reviews

VIDEOS

RENTAL

lovelorn New Yorkers who find unlikely Enemy The State solace in each other. Dumped by her (15) 128 mins iamt rich husband, Holly Hunter’s socialite

attempts to readjust to Single life. When Will Smith unknowingly comes Elsewhere in her apartment building, into possession of a disc containing Danny DeVito's lift operator is trying to evidence of a senator's murder, his life i make something of his life. They meet, is threatened by a ruthless government there’s a romantic connection, much security team who follow his every soul searching and they go their move with hi-tech surveillance separate ways, happier. By which time, equipment. Tony Scott’s thriller plays you’ll be thinking: so what? on every ’Big Brother' fear known to (Entertainment) (MF) man, and then some. It’s a fast, scary - ride that’s brilliant while Smith’s life is . Stnke

r (12) 93 mins in:

falling apart, but sluggish and

unconvincing when he's trying to turn , America, I963. When Miss Godard’s

the tables. CCTV cameras are the tip of , prim prep school for girls is threatened by a merger with St Ambrose boys’

the paranoia iceberg. (Touchstone) , academy, the members of a secret

(AM)

society named DAR. (Dau hters of Hope Floats the American RaVioli) undegtake (PG) 109 Mills * * * preventative measures. Despite the Prom queen marries star quarter-back presence of some fine acting talent and moves to the big smoke. A few ; (Kirsten Dunst, Lynn Redgrave) this years later, her best friend enlightens campus comedy is no Heathers or even her on national TV about the affair she : Clueless. It tries too hard to be 'hip' is having with her husband. The prom . and ’wacky’ and the continuity stinks: queen then returns to Smithville, Texas : girls just didn’t say ’yeuww' in the 60s with her daughter. All very mother- (Alliance Atlantis) (MF) daughter relationships in Southern

accents and perhaps not the most appropriate film for a blokes’ night in. G'engarry G'en Ross -'(15) 97 mins it *1”

Still, it stars Sandra Bullock and the surprisingly sexy Harry Connick Junior as the guy who ’is there’ for the jilted The launching of a new label is always wife. (Fox Pathe) (SB) an exciting event and the advent of

American Independence should have PeCker. , home movie buffs experiencing a (15) 85 mins * * 3 plethora of conniptions. Among the Watered-down Waters, anyone? This is | opening gambits is G/engarry Glen an old—style feelgood movie that would Ross, DaVid Mamet’s incisiver written be pure Hollywood schmaltz if it and James Foley’s subtly directed wasn't for the odd sick joke. Pretty portrayal of ambition, failure and Edward Furlong skips around Baltimore desperate maledom set in the real

estate world. Other titles available now

photographing the local weirdos; New

York art fox Lili Taylor decides he’s a 3 include Slacker, Wild Man Blues, King

genius and creates a PR sensation; it all Of New York and Ulee’s Gold, each one retailing at a very reasonable

goes wrong and the inherent superiority of innocent yokels over city £9.99. (VCI/American Independence £9.99) (BD)

SOphisticates is asserted. Nice erformances don’t save a film that’s - 9 Mad City (12) 110 mins ***

just not funny enough to excuse its

naivete. (Entertainment) (HMcG) Director Costa-Gavras is well-served by his stars, Dustin Hoffman and John

Living Out Loud Travolta, in this story of an

(15) 99 mins *ir Screenwriter Richard LaGravense (The unscrupulous news reporter who exploits another man’s tragedy. When

Horse Whisperer) makes his directing debut with this cloying tale of two . Travolta's white trash security guard

Radge of dishonour: Ewen Bremner and Arlene Cockburn in The Acid House (VCl/Film Four, 18. 106 mins, *Hv). Available to buy from Mon 19 Jul. priced £14.99

reviews VIDEOS

5 movie? Which is one Way Of

shower curtains.

; madness, jealousy, lust and fear. 1 Having robbed her boss of a

. substantial sum, Marion Crane (Anne Heche) drives off into the

RENTAL Psycho (15) 99 mins ‘k t a: *

Nobody whinges at people going out and doing cover versions of songs. So, what's so sacred about a

looking at it. The other is to ponder why anyone would want to spend time watching, never mind making, a virtual shot by shot treatment by Gus Van Sant of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic tale of suspense, sadism and

For anyone who remains unfamiliar with Psycho, it is essentially a love story riven with

. Keeping mum: Vince Vaughn in Psycho sunset, to be caught in a

thunderstorm with only an empty motel and its somewhat tetchy owner for

i solace. Norman Bates (Vince Vaughn) seems to be overly protective of his 5 mother and when Marion's sister, boyfriend and a private dick come looking for the missing thief, they all find more than meets the eye.

Of course, only a fool could blow it with such faultless material at their disposal. And Gus Van Sant is no fool. He just goes a little foolish sometimes - in letting Vince Vaughn tip the edginess slightly overboard (particularly when he puts the master in Norman Bates) and the cellar scene which drags itself into the farcical. Luckily though, the closing speech is better judged than the original and Norman is allowed to flash his toothy

; smile while the voices run riot in his head. (Brian Donaldson)

been fired from, Hoffman prolongs the

. Hole, the Billy Wilder and Kirk Douglas

7 Love And Death On

Q (15) 89 mins * xi it 2 John Hurt plays Giles De’Ath, a British

crudity of the modern world. A

teen movie instead of an EM. Forster

T reserved De'Ath traces him to his Long Island home and integrates himself 5 into the actor's world. Moments of wry

I Available to rent on Universal from Mon 79 Jul.

unwittingly takes a group of children hostage in the museum he’s recently

Goosebumps: Welcome To Camp Nightmare (PG) 42 mins * t at Spooky goings-on at school camp is the setting for this adventure mystery, based on R.L. Stine’s books. The kids start to go missing, the staff turn into instructors from hell and a strange beast lurks in the bushes. And of course, one young camper, Billy, is duty bound to find out what's going on. While retaining an overall feel of suspense and with a twist to the plot in the final stages, it's mainly a case of having seen it all before. (20th Century : Fox £9.99) (HM)

Braveheart (15) 171 mins a: ht You’ll have seen the film, slapped on i the face-paint and tasted the new era, so now probably seems the right time to re-Iaunch this slab of Scottish history largely filmed in Ireland and directed g and starring an Australian. It's actually '5 a much more thoughtful and atmospheric film than it's been given credit for despite all its liberty-taking etc. There is a nice commemorative box set of the film, a making of-type documentary, stills and CD soundtrack for a mere £24.99. (20th Century Fox £14.99) (BD)

siege to get his scoop. Well-acted, but lacking the acid intensny of Ace In The

film which covered Similar territory. (Warner £14.99) (MF)

Long Island

writer whose life is unaffected by the

mistake propels him into the 20th century, however, when he watches a

adaptation. Obsessed by its young star Ronnie Bostock (Jason Priestley), the

humour redeem this slow film which lacks the passion of the obsession it portrays. (20th Century Fox £14.99) (MS)

The Unauthorised Star I Wars Story

(E) 63 mins * * *

’Unauthorised', and largely uninteresting, this hour-long look at the phenomenon that is Star Wars has some things going for it the interviews with just about all concerned in the original, for one. While it’s all very well to hear Anthony Daniels describe how he prepared to .

CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE:

Simone Baird, Brian Donaldson, Miles Fielder, Hannah McGill, Helen Monaghan, Alan Morrison, Minnie

be C3PO, not to see how it manifested Scott

itself on screen is unforgivable. Still,

nice to know that George Lucas was

chomping on a burger opposite the STAR RATINGS

cinema which was hosting the 32.35%? premiere, unaware what the fuss was *1“, won a shot about. (Visual Entertainment £12.99) 1: * Below average

(BD) * You’ve been warned

8—22 Jul 1999 THE “ST 91