triple-crossing heist movie about a Federal Agent sting to trap a gun runner. A classic Hollywood thriller iii the sense that it is about the L'll|()y’l))Clil of the moment. rather simply liiidiiig out wliodutiit. Kirkcaldy; Adam Smith.
James And The Giant Peach (U) (Henry Selick. l'S. I996) l’anl 'l‘erry. Susan Sarandon. Simon Callow. 79mins. l-‘rom the director of Tim [fur/on K The Nightmare [fr/(Hr ('liiislmiis comes a wonderfully colourful adaptation of Roald l)ahl‘s much- his ed nos cl live action tops atid tails tlie stoiy. but tor the most part. it's fun times with stop-iiiotion puppets. By turns funny and scary. it stays true to l)ali|'s surreal and whimsical \l\lt)ll. Stirling. Allanpark
Kiss Or Kill t IS) (Bill Bennett. Australia. 1997) Matt Ha). l‘i'ances O'Connor. 96 mins. When a scam goes wrong and leaves a victim dead. Nikki and AI flee into the Anstralian outback with cops and other interest parties on their tail. Ruiiiiitig from motel to motel. they leave tally of dead bodies in their wake and each grow s to suspect the other of the murders. A creepy soundtrack of environmental noises reinforces the alienating mood of this exciting. sexy tlirillcr. Sec preview and renew. (ilasgow: (il’l‘.
Kiss The Girls ( I8) ((iary l'ledei‘. t'S‘. l997) Morgan l-i'ceiiian. Ashley Jtidd. Cary lilw es. llo tlillts. Sharing its star and some thematic pret)cctipatioiis with the superior Sewn. Kiss The (iir/s ayoids genre pitfalls. but lacks original psychological insight. l'rceiiiau plays a detective whose search for his missing ncice uncovers a spate of disappearances and a killer w ho's cons iticcd of his romantic charms. 'llie ending is contrived. and the actors deserve better. lidinburgh. Cameo. Stirling: MacRobert. Kundun ( 15 ) (Martin Scorsese. US. I997) l-ll) iiiins. Scorsese's biography of the fourteenth l)alai l.ama is also a paiiistakitig record of a culture close to extinction. The beauty of 'l’ibet and gentle nature of the people is disrupted by' invasion by China. btit the Dalai Lama remains true to the ideal of non-violence. A highly cinematic. tliongh lieas ily wrought film. Knm/im also features a pulsating music score by Philip Glass 'llie first hour. w hile beautiful to watch. does seem to pass very slowly. but. by the end. it has a curious calming energy all of its own. (ilasgow: (El-'1'. lidinbnrgh: l'iliiihotisc. Kurt And Courtney ( IS) (Nick Brootiifield. l'K/US. I997) 93 mins, Was Ninana iiiainmati Kurt ('ohaiii's death suicide or something more sinister',’ Courtney Love's father reckons Courtney herself had a hand iii her husband‘s untimely demise - and that allegation was enough to get Broomfield's docuiiientary' into a lot of hot water on both sides of the Atlantic. However. the interviewees are too drug-addled to be coherent. let alone convincing and Broottilicld seems too keen to gel liis ow ti tatiiied iiing into the shot. lidinburgh: Cameo.
LA. Confidential ( IS) (Curtis llanson. US. I997) Key iii Spacey. (iny l’earcc. Rtissell Crowe. Kim Basiiiger. IRS mins. Adapted from James lillroy"s neo-noir novel. the best American film of I997 evokes a glitzy post-WW2 l.os Angelcs underpinned by an all (pervasive. festering corruption. An intricate. drop-dead brilliant plot links bent cops. good cops. Hollywood star lookalike pr;:stitutes and the mob. The dialogue crackles atid the actors burn up the screen: one of the few' films one would dare mention in the same breath as the definitive (‘lii‘iiiirmrir Stirling: MacRobert.
The little Mermaid (U) (John Musker/Ron Clements. llS. I989) 82 iiiins. Disney's aitiiig fortunes quickly rcyei'sed when this delightful animated feature first came otit in I989. There's the universal appealling story of the mermaid Ariel's love for liéllltlstifttc l’i'ttice liric. ()scar-w iiiiiitig songs. humaiiised animal sidekicks and some colourful set-pieces. Now with electronically cleaned-up colours and digital sound. (ieneral release.
Live Flesh ( l 3) (Pedro Aliiiodt'ivar. Spain. I997) Javier Bardem. Liberto Rahal. l-i'aiicesca Neri. l()() mins. Based on a Ruth Rendell story. Aliiiodt'ivar‘s most rounded attempt to enter the mainstream follows the fate of a wheelchair-bound policeman. the
young man responsible for the bullet that put him there. and his wife. with whom the recently released convict is in love Atty message waiting to be read is drowned in the brightest and deepest of ciiicniatographic experiences. and the pleasures here are several. But there's a hint that the director has slipped into iiiiddle-ground mediocrity. Stirling: MacRobert.
Lost In Space (l’(i) (Stephen Hopkins. l'S. I998) William Hurt. (iary ()ldmaii. Matt l.e Blane. l()9 mins. 'l'lie cult TV series for the (ins gets a 9l)s iiiake-oser and. despite the state-of-the-ai't special effects. it's every bit as cheesy as the original. Professor John Robinson (Hurt) and his family are sent to coloiiise the distant planet of .\lpha l’iiuie. btit ati act of sabotage catises them to spin into the stratosphere. Certain performances are so irritating that most viewers w ill sympathise with ()ldman's craycn villain. See review. (ieiieral release
Love And Death On Long Island ( IS) (Richard Kwictniowski. [JR/Canada. I997) John Hurt. Jason Priestley. l-‘ioua l.oewi. 93 mins. Celebrated writer and 20th century anachronism (iiles l)e'Ath (llurt) falls for teen heart tlirob Ronnie (l’riestlcy ). and eventually tracks liitii down in Long Island to offer him a new. cultured way of life. Dull/i In Vain c is the obvious reference poitit. yet it is hard to ;l\()lltl sceing l)c‘Ath's blinkered existence as a 90s version of (‘rot'm/tlt' Dion/cc. The early portrayal of irrational desire unfortunately gives way to a story that's too daft. (ilasgow; (il-‘l‘.
Love. Etc ( l 5) (Marion Vei'iioiiz. l5raiicc. I997) Charlotte (iaiiishoni'g. Yvaii Attal. Charles Berling. 105 iiiiiis. After years of friendship. the bond between llit'lations l’iciTe (Berling) and steadfast Benoit (Attal) is suddenly threatened by Benoit's introduction of Marie ((iaiusbonrg ), Directed with a light touch. this classic love triangle scenario - based on a book by linglish novelist Julian Barnes -- is stylish and subtle in tone. Memorable for its strong performances. particularly from (iaiiisbourg. Stirling: MacRobert.
Mad City (15) (Costa-(Easi'as. l 1S. I997) .loliii 'l‘ravolta. l)ustiii llolfiiiaii. llJ mins. When he's laid off. museum security guard Sam ('l’ravolta) tries to get his iob back at gunpoint and causes a siege at his former place of work. Local TV reporter Mas (Hoffman) turns the situation to his own advantage. moulding Sam into a media celebrity. This may not be first-class Costa- (iavras (Z and State 0/ Siege). but it‘s top- tiotch Hollywood filtiitiiakitig. (ilasgow. ABC Film Centre. ()deoii Quay. Virgin. l-Iast Kilbride: llCl. (ialashiels: Pavilion.
The Magic Sword (U) (l‘rederik l)u Chan. US. I998) Willi the voices of (iary ()ldman. Jessalyn (iilsig. Cary lilwes. 88 niins. All is happy under King Arthur's rule tititil evil Lord Ruber tries to steal lixcalibur. When the wondrous weapon becomes lost in the forbidden l'orest. plucky young Kayley reckons she's bras c enough to save the day; 'l'liis animated feature sticks to the Disney formula action. baw led-out ballads. kooky sidekicks —but the animation itself lacks Wall‘s grace. See review. (ieiieral release. La Maman Et La Putain ( IS) (.lcaii linstache. l‘raiicc. I973) .lean-l’icri‘e l.eaud. Bernadette l.afont. l‘i'ancoise l.ebruii. 3|9 miiis. Alexandre (l.eaud) spends his summer milling around the cafes and bistros of the l‘rench capital. chasing two women w ho come under his labelling of the entire sex; the mother arid the whore. Regarded as a classic of its time. linstache’s film is more atmospheric than plot-driven. but both melancholy and beautiful. Stirling: MacRobert.
Mary Jane's Not A Virgin Anymore ( 18) (Sarah Jacobson. US. I996) l.isa (iersteiii. Beth Allen. (ireg Cruikshank. 9t) mllts. A sexual coniing-of-age story with punk overtones. Jacobson‘s first feature is independent US cinema as it used to be before Sundance gave it all a gloss. The acting is variable — the likes of Jello Biafra pops tip for a cameo v- and the plot meanders, but there's a killer soundtrack by Babes lti 'l'oyland. Mudhoney and some lesser known names. Part of the Ten l)ay \\':ekend. Glasgow: The Arches.
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