FILM index
FILM INDEX continued
Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (PG) (Steven Spielberg. US. I989) Harrison Ford. Sean Connery. Alison Doody. I27 mins. The third and supposedly final instalment of Spielberg‘s blockbuster series. in which the archeological adventurer is joined by his father (Connery) for a romp through the Middle East in search of the Holy Grail. hotly pursued (as ever) by the Nazis. A rather dodgy quasi-Christian morality is offset by strong performances and brilliant sparring from Ford and Connery. Fife: Dunfermline. St Andrews.
IPS (I5) (Jean-Jacques Beineix. France.
I99I ) Yves Montand. Olivier Martinez. Sekkou SaIl. I59 mins. Beineix follows Berry Blue and Diva with this image-laden story of an old man who befriends two delinquints while searching for an almost mystical lost love. Montand‘s death during the final days of shooting gives poignancy to one of his tnost dignified roles. Glasgow: OFT.
Jeffrey (I8) (Christopher Ashley. US. I995) Steven Weber. Michael T. Weiss. Patrick Stewart. 94 mins. Single New Yorker Jeffrey decides that AIDS has made sex too risky. so he goes celibate —just as he meets Mr Right. Cinematic style is cast aside for moment-to- moment entertainment in a punchy. witty film that uses its lead character as an amalgam ofAIDS era hang-ups. Resolutely upbeat and celebratory. Glasgow: Grosvenor. Jumanji (U) (Joe Johnston. US. I995) Robin Williams. Jonathan Hyde. Kirsten Dunst. IOI mins. Trapped for 26 years in ajungle board game. Alan Parrish (Williams) is released only when two modem-day kids throw the dice themselves. But they also unleash a stampede of monkeys. crocodiles. elephants. rhinos and other unfamiliar beasts into small town America. The story manages to get beyond its repetitive limits with a brilliantly original central idea and post- Jurassic Park computer effects. Fife: Kirkcaldy ABC.
Like Grains Of Sand (I8) (Ryosuke Hashiguchi. Japan. I995) Yoshinori Okada. Kota Kusano. Ayumi Hamazaki. I29 mins. Dramatically restrained. Hashiguchi's film tells of a Japanese teenage boy's struggle to have his homosexuality accepted at school and at home. Teen romance complications ensue when Ito‘s love for classmate Yoshida is not returned and the latter falls for school misfit Aihara. By stripping away the teen trappings (blaring soundtrack. pop icons. etc). Hashiguchi concentrates on the emotions at the core of the film‘s dilemmas. A sensitive character study. See review. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
loch Ness (U) (John Henderson. US. I995) Ted Danson. Joely Richardson. Kirsty Graham. IOO mins. An American scientist comes to Scotland to disprove the existence of Nessie. but is charmed by the place and the people. So far. so Local Hero. But in its later stages. this family movie leaps into action. keeping you on the edge of your seat. Better than you might expect. but not remarkany so. Edinburgh: Odeon.
Lone Star ( I5) (John Sayles. US. I996) Chris Cooper. Elizabeth Pena. Kris Kristofferson. I35 mins. When a modern- 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. Central: MacRobert. looking For Richard (I5) (Al Pacino. US. I996) Al Pacino. Winona Ryder. Alec Baldwin. I I2 mins. Pacino investigates his passion for Shakespeare by scurrying around New York. interviewing ordinary people and famous thespians 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. Fife: St Andrews.
The Madness at King George (PG) (Nicholas Hytner. UK. I994) Nigel
MTIIEUST 21 Feb—6 Mar I997
Hawthorne. Helen Mirren. Rupert Everett. I I0 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 Hawthorne'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. Edinburgh: Cameo.
La Madre Muerte (l8) (Juamna Bajo Ulloa.
Spain. I993) Karra Elejalde. Ana Alvarez. Lio. I07 mins. A burglar who kills a woman
in front of her child meets the girl years later.
Mute and traumatised by the event. she is kidnapped by him and enters a bizarre. guilt- ridden menage-a-trois also involving his girlfriend. Ambiguity and a creepy gothic mood dominate a film whose incredible visuals match the rottenness at the story‘s core. Edinburgh: Film Guild.
The Maggie (U) (Alexander Mackendrick. UK. I953) Paul Douglas. Alex MacKenzie. 'l'ommy Kearins. 92 mins. A rich America proves easy fodder for the crew of a Scottish cargo boat in Mackendrick‘s Ealing comedy. which lacks some of the sparkle of Il’liisky Galore. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
Mars Attacks! (I2) ('lim Burton. US. I996) Jack Nicholson. Glenn Close. Annette Bening. I05 mins. Take some 50s alien invasion films. add the star bodycount of 70s disaster movies. round it off with the weird imagination of'l‘im Burton. and you have this expensive sci-Ii spoof. The E'l‘s literally are little green men. wrecking havoc on Earth while disparate bunches of humans fight back. Good gags. great design and eye- popping computer animation. but it doesn't really connect as a complete film. Sec feature and review. General release. Matilda (PG) (Danny De Vito. US. I996) Mara Wilson. Danny De Vito. l-Imbeth Davidtz. 98 mins. Capturing the delicious wickedness of Roald Dahl's writing. director De Vito fully exploits exaggeration and playful camera work to tell the tale of a gifted child who uses her super brain to outwit her neglectful parents. ()ffsetting the lovable Matilda against a series of horriny inflated bad characters. the film‘s empowering message for children will appeal to the mischevious kid in everyone. General release.
A Matter of Life and Death (PG) (Michael Powell/Emeric Presshurger. UK. I946) David Niven. Kim Hunter. Roger Livesy. Raymond Massey. I04 mins. Wonderful film that rises above its beginnings as a piece of wartime propa-ganda about goodwill between Britain and the USA. Niven is an RAF pilot who finds himself before a heavenly tribunal when he bales out of his burning plane. A witty and stylish fantasy with a fair share of on-target satire. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
Le Mepris ( l 5) (Jean-Luc Godard. France. I963) Brigitte Bardot. Jack Palance. Michel Piccoli. I03 mins. Godard's comment on international filmmaking is re-released in a new print. A scriptwriter is increasingly despised by his wife as he tries to set up a film in Rome to be directed by Fritz Lang. The breakdown of a marriage contrasts with the chequebook wedding that marked so much collaborative filmmaking during the 60s. while the Mediterranean photography makes this the most handsome film Godard ever made. Central: MacRobert.
Michael (PG) (Nora Ephron. US. I996) John Travolta. William Hurt. Andie MacDowell. I05 mins. Two tabloid newspaper reporters and an ‘angel expert' are sent to check out reports about a guy with wings in Iowa. It is indeed the archangel Michael. who lives it up — drinking. smoking and womanising - across America while trying to get mismatched Hurt and MacDoweIl together in romantic terms. Travolta‘s charm shines through. but can‘t save a movie that‘s lacklustre and totally lacks chemistry between the other two stars. See review. General release. Michael Collins (IS) (Neil Jordan. US. I996) Liam Neeson. Julia Roberts. Alan Rickman. I32 mins. Winner of the Best Film and Best Actor awards at the Venice Film Festival and the cause of knee-jerk criticism from the right-wing press. Jordan‘s stirn'ng 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 bmtality on both sides is never glossed over. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. Monsieur l-lulot's Holiday (PG) (Jacques 'l'ati. France. I953) Jacques 'l'ati. Nathalie Pascaud. Michelle Rolla. 9| mins. M. Httlot. the bachelor with the accident-prone touch. arrives at a jaunty coastal resort and devastation very soon ensues. Comic timing at its tnost irresistible. as 'I'ati gets away with a number of memorable. slow-burning gags. all undercut by the stabbing notion that we all have an uncle exactly like Hulot. The print for this screening is dubbed into English. Glasgow: (il’l‘.
Mr Reliable (l5) (Nadia 'l'ass. Australia. I996) Colin Friels. Jacqueline McKenzie. l’aul Sonkkila. I I3 mins. Based on a true story that had the Australian nation gripped to their television screens. 'l'ass's offbeat and upbeat movie is another success from Down Under. During the I968 Summer of Love. petty criminal Wally Mellish's home is under siege: only in Australia could a situation teetering on tragedy end in wedding bells. A marvelloust lively character piece that captures the anarchic spirit of the country. Glasgow: Grosvenor.
Natural Born Killers ( )8) (Oliver Stone. US. I994) Woody Harrelson. Juliette Lewis. Robert Downey Jr. I I9 mins. Stone‘s visual and aural assault makes for one of the most remarkable cinematic experiences in years; his attempts to marry style with content. and provide a damning expose of the media adulation of serial killers is less successful. let down by his trademark overstatement. Violent. mesmerising. hallucinatory and bold in its use of various film formats. NBK is a landmark in M'I'V~inlluenced lilmmaking. Glasgow: ()deon Quay. Edinburgh: ()deon. 101 Dalmatians (U) (Stephen Herek. US. I996) Glenn Close. Joely Richardson. Jeff Daniels. l03 mins. Disney turns one of its favourite animated films into a live action pantomime with spodges of Home Alone buffooncry. making sure there are plenty of dogs to make the kids go 'aaahhh'. The story remains pretty much untouched — vile villainess Cruella De Vil (Close) kidnaps enough spotty pups to make a stunning coat. but the animal world gets the better of her — but so does the old-fashioned morality. which stresses the sanctity of marriage and that a woman‘s place is by her man's side. General release.
Pepinieres European Video Documentaries (PG) As part of the European Artists Pepinieres Scheme. Pedro Sena Nunes (from Portuagal) and Jose Antonio Hergueta (from Spain) have spent four months in Glasgow each developing a short documentary video about the city. This special screening takes place at the Glasgow Film and Video Workshop. where Nunes and Hergueta benefitted from the new state-of- the-art digital video facilities. Glasgow: GFVW.
The Phantom (I2) (Simon Wincer. US. I996) Billy Zane. Kristy Swanson. 'I‘reat Williams. l()() mins. He may be the original comic book hero. but after countless screen outings for his crime-battling colleagues. 'lhe Phantom is looking well past his sell by date. Here the purple-clad crusader (Zane) has to stop a power-crazed business magnate (Williams) from unleashing a deadly force. Designed in the best Art Deco style. but everything and everyone is remarkably plastic and soulless. See review. Glasgow: Odeon Quay. Showcase. UCI C lydebank. Edinburgh: UCI.
The Pillow Book ( l8) (Peter Greenaway. UK/Netherlands/France. I996) Vivian Wu. Ewan McGregor. Yoshi Oida. I26 mins. Greenaway's distinctive style of frames within frames and text scrolling across the screen reaches its zenith in this visual masterpiece. A Japanese model chooses her lovers on the strength of their calligraphic skills. and slowly she puts in motion a revenge plan against the man who ruined her father. McGregor co-stars as a bisexual translator whose kit is more off than on. but the graphic nudity is sensually handled. Achingly gorgeous images make for sheer cinematic poetry. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. Portrait Of A Lady (I2) (Jane Campion. US. I996) Nicole Kidman. John Malkovich. Barbara Hershey. M4 mins. Campion‘s follow-up to The Piano is a dark and difficult
adaptation of Henry James‘s novel which stays true to the original's subtle psychological observations. Kidman — at once proud. naive. sensitive and determined — is excellent as the young woman almost destroyed by a disastrous marriage. while Malkovich is a little too cold and ambiguous. Beautiful. but emotionally remote. See review. Glasgow: ()deon Quay. Edinburgh: UCI.
ll Postino (U) (Michael Radford. Italy. I995) Massitno 'l'roisi. Philippe Noiret. Maria Grazia Cucinotta. I08 mins. When exiled Chilean poet Pablo Neruda (Noiret) arrives on a remote island off the Neapolitan coast. he aids local postman Mario ('l‘roisi) to woo the village barmaid. Gently paced and fttll of Mediterranean sun. Radford's film is nicely unsentimental. Sadly. 'l'roisi died the day after shooting was completed. but he couldn't have left a liner legacy. Edinburgh: ()deon. Fife: St Andrews. Powder ( l 2) (Victor Salva. US. I995) Sean Patrick l-‘lanery. Mary Steenburgen. Jeff Goldblutn. Il2 mins. like I’ln'nmm'nmi. Pom/er is intended to be a spiritually uplifting film with a slower-achiever fora central character and a conviction that there is good in the hearts of the most unassuming humans. An albino boy (Flanery) found in a cellar is discovered to have an IQ that goes right off the scale and electrically charged powers which he uses for the good of mankind. Uninspired and sentimental. Glasgow: ()deon Quay. UCI Clydebank. Edinburgh: UCI.
Quadrophenia (18) (Frank Roddatn. UK. I979) Phil Daniels. Leslie Ash. Philip Davis. Sting. I20 mins. Mods and rockers live it up on Brighton beach by swapping buckets and spades for chains and sticks. Lively first half has enough energy. music. violence and period flavour to carry it along. but all too soon it degenerates into some sort of treatise on the morality of youth. set to tunes by The Who. Glasgow: City Centre ()deon. Gl'l‘. Ransom (I5) (Ron Howard. US. I996) Mel Gibson. Rene Russo. Gary Sinise. I2l mins. Self-made millionaire 'I'om Mullen's life takes a turn for the traumatic when his sort is kidnapped. After the FBI bungle the ransom drop. Mullen goes on network TV to offer the $2 million as a bounty on the kidnappers head. A tightly paced. dark and brooding Hollywood thriller which has more than the average amount of tension and twists. The acting is all-round excellent. bttt it‘s Gibson's movie and he‘s perfect as the Iikeable bloke with an underlying vicious streak. General release.
Ridicule ( I8) (Patrice l.econte. France. I996) Charles Berling. Jean Rochefort. Fanny Ardant. l()2 mins. A young engineer travels to the court of Louis XVI to secure funding for a drainage project and discovers a cruel society where savage wit can open doors or slam them in your face. Verbal duels give the film a literate spark. and the portrait of a decadent world manages to achieve several contemporary parallels. A costume drama with depth beneath the costumes. Glasgow: (il-'l'. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
The Rise To Power Of Louis XIV (PG) (Roberto Rossellini. France. I966) Jean- Marie Patte. Raymond Jourdan. Silvagni. I02 mins. France's famous Sun King instigates various methods to keep power in his hands and the twin forces of peasants and aristocrats at bay. The film. as the title suggests. follows his rise from relatively powerless monarch to autocrat. revealing how the building of Versailles provided a centralised - and therefore controllable — court life. Rossellini approaches his subject directly. and shows a fascination for the rituals of the court. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. Seven Brides For Seven Brothers (U) (Stanley [)onen. US. I954) Howard Keel. Jeff Richards. Russ 'I'amblyn. I03 mins. Classic MGM all-singing all-dancing musical loosely based on the Rape of the Sabine Women. Despite its arch symmetry. it remains a colourful and vigorous affair with a cosin effective score by DePaul and Mercer. The dancing. choreographed by Michael Kidd. is its strongest point but its status as an all time great is probably marred room by the brash and primitive technicolour filming. Glasgow: GFI'.
She‘s The One (l5) (Edward Burns. US. I996) Edward Burns. Mike McGlone.