FILM reviews
Road Trip (15) 94 mins w s 7% wt
In 1979 Ivan Rertman produced National Lampoon’s Animal House, the granddaddy of all college gross-out movres and the frlm that launched the turbulent crnematrc career of John Belushr, Twenty years on, Rertman decrded to revrsrt the theme and luckrly the result rs equally hrlarrous' a romantrc comedy that lrterally revolves around sex, lres and a vrdeotape
In keeprng syrth the best Amerrcan college tradrtrons, four pals set out on an 1800 mrle road trrp from Ithaca, New York to Austrn, Texas rn a hrlarrous acc0unt of how not to break up wrth yOur grrlfrrend Trouble brews when Ithaca undergrad Josh (’Breckrn lvleyerr cheats on hrs chrlclhood sweetheart Trffany (Rachel Blanchard), and has
The Little Vampire (U) 95 mins
Take the Addams Famr/y, add fangs, Scotland and the lvlacaulay Culkrn of the noughtres (Stuart Little's Jonathan Llpmckrr, and the resultrng krds’ frim could easrly be monstrous Tony (LlpniCklr, fresh from the orange groves of Calrfornra, moves Wrth hrs farnrly to beautrful Scotland. He gurckly becomes the most unpopular krd rn hrs class (although he helps thrs along somewhat wrth hrs publrc obsession vvrth the undead), but frnds a playmate when a ten-year-old vamprre c’onvenrently falls down hrs chrrnney Can Tony Jorn rn the guest for the mrssrng amulet and help the fangecl Rudolph and hrs famrly become human7
Desprte rts Hollywood re-varnp, Angela Sommer-Bodenburg's well-
30 THE LIST ‘5 79 Oct 2%“)
The smutty college boys are back
four days to travel across the country to rntercept the vrdeotape of hrs rnfrdelrty Wrth school babe Beth (Amy Smart).
Joined on hrs mrssron by best frrend E.L lSeann erlram Scotti, roommate Rubrn (Paulo Costan/or and ((ir-()\."/Il(?r Kyle lscrawny werrdo D J Quallsr, the crew learn about the Important thrngs rn Irfe the rules of cheatrng on your partner, the best way to donate sperm, stealrng from the blrnd, and ancrent Greek Phrlosophy But the star of the frlrn rs undoubtedly Canaclran comedran and MTV cult phenomenon Tom Green, who serves as the frlm’s narrator, Barry Hrs performance rs guaranteed to have you rn strtches as he grves a unrversrty tour, woos g:rls, eats mrce, does battle wrth a python Stupendous fun «Kaleem Aftabr 13- Generalrelease from Frr 73 Oct
It certainly doesn't suck
loved novel emerges wrth rts sense of fun rntact The only sprne-chrllrrrg moments result from some drre dralogue lchrefly from the most patror‘rrsrng parents the ct strng cres‘.’ could muster, and a crrrrge‘.'.'orthy rerrclrtror‘ of stock Scotland 'tllirtlc castles, krlts and bagprpes lurkrng round every tartaned corner,
However, Rollo Weeks, as the orthodontrcally challenged hero, rs a cool Irttle charmer and the frrendsnrr) between hrrn and lorry rs surpr‘.sr'tgly touchrrrg Thrs rs a romp fuelled by fun rather than gore, and wrth a generous frstful of good jokes Among them are recurrrng demonic cows 'wnrc h are the snack of choice, and an rnept bounty banter <er (arter Jut “.‘rhrle thrs frlrn certarnry doesn't suck, ultrrnately rt lac l;s real brte rludrth Ilo
General release from In I 3 Oct See K/cls preview
vamprres' new
Girlfight (15) 113 mins Karyn Kusama's strrkrng debut feature, exec'utrve produced by John Sayles who also makes a cameo appearance, rs set to follov.l Boys Don't cry as thrs year's Amerrcan rndre success story Latrno tc—.>enager Drana lastonrshrng new ccmtc—rnder l/Irchelle Rodrrgue/r rs rebellrng wrthout a cause, both at school and at home rn her run-clown New York rrerghbourhoocl But '.'.*her‘ she takes over her nerdy brother's boxrng lessons at a local gym she frnds somethrng she never had before se'f— worth Of course, boxrng be'ng tr‘adrtronally a man's world she encounters resrsfance fro'rr, ‘.rar':ot.siy, other frghters, coaches, promoters and, most challengrng of all, her orunken father G/r/l/glrt follows the grand traclrtron of American boxrng frlms But where, say, Paul Newman's slugger rn Somebody Up l'r'rere L/kes Me and Robert De llzro’s beast rn Rag/rig Bull were hell-bent on self-oestructron, ‘.'~.';th:n the rrng a“ci wrthout, Rodriguez's Drana frghts her way out of her own personal hell What Kusama's frlrn shares wrth the best sport frlms rs that rt's about more than the game Itself The frght scenes are tough, tense and dynarrnrc, but frorr‘ the frrst bell thrs raw l()‘.'.’-l)tl(l(}(?l frlm packs a po‘-.‘.'erhousc‘- punch tl‘at's more to do ‘.'.'|'_ll what's gorng on rnsrcle the protagonrst's head than ‘-.'/I"at l) a'ta does m the rrng ll/lllOS Frelderr E Cameo, [Edinburgh fro/n l'rr 13 Oct See prevre;v
Tom's Midnight Garden (PG) 107 mins
From the moment Nrgel Ie Vailrant walks up the path of hrs t‘.'.ree floral cottage to be greeted by s'nrlrrrg wrle and baby, you know you're rr: for a srckly rrcle But nothrrrg can prepare you for the strlted onslaught ahead Based on Phrlrppa Pearce’s 1959 novel, thrs adaptat'on could have, and should have, been so much rv:ore
A mrx of Back lo The Future and Me l./on, l'lre W/tclr And The Wardrobe, this rrragrcal ta‘e has all the rngreclrer‘rts of a perfect chrlclren's story Sent to stay nurth his aunt and uncle to agord catchrng measles from hrs brother, Torr: rs r'utrary 'n=ffecl at HE‘SSIIK) or: on srrrrrrner far: But an old grandfather cioc k that chrrrres t“ rteen t'rrres on the stroke of rnrdr‘rght rs hrs passport to the late i9th century, where he Nrght after nrght he sneaks out rnto the 'nysterroas garden to play, .'rsrble only to hrs ne‘.'.' mate
All good stuff on. paper, but wrt"; actrng rnore ‘.'.oode!‘ tr‘a" 1"‘e trees " the garden, the cellulorcl versron falls as fIat as the perforrrzarrces Joart P c)‘.'.'r‘-ght's T'rve rnrnute cameo rs the only sav'ng grace, bat corr‘ang r‘rgltt a“. :ne er‘.(: of the f-m rs too Irttle, too late 'Keliy Apterr
Film/rouse, [cl/riburglr from rm 7 3 Oct
Packs a powerhouse punch
Magical ingredients but a sickly ride
rr‘eets an: befrne'ids Hattae
Water Drops On Burning Rocks (Gouttes D'Eau Sur Pierres
Brulantes)
(18) 86 mins
Seventres frlmmaker Razrier Werner Fassbrnder was a product of post-.‘.ar Ger‘man crnerrratrc be'irgere'ice Francors O/on 'S'rtcorn rs a postmodern l-renc h provocateur '.'.'lil‘r a taste for the gaudy And so rt rs apt that the flashy, homagrng youngste' should adapt an unperfor'ned play by the hermetrc, self-absorbed and ofterr uncor'u'run'cat 2e ate great very drfferent punkzsh mrrrds at unork, ‘.'.'ro ‘.'.';ns out)
A fascinating adaptation of an unproduced Fassbinder play
Bat ‘\.'.li:"e {pact
(Qertarniy th's study of rr‘ter-relat onslnp r)ov.'.e' ga'nes "as lassbu‘crer :()t.;l‘r"s, Bernard (uraudeau rs the 'nrddEe-agec: man. purat ye satv", leor)c>;<l, ‘.'.“c> set: .ces the youthful l‘.lalrl: /;dr before II‘()‘.II‘.(} onto /.ci:'s grr'r‘r'enci ,,\l t'ie lassbrnderran rnusrcal (liars, then, as oeople play garnes ot"e's er”oi o"-s There's also leoporo's ex =x\n'ra l"o"‘sor‘, brrngs to Illllt(l ln A Year V‘.”'.r’/r.’/I Int/teen .i/loorrs, as '.'.e'l the so". o‘
ac mg "g tr‘ansse1-ma nose orese'lc-c- llft‘Vttl clesrgn that lassbrnder saoalcl haye 'ozect to loat'we, rurozr‘. l)’(>‘.'.".s, g'ee"'s, rrurror‘ecl ‘.'./ar‘clro‘t)es a"c: frsr “acts »\"(I yet, ‘.'."‘e" the ch-"c""‘e's {wear r‘ts dance, and o‘fer firm or”! butts n c'ose _.p, we er- "‘e o'eser‘ce c:' l'ltlkt“) °
altogether clrfferent, more exuoe'a'”. ta'er‘t at \.'.()7\ life co"‘t>r"at.or‘
an rnterestrng exert se, a «rnd o‘ rr‘ar‘rc (repress: H'wetrg o‘ ‘3. rlony l.lc Krbbrrrv
2.”: GI l, ()lasgo'.'.; fro/n l/r () Oct, lil/rflltlt/se, lrlrrrlmrcr", r”; Rt) ()cf
no mrtds