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HORROR/COMEDY TEET (18) 93min .0
Vagina dentata is the Latin name for a vagina with teeth. a primal fear which crops up in a number of different cultures and philosophies. now emerging at the centre of this teen flick written and directed by Mitchell Lichtenstein. the son of pop artist
Roy.
In a small Austin Texas town in the shadow of Simpsons-style cooling towers. high-schooler Dawn (Jess Weixler) finds her pledged commitment to virginity threatened by a number of prospective lovers. These range from sincere but repressed paramour Ryan (Hale Appleman) to her sexually active bad-boy stepbrother Brad (John Hensley). who oddly can't remember how he lost the tip of
his finger as a child.
When she discovers a set of razor-sharp teeth between her legs. Dawn's sexual awakening proves bloodier than most. although Lichtenstein cops out by never providing a visual depiction of exactly what's going on down there. There is. however. plenty of bloody castration stump-fountain action. While the novelty of the conceit initially provides an intriguing half hour of well-observed high-school alienation. Teeth is soon reduced to repeating the same gruesome scenes with
diminishing returns. (Eddie Harrison) I General release from Fri 20 Jun.
DRAMA ADULTHOOD (15) 99min «0
Despite a fairly miserable showing at the box office 2006's Kidu/thood has spawned a sequel. Like its predecessor Adulthood's London- centric depiction of inner-city struggles won't speak as immediately to a Scottish audience but it‘s still a compelling enough example of young British filmmaking with a social conscience.
Essentially a vanity project for returning star, director/writer Noel Clarke (best known as Billie Piper's boyfriend in Doctor Who). Adulthood continues to follow the trajectory of Sam. the troubled t0ughie who went to prison for murder at the end of the first film. Six years on and in his first 24 hours of freedom Sam resolves to grow up. only to discover that real life is rather more complicated than he had hoped. Clarke's ear for street slang coupled with his uncompromising portrayal of contemporary youth (grimy sex and caSual violence abound) give the film an authentic feel. while a tight structure and some neat visual tricks ensure that Adulthood is always engaging. The story encompasses too many characters to do thorn all justice. and an inappropriate Hollywood-ster showdown mars the concluSion. but as a calling card for Clarke's many talents Adulthood is undeniably impressive. Whether Adulthood needed to be made at all is a different matter altogether.
(Paul Gallagher) I Selected release from Fri 20 Jun. See profile in listings.
DOCUMENTARY
A COMPLETE HISTORY OF MY SEXUAL FAILURES
(18) 93min .00.
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned - most people would regard this maxim as pretty true. Documentary filmmaker Chris Waitt, however, flies in the face of danger. After finding himself on the receiving end of a string of dumpings, he sets out to contact all his ex- girlfriends, to discover what makes him such a rubbish boyfriend. After a few false starts, doors being slammed in his face and threats from lawyers who would sue him if he went near certain exes ever again, Chris is off on his journey of self-discovery.
As with most journeys, Chris’ quest doesn’t lead the hapless, more masochistic than intrepid, documentary maker where he’d imagined. He winds up in Edinburgh, where his ex-fiancée lives with a new man, and a baby. There are plenty of straight answers to his ‘Why didn’t our relationship last?’ lost puppy dog style questions, followed by even more uncomfortable pauses as the women start to wonder just what the hell an ex from
years ago is doing on their doorstep, unannounced, cameraman in tow.
The root of his problem appears to lie about halfway down his body. Women think men are lead by their penises, but it would seem that the female race also deems this organ rather essential, and Chris’ lack of ability or rather inability, forms the painfully funny middle section of this Warp X-funded documentary. A brisk pace, a desire to bare all (literally) and Chris’ very ordinary but anxious humanity makes this slightly insular premise engaging viewing.
Just as he hits rock bottom and believes the love of his life is in the rearview mirror of a god awful camper van (the filmmaker insists on driving about like a gap year student in Australia, and not the 30-year-old he is), life throws him a curve ball. We’re told without failure there can be no success; for Chris and for us, at least his sexual failures have instigated some measure of cinematic triumph.
(Georgina Wilson-Powell) I Carrier), Edinburgh and selected Cinemas from F1727 Jun.
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