Basic (15) Stars: John Travolta, Samuel L Jackson, Connie Nielsen, Brian Van Holt, Giovanni Ribisi.

DRILL instructor Sergeant Nathan West (Jackson) is the scourge of his US army base located close to Panama. In an attempt to toughen the latest intake, West leads six cadets on a military training exercise deep into the surrounding jungle. Only Dunbar (Van Holt) and Kendall (Ribisi) return from the expedition; the remainder are presumed missing. Lieutenant Julia Osborne (Nielsen) is asked to investigate, but is soon looking over her shoulder when bullish ex-army ranger turned DEA agent Tom Hardy (Travolta) turns up asking difficult questions.

Screenwriter James Vanderbilt flings Rashomon, The Usual Suspects, A Few Good Men and Courage Under Fire in the narrative blender.

What begins as a perplexing and intriguing game of whodunnit soon descends into farce as Vanderbilt contrives twists for the sake of it, within an elaborate flashback structure.

Whale Rider (PG) Stars: Keisha Castle-Hughes, Rawiri Paratene, Vicky Haughton, Cliff Curtis

PAI (Castle-Hughes) is a 12-year-old Maori girl whose entire life has been touched by tragedy. Her mother died during childbirth and her twin brother gave up his fight for life soon after, to the distress of Pai's grandfather Koro (Paratene), who believed the lad would one day grow up to succeed him as chief of the tribe. Koro begins the search for a new leader. He has no time for Pai - she is a girl and therefore no use to the tribe. As the candidates fall by the wayside, Pai emerges as the one person in the village with all the necessary attributes and strengths to lead her people but she must stand up to a thousand years of tradition to prove to Koro that she is the true way forward. Director Niki Caro brings out the unspoiled yet rugged beauty of the New Zealand coast, which provides a haunting backdrop to the raging emotions of Pai as she struggles to prove herself.

Jeepers Creepers 2 (15) Stars: Jonathan Breck, Ray Wise, Travis Schiffner, Drew Bell, Eric Nenninger, Nicki Aycox, Lena Cardwell.

A BUS carrying the Bannon High School varsity basketball team, cheerleaders and teaching staff breaks down on a remote country road. Soon after, sexy cheerleader Minxie Hayes (Aycox) experiences a terrifying premonition that someone, or rather something, is hunting them. As night descends, so too does The Creeper (Breck), an ancient demon who rises from his hellish slumber every 23rd spring for 23 days to feast on human body parts. The creature picks off the driver and coaches before turning its flesh-eating attentions to the terrified teens.

Published: 15/01/2004