FILM index
FILM INDEX continued
Edinburgh: Cameo. liast Kilbride: Arts Centre. Stirling: MacRobert.
The Picture Of Dorian Gray (12) (Albert Lewin. US. l945) Hurd Hatfield. George Sanders. Angela Lansbury. l l() mins. Extremely effective adaptation of ()scar Wilde's story about the soul-selling pact a young Victorian gentleman makes in order to stay beautiful. And. unlike many Hollywood versions of literary classics. it shows its respect for the original language by packing in a fair amount of Wildean wit. Edinburgh: l-‘ilmltouse.
Preaching To The Perverted ( l8) (Stuart Urban. UK. 1997) (itiinevere Turner. Christiett Anholt. 'l'om Bell. 100 ttiitts. A devout Christian is ordered by his MP employer to infiltrate London's fetish club underworld. btit becomes infatuated with an American dominatrix. Pitched somewhere between Personal .S't't'vt't‘es. ('uttft's'siotis ()f A Commons Rt’Vl'tll‘t'llt’l' attd Carry On Spun/ting. yoti get the feeling that this one hasn't qtiite boarded the political sleaze bandwagon. Selected release.
Private Parts ( IS) (Betty Thomas. US. l997) Howard Stern. Robin Quivers. Mary McCormack. 109 mitts. 'l'his autobiography of America's leading ‘shock-jock‘ Howard Stern is as abrasive. loud and raunchy as you might have anticipated; btit it's also highly intelligent. ironic. downright hilarious at times. aitd burns witlt an anti- censorship fervour that's really cheering to see. Stern plays himself. and by the end. we've rooted for hint in ltis struggle against airwave bureaucracy and the repressive network powers-that-be. (ieneral release. Psycho ( 15) (Alfred Hitchcock. US. l‘lotlt Anthony Perkins. Jatiet Leigh. Vera Miles. Joint (iavin. Martin Balsam. John Mclntire. “)9 mins. Hitch‘s misogynistic masterpiece has a young secretary take off to hicksville With a bagful of her boss's money. Unfortunately for her she chooses to ptit tip at the Bates' Motel. run by that nice Norman boy. The ironic dialogue (‘Mother's itot quite herself today") make it a joy to catch anytime around. lidinbtti‘gh: Caitieo.
The Purple Rose Of Cairo (PU) (Woody Allen. US. NSF) Mia Farrow. Jeff Daniels. 84 tttitts. A dowdy waitress meets the man of her dreams when a matinee idol steps down off the movie screen atid into her life. Unfortunately. the studio bosses are not amused as the character involved is their property. arid the actor wlto played the role worries about the possibility of a paternity suit. Basically a one-joke movie. it's adntirably worked otit. offering a few barbs of wisdom on the illusory nature of romance. (iiasgow: (ii-'1‘.
Quadrophenia ( in) (Frank Roddam. UK. l979) Phil Daniels. Leslie Ash. Philip Davis. Stittg. 120 ittitts. Mods and rockers live it tip on Brighton beach by swapping buckets attd spades for chains aitd sticks. Liver first ltalf itas enough energy. music. violence atid period flavour to carry it along. btit all too sooti it degenei'ates ittto some sort of treatise on the itiorality of youth. set to tttttes by The Who. lidinbtirgh: iiilmhouse.
The Relic ( IS) (Peter Hyants. LPS. man) Tom Sizettiore. Penelope Ann Miller. Linda Hunt. l()() mitts. Never more tltan
functional. btit never less than mindlessly enjoyable. this surprisingly nasty ltorror movie blends elements of the haunted house. serial killer and monster mayhent sub-genres as a mythical beast with enhanced DNA rontps around a New York museum. Sizemore carries off his first leading man role with confidence. Crleitrothes.
Return Of The Jedi (PG) (Richard Marquand. US. 1983) Mark Hammill. Harrison Ford. Carrie Fisher. I32 ntins. Family relationships are neatly tied up in the final part of George Lucas‘s original Star Wars trilogy. while the matinee-style action quota is kept high as the forces ofevil are vanquished at last. 'lhis is ntuch more of a kids film than the others — as evinced itt the cutesy liwoks - btit the final confrontation between Luke and Darth Vader ltas more emotional impact than anything else iii the series. Cilasgow: ()deon Quay. UCl Clydebattk. Edinburgh: UCI. liast Kilbride: UCI.
Romeo And Juliet ( l 2) (Bar. Ltihrmann. Australia/US. l996) Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes. Pete Postlethwaite. l20 mitts. 'llte Strictly Ballroom director's treatment of the Shakespeare tragedy is a magnificent riot of colour. action attd sexy teen romance. without arty need to sacrifice the text. An intoxicating. breathtaking mix of Catholic iconography. ltigh catttp and street violence that‘s both deliciously feverish atid studiedly cool. Kirkcaldy: Adam Smith. Rumble In The Bronx ( 15) (Stanley 'l‘ong. Hoitg Kong. l996) Jackie Chart. Attila Mui. Francoise Yip. 90 mins. For his latest attempt to crack Holly-wood. Chan ltas maintained the kind of control he exercises over films iii his native Hong Kong — atth it works. He throws himself w itii gusto into an adventure that has ltitti defending his uncle's Cltinese superntarket iii New York against a variety of street totiglts. Violent ntacho toslt balanced by a sweet nature and a sincere. if clunky. moral. See review. Possible opening. (ilasgow': ()deon Quay. Showcase. lidinburgh: UCl.
Scream ( Ib’) (Wes Craven. US. 1996) Neve Campbell. Courteney Cox. Drew Barrymore. l l lmins. Rather than depart from the traditional devices. shockmeiser Craven plays safe with what he does best. btit plays it knowingly. 'lhe teenagers of Woodsboro know they're typical stalker fodder. so when a killer hits town. they gather itt an enormous house to watch horror movies as the real bad guy gets closer. Self-conscious references are good ftitt. the opening sequence is genuine w hite- kntickle material. and — if you know the rules - you'll find it perfectly scary attd funny. (ilasgow: ()deons. Showcase. UCI Clydebank. Virgin. lidinburgh: ()deon. UCl. liast Kilbride: UCl. Paisley: Showcase.
A Self-Made Hero (15) (Jacques Audiard. l-‘rance. l996) Matthieu Kassovitz. Anotik (irinberg. Sandrine Kiberlain. l()5 mitts. A rare blend of frivolity attd seriousness. Audiard's second feature probes the legacy of l-‘rance's Vichy period through the life of a perpetual daydreamer who gets a taste for fibbittg attd becomes a fraudulent hero of the wartime resistance. Matthieu Kassovitz (who ntade the brilliant street-saga [,(l [/(lfllt’) fills Albert with an engaging melange of tittiidity. low cuttning aitd
Screen savers: Penelope Ann Miller and Tom Sizemore in The Relic
30 THE “ST 27 Jun—l0 Jul 199/
underlying detertttination. Edinburgh: Cameo.
The Singing Ringing Tree (U) (l-‘raneesco Stefani. liast (iermany. l958) 73 mins. imaginative adaptation of the Cirimm Brothers' tale. itt which Princess 'l'httusandbeauty's suitor prince has the unenviable task of supplying her with said vegetation iti order to win her hand. Stirling: MacRobert.
Space Jam (U) (Joe Pytka. US. 19%) Michael Jordatt. Bugs Bunny. Wayne Knight. 87 mitts. Nasty alien cartoons have captured Bugs Bunny and are going to enslave the Looney Tunes iit their amusement park on Moron Mountain. btit Btigs has the brainwave of challenging them to a basketball game and enlisting the talents of Michael Jordan for his team. Lacking the class of Who I-‘rttniet/ Roger Rabbit" and the pace of a real basketball game. Sputt- .ltllll should divert the kids on Saturday mornings. (ieneral release. Space Truckers ( )2) (Stuart (iordon. US. 19%) Dennis Hopper. Stephen [)orff. Charles Dance. 92 mins. What should have been an off-beat science fiction comedy has
ended tip as a clunky. predictable pot-boiler.
Spaced-out cowboy Hopper. trainee trucker Dorff and exiled Noo Yawk diner waitress Debi Mazar battle with intergalactic pirate Dance (a hilarious. self-mocking performance) attd a consignment of bio- mechanical warriors. Notltittg gels. and the effects sequences are tacky attd unimaginative. Irvine: Magnum.
Take Care Of Your Scarf, Tatiana ( l5) (Aki Kauristttaki. liinland. 1994) (15 ntins. The l-‘innish director can be pretty hit and miss. attd this is only a lightly enjoyable effort. 'l’wo sombre. tincomtttunicative men pick tip Russian female ltitchltikers on the road to listonia attd a claustrophobic. absurd battle of the sexes commences. Shown with 'Iittttl littlttlttiktt Show. (ilasgow: (iii.
32 Short Films About Glenn Gould (U) (Francois (iirard. Canada. 1993) Colnt i’eore. Derek Ketirvorst. Katya Ladan. 93 tttitis. Partly a homage to the 32 sections of Bach's (ioltlltt'rg litriotionx. partly a radical approach to screen biography. this film tells the life-story of piano genius Glenn Gould
without resorting to cliched archive footage.
The acting is superb. the structure fascinating. the music as vibrant as ever. Rarely has the act of artistic creation been presented on screen with such creativity. lidinburgh: l-‘ilmhouse.
Total Balalaika Show (PG) (Aki Katirismaki. Finland. 1994) 55 ntins. Cult band The Leningrad Cowboy s play a large
Aiming to thrill: Courteney Cox in Scream
outdoor gig in Helsinki with. ehnt. the Red Army Chorus. and the result is a hilarious concert film that just manages to stop the joke wearing thin. Watch the confusion on the faces of the old Communist guard as they're led through renditions of ‘Knocking ()n Heaven's Door‘. ‘Volga Boatman' and ‘Delilah'. Showing with lit/(e Cure 0}" Your Scarf; 7lttjttttu. (ilasgow: (il’i‘.
Trojan Eddie (15) (Gillies Mackinnon. US. l996) Richard Harris. Stephen Rea. Aislin McGuckin. 105 mins. 'llie authoritative kingpin of a traveller community (Harris) falls'in love with and marries a beautiful young woman. but she absconds with her lover and their wedding booty. and amiable market stall trader 'l‘rojan [Eddie (Rea) is held responsible. Mackinnon never loses his grip on the subject. and his handling brings a mythic resonance to the tale. The acting is wonderful. with Harris iii particular a commanding presence. Willi the short Life In A Scotch Sitting Room. featuring the voice of lvor Cutler. Stirling: MacRobert. Unhook The Stars ( l5) (Nick Cassavetes. US/France. 1996) (iena Rowlands. Marisa 'l‘omei. (ierard Depardieu. l04 ntins. Following iii the footsteps of his famous father — American indie godfather John — Cassavetes casts his mother. (iena Rowlands. as a middle-aged widow who starts to reconsider her owtt life through the changes happening to others around her. 'lhe film quickly makes us feel that the characters are the driving force behind the unfolding drama. Rowlattds. maternal yet isolated. capable yet vulnerable. is absolutely wonderful. See review. iidinburgh: l’ilmhouse.
West Side Story (PG) (Robert Wise & Jerome Robbitts. US. l96l) Natalie Wood. Richard Beymer. Russ 'l'amblyn. Rita Moreno. lSS mitts. Romeo And Juliet revisited against a background of New York gangs. (ireat songs ofcotirse. btit the playing of the stylised dancing against a realistic background contrives to make it all look rather camp these days. Edinburgh: Cameo. l-‘ife: Adattt Stitith.
Yaaba (PG) (ldrissa ()uedraogo. Burkitta l-‘aso. IQS‘J) liatimata Sanga. Noufou ()uedraogo. Rotikietoti Barry. 90 mitts. Yaaba is a lonely old woman who has been rejected by the villagers of the small desert community. btit young Bila. a boy who treats the local scrub as his owtt adventure playground. is soon to break through the aura of mystery and suspicion that surrounds her. Inventive African feature whose narrative charm has won a wide international reputation and audience. Recommended. Glasgow: Ctl’l‘.