;__._--_. ._ 22 The List 5- 18 April 1991
FILM___
I Life Is Sweet ( 15) (Mike Leigh. CK. 1991 ) Alison Steadman. Jim Broadbent.
Jane Ilorrocks. Claire Skinner. Timothy
Spall. David Thewlis. 1112 mins. Domestic cringe-drama again in Leigh's latest offering. which centres on a family with mismatched twin daughters(llorrocks and Skinner) an inefficient caterer dad (Broadbent) and a generous-spirited mum (Steadman). The drama — laced. like all Leigh's work. with a bleak. almost cruel humour— centres on the sisters‘ relationship. the father's ill conceived business schemes and the new restaurant opened by a friend (Spall). Enjoyable. truthful and surprisingly optimistic. Sec feature. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I The Little Mermaid (Li) (John Musker and Ron Clements. US. 1990) With the voices of Rene Auberjonois. Buddy Ilackett. Kenneth Mars. 83 mins. Based on a Hans Christian Andersen fairytale. the latest Disney animated feature may not quite rank with the glories of Walt's distant past but displays an impressive attention to detail. bags of humour and a set oftruly tacky songs. ()ur bikini-clad heroine might be a little too eager to fulfil her Barbie-doll destiny. but by and large it's embarrassingly enjoyable sttiff. Central: Caledonian. MacRobert Arts Centre. Strathelyde: Cannon. ()deon Ayr. ()deon llamilion.
I Longtime Companion ( 15) (Norman Rene. US. 1989) Bruce Davison. Scott Campbell. Dermot Mulroney. 96 mins. Taking its title from the somewhat euphemistic phrase favoured by newspaper obituary columns to describe the partners ofgay men who die ofAIDS. Rene's humane. witty and moving drama tells the story of a group of friendsand their reactions to the changes in their world from the moment when they notice a small article in the New York Times warning of a ‘rare cancer‘ apparently attacking male homosexuals. This first mainstream release to chronicle the effects of the AIDS virus on the gay community offers a well acted and emotionally approachable portrait of courage. Central: MacRobert Arts Centre. l I Look Who's Talking Too ( 12) (Amy Heckerling. L'S. 199(1) John Travolta. , Kirstie Alley. Elias Koteas. with the
voices of Bruce Willis. Roseanne Barr. Damon Wayans. 80mins. Dire follow-up to the surprisingly successful original. with only one new idea (hey. let's have two talking babies!) and a great deal ofgrave embarrassment for its unfortunate stars. Glasgow: Cannon Clarkston Road. Cannon The Forge, Odeon. Salon. Edinburgh: Dominion. Odeon. L'C-I. Central: Allanpark. Caledonian. Cannon. Strathclyde: Cannon. Kelburne. Odeon Ayr. Odeon Hamilton. La Scala. L'Cl Clydebank. UCI East Kilbride.
I Love Al Large (15) (Alan Rudolph. US. 1990) Tom Berenger. Elizabeth Perkins. Kate Capshaw. Anne Archer. Neil
Young. 97 mins. Rudolph‘s latest isa
MR AND MRS BRIDGE
MrAnd Mrs Bridge (PG) (James lvory, US, 1990) Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Blythe Danner, Simon Callow. 124 mins. Treated with a gentle, ironic eye, the very insular mentality of the American Midwest is the subject of Mr and Mrs Bridge. They're Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward and they live in Kansas City in the years just prior to World War Two. He’s a lawyer in little round glasses with absolutely no sense of humour and she‘s passive, maternal and very, very domesticated. They have a son and two daughters and
nothing much happens because they're : ; the sort of people that nothing much
happens to. They never quite
1
l
communicate with each other, but they are in love and, despite their limited horizons, they really are very nice.
This attractive little movie is heavy on Merchant-lvory‘s customary ‘quality’ in terms of costumes, sense of period and place, but Newman and Woodward's keen performances lend a suppleness to what could have been just another well upholstered plod. Newman in particular, getting well into his character's stubborn narrow mind, is consistently entertaining in a role that's about as far removed from his usual screen sell as it’s possible to get. (Torn Tunney)
- From Fri 5 April. Edinburgh: Dominion.
bizarre kind of nuir pastiche. in which private dick Berenger is hired to keeptabs on Archer's errant husband. and is in turn tailed by a female dick (Perkins) hired by his jealous girlfriend (Capshaw). Eccentrically humourous and sumptuoust filmed. it fails to gel into a satisfying whole. but should not
disappoint Rudolph's followers. Glasgow: ‘
GFT. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I A Man In Love L'n HUHINM’ANIUlU‘t’lLX' (18) (Diane Kurys. France. 1987) Peter Coyote. Greta Scacchi. Jamie Lee Curtis. Peter Riegert. Vincent Lindon. l 11 mins. Adulterous shenanigans on a film set in Rome. as the leading man (Coyote) and his co-star (Scacchi) embark on an affair whose repercussions are hard to control. An uneasy mixture of bedroom farce and earnest love story. Kurys‘ only film in English is flawed. but has its blessings. notably the excellent performances of Reigert as Coyote's collaborator in crime. and Jean Pigozzi as the increasingly irate director. Glasgow: GFT.
I Manon Des Sources (PU ) (Claude Berri. France Italy. 198(1) Yves Montand. Daniel Auteuil. Iimmanuelle Beart. 114 mins. Ten years after the demise ofJean de I‘lorettc. the Soubeyrans run a
I prosperous carnation farm. Jean's daughter has grown into an alluring young woman and sets out to wreak her revenge. Steering this epic rural saga towards the realms of Greek tragedy. this is a fulland satisfying second half that explores the suffering of the guilty as they pay a crippling penance for man's greed and envy. The production values are as high as ever and Auteuil assumes Depardieu‘s mantle in his development from glaikit idiot to broken-hearted suitor. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Metropolitan ( 15) (Whit Stillman. US. 1989) Carolyn Farina. Edward Clements. Christoper Eigeman. Taylor Nichols. 98
1 mins. ReworkingofJane Austen in
modern New York. where a collection of 'L'hbs'(L'rban11aute Bourgeoisie) exchange urbane. ironic banter on the
three I..s - life. love and literature. 1 Intelligent. meditative satire lroni precocious newcomer. (ilasgow : (‘11-'1‘. ‘ I Miami BIUBSt IN) (George .-\rniitage. I IS. 1990) .-\lee Baldw in. I‘red Ward. Jennifer Jason leigli. 9" mins. I‘ormula cop thriller meets social satire in .-\rmitage's ambitious but not w holly successful parody . which attempts to expose the shallow ness ()1 I'Iiirltla society and glossy police drama. 1ititliusiastically ill'll'k.‘ Performances from Baldwin asthe hood. 1.eigh as his happy hooker and Ward as the exasperated cop on their tail can't compensate fora basic lack ofdriye in the plot and pacing. (ilasgow : ( i171. I Miller‘s Crossing ( is) (Joel ( 'oen. t 's. 1991)) ( iabriel By rne. .'\11)Lll I'lllllL‘y. .‘ylareiaUay Ilai‘den..1ohn'1uituiro..lon I’olito..I.I-.1"ieeinaii.l15mins.'1'he(‘oen Brotlici's‘ latest optis is a predictably quirky-bul-sly liin reworking of genre material in this case the gangster flick. Set in an unnamed liast-coast city in the 1930s. it centres on the lalling-out between mob-leader I-inney and his right-hand man By me when both take a shine to the same broad ( 1 Iardeii l. It'sall carried out with the ('oen'scustomaiy aplomb. and ey en features a fleeting appearance by Iz'i‘i/ Dead and Hurknnm director Sam Raimi. (ilasgow (i171. I MrAnd Ml’S Bridge 1 1’( i ) (James 1y ory. l'ls'. 1991)) Paul Newman. Joanne Woodward. Blythe I)anner. Simon (allow. Ky'i'a Sedgw ick. 134 mins. See review. Iidinburgh; Dominion. I Mo' BetterBluest is“) (Spike Lee. 1 ‘s. 1991)) Den/e1 Washington. Spike 1 cc. .Ioie 1.ee. (‘ynda Williams. 131) mins. Iixuberantly shot. enterprisineg designed and ey ocatiy'ely scored. I.ee's (an lliek scores on the ineidentals but neglects the basics with a central storyline that inoy es at a snail’s pace and w as ncy er that interesting in the first place. Washington play s the self-absorbed trumpet star Bleek (iilliam. iny oly ed with both teacher Joie Ice and aspiring singer Williams while failing to notice manager Spike's gambling habit and the discord in his band. Worth seeing all the same. btit patience is required. Central: MacRobcrt :\l'1s Centre. IThe Music Teacher(t')((ierard (‘orbiau. Belgium. 1988) Jose Van Dam. Patrick Batichau. lilll inins. 'I'he conflicting demands of art and loye are suinptuously explored in this beautifully mounted tale about a leading opera singer (Van Dam) who retires todevote himself to tutoring two young proteges, Ileis forced to compete through them when a rival teacher ( Bauchau) demands a musical contest with his own pupil. The score features Verdi. Mahler. Schumann. Mozart. Bellini. Schubert and ()ffenbach. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I The Never Ending Story ( PG) (Wolfgang Petersen. L'S W. Germany. 1985) Barret Oliver. Noah Hathaway. Moses Gunn. 94 mins. Lonely young boy Bastian starts to
“Immenser touching”
“A FILM... IT,’IJONATHANROSS
i HlllEll 1 counter lllllEll.
~ . min or STABfllNB JEAN-PIERRE lEAUD. MARGI CLARKE, KENNETH GDllEY. aussr APPEARANCE: JDE STRUMMER “Splendidly quirky”
“Daft, inspired and affectionate. I a IOt” Nuilfslorinu" E'VE'NINC. STANDARD
GLASGOW FILM THEATRE 8 - 11 APRIL EDINBURGH FILMHDUSE 4 - 6APRIL 1