All at sea: Kevin Costner and Robin Wright Penn in Message In A Bottle
Message In A Bottle (12) 132 mins
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hard-bitten hack Robbie Coltrane — takes her to sunny North Carolina, and brings her into contact With sensnive boat-burlder Garret Blake (Costner). Still mourning the death of the Wife he adored, his own curiosity is awoken by this beautiful stranger, all the While unaware of the ulterior motive that has brOught her to him
It all makes for a predictable and undemanding romance, soited for those who Simply want to see big stars convey big (though not altogether convincing) emotion on the big screen. Paul Newman almost steals the show, as Garret's irasCibIe but amusing dad, while the collective talent on board reminds you Just how good it all might have been (Anwar Brett) General release from Fri 23 Apr. See preview
Rough justice: Joaquin Phoenix in Return To Paradise
Return To Paradise (15) 109 mins
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: starring Vince
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was! i:' '1 ..'.~"-.r:e, before going '.lw-' .--r: :' sheriff Vaughani, ? ' a dart. horse, and Trr, I-:. 1 ":1, ,f a dark ' -.’.'l :i-'- '.f i- "liflli'(" I r,i '11”) i
Eastern (Heche), who telis them that he was imprisoned when they left, wrongly conVicted of drug dealing because of hash they dumped in his garbage, and that he will hang in eight days -— unless they go back to share his prison sentence. As Beth desperately tries to persuade them, something stirs in Sheriff's vacuum of a sOul But the ambitions of a hustling news reporter (Jada Pinkett Silllilli threaten to destroy Lewis's chances
\rVell-constructed and well- intentioned, Return To Paradise is an unusual attempt to portray spiritual redemption in a ()lly'stl age But :iievitably Hollywood opts first for true (physical) love, ‘.‘.’|lll the human tragedy coming a rather poor second (John MacKenZie)
General release from Fri 76 Apr
new releases FILM
Painted Angels
(15) 110 mins 2s:-
Set in the wild west, this period drama deals With the immigrant women who came to the new world With hope, and ended up working as prostitutes.
The stOry revolves around five women of varying ages, who are presided over by the brothel madam (Brenda Fricker). Ada (Anna lvlottram) and Nettie (Kelly McGillis) Work to support their children; pretty young Georgie (Lisa Jakob) dreams of bigger and better things; and the mysterious German clairvoyant Katya (Meret Becker) gives hope to Ioner lrish Eileen (Bronagh Gallagher) by informing her that she can converse With friends from beyond the grave
Conveying the insecurities of displaced women and their hardships as they struggle to earn a crust through the sex trade, the film paints an informative picture of the 19th century world of prostitution Despite risky methods of contraception, abortion and hygiene -~ Coupled \‘Jllll (la:‘~:;-;>iin;.s, ';tir‘is.;r‘.:'ir:< and constant pressue from the brothel madam ‘. : "Gifdlilt‘ cope Via their heartwarming friendships ‘
Although the pace of this mowe is too sl ., «illTlfllll() alt-no ‘.‘/l[llOUI any gripping storyline to hang on to until ‘~.'.t=l3 rl‘i ,. t':-:- st'rtuiiii fail, the film is a refreshing, non-male picture of the western ili,'."lli'.' Beth \\’.iriaiiisi I Edinburgh Fl/mhouse, Mon 26—-l14/ed 28 A )1
For a few dollars
more?: Kelly McGilIis in Painted Angels
; rnen, verbal abuse the women
Dance With Me (PG) 126 mins
Rafael (Chayanne), a young Cuban, arr , Texas to work as a handyman at the dance studio owned by ,li"l‘.."- >tt ‘Klis Kizst~>fferson), an old lover of his dead mother. There he reins !l‘ ll‘i' nrepaatows for a ballroom dancing competiti0n With hopeful Ruby L : single mother Whose ambitions stretch beyond the small studi ,.
An easy-gomg, formulaic romance directed by Randa lltllllt‘s, the film gets by on mu5ica| exuberance. Rafael's wooing of Ruby is (ii-lllltltlt'tl through the opposnion between his JOyOUS salsa moves and no regulated ballroom steps, With the Cuban's life-affirming spirit coming out n tor; Although similar on the surface to Strict/y Ballroom, Dance With Me has none of that filrii's sense of irony and tries to impress purely With its passion
Williams and Chayanne, both accomplished (ltil‘: eis, areal their best - as is the film — when the talking stops and the Latin cinrr-cxpaolv; .-;i:ks in ln his calling card to Hollywood, the personable Chayartiw oil-w ittltw waving Krrstofferson, on the other hand, looks like he's \‘.andered .'l iron: i ‘\.\"t>st~:‘-r‘l‘. set and rarely takes the trOuble to breathe life into his (har‘ac ter ‘S'lll-LLT‘i a General release from Fri 23 Apr
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SHORT FILM Bog Standard
(no cert) 9 mins
Anyone who volunteers alternative adVice on the correct etiquette for behaVi0ur in public todets might as Well be pissing in the Wind lf you dewate from the in/Zip down/Zip up/out again format, yOu'll only draw Suspicion upon yourself That's what One yOung man learns to his embarrassment in Bog Standard, a short comedy made by twelve trainees at Edinburgh’s Film & Video Access Centre
Russell Anderson plays an office worker whose trip to relieve himself goes awry when curiosity gets the better Spots someone lurking With a chair [2th t :"t (Mi-.r‘te tl‘e ehm, workplace peers that there's anything unusa ll i: W“: 2"
As comic dilemmas go, it's a giggler rather than i rants mutter, but Anderson makes for a genially bemused Everyman in a sguiriri worthy \lllhiilOll A group of profeSSional filmmakers led tutorials during the tr irii" resulting in a Snappin finished film on screen (Alan lylorirsarn I 809 Standard is Currently screen/rig turf/r 55min ‘-: : Cameo, Edinburgh
Toilet humour: Ricky Callan and Russell Anderson in 809 Standard
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pi We) THE LIST23
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