Some People Do Anything for 15 Minutes of Celebrity

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Byline: CHRISTOPHER TOOKEY

Celebrity (18) Verdict: More Woody Allen navel-gazing - some great scenes, though

Cruel Intentions (15) Verdict: Elegant update of Les Liaisons Dangeureuses to American high-school students

CELEBRITY is a flawed but enjoyable film about an important and timely topic.

Woody Allen is intelligent enough to have noticed that the exploitation of celebrity has become a defining characteristic of the Nineties.

Newspapers (including the broad-sheets), television and even charities use public fascination with the new and ever-changing celebrity elite to increase circulation, audiences and income.

Nor has it escaped the notice of Allen as a writer that fellow scribes are among the victims of the new cult. Criticism is out; celebrity-profiling is in. And newspapers, television and publishing houses are guilty of throwing money at celebrities merely because they guarantee sales and publicity.

So those who have bothered to learn their craft are …