Straight To Video
"Margaret's Museum" (15)
An earnest, rather dull chronicle of the harshness in a remote part of Nova Scotia during the 1940s takes an unexpected turn for the Gothic when Margaret McNeil (the increasingly impressive Helena Bonham Carter) decides on an unusual memorial to her relatives, killed in the mine which dominates the community.
Mort Ransen's film is too bloodless, in all senses of the word, for us to really believe in the world he creates.
Cinema To Video
"Batman And Robin" (12)
Perhaps the last trip to the well for the Bat-franchise, and certainly the worst, this is an overblown, under-plotted, chaotic mess. Uma Thurman and Arnold Schwarzenegger are far inferior to previous baddies, and director Joel Schumacher, in his second outing, seems to have completely lost sight of the tone established by his predecessor, Tim Burton. George Clooney is adequate enough as the man in the rubber suit, and Chris O'Donnell looks dim enough for Robin, but Alicia Silverstone's Batgirl is dreadful and (whisper it) rather podgy.
"Anaconda" (15)
Eric Stoltz, Jennifer Lopez and gangsta rapper Ice Cube are the unlikely heroes, and Jon Voight the hilarious villain, in this unspeakably bad reptilian horror flick - more a Z than a B movie. Before you can say "Snakes Alive!", all and sundry are being gobbled up for lunch by a 60-foot long anaconda. "It strikes, wraps around you, holds you tighter than your true love and you get the privilege of hearing your bones break before the power of their embrace causes your veins to explode," explains Voight in one of his more restrained moments.
"Moll Flanders" (15)
Shot on location in Ireland, Pen Densham's bowdlerised version of Daniel Defoe's picaresque novel is understandably simplified but unnecessarily sanitised. In the title role Robin Wright delivers a performance which carries more conviction than the writing actually merits, as does John Lynch as the tragic romantic hero, while a wide array of Irish actors pop up in small character roles, from Jim Sheridan as a licentious priest to Ardal O'Hanlon as a client in a brothel. The strong sense of the contrasting wealth and squalor of the period is enhanced by Consolata Boyle's richly detailed costumes.
"Space Jam" (General)
Basketball star Michael Jordan co-stars with Bugs Bunny and other Loonie Tunes in this live action/animation mix. Bugs and his pals (Daffy Duck, Roadrunner, Elmer Fudd etc.) find themselves imprisoned by an interplanetary theme park proprietor (the voice of Danny DeVito). To regain their freedom, they must win a basketball match against evil aliens, and they call in Jordan to help. Director Joe Pytka handles it all rather well, with plenty of ingenious gags, and Jordan doesn't embarrass himself, but the real stars are the Tunes. Brash, noisy and colourful, this should appeal to young basketball and cartoon fans alike.
