Films screening this fortnight are listed below with certificate, credits, brief review and venue details. Film index compiled by Alan Morrison.
Un Air De Famille (15) (Cedric Klapiscli. France. 1997) Jean-Pierre Bacri. Claire Maurier. Agnes Jaoui. 109 mins. Klapisch's follow-up to the delightful When The Cu! 't' Away is a witty expose of family interaction. Gathering to celebrate a birthday. the family's dinner conversation crescendos from gossip to bitchiness. The filtti retains ati element of its stage roots. btit has a sharply comic poitit of view. Glasgow: GI’I'. Edinburgh: l-ihnhouse.
Alien Resurrection (lb‘) (Jean—Pierre Jeuiiet. US. 1997) Sigourney Weaver. Winona Ryder. 105 mins. Iiv il boffiiis clone Ripley and the unborn alien inside her. btit the monster escapes and rampages about a labyrinthine spaceship. It‘s a shaky premise. with a pick 'n' mix selection of elements frotii earlier Alien movies. I)c‘ll(cll¢’.\'.\'(’ll director Jeunet retains enough of his own distinctive. retro- future vision btit damages the series‘ serious tone with unfunny one-liners. quually otit of place is Winona Ryder. Glasgow: Gilmorehill. Kirkcaldy: Adam Smith Amarcord ( l8) (Federico Fellini. Italy/I-‘rance. 1973) l’uppela Maggio. Magali Noel. Armando Brancia. 123 mins. Fellini's joyous. autobiographical look back at life iii Ritiiiiii in the 1930s is the work of the master in his most outgoing mood. at constant procession of remarkable images and memorable moments. despite the looming shadow of Italian Fascism. Glasgow: Gilmorehill.
Amistad (15) (Steven Spielberg. US. 1997) Anthony Hopkins. Morgan Freeman. Djimon Hounsou. 152 mins. After a revolt on a ship off the coast ofCuba in 1839. a group of slaves are captured by an American naval cutter and put on trial for piracy and murder. Spielberg botches this fascinating tale not because of historical inaccuracy. btit through narrative incompetence -- the filtii falls apart iii the courtroom. where scenes come across as [A Law done in period costume. Glasgow: ABC Film Centre. Showcase. lidinburgh: ABC Wester Hailes. UCI. Galashiels: Pavilion. Paisley: Showcase.
As Good As It Gets ( l 5) (James 1.. Brooks. US. 1997) Jack Nicliolsoti. Ileleti Htitit. Greg Kiniiear. 139 mins. Neurotic writer Melvin suffers froin obsessive-compulsive disorder. but compensates for his lonely life by beeoming a master of abuse. Carol. the waitress iii a local restaurant. is the only person tough enough to take him on. As romantic comedies go. it's an odd pairing. btit the match works thanks to a sharply witty script atid spot-on performances from Nicholson and Hunt. General release.
Best Men (15) (Tamra Davis. US. 1997) Dean Cain. Luke Wilson. Drew Barrymore. 90 mins. ()ii their way to the wedding of recently released ex-con. a group of friends stop off for a bank robbery and become embroiled in a tense stand-off with the police. With performances that are nicely judged. the individual scenes trip over themselves in a mix 'ti' match selection of homages to other movies. Hip. funny and knowingly derivative entertainment — a kind of Rc’St’I'l'Ulr I)ugv~lite. See review. Glasgow: ABC Film Centre.
Bicycle Thieves (PG) (Vittorio De Sica. Italy. 1948) Lamberto Maggiorani. Iinzo Staiola. An unemployed Italian workman has his bicycle stolen. and badly needs it for a new job. so he and his small son search the busy streets of Rome for it. The epitome of Italian neo-realisni. with the Roiiiati setting vividly sketched and the performances compellineg natural. so that this unrotiiantic drama takes on an overwheming power. Masterly stuff. Glasgow: Gilmorehill.
The Blackout (IS) (Abel Ferrara. US. 1997) Matthew Modine. Béatrice Dalle. Dennis Hopper. 99 mins. Modine plays a top Hollywood star whose addiction to drugs and alcohol is way out of control. In the heat of Miami. his substance bitige enters tornado proportions. and later he becomes convinced that. during a blackout. he killed someone. Ferrara is back in the moral gutter. following the painful spiritual journey of a single character. Moditie gives his all in a film that spills off the screen like aii anguished howl
30 THE llST 20 Mai—2 Apr 1998
from a diseased soul. See preview and review. Glasgow: Gf-‘I'. Gilmorehill.
The Blue Angel (PG) (Josef voii Stertiberg. Germany. 1930) Emil Jannings. Marlene Dietrich. Kurt Gerron. 108 tiiiiis. Berlin's decadent cabaret era is vibrantly brought to life as Dietrich's voluptuous singer Lola-Lola sets out to seduce arid destroy a bourgeois schoolteacher. In her first major role. the actress taps itito a potent current of female sexuality. Glasgow: (il-‘l‘. Stirling MacRobert.
Body Art (18) (Daniel Wiles. UK. 1997) (it) mins. Made for the South Bunk Slime. lllls showcase of work by controversial artists FrancoB. ()rlan and Ron Athey was pulled from the schedules and still has not been transmitted. Iiach artist uses their own flesh and blood in disturbing. v isceral performances. and this is linked to a profile of Fakir Musafar - spiritual father to body - piercers — who draws together ancient and modern. religious and secular cultures Iidinburgh: l'lllllllOtls‘c‘.
Boogie Nights (18) (Paul ‘l'honias Anderson. US. 1997) Mark Wahlberg. Burt Reynolds. Julianne Moore. 152 mins. Doing for porn filmmaking what (iom/I'el/uv did for gangsters. Boogie Nights charts the rise. fall and redemption of a fictional porn superstar (Wahlberg) against the enormous changes wrought iii the industry between the 70s and 80s. Large-scale social commentary attd small-scale human dramas account for the film's epic feel. while the kitsch fashions and funky disco soundtrack create a film that is as ambitious as it is entertaining. lidittbiirgli: UCI. Ayr: ()deon.
The Borrowers (U) (l’eter Hewitt. l'K. 1997) John Goodman. Jim Broadlxint. Celia 1mrie.86 mins. At a height of only four inches. the Borrowers hide iii wall carille and living beneath the floorboards of the Lender household. When a nasty law yer tries to swindle the humans otit of their inheritance. families big and small Itilll forces. The design atid effects create a strangely familiar. oddly unplaceable world. and children will ha ve little difficulty suspending enough disbelief to be spellbound by the magic of the filtii. Glasgow ()deoii Quay. Galashiels: Pavilion.
The Boxer ( l5) (Jiiti Sheridan. l'K/L'S. 1997) Daniel Day-Lewis. limily Watson. Brian Cox. 112 mins Sheridan's follow -up to In The Name Of The Father brings the current drive towards a peaceful settlement right tip to date. Day-Lewis is perfect as the slow-burning ex-IRA titan trying to rebuild his life and rekindle love with his childhood sweetheart despite resistance iii his neighbours. The boxing scenes have a hard. realistic aggression. while the political perspective allows us to understand the demands that peace makes on a divided Republican community. Glasgow ()deon Quay. Showcase. Iidinburgh: Cameo. Breaking The Waves ( I 8) (Lars \ on ‘l'i-ier. Dentiiark/France. 1996) Iimily Watson. Stellan Skarsgard. Katrm Cartlidge. 158 mins. Iii a close-knit Calvinist community in the north of Scotland. a young woman faces banishment from the church when she makes a self-sacrificing pact with God in order to save her husband's life. Unlike \on Trier's austere arthouse works (Euro/iii). this intimate melodrama is raw and exposed Iimotional connection transcends everything else iti one of the most moving tilms ever made. Edinburgh: Film Guild.
The Butcher Boy ( 15) (Neil Jordan. UK. 1997) Stephen Rea. Ii'tmonn ()w ens. Aisling ()‘Sullivan. 108 mins. Jordan fuses ati oblique. nightmarish view of life iii a small rual Irish towti during the early (ills with a brutally honest. painfully funny coming-ot- age story. Iiverything is seen through the eyes of twelve-year-old Francie i( )wetis). who blots otit the cruel reality of his home life with increasingly ferocious flights of fancy. Iixtraordiiiary. Glasgow. ABC Film Centre. Edinburgh; ()deon. Grecnock Waterfront.
Close-Up (I’G) (Abbas Kiarostami. Iran. I990) 93 mins. Kiarostami brings questions of what is real and what is fabricated to the fore as he films a courtroom trial atid dramatises events leading up to the ‘crime'. using real people as themselves The principal subject is Hossein Sabzian. an unemployed printer who passes himself otf as a reclusive director. btit is charged with fraud. Kiarostami's openly honest manipulations introduce a complex series ol arguments about social standing and the
tialtitc of all. but also uncover some very human behav iotiral quirks. Glasgow. GI'T. Cold Fever ( l5) il'ridrik llior Fridriksson. lceland/(iei'iiiany. 1995) Masotoshi Nagase. I.i1i Taylor. Fisher Stevens. S5 tiiitis. ()ne of the oddest road movies ever made. with a young Japanese man travelling from the confines of'l‘okyo to the mystical. mythical latidcapes outside Reykjavik. \'ery funny. but also rather lll()\ mg. as the culture clashes reveal as many siiiiilartttes as difference. liditiburgh: l’lllll Guild.
The Command it?) (David Butler. US. 1954) Guy Madison. Joan Weldon. James \Vltititiore. 9() mins. It was Warner Bros's first film in Citieiiiascope. bttt that‘s all that's really iemarkable about this rather heavy liatided Western. The action scenes aren't bad as a cavaliy itiedical officer helps a wagon tram light oft both Indians and smallpox. Iidiiiburgli: St Brides.
Deep Crimson (1S) (Arturo Ripsteiti. .\lc‘\lc'(). 19%) Regina ()ro/co. Daniel Gimine/ Caclto 114 mins. 'Iwo social and physical mislits fat Coral and bald Nicolas loige a murderous alliance to marry and rip off iich women. lllls rettiake of (i(ls thriller Illt' l/mtt'wtimm Killerv is warmly hued and daikly litimotirous. btit bleak remains the over-riding adjective. Glasgow: Gilmorehill. Desperate Measures i IS) (Bat-bet Schroeder. CS. 1997) Michael Keaton. Atidy Garcia. Brian Cox. lllll tiiiiis. A desperate cop with a sick son needs aii urgent bone marrow donor. btit the only person with a cotiipattble match is an imprisoned psycltopatli. This silly scenario gets more uptight when said psycho escapes and the cop has to go all out to keep him alive. If you want the suspense of this unusual situation. then you have to deal quite quickly with the idiocon (he [)l’t‘llllSC. If you can't. tlieti avoid this film. Glasgow: ()deoti ()tiay.
The Devil's Advocate ( IS) i‘l‘ay-Ioi- Hackford. US. 1997) Al Pacino. Keaiiu Reeves. ('liarli/e 'l’lieron. 145 mins. Hot shot lawyei Kevin Lomax (Reeves) is recruited by a New York firm. but comes to realise its founder. Joliti Milton (I’acitio). is head of something a lot more scary than the legal industry. This titodet'n-day morality play allow s I’acmo to grandstand iii a part that's plainly absurd. w liile Reeves is too wooden for his supposedly charismatic role. Glasgow. Show case.
Dragonheart (Hi) (Rob (‘olien. US. I996) Dennis ()uaid. Sean Connery. David Thewlis 1(13 itiitis. Disilltisioned but noble ktiiglit Bowen (()uaitl) teams tip w tilt the last of the dragons (voice and itiannerisms by Connery) to tree the laiid from a tyrant kitig ('l'hewlis). Dungeons and dragons for all the famin iii a film that is only fun when the expertly animated. lire-breathing beast is on screen. Otherwise the \ltilyllllc' lumbers along. lidinbutgh. ()deon.
The Edge ( 15) (Lee 'l'atiialioi‘i. US. 1997) Anthony Hopkins. Alec Baldwin. Flle Macpliersoii llts‘ mms Hopkins and Baldwin respectively play an intellectual billionaire and a brash fashion photographer who end tip stranded miles frotii nowhere in the midst of brutal weather conditions. ('liclietl Iron John bonding gives way to i’ivalty over llopkins's lovely young wife (Macpherson i. however. The characters are wafer-thin. the narrative ludicrous and the action laughable Glenrolhes.
The End Of Violence ( IS) twi'ni Wenders. l,’S/(iermanyx'I’rance. 1997) Bill Pullman. Andie MacDowell. Gabriel Byriie. 120 itiitts. Reminiscent oi those open-ended paranoia llitillcts ol lllt‘ ~'41s(The('uniersulimi. The l’iiitilltii I). i. l. Il'e lfno’ (it lioleni e casts a
Gunning for trouble: Dean Cain in Best Men
caustic eye on modern LA. where reality and fiction are both most keenly experienced through the camera lens The plot revolves around the city's hi-tecli surveillance system and a murder attempt on a top film producer. but although the themes are intriguing. the overall effect is very patchy. Edinburgh: Cameo.
Event Horizon ( I8) (Paul Anderson. US /UK. 1997) Laurence Fishburne. Sam Neill. Joely Richardson. 91 mins. The crew of a rescue ship discover that hell has been unleashed inside a itiissiiig craft that reappears near Neptune. as their deepest fears begin to terrorise thetit in physical form. Iiffectively a haunted house movie .set iii space. liven! llorimn boasts stunniiig"l'echno Medieval‘ design; but tight editing leaves the characterisation and story stripped to within an inch of their lives. Glasgow: City Centre ()deon.
Fairytale: A True Story (U) (Charles Sturridge. UK. 1997) Florence Hoath. Iilizabeth Iiarl. I’aul McGaiui. 98 mins. Iti telling the story of two lidwardian girls who cause a sensation when they capture a photographic image of fairies. l’tlllj‘ltllt' manages to be more coherent and less downbeat than the similar I’Immgntphing I'itiriev. A carefully judged film that provides moving entertainitient for the faintly audience. General release.
Fallen ( 15) (Gregory lloblit. US. 1997) Den/e1 \V'ashington. John Goodman. linibetli Davidtz. 124 tiiitis. Ati atmospheric serial killer movie with supernatural overtones. Fallen is spoiled by tricksy directioti. Denzel Washington is an increasingly paranoid cop who's sure a spate of murders have the mark of a killer he recently saw executed. The final twist is clever. btit comes too late to save the filtii. General release.
The Fifth Element ( l 2) (Luc Besson. France/US. 1997) Bruce Willis.Mi1|a Jovovich. Gary ()ldman. 127 mins. New York City in the 23rd Century. and cabbie Korben Dallas (Willis) picks tip an unexpected passenger ill the shape of Leeloo (Milla Jovovich) — an alien who holds the key to saving the world. Besson‘s second [English language film — following the excellent Lemt - is a colourful jumble of camp designs (by Jean-l’aul Gaultier). self- indulgent performances and genre rip-offs which plays for laughs as genuine sci-ft ideas run dry. Iidinburgh: Cameo.
Films 0f Weimar Germany Study Day
1 lam—3.30pm. Sat 21 Mar. Professor Dietrich Scheunetiiann from Iidinburgh University leads an exploration of the golden age of German cinema. examining the social. political and cultural development duritig the Wetmar period. The on-gomg 'Divine Decadence' season is central to the day. which also includes a screening of The Blue Angel. Glasgow: GFI'.
Final ACCOI’d .Se/tlmvu/mn/ (PU) (Detlef Sierck. Germany. 1936) Maria Von Tastiady. Willy Birgel. Albert Lippert. 100 mins. The pre-Hollywood Douglas Sirk was in over- the-top form with this melodrama about a woman who returns to Germany to find her son when her husband commits suicide. btit has to become his governess before things are straightened otit. Glasgow; GI’I‘. Flubber (U) (Les Mayfield. US. 1997) Robin Williams. Marcia Gay Harden. Christopher McDonald. 93 mins. This remake of 1961 Disney favourite T/ie Absent Mint/ed I’Iiife.v\m‘ casts a subdued Williams as a scientist who invents a gravity defying goo. but may well lose his fiancee iii the process. Combining many of the worst. most annoying attributes of tilms designed to have