INDEX FILM
popular lndian cinema — music. spectacle.
romance and sacrifice. (ilasgow: (ii-'1'. I Kiss OlThe Spiderwomanl 15) ( l leetttr Babenco. l'S Brazil. 1985) \\ illiam 1 lurt. Raul Julia. Sonia Braga. 119 mins. Two men share a prison cell. each of them in their ow n way y ictiins of an unspecified fascist regime. ()nc is a llamboy ant homosexual. the other a macho
rey olutionary’. The pain of their confinement eyentually brings mutual understanding. loy e. and a change of roles. (ilasgoyy:(i1’1'.
I Kwaldam1S)(MasakiKobayashi. Japan. 1964) Rentaro Mikuiii.(ianjiro .\'akamura. Michiyo Aratania. lh-l niiiis. The title translates as (rllrnl Sin/fr and this eerily beautifulthough ratheroyerloiig film presents four tales of the supernatural by linglish writer lalcadio 1 learn. eachof them transferred in time and location to a hauntingly eyoked medieyal Japan. Marvellous rise of the wide screen. Edinburgh: l‘ilnihouse.
I Legend (1’0) ( Ridley Scott. is. 1985) Tom Cruise. .Mia Sara. Tim Curry. 93 mins. Wildly sell-indulgent fairy tale with (ioocl arid liy’il at each others. throatsoiice more. l’i‘ctty pictures but a narratiye shambles. 1idinburgh: ('ameo.
I Lenny f 18) ( Bob l'itisse. [78. W74) Dustin l lolfman. Valerie l’errine. Jan Miner. 112 mins. l’owerfulbiopic following hip comic Lenny Bruce‘s relentless tussles with the Sixties establishment oyer the allegedobscenity of his scatological humour. Hoffman is brilliant in the title role. and thestark monochromephotography is genuinely arresting. (ilasgow: 0131‘.
I The Lenny Bruce Performance Film( is) (John Magniison. 1S. 1967) Lenny Bruce and an audience. (MS mins. Uncomfortable yiewing. but y irtually the onlyeineinatie footage still in existence of the ground-l‘vreaking comedian. filmed in August 19b5 in San l'rancisco ~ about the only city where he was allowed toperlorm freely it's more desperate than limiiy . as it consistsot Bruce working his way through transcripts from his New York obscenity trial A fascinating reminderof what had to be done before the new breed ofconiies could stand up and shout tisiiig w hatey er naughty words they liked. (ilasgoyy : (ii-'1'. I Let Him Have lli 15lll’ctet' .‘ytedak.t'ls’. 1991 )(‘liris licclcston. l’aul Reynolds. Tom (‘ourtenay . 11ilcen Atkins. 9Smins Timely release for big-screen ycrsion of the Bentley case. In 1952. Bentley.wlio had a mental age of cley cn. w as executed for his part in the murder of a policeman. who was actually shot by (‘liris ( 'raig. a sixteen-year-old and therefore tooyoung to hang. Mcdak again proy'es that. asiti lllt’ Krays‘. he has an ey e for period detail. but the film's lasting effect is as asober indictment of the miscarriage of justice. See prey leyy'. (ilasgoyy : (‘antion The liorge. ( )deoii. lidinbiirgh: ()deon. l'('l. Strathclyde:()deonAyr.1'('l('lydebank. l.'('11:.ast1silbiide.
I Lite Slink81llllMelllrooks.l'S.1991) Mel Brooks. .leltrey 'I'anibor. Lesley Anii Warren. 95 mins. The writer director star of such comedy classics as Blazing Saddles and Young l'rankt'rislem this time deliy eis a laugh-free (one ys ith this tale ofa megalomaniae property ty coon w ho takes up a bet that he can sury is e asa down-and-out on the streets of LA for 311 days. l’oyerty and homelessnessaren‘t exactly easy pickings for any comedian. but. that aside. this is such a dire attempt to breathe life into the lamest of gagstliat you begin to wonder if the joke is on us. [.ife Stinks'.’ The moy ie sure does. (‘eiitralz (‘aledonian
I Ml15)(1'rit/l.ang.(ierniany.1931) l’eter l.orre. ()tto Wernicke. (iustay (irundgens. An undoubted classic filled with stunning sequences that build toa harrowing climax. A child murderer (Lorre ) eyades the police only tobe caught and tried by his lellowcriininals.
DOC HOLLYWOOD
Doc Hollywood (12) (Michael Caton-Jones, 1991, US) Michael J. Fox, Julie Warner, Barnard Hughes, Woody Harrelson. 104 mins. Say what one likes about the diminutive Michael J. Fox, he's not afraid of taking risks: having lampooned his own screen image in The Hard Way, he takes on this cutesy country comedy and virtually has to carry the entire movie. This is a tall order for such a diminutive star and, despite his talents as a light comic actor, he doesn’t quite pull it off. On his way to take up an obscenely lucrative position as a Los Angeles plastic surgeon, smug doctor Ben Stone (Michael J. Fox) misses the interstate exit, then runs off the road in that mythical small-town America where Iile is slow, the cakes homemade, the philosophy homespun, and the women big-boned and beautiful. Sentenced to eighteen hours of community service for demolishing the Judge's white picket fence, the slick city boy is lorced to endure the downhome hospitality of the local
lolks. Despite the blandishments ol the local mayor, a thankyou pig from an illiterate farming couple, and the amorous attentions ol frustrated
small-town gal Nancy Lee (Bridget Fonda), Ben is set on becoming a Beverly Hills doc. That is, until he meets gorgeous but feisty ambulance-driver Lou (Julie Warner), who introduces him to the simple pleasures of country life - like pissing in the woods.
While this innocuous comedy won’t do much for director Caton-Jones's Hollywood career, it won't do it much harm either. His handling of the predictable situations and comic dialogue could have been a little more polished, but the good-natured humour and tentative romance keep things bubbling along. The best joke in the whole lilm, though, is a passing exchange overheard in a posey Hollywood restaurant: ‘Is that a star?‘ ‘No, it’s Ted Danson.’ Did Ted, perhaps, turn down the lead role? (Nigel Floyd)
From 18 Oct: Glasgow: Cannon Clarkston Road, Cannon The Forge, Cannon Sauchiehall Street, Salon. Edinburgh: Cannon, UCI. Central: Allanpark, Cannon. Strathclyde: Cannon, Kelburne, Odeon Ayr, La Scala, UCI Clydebank, UCI East Kilbride, WMR Film Centre.
Sordid subiect matter treated with stunning artistic yision. with [one at his most chilling. yet strangelysympathetic. best. Edinburgh:1’ilnihouse.
I Mannequin On The Move (l’ti ) (Stewart Rallill. 18. 1991) Kristy Swanson. William Ragsdale. Terry Kiset‘. Meshach Taylor. 95 mins. The sequel to the 19H7hit .llaiinequm brings in new characters and abandonsthe originalsteen-oriented fantasy . opting instead for an updated fairy tale. A new employee at a department store brings a mannequin to life when he rernoy es her necklace. and discoy ers that she is a peasant girl w ho has been under a curse for 1111111 years. Simple and eiiioyable. but less sure of its audience. (ilasgow : (‘aiinon The l-‘orge. ()deon. ladinburgh: ()deon.1.7(’|. Strathclyde:1'(‘l 11astKilbride.
I Meeting Venusl13)llsty'atiS(abo.
l'K l'SA.1991l(ilenn(‘lose.\iels Arestrup. Iirland Josephson. 119 mins. ’/.olian S/anto. an unknown l lungarian conductor . is giy‘cn the chance toconduct Wagner‘s l'ami/iauser in Paris; if it isa success. a w orldw ide satellite transmission w ill bring him lame and fortune. lsty an S/abo. a well-known Hungarian director. directed the same Wagner masterpiece in the same lturopean capital a few years ago. From its autobitigraphical roots. .llevane l't'iius builds into a metaphor for
the squabbling ofa unified liurope. but despite the great music. it‘s let down by'a tacky and distracting on'e subplot. (ilasgoyy : (‘aniion Sauehiehall Street. Izdinburgh: ( ‘annon.
I The Mikado (1') (Victor Sehertzinger. LR. 1939) Martyn (ireen. Kenny Baker. John Barclay. Jean (Min. 91 mins. The first (iilbert and Sulliy‘an operetta lobe adapted for the big screen. featuring some eminent members of the l)'()y ly(‘arte (‘onipany . The plot concerns a timid Japanese official who is made Lord High lixecutioner. but finds that hisfirst intended y‘ictim is the limperor's son in disguise. Iidinburgh;1-‘ilnihouse.
I Miseryt IS) ( Rob Reiner. LS. 1991) Kathy Bates. James ('aan. Frances Sternhagen. Richard l-‘arnsworth. Lauren Bacall. 1“? mins. Adapted from Stephen King‘s noy'el. this psychological chiller centres on a popular author with literary aspirations ((‘aan ) w ho finds himself trapped. following a nasty caraecident. with his ‘number one fan' (Bates. whowon the Best Actress ()scar for the role). (iradually. he becomes aware of her psychosis. and is forced to hide histiine until he can contriy e an escape. The talents of all concerned are employed to superb effect. to produce a lT‘ltH‘lL‘ of great originality . subtlety and entertainment yalue. ladinburgh: Cameo.
I New Jack City ( 18) (Mario Van l’eebles. US. 1991 ) Wesley Snipes. lee-T. Allen Payne. (‘hris Rock. Mario Van 1’eebles. 101 mins. Rapper lee-Tplaysan undercover cop dedicated to smashing a powerful gang ys ho run a drugs empire. But when his cover is blown. a seriesof y'iolent confrontations follow. Director \r'an Pecblcs deliyers a gripping work of fiction based on a frightening world of fact. while packing in an impressive quotient of l.'zi fire and hot babe action. Strathclyde: Cannon. I DutForJustice ( is) (John 1:‘1y'nn.lIS. 1991)Stey'en Seagal. William l-‘orsythe. Jerry ()rbach. 92 mins. Hot on the heelsof Hard To Kill and Marked l’or Deal/i comes the latest hit-and-run vehicle from would-be niegastar Stey'en Seagal. If there's a plot. then it concerns two men. enemies from childhood. w ho find themsely‘es on opposite sides of the law when the future of their old neighl‘iourhood is at stake. Then again. if you really need a Seagal fix that badly. you're probably only interested in the size of the guns and peetorals. (ilasgow: ('annon ('larkston Road. (‘annon The Forge. Strathclyde: 13(‘1 (‘lydebank. I Poison ( 18) (Todd 1 laynes. LS. 1991) Edith Meeks. Larry Maxwell. Scott Renderer. James l.yons‘. 911 mins. The latest target for the venom of American morality groups. Haynes' low-budget triptyeh pulls together three separate stories with ‘dey'iance‘ as the linking theme. The Jean (ienet-inlluenced third section. ‘1 lomo‘. has attracted most flak over is lurid depiction of prison loy‘e. See preview. Iidinburgh: Cameo. I The Prolound Desire ollhe God3( 18) (Shohei lmainura. Japan. 1968) 175 mins. When a research engineer comes to the island of Kuragejima. he finds astrange. priniitiy'e society oppressed by local superstitions. As he becomes more and more disorientated. the film goes off into surreal filglits of fantasy . Spectacular film-making. Edinburgh:1-‘i1nihouse. I Prospero's Books ( isi ( l’elel (ireenawayl'ls'.1991l.lohn(iielgud. Michael ('lark. Isabelle l’asco. Michel Blane. 125 mins. (ii‘cenayyay transforms Shakespeare's lllt’ lam/it's! into a \‘lSthll feast by using groundbreaking High Definition Television technology. (iielgud cleliy‘et's a near-delinitiye l’rospero. backed up by an impressive liuropean cast. and Michael Nyman‘s‘ score is perhaps his best yet. A liliii likeiio other. immersed in illusion as both subject matter and form. (ilasgow ( il-‘I'. lidinburgh: ('ameo. I Pump Up The Volume ( 15) (Allan Moy‘le. I'S ('anada. 1991 )(‘hristian Slater. Scott l’aulin. 1illen(ireenc. SamanthaMathis. 1112 mins. The oyer-biirdened studeiitsof Hubert Humphrey High relieye their frustrations ey'ery cy'eiiiiig by tuning into pirate radio 1)J Happy llariy Hard—t )n. But shy iiieomer Mark Hunter(Slateil soon finds that his nighttime alter -ego is getting a bit out of hand. particularly w hen one of his listeners commits suicide and Happy 1 larry is blamed. An anarchic teeii angst moy ie with a soundtrack The l l’ixies.1.iquid.lesus. anti Brainss that would put hairs on the chest of a bottleof | meths. (‘entralz l,'(‘1(‘lydebaiik. ; (’aledonian. Strathclyde: Kelburne. ; IA Rage In Harleml is) (Bill Duke. l'S. ' 1991 ) Robin (iiy ens. liorrest Whitaker. (iregoryllines. Danny (iloyei'. llllniins. 3 All the elenicntsof('hestei llimes‘Slls pot-boilerare upon screen stolengold. hoods. harlots. cons. sexy women and a loy estruck undertaker. The ex-Mrs'l'y soii . is in cracking form as the femme fatale w ho is duping the innocent Jackson (Whitaker) in order to escape the clutches of her y'icious former partner Iii ci inie (ilasgow ; ()deon. ltdiiiburgli. l'( ‘l. Strathclyde: ()dcon Ay r. ( )dcon Hamilton. l.'('l (lulebank. IREdSllSllWaiienBe.itty.l'S.19S!) I Warren Beatty . Diane 1se.itoii..l.ick Nicholson. Mauiccii Staplcloii 19o iiiiiis l
The List 11 - 34()ctober 199123