FILM INDEX
four actors frotn diverse sources. casts himself as Jesus. and sets to work on a stunningly radical version of hisown. Naturally. life begins to imitate art. but don't expect anything else predictable. because A rcand's follow-up to Decline ()f The .-t merit‘un lirrtpire is chockful of twists. surprises and incisive satire. Finely acted. elegantly filmed and always intriguing. Glasgow: Gl-‘l‘.
IJourney 01 Hope ( PG ) 1 .\'av ier Koller. Switzerland. 1991)) Necmettin Cobanoglu. Nur Surer. litnin Sivas. Mathias Gnadinger. lllltnins.Winnerofthe1991 Best Foreign Film ()scar. this isa harrowing tale about a Turkish fatnily w ho sacrifice everything to seek admission to a new . more pt'osperous life in Switzerland. Charting the tribulations and humiliations theyendure on the journey . it givesa striking account of the difficulties lacing all refugees and would-be immigrants. lidinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Kaos ( IS) ( Paolo attd Vittorio'l'aviani. Italy. 1984) Margarita Lozano. Clattdio Bigagli. linrica Maria Modugno. l-ranco Franchi. 187 mins. Five storicsby Pirandello are placed against the vast Sicilian landscape that w as his birthplace. The tales of werewolv es. ty rants and bandits are as dramatic as the bleached rocks attd dark interiors and build upa strattge. grotesque v ision of the past. The visuals are stunning. the individual sections a little overlong. Glasgow : Gl’l‘. I The Karate Kid (PG) (John G. Avildsen. L'S. 198-1) Ralph Macchio. Noriyuki ‘Pat' Morita. 137 mins. In this. the first attd best of the teenage martial arts tnovies. a New Jersey kid has trouble fitting in with the locals when his tnotn tnoves out to the West Coast. In particular. he falls foul ofa big shot at the local karate club. Fortunately however. he tneets a wise old ()kinawan karate master. From hitn our hero learns inner strength. resilience. strong moral values and not to use hisgifts for violence. Character building stuff. Strathclyde: t'CI liast Kilbride. I King Ralph (l’(‘r) (David S. Ward. its. 1991 )John Goodman. Peter 0‘ Toolc.
mysterious American woman (D'Angelo) in a small Irish seaside resort. Their
already unconventional relationship (the 1 mother being missing. presuttted dead 1 is deepened when they compete for the woman's affections. while the son‘s girlfriend (Pilkington) is alienated by the
whole situation. Glasgow: GFI'.
I Misery ( 18) (Rob Reiner. LS. 1991) Kathy Bates. Jatnes Caan. Frances ' Sternhagen. Richard Farnsworth. Lauren Bacall. 1117 mins. Adapted fromStephen King's novel. this psychological chiller centres on a popular author with literary aspirations (Caan) who finds himself trapped. following a nasty car accident. with his'number one fan‘(Bates. whowon the Best Actress Oscar for the role). Gradually. he becomes aware other psychosis. and is forced to hide his time until he can contrive an escape. The talents of all concerned are employed to superb effect. to produce a movie ofgreat originality. subtlety and entertainment , . o value. Glasgow: ()deon. Edinburgh: L'Cl. Chlna- lnSteadr he and SCTIDMfllef i Strathclyde:L'CICIydebank.L7C11€ast Spencer Nakasako (who stars as the ! Kilbride. i Man-With-No-Name), have assembled ; IMisterJohnson(12)(Brucc Beresford. a glistening and fasf-paced antidote to ' US. 1991)) Pierce Brosnan. lidward I the Hong Kong travelogue, which : gt)tl)lclw'2tlrc)l(.)Maynird Dgnnts| - - - - ui ev. 1 mins. .‘et in .. sco oma defies any Clas.s"|cat'on as to genre' West Africa. Bruce Beresford's follow-up 'Pteiweave‘l wall "I? gang§tef Story 0' to Oscar-winner Driving .1It's's' Daisy again me In the WIN EaSt '8 3.58"“ 0' : brings up questions of racial conflict and documentary Style Stra'gm'to‘camera again fails to address them satisfactorily. ‘interviews'. The assorted low-life Newcomer Eziashi — surprise winner ofa characters dissect the city with Golden Bear at the 1991 Berlin Film scalpel-sharp efficiency. Festival - is the native Nigerian whogoes oujrageous and riskqaking, “'8 is out of his way to affect the manner of a Cheap explodes with often hilarious B‘ll‘lsl‘T.“"L‘C“""1“F;f°”"?911’h“ - . co onta tst eroes ntt a mac tn a retnote Images 0' the crowued (my amid“ region of the country. Glasgow: Gl-‘l‘. f Bunuelesque flashes of the grotesque. . M, And ms Budge ( p0) (1mm “my. Even ll wang exh'b'ls 3" UK. 1991)) Paul Newman. Joanne overdeveloped taste forthings Woodward. Blythe Danner. Simon scatological, and a penchant for hand Callow. Kyra Sedgwick. 12-1 mins. Based held camerawork which becomes on two novels by livan S. Connell. the nauseating during the ten minute chase, he has managed to get
Life is Cheap. . . But Toilet Paper is Expensive (18) (Wayne Wang, US, 1990) Spencer Nakasako, Victor Wong. Cora Miao, Cheng Kwan Min. 88 mins. A young American-Asian stablehand with black stetson, packet of Marlboro and no name, takes time off from the day job to deliver a briefcase to Hong Kong for a Triad gang. But what should have been an easy deal: drop the package 011 and get on with a few days of all expenses paid sight-seeing, becomes complicated when the Triad boss refuses to take delivery of the mysterious package.
Stumbling through an increasingly surreal and nightmarish city, our innocent hero persists in his attempts to contact the boss, who seems too preoccupied with his daughter’s forthcoming wedding to show any interest. Instead, his contact ‘Uncle
latest Ivory. Merchant drama centreson middle-class American fatnily life itt the 193(1s and 411s. Beautifully acted by
John Hurt. Camille ( ~odurt. .lulian Gloyet . 96 mins. When the cttttre Royal family is unluckily wiped out. Las Vegas pianist Ralph Jones (Goodman) becomes heir to the throne of Britain. lnthe struggle to adjust to his elevated lifestyle. King Ralph offends other monarchs. disrupts British industry. delights the tabloid press and falls in love with a commoner. But complications arise when Lord Graves ( l lurt ) begins plotting his downfall. L‘nreverential comedy with art enjoy-ably robust central performance. a pinch of satire on the British ‘Royals' cult. and a good few laughs. Strathclyde: ()deon Ay r. I Koyaanisqatsi ( ti ) ( ( iodfrcy Reggio. LS. 1983) Sb mins. Rather vacuous exploration of the beauty ofour planet and the nastiness of our tnodern civilisation which is in the process of destroying it. Beautifully shot. and with an apocalyptic Philip Glass score to boot. it endsup looking like a spectacular advert for somethingor other. lidinburgh: Catneo. I Last Images Of The Shipwreckt 15) (Eliseo Sttbiela. Argentina. 1989) Lorenzo ()uintcros. Noemi Frenkel. llugo Soto. 127 mins. A forty-year old insurance agent saves a woman from suicide. only to find out it was staged to grab attention. At last he has the theme for his great unwritten novel. A disturbing film of warped relationships. Glasgow: GF'I'. I Life Is A Long Quiet River ( 15 t ( Etienne Chatiliez. France. 1988) Benoit Maginel. Patrick Gelin. Andre Wilms. 99mins. Fmbittered nurse exchanges the offspring of two very different families. Trouble results when she reveals her trick twelve years later. and the richer Le ()uesnoys learn they are nurturing one of the sleazy Groseilles and vice versa. Based on the
Mark Twain novel I’tufrf'nheatl ll'ilvmt. its
24The List ZbJuly~ 8 August 1991
Cheng’ (Cheng Kwan Min) organises a sight-seeing tour, during which the briefcase is stolen and, giving chase, the hero sucked down into the dark and seething alleys and tenements. Wayne Wang left Hong Kong at seventeen, and went back to make a documentary of the city before it returned to the control of mainland
underneath the skin of Hong Kong. Post Tiananmen Square, it is peopled with ‘live and a half million sitting ducks’. This is how they breathe, eat, tuck, excrete and die. (Thom Dibdin) Glasgow Film Theatre Wednesday 7—Friday9 August. Edinburgh Filmhouse Sunday 4—Tuesday 6 August.
humour relies on characterisation rathet than on the slick sight gags a 1 lollywood film-maker would w rittg from it. Maginel and Wiltns are outstanding. lidinburgh' Filmhouse.
I Life Is Cheap... (18) ( WayneWang. US. 19911) Spenser Nakasako, Victor Wong. Cora .\liao. Cheng Kwan Min. 88 mitts. See review. Glasgow : ( il'T. lidinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Listen Up (The Lives Of Quincy Jones)( 1: 1 (F.11en \Veissbrod. LS. 1991)) Quincy Jones. Michael Jackson. Frank Sinatra 115 mins. See preview. lidinburgh: Dominion.
I Meet the Applegatest 15)(.\lichael Lehman. l'S. 1991111id Begleylr. Stockard Channing. Cami ( 'ooper. Dabney Coleman. 83 mins. Lehman's follow -up to the wonderfully black cotnedy Ht’tll/lt’f.\ is an off-beat satirical comedy about the green movement's struggle against consumerism. Posing as an outcry. mid-Western family led by blue-eyed patriarch Beglcy. the Applegates are itt fact a gang ol'gianl Brazilian insects charged with the subversive dutyofextinguishingthe
env irotttnetttally unsound human race. But of course. the temptationsol American decadence can be seductive Gentle satire with a slitny undetbelly (ilasgow (il"l
I Mermaids ( 15) (Richard Benjamin. US. 1991 ) Cher. Winona Ryder. Bob 1 loskins. Christina Ricci. llflmins. Quirky growing-up comedy whose adolescent heroines are an irresponsible. footloose mother Mrs Flax (Cher) and her morose. pious daughter Charlotte (Ryder). both of whom have something to learn from the other's pre-supposed values. Enjoyable and warm-hearted. with lloskins splendid as the sexy shoe-shop owner. and excellent performances from the two central actresses. Glasgow: Odeon. lidinburgh: ()deon. UCI. Strathclyde: 17(‘1C1ydebank. UCI TiastKilbride.
I Midnight Express ( 18) (Alan Parker. CK. 1978) Brad Davis. John Hurt. Mike Kellin. 121 mins. Dealing economically with the truth this is still a riveting storyof the nightmare that befell American Billy llay'es when he was incarcerated in a hellish Turkish jail on a charge of drug-smuggling. Brutal. viscerally powerful filtnmakittg that won an Oscar for Oliver Stone's script. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I The Miracle ( 15) (Neil Jordan. UK’Eire. 1991 ) Beverly D‘Angelo. Donal McCann. Niall By'rne. Lorraine Pilkington. 98mins. Symbol-laden and myth-1ike.Jordan's latest is the story ofa father (MeCann). a son 1 Byrne) and the odd emotional
1 responsestltey feelonencounleringa
real-life couple Newman and Woodward.
, it details happy days at the heyday oftheir
marriage. when their three children are beginning to grow up. and the decline of their relationship in later life. A glossy but subtle period saga. mounted with the production team's customary panache. Glasgow: Gl’l‘.
I The Naked Gun 2 1/2 ( 12) (David '/.ucker. USA 1991) Leslie Nielsen. Priscilla Presley. Robert Goulet. George Kennedy. 95 mins. The nasty leadersof the coal. oil and nuclear industries have hatched a fiendish plot to trick President Bush into carrying out an extremely unsound energy policy. But they hadn‘t reckoned on the inimitable abilitiesof Lieutenant Frank Drebin. Leslie Nielsen is back on top fortn as he bungles through lame jokes. bizarre sight gags and lust for Priscilla Presley with a Clouseau-like efficcncy. Glasgow: Cantton The Forge. Cannon Sauchiehall Street. Edinburgh: Cannon. UCl. Central: Cannon. Strathclyde: Cannon. ()deon Ayr. ()deon Hamilton. UCl Cly'debank. L'Cl liast Kilbride.
I The Name of the Bose(18)(Jean-Jacques Annaud. W. Germanvarance Italy. 1986) Sean Connery. F. Murray Abraham. Christian Slater. 131mins. Marvellous medieval mystery with the masterful Connery as a Sherlock Holmes-like sleuth on the trail of a murderer in the monastery. Adapted from Umberto Eco's best-selling novel. the film overlooks its questing. intellectual elements. Nonetheless. a convincing historical atmosphere and a BAFTA-winning performance from Scan. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Might Sun ( 12) (Paolo and Vittorio Taviani. ltaly France/Germany. 199111 Julian Sands. Nastassja Kinski. Charlotte Gainsbourg. 112 mins. The Taviani brothers follow up Knox and (him!
J