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FILMS,BOOKS,MUSIC

cinema

by Lynda Del Sasso

American Beauty
USA 1999, Cert. 18
Director: Sam Mendes
Star Rating * * * * *

To all appearances the Burnhams are a modern middle class American family - but scratch the surface and it becomes apparent that Lester, his wife Carolyn and teenage daughter Jane are actually teetering on the edge of madness, trapped in the American family dream-turned-nightmare. Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) is bored with his dead-end job, his cold neurotic wife, his stifling suburban life.

His wife Carolyn (Annette Bening) has become so used to keeping up appearances that she has lost her true self somewhere along the way. Their angry teenage daughter Jane (Thora Birch) has grown to despise her father, especially when, in hilarious full-blown mid-life crisis he becomes obsessed with her beautiful best friend Angela (Mena Suvari). Then a new, equally screwed-up all-American family move in next door, and Lester's daughter takes her first tentative steps down the path he knows so well - lust, vanity, self-delusion, frustration, misery, madness - with the strange boy neighbour who captures his experiences on video. Tragi-comic and thought-provoking, Lester's predicament rings true with anyone who's ever found themselves in a rut.

This is a sharply observed and intricately scripted (by former ÔCybill' writer Alan Ball) satire on modern American life and family values. Like its title, American Beauty has many possible readings and themes, all of them fascinating and relevant. Kevin Spacey plays the part of sap Lester Burnham to absolute perfection, with Annette Bening putting in her best cinematic performance to date as his edgy wife Carolyn. Already a double Golden Globe winner (Best Dramatic Movie, Best Director) this brilliant gem of a film is bound to feature in next month 's Oscar awards.

from Feb 4

Toy Story 2
USA 1999, Cert. U
Director: John Lasseter
Star Rating * * * *

'Toys will be toys - except when their owners aren't around.' Sounds rather lame for a feature-length plot, but as American Beauty also proves this month, sometimes a film synopsis can never quite do it justice. However, for those who want an idea of story, here goes: in this sequel to the 1995 original, Andy goes off to summer camp and his toys are left to their own devices. When Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) is kidnapped by a toy collector, Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Tim Allen), Mr Potato Head (Don Rickles) and Hamm (John Ratzenburger a.k.a. Cliff from Cheers) go on a mission to rescue him. Meanwhile Woody, discovering that he is a highly-valued collectible, makes new friends from his own era, including Stinky Pete the Prospector (Kelsey Grammer) and wonders whether life might be better elsewhere.

Pixar Animation Studios (in collaboration with Walt Disney Pictures) is rapidly gaining a reputation for superb computer-generated animation, and Toy Story 2 is as impressive as it gets. This is only Pixar's resident director John Lasseter's third film (after Toy Story and A Bug's Life), and already he has been showered with awards. Toy Story 2 is well on the way to continuing this trend, having just won a Golden Globe for Best Comedy or Musical.

Don't be tempted to dismiss Toy Story 2 as a children's film. Thanks to the witty script, well-rounded characterisation and amazing visuals, it would be difficult to imagine an adult who wouldn't be amused and captivated by this comedy-adventure.

from Feb 11

House on Haunted Hill
USA 1999, Cert. 18
Director: William Malone
Star rating * * *

The premise will be all too familiar to fans of the classic horror genre: eccentric millionaire Steven Price (Geoffrey Rush) offers a group of strangers a million dollars each to spend the night in a haunted house. The house, which looks more like a cross between Colditz Castle and a New York department store, is a former lunatic asylum, where patients were experimented upon my a mad doctor. Whoever makes it through the night alive gets to keep the money. (Cue spooky sound effects and terrifying goings-on.) And that pretty much sums up this film.

Predictable fun and clearly never intended to be taken seriously, there are nevertheless some powerful special effects, with plenty of gore and vivid imagery to delight horror fans. Geoffrey Rush, complete with pencil moustache, hams it up with relish and the whole thing is reminiscent of a darkly surreal Scoobie-doo tale on acid. Marilyn Manson's gravelly rendition of The Eurythmics' Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) on the soundtrack provides the perfect Gothic black cherry on the cake.

from Feb 4