FILM INDEX

FILM mos:-

Films screening this fortnight are listed below, with certificate. credits. hriel review and venue details. Full-length reviews of selected new releases can he found close to the appropriate entry. Programme details appear in the Listings section which follows. Film Index compiled by Alan Morrison.

I‘rhe Addams Famlly (PG) (Barry Sonnenfeld. US. 1991) Anjelica Huston. RaulJulia. Christopher Lloyd. Dan Hedaya. 100 mins. When long-lost Uncle Fester returns from 25 years in the Bermuda Triangle. it disrupts the idyllic lifestyle of the Addams clan. But is this Festera fortune-grabbing imposter? Big budget movie has all of the macabre sense of fun of the TV series and the original New Yorker cartoons. as well as sets and design that any self-respecting ghoulish household would die for. Literally. Glasgow: GFT.

I Adorable Lies (18) (Gerardo Chijona. Cuba. 1991) Isabel Santos. Luis Alberto Garcia. Mirtha lbarro. 100 mins. Two disillusioned people meet at a film premiere and make up fantasy lives to impress the other. When they fall in love with the fantasy image. life begins to have new possibilities. Glasgow: GFT.

I L'Age D'Or ( 18) (Luis Bunuel. France. 1930) Gaston Modot. Lya Lys. Max Ernst. Pierre Prevert. 60 mins. A vivid confrontation between sexuality and Catholic censure. as explored with humour. panache and genuine eroticism by the Spanish master of the surreal. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.

I Alias La Gringa ( 18) (Alberto Durant. Peru. 1991 ) Germano Gonzales. Elsa Oliveros. Orlando Sacha. 100 mins. A gripping thriller based on the real-life adventures of an outlaw known as La Gringa. When he escapes from a high security prison island. he returns to engineer the release of his friend. Glasow: GFT.

I Allen (18) (Ridley Scott. US. 1979) Sigourney Weaver. Ian Holm. John Hurt. 116 mins. Agatha Christie in outer space as a freighter lands on a

mysterious planet and is ingeniously invaded bya ravenous intruder which proceeds to chomp its way through the cast list. Edge-of-the-seat suspense thriller with a strong cast and ghastly special effects. Edinburgh: Odeon.

IAllens (18) (James Cameron. US. 1986) Sigoumey Weaver. Michael Biehn. 137 mins. Revived from a 57-year snooze in deep space. Warrant Officer Weaver is ca joled into joininga marine rescue mission to the planet that is home for the original alien beastie. Unrelentingly paced with a terrifically gutsy performance from Weaver. this nerve-shredding sequel not only matches its predecessor but cannily surpasses it. An Oscar winner for special effects. Edinburgh: Odeon.

IAllen 3(18) (David Fincher. US. 1992) Sigoumey Weaver. Charles Dutton. Charles Dance. 114 mins. Forget the backlash and the woeful tales of production difficulties pop promo wunderkind Fincher makes a brave attempt to bring something new to the series by placing a shaven-headed Ripley plus monster companion on a prison planet filled with religious nutcases. Okay. it‘s not Ridley Scott's classic sci-fi horror or James Cameron‘s Rambo In Space. but it is very dark. very atmospheric and very nearly worth the wait. General release.

I At Play In the Fields of the Lord ( 15) (Hector Babcnco. US. 1991)Tom Berenger.John Lithgow. Daryl Hannah. Kathy Bates. 185 mins. Hector (K iss of the Spider Woman) Babenco‘s monumental rainforest epic has American mercenaries and fundamentalist missionaries clashing over the future of the primitive Niaruna Indians. Well-meaning. but clumsy adaptation of Peter Matthiessen‘s novel falls short of being the cinematic gee-political statement it had hoped to be. Central; MacRobert.

I Bad Tlmlng (18) (Nicolas Roeg. UK. 1979) Art Garfunkel. Theresa Russell. Haney Keitel. 123 mins. As surgeons fight for the life of a young American in Vienna. we learn of a university lecturer‘s obsessive and often violent relationship with her. Typical Roeg. with elliptical editing and an explosion of ideas: the result is an extraordinarily powerful film. Glasgow: (EFT.

I Basic lnstlnct(18) (Paul Verhoeven. US. 1992) Michael Douglas. Sharon Stone. George Dzundza. Jeanne Tripplehorn. 128 mins. On-the-edge ‘Frisco cop Nick Curran (Douglas) becomes embroiled with a successful novelist and murder suspect (Stone); she. in turn. treats him to a series of psychological fornications while going along a similar path with his body. Easily the best.

"Dazzling. . . lens to

look at, loads of charm & some wonderful juggling." City Limits, April 1992.

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ice-pick-sharp thriller for several years. with steamy sex scenes that leave the screen dripping with sweat. Glasgow: Odeon. Edinburgh: Odeon. Strathclyde: Magnum. All UCls.

I Batman Returns (12) (Tim Burton. US. 1992) Michael Keaton. Michelle Pfeiffer. Danny De Vito. Christopher Walken. 127 mins. Unpredictable violence and aberrant psychology parading in the form of popular family entertainment yes. the Caped Crusader is back. brooding over the darkest recesses of Gotham City. De Vito‘s deformed penguin. Pfeiffer's whip mistress by night and Walken‘s cadaverous tycoon make it clear director Burton favours the complexity of his villains to his schizo hero. Bigger. better and blacker than the original. General release.

I Beethoven (U) (Brian Levant. US. 1992) Charles Grodin. Bonnie Hunt. Dean Jones. 87 mins. A small St Bernard pup escapes from an evil vet and attaches itself to the Newton family. Soon it grows to enormous proportions and begins to wreck domestic havoc. Endless visual gags and good timing. particularly from Grodin. enliven what might have been a run-of-the-mill mutt movie. General release.

I Ben llur (PG) (William Wyler. US. 1959) Charlton Heston. Jack Hawkins. Haya Haraeet. Stephen Boyd. 217 mins. Grand. lavish and massively long epic set in New Testament times. Sweating brows and rippling muscles a-plenty. plus of course the unforgettable chariot race. Fine. upstanding entertainment. if you‘ve got four hours to spare. Strathclyde: Paisley Arts Centre. I The Blg Clllll (15) (Lawrence Kasdan. US. 1983) Glenn Close. Kevin Kline. William Hurt. 105 mins. A group of college friends from the 1960s are unexpectedly reunited at the funeral ofone of their number who has committed suicide. During the weekend of friendship. fun and sex they reflect that yesterday all their troubles seemed so far away. Short on plot. the film is rich in sardonic humour. pertinent music and expert ensemble acting. Edinburgh: Cameo.

I am a Ted's Bogus Journey (PG) (Peter Hewitt. US. 1991) Keanu Reeves. Alex Winter. George Carlin. Joss Ackland. 93 mins. Evil robot versions of that most excellent duo totally kill our heroes. causing them to take on the Grim Reaper at party games. make a quick visit to Heaven and eventually win the day. A triumphant sequel. slightly more coherent than the bodacious original - in Bill and Ted terms. at least. Strathclyde: Magnum.

I Black itohe(15) (Bruce Beresford. US. 1991) Lothaire Bluteau. Aden Young. Sandrine Holt. Stirring version of Brian Moore's tale of a 17th century Jesuit priest travelling across North America to a remote mission takes a realistic view ofthe savagery of the Indian tribes. Nevertheless. their philosophies and way of life are treated with the same respect as those of the Christians. Bluteau‘s anguished looks are perfect for the conscience-stricken priest who gradually comes to terms with the harsh landscapes and opposing cultures. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.

I Cape Fear(18) (Martin Scorsese. US. 1991) Robert De Niro. Nick Nolte. Jessica Lange. Juliette Lewis. 127 mins. Scorsese‘s stunning remake of the 1962 original leaves Silence of the Lambs pallid by comparison. De Niro is terrifying as white trash psycho Max Cady. out of prison and stalking the family of the lawyer who suppressed evidence to put him away. Disturbing sexual undertones. centring on lS-year-old Danny (Lewis). make this an even more uncomfortable. but unmissable. top-notch scare-fest. Glasgow: OFT.

I Crimes of Passion ( 18) (Ken Russell. US. 1984) Kathleen Turner. Anthony Perkins. John Laughlin. 107 mins. Russell‘s debunking ofthe American way of sex is an uproariously black satire where moonlighting whore meets dildo-packing clergyman meets Human Penis. A strident and courageous piece of filmmaking in that it casts the men as the oppressors. Russell‘s best in years. Glasgow: GFT.

I The Cutting Edge (PG) (Paul Michael Glaser. US. 1992) DB. Sweeney. Moire Kelly. Roy Dotrice. 95 mins. ‘A love story set on ice with the dishy D.B. Sweeney as the injured ice hockey player who finds himself figure skating with an ice bitch partner.‘ Honest. that‘s what the press release says. Duff. but enjoyany duff. Glasgow: Cannon The Forge. Cannon Sauchiehall Street. All UCls.

I Cyrano De Bergerac (U) (Jean-Paul Rappeneau. France. 1990) Gerard Depardieu. Jacques Weber. Anne Brochet. Vincent Perez. 135 mins. A stirring adaptation of Rostand's classic. romantic tragi-comedy. Full of grandly mounted. bustling crowd scenes. it revolves around typically superb performance from Depardieu as the large-nosed hero. Although performed in rhyming verse throughout (with subtitles by Anthony Burgess). and a touch overlong. the film‘s dramatic and cinematic qualities are outstanding. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.

I Damn ( 15) (Maria Novaro. Mexico. 1991) Maria Rojo. Carmen Salinas. Blanca Guerra. 96

mins. Twice a week for ten years. J ulia has met her mysterious partner Carmelo to dance the ‘danzon‘. the Mexican dance of seduction. When he disappears. she sets out to find him. Glasgow: GFI‘

I The Diary of a Chamhennald (15) (Luis Bunuel. France. 1964) Jeanne Moreau. Michel Piccoli. Georges Geret. 98 mins. An ambitious chambermaid makes her mark by manipulating her boss. his neighbour and his gamekeeper. By placing the action against the rise of Fascism. Bunuel shows political. sexual and social desires as equally perverse. Moreau is at her best. Glasgow: GFI‘. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I'l'he Doetor(15) (Randa Haines. US.1991) William Hurt. Christine Lahti. Mandy Patinkin. Elizabeth Perkins. 123 mins. A top surgeon develops throat cancer and is given a taste of his own medicine. Soft but not sickly examination of the bureaucratic insensitivity of the hospital system. coupled with a Total Bastard Becomes Caring Human Being sub-plot. well handled by William Hurt. Central: MacRobert. I Dr Who and The Daleks (U) (Gordon Flemyng. UK. 1965) Peter Cushing. Roy Castle . Jennie Linden. 83 mins. In which the good Time Lord foils those malevolent maestros of metallic mayhem. the Daleks (who‘ve managed to conquer a good deal of the cosmos without ascending so much as a flight of stairs) and Roy Castle saves the universe. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Element ol Crime ( 15) (Lars von Trier. Denmark. 1984) Michael Elphick. Esmond Knight. Me Me Lai. 104 mins. Enigmatic. self-reflexive meditation on obsession from Denmark. shot in English in a strangely tinted black and yellow. In a vaguely futuristic. crumbling society. Elphick plays a policeman who is drawn deeper and deeper into a mysterious underworld in pursuit of a criminal called Harry Gray. until he makes a startling discovery. Glasgow: GFT. I Europa Europa (15) (Agnieszka Holland. France/Germany. 1991) Marco Hofschneider. Julie Delpy. Halina Labonarska. 112 mins. In an attempt to avoid the death camps. a youngJewish boy tries to pass himself off as a member ofthe Hitler Youth. Despite touching a few raw nerves on home territory. the films uses its ‘based on a true story‘ caption as the excuse for all manner of unbelievable coincidences and laughable situations. A real disappointment. Glasgow: GF'T. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I The Exorcist(18) (William Friedkin. US. 1973) Linda Blair. Ellen Burstyn. Max Von Sydow. 110 mins. Earnest priest Von Sydow steps in to save poor little possessed girl in this hugely effective scarefest. Dead good. dead scarey. dead priest. Edinburgh: Cameo. I Exorcist 2: The Heretic ( 18) (John Boorrnan. US, 1977) Richard Burton. Louise Fletcher. Linda Blair. 110 mins. The horror film that once turned heads receives an unworthy sequel in this silly mumbo-jumbo about priest Burton trying to understand the demons still lurking within the hapless Ms Blair. Edinburgh: Cameo. I For And Away(12) (Ron Howard. US. 1992) Tom Cruise. Nicole Kidman. Thomas Gibson. 140 mins. Ifyou‘ve seen the trailer. you‘ll know the story ofthe plucky duo fighting adversity to gain their place in the American Dream. Oirish accents. suppressed lust. bare knuckle fights. all looking sumptuous in Panavision Super 70mm wide-screen format. Other than that. it‘s sentimental tosh. as corny as they come. General release. I Femoully: the Last flalntorest (U) (Bill Kroyer. US. 1992) With the voices of Tim Curry. Samantha Mathis. Jonathan Ward. Robin Williams. Christian Slater. 76 mins. In a secret forest world touched by magic. a young fairy shrinks a human lumberjack. who then has to help save the rainforest from destruction. Eco-edged animation has a lot to recommend it other than its well-meaning intentions: lush colour. sweeping computer-aided cameras. and a decent set of songs. One for the grown-ups as well as the kids. General release. I First lieelst 91 mins. Roddy Simpson and Robert Dodds's Spider tells of an embittered man's desire to torch his childhood memories; Andrew Printer‘s My Elbows Collapsed is a verity-style documentary about HIV; Shaz Kerr's Wave is a metaphor about a society in a state of flux; and David MacKenzie‘s Dirty Diamonds is a stylish film noir set on the streets of Edinburgh. See preview. Glasgow: OFT. I First llaala 2 98 mins. David Caims‘s The Bottle Imp bring the Stevenson story up to date; Norman Lockhart and Andy MacKinnon‘s Testimony comments on human rights violations in Central America; Graeme Campbell‘s Four-Letter Profanity is ‘a psychotic Alice In Wonderland'; Anna Davis and Jo Salter's Gone With The Wind captures the atmosphere of North Uist; and Stephen Chester's Dial S For Slingback is a quirky comedy about female bonding and occult practices. See preview. Glasgow: GFI‘. I First Beats 3 95 mins. Barbara Orton‘s C uba— The Last Dance is a pilot for a longer

56 The List 28 August 10 September 1992