Romeo And Juliet (12) (Bar. Luhriiiann. Australia/US. I996) Leonardo DiCaprio. Claire Danes. l’ete l’ostlethwaite. I20 mins. The Strictly [fa/[mom director's treatment of the Shakespeare tragedy is a magnificent riot of colour. action and sexy teen romance. without any need to sacrifice the text. To call it ‘M'I‘V tilniinaking‘ misses the point that the camera tricks and iii-jokes don't in any way distract from the fact that Liihrmann has completely grasped the issues at the centre of the play. An intoxicating. breathtaking mix of Catholic iconography. high camp and street violence that's both delicioust feverish and stndiedly cool. lidinburgh: (,‘aineo.
Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion (I3) (David Mirkin. US. I997) Mira Sorvino. Lisa Kudrovv, Janeane (iarofalo. 9l mins. It's been ten years since (.‘alifornia's prettiest. most vacant airlieads left Middle .’\lllL‘l‘lc';l. but when they decide to return for their high-school reunion. old romantic longiiigs might be given a belated second- chance. 'lei'rific stuff frotn the two gals throughout and fun support from former teen tibcrgeck Alan (‘uinining Looks like mainstream l‘S movie comedy has a future after all. .-\ll l'(’l; Irvine: Magnum. Rosemary's Baby ( IS) (Roman Polanski. US. I‘MS) .‘ylia l-arroyv. John (‘assavetes Ruth (iordon. 137 mins. lti this fastidious. frightening adaptation of Ira Levin‘s novel. young housewife l'arrovv moves into a new apartment block \\ here she comes to believe that her neighbours are witches and her husband I\ the Devil. l’olanski \yorks at the ambiguity factor all the way through by contrasting the everyday surroundings with the e\tr.iordiii.iry e\cnts (imagined or otlierys I\L“ taking place iii and around them. while the cast all play it \v ith some conviction. Introduced by The Delgados. Part of hi 'l‘he (ity. (ilasgovv: (il’l‘.
Scream ( IS) (Wes (raven. l7S. 199(3) Neve Campbell. (‘ourteney ('os. Drew Barrymore. I l linins. 'l'he teenagers of Woodshoro knovs they‘re typical stalker fodder. so when a killer hits town. they gather in art enormous house to watch horror
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movies as the real had guy gets closer. Self- conscioiis references are good fun. the opening sequence is genuine white-knuckle material. and —- if you know the rules — you'll find it perfectly scary and funny. St Andrews: New l’icttire House.
She Wore A Yellow Ribbon (U) (John Ford. US. 1949) John Wayne. Joanne Dru. John Agar. Ben Johnson. l()3 mins. The second in l-‘ord‘s trilogy of cavalry Westerns centres on Wayne's retirement from military service following (‘uster's Last Stand. While not as gripping as For! .‘l/ltlt'llc‘ or Rio (iramle. it has a mellovv elegance and a
"Egoyan directs with the delicacy
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visual brilliance which won cinematographer Winton Hoch an Oscar. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
Shine (l2) (Scott Hicks. Australia. I996) Geoffrey Rush. Noah Taylor. Armin Mueller-Stain. 105 mins. Winner of nine top awards at Australia's equivalent of the Oscars. Shine is a remarkable and devastating film about the life of child prodigy and pianist David Helfgott. who was forced to retire from the stage due to a mental breakdown. but returned later in life. The performances show real love. while the recital passages are presented with a conviction that underlines the quality of the film as a whole. Edinburgh: Film Guild. The Slab Boys (t5) (John Byrne. UK. I997) Robin Laing. Russell Barr. Louise Berry. 98 mins. John Byrne combines his plays The Slab Boys and C um'n 'A Rug for a semi-autobiographical vision of urban lads dreaming about making it to the work dance and then to a better life. However. despite its wonderful stylised look. this filmjust doesn't do the theatre pieces justice. The cast (with the exception of Robin Laing) overact to the back stalls and the banter doesn't get the sharp delivery it needs. but the magnificent sets save the feature from being too much of a disappointment. Kirkcaldy: Adam Smith.
Space Jam (U) (Joe Pytka. US. 1996) Michael Jordan. Bugs Bunny. Wayne Knight. 87 mins. Nasty alien cartoons have captured Bugs Bunny and are going to enslave the Looney Tunes in their amusement park on Moron Mountain. but Bugs has the brainwave of challenging them to a basketball game and enlisting the talents of Michael Jordan for his team. Lacking the class of Who Framed Roger Rabbit." and the pace of a real basketball game. Space Jam should divert the kids on Saturday mornings. Glasgow: Quay Odeon. UCl (‘lydebank; Edinburgh: Odeon.
Spawn (12) (Mark Dippe. US. 1997) John Leguizamo. Michael Jai White. Martin Sheen. 97 mins. Yet another comic book character to graduate from the page to the screen. left for dead by his corrupt bosses.
The Filmhouse, EdinbUrgh
The Glasgow Film Theatre
index FILM
covert soldier Al Simmons (White) undergoes transformation into Spawn and is sent to lead Hell‘s anny in the destruction of mankind. It's Leguizamo's astonishing performance as Clown. theDevil's envoy. that dominates this cinematic equivalent of an ear-drum splitting computer game. General release.
The Square Circle (15) (Amol Palekar. India. 1996) Sonali Kulkarni. Nirmal Pandey. Faiyyaz. 110 mins. Kidnapped into prostitution then gang-raped when she manages to to escape. Kulkarni's unnamed protagonist experiences the worst that rural India has to offer a single woman. Salvation comes by dressing as a man and travelling with male transvestite Pandey. The direction is fairly rough and ready to Western eyes. but it really does play every emotion to the hilt. See review. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. Stirling: MacRobcrt.
The Sweet Hereafter ( 15) (Atom ligoyan. Canada. 1997) Ian Holm. Bruce Greenwood. Sarah Polley. 1 IO mins. When a small community is torn apart by a school bus accident that claims the lives of most of their children. an ambiguous lawyer with family troubles of his own comes to represent them in a compensation case. The film unfolds in a patchwork of flashbacks and set-pieces. but it's Holm‘s beautifully judged performance that's the bedrock of the film. As a study of helpless grief. it‘s rarely been bettered. See feature and review. Glasgow: Gl’l'. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. Swingers (15) (Doug Lirnan. US. 1996) Vince Vaughn. John l-‘avreau. Ron Livingston. 96 mins. Wannabe actor Mike and his pal 'l'rent drive to Vegas to play the tables and pick tip some babes. Later. in LA. the boys hang out with their friends. wandering the trendy bars. Which isjust about all there is to Swingers — a heap of talking. the odd homage (Scorsese and 'l'arantino) and lots of male bonding. A highly watchable. very funny and entertaining piece of low-budget filmmaking. Edinburgh: Cameo.
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WINNER CANNES FILM FESTIVAL 1997
(water GRAND PRIZE
INTERNATIONAL CRITICS' PRIZE
ECUMENICAL PRIZE
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