“5a:

French friends: Late August. Early September

Antaliek. 85 mins. The legend of King Arthur stripped of all the glowing heroism that is usually attached to it. This later Bresson shows the director’s austerity of visual style working at its sparsest, the result being a work of typically ascetic spirituality. Glasgow: GF’I‘.

Land And Freedom (15) (Ken Loach, UK/Spain, 1995) Ian Hart, Rosana Pastor, lciar Bollain. 109 mins. A magnificent, moving, politicised epic on the Spanish Civil War by Britain's most committed director on the Left. An unemployed man (Hart) leaves 305 Liverpool to fight with the POUM Militia, and sees first hand the betrayal of his cause by the Stalinists. His story is told in flashback, as his granddaughter reads his hidden letters home - a link to the present day that proves these events have a strong relevance to today. Edinburgh: Lumiere.

The Last Days Of Disco (15) (Whit Stillman, US, 1998) Chloe Sevigny, Kate Beckinsale, Chris Eigeman. 112 mins. Writer-director Stillman has carved out a cinematic niche for himself with his urbane comedies of manners Metropolitan and Barcelona, and his latest is no exception. Sevigny and Beckinsale play publishing assistants who frequent a trendy club in early 803 New York, where they and their male yuppie friends worry about relationships, careers and the reactionary subtext of Disney's Lady And The Tramp. It’s glorious stuff. Edinburgh: Cameo.

Last Night (15) (Don McKellar, Canada, 1999) Don McKellar, Sandra Oh, David Cronenberg. 94 mins. There are six hours left until the world ends, but there’s no Bruce Willis blasting asteroids here: Last Night is about real people experiencing real emotions. As their particular brand of anger, grief, wonder or frustration works its way towards a resolution, each character fulfils his or her dream in an against-the-clock scenario. Kirkcaldy: Adam Smith.

Late August, Early September (15) (Olivier Assayas, France, 1999) Mathieu Amalric, Jeanne Balibar, Jeanne Balibar. 112 mins. Gabriel, a young writer, is struggling to let go of an old relationship with Jenny at the same time as being apprehensive about committing to a new one with Anne. Meanwhile, his best mate Adrien is dying. Since it deals with the universal theme of change and how people cope with it, this film from Irma Vep director Assayas is highly accessible. It's too long and lacks a gripping plot structure, but as a vehicle for touching deep emotions it works. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.

Life Is Beautiful (PG) (Roberto Benigni, Italy, 1998) Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi. 116 mins. A comedy about the Holocaust? Surely not. Well, that’s what Italian writer-director-star 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. Stirling: MacRobert.

Life (15) (Ted Demme, US, 1999) Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence, Ned Beatty. 109 mins. Well, it ain’t Cool Hand Luke and it ain't The Shawshank Redemption, but this prison comedy drama is a worthy addition to the genre. The focus is less on the harsh realities of life in a Mississippi State Prison

than on the lifetime love-hate relationship between Ray (Murphy) and Claude's (Lawrence) inmates over the course of a 60- year prison sentence. With a pair of committed central performances, Life is never in danger of becoming a mere comedy vehicle. General release.

The Lost Children (15) (Helen Hill, UK/Belgium, 1999) 55 mins. Distressing and worthy documentation of the abduction and murder of six young girls by Marc Dutroux in a Belgian suburb in 1996 and the culpability of the government. The film will be followed by a panel discussion with representatives from the police, social work and Crown Office. Glasgow: GF'I‘.

The Man Who Would Be King (PG) (John Huston, US, 1975) Sean Connery, Michael Caine, Saeed Jaffrey, Christopher Plummer. 129 mins. Rudyard Kipling’s moral fable on the pursuit of power becomes a rumbustious minor epic in the hands of Huston, Connery and Caine, all at the peak of their powers. Set in India, it tells the uncomfortable but entertaining story of a pair of conmen who find themselves elevated by the locals to a rank far above their natural station, but falling from grace owing to their innate greed. Edinburgh: Lumiere.

Marius Et Jeanette (15) (Robert Guediguian, France, 1996) Gerard Meylan, Ariane Ascaride. 102 mins. Marius is a lonely security guard who got his job by pretending to have a limp; Jeanette is a single parent trying to bring up two children on a check-out girl ’5 wage. As romance blossoms between them, their neighbours squabble over politics, race, religion and sport, and all are revealed to be neither saints nor sinners, but plain, decent people. A very gentle and unpretentious film which quietly captivates us. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. The Match (15) (Mick Davis, UK, 1999) Max Beesley, Laura Fraser, Richard E. Grant. 96 mins. In a Highland village, Wullie Smith carries the physical and emotional scars of a childhood tragedy. His only way to salvation seems to be through his childhood sweetheart, Rosemary who has returned from the Big City. Or he can manage Benny’s Bar football team to glory in their annual clash with Le Bistro, coached by the sleazy Gorgeous Gus. The result of all this is not exactly a tale of the unexpected. Ayr: Odeon.

The Matrix (15) (The Wachowski Brothers, US, 1999) Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Lawrence Fishbume. 139 mins. In the future, reality is actually an illusion the human race is enslaved by a computer virus which has taken over the world. Computer genius Neo (Reeves) is one of the few people who doesn't believe his eyes, so it’s up to him and a couple more cyber commandos to save the world. Glasgow: Grosvenor.

Mickey Blue Eyes (15) (Kelly Makin, US, 1998) Hugh Grant, James Caan, Jeanne Tripplehom. 102 mins. Four Weddings meets The Godfather in this funny though highly predictable romantic comedy. Grant plays an Englishman abroad with a girlfriend (T ripplehom) whose Dad (Caan) has dubious Mob connections. By comparison with the more staid Notting Hill, Mickey Blue Eyes is far more engaging. It may not play to the unconverted, but for

those who like him already this tale will confirm Hugh as their blue eyed boy. General release.

Mighty Joe (PG) (Ron Underwood, US, 1998) Charlize Theron, Bill Paxton. 114 mins. Whichever way you cut it, Mighty Joe is just another big monkey movie. Despite infinitely more sophisticated effects than its 1949 predecessor, this version is far less involving or entertaining - it's so predictable you would think the monkey wrote it. Glasgow: UCI. East Kilbride: UCI. Kilmamock: Odeon.

Mulan (U) (Barry Cook, Tony Bancroft, 1998) Voices of: Ming-Na Wen, Donny Osmond, Eddie Murphy. 89 mins. After Disney's tastily designed venture into Greek mythology with Hercules, the studio has brought its lens to bear on the rich and colourful possibilities of Chinese legend. The most striking aspect of this romantic epic is its magnificent animation. Details of character, movement and expression are as fine as should be expected from the world’s best known cartoon studio, but the stunning large-scale set pieces are truly astonishing, while the design team stirs in an authentic

flavour of China. Glasgow: UCI. Edinburgh:

UCI. East Kilbride: UCI.

The Mummy (12) (Stephen Sommers, US, 1999) ) Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah. 115 mins. The secret of the film’s success lies in its reinvention as an Indiana Jones-style adventure in which rugged hero Fraser, luscious librarian Weisz and comic sidekick Hannah scour 19303 Northern Africa for the fabled City of the Dead and unwittingly resuscitate dead Egyptian priest, who immediately busies himself with ravaging the land with apocalyptic plagues. Glasgow: Odeon Quay, Showcase Cinema, UCI. Edinburgh: Cameo, UCI. East Kilbride: UCI. Paisley: Showcase. Muppet Treasure Island (PG) (Brian Henson, US/UK, 1996) Tim Curry, Kevin Bishop, Billy Connolly. 102 mins. Young Jim Hawkins, along with his friends the Great Gonzo and Rizzo The Rat go hunting for treasure with Captain Flint’s map, meeting up on the way with Long John

listings FILM

Silver (Curry), and Fozzie, Kermit, Miss

Piggy et al as various Stevenson characters. Faithful to the book, but hilarious in its extraneous details especially in the

opening section - this is one time everyone

can enjoy Hollywood‘s plundering of British literature. Ayr: Odeon.

My Favourite Martian (PG) (Donald Petrie, US, 1999) ) Christopher Lloyd, Jeff Daniels, Elizabeth Hurley. 92 mins. This movie remake of an American TV favourite, scarcely known in the UK, is a breezy family adventure that's amusing and disarrningly entertaining. Some excellent special effects help, as we meet a hapless Martian visitor who has crash landed on Earth and is keen to leave as soon as possible. Edinburgh: Odeon. Grecnock: Waterfront. Irvine: Magnum.

My Name Is Joe (15) (Ken Loach. UK, 1998) Peter Mullan, Louise Goodall, David McKay. 105 mins. My Name Is Joe'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 (Mullan) meets and falls in love with health visitor Sarah (Goodall), 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. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.

Nargess (tbc) (Rakhshan Bani-Etcmad, Iran, 1992) 100 mins. Tale of a complex relationship between a divorcee, Afagh, her petty thief lover, Adel, and Nargcss, who temps Adel with visions of a ‘normal’ life. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.

Nashville (15) (Robert Altman, US, 1975) Ned Beatty, Karen Black, Keith Carradine. 161 mins. Altman's wonderful tapestry about the lives and longings of 24 protagonists is more than a country music epic; it is an exhilarating experiment in freeforrn filmmaking, aided by superlative performances and an underrated soundtrack. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.

Continued over page

Bagels! Nutritious, filling, non-fattening, inexpensive and utterly delicious!

elep ants agels

Edinhamh’sfirst authentic bagel (and sandwich) shop

Winner of “Best cafe in Edinburgh”

The List, 1997/98

t e e e 1hant use

The gourmet tea anal

e0 ee house in the heart of the Old Town

37 Marshall Street (Nicolson Square)

Tel: 0131 662 8839

21 George Street Edinburgh

Tel: 0131 220 5355

9-23 Sep 1999 THE usr 23