cinematography. A truly thrilling piece of cinema. lidinbtirgh: Filmhouse.
Harriet The Spy (PG) (Bronwen Hughes. US. I996) Michelle 'l‘rachtenberg. Rosie O‘Donnell. Gregory Smith. I02 mins. l’reeocious schoolgirl Harriet. convinced she has a future as a writer. notes down the minutae of daily life in herjournal'. btit wheti her classmates discover her criticisms of them. she has to work hard to win back popularity. 'I‘rachtenberg gives a fresh. sparky performance. btit the teaclierly tone won't amuse accompanying grown-ups. Ayr: ()deon.
Hercules (U) (John Mtisker & Ron Clements. US. l‘)‘)7) \Villi the voices of'I'ate Donovan. James Woods. Danny l)eVito. 9l iriins. British cartoonist (ierald Scarfe's designs tiiai'ry his ctistotiiary gi'otesqtiery with Uncle Wall's softer characterisations. Hades (a magnificently splenetic James Woods) wants to exact revenge on Zeus by destroying his son Hercules. btit luckily our hero has l’egasus as his steed and Phil the grumpy satyr (Danny l)eVito) as his coach. Classical purists might grumble. btit this is one of the studio's most dy naniic arid entertaining features. Stirling: Carlton. High Society (Charles Walters. US. I956) Bing Crosby. (irace Kelly. lirank Sinatra. Celeste Holm. ltl7 mins. Classic musical entertainment from the MGM studios. in which a rich bitch plays hard to get with a string of suitors. The plot of Philadelphia Story goes out the window. but with stars like these. style is everything. (ilasgow: (irosvenor.
Home Alone 3 (I’m (Raia (iositcll. US. I997) Alex I). I.lll/.. ()lek Krupa. Rya Kililstedt. 95 mins. Instead of Macaulay Culkin. here comes Alex I). I.in/. (Michelle l’feiffer's kid in One line (My). btit this film is not a patch on the un-l’C slapstick and reckless stunting of the original. Sttick at home with the chicken pox. Alex discovers a gang of Iii-tech international criminals trying to locate a top secret microchip. so he sets up increasingly elaborate and sadistic traps. lidinbtirgh; City Centre ABC. (ilenrothes: Cinema. Irvine: WMR.
The Ice Storm ( l 5) (Atig Ice. US. 1997) Kevin Kline. Joan Allen. Sigourney Weaver. llZ mins. lti Nixon era Connecticut. Kline's dying affair with neighbour Weaver pushes wife Allen further into a numbed frigidity. llll\l as botli families‘ teenage children are making their first sexual forays l.ee's satiric cye may be acute but he has a compassionate vision of human weakness. and betieatli the humour is a sense of profound unease. Scene alter scene. deftly directed and beautifully acted by the cast. sends a chill into the heart. Ayr: ()deon. liast KiIbride: llCI.
In And Out t l3) (l-‘rank 01.. US. I997) Kevin Kline. Matt Dillon. Tom Selleck. 9| mins. When an ex-student seemineg 'outs‘ Iiiiii during an Oscar speech. Midwestern teacher Howard Brackett (Kline) Iias to reassess his life and sexuality ~- just days before his wedding. A funny. feelgood movie that is aimed squarely at a mainstream audience. In xllltl ()uI contains nothing to startle Middle America. Kline tuins in a delightful comic performance. Kirkcaldy: Adam Smith.
In The Company Of Men ( I.s') (Neil I.aBute. US. I996) Aaron lickhat't. Matt Molloy. Stacy lidwards. 97 mins. 'l‘he iiiisanthropy of American commerce is right tip 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 Aiiiet‘ica's strongest- wiIl-surviv'e ethos which is the real target in this powerful independent that's ftill of sucker punches. Kirkcaldy. Adam Smith. Jackie Brown ( I5) (Quentin 'larantino. US. I997) I’am (irier. Samuel l.. Jackson. Robert De Niro. 154 riiins. 'I‘arantiiio‘s blaxploitatiori homage is proof that the director just loves to hear his characters run their mouths off. How ever. the dialogue is pure pleasure in this sprawling. funky. triple-crossing heist movie about a l’ederal Agent sting to trap a gun runner. A classic Hollywood thriller in the sense that it is about the enjoyment of the moment. rather simply finding out whodunit. (ilasgovv: ()deon Quay. lidinburgh: Cameo. UCI. [East Kilbride: UCI. Paisley: Showcase.
Jules Et Jim (PU) (Francois 'l‘ruffaut.
l’rance. l96l ) Jeanne Moreau. ()skar Werner. Henri Serre. I05 mins. 'I‘ruffaut's early masterpiece. telling the comi-tragic tale of an eternal triangle straddling the First World War. Bohemian. mercurial I’arisienne Catherine (Moreati) divides her affections between Jules (Werner) and Jim (Seire ). whose deep friendship overrides their rivalry iii love and their separation by vv ar But 'l‘ruffaut has a salutory fare Ill store for the threesome. which is both devastating and poetic. l’owerful stutf. Iidinburgh. l’iltiifititise.
King Of Comedy (I’G) (Martin Scorcesc. US I983) Robert De Niro. Jerry I.cvv is. Sandra Bernhard. I09 mins. l'uII-tiiiic schmuck Rupert I’upkin (dc .\'iro) dearly vvatits to be a successful television entertainer. so he puts together a plan to kidnap gltiiii chat show host l.ew is and force his way onto the box l)esperatc comic capers. with it bitter edge to De Ntto's titanic. hilarious and sotticliovv involving performance. Criminally under-rated. this slices to the core of Americas cultural emptiness. With Scorsese's early documentary. lIri/r'rimriirr'rturn Iidinburgh Cameo.
Kissed ( | S) (I.y nne Stopkcw ic/. Canada. 1996) Molly l’ai'ker. l’eter ( )utci'bi'idge. .lay Bra/cart. 79 mins. A young necrophiliac works iii a funeral home vs here she is able to ftilfil her sexual desires. Stopkevvicl's brave examination of female sexuality is no perverse horror piece biit a tender and often poetic film. Likewise. the lead character is not a freak. btit a confident woman. strong in her convictions. Challenging in its morality. perhaps. but romantic at the core Stirling. MacRobert.
Kundun ( l5) (Martin Scorsese. I'S. I997) 140 mins. Scorsese's biography of the fourteenth Dalai Lama is also a painstaking record of a culture close to extinction. The beauty ofl'ibet and gentle nature of the people is disrupted by invasion by China. btit the l)alai Lama remains true to the ideal of non-violence. A highly cinematic. though heavily wrought film. Kllllt/tlll also features a pulsating music score by Philip (ilass. 'I‘he first hour. while beautiful to watch. does .seem to pass very slowly. but. by the end. it has a curious calming energy all of its ow n, Iidinburgh: I‘ilmhouse.
LA. Confidential ( I3) ((‘uitis Ilatisott. ('8. I997) Kevin Spacey. (itiy l’earce. Russell Cr‘owe. Kim Basinger. 135 mins. Adapted from James lilli‘oy 's llL'ttlllttll‘ novel. the best American film of I997 evokes a glit/y post- WW2 l.os Angeles underpinned by an all- perv'asive. festering corruption. .-\n intricate. drop-dead brilliant plot links bent cops. good cops. Hollywood star lookalike prostitutes and the mob, ’I he dialogue crackles and the actors burn up the \v‘t'c‘cll. one of the few films one would date mention in the same breath as the definitive China/nun. St Andrew s: New l’ictui‘c House.
Liar ( IS) (Joshua and Jonas I’ate. I'S. I997) 'l‘im Roth. Chris l’enii. Michael Rooker. ltll mins. Arrogant rich boy Wayland (Roth) undergoes a lie detector test about the murder of a prostitute by a heavyweight cop dtio Braston arid Kennesaw tl’cnn and Rookei‘). l’ovvel' struggles and plot fvv Ists swiftly eiisiic. but III!\ is no l'srrri/ Sits/m Iv The tone is unremittineg misogy nistic. the look and structure annoy mg over-sly Itsed 'l‘errific performances. though but they're in a narrative vacuum. See rev revv. (ilasgow: (il’l'. ()deon Quay. Iidinburgh. I'Cl.
Live FlESh I IS) (l’ctll'o :\ltt)t)tlti\at‘. Spain. I997) Javier Bardem. laberto Rabal. I-rancesca Neri. ltXl mins. Based on a Ruth Rendell story. Aliiiodovar's most rounded attempt to enter the mainstream follows the fate of a wheelchair-botiiid policeman. the young man responsible for the bullet that put him there. and his wife. with whom the recently released convict is in love. Any message waiting to be read is drowned in
the brightest and deepest of cinetnatographic
experiences. and the pleasures here are several. But there‘s a liitit that the director has slipped into iiiiddle-ground mediocrity See preview and rev )6“. (ilasgovv. (it’ll Iidinburgh: l'llltlllUth.
Lolita ( I 8) (Adrian I.yne. L‘S. I995) Jeremy Irons. Dominique Swain. Melanie (lrit'fith.
Continued over page
index FILM
@
EDINBURGH
EE/TIVAL THEATRE
BHHN lllllll
Fri l5 & Sat I6 May at 7.30pm
Tickets From £5.50
‘It moves Fast. never Flags. and ends with the audience on a high oF excitement
THE GtMRDMN
[IHNElNfi IN , THE Sitttis
featuring Eflltllt SIHHH. tHE PHSHUENHS ant) JHHI GHHHHM
Wed 20 & Thur 2l May at 7.30pm Tickets From £ll.50
IHE HHPPINESS SHflll
Fri 22 May at 7.30pm Tickets From £9.00
EVEII'N ELENNIE and WE HING‘S SINGERS SIHEEISUNGS lflUH
Sun 24 May at 7.30pm Tickets From £6.50
‘ In,” -. T '2‘"
Wed 27 to Sat 30 May at 7.30pm
Tickets From £6.50 27 & 28 May Triple Bill 29 & 30 May Cruel Garden _ . ‘
A Flagship company 0F British Dance' 5.1))04) was .4 -
Box 0 fire 013) 539 6000 Groups 0131 539 5005
W28 May 1998 THE LIST 29