In And Out (I2) (Frank ()2. US. I997) Kevin Kline. Matt Dillon. Tom Selleck. 91 mins. When an ex-student seemingly ‘outs’ him during an Oscar speech. Midwestern teacher Howard Brackett (Kline) has to reassess his life and sexuality —just days before his wedding. A funny. feelgood movie that is aimed squarely at a mainstream audience. In And 014! contains nothing to startle Middle America. Kline turns in a delightful comic performance. General release.
In The Company Of Men (18) (Neil LaBute. US. I996) Aaron Iickhart. Matt Molloy. Stacy Edwards. 97 mins. The misanthropy ofAmerican commerce is right up there on screen. fifty feet high. as Chad and Howard plan to date the same vulnerable woman and dump her without warning. It‘s corporate America's strongest-wiIl-survive ethos which is the real target in this powerful independent that‘s full of sucker punches. Glasgow: Gl’l'. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. James And The Giant Peach (U) (Henry Selick. US. I996) Paul Terry. Susan Sarandon. Simon Callow. 79 mins. From the director of 77m Burton is The Nightmare Before Christmas comes a wonderfully colourful adaptation of Roald Dahl's much- loved novel. Live action tops and tails the story. but for the most part. it's fun times with stop-motion puppets. By turns ftmny and scary. it stays true to [)ahl's surreal and whimsical vision. Edinburgh: ()deon. J'Embrasse Pas (18) (Andre 'l'echine. France. I991) Philippe Noiret. limmanuelle Beart. Manuel Blanc. IIS mins. Resourceful former stretcher-bearer Pierre (Blane) leaves his provincial home and comes to Paris and finds a world where violence and kindness exist in equal measures. Grittin realistic. coming-of-age tale with a line performance by Beart as Pierre's prostitute girlfriend. Glasgow: (iilmorehill.
.Iumanji (U) (Joe Johnston. US. I995) Robin Williams. Jonathan Hyde. Kirsten [)unst. l0| mins. Trapped for 26 years in ajungle board game. Alan Parrish (Williams) is released only when two modern-day kids throw the dice themselves. Btit they also
unleash a stampede of monkeys. crocodiles. elephants. rhinos and other unfamiliar beasts into small town America. The story manages to get beyond its repetitive limits with a brilliantly original central idea and post- Jurussic Park computer effects that make it state-of-the—art cinema spectacle. Edinburgh: Odeon.
Kiss The Girls (I8) (Gary Fleder. US. I997) Morgan Freeman. Ashley Judd. Cary Elwes. I I6 mins. Sharing its star and some thematic preoccupations with the superior Seven. K iss The Girls avoids genre pitfalls. but lacks original psychological insight. Freeman plays a detective whose search for his missing neice uncovers a spate of disappearances and a killer who‘s convinced of his romantic charms. The ending is contrived. and the actors deserve better. See review. General release.
LA. Confidential ( l 8) (Curtis Hanson. US. I997) Kevin Spacey. Guy Pearce. Russell Crowe. Kim Basinger. I35 mins. Adapted
from James Ellroy's neo-noir novel. the best American film of I997 evokes a glitzy post- WWZ Los Angeles underpinned by an all- pervasive. festering corruption. An intricate. drop-dead brilliant plot links bent cops. good cops. Hollywood star lookalike prostitutes and the mob. The dialogue crackles and the actors burn up the screen: one of the few films one would dare mention in the same breath as the definitive Chinatown. General release.
Lawn Dogs (l5) (John Duigan. US. I997) Sam Rockwell. Mischa Barton. Kathleen Quinlan. l0] mins. When ten-year-old Devon (Barton) ignores her parents' advice and heads straight for the nearby woods. she befriends local gardener and fellow outsider Trent (Rockwell). Adult prejudice taints their friendship in this contemporary fairytale with an ending that is both magical and inspiring. ()nc of the most unexpectedly delightful films of the year. Stirling; MacRobert.
. {If - «
“x.
Thawing out: Kevin Kline in The Ice Storm
index FILM
Life Is A Long Quiet River (l5) (Etienne Chatiliez. France. I988) Benoit Maginel. Patrick Gelin. Andre Wilms. 99 mins. Embittered nurse exchanges the offspring of two very different families. Trouble results when she reveals her trick twelve years later. and the richer Le Quesnoys learn they are nurturing one of the sleazy Groseilles and vice versa. Based on the Mark Twain novel Pudd'nhead Wilson. its humour relies on characterisation. Glasgow: Gilmorehill.
Lola ( IS) (Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Germany. I981) Barbara Sukowa. Armin Mueller-Stahl. IIS mins. Fassbinder's remake of The Blue Angel is perfect territory for him. particularly when he gives the original a touch of melodrama in the Douglas Sirk style. Mueller-Stahl plays a respecable building commissioner whose desire for club singer/brothel madam Sukowa leads him into corruption. Glasgow: Gl’l'. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
Ma Saison Preferee ( IS) (Andre Techine. France. I993) Catherine Deneuve. Daniel Auteuil. Marthe Villalonga. l25 mins. A public notary (Deneuve) and her neurologist brother (Auteuil) reassess their own empty lives when they have to put their elderly mother into care. Deneuve is elegance and chann; Auteuil wins sympathy for a dislikeable character. Their combined star power raises this above a standard issue domestic saga. Glasgow: Gilmorehill.
Ma Vie En Rose ( 12) (Alain Berliner. France/Belgium/U K. I997) Georges Du Fresne. Michele Laroque. Jean-Philippe Iicoffey. 93 mins. Happy seven-year-old Ludovic loves cross-dressing and is convinced he will grow up to become a girl. His parents hope it's a passing phase. but hostility from their neighbours causes problems. The child‘s eye world is visually striking. the message of accepting the ‘difference' of others worth repeating. the performances by all trememdous. A refreshingly honest look at a complex subject. Stirling: MacRobert.
Continued over page
“Positively bubbling with fast and wicked dialogue, great performances, and emotional conflict at every turn” 5.0mm some
“Excellent” * * * * EMPIRE
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From Fri March at Filmhouse. Edinburgh-8t Glasgow
6-19 Mar 1998 THELIST”