to overthrow the king. During his absence the all the king's men arrive to sack the chief's village. In the struggle for survival. the villagers find that war has no heroes only victims. Edinburgh: Lumiere.

Left Luggage (PG) (Jeroen Krabbe.

Netherlands. 1998) Laura Fraser. Adam Monty. Jeroen Krabbe. 93 mins. Fraser. star of Small Fur-es. plays a young Jewish woman studying in Holland in 1972 who takes a job as a nanny to pay her rent. She swiftly comes into conflict with the head of the family. Mr Kalman. btit remains in the home because of her new-found love for Kalman's five year old son. Iidinbtirgh: Filmhouse.

Life Is Beautiful (La Vita E Bella) (PG) (Roberto Benigni. Italy. 1998) Roberto Benigni. Nicoletta Braschi. 116 mins. A comedy about the Holocaust? Surely not. Well. that‘s what ltalian writer-dit‘ectonstar Benigni has done in fashioning a poignant comic fable about the resilience of the human spirit and the power of the imagination. A humane and moving film. See preview and review. Glasgow: GI-‘l‘. ()deon Quay. Edinburgh: I-‘ilmhotise.

Little Voice (15) (Mark Herman. UK. 1998) Jane Horrocks. Brenda Blethyn. Michael Caine. 97 mins. 'Ihe sensational Horrocks recreates her acclaimed performance in Jim Cartwright's 1992‘ hit play as a repressed Northern girl who reveals a remarkable gift for impersonating great pop divas. Little Voice‘s astonishing talent is discovered and exploited by her brassy. man-hungry mother's latest lover. failed talent agent Ray Say. General release.

Live Flesh ( 18) (Pedro Almodovar. Spain. 1997) Javier Bardem. Liberto Rabal. Francesca Neri. l()() mins. Based on a Ruth RendeII story. Aliiiodovar's most rounded attempt to enter the mainstream follows the fate of a wheelchair-bound policeman. the young man responsible for the bullet that ptit him there. and his wife. with whom the recently released convict is in love. Any message waiting to be read is drowned in the brightest and deepest of cineiiuitographic experiences. and the pleasures here are several. lidinburgh: 1-‘ilmhouse.

Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels( 18) (Guy Ritchie. UK. 1997) Nick Moran. Jason Statham. Vinnie Jones. 107 mins. A cocky young bunch of ‘entrepreneurs‘ set up a card game with East 13nd London criminal Hatchet Harry. Of course. things don't work out in their favour and they find themselves owing the gangster plenty of dosh. Witty homage to the British crime thrillers of the 1960s. Also. see video reviews. lidinburgh: Cameo.

Lost Highway ( IS) (Dasid Lynch. US. 1996) Bill Pullman. Patricia Arquette. Robert Loggia. 135 mins. Lynch‘s latest radicalisation of the film Il()ll' traditions concerns jazz saxman Pullman. his wife. a mystery man. a garage mechanic and a crime kingpin btit in typically Lynchian non-linear plotlines that exist within the logic of dreams. Haunting. provocative. and a genuinely personal undertaking. Edinburgh: Cameo.

Love And Other Catastrophes (15) (Emma-Kate Croglian. Australia. 1996) Alice Garner. Matt Day. Frances O'Connor. 77 mins. Croghan's witty. insightftilly performed debut feature plays otit in a recognisable campus world. for it seems that Australian students go through the same round of insecurity. humiliation and suffering at the hands of university administration as everyone else. Deftly blends structured comedy and wise observation. Edinburgh: l-‘ilmhouse (Film Guild).

Madeline (U) (Daisy Von Scliet'let’. US. 1998) Frances McDoriiiand. Nigel Hawthorne. Hatty Jones. 89 mins. Madeline is a hybrid of the ‘adorable' pre-teen childrens‘ heroine. As intelligent as Matilda. she‘s also as precocious as Pippi Longstocking and. like Annie. she‘s an orphan. Made in the spirit of childrens' films of bygone times. this well-intentioned film is nevertheless desperately dull. General release.

The Maggie (U) (Alexander h'lackendrick. UK. 1953) Paul Douglas. Alex MacKenzie. Tommy Kearins. 92 mins. A rich America proves easy fodder for the crew of a Scottish

cargo boat in Mackendrick's Eaiing comedy. which lacks some of the sparkle of Whisky Galore. Edinburgh: Lumiere.

The Mask Of Zorro (PG) (Martin Campbell. US. 1998) Antonio Banderas. Catherine Zeta Jones. Anthony Hopkins. 137 mins. As a piece of old-school matinee hokum. The Mask Of'lxirm flashes its blade with the best of them. but it‘s also clever enough to draw in a new audience by plundering every manifestation of the action-adventure formula. Banderas is perfectly cast an lirrol I-‘lynn for the 90s. Edinburgh: Brunton 'Iheatre. ()deon. UCI. Irvine: WMR. Kilmarnock: ()deon. Largs: Barrfields. Paisley: Showcase. Wishaw: Arrow.

Meet Joe Black (Martin Brest. US. 1998) (12) Brad Pitt. Anthony Hopkins. Claire Forlani. 181 mins. Shortly before his (35th birthday. old-fashioned media tycoon William Parrish suffers a heart attack. However. the Grim Reaper turns out to be an enigmatic young man who. in return for some insights into the way that humans live. offers Parrish a few more precious days of life. Despite the best efforts of the cast. this sumptuoust realised adult fantasy movie is an over-inflated vanity piece. Glasgow: Showcase. Galashiels: Pavilion. - Miracle In Milan (Vittorio De Sica. Italy. 1950) Francesco Golisano. Brunella Bovo. Paolo Stoppa. 101 mins. De Sica's follow- up to Bicycle Thieves. which picked tip the Best Film prize at Cannes. provides a fantastic slant i.e. angelic intervention to a story gentlemen tramps in a shantytown. Edinburgh: Italian Cultural Institute.

Les Miserables ( 12) (Bille August. US. 1998) Liam Neeson. Geoffrey Rush. Claire Danes. 134 mins. With preconceptions of the hit musical left in the foyer. the movie can be enjoyed for what it really is a sombre dual character study concentrating on the psychological cat-and-inouse game played by ex-convict Valjean and police inspector Javert. lidinbtirgli: Lumiere. Dunfertiiline: Carnegie Hall.

Missing (15) (Costa-(iavras. US. 1981) Sissy Spacek. Jack Lemmon. 122 mins. Set during the military coup in Chile in 1973. Costa-Gavras's first American film infuriated the US State Department. The story of the disappearance of a young American writer and his wife and father's search for him is used to draw the audience into the political situation. Btit it's the chilling. near apocalyptic feel of an unnamed city under siege by a brutal dictatorship that stays in the memory. Iidinburgh: liilmhouse.

The Mighty (PG) (Peter Chelsoiii. US. 1998) Sharon Stone. Gena Rowlands. Harry Dean Stanton. 99 mitts. Adults may be drawn by the heavyweight acting talents. btit will then be left agog as the two nippers foil abusive thugs with little more than water pistols and integrity. Younger viewers. on the other hand. will tap into the boys' imagination. btit might be disturbed by the heart-reading scenes towards the end. Largs: Barrlields.

Mulan (U) (Barry Cook. 'I‘ony Bancroft. US. I998) The voices of Ming-Na Wen. Donny ()smond. liddie Murphy. 89 mins. After Disney's tastin designed venture into Greek mythology with Hercules. the studio has brought its lens to bear on the rich and colourful possibilities of Chinese legend. Details ofcharacter. movement and expression are as fine as should he expected from the world's best known caitoon studio. but the stunning large- scale set pieces are truly astonishing. Ayr: ()deon.

My Name Is Joe ( 15) (Ken Loach. UK. 1998) Peter Mtillaii. Louise Goodall. David McKay. 105 mins. Mt Name Is Jne's blend of comedy. social drama. love interest and tense thriller makes for a more accessible movie than we'd normally expect from Loach. Recovering alcoholic Joe Kavanagh meets and falls in love with health visitor Sarah. but his well intentioned scheme to get a young friend out of the grip of a vicious drug dealer looks likely to backfire on everyone he cares for. liast Kilbride: Arts Centre. Glasgow: ()deon Quay. Iidinburgh: Dominion. Motherwell: Moviehouse.

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EEITIVAL THEATRE

Tues 16 to Sat 20 Feb Tickets From £5.00

‘A raw celebration of the rhythm of lite' SUNDAY TIMES

Chinese New loot Eelehrotions 1999

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Sun 21 Feb at 1.00pm All tickets £3.00 Houol Scottish National orchestra

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Sun 21 Feb Tickets tram £7.00

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Wed 24 & Sat 27 Feb at 6.30pm

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