FILM REVIEW
I Beauty and the Beast After several decent enough animated adventures over recent years. Disney returns to classic form with this terrific version ofthe well-loved fairy tale. The blend of traditionally
g animation and
computer-generated backgrounds and
i movement is stunning; the
songs are good; and the range of eccentric little characters enough to keep children of all ages smiling for a long time to come.
Using the form ofa
strong character Scc preview.
I Bob Roberts Neatly documentary on timed with Ross Perot’s right-wing folk singer Bob re-entry into the Roberts and his senatorial Presidential Race, Tim ambitions, it skilfully Robbin‘s fast and funny exposes the rotten, greedy satire on American core of the political politics is more likely to do machine. Amusing, ironic well this side of the and frighteningly Atlantic than back home. accurate.
I Danzon For years, a middle-aged telephone operator has danced in competitions with her partner, a sea cook, but their relationship exists only on the dancefloor. When he disappears, she
goes in search of him, and so begins a voyage of self-discovery set within a colourful, vibrant world of song and sensuality. Powerftu acted, gracefully filmed.
I Screenworks 92 For the second year running, Glasgow Film and Video Workshop has made possible the screening of a selection of works by Scottish-based film and video makers. This year‘s programme, to be shown at the GET on Monday 19 October at 8.15pm, consists of eleven pieces, all of which in some way used the GFVW’s equipment, film/tape stock, materials or production advice. Last year’s Screenworks went on to show at fifteen film and video festivals across Europe while, ofthe participants, four went to film school, two were awarded placements and two went into employment in the film/video industry. Given this impressive record, the standard — both technical and artistic — of the 1992 programme is
individual works on offer. Short narratives, expressionistic combinations of live action and animation, imaginative video art — fine examples of each have been whittled down
' from a staggering 89
proposals. James Air’s Torso Montage has its roots in Dynamism and the sculptures of Jacob Epstein; it reduces individual limbs to mechanical parts of the body. Step We 00in by Lucinda Broadbent celebrates the vitality of Scotland's lesbian and gay community against the backdrop of Scottish country dancing. Manu Kurewa‘s Sugar For My Honey is a gem, a story about fantasy and the disappointment of reality,
superbly written and acted
by Aileen Ritchie. If this is the tip of the Scottish film making iceb‘erg, then the
version of Emily Bronte‘s novel is a wonderfully cinematic attempt to capture the original‘s sense of the destructive
U“QUCSt_‘°"ably h'gh' industry in Scotland does What ‘mprcsscs mos) indeed have a future to
about Screenworks 9215 look forward to. (AM) the diversity of the
' I Wutherlng Height: side of obsessive love. Forget the knocking it‘s Flawed, yes — the script getting from film critics up stumbles a bit in the
E and down the country: second half — but in terms Peter Kosminsky’s of characterisation,
costume, music and set
, design, it is far, far better . than many of its British
l literary peers. See
I preview.
16 The List 9 — 22 October 1992
WHITE MEN CAN’T JUMP
When Ron Shelton wrote and directed Bull Durham, it was generally accepted that this was a baseball movie that wasn’t necessarily about baseball. Rather it was a romantic comedy revolving around strong performances by Sarandon, Costner and Robbins. Given that Shelton went to college on a joint baseball/basketball scholarship, it was only a matter of time before he applied the same formula to the bouncing ball court. Unfortunately, however, this time his script lacks the home run feel of its predecessor and the flow of his direction is constantly interrupted by repetitive two-on-two basketball games. Once you’ve seen one slo-mo dunk, you've seen them all. Sidney Deane (Wesley Snipes) trawls LA's street basketball courts making the odd buck here and there, and when he comes across the baggy beach shorts and dopey looks of Billy Hoyle (Woody liarrelson), he reckons he’s found an easy mark. Of course, Billy’s outward appearance is only part of his brand of con artistry, and pretty soon he cleans out Sidney's pockets. Believing
that two hoods are better than one, they ; form a partnership to lake on the city's
i finest. Meanwhile they’re both trying to come to terms with their domestic
i strife: Billy and his girlfriend Gloria
(Rosie Perez steals every scene she's in) need to pay off some gangsters, while Sidney and his wife Rhonda (Tyra
7." .. l-
’1
White Men Can’t Jump: ‘The Hustler meets
the Harlem Globetrotters' Farrell) need fast cash to get out of their rundown neighbourhood.
The Hustler meets the Harlem Globetrotters with a pinch of racial deflation thrown in for good measure, White Men Can’tJump never lives up to its promise. When Shelton could have been developing some worthwhile themes, he seems happier building up a sweat on Wesley’s rippling muscles. It’s good to see Harrelson doing something other than his bralndead barman in Cheers, but with this material, he‘s barely given a sporting chance. (Alan Morrison)
White Men Can’t Jump (15) (Ron Sheldon, US, 1992) Wesley Snipes, Woody Harrelson, Rosie Perez, Tyra Farrell. 112 mins. Odeons: Glasgow, Edinburgh, Ayr. Cannons: Falkirk, Kllmamock. All UCls. Glasgow: MGM Parkhead.
lilIIIIIIIIIII THUNDERHEART
Thunderheart: "never phoney or patronising' A speculative thriller based around the
unrest that gripped South Dakota’s
Pine Ridge Reservation back in 1975,
l the latest addition to the post-Dances
i won Wolves cycle of Native American
l movies has Val Kilmer as a part-Indian . FBI agent sent In to clear up the
f unsolved murder of a local Sioux. With I tribal police officer Graham Greene and Chief Ted Thin Elk’s crinkly sage on hand to both help and hinder his
endeavours, he’s soon confronted with the appalling conditions in which his people have to live and thus reluctantly forced to face up to his country's native heritage. The longer he remains in the
area, however, the more convinced he
becomes that the death he’s investigating is just one small detail in a disturbing wider picture of corruption and sheer neglect.
Thunderheart’s basis in fact makes for consistently absorbing viewing, showing us how Indians are treated in today’s society rather than some idealised Costnerland past. Although the script’s attemptto link Kllmer’s character with the spirit of a dead Sioux hero never quite gels, the film’s commitment to the Indians’ efforts at preserving their culture in the midst of violent adversity never comes across as phoney or patronising. British director Michael Apted’s strong feel for the place wrings maximum visual impact from the surrounding Badlands, and even though his accompanying documentary Incident At Dglala presents the real-life issues with harder-hitting clarity— let’s hope it gets some sort of release — in the meantime it's heartening to see a Hollywood movie drama unashamed to be honest, decent and truthful. (Trevor Johnston)
Thunderheart (15) (Michael Apted, US, 1992) Val Kllmer, Sam Shepard, Graham Greene. 119 mins. Glasgow:
, Cannon Sauchiehall Street, MGM i Parkhead. Edinburgh: Cannon. All i
l
(BLUElCE
Blue Ice: "sill DDs-lsh spystoryllne’
Formerly a top M16 agent, these days Harry Anders (Michael Caine) is leading a marginally more sane existence as the owner of a London jazz club. However, a chance affair with enigmatic femme fatale Stacy (Sean Young), the wife ofthe American ambassador, is to plunge him back into the world of international intrigue he thought he’d long since left behind. She asks Harry to track down a former lover she believes might be in trouble, but the trail turns out to be paved with blood and bullets, putting our hero’s own life on the line and throwing him back into contact with more than a few faces from the bad old days (notably Ian Holm as his snooty ex-boss and an uncredited Bob Hoskins as a passing security expert).
As the initial offering from Michael Caine and producer Martin Bregman’s M and M outfit, a company specifically constituted to provide vehicles for the star himself, it's not altogether surprising that the hardest working Brit in showbusiness gets by far the choicest role. A sort ofHarry Palmer meets Ronnie Scott, Caine‘s Harry Anders is an engaging old soul, a gruff, no-bullshit type, modestly gutsy and handy with the one-liners too. Trouble is, in this case he‘s a bit of a character in search of a movie. With its silly 605-ish spy storyline and obviously implanted American star — poor Sean Young in the thankless supporting sexpot slot— Blue Ice comes over all
mid-Atlantic when it has
the makings ofsomething
' rather more interesting.
l
The end result is not unentertaining, particularly when Caine’s in hard-assed bastard mode, but just a little more ambition might have helped. Bet Harry Anders get a TV series to himself, though. (Trevor Johnston)
Blue Ice (15) (Russell Mulcahy, US/UK, 1992) Michael Caine, Sean Young, Ian Holm. 105 mins. Glasgow: Cannon Sauchiehall Street, Grosvenor, MGM Parkhead. Edinburgh: UCI. Strathclyde: UCI
(Hydebank.