best-selling superhero comic book you‘d be right to expect spectacular effects and bland storytelling in a flashy btit ultimately dtill film. (io see :tltuck oft/iv (‘lumav for that particular exercise in bringing in the box office bucks. Spider-thin. by contrast. is a delightfully unexpected mix of spectacle and engrossing litiiiiaii drama. It‘s surprising that Raimi. who made his name with the highly stylised genre pastiche lT/lt’ lz'vi/ Dem/i should focus so much on character. The cast acquit thetiiselves well. although [)afoe hams up the villainy. But Rainii‘s lead. Tobey Maguire. brings just the right amount of knowing humour to I’arker/Spidey‘. which is emblematic of Raimi‘s whole. winning approach to the film. MacRobert. Stirling.
Spy Kids 2 - The Island of Lost Dreams (l'i .00 (Roberto Rodriguel. [S 2002) Alexa Vega. Daryl Sabara. Roberto Rodriguez. (‘arla (iugiiio. tbciiiiii. Taller and considerably more tenacious. Carmen and Juni ('ortez are feelitig pretty datiiii confident after saying their super spy parents from peril in the first instalment of what will undoubtedly become a family adventure series. .\'ow serving in an all new Spy Kids sub-division of the ()SS organisation. the plucky prepubescents are all set for their first solo mission -- to discover the lost island of l.iki l.iki where they iiitist locate and destroy a 'l‘ransmooker device capable of slitittiiig down all electricity on earth. Although this sequel does not. could not match the originality of Spy Kids. it's still great fun to watch. Showcase Cinema. (‘oatbridge. (ilasgow. Storm (t'i (Warren .Miller. [S 2002! t)(lmin. l‘roni Aspen to Alaska. Miller films skiing legends risking their lives to do what they do best. MacRobert. Stirling.
Stuart Little 2 (H 0. (Rob Miiikoff. [S 2002) Michael J. Fox. (ieena Davis. Huin Laurie. 77min. The inevitable money-spinning sequel to the unlikely yarn of a small. white mouse adopted by a middle- class New York family. A new playmate for Stuart arrives in the shape of a small canary. who falls into the passenger seat of his toy car as Stuart races through the city streets. Stuart invites his new friend back to his liotise. but an evil falcon is on his tail. It doesn‘t get any more twee than this. The voices work well enough atid the (‘(il animation is good. if not adventurous. The problem is that it's distinctly lacking in humour. for both kids and adtills. ('ineworld. l’alkirk.
The Sum of All Fears (12m.
(Phil Alden Robinson. t'S. 2002i Ben Affleck. Morgan Freeman. Alan Bates. min. In I‘M-1‘s (‘lmr and Prevent Danger. Tom ('lancy ‘s heroic spook Jack Ryan was promoted to Deputy Director of the ('IA. liight years on. he has inexplicably been demoted to junior analyst. possibly because he‘s lost two decades off his age and is now embodied by hunky Aflleck instead of haggard Harrison Ford. But if Ryan has gone backwards. the world has most definitely moved on. The setting is the present and a nuclear warhead has falleti itito the hands of a group of terrorists funded by Bates' neo-.\'a/i industrialist. The Sum of .-tll l-i'urv' makers would like you to believe they have their fingers on today 's geo-political pulse. but the film's evasions (the book‘s terrorists are :‘srahsl and various plotting implausibilities are fatal flaws. Ster (‘entury (‘inema. Iidinburgh.
Summertime (I’(il (David Lean. t'S. IUSSi Katharine Hepburn. Rossano Bra/Ii. 99min. Loosely based on Arthur Laurent's play The 'Iime oft/iv ('urknu. Katharine Hepburn is travelling alone in Venice until she meets the handsome Renato di Rossi (Bra/Iii and begins a whirlwind romance. St Bride‘s (‘entre. lidinburgh.
Super Troopers ( (Si 0 (Jay ('handrasekliar. t'S. 2002i iirik Stolhanske. Jay Chandrasekhar. Kevin lleffernan. lt)(hnin. American troupe Broken l.i/ard wrote. directed and star in this patchy comedy which follows five childish btit good-hearted Vermont state troopers as they indulge in horseplay at the expense of a variety of bemused motorists and each other. all under the fatherly eye of their chief (Brian (by. looking rather sorry for himselfi. Better than another I’u/it't' .'I('(I(I('Ilf\ sequel. btit not by much. See review. (ieneral release.
Audrey Tautou shows her darker side in He Loves M,
Sur Le Bout Des Doigts (On the Tip of her Fingers) t (5i (Yves Angelo. I‘rance. 3002) Marina Hands. .-\iine-Sopliie l.atour. Martine (’hevalier. 88min. .-\ccompanied by a classical soundtrack. this is an exploration of a mother's jealousy towards her talented pianist daughter and the father's lack of input into the education of this child prodigy. (ilasgovv l-ilm Theatre. (ilasgow; The l‘ilmhouse. lidinburgh.
Sweet Sixteen ( lhl 0... (Ken [.oacli. t'K. 3(Xl2i Martin (‘oiiipston. \VilliamRuane. (iary Mc(‘oriiiack. lilomin. ('heeky west coast Scotland tied l.iam ((‘oiiipstoni is awaiting his mother's release from Prison. l’a‘s not around. so Liam. determined to give his ma a new home and a better life. begins dealing drugs. l.oach's no frills working method sits well with screenwriter l’aul Laverty 's straightforward storytelling. which prioritises character development over fancy plotting. In his first screen role (ireeiiock local ('onipston evcels as the tough kid with a tender heart. and it's his performance which lifts the film. imbuing it with both warmth and humour and countering the balance between worthy polemic and highly watchable drama. (ieiieral release.
Swing ( 15) (Tony (iatlif. l‘rancc. lellli ()scar (’opp. l.ou Recli. 'l‘chavolo Schniitt. 00min. During the summer months of vacation. ten-year-old Mav becomes further and further enchanted with gypsy culture. ja/x music and especially w itli one girl named Swing. atid he starts to learn for himself how to play the guitar. enjoying the instruction of local guitar playing legend Mirlaldo. (ilasgow l‘ilm Theatre. (ilasgow; The I‘ihiihouse. tidinburgli.
Talk to Her ( lSi .0... ( l’edro .-\lmodovar. Spain. 3002i Javier (’amara. Dario (irandinetti. Rosario I‘lores. I.cotto(' Wailing. lllmin. Beiiigiio ((';iinarai and Marco ((irandinetlii are iii lo\ e w illi two women . . both of whom are hospitalised iii comatose states. Benigno became a nurse so that he could care full time for his beloved once aspiring ballerina Alicia (Wailing i. In the hospital room nest door Marco visits l.ydia (I‘loi'esi. a female bullfighter who was butchered iii the ring. (hit of these tragic circumstances a friendship forms between the two men. Iii/A In llt’I' is mature .v\lmodovar; Spain’s most famous filmmaker on top form. describing complc\ characters and complicated emotional states in evpert storytelling fashion. l‘rom the gorgeous photography. design and music to the script and remarkable perftiriiianccs. Iii/A In llt'l' is a flaw less film and a treat for cinema Iov ers. Selected release.
Tanguy (l’( ii (litienne ('hatilieI. l‘rancc. 2(in l Sabine :\/ema. .-\ndre Dossolier. liric Berger. lllts‘niin. In this black comedy parents Paul and lidith are beginning to despair at their 23-year-old son who appears to have no intentions of fleeing the family nest. pushing them to some unusual methods of encouraging his move. beginning with a thwarted attempt to pack Iiiiii off to Asia for a year. (ilasgow l'iliii 'l‘liealre. (ilasgow '. The l‘ilniliouse. lidinburgh.
A Taste of Honey ( 12m i'l‘ony Richardson. t‘K. No! l. Dora Bryan. Murray Melvin. Rita 'l'usliingham. Robert Stephens. lilein. Kitchen sink realism about a Salford girl who gets pregnant after leaving home. Adapted from Shelagh Delaney 's play.t'(i(~ Renfrew Street. (ilasgovv. (ilasgovv. Teenage Kicks - The Undertones
He Loves Me Not
((bci (Tom ('ollms. Northern Ireland. 3on1 l “2min. Documentary about the Northern Ireland punk band w liicli combines footage of John I’ecl's \ isit to the band‘s hometown Derry with archive material of the band and the place. The film's producer Vinny (‘unnitigham and t'ndertone Damian ()'.\'eill will introduce the film. ('(':\. (ilasgow. They ( l5) .0 (Robert Harmon. t'S. Zillili l,aura Regan. Marc Blucas. lithan limbry. Wmm. Tim has a iiiarvellously scary opening scene. involving a small boy who can't sleep because he tears something \\ icked this way comes out of a thunderstorm. But as with so many Hollywood chillers. the film fails to live up to its initial premise. Brendan Hood’s script never develops into a coherent plot the idea tltat childhood monsters In the closet are real and that they come back to haunt the more disturbed kids once they are fully grown adults. Harmon. who made in his I‘lSo film Ii/ll’ [lift her a thriller Hitchcock might have been proud of. handles iiidiv idtial scenes well. bit! a handful of handsome set- pieces does not a wicked tnov ie make. (ieiicral release.
Thomas and the Magic Railroad it» C. (Britt .~\llcroft. t'K/t'S. ZlNNli Voices
index Film
of Alec Baldwin. I’eter l‘onda. Michael Ii. Rodgers. 79min. This adaptation of the Reverend \Vilbur .v\wdry books is aimed squarely at under tens. \Vhilst children will be lapping up the tale of Thomas The Tank lingine aiding The (‘onductor ( Baldvv ini against the evil Diesel train. accompanying guardians will be wondering what happened to .»\llcroft's classic series narrated h) Ringo Starr. Surely it was never this juvenile? MacRobert. Stirling.
Tosca (l’( it C. (Benoit Jacquot. l‘i'ance. Zfltlli lZ-lmin. Not for the feiiit hearted. Iiivt'ti requires a certain amount of stamina. But Benoit Jacquot's new adaptation for film demands no less than ()lyiiiptc levels of endurance. For l’uccini‘s tale of jealotisy and passion between the two doomed lovers. Tosca and (‘avaradossr has been laketi from the stage with disappointingly little imagination. There is nothing wrong with the perforiiiances. the costumes are flaw less and the sets evquisite: it‘s just that altogether as a conception it doesn‘t work. ()pera‘s largeness demands space to perform. and filming as if the words evchanged are simply dialogue cramps its style. MacRobert. Stirling.
Trois Zeros (Shooting Stars) l (Si (l‘abien ()nteniente. lirance. Zilllll (ierard l.aiivm. Samuel Le Biliaii. l.orant Deutsch. USmin. I’lans made from behind bars for kind but ineffective Manu to become the sports agent for his friend. talclited footballer Tibor. once they are both freed from prison run into serious difficulties in this comic take on the world of professional footballing and its contrast with the life of an ordinary man. (ilasgow l‘ilni Theatre. (ilasgow; The l‘ilmhouse. lidinburgli.
Tsatsiki, Mum and the Policeman (t‘i (lilia l.eiiihangen. Sweden. 1998i niin. Little [Iisatsiki dreams of going to (irecce to meet his father. his w ants to be a popstar and their lodger hopes to fall in love. And their dreams are realised. btit not in the way any of them would think. The l‘ilmliouse. Iidinburgh.
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