FILM INDEX
FILM INDEX CONTINUED
I Flirting With Disaster ( l5) (David 0. Russell. US. I996) Ben Stiller. Patricia Arquette. Tea Leoni. 92 mins. After the impressive Spanking The Monkey. writer-director Rttssell delivers a movie that‘s more contrived and less emphatic than his debut. but still pacy. funny and wickedly fond of its eccentric characters. The story is an offbeat road trip. with husband and wife Mel and Nancy trying to save their marriage and find his biological parents while having various affairs en route. Great performances and a rticely ironic script. See review. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Free Willy 2 (PG) (DWight Little. ITS. l995) 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 arrodyne and uninventive to really justify its existence. the movie does have its familiar charms. Glasgow: Virgin. I The Frighteners ( I 5) (Peter Jackson. New Zealand/US. I996) Michael J. Fox. 'l'titti Alvarado. Peter Dobson. l()9 mitts. Director Jackson follows up Heaven/y (‘rt'ararm with a sfx-saturated scare-fest that shifts from slapstick horror comedy into something much darker and more disturbing. Fox plays a charlatan parapsychologist whose offer to rid a town of its ghosts backfires when he rekindles an old serial killer case. More complex than it first appears. See review. Glasgow; ()deon Qtray. Showcase. Virgin. Edinburgh: UCI. Strathclyde: UCIs. l The Ghosth The Darkness ( IS) (Steplterr Hopkins. US. I990) Michael Douglas. Val Kilmer. Bernard lIiII. I09 mins. Young colonial Kilmer arrives in Africa to build bridges. bttt when two vicious lions get a taste for human meat. he determines to kill the beasts with the help of hunter Douglas. The natives. however. reckon these are no mere big cats btrt evil spirits. Needlesst racist and devoid of intelligence. humour or emotion. this ttnexciting actioner lacks suspense. General release. I A Gifi In EV"! Port (PG) (Howard Hawks. US. I928) Robert Armstrong. Victor McLagIen. Louise Brooks. ()4 mins. llawks's silent comedy romance —- shown in a new print with music soundtrack - follows the love of two sailors for the divine Louise Brooks. but even she can't break tip their buddy relationship. Fast~paced and featuring many Ilawks themes that would emerge in later films. Glasgow: (il’l'. Edinbtrrgh: I-‘ilmhouse. I A Goofy Movie (ll) (Kevin Lima. US. I990) With the voices of Bill Farmer. Jason .‘slar'sden. Jim Ctrmtnings. 74 mins. After a school prank backfires. Goofy decides to take troublesome son Max off on a bonding fishing trip. Max is trying his best to be cool. but that isn't easy when your dad's this particular Disney star. An incident-packed journey provides plenty of laughs which should keep restless kids and accompanying adults amused. Strathclyde: Odeon Ayr. I La llaine ( l8) (Matthieu Kassovilz. France. I995) Vincent Cassel. lluber't Kottnde. Said 'I'aghmaoui. 85 mins. This edgy. bIack-and-white portrait of racial tension and police brutality on a run-down estate outside Paris won twentysomething Kassoy'itz the Director's Prize at the I995 Cannes Filtn Festival. Three ethnically mixed lads come up against the cops when one of their pals is hospitalised after a raid. Urgent. compelling filmmaking that's as punchy as a blow to the head. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Hard Boiled ( I8) (John Woo. lIong Kong. I992) Chow Yuri-Fat. Tony Leung. Teresa Mo. l26 mins. A tough cop nicknamed Tequila is driven by obsession to nail a Triad gun-runner in John Woo's incomparable llong Kong gangster movie. The action sequences - particularly the opening tea-house shoot-out artd the climactic hospital finale - show the action master at his best. as he takes moments of (tn-screen violence to levels of choreographed genius. Edinburgh: ('atneo.
I llunt Dono (PG) (II. Amarjeet. India. I9ol) ISO mins. The short Dev Anand season continues with his l9()| success in which he plays two identical army officers. one of whom is presumed dead. allowing the other to be mistaken by the missing man's wife. Plot complications and hit songs follow. In Him“ with no strbtitles. Edinburgh: Filmlrouse.
I The Hunchback 0t ltotre Dante (PG) ((iat-y Trousdale/Kirk Wise. l‘S. I990) With the voices of Demi Moore. 'l'om Ilulce. Kevin Kline. 9() mins. Young Quasimodo is kept prisoner in medieval Paris's great cathedral by the evil Judge Frollo. btrt when the beautiful gypsy [Esmeralda comes on the scene. the boy's heroic instincts save the day. Strong vocal performances. sttrtming cityscapes. grand songs and art expertly mature handling of adult themes make this an instant classic with plenty to say about moral hypocrisy. Glasgow: ABC ('Iarkston Road.
I The Incredibly True Adventure Of Two Girls In love ( I5) (Maria blaggenti. I7S. I994) Laurel llollomarr. Nicole Parker. Maggie Moore. 98 mins. The affair between a white girl from an all-lesbian working-class fatnin and a black girl living with her middle-class single mother is. ultimately. a little too ctrte for the cynic. althotrgh the two lead perforrtrances are ettgaging. Despite the inappropriater hysterical camp comedy. Maggenti handles her debtrt featttte well. making worthy points about race. class and sexuality. Iidinbtugh: Filmhouse. Fife: Adam Smith.
I Independence Day ( l2) (Roland limmet iclr. US. I996) Will Stnitb. Jeff Goldbltrm. Bill Pullman. I50 mtns. Day ()ne: alien ships hover over the w otld's major cities. Day Two: they attack. Day Three: mankind goes into hoktrm Overdrive and gears up to kick some alien ass. A SOs-ster invasion B-movie with 90s state-of-the art effects. Inrlepem/mrt't' Day is popcorn value- for-money at its very best. A gripping scare scenario that doesn't take itself too seriously. throws in some conspiracy theories and rounds it off with the tnost devastating disaster scenes ever put on film. Edinburgh: l'Cl. Central: MacRobett. Fife: Adatn Smith.
I Jack (PG) (Francis Ford Coppola. I’S. I990) Robin Williams. Diane Lane. Bill Cosby. I I3 mitts. Again playing a kid-in-adult's-body. Williams is this time thwarted by the movie's appalling central concept: the ageing disease strffeted by his ten-year~old means Ite'll (lie when barely ottt of his teens. Further implausibility is added by the way he w rrts his classmates onto his side. Well-meaning btrt embarrassing and sentimental piece froru Coppola which might disturb yotrng viewers and will in'itate older audiences. Fife: ABC. Strathclyde: ABC.
I James And The Giant Peach (l') (llent y Selick. l‘S. I996) Paul Terry. Susan Sarandon. Simon Callow. 79 mins. From the director of 77m Btrrton'i The Nightmare Btf/(H't’ (‘ltrittntas comes a wonderfully colourful adaptation of Roald Dahl's much-loved novel. Live action tops and tails the story. bill for the most part. it's fun times with stop-motion puppets. By turns ftrrtny arid scary. it stays true to Dahl's surreal and whimsical vision. Glasgow: Virgin. Fife: ABC. Robitt's. Strathclyde: Magnum.
I Jane Eyre (PG) (Franco Zeff'trelli. UK/Italy. I996) William Hurt. Charlotte Gainsbourg. Joan Plowrigltt. ll3 mins. A decent enough adaptation of Charlotte Bronte's literary classic which features weighty acting from Hurt and the British tltesps in support. The atmosphere is effective. if not entirely remarkable. as Zetlirelli manages to ttrne into the darker. more brooding aspects of the novel. Central: MacRobert.
I Jaws (PG) (Steven Spielberg. US. I975) Roy Scheider. Robert Straw. Richard Dreyfuss. IZS mins. Cracking shark adventure from the days when Spielberg movies were scary. See the citizens of Amity scream! Watch the bodycount pile up! llear the authorities declare the water perfectly safe! Glasgow: GFT.
I Jingle All The Way (PG) (Brian Levant. US. 1996) Arnold Schwarzenegger. Sinbad. Phil Hartman. 90mins. Ilaving failed to learn his lesson with Kindergarten Cop. Arnie again tries for a broad comedy with children in this attempt at a ‘heartwarming' Christmas movie. tackling the Yuletide shopping crowds in search of Minnesota's last remaining Turbo Man toy. Running gags are rtrn into the ground. the slapstick is ltrmpen and the spurious moral sentiments hypocritical. A real seasonal turkey. Glasgow: City Centre Odeon. Virgin. Edinburgh: L'CI. Central: ABC. Strathclyde: UCI:
I Jude (18) (Michael Winterbottom. UK. I996) Christopher Eccleston. Kate Winslet. Rachel Griffiths. 120 mins. Based on Thomas Hardy's trncompromisingly bitter final novel. this tremendously powerful adaptation shares the novel's romantic tragedy between its two central characters. Determined and honest Jude (Iiccleston) is snubbed by Victorian society as he strives fora university education. bttt worse is in store when he falls in love with his cousin (Winslet). Hard-hitting acting. a director and writer who truly understand llardy's themes. and stunning photography elevate this to classic status. Fife: Adatn Smith. I Kansas I:in ( IS) (Robert Alttnan. US. I996) Jennifer Jason Leigh. Miranda Richardson. Harry Belafonte. I I8 mins. What Ire did for country music in A’av/ri'iI/e. Altman doesn't quite do with jazz in Kansas City. although the musical elements of this nostalgic journey to the director's childhood are its strongest. What lets the film down are the overplayed performances of Leigh and Richardson as. respectively. kidnapper and politician's wife in the dramatic plot that lies over a richly atmospheric portrait of the city of swing in the 30s. Glasgow: ABC FiItn Centre. I The Killer ( l8) (John Woo. llong Kong. I989) Chow Yuri-Fat. Danny Lee. Sally Yeh. IlI mitts. Genre-led thriller. with old school buddies ttrrned cop and contract killer as sparring partners. transferred into the sleazy gangland of llong Kong. The violence pttts Robot'op to shame. btrt there's a glorious. oriental fatalism about the whole sltebang that lends it a certain sheen of romanticism. Edinburgh: Cameo. I land And Freedom (IS) (Ken Loach. I'K/Spain. I995) Ian llart. Rosana Pastor. Iciar Bollain. l09 ruins. A magnificent. moving. politicised epic on the Spanish Civil War by Britain's tnost committed director on the Left. An unemployed tnan (llart) leaves 30s Liverpool to fight with the POUM Militia. and sees first hand the betrayal of his cause by the Stalinists. llis story is told in flashback. as his granddaughter reads his hidden letters — a link to the present day that proves these events have a strong relevance to today. Edinburgh: Cameo. Film Guild. I The Last Supper ( l5) (Stacy Title. US. I996) Ron Eldard. Courtney Vance. Cameron Diaz. 92 mins. A group of American grad students host a
series of dinners dttring which they pose various
‘PC or not PC'." questions to their guests - with fatal results if the answer is not to their liking. Described by the director as ‘an Arsenic And Old Lace for the this black comedy relies as much on vividly drawn characters as the bizarre situation that unfolds. Central: MacRobert. Fife: New Picture House.
I lone Star ( I5) (John Sayles. US. I996) Chris Cooper. Elizabeth Pena. Kris Kristofferson. I35 mins. When a modem-day Texan sheriff investigates a decades-old murder. past clashes with present and local mythologies have to be re-examined. Sayles's various sub-plots don't distract from each other: in fact. they re-inforce and counterpoint. building a complex social. historical and political backdrop to the rivetting thriller on the surface. Another masterpiece from America's greatest independent director. Fife: Adam Smith.
I The long Kiss Goodnight ( I8) (Renny llailin. US. I996) Geena Davis. Samuel L. Jackson. Craig Bierko. I20 mins. Suburban schoolteacher and arnnesiac Davis suddenly discovers that. in the past. she was a top CIA assassin and. with private detective Jackson in tow. avoids a host of professional killers and foils a genocide plot. It's action all the way and logic out the window as director (and the star‘s husband) llarlirt delivers spectacular stunts while Shane Black's script contains inspired banter. Ptrre escapism. Glasgow: City Centre Odeon. Showcase. Edinburgh: Cameo. UCI. Fife: Glcnrothes. Strathclyde: Odeon Ayr. UC I Clydebank.
I looking For Richard ( I5) (Al Pacino. US. I996) Al Pacino. Winona Ryder. Alec Baldwin. II2 mins. Pacino investigates his passion for Shakespeare by scurrying around New York. interviewing ordinary people and famous tlrespians about the Bard's appeal. When he gets together his chums to chew over the text and enact some scenes from Richard III however. his offbeat film goes sadly off the rails and resembles a Higher English lesson. A noble effort that's too self-indulgent to secure an new audience or further enlighten Shakespeare fans. See review. Glasgow: GFI'. Odeon Quay. Edinburgh: Filrnhouse.
I Maborosi (PG) (llirokazu Koreeda. Japan. I995) lisumi Makiko. NaitoTakeshi. IIO mins. When her husband commits suicide. a young Japanese woman becomes convinced she's some kind of Angel of Death. while her fatnin try to obliterate this social shame by arranging a new marriage. Slow and contemplative. with minimal dialogue. former documentarist Koreeda fills his feature debut with frames shot in semi-darkness. Atthouse traditionalists will delight at its lingering pace. Glasgow: GF'I'.
I Matilda (PG) (Danny De Vito. US. I996) Mara Wilson. Danny De Vito. Embeth Davidtz. 98 mins. Capturing the deliciorrs wickedness of Roald Dahl's writing. director De Vito fttlly exploits exaggeration and playful camera work to tell the tale of a gifted child who uses her super brairt to outwit her neglectful parents. Offsetting the lovable Matilda against a series of horriny inflated bad characters. the film's empowering message for children will appeal to the rnischevious kid in everyone. General release.
I Michael Collins ( IS) (Neil Jordan. US. I996) Liam Neeson. Julia Roberts. Alan Rickrnan. I32 mins. Winner of the Best Filrn and Best Actor awards at the Venice Film Festival and the cause of knee-jerk criticism from the right-wing press. Jordan's stirring historical epic is an honest portrayal of a ragged and bloody conflict between the British imperial power and idealistic Irish Nationalists early this century. The action is well handled. the characterisations strong and the brutality on both sides is never glossed over. Glasgow: Odeon Quay. Fife: Robin's.
A FILM BY Solondz
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SUNDANCF. FILM FES'I‘IVAI.
“Bitineg Funny!”
LOS ANGELES TIMES
“Darkly Comic”
Geott Andrew - TIME OUT
“Devilishly clever”
Janet Maslin - NEW YORK TIMES
“Sublime!” 4
Peter Travers - ROLLING STONE
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From Friday 24 January Cameo Edinbur
30 The List 24 Jan-6 Feb I997