Pokemon (U) it (Michael Haigney/ Kunohiko Yuyama, Japan/US, 2000) 96 mins. Cloned Pokemon (pocket monster) Mewtwo embarks on world dominance and so hero kids, Ash, Brock and Misty, accompanied by their Pokemon, set out to make him see the error of his ways. Cue a great deal of gratuitous fighting and an interlude in which it‘s explained that fighting is bad (7!). The stupor induced by viewing the film strand of the phenomenal Pokemon franchise (computer game, collecting cards, etc.) as an adult, convincingly confirms that it's a kid thing, good or bad. Dunfermline: Odeon.
The Road To El Dorado (U) *** (Eric ‘Bibo‘ Bergeron, Don Paul, US, 2000) Voices of Kevin Kline, Kenneth Branagh. 90 mins. DreamWorks' animated travelogue moves from ancient Egypt to 16th-century Latin America for this enjoyable if safe musical comedy adventure. Uber-thesps Kline and Branagh provide the voices for Tulio and Miguel, two Spanish ne'er-do- wells who end up in possession of a map revealing the location of El Dorado, mythical city of gold. Ransacking Aztec and Mayan culture for visual ideas and themes, the co-directors introduce lots of bold colour and rich design into the tale. General release.
The Rugrats Movie (U) tit (Norton Virgien/lgor Kovalyov, US, 1998) Voices of: EC. Daily, Christine Cavanaugh, Kath Soucie. 80 mins. The weekly animated adventures of the un-cutesy, irritatingly voiced Pickles family is big among kiddies and adults in the States, but the movie is definitely more of a junior entertainment. The film's message is well intentioncd, and it might keep the little ones quiet for a while. Glasgow: Grosvenor.
Rules Of Engagement (15) ivth (William Friedkin, US, 2000) Samuel L Jackson, Tommy Lee Jones, Guy Pearce. 127 mins. When the evacuation of the US ambassador from the riot-torn embassy in Yemen culminates in the massacre of more than 80 men, women and children by Colonel 'l‘en'y Childers (Jackson) and his unit of Marines, military lawyer Colonel Hays Hodges (Jones) reluctantly agrees to defend the man who saved his life in Vietnam. Friedkin's pot-boiler quickly loses all credibility in the visually and morally murky courtroom scenes. lts simplistic view of military ethics implies that decisions made in the heat of battle exist above the petty expediencies of everyday morality. General release.
Sleeping Beauty (U) tutti (Clyde Geronimi, US, 1959) Voices of Mary Costa, Bill Shirley, Eleanor Audrey. 75 mins. Disney ‘s classic animated version of the traditional nightmarish fairy tale. Though not quite in the same league as Cinderella, there's much to admire: mountain-top castle and dark forests, fairies and woodland animals and a rousing classical soundtrack. Still delights after all these years. Glasgow: Odeon.
Snow Falling On Cedars (15) *‘k‘k (Scott Hicks, US, 2000) Ethan llawkc, Rick Yune, Youki Kudoh. 126 mins. Adapted from David Guterson’s best-selling novel, Hicks' follow-up to Shine turns out to be a solemn, rather uninvolving exploration of memory, racial prejudice and reconciliation, set on remote island off the Pacific Northwest coast circa 1950. Hicks establishes the dank, oppressive atmosphere of an isolated fishing community. Yet the jigsaw-puzzle narrative lacks dramatic focus. Kirkcaldy: Adam Smith.
Stuart Little (U) iii (Rob Minkoff, US, 2000) Michael J. Fox, Geena Davis, Hugh Laurie. 92 mins. Live action with a computer generated talking mouse voiced by Michael J. Fox, Minkoff's adaptation of EB. White’s classic childrens‘ book sees the sweet wee rodent orphan being adopted by affluent Manhattanites the Little family. Stuart's problems begin with a new nemesis, the mean-spirited, inappropriately-named family cat Snowbell. The message of the film is clear — little guy discovers the meaning of family, loyalty and friendship — but of more interest to viewers both small and large will be the Tom AndJerrjustyle antics. General release.
Sunshine (15) *it (lstvan Szabo, Hungary/Gerrnany/Canada/Austria/U K, 2000) Ralph Fiennes, Jennifer Ehle and William Hurt. 179 mins. Great big pan of goulash of a movie from former European cinema darling Szabo (Mephisto, Colonel Redl). Focusing on lives defined and broken by history and politics, Sunshine tells the stories of three generations of Hungarian Jews living in the 20th century. But it's predictable, clumsy and ultimately manipulative; a modern audience does not need themes of bigotry, family and patriotism so obviously and chronologically underlined. Kirkcaldy: Adam Smith.
Tarzan (U) **** (Kevin Lima and Chris Buck, US, 1999) Minnie Driver, Glenn Close, Nigel Hawthorne. 88 mins. Disney has finally turned its attention to the second most filmed character in Western cinema (Dracula is the first) and has created some astonishing images. Storytelling-wise, Tarzan remains reasonably faithfully to Edgar Rice Burrough's original. Shipwrecked on a tropical island, baby Tarzan looses his human parents to a terrifying tiger and is adopted by an ape clan. All grown up, the Ape Man is reunited with man and womankind when a trophy hunting/anthropological expedition arrives and Tarzan meets Jane. Dunfemtline: Odeon. Kilmarnock: Odeon.
Thomas And The Magic Railroad (U) if (Britt Allcroft, UK/US, 2000) Voices ofAlec Baldwin, Peter Fonda, Michael E. Rodgers. 79 mins. This adaptation of the Reverend Wilbur Awdry books is aimed squarely at under tens. Whilst children will be lapping up the tale of Thomas 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 this juvenile! General release.
The Tigger Movie (U) **** (Jun Falkenstcin, 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, R00 and Eeyore, who needs family? Dunferrnline: Odeon.
Time Code (18) *** (Mike Figgis, US, 2000) Saffron Burrows, Salma Hayek, Stellan Skarsgard, Jeanne Tripplehom. 97 mins. Another audacious, experimental feature from Figgis, interweaving four improvised stories shot in real time and projected on to a split-screen simultaneously. The characters' lives criss-cross in time and space, as they enter and leave different locations, interact face- to-face or on the phone, and slowly converge upon the office of lndie film production company Red Mullet lnc., where a tyrannical director is in the final stages of casting his new movie. lntellectually invigorating, technologically bold and — perhaps most surprisingly given the technical nature of the project — always emotionally involving. See preview and review. Glasgow: GET.
Titan A.E. (l2) **** (Don Blulh/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 A.E. (After Earth) is animation imitating live action, and is markedly post- Arrnageddon and Independence Day both in look and outlook. General release.
Toy Story (PG) *it* (John Lasseter, US, 1995) With the voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles. 81 mins. 11 isn't
just the state-of-the-art images that distinguish Disney ‘5 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.
La Veuve de Saint-Pierre (15) iii: (Patrice Leconte, France, 2000) Juliette Binoche, Daniel Auteil, Emir Kusturica. 112 mins. The ever-versatile Leconte follows the fairytale playfulness of The Girl On The Bridge with this moumful 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. Glasgow: GFT.
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. Scheming sexually frustrated cartoonist Little Ted (Slattery) is obsessed with ani, 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. Glasgow: Showcase. Edinburgh: UGC Cinemas. Paisley: Showcase.
The Wicker Man (18) ***** (Robin Hardy, UK, 1973) Edward Woodward, Britt Ekland, Diane Cilento, Ingrid Pitt, Christopher Lee. 102 mins. A devoutly celibate policeman (Woodward) arrives at a remote Scottish island to investigate a schoolgirl disappearance and becomes involved in local pagan rituals. A Hammer classic, with some extremely scary and erotic moments. Edinburgh: UGC Cinemas.
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X-Men (12) *‘k‘kt (Bryan Singer, US, 2000) Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Hugh Jackman. 104 mins. This adaptation of the popular Marvel Comic sees super- powered mutants outlawed in America of the near future. Magneto (McKellen), the master of magnetism and Holocaust survivor, will not stop at mass murder to protect his own kind; Professor Xavier (Stewart), a telepath, seeks peaceful co- existence with humankind. To further their ends the two old foes employ rival teams of mutants in a deadly game of chess. It’s a difficult balance, satisfying the fans without alienating those unfamiliar with the comic book. X-Men pulls it off with speedy pacing, imaginatively staged action set pieces and a smart script full of witty dialogue and a message about race prejudice that’s not overplayed. See review. General release.
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Falkirk Town Hall
Sun 20th Aug Braveheart (15) 2:00pm With special appearance by James Cosmo
Tue 29th Aug One Day In September (15) 7:30pm
Thu 313t Aug
Not One Less (U) 2:00pm Sun 3rd Sep
Psycho (18) 5:00pm Sunshine (15) 7:00pm
Tickets and further information from The Steeple Box office (Tel: 01324 506850)
or on the day from the hall
the
ord on the
str.ts
publicity distribution
in Edinburgh and nationwide
Tel 0131 555 1897 www.eae.co.uk
17-24 Aug 2000 THE usr 19