Carry On de Sade with Geoffrey Rush as the filthy old Marquis and Kate Winslet as
the buxom maid seduced by his pornographic writings in Quills
(Menchikov) realises that Kiev is no place for his young lirench wife (Bonnaire) and son. A series of tragic events begin to unfurl as they both take Russian lovers, while around them the ogre-like communists weave plots. Lush melodramatic stuff, that tends to use a mallet where it should use a feather duster. It's constantly watchable, however. and in parts genuinely moving. (iI’I‘, (iIasgow.
The Exorcist - Director's Cut (18) iii (William I-‘riedkin, US, 1973/2000) Max von Sydow, lillen Hurstyn, Linda Blair. 132 mins. Writer William Peter Blatty always griped that in excising twenty minutes from The Exorcist, I-‘riedkin removed its moral centre and obscured its theological message. To Blatty's horror, some people thought the Devil won. Twenty seven years later, l-‘riedkin has reinstated eleven minutes of footage, and the re-editing job is done so lovingly that fans are unlikely to feel cynically exploited. liven so, I-‘riedkin's cuts have mostly been vindicated by this new release; it now feels too long, while the infamous 'spider walk' scene merely adds a cheap and redundant shock. New Picture House, St Andrews.
Family Man (12) tit (Brett Ratncr, US, 2000) Nicolas Cage, Tea Leoni, Don (‘headle. 120 mins. In Ratner's inside-out updating of It's A Hi)!1tl(’ffll[l.ff(’, Cage is a hot-shot Wall Street broker who one Christmas live suddenly finds himself inhabiting the life he would have led had he not abandoned his college sweetheart Kate (Leoni) thirteen years earlier to pursue his career. No longer a strutting Master ()f'I‘he Universe in a 32.000 suit, he's now a poor sap who wears baggy sweat pants and sells tires for a living, and naturally he's (initially) horrified by this transformation. (‘age's exquisitely modulated performance sa\ es the film from becoming sehmaltz is; he finally exudes a rueful, good-natured sweetness that makes him Stewart's worthy heir. (ieneral release.
Fantasia 2000 (U) iii (Various, US, 2000) \iiiL‘es of Steve Martin, Bette Midler, ()uincy Jones. 75 mins. When Walt Disney first came up with the idea of turning classical music pops into an animated pot pourri, he originally envisioned that I'imtasnt would continue to be renewed by additional material. Sixty years on, his dream has at last came to fruition with this new collection of musical highlights. The star of the show is the one segment retained from the original, the Dukas ‘Soreerer's Apprentice' set-piece with Mickey Mouse in a pointy wilard's hat and lots of buckets of water. ()deon, Dunfermline.
Flubber (1') it (Les Mayfield. l'S, 1997) Robin Williams, Marcia (iay Harden. (‘hristopher McDonald. ()3 mins. This remake of 1001 Disney favourite The Absent Minded Professor casts a subdued Williams as a scientist w ho invents a gravity defying goo, but may well lose his fiancee in the process. ('ombining many of the worst, most annoying attributes of films designed to haye 'f'amily appeal'. I’lubber merely flops when it should fly. Carlton, Stirling.
Flying Padre (U) (Stanley Kubrick, US, 1051) 9 mins. Kubrick's directorial debut is a look at a rather peculiar preacher. l’ather I’red Stadtrnuller is a New Mexico padre and his only way of transportation around the state to see his parishioners is by monoplane. Like his other documentary work, this merely hints at the possibilities to
come. Cameo, Iidinburgh.
Galaxy Quest (PG) **** (Dean I’arisot, US, 2000) Sigourney Weaver, Tim Allen, Alan Rickman. 102 mins. In the film. Galaxy Quest is a Star Trek-ster series which ran for a short time years ago and has subsequently developed cult status. To earn a crust the miserable cast make personal appearances at conventions and shopping mall openings. But a naive bunch of aliens mistake them for real heroes and enlist the cast's help in battling a real-life evil enemy. What follows is, on the surface, an entertaining display of straightforward, fish- out-of—water comedy, but underlying it is a gently scathing attack on fan culture, and America's pathological need for heroes. ()deon, Edinburgh.
The Grinch (PG) tit (Ron Howard, US, 2000) Jim Carrey, Taylor Momsen, Jeffrey Tambor. 105 mins. Surprisingly, The Grinch is the first live action feature to be adapted from the work of the world's best-selling children’s author, Dr Seuss. And beneath sfx magician Rick Baker's green costume, Carrey — the world's highest-paid comedian wreaks glorious havoc on his cloying sweet neighbours, the Whovians of Whoville. Howard lays the book's moral — Christmas is about family not presents — and the sickly-sweet sentiment on pretty thick. Toy Story 2 got the cross generational appeal right; golly gosh Howard's Grinch hasn't. Carrey's great, though. General release. Harry, He's Here To Help (18) **** (Dominik Moll, France, 2000) Sergi lxrpez, Laurent Lucas, Mathilde Seigner, Sophie (iuillemin. 117 mins. Harassed young married couple Michel (Lucas) and (‘laire (Seigner) are en route to renovate their summer holiday home with their three demanding children when Michel bumps into Harry (Lopez), an old school acquaintance. Having invited himself to dinner, Harry reveals his motto ~ a solution to every problem — and promptly goes to work. Moll's well crafted blend of suspense and mischievous humour, assured pacing and fine set pieces (not to mention an opening credit sequence Saul Bass would be proud of) places the film up there with Highsmith and Hitchcock. The Lumiere. lidinburgh.
Head On (18) **** (Ana Kokkinos, Australia, 1999) Alex Dimitriades, Paul Capsis, Julian Garner. 104 mins. Head On grips from the start, spending 24 hours with Ari (Dimitriades: remarkable), a messed-up nineteen-year-old whose quest for drugs and casual sex is overshadowed only by his own self-hatred. It's an uncompromising look at what it means to be second generation Greek in what is supposed to be one of the most liberal cities in the world: Melbourne. It does not flinch from difficult issues such as the insidious racism and homophobia that seem to breed in any community. Iidinburgh Film (Build at the l’ilmhouse.
Hibiscus Town (15) *1“: (Xie Jin, China. 1987) 130 mins. Veteran film-maker Xie Jin's aesthetic resides in the epic melodrama, as can be seen from this lengthy historical study which spans the years from 1963 to the post '(iang Of I-'our' era. It tells the story of a poor bean-curd seller's hard work to create a better life for herself and her husband, an existence that is to change when she is accused by a militant Maoist of self-aggrandisement at the expense of the state. Filmhouse, Iidinburgh.
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