John Waters, the bard of Baltimore, once had one of his low-life characters eating dog poo for our delectation. Then, after Pink Flamingos became a cult classic, he went to Hollywood, where you can only step in it. He's never been quite the same man since. more...

Au Revoir Les Enfants | Enemy of the State | The Siege | Pecker more...

Enemy of the StateRental and retail, DVD, £15.99, Buena Vista, cert. 15
Those of you who approach anything with the names Jerry Bruckheimer and Tony Scott attached with a sigh are in for a big surprise. Prejudge ye not. Yes, they are the guys who brought us Top Gun and Beverly Hills Cop II in the bad old 80s, but these are the 90s. For Eddie Murphy and gung-ho action, read Will Smith and rampant paranoia. This is Will Smith in a Winston Smith world. Technology enables Big Brother to do so much more at the end of the century. Enemy of the State has a merciless narrative drive, and grips from start to finish with a clever plot. It starts with the murder of a congressman, inadvertently captured on tape by an eco-activist. more...

The Disney entomological entertainment A Bug's Life was delayed (travails with my ant, according to its producer), which allowed their new rival, DreamWorks, to get in first with Antz, a very similar animated project. Antz is altogether superior and has a script so good and a collection of voices so distinctive that it would work just as well on the radio. more...