INDEX FILM
character-building exploits during the Japanese invasion of Shanghai and his subsequent internment in a prison camp. Technically admirable but ponderously paced and wildly uneven. it lacks the emotional heart to capture the viewer and becomes just another big-screen spectacle. Edinburgh: Royal Museum. I Enchanted April (U) (Mike Newell. UK. 1991) Josie Lawrence. Miranda Richardson. Polly Walker. Joan Plowright. Alfred Molina. 95 mins. More repressed middle-class Brits head off to the ‘charming‘ ltalian countryside in order to find themselves. This time it's housewives Richardson and Lawrence teaming up with other dissatisfied compatriots and reassessing past. present and future lives in the comfort of Portofino. As an anagram of the title. ‘(‘rap Linen Death‘ really says it all. Glasgow: Cannon Sauchiehall Street. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I ET (U) (Steven Spielberg. US. 1982). Dee Wallace. Henry Thomas. Peter Coyote. 115 mins. An alien creature gets stranded on earth (the opening sequence of threatening legs and flashing torches is beautifully done). where he is adopted by some kids. who help him construct a communication device to summon back his spaceship. All the little guy wanted to do was go home. but Spielberg made sure he had lots of cute and agreeable adventures first. and slipped in the most tear-jerking psuedo-death since Baloo the Bear in The Jungle Book for good measure. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Exiled Programme 1 (15) Three films make up Shattering Truths. the first in a series of programmes which give a challenging view of the worlds of exile. Reassemhlage is a complex visual study of the women of Senegal. made by Vietnamese filmmaker Trinh Tminh-ha. now resident in the USA: it is supported by Luis Bunuel‘s Land Without Bread and Alberto (‘avalcanti's grimly factual Cort/face. Glasgow: GF'T. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Exiled Programme 2 ( 15 ) No Longer Silent looks at a more metaphorical definition of exile. examining female sexuality. racism and child abuse. Works by Sarah Pucill. Schnaz Hanslot. Ngozi ()nwurah and Su Friedrich. Glasgow: GFT‘.
I The Exorcist (18) (William Friedkin. US. 1973) Linda Blair. Ellen Burstyn. Max V'on Sydow. 110 mins. Earnest priest Von Sydow steps in to save poor little possessed girl in this hugely effective scarefest. Dead good. dead scarey. dead priest. Edinburgh: U(‘1.
I Fantasia (U) (Ben Sharpsteen. US. 1940) The voice of Deems Taylor: music played
by Leopold Stokowski. 135 mins. Fully restored to mark its 50th anniversary. Walt Disney‘s semi-abstract feature remains a unique and astonishing achievement. Almost equally lauded and loathed. it contains some visually stunning material as well as some rather embarrassing kitsch. but surely the most memorable sequence is The Sorcerer's Apprentice starring Mickey Mouse (endowed for the first time with pupils instead of button eyes). Glasgow: GET. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I The Fisher King (15) (Terry Gilliam. US. 1991) Robin Williams. Jeff Bridges. Amanda Plummer. Mercedes Ruehl. 137 mins. A suicidal former radio DJ (Bridges) and a drop-out former professor of medieval history go in search of the Holy Grail in contemporary New York. The visual splendour of Gilliam’s previous movies — Time Bandits and Baron Munehausen — is more restrained here. but the blend of myth. satire and romance is strong. Unfortunately. the wonderful central performances by Williams and Bridges are let down by a cop-out. up-beat ending. General release.
I Flatllners (18) (Joel Schumacher. US. 1990) Keifer Sutherland. Julia Roberts. Kevin Bacon. 111 mins. Arresting
adventure flick in which the bankable Ms Roberts plus Messrs Sutherland Jnr and Bacon play a band of medical students exploring the fine line between life and death. By tampering with life support machines. they're able to reach the moment when all the vital signs have stopped and the monitors are showing flat lines (hence the title). before being brought back by their associates. But the side-effects of the process are to prove dangerously unexpected. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Flirting (12) (John Duigan. Australia. 1991) Noah Taylor. Thandie Newton. Nicole Kidman. 100 mins. The second part of writer/director Duigan‘s trilogy. which began with 1987‘s The Year My Voice Broke. relates the continuing life of Danny Embling (Taylor). now ill a remote Australian boys' boarding school. He meets up with a fellow outsider from the neighbouring girl‘s college. and a sensual romance develops. Wonderfully evocative writing and characterisations lift this gem above other. more slushy. tales of first love. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I GoodFellas (18) (Martin Scorsese. US. 1990) Robert De Niro. Ray Liotta. Joe Pesci. Lorraine Braco. Paul Sorvino. 145 mins. A return for Scorsese and De Niro to the creed of amoral violence seen in Mean Streets and Taxi Driver. Liotta plays Henry Hill. a real-life mafioso. while De Niro is his mentor in crime. And while the bullets. fists and carving knives fly. Scorsese brings us back to that unavoidable question — yes. it's glamorous and lucrative to live this way. but can anyone really live with the consequences? Winner of BAFTA awards for best film. director and screenplay. and a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for Joe Pesci. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Green Card (12) (Peter Weir. US. 1991) Gerard Depardieu. Andie MacDowell. Bebe Neuwirth. Gregg Edelman. 107 mins. The hugely amiable figure of Depardieu dominates this. his Hollywood debut. He plays a French composer living illegally in New York and in desperate need of a work permit. MaeDowelI's horticulturalist is in love with a conservatory apartment. but needs a husband to get the lease. A marriage of convenience is arranged. but the authorities are not convinced. so the mismatched couple are forced to invent a history for themselves. In doing so. of course. they fall for each other. Funny. charming. and not without profundity. but suspend your disbelief for the denoument. Glasgow: GFT.
I Gremlins (15) (Joe Dante. US. 198-1)
Zach Galligan. Phoebe (‘ates. 106 mins. by the Philadelphia ()rchestra. conducted ;
(‘ute and cuddly little mogwais become
malevolent monsters if not properly cared I for and wreak havoc in idealised small
town America. Resistible horror comic.
never as funny as it thinks it is. Edinburgh: (.‘ameo.
I Gremlins 2: The New Batch (12) (Joe
? Dante. US. 1990) Zach Galligan. Phoebe
(ates. (‘hristopher Lee. 107 mins. For once a sequel that matches the original. This time the scaly mini-monsters rampage through Glover‘s Manhattan media empire headquarters where there are genetic laboratories. hi-tech offices and even a television station at their malevolently frolicsome disposal. A reduced schmaltz factor. lots of one-liners and an unpredictable smattering of sly movie references make the experience a fun one. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I The Grilters (15) (Stephen Frears. US. 1990) Anjelica Huston. John Cusack. Annette Bening. 119 mins. Hugely satisfying noir melodrama. centring on the relationship between three streetwise ‘grifters' — mob moll Lily (Huston). her estranged son. injured con man Roy (Cusack). and Roy‘s ambitious girl Myra (Bening). When Lin decides to visit Roy in hospital. skeletons start tumbling from closets. and their loose grip on security begins to weaken. Rich. dark and very
TO FIND OUT WHAT IT ALL MEANS come to
GREAT AMER/(:44, ,
. W
54 rs mine0
IflEAMERlCAN RESTAURANT
7Victnria Street Edinburgh Tel:225 7306 Tue-Thu:5-10.30pm Fri&Sat:12-11pm Sun:12-9pm
Mali/KO 31M
.hhhflflhaOWWMVJEWN'
l/fl Ill/i fa? W5? 70 l’fiMf
WE MAKE THE BEST FUTONS ‘WE SELL THE BEST FUTONS
If m M7 .5711 I” 6769,” KIM/.57
BUT WE DO HAVE A LOT OF
CHRISTMAS PRESENTS
LARGE & SMALL
FOR YOU
[ r
1e! moms m aim en 554 6994
The List 20 December 1991 — 16 January 1992 27