INDEX FILM
FILM _m33:-
Films screening this fortnight are listed below with certificate, credits, brief review and venue details. Film index compiled by Alan Morrison.
I Aardman Animation (PO) A selection of household favourites from the award-winning team. including Creature Cum/om and the wonderful Wallace and Gromit in A Gruml [)(rv Out and The Wrong TI'UHH’IIL (‘entl'alz MacRobert.
I Arizona Dream ( l5) (limit Kttsturica. France/US. 1993) Johnny Depp. Faye Dtrnaway. Jerry Lewis. 135 mins. We're talking the ‘logic of dreams' here. so it's useless to attempt a plot synopsis. Let's just say it has Depp as an NYC fish inspector out west. a bizarre love triangle witlr wacko Dtmaway and her weirdo daughter. caddy salesman Lewis. [Eskimos and a flying machine. Sometimes inspired. often infuriating. mostly impenetrable. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Asterix Conquers America (t'i (Gerhard Hahn. Germany. 1995) 85 mins. While brewing tip a potion. village druid Getafrx is captured by the Romans and taken over the sea to America. Immediately Aslerrx and Obelix set off to save him. coming across a tribe of lndiarrs. stampeding buffalo and other Western adventures. The animation style hasn't changed for years. so you know exactly what to expect. All UCls. Strathclyde: Odcon Ayr.
I Bad Boys (15) (Michael Bay. US. 1995) Martin Lawrence. Will Smith. Tea Leoni. 104 mins. When a criminal mastermind completes a huge drtrg heist. Leoni is the only witness to the accompanying murder. but she'll only talk to cop Smith. Smith‘s out of the office. so partner Lawrence assumes his identity. and the two buddies with badges have to keep the swapped role stunt tip until trial date. Plenty of opportunities for comedy and action are made the most of in this new post-Murphy black cop franchise. All UCls. Glasgow: Odeon.
I Baralta (PG) (Ron Fricke. US. 1992) 96 mins. Environmentally aware eco-doc in the style of K()_\'u(tlti.\'q(ll.\‘i lras the major advantage of having been shot in 70mm. which makes the stunning cinematography the star of the show. Beautiful footage of Planet Earth is juxtaposed with man's harmful relation to it. with the Big Statement being pushed forwards by a series of powerful images. A genuine spectacle. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I oatrnan Forever (PG) (Joel Sclrumacher. US. 1995) Val Kilruer. Tommy Lee Jones. Jim Carrey. 122 mins. A lightening of tone has followed the departure of Tim Burton from the director‘s seat. meaning that this third effort is. in comparison. shallow. noisy and rather by-the- numbers. That said. no one will be asking for their money back. Added to the list of characters this time are Catrey‘s The Riddler and Jones‘s Two-Face — villains of truly hissablc class — and another wannabe vigilante in the shape of orphaned Dick Grayson (Chris O'Donnell). Just don‘t expect the same dark forays into the shadows of the human psyche. General release. I Beneath The Valley or The ilitnvixens ( l8) (Russ Meyer. US. 1970) Dolly Read. Cynthia Myers. Marcia McBroom. John LaZar. 109 mins. Mad Meyer's first dip into tinseltown's big bucks allowed him a surprisingly free hand with the big breasts. and the resultant romp through all-girl pop-star mania is as irrepressiny full of sleaze and wildness as his earlier oeuvre. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Bullets liver Broadway (15) (Woody Allen. US. 1994) John Cusack. Dianne Wiest. Chazz Palminten'. 105 mins. Self-absorbed playwright David Shayne (Cusack) compromises all the way down the line as he attempts to get his new masterpiece staged - he's willing to cast a gangster's girlfriend for the necessary funding and take writing tips from her Streetwise bodyguard. Allen‘s emphasis is on witty dialogue and strong performances. which gives the film a slightly theatrical feeling. Central: MacRobert.
I Brent By The Sun (15) (Nikita Mikhalkov. Russia. 1994) Nikita Mikhalkov. Nadia Mikhalkov. Oleg Menchikov. 134 mins. The 1995 Best Foreign Film Oscar-winner is indeed a magnificent film. It dares to show life in the country during the Stalin regime as close. happy and full of love: only later does a dark cloud fall across the story. when sexual jealousy pushes an informer into denouncing the officer husband of a former lover. Brilliant individual and ensemble performances make for a truly impressive experience. Drambuie Edinburgh Film Festival. Glasgow: GFT.
I Caspar (PG) (Brad Silberling. US. 1995) Christina Ricci. Bill Pullman. Cathy Moriarty. 100 mins. Everyone's favourite friendly ghost lras been living with his three bad-tempered uncles in an abandoned mansion. When it's bequeathed to a money-grabbing heiress who thinks it's filled with hidden treasure guarded by trnqtriet spirits. Caspar comes into contact with ghost psychologist Pullman's tomboy daughter
( Ricci). A very messy amalgam of Glrostlmsrers effects. zit/(Innis Family gothic humour and the sort of overblown feelgood Spielbergiana that revels in funny gadgetry and family values. General release.
I Circle Of Friends ( 15) (Pat O'Connor. US/UK. 1994) Chris O'Donnell. Colin Firth. Minnie Driver. 102 mins. A group of friends meet and socialise together as a relief from their college studies in Dublin. with love and disappointment inevitably rearing their heads. A slice of life in 1957 Ireland - so parochial it might as well be another planet - O'Connor"s adaptation of Maeve Binchy's novel is faithfully recreated but too liglrtweighl. Glasgow: Odeon. I Congo (12) (Frank Marshall. US. 1994) Dylan Walsh. Laura Linney. Tim Curry. 108 mins. This misbegotterr morass of half-baked ideas. crass miscalculation arid sheer stupidity is an awful warning to those who thought Michael Crichton (whose source novel is the only 'star' on offer) could do no wrong. There's a talking gorilla. a ting whose design leads the way to ajungle diamond mine. killer primates and a volcanic earthquake for a finale. btrt none of it works for a moment. Glasgow: MGM Film Centre. Edinburgh: UCI.
I [lay of the Dead ( 18) (George A. Romero. US. 1985) Lori Cardille. Terry Alexander. Joseph Pilato. 100 mins. The conclusion of Romero's zombie trilogy has the last humans holding out underground in a Florida bunker while the undead on the surface outnumber them by 400.000 to one. Both an ultra-black gross-out comedy and a very dark allegory on the American public's ignorance of the nuclear threat. the film is sabotaged by shaky pacing and overheated performances. but benefits from some truly gut-wrenching effects. Edinburgh: UCI.
I lion Juan DeMarco (15) (Jeremy Levin. US. 1994) Johnny Depp. Marlon Brando. Faye Dunaway. 100 mins. Convinced he's the legendary seducer and swordsman Don Juan. Depp finds himself under the psychiatric care of Marlon Brando. who is inspired by his young charge's energy to invigorate his own marriage. Writer-director bevin doesn't vary the structure or add any flair to the movie. but. despite the lightweight structure. Brando's contribution is something to treasure. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I The Englishman Who Went Up A Hill But Came Down A Mountain (Chris Monger. UK. 1995) Hugh Grant. Tara Fitzgerald. Colm Meaney. 95 mins. Business as usual from Grant in the light comedy department. as he stars as one half of a map-making team which descends on a Welsh village during the First World War and wins unpopularity by declaring the beloved local landmark a hill. not a mountain. The villagers‘ subsequent plots and plans have a distinctly Ealing air about them. but the characterisations (here rather stereotyped and cold) suffer in comparison. All UCls. Glasgow: Odeon. MGM Parkhead. Borders: Pavilion.
I Erma (15) (Zhou Xiaowen. Hong Kong/China. 1994) Alia. Ge Zhijun. Liu Peiqi. 98 mins. Jealous of her neighbour's television. Ermo becomes obsessed with an impressive 29‘ set and dedicates her working life to saving for it. Her determined quest will strike a chord in our own status symbol oriented culture. and although the film is shot and performed in a low key style and moves at an extremely slow pace. it impressively makes the most of its slender means. See review. Glasgow: GFT.
I Final ilour (18) (Martin Schmidt. Denmark. 1995) 84 mins. Seven students find themselves locked inside a deserted school. when the body count begins to rise and a local reality television presenter reckons he's got the best scoop of his career happening right under his nose. An independent Danish slasher movie. which brings a tight visual style to the genre. Drambuie Edinburgh Film Festival. Edinburgh: UCI.
I Florile (12) (Paolo and Vittorio Taviani. ltaIy/France/Germany. I993) Claudio Bigagli. Galatea Ranzi. Michel Vartan. l 18 mins. A typically classy affair. the Taviani brothers' latest takes a ZOO-year trek through the travails of the unfortunate Benedetti family. Transitions between past and present are handled with great fluidity. but the longer the piece goes on. the more the pace begins to drag. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. Central: MacRobert.
I First Knight (PG) (Jerry Zucker. US. 1995) Richard Gere. Sean Connery. Julia Ormond. 132 mins. Without the action set pieces of other period epics or even the mysticism of Erealiber. this disappointing tale of Lancelot's (Gere) love for Guinevere (Ormond) despite her marriage
pledge to King Arthur (Connery) is pretty Ieaden stuff. The matte Camelot landscapes are tacky. Gere is miscast and Ormond can't carry a role that's obviously been beefed up due to her recent rise to stardom. All UCls. Glasgow: Odeon. Strathclyde: WMR.
I 1482: Conquest of Paradise ( l5) (Ridley Scott. US. 1992) Gerard Depardieu. Sigoumey Weaver. Annand Assante. 150 mins. The best of the Columbus fleet casts its protagonist in tragic idealist mode. a man whose dream of a egalitarian paradise is set against the harsher dictates of the Spanish imperialists. A visual masterpiece by Scott: a performance of truly heroic proportions by Depardieu. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I The Fox and the Hound (U) (Frank Thomas. Ollie Johnston. Cliff Nordberg. US. 1981) With the voices of Mickey Rooney. Kurt Russell and Pearl Bailey. 83 mins. Sluggish. unimaginative Disney cartoon in which an orphaned fox ctrb and a loveable Irtrnting hound puppy spend an idyllic childhood together until their traditional roles and enmity are reawakerred. Cute in a very familiar fashion. All UCls. Glasgow: MGM Parkhead.
I Free Willy 2 (PG) (Dwight Little. US. 1995) Jason James Richter. Michael Madsen. Jayne Atkinson. When his real mother dies. Jesse (Richter) discovers that he has a half-brother. who then joins him and Jesse's foster parents on an island holiday. Killer whale Willy's also there with his family. as is an oil slick (and. of course. a convenient eco-message). A tad too anodyne and uninventive to really justify its existence. the movie does irave its familiar chattrrs. General release.
I Fresh (18) (Boaz Yakin. US. 1994) Sean Nelson. Giancarlo Esposito. Samuel L. Jackson. 1 15 mins. Twelve-year-old Fresh (Nelson) is reckoned by all-and-sutrdry to be the neighbourhood gopher: he'll run heroin and crack for local drug-dealer's. btrt he'll also make sure he gets to school on time. Because Fresh has a maturity beyond his years. coupled with a necessary detachment for life around him. and that‘s what‘s going to get him clear of trouble before he's dragged in further. An excellent debut by Yakin. with an extremely moving perforrrrance by Nelson. Glasgow: GFT.
I Grease (PG) (Randal Kleiser. US. 1978) John Travolta. Stockat'd Channing. Olivia Newton Jolrtr. l 10 mins. The long-running broadway show arrives on screen dripping with Fifties' nostalgia. cheery tunes. a high camp value and the winsome charms of the plastic Newton-John and the toothy Travolta. A nice collection of old timers enhance the cast. Glasgow: Odeon. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Jaclt & Sarah (15) (Tim Sttllivan. UK. 1995) Richard E. Grant. Samantha Mathis. Judi Dench. 105 mins. When his wife dies shortly after giving birth to a baby daughter. Jack (Grant) at first rejects the child. btrt is persuaded to take on his responsibilities by his family. In order to keep his job as a City lawyer. he hires Amy (Mathis) as a live-in nanny. and so adds an extra complication to his life. A familiar scenario. helped along by breezy supporting performances. suffers when it takes a turn into melodramatic romance. Glasgow: MGM Film Centre.
I Judge Dredd (15) (Danny Cannon. UK/US. I995) Sylvester Stallone. Armand Assante. Diane Lane. It seems that Mega City One's toughest lawman. Judge Dredd. has a genetically-mutated clone of a brother. who has just escaped from prison and is bent on destroying the Judge System. the only thing that keeps this post-atornic world in order. Fans may have a feeling of unease about Stallone's casting. but in young director Danny Cannon there's at least someone who understands Dredd's mythology and who proved. with The Young Americans. that he's good on atmosphere if not plot. General release.
I Julia (PG) (Fred Zinnemann. US. 1977) Jane Fonda. Vanessa Redgrave. Jason Robards. 1 16 mins. Based on the memoirs of Lillian Hellman. this elegant. masterfully performed film deals with relationships and political issues in a more intelligent manner than the vast majority of American films. Political awakenings are kindled when Hellman's childhood friend becomes the victim of oppression in the 305. The film's editor. Walter Murch. will discuss this major work later in the evening. Drambuie Edinbur h Film Festival. Glasgow: GFT.
I Kiss Death (18) (Barbet Schroeder. US. 1995) David Caruso. Nicolas Cage. Samuel L. Jackson. 100 mins. Back in pseudo-noirish territory for a remake of the 1947 genre original. NYPD Blue's Caruso returns to the big screen as a second division crook who reckons he's been double-crossed by the local Mr Big when in prison. Caruso is too low key. particularly in the company of the deliciously over-the-top Cage. Okay as far as it goes without really going far enough. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Land And Freedom (15) (Ken Loach.
Catch the best Film this fortnight.
FIRST Bill
I Waterworld Does it really matter if it sinks or floats (check out the review)? Everyone will want to see the most infamous movie of the decade. which boasts some spectacular effects and set pieces. General release.
I Fresh Boaz Yakin’s ghetto tale of an intelligent kid playing the drug dealers at their own game is a moving, well acted and unsentirnentalised drama. Glasgow: GFT
I Batman Forever The tone might have been lightened considerably after the departure of Tim Burton, but there’s no denying that the non-stop action and cartoonish villainy ofthis second sequel is value for money. General release.
REPERTORY
I llosieratu F.W. Mumau’s silent. expressionist classic has Max Schreck stalking the shadows like a skinned bat. Glasgow: GFT
I Saturday llight Fever The white- suited John Travolta takes to the floor in the full-blooded version of the movie that's so sadly watered down in its TV version. Edinburgh: Cameo.
UK/Spain. 1995) Ian Hart. Rosana Pastor. lciar Bollain. 109 mins. A magnificent. moving. politicised epic on the Spanish Civil War by Britain's most committed director on the Left. An unemployed man (Hart) leaves 30s Liverpool to fight with the POUM Militia. and sees first hand the betrayal of his cause by the Stalinists. His story is told in flashback. as his granddaughter reads his hidden letters home — a link to the present day that proves these events have a strong relevance to today. Drambuie Edinburgh Film Festival. See feature. Edinburgh: MGM.
I The Lord of the Rings (PG) (Ralph Bakshi. US. 1982) With the voices of Christopher Guard. William Squire. Michael Scholes. John Hurt. 133 mins. Successful animated version of the Tolkien epic covers the first two books of the trilogy only. Sticking closely to the text and using live action tracings to give authenticity to the animation. it manages to avoid Disney cuteness and creates an exciting and enjoyable mythical adventure that only the Tolkien purist will find fault with. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I The Madness 0t King George (PG) (Nicholas Hytner. UK. 1994) Nigel Hawthorne. Helen Mirren. Rupert Everett. 110 mins. Alan Bennett's adaption of his own stage play is a great British film in its own right with no lingering sense of theatricality. Nigel ' Hawthome's excellent portrayal of the King. his demented behaviour threatening the stability of the nation. gives the film an emotional core. while the script's themes are intelligently handled throughout. Glasgow: GFT.
I Merit Of The Vampire (PG) (Tod Browning. US. 1935) Lionel Barrymore. Jean Hersholt. Bela Lugosi. 61 mins. Lugosi again dons the cloak and fangs. but not as Dracula: here he's in
I charge of a troupe of vampires doing their evil
The List 11-17 Aug 1995 85