Thomas And The Magic Railroad (U) it (Britt Allcroft, UK/US, 2000) Voices of Alec Baldwin, Peter Fonda, Michael E. Rodgers. 79 mins. 'Ihis adaptation of the Reverend Wilbur Awdry books is aimed squarely at under tens. Whilst children will be lapping up the tale ofThomas The Tank Engine aiding The Conductor (Baldwin) against the evil Diesel train, accompanying guardians will be wondering what happened to Allcroft's classic series narrated by Ringo Starr. Surely it was never thisjuvenile! General release.
Three Kings (15) ***** (David 0. Russell, US, 2000) George Clooney, Mark Wahlbcrg, Ice Cube. 114 mins. At the butt end of the Gulf War, four US soldiers who have seen no action whatsoever and don't even understand what the war is about, follow a treasure map to where Saddam Hussein has hidden stolen Kuwati gold. A masterpiece of inhumanity, Russell’s witty script and super sharp direction captures the futility of the situation. This film begs some of the most pertinent political questions ever asked in an American movie — it‘s amazing it got passed congress. Glasgow: GFI‘. Three To Tango (12) * (Damon Santostefano, US, 2000) Neve Campbell, Matthew Perry, Oliver Platt. 98 mins. Straight architect Oscar (Perry) is mistaken for gay architect Peter (Platt) by his boss, Charles (Dylan McDermott), who is having an affair with free-spirited artist Amy (Campbell). Being the jealous kind, Charles encourages Oscar to hang out with Amy in order to spy on her, but matters are complicated when Oscar and Amy fall in love. This set-up compounds Hollywood stereotyping of gay men as asexual clowns, while preaching about tolerance between the gay and straight communities. Best quickly forgotten. Glasgow: Grosvenor, Showcase. The Tigger Movie (U) **** (Jun Falkenstein, US, 2000) 77 mins. Identical in many ways to 1977's The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh, this new yarn based on A.A. Milne's characters finds Pooh, Piglet, Tigger et al still living a charmed life of tea parties and afternoon naps. Only this time, the wee stripy fella's decided being one of a kind isn’t quite as cool as he‘d first thought and so a literal quest for the Tigger Family Tree ensues. A happy ending eventually makes its presence felt, because even Tigger is smart enough to recognise that with friends like Pooh, Piglet, Roe and Eeyore, who needs family? Dunfermline: Odeon.
Titan A.E. (l2) **** (Don Bluth/Gary Goldman, US, 2000) Voices of Matt Damon, Bill Pulman, Drew Barrymore. 95 mins. Earth has just been creamed by the unspeakably evil alien Drej. Humankind's fate rests (literally) in the hands of humble astro-mechanic Cale Tucker (Damon) who is part of the small number of human refugees sprinkled about the universe. A rip-roaring space adventure like they certainly never used to make ‘em, Titan 21.5. (After Earth) is animation imitating live action, and is markedly post-Armageddon and Independence Day both in look and outlook. General release.
Toy Story 2 (U) ***** (John Lasseter, US, 2000) Tom Ilanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack. 95 mins. The new film expands on the original settings and themes: When Woody is not taken to Cowboy Camp by his owner Andy, he begins to question the meaning of his ‘life'. When he‘s subsequently stolen by a collector — who plans to sell him to a Japanese toy museum — Buzz and the gang travel across town to rescue their pal. The emotive range of the animated characters is extraordinary; they say that computer generated images will never replace the real thing, but Toy Story 2 makes you wonder. Glasgow: GI'T.
Toy Story (PG) **** (John Lasseter, US, 1995) With the voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles. 81 mins. It isn't just the state-of—the-art images that distinguish Disney's first computer- generated animation feature, it's got a cracking adventure story too. A tale of friendship and self-belief combined with an exciting rescue and against-the-clock tension, Toy Story is sprinkled with comic asides. Don't be fooled into thinking these toys are just for the kids. Edinburgh: Odeon. Ayr: Odeon.
Until The End Of The World (15) *** (Wim Wenders, Germany/US/Japan/ Australia, 1992) Solveig Dommartin, William Hurt, Sam Neill. 158 mins. After having been chased across the world by various nefarious types, Claire Tourneur (Dommartin) and lover Trevor (lIurt) end up in an Aussie underground lab, with nuclear armageddon around the corner. The sci-fi and ‘female Peer (iynt' elements don't gel, but Wender's flawed rock'n'roll-tmwered odyssey does have its own kind of fascination. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
Up At The Villa (12) it (Philip Haas, UK/ US, 2000) Kristin Scott Thomas, James Fox, Sean Penn. 116 mins. Despite Haas pumping new blood into the period drama with the weird Angels And Insects, his adaptation of Somerset Maugham's novella turns out to be a rather static and dull affair. On the plus side Thomas looks gorgeous as Mary Panton, a penniless English widow living off the generosity of others in a pre- World War II Florentine villa, torn between her starchy fiancF. (Fox) and a rakish American playboy (a miscast Penn). Kirkcaldy: Adam Smith.
La Veuve De Saint-Pierre (15) iii: (Patrice Leconte, France, 2000) Juliette Binoche, Daniel Auteil, Emir Kusturica. mins. The ever-versatile Leconte follows the fairytale playfulness of The Girl On The Bridge with this mournful period melodrama. Partly an examination of the iniquity of the death penalty and partly a portrait of the harshness of life in a godforsaken 19th century colonial outpost, La Veuve is above all a fatalistic love story, in which l'amour, in both the physical and platonic senses, leads to such tragic consequences. See preview and review. Glasgow: GFI'.
Victim (15) *‘kt‘k (Basil Dearden, UK, 1961) Dirk Bogarde, Sylvia Syms, John Barrie. 100 mins. A landmark British film that openly deals with homosexuality. Bogarde took great risks with his former pin-up image, starring as a rich middle-class lawyer who‘s blackmailed by a rent boy, forcing him to admit his sexuality to his wife. On one hand a thriller, on the other a detailed, sympathetic portrait of a country entering the more liberal era of the 605. Glasgow: GFI‘.
The Virgin Suicides (15) *‘ki‘k (Sofia Coppola, US, 2000) Kirsten Dunst, Kathleen Turner, James Woods. 96 mins. American suburbia in the 19705. When the five beautiful Lisbon sisters begin killing themselves one-by-one, there ‘5 nothing the local and adoring boys can do but watch, and afterwards carry into their adult lives regret, confusion and loss. Coppola's adaptation of Jeffrey Eugenides‘ novel is shot through with a beautiful, melancholic nostalgia for lost youth. The central mystery is never resolved, and the film remains all the more powerful for it. Kirkcaldy: Adam Smith.
The Wedding Tackle (15) * (Ramir Dvir, UK, 2000) James Purefoy, Susan Vidler, Tony Slattery. 98 mins. This palid version of This Year's Love tells the story of Hal (Purefoy), an oversexed photographer due to marry Vinni (Vidler), a fate that neither of them relish. Schcming sexually frustrated cartoonist Little Ted (Slattery) is obsessed with Vinni, and so attempts to sabotage the up-coming nuptials. It‘s a sad waste of talent, a film that starts nowhere and goes nowhere and fills the void with unpleasant characters and outdated situation comedy. See review. Glasgow: Showcase. Edinburgh: UGC Cinemas. Paisley: Showcase. Zabriskie Point (15) *** (Michaelangelo Antonioni, US, 1969) Mark Frechette, Daria Ilalprin, Rod Taylor, Paul Fix. 110 mins. Rambling would-be epic of anti- establishment America, with mellow visuals loosely draped on a plot in which Frechette flees accusations of police murder, steals a plane, takes in the sights of the Nevada desert, picks up llalprin, makes whoopec with her in Death Valley, then returns home to face the music. Beautiful and occasionally intense (Sam Shepard was one of the several writers), but a little over- immersed in late-60$ trippiness. Edinburgh: UGC Cinemas.
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