The List: 28 Jan 1994 (31/96)

BACARDI BLACK

INDEX FILM

GIRLS 0N FILM

The four programmes that make up the Bad Girls series at the Glasgow Film Theatre are crammed with the best of recent experimental and independent films made by women. Gender, sexuality, media images and

. GFT seminar and series of Hollywood

movies - including Blue Steel, Aliens and Basic Instinct - which will

examine the roles of women in film as

we normally receive them. ‘I was quite

keen that we did something in ; cinematic terms that looked at

male dominance are challenged with a j g years that showed women in strong

roles,’ says the GFT’s Paola Visocchi.

‘Because these are action movies,

genre is their most significant feature

refreshing mix of wit and attitude. Included in the line-up are some of the trailblazers whose earlier work has made it possible for an cinema event like this to happen - names like Beth B, Lydia Lunch, Kathy Acker and Monika Treut. At the other end are the new hot properties, including Sadie Benning, a US filmmaker just out of her teens whose use of a toy Fisher- Price Pixelvision camera on Girl Power and It Wasn’t Love (both included in Programme One — Hell’s Belles) won her the Special Jury Award at the 1993 Edinburgh Fringe Film and Video Festival.

Complementing the GSA season is a

popular mainstream films from recent

and determines their pattern. In

Thelma and louise or Silence Of The

lambs, women are put into landscapes and positions normally filled by men.

It’s not clear-cut what these female

roles actually say.’ (Alan Morrison)

I The Bad Girls programmes begin at the

GFT on Mon 31, with the llollywood

Bad Girls features beginning on Sat 5.

The Bad Girls on Film Seminar with

lecturer and writer Yvonne Tasker

takes place on Sat 19. For details, see

Film Listings and Index.

marriage. Soon she begins a passionate and erotic affair with her illiterate neighbour as the means of regaining her treasured instrument. Irripeccable iwrformances lift this highly charged piece to the realms ofclassic cinema. undoubtedly one of the best films of the 90s. Edinburgh: (’ameo.

I Plaza Suite (I’m (Arthur Ilillci‘. is. 1970) Walter Matthau. Maureen Stapleton. Barbara Harris. 114 mins. l‘lat Neil Simon trilogy set in the same hotel room. with Matthau as three tnale leads. Not worth the effort. lidinbiii'gh: St Brides. I Raining Stones ( 15) (Keri l.oacli. t'K. 1993) Bruce Jones. Julie Brown. Ricky 'I‘oiiilinson. 9() mins. Another slice of real life from one of Britain's most dedicated filmmakers. An unemployed father brings terror to his household when he goes to a loansliaik in order to pay for his daughter's first communion dress. Throughout. the northern community‘s sense of natural humour makes this a heartening. amusing and very accessible film indeed. (ilasgow: (ii’l‘. I The Remains of the Gay (1') (James Ivory. I'K. I993) Anthony Hopkins. limma 'I‘horiipson. James Fox. I3-l mins. A butler reminisces on the pre-WWZ days he spent in Darlington Iiall. when he turned a blind eye to his errtployer's dealings with the Nazis and his own feelings for the housekeeper. ()ne of Merchant-Ivory‘s best. with liopkins the epitome of English emotional repression. (ilasgow: ()deon. .\l(i.\l Parkhead. Iidinbur'gh: Dominion. ()deon. l'(‘l. Strathclyde: l'(‘l Clydebank.

I Reservoir Dogs ( IS) (Quentin 'I‘arantino. I'S. I992) Harvey Keitel. Tim Roth. Michael Madsen. I()() mins. A gang of hoods. known only to each other by colour~ctxled nicknames. meets at an abandoned Willclltillsc to figure how- out their rigorously planned heist went so drastically wrong. The best debut in years from writer-director 'I‘aiaritino. whose stylish violence seduces the audience into complicity. Brilliant in every sense of the word. (ilasgow': ()deon. MUM l’arkhead. lidiiiburgh: ()deon. Strathclyde: \\'.\IR.

I Robin Hood: Men In Tights (i’( i) (\ch Brooks, l'S. I993 ) (‘aiy lilwes. Richard Lewis. Roger Rees. l()l mins. Two years too late. along comes Mel's version of the Sherwood legend. liobbliiig on its comedy Iiiiiiiier-fraiiie. The plot is what everyone expects. the gags are what tio one deserves. Stuck for ideas of his own. the director can't even raise a smile ripping off others. 'l‘en'ible. terrible. terrible. (ieneral release.

I Sale ( IS) (Antonia Bird. l'K. I993) Kate Ilardie. Aidan (iillan. Robert Carlyle. ()5 mins. A hart owing depiction of teenage homelessness in London. made for the BBC. with brave. uncompromising performances front a young cast. Followed by discussion on British political cinema. Tue I only. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.

I Le Samourai (PU) (Jean-Pierre Melville. France/Italy. I9o7) Alain Delon. I-‘rancois Perier. Nathalie Delon. 105 mins. The classic French film noir. re-issued with. for the first time. subtitles rather than the appallineg dubbed version that did the rounds years ago. Delon is Jeff Costello. an enigmatic hired killer who

becomes obseSsed with the beautiful pianist who witnessed a hit but refuses to testify against him. Minimalist dialogue and perfect attention to detail make this the director's masterpiece. Iidinburgh: Cameo.

I The Secret Garden (U) (Agnieszka Ilolland. I'S. I993) Kate Maberly. Maggie Smith. John Lynch. I02 mins. The unusual combination of the director of Europa Europa and the writer of Iii/mm! .S'r'iirm-liunr/r conspires to create an authentic and affecting version of the children's classic novel. Shipped back from India. lonely orphan Mary makes friends with a local lad and her sickly cousin. exerting a magical recuperative process on the latter and a hidden walled garden. Touching arid uncontrived. Strathclyde: .‘viotheiwell.

I Senora Bolero ( l5) (.‘vlarilda Vera. Venezuela. I99I ) (‘ai'lota Sosa. Marcelo Romo. Ilector Myet‘slon. IOI mins. The lawyer wife of a politician takes stock of her life when her son commits suicide. Love and personal re- evaluation is set against the dramatic period of political turmoil during the I950s. Glasgow: (ii-'I‘.

I Shoot To Kill (I8) ((‘arlos Azpurtia. Venezuela. I992) Amalia Perez. Diaz. Jeancarlo Siiiiancas. Daniel Alvarado. 90 mins. A police

Mackenzie is a bit paranoid about his girlfriends. such has been his bad luck; but now he's sure he's dating Miss X. a female serial killer who chops her hubbies. Fun. over-the-top stuff from the Wayne half of Wayne's World. and which includes some of the best Scottish gags recently put on screen — watch out for the ‘Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?‘ Rod Stewart bagpipe karaoke. Honest. Edinburgh: UCI. Borders: Roxy. Strathclyde: UCI Clydebank.

I Son It Latv(12) (Steve Rash. US. I993) Pauly Shore. Lane Smith. Carla Gugino. Another movie thrust out on an unsuspecting public with little or no press coverage. It's about a rock 'n' roller student who swaps the campus for a friend‘s conservative farm. Sounds like lame city/country culture clash comedy to me. All UCls.

I Stand By Me (Rob Reiner. US. I986) River

Phoenix. Will Wheaten. Corey Feldman. Jetty

O'Conners. Keifer Sutherland. 88 mins. Based on a Stephen King short story. this ﬁlm recalls a childhood adventure for four small-town boys who discover the whereabouts of the corpse of a missing child. and decide to get there before the local toughs. A charming rites of passage movie which Reiner directs with a sure touch. carefully evading sentimentality. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Star Trek: The Motion Picture (PG) (Robert Wise. US. I979) William Shatner. Leonard Nimoy. DeForest Kelley. I32 mins. Kirk and his crew of old‘timers are recommissioned to board the [Enterprise once more and save the Earth from the unidentified alien probe fast

approaching. Interminably dull big screen ' adventure. Unlike the television series. there's

far too much time and money to spend.

I Edinburgh: Odeon. I Star Trek 2: The Wrath 0f Khan (PG)

(Nicholas Meyer. US. I982) William Shatner. leonard Nimoy. DeForest Kelley. Ricardo Montaiban. I I4 mins. The Trekkies battle evil megalomaniac Montalban in the most enjoyable entry to the series (so far). simply because it sticks closest to the tacky verve of the television original. Edinburgh: Odeon.

= I Sweetie (15) (Jane Campion. Australia. I989)

5 Genevieve Lemon. Karen Colston. Tom Lycos.

IOO mins. Controversial debut feature from New

’- Yealand born Campion follows the fortunes of

two sisters. the quiet. nen'y Kay (Colston) and

the unpredictany psychotic Sweetie (Lemon).

whose behavioural eccentricities involve eating

china ornaments and painting herself blue. Boldly scripted and composed. the film brings a

dreamlike quality to the everyday. but beneath all the self-consciously challenging camerawork. there breathes a very simple tale of common humanity. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.

I Taggart: Gingerbread (15) (Sarah Ilellings. Scotland. I993) I52 mins. Glenn Chandler

scripted this three-patter. here shown in one go. about a boy who becomes convinced that the

murder of his father is linked to a cottage in the

cleaivup of a working—class neighbourhood ends

with a murder of an innocent man before the eyes of his mother. When the 'official version' calls him a desperate criminal. she goes to the press. An ambitious political thriller from acclaimed docuirientaiy maker Alpurua. (ilasgow: (iFI‘.

I Silence (it The Lambs I I8) (Jonathan Deiiiine.

lb. I99l ) Jodie Foster. Anthony Hopkins. Scott (ilCIiIl. I I9 mins. i‘ollowing a series of horrific serial murders. iriiprisoiied psycho-killer Hopkins is released to help Foster and (ilenii's l-BI agents track down the culprit. Adapted from a novel by Thomas .UllII/Illllh’r Ilart'is, Demme's film version is a subtle btit scary suspense shocker. with two excellent performances and gieat narrative drive. Edinburgh: (‘ameo I Sleepless In Seattle (PU) (Nora Iiphron. ('8. I993) Meg Ryan. Tom Hanks. I05 mins. ()ne of the most warm-hearted romantic comedies to emerge from Hollywood in years. again proving the talent of Nora liphron. who wrote When Harry .Ilc'l Sully. Newspaper reporter Ryan hears a radio talk show which features recently widowed architect Ilanks. She's sure they are made for each other. but the whole of the United States lies between them. Glasgow: Odeon. I Sliver ( 18) (Philip Noyce. US. I993) Sharon Stone. William Baldwin. Tom Berenger. 100 mins. Shazza moves into a modem New York appartment block. which has been the site of several murders. the perpetrator of which has been captured - along with several other indiscretions — by the.in-house surveillance system. Self-censorship has pretty much done for the much-touted sex scenes in this supremely

empty pile of old poo passing itselfoff as a ‘psychosexual mystery'. Glasgow: Grosvenor. I Sol Married An Axe Murderer ( I5) (Thomas Sehlamme. US. I993) Mike Myers. Nancy

Travis. Brenda Frickcr. IIO mins. Charlie

woods. Followed by a discussion with the production team. Glasgow: GI‘T.

I Terminator 2: Judgement Day (15) (James Cameron. US. I991) Amold Swarzenegger. Linda Ilamilton. Edward Furlong. Robert Patrick. I36 mins. The most expensive ﬁlm ever made. In a reprogrammed role that says much about his changed image since the first movie. Arnie becomes the underdog fighting to protect mother and child from another more advanced cyborg. With an element of uncontrived human compassion lurking throughout the gloriously expensive action sequences. as Swarzenegger‘s

cyborg develops human feelings. this is more

than just a $100 million fairground ride. (ilasgow: OH".

I Thelma & Louise ( I 5) (Ridley Scott. [38. I991 ) Susan Sarandon. (ieena Davis. Harvey Keitel. Michael Madsen. I29 mins. The buddy/road movie genres are tumed on their heads as Sarandon and Davis grasp the steering wheel and head off leaving a trail of murder and mayhem in their wake. On one level. the film is the critical catalyst that had the feminists cheering and put the stars on the cover of Time

magazine; just as importantly. it‘s an accessible

piece of entertainment with excellent central

performances. Edinburgh: Cameo.

; I Tom and Jerry: The Movie (U ) (Phil Roman. US. I992) With the voices of Richard Kind.

Dana Ilill. Charlotte Rae. 84 mins. That's right:

‘with the voices of'. The world's greatest cat and

mouse act not only talk. btit sing and dance their

way through their first feature. as they cope with leaving home and being out on the streets. It will divert the kids. certainly. but life-long fans will be disappointed to see (and hear) these cultural icons expand beyond sublime five-minute burst of mayhem. Central: Allanpark. Strathclyde: Kelbume.

I Tombstone (l5) (George P. (‘osmatos. US. 1993) Kurt Russell. Val Kilmer. Sam Elliott. Bill Paxton. I29 mins. Events before. during and

The List: 28 Jan 1994 (Issue 219)