FILM INDEX
FILM
Films screening this fortnight are listed below with certificate, credits, brief review and venue details. Filrn index compiled by Alan Morrison.
I Alaska (PG) (Fraser Heston. US. 1996) Thora Birch. Vincent Kartheiser. Charlton Heston. 109 mins. A young brother and sister go searching in the Alaskan wilderness for their father. missing in a plane crash. Their adventures bring them into contact with a grizzled hunter (Heston) and a cute polar bear cub. Good wholesome family entertainment with some tense action scenes. Edinburgh: Odeon. Central: MacRobert.
I And lite Goes (in (P0) (Abbas Kiarostarni. Iran. I992) 9| mins. This blend of fiction and documentary by the master Iranian filmmaker Kiarostami (director of Through The Olive Trees) follows on from erere Is My Friend is House." - part of this double bill. A director leaves Tehran to discover if the actors from the first movie have survived an earthquake. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Antonio's Line (15) (Marleen Gorrt's. Netherlands/Belgium/UK. 1995) Willeke van Arnmelrooy. Els Dotterrnans. Dora van der Overloop. 104 mins. The Best Foreign Film Oscar winner for 1996. Antonio is Line is the family saga of five generations of women from a rural Dutch community. The story. told with magic realist elements. is fragmented and incidenet-driven. but it's uplifting in its engagement with the sexual politics Gorris has exp10red in previous films. Strathclyde: East Kilbride Arts Centre.
I les Apprentis (15) (Pierre Salvadori. France. 1995) Francois Cluzet. Guillaume Depardieu. Judith Henri. 98 mins. This contemporary French variation on the Wit/mail & I scenario finds two social misfits breaking into the workplace of one when they‘re evicted from their rent-free abode. Funny and unsentimental. it's a beautifully played piece that. although it peters out towards the end. wins the day with its en aging comic tone. Fife: Adam Smith. lgeeutlful Girls (15) (Ted Deanne. US. 1996) Matt Dillon. Timothy Hutton. Uma Thurman. 113 mins. In a Big (.‘hill-ish scenario. the young men of a small New England town have a weekend reunion in order to indulge in some psychological navel-gazing. Even the women of the title can't enliven the proceedings. A brief stop-off on the journey from London only cinema release to video existence. Borders: Roxy
I Belle De .loar ( 18) (Luis Bunuel. France/Italy. 1967) Catherine Deneuve. Jean Sorel. Michel Piccoli. 100 mins. The beautiful but bored wife of a surgeon spends her afternoons working in a brothel where she meets an odd assortment of characters. Bunuel's treatment of the bourgeoisie is typically cool but unforgiving. and his blurring of the line between fantasy and reality so successful that. by the end. we are unsure if the whole movie could have been dreamt up by the protagonist. Wonderfully amoral comedy of manners. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I The UPS (U) (Brian Cosgrove. UK. 1989) 105 mins. Animated version of the Roald Dahl favourite has young Sophie battling against evil. aided and abetted by the Big Friendly Giant. Glasgow: GFT.
I m (PG) (Norman Jewison. US. 1996) Gerard Depardieu. Whoopi Goldberg. Ilaley Joel Osment. 110 mins. Jewison is at his most whimsical with this fairy-tale of a seven-year- old boy. lonely at the home of his foster mum (Goldberg). who invents an imaginary friend in the shape of a warm-hearted Frenchman (Depardieu). The film‘s mild charm comes mainly from the presence of the adult actOrs. Glasgow: Odeon Quay. Showcase. Strathclyde: UCI Clydebank.
I m 0" (15) (Mark Herman. UK. 1996) Ewan McGregor. Tara Fitzgerald. Pete Postlethwaite. 105 mins. When the local pit is due to be closed down. it's the end of the day for the colliery brass band as well. even though they've got a chance at winning the national competition. Politics are the heart of the story. but writer-director Hamren has created a film that balances nicely between pithy humour and heartbreaking poignance. Performances are excellent. particularly Ballykissungel's Stephen Tompkinson. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I W (15) (Mel Gibson. US. 1995) Mel Gibson. Patn'ck 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. Aiming to entertain ona wider scale than the more literate Rob Roy. Brave/reart‘s Scottish passion is tempered by a few Hollywood moments — touches of sentimentality and 'dramatic' historical inaccuracy. Nevertheless. it‘s a fine. full-blooded attempt to tap into the spirit that fires Scotland‘s history and heroes. Edinburgh: Odeon.
I Carla's $009 (15) (Ken Loach. UK. 1996) Robert Carlyle. Oyanka Caberas. Scott Glenn. 127 mins. A mom commercially viable outing for Loach. without a loss of political commitment. Carlyle plays Glasgwegian bus driver George. who gives up everything to help refugee Carla return to Nicaragua and find her boyfriend. The love story aspect of the first (Scottish) half of the film is its strongest point: the revelations in Central America don't hold surprises but without Hollywood gloss. the war scenes seem more realistic. Carlyle is excellent — mildly tough and totally charming. See feature and review. Glasgow: Odeons. Showcase. Edinburgh: Cameo. UCI. Strathclyde: UCIs.
I A Chinese Ghost Story (15) (Chin Siu 'l'ung. Hong Kong. 1987) Leslie Chtrng. 98 mins. While visiting a haunted temple. a young debt collector falls prey to the charms of a delightful young lady ghost. Engagineg over-thc-top commercial filmmaking from ilong Kong. with kung fu. slapstick comedy. gruesome special effects and traditional supernatural elements rolled together into one wild package. Watch out for the rapping monk and the killer tongue. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I City On Fire ( 18) (Ringo Lam. Hortg Kong. 1987) Chow Yun-Fat. Danny Lee. Strn Yeuh. 101 mins. The bit that Tarantino ripped off for Resen'oir Dogs - a botched heist and subsequent stand-off in a warehouse — occurs at the very end of this movie. which is more concerned with the individual than the ensemble. A maverick undercover cop is forced to infiltrate a gang of jewel thieves. but becomes caught up in a personal battle of loyalty and betrayal. One of the finest Hong Kong action movies. this is a great cult item in its own right. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I the Craft ( 15) (Andrew Fleming. US. 1996) Robin Tunney. Fairuza Balk. Neve Campbell. Rachel True. 101 mins. A newcomer to an LA school falls in with a trio of misfits — 'tlte bitches of Eastwick' - who ttrtn out to be a
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teenage witches coven. Revenge on their tormentors begins to backfire however. as queen goth Balk goes out of control. Scan'er than a lot of teen horror. particularly in the slimy. creepy- crawly department. but only for an adolescent audience. Fife: New Picture Ilouse. I The Crossing M (5) (Sean Penn. US. 1995) Jack Nicholson. David Morse. Anjelica Huston. 114 mins. When the drunk-driver (Morse) who killed his young daughter is released from prison. a distraught father (Nicholson) decides to shoot him. Penn's second feature as director is filled with truth and compassion. but he is prone to over-emphasis when dealing with the weighty theme of masculinity in crisis. Nicholson gives a raging howl of a performances. his best in years. Fife: Adam Smith. I Dayiiflrt (12) (Rob Cohen. US. 1996) Sylvester Stallone. Amy Brenneman. Viggo Mortensen. 110 mins. After an explosion in an underground tunnel traps a band of survivors. it's up to disgraced ex-emcrgency chief Stallone to lead them to safety and himself to redemption. An obvious remake of The Poseidon Adventure in a different setting. Daylight has some decent special effects. but the characterisations and internal tensions are somewhat lacking. General release. I Don't Forget that You're Going To liie ( 18) (Xavier Beauvois. France. 1995) Xavier Beauvois. Chiara Mastroianni. Roschdy Zem. 118 mins. After discovering that he's 111V- positive. a young lecturer (played by writer- director Beauvois) copes with life by exploring the heightened perception brought on by the certainty of death. On a dream trip to Italy. he finds love and drugs. Sexually candid. with strong dnrg content. it gets beyond familiar angst themes by having the courage of its hedonistic convictions. Glasgow: GFT. I III litivagatPG) (David Lean. US/UK. 1965) Omar Sharif. Julie Christie. Geraldine Chaplin. 193 mins. Big screen romance in the Gone With The Wind style. rather than a genuine adaptation of the Pastemak novel. with Sharif and Christie as lovers caught up in World War One and the Russian Revolution. Notable mainly for its lush. picture-postcard photography. Edinburgh: Odeon.
I liraganheart (PG) (Rob Cohen. US. I996) Dennis Quaid. Sean Connery. David Thewlis. 103 mins. Disillusioned but noble knight Bowen (Quaid) teams up with the last of the dragons (voice and mannerisms by Connery) to free the land from a tyrant king (Thewlis). Dungeons and dragons for all the family in a film that is only fun when the expertly animated. fire-breathing beast is on screen. Otherwise the storyline lumbers along. Edinburgh: ABC. Odeon.
I The Elfltth Dev (15) (Jaco Van Donnael. France. 1996) Daniel Auteuil. Pascal Duquenne. 114 mins. The follow-up film by the director of 72m) Le lleros will disappoint most. annoy many and win over only a few. Auteuil plays an uptight businessman whose life is transformed when he comes into contact with a man with Downs Syndrome (Duquennc). The film shifts its styles boldly from sentiment to comedy to drama. and its moments of bizarre magic realism give it a lift. but ultimately it falls into the dreadful ‘handicapped people are touched by God‘ cliche beloved of Hollywood. Central: MacRobert.
I Em (U) (Douglas McGr'ath. UK/US. 1996) Gwyneth Paltrow. Jeremy Northarn. Toni Collette. 111 mins. Austen-itis continues as Emma Woodhouse (Paltrow)medd1es in other people's love lives while ignoring the fact that her own happiness is right under her nose in the shape of handsome Mr Knightley (Northam). An attractive and luscious-looking piece. bttt a lot has been sacrificed for reasons of length. leaving fans of the book wishing for those six-part TV adaptations. Fife: Adam Smith.
I Evita ( 12) (Alan Parker. US. 1996) Madonna. Antonio Banderas. Jonathan Pryce. 135 mins. Parker's genuine epic. based on the Tim Rice/Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. boasts huge crowd scenes (up to 40.000 extras. according to sources) and stars on top form. The film belongs very much to Madonna in a gift of a role. which follows the rags-to-riches life of Eva Peron from poverty to her place in the hearts of a nation. It‘s narrated in song by sardonic revolutionary C be Guevara (Banderas). but once the audience becomes accustomed to the style. the sheer scale of the movie should take effect. General release.
I The Exorcist (18) (William Fn'edkin. US. 1973) Linda Blair. Ellen Burstyn. Max Von Sydow. 110 mins. Earnest priest Von Sydow steps in to save poor little possessed girl in this hugely effective scarefest. Dead good. dead scary. dead priest. Glasgow: Odeon.
I Extreme (15) (Michael Apted. 1996. US) Hugh Grant. Gene Hackman. Sarah Jessica Parker. 118 mins. Hugh Grant turns in a believable perfomiance as a junior doctor in a top New York teaching hospital who stumbles
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I cures Seen A love story in Glasgow between a bus driver'anda‘i ~ refugee is burdened by civil war in» Nicaragua in Ken Loach’s latest ' drama, starringScotland’s Robert caryle. See feature and review. . Limited general release. ' I Saute mortars Son The story of ’ IRA hunger strikers at the time of Bobby Sands is told through the eyes of the mothers of the prisoners involved. giving a human and emotional edge to the politics. - Limited general release.
I Shine The true story of Australian pianist David Helfgott. whose I ‘ promising career was cut short by; mental illness, provides the basiszfoi‘ this exceptional film. Remarkable“ 1‘» performances at every level. .' Glasgow: GFT Edinburgh: Cameo; I The Frighteners Peter lackson’sé’1' follow-up to Heavenly Creatures mixes slapstick horror humour. great visual effects and a darker edged thriller. See review. General release. I Sleepers A gripping courtroom drama ensues when two former inmates of a juvenile detention centre murder the guard who sexually abused them. General release. BE-IIEEASE
I liaadraphenla The cinema world is mod for it once more as Phil Daniels, Sting. Toyah and the rest revisit Brighton beach in the classic film. with music by The Who. See feature and review. Glasgow: Showcase. Edinburgh: F ilmhouse.
III Howard llawlrs Retrospective A two-month feast of delights - many showing in new pn'nts — begins with gangster movie Scarface and silent romantic comedy A Girl In Every Port. See Frontlines. Glasgow: GF'II Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
upon a dark conspiracy that threatens his career. if not his life. A decent. old-fashioned medical thriller with some clunky discussions of ethics and an overly contrived plot. it's better than your average Hollywood no-brainer. See review. General release.
I The F8 Oatntry (PG) (Anthony Mann. US. 1954) James Stewart. Walter Brennan. Ruth Roman. 97 mins. Cattle-driver Stewart travels to Oregon. but is forced to guide a wagon train of gold-miners when he is cheated out of his herd. Slow-buming revenge. with Stewart in the loner mode he perfected under Mann's direction. Edinburgh: Film Guild.
I Flipper (PG) (Alan Shapiro. US. 1996) Elijah Wood. Paul Hogan. Chelsea Field. 96 mins. Difficult city teenager Sandy (Wood) doesn't warm to ex-hippy uncle Porter (Hogan) down in the Florida Keys until along comes friendly dolphin Flipper. The story brings to mind aspects of Andre and Free Willy. but there are only so many scripts that can accommodate an acquatic star. Predictable stuff in the bean- wanning category. Edinburgh: Odeon.
28 The List 24 Jan-6 Feb 1997