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THE FORD OF THE RINGS (PG) 128 mins 900
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108 THE LIST " 9"
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THE CRIMSON RIVERS
(15) 101 mins .00
iv’illii‘ilt‘rll Kassovitz. ritzireiitly enjoying fame as the love interest in .~‘t/iie//e. is behind the :LillllOl'El once more for this grisly serial killer i’lick. And it's a far Cry from his powerful debut (a / lame. fashioned as it is like a slick l-lellyxirotx‘l thriller. A pair of stereotypical police detectives. in the form of Jean Reno's
-":( lticatetl veteran and Vl'l’ZOlli Cassel's ass- kir:kirig yOLingster. find their independent investigations lead them to the same series of crimes being perpetrated in an alpine university for the especially gifted. It's fun hoktim if you can stomach some extremely gruesome :,::st—ii‘.ortern exzi'iiinations. but the 'lereiieiiient is
it”: climactic. (Columbia l'ristar VHS and DVD rental) (Miles Fielder)
Di tAMA BOESMAN AND LENA
(12) 86 mins 0
Seine stage plays clieiitrl never. ever be tunic-(l into films. and tl‘is is one of them. Athel Tugard's (ttif;!(’ll."il()(i drama about a homeless couple's struggle to strivve in Scuth Africa must be a powerful sight on stage. But transferred to film the powerful monologues :ire overacted and learien. the lack of action painful to e'itliire. Directed by .John Berry (who also staged the play on t-irozidway). the film stars Angela Bassett and Danny Glover who seem to forget their minernatic techniques anti go for all-out Oscar moments. ilw’e's a genuine
message about racism here. but you'll be too busy gnawing your knuckles to the bone in utter boredom to notice. (Pathe VHS and DVD rental)
(Louisa Pearson)
MUSIC DOCUMENTARY WESTWAY TO THE WORLD
(15) 150 mins .00.
Some helpful additions have been made for the DVD release of Don Letts' polite but insightful documentary on punk rock pioneers The Clash.
The original documentary from 1999 utilises contemporary testament from all four original members and rare live clips to trace the genesis and eventual collapse of the band. Forty-five minutes of extra interview material has been added as well. but what makes this an essential purchase is the inclusion of the only remaining footage from Letts‘ earlier Clash movie Clash On Broadway. the Original of which was lost.
What remains is a brief but worthwhile glimpse into the hysterical reaction of America to British punk. (Sony VHS and DVD retail)
(Mark Robertson)
ALSO RELEASED
Bande a part
(BF/ VHS retail) Jean- Luc Godard‘s seminal New Wave thriller, available on video for the first time.
Dr Dolittle 2
(Fox VHS and DVD retail) Eddie Murphy acts like a schmuck who can talk to animals. again.
Merci Pour le Chocolat
(Artificial Eye VHS and DVD retail) Isabelle Huppert is a suspected poisoner in Claude Chabrol's compelling thriller.
Le Secret
(Optimum VHS and DVD retail) Erotic drama of the arty. not pornographic variety. Three Colours - Blue, White and Red (Artificial Eye DVD retail) Krzystztof Kieslowski's brilliant three-film interpretation of the French revolution ideals of Liberty. Equality and Fraternity.
tv@list.co.uk
ART GUIDE ROLF ON ART
BBC1, Sun 18 Nov, 7pm 0...
Rolf’s enthusiasm for the easel shines through
People forget that before he mastered the stylophone and began tearfully comforting old ladies on the demise of their budgies, Rolf Harris was more than a dab hand with canvas and paints. For his latest television outing, the bearded enthusiast has been given free reign to explore the life and works of his favourite artists, as well as demonstrating his own creative
virtuosity.
First up, Rolf dips into Van Gogh’s vivid palette, in an odyssey that takes him from Amsterdam to Arles. Rolf, who as an upstart art student once scoffed at Wncent’s ability, charts the impoverished painter’s rags-to-ragged history, calling on certain local experts to explode the most prominent myths (his madness, the ear thing). An insight is also provided into restoration and preservation methods used by the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam.
Yet, by far the most compelling section of the programme, is when Rolf sets up his easel and attempts to provide insight into the techniques employed by Van Gogh. Much in the same way that Paint Along With Nancy made compulsive viewing, watching Rolf take to the canvas with gusto has always been fascinating for the ‘Can You Tell What It Is Yet?’ factor.
After trying out a self-portrait in the Van Gogh style, Rolf declares himself to be ‘thrilled to bits’ with the result, and so will his viewers. For art lovers and philistines alike, this is interesting and accessible, with Rolf communicating an infectious enthusiasm for and enjoyment of his
subject. (Allan Radcliffe)
MEDICAL DRAMA LA DOCTORS Channel 5, Mon 19 Nov, 11am 0.
The opening credits may be a dead ringer for ER but rest assured that's
where the similarity ends. Welcome to California. kids. where every consultation ends with a meaningful look towards the horizon. Picture the scene:
LA Doctors is no ER
three idealistic doctors decide to open their own practice in LA. There's the cute young divorced one. the older family man and the playboy with a troubled heart. And soon there'll be a lady doctor in the form of Twin Peaks' Sheryl Lee.
On the basis of the pilot. the script and storyline stink: one cliche after another comes flying at you. The main problem is that the ‘action' centres around relationships and emotions. and in a medical drama we want blood. cardiac arrests and life/death situations. But when the high point of the drama is a doctor getting upset over being set up with a starlet as a publicity stunt. you realise this really isn't the emergency room. (LOuisa Pearson)
COMEDY
THE KUMARS AT NO. 42
8802, Mon 19 Nov, 9.30pm .000
sandwich of BBC2's new so-called comedy zone. The Kumars At No. 42 provide the tastiest slice of fun, while Steves Coogan and Tompkinson are somewhat stale with their latest effons.
All the basic elements in The Kumars are pretty familiar: this semi- docustyle chat show with a host (Sanjeev Bhaskar) whose faltering ego is crippled by a bundle of neuroses. Throw in his squabbling family of ageing Asians and it's quite simple: what you have is Easr ls
' East meets Larry
Sanders. with shades of Mrs Merton chucked in. This second programme may not quite have the same magic as the opener (Richard E. Grant and Michael Parkinson were the willing guest dupes) but the giggling Melinda Messenger and chortling Ben Castaway Fogle kept to the script of just being themselves while Bhaskar and co. (including a heavily grey Meera Syal) provide and set up the laughs. And it