The Philadelphia Story (PG) (George Cukor, US, 1940) Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, James Stewart. 112 mins. Splendidiy sophisticated Hollywood comedy with Stewart as a scandalsheet reporter covering the society wedding of recently divorced Hepburn, ex-hubby Grant lurking in the wings, and romance recurdling despite itself. Sparkling dialogue and charismatic performances all round make this one of the best of its kind. Remade as the musical, High Society. Edinburgh: Cameo.
Pink Flamingos (18) (John Waters, US, 1972) Divine, David Lochary, Mary Vivian Pearce. 106 mins. The Citizen Kane of bad taste films is re-released in the UK censored version once again, albeit with a better quality print and with a message from Waters added at the end. Divine plays white trash matriarch Babs, defending her title of the ‘Filthiest Person Alive'. Waters goes all out to offend every member of the audience, but there is a unescapable humour to his shock tactics. Edinburgh: Cameo. Pixelvision (12) (Various, UK, 1999) 90 mins. A programme of film and video work from local artists, Pixelvision showcases new video art from artists working under the Collective Gallery banner. Edinburgh: Lumiere.
Playing Nintendo With God (15) (Paul McGuigan, UK, 1999) 60 mins. Following a group of American kids on their annual visit to Camp Sunburst, director McGuigan (The Acid House) documents the lives of a group of children who are living with, rather than dying from, AIDS. Edinburgh: Lumiere. Premiere Reels (15) (Various, UK, 1999) 30 mins. A programme of film and video work from local artists,. Premiere Reels draws material from the film course at Edinburgh College ofArt. Edinburgh: Lumiere.
A Question Of Silence (l8) (Marleen Gorris, Netherlands, 1982) 96 mins. What could have been a routine courtroom thriller is lifted by the fact that the defendants are three ordinary women who have murdered a seemingly inoffensive Amsterdam boutique owner. As their trial continues, a sense of insiduous male oppression emerges. The
Film
Review .
Apeman II
Just in Time ‘Missed the first 15 minutes, wish I had missed more’. Steve Parker, Edinburgh.
The Alpha Project ‘A box-office beater’. Simon Rild, Manchester. ***
film may have feminist leanings, but they're not allowed to dominate with dogma. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
Random Hearts (15) (Sydney Pollack, US, 1999) Harrison Ford, Kristin Scott Thomas. 123 mins. Ford and Scott Thomas play a Washington DC cop and a New Hampshire congresswoman whose paths unexpectedly cross after their respective spouses are killed in an air crash. A second blow soon follows: the dead man and woman were lovers. In this glossy romantic drama, former carpenter Ford salutes his old trade with a performance of such woodenness that he cries out for a coat of varnish. It's a shame because opposite him Thomas delivers a nuanced and moving performance that deserves a better co-star. General release. Ratcatcher (15) (Lynne Ramsay, UK, 1999) William Eadie, Tommy Flanagan, Mandy Matthews. 93 mins. Seen through the eyes of twelve-year-old James Gillespie, a sensitive boy haunted by the drowning of a neighbour's son, Ratcatcher paints a bleakly realistic picture of Glasgow family life. Ramsay uses meticulous framing, unusual camera angles and atmospheric images to capture the subtle textures of everyday life, as well as complex inner feelings. Glasgow: Gl’l‘. Edinburgh: Cameo.
The Ring (l’G) (Alfred Hitchcock, UK, 1927) Gordon Harker. 109 mins. Hitch himself called The Ring his second real ‘llitchcock picture’. The tale of a boxer's troubles in and out of the boxing arena benefits from a new score by Neil Brand, here performed live. Glasgow: GF'I‘. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
Run Lola Run (15) (Tom 'l‘wyker, Germany, 1999) Franka Potente, Moritz Bleibtreu. 80 mins. Young Berlin punk Lola (Potentc) has twenty minutes to raise 100,000 marks to save her stupid, but beloved boyfriend from murderous drug dealers. Not an easy task, but writer/director Tom Twyker gives Lola three chances and helps her pound the streets with a thumping, self-composed techno soundtrack. Using every style trick in the book, 'l‘wykcr astounds with an adrenaline rush of a movie. Edinburgh: Cameo, Filmhouse.
Two’s a Crowd ‘They’ll be lucky to get that many people to go and see it’. Sarah Rosen, Surrey. *
The Runaway Bride (PG) (Gary Marshall, US, 1999) Richard Gere, Julia Roberts, Joan Cusack. 116 mins. Gere plays Ike, a hardened New York newspaper columnist who gets sacked from his job for writing an inaccurate piece on Maggie Carpenter (Roberts) who has jilted at the alter three times before and is set to marry again. He goes to her home town to write a revenge piece on her, only they meet and as plans for the wedding proceed, ‘things’ start to blossom between the two. Nowhere near as toe-curling as it could have been. Glasgow: Showcase. East Kilbride: UCl. Paisley: Showcase.
Shakespeare In Love (15) (John Madden, UK, 1998) Joseph Ficnnes, Gwyneth Paltrow, Rupert Everett. 120 mins. Joseph Ficnnes, a pair of breeches and a few moody verses and a league of women will leave the cinema wondering why they never figured it out at school: Shakespeare is sex on legs. Tom Stoppard 's script is exuberantly confident, irreverent and witty. All the characters are sent up and Will Shakespeare is the butt of so many jokes, it‘s a wonder he retains his romantic gloss. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
The Sixth Sense (15) (M. Night Shyamalan, US, 1999) Bruce Willis, llaley Joel Osment, Olivia Williams, Toni Collette. 107 mins. Nine-year-old Cole Sear (Osment) has a terrible secret. He can see the dead walking the earth; they're around him all the time and it‘s scary as hell. Child psychologist Malcolm Crowe (Willis) takes his case and spends all of his time, at the expense of his marriage to Anna (Olivia Williams), attempting to help the boy. Shyamalan's clever script suggests much and explains little, keeping the audience guessing. General release.
The Slipper And The Rose (U) (Bryan Forbes, UK, 1976) Richard Chamberlain, Gemma Craven, Kenneth Moore. 140 mins. Live action version of the Cinderella story. which replaces the magic of Disney animation with plush period decor and songs. Boasting a fine British cast, it's nevertheless overlong. Glasgow: (il’l'.
Star Wars Episode 1:The Phantom
*Average ** Good *** Outstanding
‘You will go bananas to see this film’. Jane Purvis, Bucks. ***
She Wants It ‘I want a bit of what She’s having too!’ Paul Rutts, Heathrow.’ **
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index FILM
Menace (U) (George Lucas, US, 1999) Ewan McGregor, Liam Neeson, Natalie Portman. 132 mins. On the surface, the plot structure isn’t a million light years away from the original Star Wars. in visual terms, The Phantom Menace stands alone in the cinematic universe. At times you'd think there was more animation than live action on screen - and maybe it‘s this toning down of the human element that has left the film lacking soul. Glasgow: Odeon Quay. Edinburgh: ABC, UCl, Virgin Megaplex. Stormy Weather (U) (Andrew Stone, US, 1943) Bill Robinson, Lena Horn, Fats Waller. 77 mins. Slick, star-studded music revue, loosely based on Bill Robinson‘s life and career. With such a cast (also inlcuing the great cab Calloway) the music excels. You‘ll be jiving in the isles. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
The Straight Story (U) (David Lynch, US, 1999) Richard Famsworth, Sissy Spacek, Harry Dean Stanton. 111 mins. Midwestern old timer Alvin Straight is hellbcnt on re- uniting with his estranged, terminally ill brother so he takes to the road aboard his motorised lawnmower. Farnsworth's lead performance is honest, bean-felt and credible, while Lynch maintains his fascination with the inherent strangeness of smalltowns and lost highways. But, in this sublime snail‘s pace odyssey, modern psychosis is replaced by old time decency. Sec feature and review. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
Swingers (15) (Doug Liman, US, 1996) Vince Vaughn, John Favreau, Ron Livingston. 96 mins. A wannabe actor Mike and his pal 'l‘rent drive to Vegas to play the tables and pick up some babes. Later, in LA, the boys hang out with their friends, wandering the trendy bars, generally being young, single and without love. Which is just about all there is to Swingers - a heap of talking, the odd homage (Scorsese and 'l‘arantino) and lots of male bonding. A highly watchable, very funny and entertaining piece of low-budget filmmaking. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
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2-16 Dec 1999 THE "W29