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herself. he ends tip embroiled in crime. A stylishly grungy delight. with ()slo painted as a city washed in a constant. sickly- colotired drizzle. peopled almost exclusively by pasty-faced malcontents. Glasgow: Gl’l‘. Edinburgh: Cameo.
Kids TV Compilation (U) 100 mins. Relive your childhood with this collection of golden 'I'V memories from the first twenty years of broadcast history —- /V()(l(/_\'. Captain I’ugii'tish. Cracker/tick. l’liivsclmol and many more.
Kika (l8) (Pedro Almodovar. Spain. 1993) Veronique Forque. Peter Coyote. Victoria Abril. 114 mins. A make-up artist is involved with an American writer and his photographer son; she's also avoiding the attentions of her lesbian maid. whose ex- porn star brother escapes from prison and ends up at the house. and a predatory ‘reality 'l‘V' reporter who takes a ghoulish delight in other people's misfortunes. It all adds tip to Pedro z‘slmodovar's tenth feature. and his blackest mix to date of sex. death and stylish kitsch. Glasgow: Gilmorehill. Kiss The Girls ( 18) (Gary Fleder. US. 1997) Morgan Freeman. Ashley Judd. Cary lilwes. l 16 mins. Sharing its star and some thematic preocctipations with the superior Seven. Kiss 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. Glasgow: Showcase. lrvine: Magnum. Paisley: Showcase.
Kundun (15) (Martin Scorsese. US. 1997) 140 mins. Scorsese's biography of the fourteenth Dalai Lama is also a painstaking record of a culture close to extinction. The beauty of Tibet and gentle nature of the people is disrupted by invasion by China. but the Dalai Lama remains true to the ideal of non-violence. A highly cinematic. though heavily wrought film. Kum/uii also features a pulsating music score by Philip Glass. The first hour. while beautiful to watch. does
That sinking feeling: Leslie Neilson in Mr Magoo
seem to pass very slowly. but. by the end. it has a curious calming energy all of its own. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
LA. Confidential (18) (Curtis Hanson. US. 1997) Kevin Spacey. Guy Pearce. Russell Crowe. Kim Basinger. 135 mins. Adapted from James lillroy's neo-noir novel. the best American film of 1997 evokes a glitzy post- WW2 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 tip the screen: one of the few films one would dare mention in the same breath as the definitive C liinulmvn. Glasgow: Grosvenor. ()deon Quay. Kirkcaldy: Adam Smith.
Lady And The Tramp (U) (Hamilton Ltiske. US. 1955) With the voices of Peggy Lee and Bill Thompson. 75 mins. Disney's first animated feature in cinemascope has mongrel Tramp helping pedigree pooch Lady out of a sticky situation and falling in lurve along the way. Richly drawn with hummable tunes and endearing characterisations. this is the classic Disney mix as before. Lovely spaghetti-eating sequence. Glasgow: Grosvenor.
Land And Freedom (15) (Ken Loach. UK/Spain. 1995) lan Hart. Rosana Pastor. lciar Bollain. 109 mins. A magnificent. moving. politicised epic on the Spanish Civil War by Britain's most committed director on the Left. An unemployed man (Hart) leaves 30s Liverpool to fight with the POUM Militia. and sees first hand the betrayal of his cause by the Stalinists. His story is told in flashback. as his granddaughter reads his hidden letters home — a link to the present day that proves these events have a strong relevance to today. Edinburgh: Cameo.
Love. Etc (15) (Marion Vernouz. France. 1997) Charlotte Gainsbourg. Yvan Attal. Charles Berling. 105 mins. After years of friendship. the bond between flirtatious Pierre (Berling) and steadfdst Benoit (Attal) is suddenly threatened by Benoit‘s
introduction of Marie (Gainsbourg). Directed with a light touch. this classic love triangle scenario — based on a book by English novelist Julian Barnes ~ is stylish and subtle in tone. Memorable for its strong performances. particularly from Gainsbourg. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
Lucie Aubrac (12) (Claude Berri. France. 1997) Carole Bouquet. Daniel Auteuil. l 15 mins. Based on the real-life story of a Resistance fighter who rescued her husband frotn the clutches of the Gestapo. Berri's film is a tale of quiet heroism in a tempestuous time. of love on the edge. It could possibly use a few more dramatic thrills to give it some pace. btit as a picture of occupied France where the over-riding emotion among the people was a desire to get their ordinary lives back. Lucie Ari/mil: is a gentle and touching success. Kirkcaldy: Adam Smith.
The Man In The Iron Mask (12) (Randall Wallace. US. 1997) Leonardo DiCaprio. Jeremy Irons. Gerard Depardieu. 132 mins. When France‘s dissolute young king puts the country on the verge of turmoil. the Musketeers reform to rescue a mysterious prisoner languishing in the Bastille. 'lhe writer of Brave/wart makes his debut as director with an adaptation of Alexandre
Dtimas's rollicking period adventure. btit he .
can't direct a fight scene to save his life. The performances vary so wildly in tone. that the cast at times appear to be acting in different films. Glasgow: ABC Film Centre. Cumbernauld: 'lheatre. liast Kilbride: UCI. Irvine: Magnum. Largs: Barrfields.
Marius (PG) (Alexander Korda. France. 1931) Raimu. Orane Demazis. Pierre Fresnay. 125 mins. Writer-producer Marcel Pagnol's ‘Marseilles 'l‘rilogy' begins with the story of Marius. a young man who yearns to go to sea. and his father Cesar. the owner of a bar. Into the equation comes Fanny. who uses Marius‘ jealousy over her courting by the older Panisse to coax a reluctant engagement. A great love story and portrait of life in the French sea port. Glasgow: Gl‘T
index FILM
Mars Attacks! (12) (Tim Burton. US. 1996) Jack Nicholson. Glenn Close. Annett 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 Tim Burton. and you have this expensive sci-fi spoof. The ETs literally are little green men. wrecking havoc on earth while disparate bunches of humans fight back. Good gags. great design and eye-popping computer animation. but it doesn't really connect as a complete film. Glasgow: ()deon Quay.
Martha — Meet Frank. Daniel And Laurence t 15) (Nick Hamm. UK. 1997) Monica Potter. Rufus Sewell. Tom Hollander. Joseph Fiennes. 88 mins. During two days in London. American Martha encounters three best buddies — all of whom are instantly smitten by her and fall otit among themselves. At first glance. a simple comic triptych about fate and missed chances. its complex storytelling perspectives don't really suit the romance genre. See review General release. Matador (18) (Pedro .>\lmadovar. Spain. 1986) Asstimpta Scrna. Antonio Banderas‘. Nancho Martinez. 96 mins. Less uproarious than the works that established his commercial reputation. this is Almadovar at his most intensely dark and ecstatic. 'lliemes of sex and death merge around a pervy ex- btillf'ighter. his sexually confused pupil and the latter's murderous defence lawyer. Quite deliriotisly amoral. Glasgow: Gilmorehill. Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil (15) (Clint liastwood. US. 1997) Kevin Spacey. John Cusack. Jude Law. 155 mins. liastwood bites off more than he can chew with this discursive tale of life and crime in the beautifully preserved ()ld Southern town of Savannah. Georgia. The main narrative concerns the murder of the gay lover of bon viveur Spacey. but Eastwood gets side- tracked by sub—plots. A likeable movie that is subtly ingratiating rather than brazenly insistent. l-‘xJinburgh: Cameo.
Mousellunt (U) (Gore Verbinski. US. 1997) Nathan Lane. Lee livans. Christopher Walken. 98 mins. Lane and livans play hapless brothers who inherit a decripit mansion. but when they decide to renovate auction it. a resident rodent is not willing to be evicted. An excellent blend of Laurel and Hardy slapstick and black humour. .‘Wnusclltml is sheer entertainment and has some real belly laughs. The tone and the pacing are spot-on throughout. and the sets and special effects are the icing on the cake. General release.
Mr Magoo (PG) (Stanley 'l'ong. US. 1997) Leslie Nielsen. Kelly Lynch. Matt Keeslar. 87 mins. When a priceless stolen gem falls into the hands of bumbling millionaire Quincy Magoo. who keeps on emerging unscathed as chaos ensues around him. This live action version of the short cartoons relies on broad physical slapstick for its comedy rather than verbal jokes. American critics slaughtered the film — ‘an atrocity‘ (Boston Phoenix). ‘an insult to the intelligence of the entire human race' (USA Today). ‘corny. inept script' (San Fransisco Chronicle). General release.
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“Not since Delicatessen have humour, plot and visuals been combined to sustain such a perfect cinematic vision” ***** .
A black comedy about love, money, cold canned spaghetti, karaoke, involuntary good deeds and the joy of being comatose.
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PAL SLETAUNE
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Opens at Glasgow Film Theatre, -1 May
3O Apr—14 May 1998 THE U3T27