Films screening this fortnight are listed below with certificate, credits, brief review and venue details. Film index compiled by Alan Morrison.
A Toute Vitesse ( I 5) ((iacl Morel. I‘rance. I996) Stephane Rideaii. Iilodie HOUCITCI. 90 units. Some of the cast of Andre 'l‘echine's’ I995 coming-of-age drama In l\’(t.\('tlll.t Summer's reunite for this look at the nature of friendship and lonliness. The relationship between three friends is unbalanced by the .Illl‘.;lI of a broody. gay Algerian whose childhood friend was killed in a car crash. liciicli nasel-ga/ing for twentysomethings. ldiiibui'gh. I'lIlllllttllsL‘.
Afterglow t l5) tAIan Rudolph. I'S. I997) Nick Nolte. Julie Christie. Jonny Lee Miller. l|.i iiiiiis. In Montreal. the lises of two
couples intersect when the neglected wife of
a young esccutrye embarks upon an affair with an older handyman. I‘urther complications ensue when their i'espeetiye partners also begin a relationship. Much of Afterglow works as farce. albeit a slow- moy ing one. How'eyer an echo of sweet. unidentifiable sadness lingers lotig after you ie eiiiei'ge outside world. (ilasgow: (il’l'. Idinbuigh. l‘lIlllIlUllSL‘.
Un Air De Famille ( I 5i t( ‘edric Klapiscli. l-tance. I997) .Iean-I’ieri'c Bact'i. Claire .\l.uuiei. Agnes .laoui. I09 iiiiiis Is'lapiscli\ follow -up to the delightful ll’lit‘li 'I‘lit' (‘ul's
."lltll is a witty espose of lamtly interaction.
(iatheiing to celebrate a birthday. the family 's dinner conyersation crescetidos from gossip to bitchiness. The film retains altcdcattettltifils sltqie rtxils,litn luls a sharply comic point of View Kirkcaldy: Adam Smith.
Amy Foster t I3) (Becban Kidron. l'K/I'SA/H'attce. I997) Rachel Weisl. Vincent I’erez. Ian McKellen. I ll mins. Based on a story by Joseph Conrad. this costume drama centres on a lonely young
woman in 19th century Cornwall. Into her life comes a shipwrecked Ukranian. but their lose is hindered by the s'illagers‘ suspicion of this ‘heathen'. The casting brings out the Romantic nature of the story. but its too familiar a scenario (and genre) to spark tip much interest. Iidinburgh: Dominion.
Anastasia (U) (Don BIuth/(iary (ioldman. US. I997) Voices of Meg Ryan. Christopher Lloyd. John Cusack. 9-1 mins. With this widescreen romantic musical adsenture. animator Don Blutli offers a film that rivals Disney. Rewriting history somewhat. eyil magician Rasputin ptits a curse on the 'I‘sar's family and causes the WW Resolution. The child princess Anastasia stlt'\ iyes. bttt grow s as an orphan. unable to remember her past. With extraordinary action sequences. exquisite characterisations and beautiful songs. (ieneral release.
The Apostle I I3.) (Robert I)u\al|. US. I997) Robert Dus'all. liarrah I-"awcett. Miranda Richardson. l-lts’ niins. Actor Dtiyall turns wri[er-director for this gently absorbing tale of a charismatic Pentecostal preacher‘s fall from grace and search for redemption. Duyall's acknowledged inspiration is Ken I.oach. with whose work this shares a generous. non-judgemental tiattiralism. Slightly oyei'long. but tttoyittg and IIlUllglll-pl‘tn'tiklllg nonetheless. (ilasgow: City Centre ()deon. Iidinburgh: Dominion. UCl.
As Good As It Gets l ISi (James 1.. Brooks. IFS. I997) .Iack Nicholson. Helen Hunt. (iieg Kinneai'. I39 mins. Neurotic writer Melyin suffers from obsessise~coiiipulsiye disorder. btit compensates for his lonely life by becoming a master of abuse. Carol. the waitress in a local restaurant. is the only person totigh enough to take him on. As romantic comedies go. it's an odd pairing. btit the match works thanks to a sharply witty script atid spot-on performances from Nicholson and Hunt. (ilasgow': ()deons. Iidinburgh: Dominion. (ii'eenock: Waterfront. l’aisley: Showcase.
Barney's Great Adventure (II) 72 mins. A
kids 'I‘V phenomenon. Barney the purple dinosaur's big screen debut finds him down on a farm with a trio of kids in search of a magic egg. The all singin‘. all dancin' Barney struts his way through the simple story with regular singalongs. making the film perfect for under-fiyes. See fL‘VIL‘W. (ieneral release
Bent t l S) tSean Mathias. l’l's'. I997 ) Cliyc ()wen. I.otliaire Bluteau. Mick Jagger. llo mins. Although the story is about Iiiditig your real identity. the cinema Version of Martin Sherman's play neyer disow ns its theatrical roots. ‘lhe espi‘essionistic sets sugges an equiy alcnt mood rather than historical realism as decadent (ierman Mas t( )wen) conceals his homosesiiahty when sent to a Na/i concentration camp. Howesei'. the film only finds its emotional centre when Blutcau is on screen. See preyiew and resiew. I'Idmburgh: I-‘ilmhouse. (ilasgow: ()deon Quay.
The Big Lebowski I I8) (Joel (‘oc-ii. 138. I997) Jeff Bridges. John (ioodiiian. Stese Buscemi. II} mins. The Coen brothers giye their unique twist to a (‘handlcizesque |.A mm. as 7(ls Iiippy throwback Jeff "I‘he Dude. I.ebow ski (Bridges) is drawn into the sordid affairs of his millionaire namesake. Suddenly he has to sleuth his way through disorganised crime 'I'i'ademai‘ls oddball characters. surreal imagery and escellent performances grace this \ irtuoso comedy (ilasgow (ilt)\\L‘ll()l'. ()deon ()uay. lidinburgli, Cameo. lrsine. .\lagnuiii.
The Big Swap t IS) t.\'iall Johnson. l'K. I99S) I33 mins. Iiise couples agree that partner-swapping might make for good after-dinner entertainment. btit ~iealousy. obsession and deep tincomfoi'table truths come to the surface. ’lhe weak cast of unknowns fail to proy‘ide the tight ensemble required. while the film proves that too much sex actually does get boring. See resiew; (ilasgow: Showcase. Iidmbiii‘gh. ABC Wester llailes.
Blues Brothers 2000 (I’(i) (John l.andis. US. I998) Dam Aykroyd. John (ioodman. Joe Morton, 13-1 mins, Iiighteen years base
index FILM
passed since the boys brought good music back into the souls of the masses. Jake Blues is gone to the big gig in the sky. btit [Elwood embarks on a crusade to re-form the original hand. Now his sidekicks are Mighty Mack Mc'l'eer. his black stepbrother and a ten- year-old orphan. On one hand. there's inept staging. stilted dialogue and rotten acting. One the other are the silly gags. car crashes - and great music. (ilasgow: UCI Cly'debank. Virgin. Iidinburgh: ABC Wester Hailes. (ialashiels: l’ayilion. Cireenock: Waterfront. Paisley: Showcase.
Das Boot: Director's Cut ( IS) (Wolfgang I’eterscn. (iermany. I9SI ) Jiirgen I’rochttow, Herbert (ironmeyer. Klaus \\'ennemann. 207 mms. A hunter-killer sub is unleashed on Allied shipping in the North Atlantic. btit the captain shares few of the Nazi ideals of his superiors. 'l'his sisceral. twisty action drama redefined the ensemble realism. and its claustrophobic brilliance is only redoubled iii this 2(l7-minute version. (ilasgow: (iI’I’. The Borrowers it?) (I’eter Hewitt. UK. I997) John (ioodttian. Jim Broadbent. Celia Illll'lt‘. so mins, At a height of only four inches. the Borrow eis hide in wall cayities and by iiig beneath the floorboards of the Lender household. When a nasty lawyer tries to swindle the humans otit of their inheritance. families big and small ~loin forces. The design and effects create a strangely fannliar. oddly unplaceable world. and children w ill haye little difficulty suspending enough disbelief to be spellbound by the tiiagic ol the film. Ayi'; ()deon. Stirling: MacRobert.
The Bostonians tl’ti) tJninc-s Iyory'. UK. I984) \"anessa Redgras e. Christopher Reese. Madeleine I’otter. The Merchant— lvory' filmmaking team. complete with scriptwriter Ruth l’rawer Jhabsala, tackle Henry James's story of a lose triangle set against the early day s of the suffragette iiioyeiiient. line acting. but rather ploddingly paced. Izdinbui'gh: I-‘ilmhouse.
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ANYTHING GOES AT CINEMAS FROM FRIDAY JUNE 12TH
SHOWCASE GLASGOW EAST ABC EDINBURGH
192192
11—25 Jun 1998 THE UST29