Love. Etc ( I5) (Manon Vernouz. France. I997) Charlotte Gainsbourg. Yvan Attal. Charles Berling. l05 mins. After years of friendship. the bond between flirtatious Pierre (Berling) and steadfast Benoit (Attal) is suddenly threatened by Benoit's introduction of Marie (Gainsbourg). Directed with a light touch. this classic love triangle scenario - based on a book by English novelist Julian Barnes - is stylish and subtle in tone. Memorable for its strong performances. particularly from Gainsbourg. Edinburgh; Filmhouse.
Ma Vie En Rose ( I2) (Alain Berliner. France/Belgium/UK. I997) Georges Du Fresne. Michele Laroque. Jean-Philippe Ecoffey. 93 mins. Happy seven-year-old Ludovic loves cross-dressing and is convinced he will grow up to become a girl. His parents hope it's a passing phase. but hostility from their neighbours causes problems. The child's eye world is visually striking. the message of accepting the ‘difference' of others worth repeating. the performances by all trememdous. A refreshingly honest look at a complex subject. Glasgow: GFT. Falkirk; Town Hall. The Man In The Iron Mask (l2) (Randall Wallace. US. I997) Leonardo DiCaprio. Jeremy Irons. Gerard Depardieu. I32 mins. When France‘s dissolute young king puts the country on the verge of turmoil. the Musketeers reform to rescue a mysterious prisoner languishing in the Bastille. The writer of Brave/wart makes his debut as director with an adaptation of Alexandre Dumas‘s rollicking period adventure. but he can't direct a fight scene to save his life. The performances vary so wildly in tone. that the cast at times appear to be acting in different films. General release.
Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil (I5) (Clint Eastwood. US. I997) Kevin Spacey. John Cusack. Jude Law. I55 mins. Eastwood bites off more than he can chew with this discursive tale of life and crime in the beautifully preserved Old Southern town of Savannah. Georgia. The main narrative concerns the murder of the gay lover of bon viveur Spacey. but Eastwood gets side- tracked by sub-plots. A likeable movie that is subtly ingratiating rather than brazenly insistent. See review. General release. Mighty Aphrodite ( l5) (Woody Allen. US. I995) Woody Allen. Mira Sorvino. Helena Bonham Carter. 95 mins. Sports writer Lenny (Allen) and his busy art dealer wife (Bonham Carter) adopt a baby. but when the kid starts to show unusually high intelligence. dad goes searching for the real mother — a none-too-bright hooker and porn actress (Sorvino). Oscar-winning Sorvino is the best thing in the movie. even if her role is rather dubious. but Woody‘s a bit long in the tooth for his part. Funny. but a little tired. Glasgow: Gilmorehill. Money Talks (PG) (Brett Ratner. US. I997) Charlie Sheen. Chris Tucker. 95 mins. Tucker. fast becoming the poor man ‘s Eddie Murphy. teams up with Sheen. whose nose- dive from Plutmm to a string of video no- hopers is nothing short of phenomenal. as a con artist and TV reporter on the run from bad guys. The pace is fast. the action frantic. the comedy brash. Maybe that‘s enough to distract your attention from the less-than- quality entertainment you've shelled out for. Glasgow: ABC Film Centre. UCl Clydebak. Edinburgh: UCI.
Mousellunt (U) (Gore Verbinski. US. I997) Nathan Lane. Lee Evans. Christopher Walken. 98 mins. Lane and Evans play hapless brothers who inherit a decripit mansion. but when they decide to renovate auction it. a resident rodent is not willing to be evicted. An excellent blend of Laurel and Hardy slapstick and black humour. Mllll.\'(.'Htttll is sheer entertainment and has some‘real belly laughs. The tone and the pacing are spot~on throughout. and the sets and special effects are the icing on the cake. General release.
Mrs Brown (PC) (John Madden. UK. I997) Judi Dench. Billy Connolly. Antony Sher. l03 mins. Queen Victoria's obsessive mourning for Prince Albert is casting gloom over the entire country. so Highland ghillie John Brown is called down from Balmoral to shake up the stuffy English court. Madden's film can‘t match the comic brio and visual panache of The Madness 0/ King George. but his understated direction
undeniably suits the story. The performances are uniformly splendid. with Dench and Connolly (both perfectly cast) giving the film a surprising emotional depth. Edinburgh: UCI. Stirling: Carlton.
Mrs Dalloway (PG) (Marleen Gorris. US/UK/Netherlands. I997) Vanessa Redgrave. Natascha McElhone. Michael Kitchen. 97 mins. Oscar-winner Gorris (Antonin Is Line) adapts Virginia Woolf"s novel into a moving and romantic drama about an intelligent and vibrant woman. Set in I923. with numerous flashbacks. it presents the thoughts. memories and actions of a middle-aged society lady as she prepares for an evening party on one single summer day. Beautifully filmed in a period London and held together by a strong British cast. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
My Son The Fanatic ( l 5) (Udayan l’rasad. UK. I997) Om Puri. Rachel Griffiths. Stellan Skarsgard. A one-off preview of the new film written by Hanif Kureshi (who‘ll be interviewed about it in the next issue of The List). Distinguished Indian actor Om Puri plays a married Asian man whose affair with a white prostitute is complicated by social and cultural issues. Glasgow: GET. Natural Born Killers ( l 8) (Oliver Stone. US. I994) Woody Harrelson. Juliette Lewis. Robert Downey Jr. I I9 mins. Stone's visual and aural assault makes for one of the most remarkable cinematic experiences in years: his attempts to marry style with content. and provide a damning expose of the media adulation of serial killers is less successful. let down by his trademark overstatement. Violent. mesmerising. hallucinatory and bold in its use of various film formats. NBK is a landmark in M'I‘V-influenced filmmaking. St Andrews: New Picture House.
A Night To Remember (I’G) (Roy Baker. UK. I958) Kenneth More. Ronald Allen. Robert Ayres. |23 mins. Before James Cameron's Titanic. there was this British version of the sinking. It‘s more obviously studio-bound than Hollywood‘s effects- laden spectacular. but has plenty of excitement in a stiff-upper-lip sort of way. And you care more for the characters. And note that Cameron lifted scenes almost whole. With two shorts from l9l 2. one of which has real footage of the ship. Edinburgh: Cameo.
Nil By Mouth ( l8) (Gary ()ldman. UK. I997) Ray Winstone. Kathy Burke. Charlie Creed-Miles. I39 mins. ()ldman's directorial debut is an account of alcoholism and marital abuse which stalks smoky Iiast End pubs. SINUgJ‘IddCIl council estates and cheap-rate lives with an itchy amphetamine energy. In a flawless ensemble cast. Burke (whose performance won her the Best Actress award at Cannes) is heroic as the put-upon wife. while Winstone dominates the screen. This is simply one of the best British movies of the 90s — shocking. funny. heartfelt and honest. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
One Night Stand (l8) (Mike I"iggis. US. I997) Wesley Snipes. Nastassja Kinski. Kyle MacLachlan. l02 mins. A single noctural liaison between two happily married people is the trigger in director Mike Figgis‘s follow up to Leaving Lus Vegas. Flecked with unexpected twists and turns. the plot makes us sympathise with two-timer Max (Snipes). Whether this is a romantic story of fated coincidence or a moral about the consequences of infidelity. One Night Stuml is an emotional rollercoaster ride. brought to life by its distinctive directorial style. Edinburgh: Cameo.
Oscar and Lucinda ( IS) (Gillian Armstrong. US/Australia. I997) Ralph Fiennes. Cate Blanchett. Ciaran Hinds. I32 mins. Adapted from Peter Carey‘s Booker Prize-winning novel. this tale of passion and unconsummated love falls short of its shimmering goals. Fiennes is a l9th century man of the cloth obsessed with gambling who bets he can transport the glass church designed designed by an Australian heiress across the treacherous outback. Fiennes animates Oscar with a nervous. crow-like intensity. but there is a definite sense of some vital element missing. Glasgow: GFT. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
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