates his passion for Shakespeare by scurrying around New York. interviewing ordinary people and famous thespians about the Bard's appeal. When he gets together his chums to chew over the text and enact some scenes from Richard III however. his offbeat film goes sadly off the rails and resembles a Higher English lesson. Edinburgh: Cameo. the Lost World: Jurassic Park (PG) (Steven Spielberg. US. 1997) Jeff Goldblum. Julianne Moore. Pete Postlethwaite. 129 mins. (ioldblum and Co drop onto a second dinosaur-filled island. which is disrupted by a mixed bunch of capitalists and safari hunters. sending the carnavores on a rampage. 'lhe story is far better than Jurassic Park. making fora thrilling adventure with impeccible effects that renders the original as good as extinct. Watch out for the certificate though: sustained scenes of terror suggest it should have been a ‘12'. (ieneral release.
Love And Other Catastrophes ( t 5) (limma-Kate Croghan. Australia. 1996) Alice Garner. Matt Day. Frances O'Connor. 77 mins. Croghan‘s witty. insightfully performed debut feature plays out in a recognisable campus world. for it seems that Australian students go through the same round of insecurity. humiliation and suffering at the hands of university administration as everyone else. Deftly blends structured comedy and wise observation —- enjoy it for now. and feel the promise for the future. (ilasgow: (il’l'. Kirkcaldy: Adam Smith.
Love! Valour! Compassion! (IS) (Joe Mantello. US. 1996) Jason Alexander. John (ilover. John Benjamin Hickey. 114 mins. 'I’errence McNally‘s award-winning Broadway play comes to the screen with the same director and all but one of the main cast in tow. liight gay men spend weekends at the country house of a successful choreographer and his lover. but a couple of new arrivals threaten to upset the balance of their lives. A camp comedy that's driven by the sheer strength of the writing. lidinburgh: ()deon.
Mamma Roma ()8) (Pier l’aolo Pasotini. ltaly. 1962) Anna Magnani. littore (iarofolo, l-‘ranco Citti. 11() mins. Pasolini's superb second film — after the grimy. hoodlum tragedy Acculmic -— stars Magnani as a prostitute escaping a cycle of poverty and despair. only to have her past reappear in the shape of a blackmailing pimp. The film' encapsulates a doomed human condition by marrying high art and then-influential ltalian neo-realism. lidinburgh: liilmhouse.
Mars Attacks! (12) ('lim Burton. US. 1996) Jack Nicholson. (ilenn Close. Annette Bening. 105 mins. Take some 50s alien invasion films. add the star bodycount of 70s disaster movies. round it off with the weird imagination of'lim Burton. and you
have this expensive sci-ti spoof. The li'l's literally are little green men. wrecking havoc on Earth while disparate bunches of humans fight back. (iood gags. great design and eye-popping computer animation. but it doesn‘t really connect as a complete film. Edinburgh: Cameo.
Men In Black (PG) (Barry Sonnenfeld. US. 1997) Tommy Lee Jones. Will Smith. Vincent D‘Onofrio. 95 mins. Smith and Jones are two cryptically named ‘cosmic (i- men‘ who monitor extraterrestrial aliens living on liarth. while stopping the nastier breed of space baddie from colonising the planet. Jones's seen-it-all straight man is the perfect foil for Smith's wide-eyed new kid on the block. while Sonnenfeld's skilftil integration of the visual effects proves that eye-popping spectacle and coherent storytelling need not necessarily be diametrically opposed. See feature and review. (ieneral release.
Michael Collins (15) (Neil Jordan. US. 1996) Liam Neeson. Jtilia Roberts. Alan Rickman. 132 mins. Jordan's stirring historical epic is an honest portrayal of a ragged and bloody conflict between the British imperial power and idealistic lrish Nationalists early this century. The action is well handled. the characterisations strong and the brutality on both sides is never glossed over. lidinburgh: Cameo. Microcosmos (U) (Claude Nuridsany/Marie Perennou. France. 1995) 75 mins. A bug- eyed look at the world of insects. this l-‘rench one-off creates a kind of life-in-a- day between the blades of grass in an overgrown meadow. ’lhe award-winning macro-photography and imaginative sound evoke and surpass the artificial worlds created in all those science fiction movies. Edinburgh: Cameo.
Morocco (PG) (Josef \‘on Sternberg. US. 1930) Marlene Dietrich. (iary Cooper. Adolphe Menjou. 92 mins. Sultry vamp Dietrich heads for North Africa and into the arms of legionnaire Cooper. despite Menjou's affections. Deep desires drive surface behaviour in you Sternberg's first Hollywood film with Dietrich. which followed the (ierman classic The Blue Angel. lidinbtirgh: liilmhouse.
Murder At 1600 (15) (Dwight Little. US. 1997) Wesley Snipes. Diane Lane. Alan Alda. 107 mins. With the tone of a Sum/(iv Sport headline and the credibility of the kind of story you'd find underneath. this thriller tells of the brutal murder of a pretty secretary in the White House and the profound implications this has for a beleaguered President. Not so much a whodtinit then as a ‘who cares who done it'.". with Snipes and Lane as the typically 'mismatched' couple and more red herrings than a defective kipper factory. (ieneral release.
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THE N G E DRINK IN THE. WORLD-
index FILM
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Friday 1 Aug 5.00pm-8.00pm
> Copthorne Hotel George Street
Glasgow
Thursday 7 Aug 9.00pm-12.00pm > 12 Shuttle Street
Paisley
Friday 8 Aug 7.00pm-10.00pm } 81 Renfield Street
Glasgow
25 Jul-7 Aug 1997 THE usns