Films screening this fortnight are listed below with certificate. credits, brief review and venue details. Film index compiled by Alan Morrison.
The Adventures of Robin Hood (U) (Michael ('urtiz. US. I938) lirrol lilynn. ()Iivia De Havilland. Basil Rathbone. 102 mins. Sparkling. ()scar-winning excitement as l~|ynn and his merry men fight the evil Prince and the wicked Rathbone to help the poor and capture the haiid of the fair De Havilland. l’eerless sword-play and an infectious sense of high spirits. lidinburgh: l-‘ilmhouse.
Anastasia (U) (Don Bltitli/(iary (ioldman. US. 1997) Voices of Meg Ryan. Christopher Lloyd. John Cusack. 9-1 mins. With this widescreen romantic musical adventure. animator Don Bltitli offers a film that rivals Disney. Rewriting history somewhat. evil magician Rasputin puts a curse on the 'l‘sar's family and causes the l9l7 Revolution. The child princess Anastasia survives. but grows as an orphan. unable to remember her past. With extraordinary action sequences. exquisite characterisations and beautiful songs. ('umbernauld: ’Iheatre. lidinburgh: ()deon.
Animal Farm ( l' ) (John Halas tv Joy Batchelor. l‘K. I955) 75 mins. 'liiis adaptation (if (ietirge ()rw ell's classic political allegory was Britain's first full- leiigtli British cartoon and emerges as a surprisingly faithful treatment of the tale of barnyard revolution. l’ai'alleling the Russian Revolution. the story tells of a group of animals‘ attempts to oust human beings and operate on their own. The animation isn't as glossy as its American counterparts. but it possesses its own cheery quirkiness. See review. lidinburgh: Cameo.
The Apostle ( l 2) (Robert Duvall. US. I997) Robert l)uva|l. l"an‘ah l'awcett. Miranda Richardson. HS mins. Actor Duyall turns writer-director for this gently absorbing tale of a charismatic l’entecostal preacher‘s fall from grace and search for redemption. Duvall‘s acknowledged inspiration is Ken l.oach. with whose work this shares a generous. non-judgemental naturalisni. Slightly overlong. btit moving and thought-provokiiig nonetheless. lidinburgh: l’ilinliouse. l’alkirk: Town Hall. Barney's Great Adventure (U) 72 mins. A kids 'l‘\' phenomenon. Barney the purple dinosaur's big screen debut finds him down on a farm with a trio of kids in search of a magic egg. The all singin'. all dancin' Barney struts his way through the simple story with regular siiigalongs. making the film perfect for under-fives. (ieneral release. Before The Rain ( l5) (Milcho Manchevski. UK/l‘rance/Macedonia. I994) Rade Serbed/i_|a. Katrin Cartlidge. l|5 mins. 'lhree interlinked tales shed light on the current Balkan conflict by concentrating on fraught relationships and love affairs in Macedonia and l.otidoii. The film's main strength lies in the authenticity of its naked emotions and superb landscape photography. creating a heartfelt lament for a splintering culture. lidinburgh: l’ilmhouse. The Big Lebowski ( )8) (Joel Coen. US. I997) Jeff Bridges. John (ioodtiian. Steve Buscemi. 113 mins. The Coeii brothers give their unique tw ist to a Chandler-esque LA noir. as 70s hippy throwback Jeff "lite Dtide' Lebow ski (Bridges) is drawn into the sordid affairs of his millionaire namesake. Suddenly he has to sleuth his way through disorganised crime. 'l'radeiiiark oddball characters. surreal imagery and excellent performances grace this virtuoso comedy. lidinburgh' Cameo. Cumbernauld: 'l'heatre. l-‘alkirk. low it Hall.
Blues Brothers 2000 (P0) (John Landis. US. I998) Dam Ay kroyd. John (ioodman. Joe Morton. l24 nuns. liighteen years have passed since the boys brought good music back into the souls of the masses. Jake Blues is gone to the big gig in the sky. but lilwood embarks on a crusade to reform the original hand. Now his sidekicks are Mighty Mack Mc'l'eer. his black stepbrother and a ten- year-old orphan. ()ti one hand. there's inept staging. stilted dialogue and rotten acting.
One the other are the silly gags. car crashes — and great music. Cumbernauld: 'lheatre. Boogie Nights (l3) (Paul Thomas Anderson. US. 1997) Mark Wahlberg. Burt Reynolds. Julianne Moore. l52 mins. Doing for porn filmmaking what (foot/fellas did for gangsters. Boogie Nights charts the rise. fall and redemption of a fictional porn superstar (Wahlberg) against the enormous changes wrought in the industry between the 70s and 80s. Large-scale social commentary and small-scale human dramas account for the film's epic feel. while the kitsch fashions and funky disco soundtrack create a film that is as ambitious as it is entertaining. (ilasgow: (il’l'. The Borrowers (U) (Peter Hewitt. UK. 1997) John Goodman. Jim Broadbent. Celia lmrie. 86 mins. At a height ofonly four inches. the Borrowers hide in wall cavities and living beneath the floorboards of the Lender household. When a nasty lawyer tries to swindle the humans out of their inheritance. families big and small join forces. The design and effects create a strangely familiar. oddly unplaceable world. and children will have little difficulty suspending enough disbelief to be spellbound by the magic of the film. Largs: Barrfields. Broadway Damage ( 15) (Victor Mignatti. US. 1997) 110 mins. Complications of work. rest and bedroom play get all in a tangle in this gentle gay comedy. Marc and Robert are struggling actors with an eye on Broadway; laidback Marc always scores with the guys not knowing that his best friend Robert harbours deep love for him. Blowing away cynicism with a fresh breeze of old-style romance. BI‘tNll/lt'tll [)timtigt' is as soft on the eye as pastel paintwork. lidinburgh: Hilt‘fliOlISC. Captain Blood (PG) (Michael Curtiz. US. I935) lirrol l‘lynn. ()livia de Havilland. Lionel Atwill. 119 mins. ()ne of the best swashbucklers of all time. following the adventures of a British surgeon-turned- bucanneer. who still retains the moral highground. Great action work throughout. de Havilland looks radiant as the love interest. Basil Rathbone is a nasty baddy and lilynn became an overnight star. (ilasgow: (ill. The Castle ( 15) (Rob Sitch. Australia. 1997) Michael Caton. Anne 'l‘enney. Stephen Curry. 80 mins. In this rough-and-ready but surprisingly engaging comedy. a naive Australian family take on the might of a faceless corporation when their suburban home is threatened by an airport development. The film is dramatically awkward in places and runs otit of steam before its admittedly brief running time is up. btit the filmmakers' affection for their characters pulls it through. (ilasgow: ()deon Quay. lidinburgh: ABC Wester Hailes. Cameo. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (L') (Ken Hughes. L'K. I968) Sally Anne Howes. Dick Van Dyke. Lionel Jeffries‘. l-lS mins. Lengthy. effects- filled children's adventure conceived in the wake of Man I’opptns‘ huge commercial success. btit with a charm (and great songs) all of its own. Dick Van Dyke is the mad inventor whose flying car propels his children and romantic interest Howes to a far-off land of adventure. (ilasgow: (il-‘l‘. City Of Angels ( l 2) (Brad Siberling. US. I998) Meg Ryan. Nicolas Cage. Dennis l-‘ranz. I I7 mins. Cage plays an angel who falls in love with heart surgeon Ryan in this earnest btit unintentionally leaden remake of Who Wenders' sublime “tags 0) [)('.\ll'(’. Moments of high emotion are off-set by flashes of humour. btit the (iothic magnificence of Wenders' film is replaced by a soft focus. filtered earnestness that pushes the story towards soapy melodrama. (ieneral release. Dark City ( l 5) (Alex l’royas. UK. 1998) Rufus Sewell. Kiefer Sutherland. William Hurt. 100 mins. l’art noirish thriller. part paranoic sci-ti. l’royas' follow-up to The Crow boasts stunning effects. design and photography. Sewell plays an amnesiac who wakes to find he is wanted for murder in a night-time city mn by a mysterious clique. Although it succeeds as a mystery. it’s less assured in its final sci-ii incarnation. 'iltisgow': ()deon Quay.
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index FILM
Prize for Screenwriting
start ' ritirig
"Have you ever dreamt of getting a movie
onto big screen? Well here’s your chance,rthanks to a unique partnership between Orange and Pathé. The first step is to enter a feature length film script for the l’rizefor Screenwriting.
The scripts will then be in
contentionforthel’athe Production Prize
where i i pmducodgand released in S A. country. Your script must be no Iateritghan 30 September 1998, so stop I
drearifiipg and start writing.
23 Jul—6 Aug 1998 THE usrss