FflMINDEX
FILM um-
Filrns screening this fortnight are listed below with certificate, credits, brief review and venue details. Film index compiled by Alan Morrison.
I Braveheart ( l5) (Mel Gibson. US. I995) Mel Gibson. Patrick McGoohan. Sophie Marceau. I77 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. Aiming to entertain on a wider scale than the more literate Rob Roy. Brar'elrearr's Scottish passion is tempered by a few Hollywood moments - touches of sentimentality and ‘dramatic' historical inaccuracy. Nevertheless. it's a line. full-blooded attempt to tap into the spirit that fires Scotland's history and heroes. Edinburgh: Odeon. - I The Bridges 0t Madison County ( 12) (Clint Eastwood. US. I995) 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-stirring potency despite its utter lack of sentiemental gushiness. Central: MacRobert. I The Cable Guy ( l2) (Ben Stiller. US. I996) Jim Carrey. Matthew Broderick. Leslie Mann. 96 mins. When he settles into his batchelor pad. hoping to enjoy an easy life of cable television. architect Steven Kovacs (Broderick) didn't expect that the cable installer would go to any lengths to become his friend. Misjudged comedy with the hyperactive Carrey in conniving form. full of spot-the-scene humour. Edinburgh: UCI. I lea Ila-res du Bois de eoulogne (PG) (Robert Bresson. France. I946) Maria Casares. Elina Labourdette. Lucienne Bogaett. 90 mins. A young Parisienne revenges herselfon her bored lover by arranging for him to marry a prostitute. A collaboration between Jean Cocteau and
Bresson has to be an intriguing one. and this occasionally initating effort is interesting for the manner in which Bresson's characteristically austere manner copes with his scenarist's emotional flourishes. Glasgow: GFT.
I “FF: Mie Him FIII Festival The 50th Film Festival spreads itself wider than ever. taking over all the screens at the Cameo and Filmhouse. and creeping into the programmes at the Edinburgh ABC. Dominion. Odeon and UCI. as well as the Glasgow Film Theatre and Dunfermline's Carnegie Hall and Robin's Cinema. The full list of screenings can be found in the Film Festival‘s own widely available preview publication. and funher information can be gleaned on 0l3l 229 2550. For a very comprehensive set of reviews for the films screening this week. see pages 74—78. Various
I Desperado (l8) (Robert Rodriguez. US. I995) Antonio Banderas. Salma llayek. Joachim De Almeida. l00 mins. Pan sequel. pan big budget remake. Desperado delivers all the shoot-outs and explosions denied us in Rodriguez's inventive debut El Mariaelri. Banderas smoulders as the revenge-driven guitarist. but the emphasis is not on plot - delight instead in the glorious action set pieces. The ultimate firearm flamenco. Fife: Adam Smith. Strathclyde: Odeon Ayr.
I Dunstan Checks III (PC) (Ken Kwapis. US. I995) Jason Alexander. Faye Dunaway. Eric Lloyd. 88 mins. There's monkey business aplenty when ajewel thief smuggles his orangutan panner-in-crime into a posh hotel. Adults will get even more out of this than kids. because the humour is irresistible. the characters suitably loathsome or adorable. and Sam the Orang a star in the making. Glasgow: Virgin.
I Fargo ( l8) (Joel Coen. US. I996) Frances McDormand. Steve Buscemi. William ll. Macy. 97 mins. Hoping to make some bucks. a car salesman attempts to have his wife kidnapped by hitmen; btrt quickly blood is spilt. As the pregnant police detective on the case. McDormand provides a wann-hearted centre for the movie. while the absurdist plot and weird local colour gain momentum. It‘ll be considered a classic. given time. Glasgow: ABC Sauchiehall
' I Flipper (PG) (Alan Shapiro. US. I996) Elijah
Wood. Paul Hogan. Chelsea Field. 96 mins. Difficult city teenager Sandy (Wood) doesn't warm to ex-hippy uncle Poner (Hogan) down in the Florida Keys until along comes friendly dolphin Flipper. The story brings to mind aspects of Ant/re and Free Willy. but there are only so
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many scripts that can accommodate an acquatic star. Predictable stuff in the heart-warming category. General release. I lleattlS) (Michael Mann. US. I995) Al Pacino. Roben De Niro. Val Kilmer. I70 mins. Mann's star package cops-and-robbers tale is head and shoulders above the rest of the genre. thanks to an action-packed screenplay that fully explores its themes and gives depth to its charcters. Pacino is the dedicated detective whose home life is in ruins; De Niro is the reclusive criminal mastermind. The two men‘s finely balanced sense of honour and mutual respect is well dissected. and the shoot-out set pieces are bean-stopping. Brilliant. Strathclyde: East Kilbride Arts Centre. ITMWOIWMWGHGary Trousdale/Kirk Wise. US. I996) With the voices of Tom Hulce. Demi Moore. Kevin Kline. 90 mins. Young Quasimodo is kept prisoner in medieval Paris's great cathedral by the evil Judge Frollo. but when the beautiful gypsy Esmeralda comes on the scene. the boy's heroic instincts save the day. Strong vocal performances. stunning cityscapes. grand songs and an expertly mature handling of adult themes make this an instant classic with plenty to say about moral hypocrisy. General release. I III Day ( l2) (Roland Emmerich. US. I996) Will Smith. Jeff Goldblum. Bill Pullman. l50 mins. Day One: alien ships hover Over the world's major cities. Day Two: they attack. Day Three: mankind goes into hokum overdrive and gears up to kick some alien ass. A SOs-style invasion B-movie with 90s state-of-the art efTects. Independence Day deserves every penny it has taken at the box office. A gripping scare scenario that doesn't take itself too seriously. throws in some conspiracy theories and rounds it off with the most devastating disaster scenes ever put on film. General release. I James And The Giant Peach (U) (Henry Selick. US. I996) Paul Terry. Susan Sarandon. Simon Callow. 79 mins. From the director of Tim Burton '5 The Nightmare Before Christmas comes a wonderfully colourful adaptation of Roald Dahl‘s much-loved novel. Live action tops and tails the story. but for the most pan. it‘s fun times with stop-motion puppets. By turns funny and scary. it stays true to Dahl's surreal and whimsical vision. General release. I The last Me (I5) (Bruce Beresford. US. I996) Sharon Stone. Rob Morrow. Randy Quaid. Stone plays a death row inmate awaiting execution for the murder of her junkie boyfriend in this decent hearted but resoundineg conventional affair. Hers seems a hopeless case until idealistic lawyer Rob Morrow comes on the scene. Placed beside Dead Man Walking. this is as staid as a TV problem pic. and only slightly keeps Stone's dramatic credibility alive following Casino.20$ee review. All UCls. I Man Of The Year ( l8) (Dirk Shafer. US. I995) 87 mins. Playgirl magazine's I992 ‘Centrefold Of The Year'. Dirk Shafer turns the camera on himself for a mock-doc look at his true-life experiences. Pushed in the media as ‘the ideal man for all women'. he was in fact living with his male lover and claims to have no idea what women want at all. A comic examination of deception and media manipulation. Fife: Adam Smith. I If” WMUS) (Woody Allen. US. I995) Woody Allen. Mira Sorvino. Helena Bonharn Carter. 95 mins. Sports writer Lenny (Allen) and his busy an dealer wife (Bonham Caner) adopt a baby. but when the kid starts to show unusually high intelligence. dad goes searching for the real mother - a none-too-bright hooker and porn actress (Sorvino). Oscar- winning Sorvino is the best thing in the movie. even if her role is rather dubious. but Woody's a bit long in the tooth for his pan. Funny. but a little tired. Strathclyde: East Kilbride Ans Centre. I Mission: Wile (PG) (Brian De Palma. US. I996) Tom Cmise. Jon Voight. Emmanuelle Bean. I IO mins. Unlike the fondly remembered TV series which pushed the notion of teamwork. this lavishly produced Hollywood thriller is driven by Cruise's solo star power. As the only survivor of a hit on his espionage team. he races across the world. setting up double bluffs to flush out a mole. There are a couple of dazzling set pieces. but they’re padded out by yards of complicated plot. Slick. but cold. General release. I Met Tram Island (PG) (Brian Henson. US/UK. I996) Tim Curry. Kevin Bishop. Billy Connolly. 102 mins. Young Jim Hawkins. along with his friends the Great Gonzo and Rizzo The Rat go hunting for treasure with Captain Flint's map. meeting up on the way with Long John Silver (Curry). and Fozzie. Kermit. Miss Piggy et a] as various Stevenson characters. Faithful to the book. but hilarious in its extraneous details - especially in the opening section — this is one time everyone can enjoy Hollywood's plundering of British literature. Glasgow: Virgin. Strathdlyde: Odeon Ayr. I Ill (IS) (Oliver Stone. US. I995) Anthony
Catchthe best Fllm this melt.
FllIST IIIIN
I Independence Day Alien invasion on a scale never seen before. as state- of-the-art effects make the destruction of the world’s major cities startlingly realistic. Cinema as popcorn spectacle. General release.
I James And The Giant Peach Roald Dahl's much-loved children‘s book is brought to bright and colourful life in the stop-motion animation style of The Nightmare Before Christmas. General release.
I The Hunchback 0t llotre Ilarne Disney doesn’t skimp on the adult themes of Victor Hugo's novel. while the animation and songs prove strong enough to keep the kids spellbound. Another instant classic. General release.
"IIEPEIITOIIY
I Notorious Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman fall in love while they try to find out what her Nazi husband Claude Rains is up to. There are some dark themes lurking under the surface [ tension in one of Hitchcock's best.
Glasgow: CF]:
II Srnolte The relationship between a novelist and the homeless kid he saves from being run over is played (against a backdrop of well-observed Brooklyn characters in Wayne Wang's screen version of Paul Auster's writings. Glasgow: OFT
Hopkins. Joan Allen. James Woods. I92 mins. Avoiding the conspiracy traps we might have expected (Watergate. etc). Stone concentrates less on the politics and more on the man driven by inner demons to succeed at all costs. In this way. Nixon becomes an American tragedy. founded on Hopkins's astonishing performance which goes way beyond impersonation. Nevenheless. the President did nasty things. so all we can hope for is sympathy for the devil. Fife: Adam Smith.
I m (PG) (Alfred Hitchcock. US. I946) Cary Grant. Ingrid Bergman. Claude Rains. l0l mins. World War Two. Cynical intelligence agent Grant enlists playgirl Bergman to help him uncover a Nazi atomic plot in Rio de Janeiro. She marries suave plotter Rains and then finds her life in alarming danger. Taut. classic thriller. with a fine Ben Hecht script that effectively blends romance and suspense. Bergman and Grant create movie magic in each other's presence. paniculary during what was advenised as 'the longest kiss in history‘. Glasgow: GFT. I W I. (IS) (Richard Loncraine. UK. I995) Ian McKellen. Annette Bening. Jim Broadbent. I03 mins. Updated to England during the 30s. Shakespeare's play is sensibly trimmed to concentrate fully on the crookbaclted king's murderous rise to the throne. McKellen gives a commanding performance amidst some wonderful supponing turns. while Loncraine ensures that the bard has rarely been treated in such splendidly cinematic terms. The fascistic look of the costumes does help clarify some of the divisions in the text. Central: MacRobert.
I The 806805) (Michael Bay. US. I996) Nicolas Cage. Sean Connery. Ed Harris. I35
98 The List l6-22 Aug I996
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