Mastrantonio, Vanessa Martinez. 128 mins. Sayles isn't a filmmaker to toe the line, so when he goes to Alaska to shoot a film in which three individuals become marooned in the wilderness, it‘s unsurprising than what he comes up with is a well-crafted, solidly told tale that's less action adventure and more psychological/sociological study of people and place. And Sayles takes his time, easing us into the environment and the lives of the principal characters, before the forces of nature give the plot its dramatic twist. Edinburgh Film Guild at the Filmhouse, Edinburgh.
The Little Vampire (U) the (Uli Edel, UK, 2000) Rollo Weeks, Richard E. Grant, Jonathan Lipnicki. 95 mins. Tony (Lipnicki), fresh from the orange groves of California, moves with his family to beautiful Scotland. He quickly becomes the most unpopular kid in his class, but finds a playmate when a ten-year-old vampire conveniently falls down his chimney. Can Tony join in the quest for the missing amulet and help the fanged Rudolph and his family become human? Despite its Ilollywood re- vamp, Angela Sommer-Bodenburg‘s well- Ioved novel emerges with its sense of fun intact. However, while this film certainly doesn't suck, ultimately, it lacks real bite. General release.
Little Voice (15) tactic (Mark Herman, UK, 1998) Jane Horrocks, Brenda Blethyn, Michael Cainc. 97 mins. Ilorrocks 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. Ilorrocks is sensational as are Blethyn as the mother and Caine as the sleazy agent. Odeon At The Quay, Glasgow.
Extreme Screen: Everest and The Living Sea (U) *** 40 mins. Although the lwerks experience impresses on a technical level, neither of these films transcend entertainment as lumbering fairground attraction. Everest is a dry-as-sand account of a recent expedition up the big yin. Filmed in the style of a Sunday afternoon docudrama, it also has the dubious honour of rendering a remarkable adventure mundane. A much better bet is the visually wondrous The Living Sea, an ‘edutaining' look at mankind‘s relationship with the sea (with voice-over from Meryl Streep). UGC, Edinburgh.
The Long Good Friday (18) ****~k (John McKenzie, UK, 1980) Bob Iloskins, Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan. 114 mins. Harold Shand (Hoskins) is an unforgettable creation, at once the perfect embodiment of his time and place (London, 1980) and a throwback to the monochrome gangsters of the thirties — Muni, Cagney, and Edward G. With Iloskins as its driving force and to-die- for dialogue its fuel, the film motors along from one set piece to another. The violence, though shocking (even now) and brilliantly staged, is never allowed to overwhelm the characters, leading this minor classic to its subtle but devastating climax. New Picture House, St Andrews.
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (PG) *tt (Steven Spielberg, US, 1997) Jeff Goldblum, Julianne Moore, Pete Postlethwaite. 129 mins. Goldblum and Co drop onto a second dinosaur—filled island, which is disrupted by a mixed bunch of capitalists and safari hunters, sending the carnavores on a rampage. Weaker than the original, it still makes for a thrilling adventure, with impeccible effects. Watch out for the certificate though: sustained scenes of terror suggest it should have been a ‘12'. Lumiere, Edinburgh.
Love's Labour's Lost (U) *tt (Kenneth Branagh, US, 2000) Kenneth Branagh, Alicia Silverstone, Adrian Lester. 93 mins. Branagh's attempt to make Shakespeare multiplex-friendly will shock textual purists for he has taken the early, wordy, romantic comedy, cut 70 per cent of its dialogue and filled the holes with show tunes from the 30s and ~10s. Branagh's most audacious, and frankly maddest, Shakespeare adaptation to date proves to be a funny, engaging, and consistently entertaining trifle. Brunton 'Iheatre, Edinburgh.
Marketa Lazarova (nc) (Frantisek Vlacil, Czechoslovakia, 1966) 162 mins. Impressive medieval epic about fiecc inter- clan rivalry. Power, passionate and voted one of Czech cinema's greatest films both the folks at home. Part of the Czech Point season. Lumiere, Edinburgh.
Maybe Baby (15) *** (Ben Elton, UK, 2000) Hugh Laurie, Joely Richardson, Joanna Lumley. 90 mins. Sam (Laurie) and Lucy (Richardson) are happy in love and successful at work (he’s a BBC commissioning editor and she‘s a theatrical agent). The only blot on this idyllic London landscape is that the couple desperately want a baby to fulfil their blissful lives. Written and directed by Elton, it's no surprise that there are some very funny lines in a film that’s destined to be heralded as the new Four Weddings. Lumiere, Edinburgh. Me. Myself And Irene (15) *** (Peter and Bobby Farrelly, US, 2000) Jim Carrey, ReneeZellweger, Robert Forster. 116 mins. Carrey plays both Rhode Island State Trooper Charlie Baileygates and Charlie's alter ego, Ilank. Charlie’s sweet and kind; Hank is a sexually aggressive, misogynistic loudmouth. When Charlie/Hank is/are assigned to escort the lovely Irene (Zellweger) to New York State his split personality threatens to take over his life completely. The rude sight gags and stinging one-liners are blatantly in evidence, while the story also works as something more than just a shakey scaffold holding up the comic set-pieces. The revelation, however, is Carrey himself. His Charlie/Hank creations are the mark of a master craftsman. General release.
Memento (15) ***** (Christopher Nolan, US, 2000) Guy Pearce, Carrie-Ann Moss, Joe Pantoliano. 116 mins. Beginning where most other films would end with an act of vengeance, writer-director Nolan tells his story by gradually working backwards in time. Leonard Shelby (Pearce) is obsessed with avenging his wife‘s rape and murder. Trouble is Leonard suffers from a condition of short-term memory loss, and so he relies on an elaborate system of mementoes —- maps, polaroids, body tattoos - to piece together the clues in his investigation. A compelling, elliptical reconstruction of the revenge thriller, which skilfully examines the connections between memory, identity and perception. See preview and review.Odeon, Glasgow: Odeon. Cameo, UGC, Edinburgh.
Memory Of Berlin (15) (John Burgan, Germany, 1998) 76 mins. Triggered by the fall of the Berlin Wall, filmmaker and adopted son Burgan sets off to explore his past and discover who his real parents are. Part of the Zeitgeist: New german Documentary season. GET, Glasgow. Filmhouse, Edinburgh.
My Dog Skip (U) tit (Jay Russell, US, 2()(X)) Kevin Bacon, Diane Lane, Frankie Muniz. 95 mins. My Dog Skip is an unashamedly sentimental coming-of-age story about a nine-year-old boy's relationship with his pet Jack Russell terrier, set during World War Two in the small Mississippi town of Yazoo. The film casts a nostalgic glow over the past, but it doesn‘t shy away from giving us glimpses of harsher realities, including nods to the era's racism and the traumas of war. But the prevailing mood is appropriately one of
gentle sweetness. Selected release. ' Night Service Station (Nachttanlce) (PG)
(Sami Nasr, Germany, 1999) 88 mins. Followsthe comings and goings during a 24 hour period in Ludwigshafen during the World Cup of the summer of 1998. Part of the Zeitgeist: New german Documentary season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh.
The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (12) it (Peter Sega], US, 2000) Eddie Murphy, Janet Jackson, Larry Miller. 107 mins. Eddie Murphy has a habit of making sequels that fail to live up to expectations. Here, he plays the entire Klump family as well as baddie,
l Buddy Love. Professor Klump is getting married to Denise (Janet Jackson). As the ; big day looms, he struggles to cope with his
personal crises and ongoing battles with arch-enemy Love. This proves to be one task too far for the talents of Eddie Murphy. General release.
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