February 2000 Volume 81 Number 2 "serving the protectors"
By Mike Horsfall

AT THE CINEMA

THE GREEN MILE

Heads turn and even the strongest people take a breath when John Coffey (Michael Clarke Duncan) walks down the street. At seven feet and 315lbs, Coffey is a man to fear. And, when he’s associated with the death of two nine-year-old sisters, the judicial decision is simple - the electric chair.

Set on Death Row in a Southern prison in 1935, The Green Mile is told as a flashback narrated by Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks) to his friend Elaine Connelly. Edgecomb is now living in a home for the aged some six decades after working as head guard on Death Row at the Cold Mountain Penitentiary. His tour of duty included watch over a quartet of killers awaiting their walk down The Green Mile - the stretch of green linoleum flooring that took convicts from their jail cells to the electric chair.

Over the years, Edgecomb walked the mile with a number of cons, but never before had he encountered someone like John Coffey. Beyond his simple, naive nature and a deathly fear of the dark, Coffey seems to possess a prodigious, supernatural gift. As the story unfolds, Paul Edgecomb learns that, sometimes, miracles happen in the most unusual places.

The Green Mile also stars David Morse, James Cromwell and Bonnie Hunt.

For the chance to win a double pass put your details on the back of one used envelope and address it to Mike Horsfall, Sturt Police Station (12) Green Mile.

AMAZON

Another IMAX giant, Amazon offers viewers a fantastic journey along the mightiest river in the world. The lifeblood for whole civilizations, the Amazon is home to more than 5,000 different species of fish and the more than 60,000 different species of plants that live on its banks.

In addition to being a journey of discovery, Amazon is also the story of two medicine men from vastly different worlds, who share a common quest - the search for the medicinal qualities of native plants. Along the journey, filmgoers are guided through the Amazon region, from its source high in the Andes through to the rain forests of South America.

Lasting 40 minutes, this latest IMAX journey presents visions of splendour and mystery that are not to be missed. Unfortunately, Amazon leaves the viewer wanting much more. But don’t be too concerned as there’s always another great IMAX experience just around the corner.

Behind the beauty and drama of the film is a subtle message of conservation and concern that the world may not have a chance to learn from the region before it is gone. Consider the facts:

• Rain forests are shrinking rapidly.
• More than 90 tribes have become extinct in Brazil alone since the turn of the century.
• Extinction is affecting the world’s plant species.
• The major source of protein in the Amazon Basin is fish, yet much of the fish population is destroyed or threatened by gold mining.

For the chance to win a double pass put your details on the back of one used envelope and address it to Mike Horsfall, Sturt Police Station (12) AMAZON.

MAN ON THE MOON

Jersey Films and two-time Academy Award-winning director, Milos Forman, team up with Golden Globe-winning screenwriters Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski to bring a distinctive vision to Man On The Moon, the story of the late Andy Kaufman.

Jim Carrey stars as Kaufman, the Saturday Night Live comedian, who was considered one of the most innovative, eccentric and enigmatic performers of his time. A master at manipulating audiences, Kaufman could generate belly laughs, stony silence, tears or brawls. Whether inviting the audience out for milk and cookies, or challenging women to inter-gender wrestling matches, he specialized in creating performances so real that even his close friends were never sure where the truth lay.

Carrey, whose unique talents have allowed him to cross over from stand-up comedy and television sitcoms into the world of film, takes on the role of Kaufman, who grew from an Elvis impersonator to a performer who broke all the rules. By refusing to break character or let the audience in on the joke, he frequently pushed his art over the edge, leaving his audience baffled, and sometimes amused - but it was all part of the act.

Decide for yourself if Man on the Moon is a winner.

For the opportunity to win a double pass to this new release or a soundtrack CD, put your details on the back of a used envelope (but not your postcode) and address it to Mike Horsfall, Sturt Police Station (12) The Moon.

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