FILM index

FILM INDEX continued

Dry Cleaning (18) (Anne Fontaine, France, 1998) Miou-Miou, Charles Berling, Stanislas Mehrar. 97 mins. A couple find their life in a small provincial town turned upside down when they meet an angel-faced stranger in a local nightclub who is drawn to both of them. The ensuing love triangle eventually comes to double as a surrogate family for the boy who can only relate to people by sleeping with them. Part of the French Film Festival. Glasgow: GFI‘. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. Dunston Checks In (PG) (Ken Kwapis, US, 1995) Jason Alexander, Faye Dunaway, Eric Lloyd. 88 mins. There ’s monkey business aplenty when a jewel thief smuggles his orangutan partner-in-crime into a posh hotel. Adults will get even more out of this than kids, because the humour is irresistible, the characters suitably loathsome or adorable, and Sam the Orang a star in the making. Ayr: Odeon. East Is East (15) (Damien O’Donnell, UK, 1999) Om Puri, Linda Bassett, Jordan Routledge. 96 mins. East Is East draws its perfectly balanced mix of belly laughs and tears from the conflict within a multi-racial family living in Salford in the 705. Head of the Khan household, George attempts to force his sons into arranged marriages in a belated effort to preserve tradition, but, born in England, the sons are having none of it. These domestic shenanigans have universal appeal and the filmmakers root out all the pain and hilarity to be found in two generations squashed into a two up, two down terrace house. General release. Ed TV (12) (Ron Howard, US, 1999) Matthew McConaughey, Ellen DeGeneres, Woody Harrelson. 123 mins. DeGeneres plays a TV executive whose inspiration for improving ratings comes in the shape of no- hoper Normal Guy, Ed (McConaughey). In what amounts to The Truman Show with a consenting protagonist, Ed's every waking moment is beamed across the nation on its own channel as a real life soap opera. But the entire premise becomes a mere vehicle for some unoriginal ‘fame is empty, TV more so’ satire, and a lethargic love story with which to pad it out. General release. Election (15) (Alexander Payne, US, 1999) Matthew Broderick, Reese Witherspoon, Chris Klein. 103 mins. Payne’s adaptation of Tom Perrotta’s novel, a comic satire on the 1992 American presidential election campaign set in a high school, focuses on the conflict between Jim McAllister (Broderick), a dedicated teacher who’s also suffering from a mid-life crisis, and Tracy Flick (Witherspoon), a model but precocious pupil over a student government election. Winning performances and a super sharp script make this the smartest comedy to come out of the States in years. Stirling: MacRobert. Fairytale: A True Story (U) (Charles Sturridge, UK, 1997) Florence Hoath, Elizabeth Earl, Paul McGann. 98 mins. in telling the story of two Edwardian girls who cause a sensation when they capture a photographic image of fairies, Fairytale manages to be more coherent and less downbeat than the similar Photographing Fairies. A carefully judged film that provides moving entertainment for the family audience. Glasgow: GFl‘. Fanny And Elvis (15) (Kay Mellor, UK, 1999) Kerry Fox, Ray Winstone. 111 mins. Fox and Winstone play another of those chalk ’n’ cheese couples loved by makers of romantic comedies. She’s a middle-class feminist who’s struggling to complete her first bodice-ripping novel; he’s a chauvinistic Cockney car salesman, and it’s hate at first sight. The feature debut of Kay

I Mellor, best known for the TV series Band

. Of Gold, strives hard to give the material an original spin, but despite game performances from the cast, the results fail to rise much above sitcom-level

predictability. Glasgow: Odeon At The

- Quay, Showcase Cinema, UCl. Edinburgh:

' UCl, Virgin Megaplex. East Kilbride: UCI.

: Paisley: Showcase.

. Fight Club (18) (David chher, US, 1999)

Brad Pitt, Ed Norton, Helena Bonham

: Carter. 135 mins. Masculinity is in a mess and consumerism is to blame. Men have become docile spectators of life according to

32 TIIEUST 18 Nov-2 Dec 1999

Fight Club, Fincher’s controversial adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk’s novel. in reckless response to this late 20th century malaise, Norton’s docile spectator teams up with Pitt’s mischievous Tyler Durden to form an arena for men to beat each other to a pulp and thus reconnect with the world. it’s hit and miss, but enough of the punches connect to startle even the most docile of viewers. General release.

Forgive And Forget (15) (Aisling Walsh, UK, 1999) John Simm, John Shepherd, Laura Fraser. 100 mins. Produced as a single drama for Scottish Television, this love triangle tale follows best mates David and Theo as both fall for Theo’s girlfriend Hannah. Young British talent shines again. Part of the London Film Festival on tour. Glas ow: GFI‘.

Fran enstein (PG) (James Whale, US, 1931) Boris Karlofl',. 71 mins. Screening of the classic Hollywood horror movie tying in with the opening of Gods And Monsters. Whale’s version of the myth takes liberties with its source material but is probably better known than Mary Shelley’s novel. Karlofl"s nameless monster was so memorable that audiences came to think of it, rather than its creator, as ‘Frankenstein’. Glasgow: Grosvenor.

The General's Daughter (18) (Simon West, US, 1999) John Travolta, James Woods, Madeleine Stowe. 116 mins. Travolta plays Brenner, an undercover detective in the US Arrny’s Criminal investigation Division trying to get to the bottom of an explosive murder case on a military base in the Deep South. The General 3' Daughter would like us to take its pulp prurience seriously, but remains empty- headed pap. Paisley: Showcase.

George Of The Jungle (U) (Sam Weisman, US, 1997) Brendan Fraser, Leslie Mann, Holland Taylor. 91 mins. Loincloth-clad hero George (Fraser) saves San Fransiscan socialite Ursula (Mann), but his trip to the urban jungle is shortlived when he hears of the kidnap of his hairy sidekick, Ape (voiced by John Cleese). The plot is the usual blend of humour, action, slapstick, adventure and, of course, romance, while the knowing and punchy script is easily up with the best of modern Disney. Irvine: Magnum Theatre. Get Carter (18) (Mike Hodges, UK, 1971)) Michael Caine, Britt Ekland, John Osborne. 112 mins. Get Carter stands out as a highlight in the artist formerly known as Micklewhite’s career. His superbly controlled performance as the relentless avenger on a score-settling trip to the North East of England only makes you wish Caine had played more villains. Hodges grimly efiective direction proves that you don’t need to be as worthy as Ken Loach to make a document of social history. Glasgow: Grosvenor.

The Girl On The Bridge (18) (Patrice Leoonte, France, 1999) Daniel Auteuil, Vanessa Paradis. 90 mins. The director of The Hairdresser Is Husband and Ridicule turns his attention to the world of the romantic comedy. A middle-aged knife- thrower saves a scatty young girl from drowning and persuades her to become his assistant. Part of the London Film Festival on tour. Glasgow: GFI‘.

Go (18) (Doug Liman, US, 1999) Sarah Polley, Desmond Askeu, Katie Holmes. 100 mins. Liman’s follow up to Swingers comprises three interlocking stories about slacker kids at work, play and getting into trouble in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. Go may not have Swingers’ Rat Pack jokery, nor Jon Favreau’s quirky dialogue, but the cumulative impact of the story mixing is enormously entertaining. Right here, right now, Go is the movie equivalent of Big Beat music, much of which is featured on its great soundtrack. Stirling: MacRobert.

The Golden Coach (PG) (Jean Renoir, France, 1952)Anna Magnani, Duncan Lamont. 100 mins. Unsung Renoir delight, sumptuoust photographed in Technicolor and based on Prosper M6rimée’s play, in turn inspired by a true story. it opens with an acting troupe arriving in a Spanish colonial town in Peru. There, leading actress Magnani is courted by three men: a young nobleman, a jealous bullfighter and Viceroy Ferdinand. Part of the French Film Festival. Glasgow: GFl‘. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.

The Goonles (PG) (Richard Donner, US,

1985) Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Jefi' Cohen. 112 mins. Rather dire teenflick, in which seven kids go in quest of buried treasure, leaving their parents arguing over real estate, and are followed hotly by vicious villains vying for the loot. A joyride which is slow to start and doesn’t ever depart from well charted highways. Edinburgh: ABC. Grease (PG) (Randal Kleiser, US, 1978) John Travolta, Olivia Newton John, Stockard Charming. 110 mins. The colourful goings-on at Rydell High - particularly the romance of square out-of-towner Sandy and tough guy Danny is the stuff of classic movie escapism. In addition to a plot which groans with frustrated passion, bristles with gang tensions and swings with teen verve, the songs are the soundtrack for a generation. 'I\venty years on, Grease is still the word, and still the way we are feeling. St Andrews: New Picture House.

Gregory's Girl (PG) (Bill Forsyth, UK, 1981) Gordon John Sinclair, Dee Hepburn, Clare Grogan. 91 mins. Winning comedy from Oimbemauld with Sinclair eventually finding romance after his heart is set aflame by the latest recruit to the school football team. Seminal piece of Scottish cinema, its universal appeal demonstrating that homegrown talent can compete with Hollywood’s finest in the entertainment stakes. Edinburgh: Cameo.

Gregory‘s 'Mo Girls (15) (Bill Forsyth, UK, 1999) John Gordon-Sinclair, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Carly McKinnon. 104 mins. Gregory Underwood is still the endearing, awkward, immature boy of 1979, although by 1999 he's a teacher at his old school in Cumbernauld. Forsyth cleverly develops the film’s two plot strands to play on Gregory's emotional immaturity and innocence. in one Gregory avoids the attentions of Kennedy’s fellow teacher while fantasising about McKinnon’s school girl; in the other he is reacquainted with old school pal Fraser Rowan (Dougray Scott), an entrepreneur involved in highly unethical business dealings. Glasgow: ABC, Odeon At The Quay. Edinburgh: Dominion.

ilana-Bi (18) (Takeshi Kitano, Japan, 1998) ’Beat’ Takeshi, Kayoko Kishimoto, Ren Osugi. 103 mins. Takeshi returns to the director’s seat to also star as a cop suffering bouts of guilt. His wife is dying in hospital, his partner has been paralysed during a stakeout and he’s so far in debt to the Yakuza that he’s contemplating robbing a bank. The title, in Japanese, means ‘fireworks’, but this film doesn’t explode like Takeshi’s earlier films, Violent Cap and Sonatine. instead, a more subdued atmosphere floats over a work that skilfully draws together its visual and emotional plains. Edinburgh: Film Guild at the Filmhouse.

llead On (18) (Ana Kokkinos, Australia, 1999) Alex Dirnitriades, Paul Capsis, Julian

» I. Wrathf Khan: East Is East

Garner. 104 mins. Head On grips from the start, spending 24 hours with Ari (Dimitriades - remarkable), a messed up nineteen-year-old whose quest for drugs and casual sex is overshadowed only by his own self-hatred. it’s an uncompromising look at what it means to be second generation Greek in what is supposed to be one of the most liberal cities in the world Melbourne. It does not flinch from difficult issues such as the insidious racism and homophobia that seem to breed in any community. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.

Hometown Blue (15) (Stéphanc Brize, France, 1999) Florence Vignon, Mathilde Seigner. 105 mins. When Solange is visited by childhood friend Mylene, who has left their small hometown to become a successful TV weather girl, she realises her life is on a road to nowhere. But is it too late to change direction? Part of the French Film Festival. Glasgow: GFT. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.

An Ideal Husband (PG) (Oliver Parker, UK, 1999) Rupert Everett, Cate Blanchett, Julianne Moore. 100 mins. When scheming Mrs Cheveley blackmails brilliant politician Sir Robert Chiltem behind his loving wife's back, loafing Lord Goring comes to his friend's assistance in this fine adaption Oscar Wilde ’5 play. The cracking cast do justice to the architypical Wildean witticisms. Kilmarnock: Odeon.

The Italian Job (PG) (Peter Coilinson, UK, 1969) Michael Caine, Noel Coward, Benny Hill. 100 mins. Re-released for its 30th anniversary, this larf-a-minute caper movie ties in nicely with the 605 cockney kitsch sensibility that's been infusing fashion, pop and film ever since Blur put out Park Life. The centrepiece remains the Mini C00per car chase across, atop and under the streets of Turin. Edinburgh: Cameo. Stirling: Carlton.

It's Not My Fault (PG) (Jacques Monnet, France, 1999) Arielle Dombasle, Thierry Lhermitte. 90 mins. No grown friends return to a holiday hut they built the year before to find it overrun with a gang of kids. Unwilling to give it up, the youngsters undertake guerrilla war actions to hang into their new headquarters. Part of the French Film Festival. Glasgow: OFT. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.

John Carpenter's Vampires (18) (John Carpenter, US, 1999) James Woods, Thomas lan Griffith, Sheryl Lee. 107 mins. Obsessive mercenary Jack Crow (Woods) and his Vatican-backed band of vampire slayers take on Valek (Griffith), a 600-year- old blood-sucker. A few years back, the title John Carpenters Vampires might have quickened one '5 pulse, but this Vampire Western feels like a throwback to the bad old days of 19705 gore movies. Littered with gratuitous female nudity and repellent violence against women. Glasgow: Odeon,