FILM index
Sling Blade ( I5) (Billy Bob 'I'horntou. L'S. I996) Billy Bob Thornton. Dwight Yoakum. J.'I'. Walsh. I35 mins. Writer-director-star 'I‘hornton‘s Oscar-winner (for Best Screenplay) is now here near as maw'k'ish as Rain Man or I’m-rest (iiiiirp. Thornton plays a slightly retarded man just out of prison. w ho returns to his small Southern flametow it only to witness the same pattern of ahuse that triggered his
enormoust from cieatiye improvisation. particularly iii the case of the very pregnant Cormack. who plays Liz. a girl who misses her abortion appointment and becomes a mum by default. See review. (ilasgow: (il-‘I‘.
The Truman Show (PU) (Peter Weir. L'S. I‘I‘IS) Jim Cat'rey. Laura I.inney. lid Harris. I03 mins. 'I‘rutnan Burhank leads a life of suhliine hanality' in the picture perfect island
student 8: youth
The Shining t I8) tStanIey Ktihrick. l‘S. I‘).S‘t)) Jack Nicholson. Shelly l)ll\’(lll. I’hilip Stone. l-Io ruins. Ktihriek's oy'erwroiight. oterlong horror film dispenses with much of the psychic apparatus of Stephen King's hotel to concentrate on the deeper horror of a famin turning iii on itself. Nicholson. w ith all the stops out. is hug-
not! travel y
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Sitcom i IS) tI’i'ancois ()ltiii. I'i‘aiice. I‘NS) Adrien de \'an. .\Iai'iiia de Van. Iiyely iie Dandry. SS mins. How funny one finds the idea of a strait-laced famin suddenly giyeii to incest. sado-iiiasochisiii and hisesuality depends on Iiow close one ieels to the contentions ()Ion mocks — and Iiow scandalised one is hy that mockery (I/oii is undeniath a prtw'ocatetir. htit he too easily hits targets that ha\e already hceii peppered with know mg harhs ~r the iiitii'dci' spree opening alone owes much to Btiiitiel Iidmhtii‘gh: I7ilrnhouse
art loving, comedy laughing,
attraction visiting, theatre
going, hill walking, scotland touring, club dancing,
beer swilling, sport crazy. film watching, music listening, hotel staying
money spenders?
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Stella Does Tricks ( is) iCoky (iietiroyc. t‘is'. 19%) Kelly Macdonald. Hans .\Iathieson. James Bolarti. 97 mins. Kelly \lacdonald takes on her first leading role after 'l'rtiiiis/ioiiiiie. and proyes to he the film's driy mg force. .v\s one of a group of school-age prostitutes working in London. fuelling tIieiiiseres w ith drugs and fantasies to keep the harshness of their situation at hay. she colours her character's toughness w ith itist enough loneliness and fragility. .-\.l.. Kennedy 's screenplay \ oiccs the despair of a generation. Iidinhtii'gh; Lumiere.
Still Crazy i l5) tBi‘ian (iihsoii. l‘K. lWSi .liiiimy \illl. Bill \ighy. 'Iiiiiothy Spall. 05 mins. I.ike iii The I'll/l .lloiiti. a disparate hunch of guy s come together. suffer strife. htit triumph against the odds. This time. Iiow ey er. the pants stay on as it's a reformed 70s rock group that's at the centre of attention. 'I'\' stalwarts Dick Clement arid Ian I.a l-i'enats deliyer a script that‘s itist a little episodic. httt iteycr less thaii itiimy. Kii‘kcaldy: Adam Smith. Stirling: \IacRohert.
The Sweet Hereafteri I5) i.-\tom Iigoyan. Canada. I997) Ian IIolm. Bruce (iieeiiwood. Sarah l’ollcy. lli) iiiiiis_ \\ heii a small community is torn apart hy a school hus accident that claims the hycs oi most oi tIicii children. an aiiihiguotis law yer with iaiiiily trouhles of his own comes to represent them iii a compensation case. The film tiiii'olds iii a patchwork oi iIashhacks and set-piece-.. htit it‘s IIoIm‘s heautifully itidged [X‘Iltil'lllillic‘k‘ that's the hcdrock of the film. .v\s a study oi helpless grief. it's rarely hecii hettered. lfdiiihtirgh: l-ilmhotise.
There's Something About Mary i IS) iI’etet’ arid Bohhy l-‘ari'elly. I'S. IWS‘) Cameron Diaz. \Iatt Dillon. Ben Stiller. I IS trims the I‘arreIIy hrothers follow their stipi‘eiiiely tuii. htit dtiiiih dehut. Dani/i .'lll(/ Dion/w): and had taste eytrayagan/a. Kine/nu. with an L‘\‘L'Il more outrageous film a “stalker' comedy. Small town geek led ncy er makes it to the Iiiin school prom w ith gorgeous \lai'y. htit years later and all grown tip. he remains
; eyed and demonic as the writer cracking tip earlier murderous attack. .\on mg without coiititttiuity of Seahayen. htit is the unwitting ROUND T": WORLD “'1'” I yiolently iii an isolated Iiotel. and the iiiiaI scenes heiiig sentimental. with a morality that's far § star of the world's longest-running BRITISH AIRWAYS/QANTAS ! are. literally. chilling. Izdinhtirgh; Cameo. from simple-minded. I‘alkirk: FI‘II. ‘ documentary soap opera. The 'Ii'iiiiitui S/ioii- SPEC'AL STUDENT/ i The Siege i I5) (lid [w ick. 1S. 1908) Den/cl Small Soldiers iP(i) (Joe Dante. l. S. I998) , (the movie) is flawlessly ptit together. with ; YOUTH FARE... ; Washington. Annette Betting. Bruce Willis. Kirsten Dunst. (ii‘egory Smith. Denis Leary. script and direction periectly iudged. Carrey. (from London) l Ito ruins. l-‘BI agent \i'ashiiigton attempts to Hi) mins. Dante pltiriders his anarchic ll\‘C , still a schiiiuck but less ingratiatiiig than usual. - get to the hottorn of a series of mysterious action cartoon tale. (ii'ciiili'iis'. stihstittiting toy s surprisingly giy'es the tilt)\ ie its heart. I’alkirk: scattISh Departures 5 terrorist attacks iii .\'ew York City. htit the f for little dey'ils and adding state-of-the-art i I~'I'II. £0/W crtn ' indignant l‘S goy'erniiient declares .\Iarshal| ; computerised effects. l'nforttmately. Small = 12 Monkeys t I5) i'l'eri‘y (iiIIiam. l'S. l‘NS) AmSterdam 85 1 28 I law'iiiid (ieneral Willis moses in with his ‘ Soldiers displays none of the sadistic mischief. 1 Bruce Willis. Brad Pitt. \ladcleine Stowe. I29 Athens 1 32 1 86 ‘ tanks. The gtmg-ho nature of it all is ' nor the know trig Capra-esqtie whimsy of its mins. .\ cony'ict from the future is .sent to the Bombay 25° 48° unintentionally amusing and not ariti-.-\rah. as antecedent. Sanitised. bland and hanal. past to (llSL’tH‘L‘f the source oi a lethal \‘lfllS that Calro 1 46 $33 ' the controversy surrounding it has suggested. (ilttsgow': (it‘os‘yenor. ()deon Quay. Showcase. 1 has deyastated humanity. htit eyen he begins to BOpenlgagrfen 1 Zwick's well staged htit politically litti\e film lidinhtirgh1ABC Multiples. Paisley: 1 wonder if the images in his head are merely Isgasgbeul O i 52 248 : pt‘tiy‘es far more balanced. ii Iess thrilling. than ; Showcase. Stirling: .\.lttcRohei't. delusions. .\ complex time-trayel fantasy. with Los Angeles 1 49 268 eypccted. See I'L‘\'IL‘\\. (ieneial release. I _ Star Treltz‘lnsurrectro-n il’tii tJonathan f Iiheral stihplots and a decent mystery edge. Madrid 1 02 1 88 Silent Scream t IS) (Day id Hay man. l Is. l't'akes. l S. I‘J‘IS) Patrick Stewart. Jonatliati that s Iiited hy (rilliam s eyer-hrilliant \ istial Marsemes 1 04 1 90 WW) laiii (ilen. .\iine Kirsten. Tom Watson. I‘rakes. Brent Spinner. IIIJ mitts. I’ast skills. It may at times sttiinhle oy er its ow n Mexico 220 423 John .\lui'tagh. .Sh mms. Based on the w ritings esperience suggests that CYCD-llllllllX'l'L'tl Slur inner logic. htit it‘s an odd. eccentric creation Miami 1 38 247 of Barlinriie Special l'iiit initiate and cons icted 'I'rcA moy‘ies are the best. Howey er. this ninth i that engages the imagination. Iidinhtirgh: New York 1 20 21 2 murderer. I.arry \Vintei‘s. Day id Ilay man's instalment iii the series would appear to huck ; Cameo. Paris 76 1 1 9 impressiye feature dehtit .is director is an the trend. The Net! (it'iici‘iitioii crew 's second Velvet Goldmine i IS) i'I‘odd lIay ties. L'S. RIO 283 539 audacious and passionate attempt to get inside outing finds Captain I’icai'd defying orders IWS) Jonathan Rhys-Meyers. liwan .\Ic(iregor. Singapore 283 403 the head of a wry coniples iridiy idtial. \Vith art when he is sent to attack an alien race on a Ifddie Iuai‘d. I33 iiiiiis. [sing the yery British TOKYO 260 509 electric. aw aid-winning periormaiice hy Iain remote planet. The allegorical story — destroy a glam phenomenon. the young :\iilCTiC(lli Low cost student (ilen at its core. Silent .81 run): was a iiiassiye race in the name of progress -~ will strike a director csauiiiies more lliii\'t‘l\;ll themes. & youth Insurance hoost for film production iii Scotland. chord with :\litL‘t'IC21iis trouhled by their own sesuality. identity. iioii-coiiiormity. 'I‘here‘s Iidmhurgh: I.timiei'e early history. htit w ill it trayel to this side of much fun to he had w arching the charismatic
performances in this ‘Ioiig play er" which demands iand deseryes) to he appreciated with a keen ear and eye. l-alkiik: I’l‘ll.
Vertigo ii’(}i tallied Hitchcock. LS. 1058) James Stewart. Kim .\'oyak. Barhara Bel (ieddes. IZS inins. Detectiye Stewart. :1 man with a fear of heights. falls in lt)\L‘ with a woman who apparently commits suicide \thn he meets her dotihle. he hecoiiies ohsesscd with the possihility that she is still ahyc, Iiytaordinai‘y plotting iii this tindery'aliied Hitchcock study of romantic mania. with Stewart memorath cast against type as the distinctly oii-the-edgc cop. 'I‘he Bernard IIerrmann score is simultaneously lush and disturbing. Iidinhiiigh: Cameo Victory ( I5) i.\laik I’eploe. l'K/Ir'rance/(iermaiiy. IWS ) Willem Dafoe. Irene Jacoh. Sam \eiII. US ililiis, \Vhen l'lilllc‘ls Coppola took the essence of Joseph Conrad's noy‘el Heart ()I Dark/rm and transformed it ltilt) .'l/’U( rI/\/)\t' .\iiti‘. he made one til the greatest films oi all time. The author Iiasiii heen as well \L‘HL‘LJ hy I’cploe on lit i't’I'\. The elements are all there passion. a Dutch Iiast Indies period setting. a strong cast - htit the director can‘t make any coherent sense of the story aiid the characters, (ilasgow. (il’I‘. What Dreams May Come i tSi iy'incenr \Vai'd. I'S. I‘I‘IS) Rohiii \Villiams. .-\iiaheIIa Scioi‘ia. Ctiha (ioodiiig Ji'. I H iiiiiis. When »\niiie \ielseii commits suicide after the death oi her hushand and two sons she ends tip in hell. prompting htihhy in heayeii Williams- make an ()i‘phetis-like trip to the underworld to sate his heloy ed from eternal damnation. I’ai't artistic \ision. part oney-doyey schmaltl. the film an er reconciles the two; htrt it is unlike anything you'yc eyei' \t't’ll hefore. (ilasgow: .\BC I-iliit Centre. ()tleoii ()tiay. Showcase. I'Cl Clydchank. Virgin. lidinhtirgli: :\BC \Itiltiplcs. l (I (ialasliiels: I’ayihon. I’aisley. Show case.
The Winter Guest i I5) l.‘\l;ltl Rickiiian. l'K. I097) l’hyllida I.aw. [{iniiia 'I'hompson. (iaiy - Ilollywood. I It) turns. 'I’here‘s something ahotit the way Rickman's directorial debut motes front one pair of characters to the nest
\1 . ’4 ohsessed with the date that iicyei' was that suggests it‘s hased on .i play. htit that's not Q6 ’- (ilasgow: Showcase. I€tliiilitii‘gli: Dominion. a criticism. The film works otit themes of loss a I“ l’aisley. Show case, Stirling: \lacRonrt. and emotional deixrridency against a snow - 0 ~ Three Veterans tl’(i) i( )Idi'rch I.ipsky. C/ech coyered Scottish landscape. w easing its icy Y’ V Reptihlic. I083) 95 mins, IItiiiiorotis taii‘y tale iiieiaphor through the character's. innci Ines
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concerned w ith the human qualities oi one. greed. selfishness and lose. Part of the Czech Cinema On Tour season. lidinhurgh: I'ihiihouse.
Topless Women Talk About Their Lives I i.s‘i ilIai'ry Sinclair. \cw '/.eal;md. I‘Nh) Danielle Coi‘tiiack. laii Ilughes. Joel 'I'oheck, S7 mitts. Sinclair's oiiheat drama ahotit a giotip oi twenty somethings. deyeloped from his own series of soap opera-sly Ie teley isioii shorts. makes tor a pleasantly iamhliiig. itiiiiiy. heautiitil and startling film. It hciieiits
and the film's ctiiiiptitei‘-eiihanced images. The cast is esceIlent. with Law proy mg herselt'oiie of the country ‘s hidden treasures. lidinhurgh; I.uiiiiere.
FILM REVIEWS New releases are reviewed on pages 33e35. Short reviews of all other films showing this fortnight are in the Film index, pages 3639.