La Ciénaga (The Swamp) provides saunatic, cinematic pleasures as two

its:

families struggle to survive the Argentinian heat

loy‘ed noyel emerges with its sense of fun intact. However. while this film certainly doesn't suck. ultimately. it lacks real bite. Ster (‘entury (‘inemaz Edinburgh. Edinburgh.

The Martins l Ht 0. l't'ony (irounds. l'K. 2001) Lee liyans. Kathy Burke. Linda Bassett. 86 mins. liyans plays luckless dreamer and unemployed dad Robert in this big-hearted btit over-reaching comedy about familial loy‘c iii Hatfield. Burke is his long-suffering wife Angie. mother of their two kids. The Martins are the sort of shell-suited. loul-mouthed family you‘d cross the road to avoid. Robert tries to provide for them by entering competitions. and is convinced he has won an exotic family holiday through a local paper. When he learns he hasn't. a string of humiliatiotis pushes him to steal the holiday from the winners. There are sortie nice moments which reveal the family‘s underlying warmth. but these are swamped by an unnecessarily hectic storyline that won't let the characters breath. (iencral release.

The Matrix l til 0”” l'I‘he Wachowski Brothers. l'S/Australia. l999l Keanu Reeves. Laurence Fishburn. ('arrie- Anne .‘yloss. 136 iiiitis. Absolutely gob- smacking science fiction thriller boasting cutting edge special effects. rocking action sequences. a smart story and an immensely entertaining cartoon sensibility lthe lilm was story‘boarded by comic artist (ieoff Darrow i. In the future day-to-day life is merely a scam. a matrix camouflaging reality: a post- apocalyptie nightmare world in which humankind are a power source for domineering super-computers. ()nly Reeyes' cyber hero. .\'eo. and a gang of hacker pirates stand between the evil technology and their race's extinction. Ster (’entui'y (‘inemaz Edinburgh.

Meet The Parents ( Ill .00 iJay Roach. (S. 2000) Ben Stiller. Robeit l)e .\'iro. Blythe Danner. I07 mins. It's ey'eryoiie‘s idea of a nightmare weekend. Having fallen iii love. you are forced to spend time of yarying quality with your potential iii-laws. This is the tricky task which faces Stiller as he prepares for the company of [)e .\'iro's (‘old \y'ar secret agent. his daunting wife and a plethora of friends and family you‘d go to the ends of the earth not to haye to choose. The beauty or beastliness about Meet The Parents is the safe predictability of the gags. I)e .\'iro‘s Performance is somewhat flat. but Stiller's edgily' fatalistic performance is a joy, Ster (‘entury' (‘inemaz lidinburgh.

Merci Pour Le Chocolat (Night Cap) (PG) 0.. ((‘laude (‘habroL France. 2001 ) Isabelle lluppert. Anna Mouglalis. Jacques l)utronc. 99 lllllls. Old man of French cinema ('habrol has cast his

fayoured performer. lluppert. as a fellime fatale named .\lika. ()l‘ is she'.’ Sparky young piano student. Jeanne l.\louglalisl. can't decide either w hen she comes to \lika's home to meet husband Andre ll)utrolicl and his soil. Andre. with whom she was nearly switched at birth. lluppert's heiress lo a Swiss chocolate-making company is a stone-faced btlsinesswolnan who giyes little of herself away. It's that which creates the palpable sense of unease that peryades ('habrol‘s lilm. ’l’lie Lumiere. lidinburgli. Mike Bassett: England Manager 115l 0.. (Stey e Barron. lils'. Jill)! l Ricky 'l‘onilinson. Philip Jackson. .-\manada

Redliian. 90mins. (‘omedy reigns on and oil

lllL‘ pllc‘ll ll] .lllkt' HilHi'l/i l',.ll'\’ltllltl .llu/iueer. a self-cl'facing send-up of the linglisli soccer scene. 'l‘omlinson play s the affable btlt inept scouser Bassett. the only person mug enough to try and steer the tlatioiial team to the finals of a fictitious World (tip in Bra/ll. Shot on digital \ ideo as a mockdocumentary. an inipl'cssiye amount of filming was done at the actual stadiums. lilsew here. a dead-pan \lartin Bashir ias hilnselfl intery iew s an equally po-faccd 'l'olnliiison. alid there is also a

lo\ ely cameo frolii l’elc. But w hile fans w ill doubtless loy e the toot-in-niouth humour. others may find it a bit predictable. See

l'L'\ le“. (ieneral l’L‘lL‘;t\e.

The Monkey’s Maskl Isl O... «(‘ristina ('omencint. Australia. 201 )(ll Kelly .\lc(iillis. 90 mills. Kelly .\lc(iillis finally comes out on screen in this erotic adaptation of Dorothy Porter's thriller. Hard—boiled l’l Stisie Porter is hired by a rich lainlly to find their missing daughter. llcr lll\ esligations lead her to the girl's poetry class altd .\1c(}illis‘ sedtictly e lecturer. Stylish. stealin my stery. Part of the l.oiidoli Lesbian and (iay liilin festiyal on 'l‘our. Adam Smith 'l‘heati'e. Kirkcaldy.

O Moulin Rouge 1 l2» 000.. (Bill l.uhrmann. l'S. 200i l liwan .\lc(iregor. Nicole Kidman. Jilii Broadbent. 108 mitts. l.uhrmann's follow ~up to Romeo .lln/ .lu/li'l is a wildly unrestrained. gloriously camp. ltlde as hell musical loyc story that re iliyents the form. from the (iolden Age llolly wood song and datice spectaculars tip. l.uhrinann has transformed the cpony mous l9th century l’arisian dancehall-cuin brothel into the t‘aye capital of litiropc. weaying 20th century pop music hits into the may dialogue of the lilm so that ll becomes almost opera. And spiralling around a fairy tale romance between .\Ic(iregoi”s idealistic poet and Kidtnali's dance girl is a barrage ol riotous imagery and design. ‘l‘here's no middle-ground with l.uhrmann\ film; it you abandon yotil‘sell to it it'll leaye you into\icated with plea- sure. (it'llL‘l'tll l‘L‘lL‘;t\L'.

index Film

Now every

student can get a First for just £1.65

Show your valid student photo ID to the bus driver and buy a student FirstDay ticket to travel network-wide all day for only £1.65*

‘Available from 16th September. Valid daily until midnight.

First Vi Glasgow

designed to move you!

For further information. please call our customer service team on 0141 423 6600 or visit our website on: www.firstglasgow.com

.1 180.1?(20' THE LIST 33

b