The Weekender

FILM

From Michael Keaton to Ray Liotta, there's a fine tradition of lead roles as the troubling next door neighbour who is either already part of the neighbourhood furniture or who doesn't like the fact that new folks are attempting to become part of it. In Lakeview Terrace Samuel L Jackson takes it to the extreme as a police officer whose nose is put out of joint by the arrival of Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington as neighbours. Directed by Neil LaBute, the thriller has put Jackson back on the map as an enthralling leading man, according to the critics.

A great Scottish director meets a great Scottish actor in Summer this weekend, as Robert Carlyle takes the lead in Bafta award winner Kenny Glenaan's tale of the paths two childhood friends set out on after a life changing event during their school holidays.

Angelina Jolie is already being tipped for an Oscar for her performance in Clint Eastwood's Changeling, the true story of a woman whose child went missing only for the LAPD to try to force her to take the wrong child back, then put her in a mental institution for speaking out.

MUSIC

It's like an Eighties reunion on the Scottish gig scene this weekend, with Deacon Blue playing the Carling Academy in Glasgow tonight, Jason Donovan at the Caird Hall, Dundee and Simple Minds celebrating 30 years in the business at the ABC on Sunday night.

Elsewhere, King Creosote performs at Tolbooth, Stirling, tonight, Van Morrison digs out the old classics at the Ironworks, Inverness, tonight and tomorrow, and multi-Grammy nominees Coldplay wind up another great year for them at the SECC tomorrow night.

GOING OUT

Santa may have come to town all over the land already this month, and almost every town in Scotland either has a grotto, a Christmas fair or an ice rink set up, but if you're looking for more present buying activities than red-suited men, the seasonal markets are always a good bet. In Edinburgh tomorrow is the Out of the Blue Arts Market at the arts centre in Leith, offering everything from screen prints to accessories from local artists. Up in Morningside there is also a Funk Fair showcasing the best young designers the city has to offer, such as Rowanjoy, who mixes vintage fabrics with unique contemporary designs.

If your eyes are bigger than your belly, Loch Lomond Shores is running its farmers market this Sunday from 10am