Gridlock'd (IS) (Vondie Curtis Hall. US. I996) Tim Roth. 'l‘upac Shakur. 'I'handie Newton. 9| mins. Take a pedestrian stroll through the highways and byways of heroin consumption. as Spoon (Shakur) decides to get clean. backed up unconvincingly by Stretch (Roth). Bureaucracy foils them at every turn and their tails are hotly pursued by both the cops and the hoods. A satire on the US media and government policy. a black comedy and a druggy buddy movie. (iriil/m-k 'rl fails to settle convincingly on any one style. Irvine: Magmrrn. Kirkcaldy: Adam Smith.

Grosse Pointe Blank (15) ((ieorge Armitage. US. I996) John Cusack. Minnie Driver. Alan Arkin. l()8 mins. Depressed freelance hitrnan Martin Q. Blank (Cusack) returns to his home tovvn for a high-school reunion. btit finds his past private life and current profession are about to overlap. Armitage turns in a fair post-Woo action sequence here and there. vvhile ('usack positively itihabits Martin. svvitchittg from comic/romantic lead to focused killer effortlesst and believably. (ilasgovv: ()dcon Quay. Shovv'case. Iiast Kilbride: l.‘(‘I. (ialashiels: Pavilion. Paisley: Shovvcase. How Angels Are Born ( l8) (Mnrilo Salles. Bra/.il. I996) IIX) mins. 'I‘hree kids from the streets of Rio de Janeiro flee an accident and take refuge in a villa. vvhere a hostage situation develops. Latin American I-‘ilm I’estiv'al. (ilasgovv: (il’I‘.

James And The Giant Peach (U) (Henry Selick. L‘S. I996) Paul 'I‘erry. Susan Sarandon. Simon (allow. 79 mins. I‘rom the director of Tim lirrrlmr 's' The Nrg/ilnnire lie/ore (‘lirrvlmirv comes a vvonderfully colourful adaptation of Roald Dahl's much- Iov’ed novel. Live action tops and tails the story. but for the most part. it's fun times vvith stop-motion puppets. By turns funny arid scary. it stays true to Dahl's surreal and vvhimsical vision. Iiast Kilbride; I’CI. Kama Sutra (IS) (Mira Nair. India/UK. I997) Indira Yarma. Sarita (‘hotrdhuryz Naveen Andrevv s. I I4 mins. Kuniu Sir/m does have some intensely erotic moments. btrt it's by no means a position-by-position dramatisation of the infamous ancient test: rather it shovvs love it) all its contrasting hues as Ibth century servant girl Maya tantalises the povverful king Raj Singh. A richly atmospheric film full of sensuality. vibrant colours. traditional music and alluring dances that encourages female empovverment. Stirling: MacRobert.

Lady And The Tramp (L') (Hamilton Luske. L'S. I955) With the voices of Peggy Lee and Bill 'Ihompson. 75 mins. Disney's first animated feature in cinemascope Iias mongrel 'I'ramp helping pedigree pooch Lady out of a sticky situation arid falling in Iurve along the vvay. Richly dr'avv n vv ith htrmmable tunes and endearing characterisations. this is the classic Disney mix as before. Lover spaghetti-eating sequence. (ierieral release.

Lost Highway ( IS) (David Lynch. US. I996) Bill Pullman. Patricia Arquette. Robert Loggia. I35 mins. I‘urther out than even the celluloid version of fir/It l’r’ukv.‘ Fire Bit/Av Bill) Me. Ly nch's latest radicalisation of the film IleI‘ traditions concerns jazz. savman Pullman. his vvife

MATT

DILLON

(Arquette). a mystery man (Robert Blake). a garage mechanic (Balthazar (ietty) and a crime kingpin (Loggia) brit in typically Lynchian non-linear plotlines that exist vvithin the logic of dreams. Haunting. provocative. and a genuiner personal undertaking. Iidinburgh: ('ameo.

The Lost World: Jurassic Park (PG) (Steven Spielberg. US. I997) Jeff (ioldblum. Julianne Moore. Pete Postlethvvaite. l29 mins. (ioldblum and (‘o drop onto a second dinosaur-filled island. which is disrupted by a mived hunch of capitalists and safari hunters. sending the carnavores on a rampage. The story is far better than Jurassic Park. making for a thrilling adventure vv ith irnpeccible effects that renders the original as good as estinct. Watch out for the certificate though: sustained scenes of terror suggest it should have been a 'll'tieneral release.

The Madness Of King George (H i) (Nicholas liytnet‘. I'K. I994) Nigel Havvthorne. Helen Mirren. Rupert layerett, Ill) mins. Alan Bennett‘s adaption of his ovvn stage play is a great British film in its ovvn right with no lingering sense of theatricality. Nigel Havvthorne's evcellent portrayal of the King. his demented behaviour threatening the stability of the nation. gives the film an emotional core. vvhile the scripts themes are intelligently handled throughout. (ilasgovv. (ill.

The Man In The Black Cape i IS) (Sergio Re/endc. Bra/.il. I996) II.< riiins. History combines vvith fiction. spectacle vv ith reflection. in this tale of 'I’eriorio L'avalcanti. it politician who riled the middle-classes due to his protection of the poor. Latin .'\|Ilef'lv'dll I’ilm I-‘estival. (ilasgovv: (iI’I'.

Mangetout A documentary looking at the grovving of iriangetouts on a farm in Zimbabwe for 'lesco. follovv ing the producer buyer on his annual \lsll. I'ollovv ed by a discussion. l’t'ee screening. Iidiriburgh. l‘iltliliottse.

Matilda (P(i) (Danny De Vito, l'S. I996) Mara Wilson. Danny De \‘ito. |.mbeth Davidtz. 98 mins. (.‘apttrring the delicious vvickedness of Roald Dahls vv i’iting. director De Vito ftiIIy e\ploils esagger'atron and playful camera vvor'k to tell the tale of a gifted child vv ho uses her super brain to outwit her neglectful parents. ()ffsettrng the lovable Matilda against a series of horribly inflated bad characters. the film's empovvering message for children \v ill appeal to the mischev ious kid in everyone (ilasgovv; \‘irgrri. Edinburgh. ()deon.

Men In Black (P(i) (Barry Sormeirfeld. l‘S. I997)'Iommy Lee Jones. Will Smith. Vincent I)'()nofrio 95 mins South and Jones are tvvo v'l‘.‘I‘ticaI|_\ iiariied ‘cosmic (3- men' vvho monitor estraterresti'ial aliens

Iiv irig on Iiarth. vvhile stopping the nastier breed of space baddie from colonising the planet. Jones's seen-it-aII straight man is the perfect foil for Smith's vv rde-eyed nevv kid on the block. vvhile Sorinenfeld's skrIful integration of the visual effects proves that eye-popping spectacle and coherent storytelling need not necessarily be diametrically opposed. (icricral release Men, Women: A User's Guide i )2) ((‘laude Lelouch. I‘rance. I99b) Bernard Iapie. I’abrice Luchini. Alessandra Martrnes. I

3:

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FAYE DUNAWAY

Dress to impress: Julia Roberts and Cameron Diaz in My Best Friends Wedding

mins. (‘ontrovei'sial former Marseille football club boss and vs heeler-dealer businessman 'I'apie play s a philandering tycoon vvho gets his corneuppance vvhen a vengeful old flame svvitches his medical report vv ith at) ailing undercovercop. 'I‘he healthy one starts to get sick. the sick one starts feeling fine again. It never begins to add tip. btit Lelouch‘s danlirig cameravvork and luscious Parisian crnematography are captiv atiiig enough to command the attention. Kirkcaldy. Adam Smith. Microcosmos ( I ') ((‘Iaude .\'ur‘idsany/Marie Perennoti. I’rance. I995) 75 mins. A bug- t‘yed look til tlte \voi'ld (if Insects. [his I'I'L‘flc‘ll one-off falls somevv here betvveen a narrativcless documentary and an ensemble piece for its array of tiny characters. What unfolds is a kind of hfc-in-a-day betvveen the blades of grass in air overgrovvn meadovv. 'I‘he avvard-vv inning macro- photography and imaginative sound evoke and surpass the artificial vvorlds created in all those science fiction movies. Iidinburgh: I‘rlmhouse. Is'rrkcaldy. Adam Smith.

Mrs Brown (I’(i) (John Madden. I'K. I997) .lrrdr l)ench. Billy ('onnoIly. Antony Sher. Illi mins Queen Victoria’s obsessive mourning for Prince Albert is casting gloom over the entire country. so Ilighland ghillie John Br'ovv n is called dovv n front Balmoral to shake tip the stuffy Lnglish court. Madden's film can‘t match the comic brio and visual panache of The .Iliu/nevv (); Kine (frame. but his understated direction undeniably suits the story 'Ilie performances are uniformly splendid. vv ith l)ench and (‘onnolly (both perfectly cast) grv mg the film a surprising emotional depth. (ieneral I’L'IL';I\L‘.

The Mudlark l l.) IJCRIII Negtilesco. I'K. I950) Irene Dtmnc. Alec (iuinness. Andrevv Ray. 99 turns. Well. it isn‘t .Ilrv li’nmn. hit! it's another tale of an outsider making his

vv ay into the presence of Queen Victoria and brightening her mood. 'Ihis time it's eleven- year' old scanip Ray vvho amuses her

FROM THE STAR OF'SEVEN AND THE USUAL SUSPECTS

"The impact of RESERVOIR DOGS”

Premiere

"EXHILARATING"

los Angeles Times

"DAZZLING"

New York Post

KEVIN SPACEY'Sr

fiRA" '\

GARY Srrsi-iSE

index FILM

majesty in a film that gets by on its vvhimsy alone. (ilasgovv: (il’I‘. Iidinburgh: I'iltnhotise.

Murder At 1600 (IS) (vaight Little. US. I997) Wesley Stripes. Diane Lane. Alan Alda. I()7 mins. With the tone of a Sunday Spur! headline and the credibility of the kind of story you‘d find underneath. this Presidential thriller tells of the brutal murder of a pretty secretary in the White House and the profound implications this has for a beleaguered President. Not so rntrch a vvhodunit then as a ‘vvho cares vv ho done ill". vvith Snipes and Lane as the typically ‘mismatched‘ couple and more red herrings than a defective kipper factory. Largs: BarTfieIds.

Muslim Women In The UK Ahmed Noshin espIores the pleasures and problems of being a Muslim vvoman in Britain today. 'l‘he event inclrrdes a screening of '/‘/)e l’erl In (iliiveon'. a short documentary on the attitude of local vvonien to the veil. (ilasgovv: (ilfL

My Best Friend's Wedding ( l 2) (PJ. Ilogari. US. I997) Julia Roberts. l)errnot Mulroney. Cameron Diaz. l()5 mins. The director of Aristralian hit .lliirre/Ts‘ Ilia/ding takes Jrrlia Roberts out of her usual. vvide- eyed role of irritating innocence and re-casts her as a tvvo-faced career girl vvho tries to scupper the vvedding of a former boyfriend vvhom she suddenly realises she is still very rntrch iii love vvith. A vvonderfully scripted film with a fun jx‘rformances all round. it ultimately affirms the enduring nature of friendship. See revievv; (ieneral release.

My Last Man ( l5) ('I'atiana (iav iola. ('hile. I990) 90 mins. Polemical documentary filmmaker (iaviola turns to fiction for an unusual love story set in an unspecified country vvhere a 'I‘\' reporter becomes embroiled in a terrorist takeover of a radio station. Latin American film I-‘estiv'al. (ilasgovv: (iI'vL

Continued over page

Filmhouse, Edinburgh 0131-228 4141

i) sop 2s Sep no; THE rrsr29