Napier University Film Show ()ne of the most prolific film schools in Britain offers a wide range of drama. documentary and experimental film from graduates of the four-year BA Honours degree. Reviewed in two issues‘ time. lidinburgh: l-‘ilmhouse. One Fine Day (PG) (Michael Hoffman. US. I997) Michelle Pfeiffer. George Clooney. l()9 mins. A career-minded single morn meets a journalist single dad and. although chaos ensues. they fall in love. Lightweight romantic comedy that exists purely for the charisma of its stars. ()ne-off previews across Scotland.
The People vs Larry Flynt ( 18) (Milos I-‘orman. US. I996) Woody Harrelson. Courtney Love. lidward Norton. I30 mins. Following the rise of pornography publisher larry l-‘Iynt from humble beginnings through court cases and an assassination attempt. The People vs [.(II‘I') l’lvnt is about a lot more than politics. 'lhat's not to dismiss the film‘s central argument ~ that the right of free speech is absolute but it is Courtney Love as l-‘lynt's junkie wife Althea that you won‘t be able to take your eyes off. Iidinburgh: Cameo, ()deon.
The Perez Famin ( IS) (Mira Nair. US. I996) Marisa 'l'omei. Alfred Molina. Anjelica Huston. I I3 mins. When he's released from a Cuban jail after 20 years, Juan Perez, (Molina) dreams of joining his wife in Miami. Instead. he falls in with a flamboyant ex-prostitute ('l’omci) while wife Carmela (Huston) is shacked tip with a police officer (Palminteri ). A simple but engaging plot is given a boost by excellent acting. building up a spicy tale of family and freedom which will warm your heart but won't rot your teeth. Glasgow; Gl-T.
Pete Kelly‘s Blues (15) (Jack Webb. US. I955) Jack Webb. Janet leigh. Peggy Lee. 95 mins. Smell the smoke of the speakeasies during Prohibition in Kansas City and listen to the fantastic jazz on offer. In fact. it's the score (featuring lilla l’itzgerald and others) that rings more true than the gangster violence. Glasgow: (il’l‘.
The Princess Bride (PG) (Rob Reiner. US. I987). ('ary lilwes. Robin Wright. Mandy
Patinkin. 99 mins. Princess Buttercup is chosen by the nasty Prince Humperdinck to be his bride. btit her heart belongs to farm boy Westley. William Goldman's heavily ironic fairy tale is given a spirited treatment by the director of Stand By Me and an enthusiastic troupe. Glasgow: Gl-'l‘_
Private Parts (18) (Betty 'Ihomas. US. I997) Howard Stern. Robin Quivers. Mary McCormack. I09 mins. This autobiography of America's leading 'shock-jock' Howard Stern is as abrasive. loud and raunchy as you might have anticipated; but it’s also highly intelligent. ironic. downright hilarious at times. and burns with an anti- censorship fervour that's really cheering to see. Stern plays himself. and by the end. we’ve rooted for him in his struggle against airwave bureaucracy and the repressive network powers-that-be. See review. General release.
Quadrophenia ( I8) (l-‘rank Roddam. l'K. 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. lidinburgh: l-‘ilmhouse. Irvine: Magnum.
Ransom ( l 5) (Ron Howard. US. I996) Mel Gibson. Rene Russo. Gary Sinise. IZI mins. Self-made millionaire 'lom Mullen's life takes a turn for the traumatic when his son is kidnapped. After the FBI bungle the ransom drop. Mullen goes on network TV to offer the $2 million as a bounty on the kidnapper‘s head. A tightly paced. dark and brooding Hollywood thriller which has more than the average amount of tension and twists. Kirkcaldy: Adam Smith.
The Relic (l8) (Peter Hyams. US. I996) 'I’om Sizemore. Penelope Ann Miller. Linda Hunt. 109 mins. Never more than functional. but never less than mindlesst enjoyable. this surprisingly nasty horror movie blends elements of the haunted house. serial killer and monster mayhem
sub-genres as a mythical beast with enhanced DNA romps around a New York museum. Sizemore carries off his first leading man role with confidence. General release.
Reservoir Dogs ( l8) (Quentin 'I'arantino. US. I992) Harvey Keitel. Tim Roth. Michael Madsen. 100 mins. A gang of hoods. known only to each other by colour-coded nicknames. meets at an abandoned warehouse to figure how out their rigorously planned heist went so drastically wrong. The best debut in years from writer-director 'l‘arantino. whose stylish violence seduces the audience into complicity. lidinburgh: Cameo. Restless Natives (Michael Hoffman. UK. I985) Vincent I-‘riell. Joe Mullaney. Teri Nally. 89 mins. Quaint but silly Scottish comedy of dubious morals. in which a couple of lads from a housing scheme set out to make their fortune as highwaymen. stealing from their American tourists. who enjoy the touch of local flavour. Worth seeing. if only to spot local landmarks and actors. Glasgow: Grosvenor.
Return Of The Jedi (PG) (Richard Marquand. US. I983) Mark Hammill. Harrison Ford. Carrie liisher. l32 mins. I-‘amily relationships are neatly tied tip in the final part of George Lucas's original Slur llitrs trilogy. while the matinee-ster action quota is kept high as the forces of evil are vanquished at last. 'lliis is much more of a kids film than the others — as evinced in the cutesy liwoks - btit the final confrontation between Luke and Darth Vader has more emotional impact than anything else in the series. Glasgow: ()deons. Showcase. UCI Clydebank. lidinburgh: L'Cl. Iiast Kilbridc: UCI.
Romeo And Juliet (I2) (Bar. Luhrmann. Alistralia/US. I996) Iconardo DiCaprio. Claire Danes. Pete Postlethwaite. l2() mins.
The Strictly Bull/7mm director's tt‘eattttcnt of
the Shakespeare tragedy is a magnificent riot of colour. action and sexy teen romance. without any need to sacrifice the text. An intoxicating. breathtaking mix of Catholic iconography. high camp and street violence
that‘s both delicioust feverish and studiedly
index FILM
cool. lidinburgh: Cameo.
Rumble In The Bronx ( I 5) (Stanley Tong. US. I996) Martial arts star Jackie Chan's first US movie has him as a Hong Kong tourist in New York for a wedding in South Bronx. An action-adventure comedy that showcases the star's acrobatic abilities. Preview screenings. Glasgow: Odeon Quay. Showcase. lidinburgh: UCI.
Scream (l8) (Wes Craven. US. I996) Neve Campbell. Courteney Cox. Drew Barrymore. Illmins. Rather than depart from the traditional devices. shockmeiser (‘raven plays safe with what he does best. but plays it knowingly. The teenagers of Woodsboro know they're typical stalker fodder. so when a killer hits town. they gather in an enormous house to watch horror movies as the real bad guy gets closer. Self- conscious references are good fun. the opening sequence is genuine white-knuckle material. and — if you know the rules — you'll find it perfectly scary and funny. General release.
Sebastian ( l8) (Svend Wam. Norway. I995) 87 mins. A good-looking sixteen- year-old falls in love with his best friend. who's not exactly God's gift. but certainly has a more sensitive side. 'lhis rites-of- passage film that's been seen by half of Norway's schoolkids; but apart from its rather cloying educational tone. it contains nothing which would be otit of place in the tea-time teen TV soap Iln/lynuks. Glasgow: (ll-'1'. lidinburgh: I-‘ilmhouse.
A Self-Made Hero (IS) (Jacques Audiard. I-‘rance. I996) Matthieu Kassovitz. Anouk Grinberg. Sandrine Kiberlain. 105 mins. A rare blend of frivolity and seriousness. Audiard's second feature probes the legacy of l-‘rance‘s Vichy period through the life of a perpetual daydreatner who gets a taste for fibbing and becomes a fraudulent hero of the wartime resistance. Matthieu Kassovitz (who made the brilliant street-saga In Name) fills Albert with an engaging melange of timidity. low cunning and underlying determination. Kirkcaldy: Adatn Smith.
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