FILM INDEX
FILM maz-
Films screening this fortnight are listed below with certificate, credits, brief review and venue details. Film index compiled by Alan Morrison.
I The Age or Innocence (U) (Martin Scorsese. US. 1993) Daniel Day-Lewis. Michelle Pfeiffer. Winona Ryder. 138 mins. Up-and-coming
New York society when he falls in love with the scandal-shrouded Countess Olenska. despite being already engaged. Scorsese is magnificently faithful to Edith Wharton's novel. while painting its troubled emotions with an eloquent camera. ()pulent and richly detailed. with no release from the inlernaliscd pain of passion. Glasgow: GF'I‘.
lluppert. Martin Donovan. Elina Lowensohn. 105 mitts. Isabelle. an ex-nun writing porn stories. meets amnesiac Thomas on the streets of New York: soon they find that his past is somehow linked to Sofia. a porn actress. and two violent corporate assassins. The patented Hartley dialogue and wit is ever present. but this time there are a few filmic jokes thrown in with references to specific genres and other movies. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I The American President (15) (Rob Reiner. US. l995) Michael Douglas. Annette Bening. Martin Sheen. 1 13 mins. Widower and leader of the Westem world Andrew Shepherd (Douglas) falls for a sparky environmental lobbyist (Betting). but finds that press intrusion. Opposition slurs and his day-to-day chores get in the way of romance. Director Reiner (When Harry Met Sally) again pulls off a perfectly balanced romantic comedy. throwing in some serious points along the way. See review. General release.
I Apollo 13 (PG) (Ron Howard. US. 1995) Tom Hanks. Bill Paxton. Kevin Bacon. 140 mins. On 13 April 1970. an oxygen tank exploded on the service module of the Apollo 13 spacecraft. leaving three astronauts stranded sortie 200.000 miles from home. Howard's screen retelling is a big. epic adventure with a proudly patriotic stance. The space photography isjust fantastic and the acting as good as it gets. Great entertainment. if a little rich in the apple pie department. Edinburgh: UCl. Strathclyde: UCI Clydebank.
I Assassins ( 15) (Richard Donner. US. 1995) Sylvester Stallone. Antonio Banderas. Julianne Moore. 125 mins. Reflective Stallone is the best professional killer money can buy. but when he notices that an equally deadly rival (Banderas) is starting to ‘steal' some of irisjobs. so begins a long. breathless and bloody chase. The familiar elements are in place. but given that the director is Lethal Weapon helmet Richard Donner and the producer is Joel Silver. you can be sure of plenty of explosive action for your money. Glasgow: Grosvenor.
I Atlantis (PG) (Luc Besson. France. 1991) 76 mitts. Ambient underwater antics frortl the man who brought you Nikita and The Big Blue. Bessorr and his small crew capture a suhaquatic world that at times resembles documentary fomage of another planet. No actors. no dialogue: just impressive photography and Eric Setra's score to guide yorr through the not-so murky depths. Edinburglt: Film Guild.
I The Basketball Diaries ( l 8) (Scott Kalvert. US. 1995) Leonardo DiCaprio. Bruno Kirby. Lorraine Bracco. 102 mins. This dull and disappointing screen version ofJim Carroll's cult book is full of the usual drug cliches as DiCaprio‘s good Catholic boy slips down an increasingly hysterical path to ruin. An inadequate script and bad direction are the ball and chain around the ankles of a reasonable performance. See review. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. UCl.
I Batman Forever (PG) (Joel Schumacher. US. 1995) Val Kilmer. Tommy Lee Jones. Jim Cattey. 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 Carrey's The Riddler and Jones's 'l'wo-Face — villains of truly hissable class - and another wannabe vigilante iii the shape of orphaned Dick Grayson (Chris O'Donnell). Just don't expect the same dark forays into the shadows of the human psyche. Strathclyde: Cannon.
I Beethoven (U) (Brian Levant. US. 1992) Charles Grodin. Bonnie Hunt. Dean Jones. 87 mins. A small St Bernard pup escapes from an
lawyer Newland Archer risks the wrath of 1870s
I Amateur ( l5) (Hal Hartley. US. 1994) Isabelle '
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. Edinburgh: MGM.
I Before Sunrise (15) (Richard Linklater. US. 1995) Julie Delpy. Ethan Hawke. Andrea Eckert. lOl mins. American lnter-Railer llawke and French student Delpy are the strangers on a train who strike up a chance conversation and spend a night wandering around Vienna. The actors give career-best performances while director Linklater veers into Eric Rohmer tenitOiy with a funny. sweet and fundamentally wise movie. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Before The Rain (15) (Milcho Manchevski. UK/France/Macedonia. 1994) Rade Serbedzija. Katrin Canlidge. 115 mins. Three interlinked tales shed light on the current Balkan conflict by ' concentrating on fraught relationships and love affairs in Macedonia and London. The film's main strength lies in the authenticity of its naked emotions and superb landscape photography
creating a heartfelt lament for a splintertng
culture. Strathclyde: East Kilbride Arts Centre. I Braveheart (15) (Mel Gibson. L15. 1995) Mel Gibson. Patrick McGoohan. SOphie Marceau. 177 mins. Mel Gibson's long and bloody account of the life of Scottish warrior hero William Wallace boasts some remarkable battle scenes and great performances. particularly McGoohan's merciless King Edward. Aiming to entertain on a wider scale than the more literate Rob Roy. Brave/teart's Scottish passion is tempered by a few Hollywood moments — touches of sentimentality and ‘dramatic' historical inaccuracy. Nevertheles. it's a fine. full-blooded attempt to tap into the spirit that fires Scotland's history and heroes. General release.
I The Bridges 0i Madison County (I2) (Clint Eastwood. US. 1995) Clint Eastwood. Meryl Streep. 94 mins. Robert James Waller's book may be literary tripe. but one's admiration for director-star Eastwood increases a thousand- fold. as he conjures one of his finest achievements as a filmmaker. It‘s a classic love story between a passing photographer and a woman whose husband and children are off at the state fair. and Eastwood has created a work with real tear-slitting potency despite its utter lack of sentiemental gushiness. Glasgow: Grosvenor. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I The Brothers McMullen (l5) (Edward Burns. US. 1994) Edward Burns. Jack Mulcahey. Michael McGlone. 97 mins. Adultery. commitment. splitting up. fidelity — the main topics of conversation for three Irish-American brothers who are each undergoing a period of adjustment in their personal lives. Edward Bums' award-winning debut is a low-budget indie chamter. with a well-crafted screenplay and charismatic performances. See preview. Glasgow: MGM Film Centre. Edinburgh:
Cameo.
I British Film Music Using clips frorri classic British films of the 1940s. film historian Andrew Youdell explores an exciting period when the
national cinema was enhanced by input from
I major composers strch as Vaughan Williams and Walton. Glasgow: GIT.
I Candyman 2: Farewell To The Flesh ( l 8) (Bill 9 Condor). LS. 1995) Tony Todd. Kelly Rowan.
William O'Leary. 95 mins. The original was one i of the few truly scary horror films of the 90s.
tapping into the power of urban myths. Here. the potency is diluted as the story flips from the 19th Century roots of the Candyman legend to modern-day New Orleans. Pretty much a
t straightforward slasher movie. General release.
I Carrington (18) (Clir'ist0pher Hampton. L'K. 1995) Emma Thompson. Jonathan Pryce. Steven Waddington. 123 mins. Hampton's debut as
i writer-director concentrates on the deeply
i loving. platonic relationship between
1 Bloomsbury Group writer l.ytton Strachey
(Pryce) and painter Dora Catrington (Thompson). The film takes an episodic
- approach to their life together. letting the
perfomtances flourish. but providing some extremely funny and literate one-liners to lighten 3 the moments when tragedy looms. Darker and
i more intriguing than the typical British period
[ piece. Glasgow: GEI’.
I Casablanca (PG) (Michael Curtiz. LS. 1942) Humphrey Bogart. Ingrid Bergman. Dooley Wilson. 102 mins. You must remember this . . . Bogart being impossibly noble. Bergman torn between two lovers. Claude Rains playing both ends against the middle. devious Nazis. a fogbound airport. a piano-player tinkling that tune. . . A wonderful hill of beans. Edinburgh:
‘ Filmhouse.
a I Casper (PG) (Brad Silberling. CS. 1995) Christina Ricci. Bill Pullman. Cathy Moriarty. 100 mins. Everyone's favourite friendly ghost has been living with his three bad-tempered
i uncles in an abandoned mansion. When it's
l bequeathed to a money-grabbing heiress who
thinks it’s filled with hidden treasure guarded by
unquiet spirits. Casper comes into contact with ghost psychologist Pullman's tomboy daughter (Ricci). A very messy amalgam of Gliosthinters effects. Addams Famin gothic humour and the sort of overblown feelgood Spielbergiana that revels in funny gadgetry and family values. General release.
I Chunglting Express ( l 2) (Wong Kar-Wai. Hong Kong. 1994) Brigitte Lin. Takeshi Kaneshiro. Tony Leung. Faye Wang. 97 mins. Such a glorious concoction of humour. energy. style and kookiness rarely comes our way. The two loosely overlapping stories are set around a fast food stall in llong Kong. with mismatched romance and indulgent heartache the menu for today. The second segment is the stronger. but the film is so fresh and unusual that it more than survives this slight imbalance. A Boat De Souffle for our times. Edinburgh: Cameo. Filmhouse.
I The City or lost Children (15) (Jean-Pierre Jeunet/Marc Caro. France. 1995) Ron Perlrnan. Daniel Emilfork. Judith Vittet. 112 mins. On a trust-shrouded oil rig. mad scientist Krank ages prematurely because he cannot dream. and so he
kidnaps children from the local port and steals
: into their sleeping hours. A visually wonderful.
; wacky fairytale from the makers of Delicatessen. that brims over with cinematic imagination.
I | i l i
Edinburgh: Filmhouse. Central: MacRobert.
I Clerks (18) (Kevin Smith. US. 1993) Brian O'lIalloran. Jeff Anderson. Marilyn Ghigliolti. 90 mins. Just when you were sick of the very sight of the word ‘slacker'. along comes Clerks and gives the whole commercialisation of the Gen X lifestyle a good hard kick tip the
backside. Kevin Smith's hilariously foul
dialogue peps tip the exchanges on life. sex and
everyday living between bored convenience
store checkcout assistant Dante and equally
T bored video store manager Randal. Edinburgh: Cameo. Fife: New Picture Ilouse.
I Clueless (12) (Amy lleckerling. US. 1995) Alicia Silverstone. Stacey Dash. Britanny
Murphy. 98 mins. Beautiful. fashionable and
streetsmart Beverley Hills schoolgirl Cher
I (Alicia) is spoilt to distraction. but when teenage ; romance floors her. she's as clueless as anyone.
1 i
i I
This has all the ingredients for an unashamedly brainless smash teen comedy — including a new line irt kooky dialect — but unfortunately it doesn't do anything that Heathers didn't do better. Glasgow: MGM Film Centre. Edinburgh: MGM. UCI. Strathclyde: UCI Clydebank.
I Cool Running: (PG) (John Turteltaub. US. 1993) Doug E. Doug. Leon. John Candy. 99 mins. Speculative comedy based on the first-ever Jamaican bobsled team at the last Winter Olympics is har‘rnlessly amiable. but unfortunately cranks up too many moralistic messages complete with appropriate
accompanying music. Still. audiences seem to
like its easy-going nature. making it an affectionate tribute to the late John Candy. Glasgow: MGM Film Centre.
I Crimson Title (15) (Tony Scott. US. 1995) Gene liackrnan. Denzel Washington. George
I Dzundza. 116 mins. When a rebel Russian
nationalist general with his mitts on the nuclear trigger brings Armageddon back onto the
agenda. the USS Alabama. with its 24 Trident
i missiles. is called into action. Willi a nightmare
scenario. two top stars acting their socks off and a director who knows how to get the most front
big budget effects. this tense and claustrophobic
submarine thriller is a prime slice of weekend entertainment. General release.
I The Cycle t 15) (Daryush Mehrjui. Iran. 1974) 102 mins. A young man from the country makes a living by selling the tainted blood of vagrants and drug addicts to hospitals. A morally heavy slice of poetic neo-realism that still packs a punch — and probably explains why it was banned for three years in its country of origin. Edinburgh: Film Guild.
I Dance: Cage/Cunningham ( IS) (Elliot Caplan. LS. 1994) 90mins. Award-winning dance dixumentary filmmaker Caplan offers an infoirriative portrait of the longstanding and ground-breaking collaboration between modern dance choreographer Merce Cunningham and avant-garde composer John Cage. Glasgow: (ii-'1‘.
I Dazed And Confused (18) (Richard Linklater. (IS. 1994) Wiley Wiggins. Jason London. Rory Cochrane. 95 mins. The last day of the 1976
term for a bunch of US schoolkids. and. for
‘ some. it‘s time to face the initiation humiliations as they tnove fromjunior to senior high.
. Linklater abandons the baton-passing narritive
style of his seminal work. Slacker. and shows masterful skill as he weaves together a multitude of plot strands a la American Graffiti. Coo-til.
Edinburgh: MGM.
I Dear Diary (15) (Nanni Moretti. Italy. 1994) Nanni Moretti. Renato Carpentieri. 100 mins. An intimate joumal. captured with both narrative
and technical freedom. Moretti's Cannes award-
winner sees him zip around Rome on his Vespa. visit the Aeolian island borne ofa friend. and come up against the doctors who are having problems diagnosing his possibly malignant
Catch the best Film this fortnight.
5 Lil
FIRST Bill
I The Brothers McMullan An American indie film without designer violence or slacker values: Edward Bums’s refreshing study of the bonds between three lrish-American brothers bubbles with easy charm and human insight. Glasgow: MGM Film Centre. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I La Haine This edgy. black-and- white portrait of life on a Paris housing estate — complete with racial tension and police brutality - won 25-year-old Matthieu Kassovitz the Director’s Prize at Cannes. Glasgow: OFT. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Goldeneye The old puns and gadgets are back. mixed in with spectacular action set pieces and an interesting 90s twist on cinema’s most enduring hero. Solid fun from beginning to end. General release.
I The American President Master director Rob Reiner re-embraces the romantic comedy genre, but also adds a few social and political angles to the warmly funny story of love in the White House. General release.
I Living In Oblivion Wandering boom mikes. actors’ egos and jealousies among the crew: it all adds up to a hilarious nightmare for Steve Buscemi in Tom DiCillo’s take on the highs and lows of low-budget filmmaking. Glasgow: GFf. Edinburgh: Cameo.
REPEBTOBY
I Peter Mullan Shorts Three exceptional examples of short filrnmaking — F ridge. Close and Good Day F or The Bad Guys — followed by a discussion with Glaswegian writer-director-actor Peter Mullah. Glasgow: GFT.
I assessione Visconti’s nco-realist thriller was the first version of The Post/nan Always Rings Twice to reach the screen. Lust in the dust. Italian style. Edinburgh: F ilnthouse.
illness. What may seem loose and unordered is actually very carefully structured. with a level of intimacy rarely achieved in the cinema. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Dersti Uzala (L’) (Akira Kurosawa. Japan/USSR. I975) Maksim Munzak. Yuri Solomin. 141 mins. L'nusual project for Kurosawa. who went to Russia due to lack of work in his native country. The film is beautifully shot. especially the eerie Siberian landscapes. but the plot -— concerning the meeting between a ‘civilised‘ Russian military captain and a ‘primitive‘ Oriental trapper —- smacks of simplistic Mosfilm party line. Edinburgh: Film Guild.
I Dr Jekyll And Ms Hyde (12) (David Price. US. 1995) Sean Young. Tim Daly. Lysette Anthony. 90 mins. Perfume scientist Richard Jacks is bequethed the notebooks of his great- grandfather. a certain Dr Jekyll: a few concoctions later. he's transforming himself into a female alter ego. Even Hammer's Dr Jekyll And Sister Hyde handled it better than this cringeworthy ‘comedy‘. Glasgow: Odeon. MGM Parkhead. Edinburgh: Odeon. Strathclydc: Odeon Ayr. UCIs.
22HThc List l-l4 Dec 1995