FILM INDEX
I Uee Famine Est Uee Fernme ( 18) (Jean-Luc Godard. France. 1961) Anna Karina. Jean~Paul Belmondo. Jean~Claude Brialy. 80 mins. Godard's wife Karina plays a stripper seeking security and motherhood in this gritty mid-Sixties exercise in Gallic strectwise style that went through some censorship trouble in Britain on account ofits sexual content. In its attempts at hard.edged economic analysis. the re is perhaps also an indication of the director‘s politicised excesses to come. Edinburgh: Cameo. IFieelAeelysls(15) (PhilJoanou. US. 1992) Richard Gere. Kim Basinger. Uma Thurman. Eric Roberts. 125 mins. Top psycho-analyst comes into contact with traumatised woman and her attractive sister. Affair follows. her husband dies. psycho-analyst finds himself prime suspect. Hollywood's formulaic approach to replicating the Hitchcockian thriller falls flat with a movie that is totally signposted and utterly dumb. Final analysis? It's a stiff. See review. General release.
IThe Fisher King ( 15) (Terry Gilliam. US. 1991) Robin Williams. Jeff Bridges. Amanda Plummet. Mercedes Ruehl. I37 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 Munchausen — 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.
Glasgow: Grosvenor.
I Fletlieers ( 18) (Joel Schumacher. US. 1990) Kcifer 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. Glasgow: Grosvenor.
I Flirting (12) (John Duigan. Australia. 1991) Noah Taylor. Thandie Newton. Nicole Kidman. 100 mins. The second pan 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 at a remote Australian boys‘ boarding school. Wonderfully
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evocative writing and characterisations lift this gem above other. more slushy. tales of first love. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Frankie and Johnny ( 15) (Garry Marshall. US.
1991 ) Al Pacino. Michelle Pfeiffer. Hector Elizondo. Kate Nelligan. 1 17 mins. Despite some feminine resistance. love begins to sizzle between
disillusioned waitress Frankie (Pfeiffer) and short
order cook Johnny (Pacino). Warm-hearted
romance. with side orders of cliche and diner realism. from the man who brought you Pretty Woman. Strathclyde: Magnum.
I Freeleek ( 15) (Geoff Murphy. US. 1991) Emilio
Estevez. Mick Jagger. Anthony Hopkins. 105
mins. Just before his racing car bursts into a ballof
flame. Alex Furlong (Estevez) is hurled intothe
future to become the recipient of a state-of-thc-art mind transfer. Soon he‘s on the run from a ruthless bounty hunter (Jagger). Conclusive proof
that Jagger has as much screen presence as a
cardboard box. that any film with a Sheen sibling in it should carry a warning and that Hopkins should try reading the scripts before signing up. Glasgow: Cannon Sauchiehall Street. Fife: Glenrothes. Strathclyde: La Scala. All UCIs.
I Fried Green Tomatoes etthe Whistle Stop Cele (12) (Jon Avnet. US. 1991) Kathy Bates.Jcssica Tandy. Mary Stuart Masterson. Mary-Louise Parker. 130 mins. After the local Ku Klux Klan
threatens the busy cafe in Whistle Stop. Alabama
for serving coloured customers. the female owner and her black handyman find themselves on trial for an unsolved murder. A chronicle ofcourage and ingenuity that avoids becoming as overwhelmingly heart-warming as one might have feared. Not the most tantalising item on the menu. but a flavoursome little dish nonetheless. General release. I Hamlet (U) (Franco Zeffirelli. US. 1990) Mel Gibson. Alan Bates. Glenn Close. Paul Scofield. Helena Bonham-Carter. Ian Holm. 135 mins. A young man returns home from university to find his father dead and his mother marrying his uncle. Then Hamlet senior‘s ghost shows up. whispering to him of murder most foul. and it‘s all downhill after that. More than twenty years after Zcffirelli's Romeo AndJuliet comes this colourful and lively production of Shakespeare‘s greatest play. with a very strong. mostly British cast and the best performance in years from Gibson in the title role. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Hear "1180119 (15) (Peter Chelsom. UK/lreland. 1991) Adrian Dunbar. Ned Beatty. Tara Fitzgerald. 103 mins. Devious but loveable promoter Mickey (Dunbar) tries to win back his
cuscow Athféiimouncn EVENTS cums
SPECIAL FREE LIST SCREENING
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MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO at 1.00pm on
SATURDAY 11 APRIL
Entry to this screening is free only to readers who take along this issue (172) of The List to The Cameo Box Office where tickets will be available from Thursday 9th April.
MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO (18) Cameo Cinema 2, TolIcross, Edinburgh Saturday 11 April, 1.00pm
E13 CAM E0855
reputation and the woman he loves by booking famous Irish tenor and tax fugative Josef Locke for his Liverpool nightclub. A modestly charming British production that is fun if you‘re not expecting some sort of all-time classic. Glasgow: Odeon. Edinburgh: Odeon. Strathclyde: UC I Clydebank.
I Helm oi Darkness ( 15) (Fax Bahr/George Hickenlooper. US. 1990) Francis Coppola. Eleanor Coppola. Martin Sheen. Marlon Brando. 97 mins. Compelling mixture ofdocumentary footage and recent interviews concerning the troubled production of Francis Coppola‘s Apocalypse Now. Artistic vision battles with escalating budget. typhoons and heart attacks deep in the Philippine jungle. As important and fascinating as the film it portrays. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Henson's Creature Shop A talk by John Stephenson and Will Plant of the Creature Shop on the galaxy of characters created by puppet maestro Jim Henson. Examples of their work include The Muppets. Fraggle Rock . The Dark Crystal. Labyrinth and Greek Myths. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I High Heels ( 15) (Pedro Almodovar. Spain. 1991) Victoria Abril. Miguel Bose. Marisa Parcdes. 115 mins. More melodramatic frolics from Spain's finest. this time in the shape ofa murderous triangle between a mother. her daughter and the latter‘s husband. While Almodovar isn‘t quite at his best. Abril excels as the TV news presenter who admits on air to her hubby's killing. Glasgow: GFT. Edinburgh: Cameo.
IIiorniclde(15) (David Mamet. US. 1991)Joe Mantegna. William H. Macy. Natalija Nogulich. Rebbeca Pidgeon. 102 mins. Dedicated cop Bobby Gold (Mantegna) begins to struggle with his conscience and reflect on his Jewish background when a murder investigation puts him on the track of an anti-Semitic terrorist group and a counter-organisation of Zionist vigilantes. Mamet's third film is as much about faith in a lost society as racist tensions in New York. and is certainly head and shoulders above most conventional police procedurals. Central: MacRobert Arts Centre.
I Heel (PG) (Steven Spielberg. US. 1991) Robin Williams. Dustin Hoffman. Julia Roberts. Bob Hoskins. 135 mins. The combination of Robin Williams. Steven Spielberg and Peter Pan proves to be as successful in practice as it appears in theory. if the film is watched in the proper childish frame of mind. The story of a grown-up Peter rediscovering his true identity allows for some fortysomething pondering. but primarily it‘s an excuse for a magical journey around pirate ships. lost islands and colourful fights. Sure. it‘s formulaic; but Spielberg’s ingredients are richer and more wonderfully cinematic than anyone else‘s. See review. General release.
I The Horse Thief (15) (Tian Zhuangzhuang. China. 1986) Tsehang Rigzin. Dan Jiji. 88 mins. Tibet. 1923. To provide for his poverty-stricken family. Norbu steals horses from wandering nomads and offerings reserved for the gods. His actions earn him the contempt of his village and ultimately. expulsion from his tribe. An episodic narrative. occasionally lacking in pace. The Horse Thieflingers on the rituals of the tribe. with a steely gaze that renders their strangeness all the more striking. Glasgow: OFT. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
IThe Hours and the Times (18) (Christopher Munch. US. 1991 ) 60 mins. Based on an episode when Beatles manager Brian Epstein escorted John Lennon to Barecelona for a week‘s holiday— prepare to suspend disbelief. With Warren Sonbert‘s wordless celebration of gay sensibility. Short Fuse. Glasgow: GFT.
I JFK (15) (Oliver Stone. US. 1991) Kevin Costner. Joe Pesci. Gary Oldman. Tommy Lee Jones. 190 mins. Based on the controversial theories of New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison. Stone‘s epic account of what did or did not happen when President Kennedy made an untimely exit from this world makes for enthralling cinema. A fine performance by Costner is supported by one of the finest casts ever assembled before the camera. Regardless of verity of his argument. this is Stone‘s most powerful effort to date. Glasgow: Cannon Sauchiehall Street. Fife: Glenrothes.
I The Killing oi a Chinese Bookie ( 18) (John Cassavetes. US. 1976) Ben Gamra.Timothy Carey. Seymour Cassel. 109 mins. Cassavetes
uses his central plot — a bunch of gangsters try to muscle in on the owner of a sleazy nightclub - asa metaphor for his own position as a dedicated filmmaker fighting for his artistic independence. Hugely contradictory and convoluted. it‘s still up there with his best work. thanks to the spatx he gives his actors and the performances they give in return. Glasgow: GFT. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. Iitufts(15) (Bruce A. Evans. US. 1991)Christian Slater. Tony Goldwyn. Milla Jovovich. 102 mins. Unsuccessful mainstream vehicle for screen heart-throb Slater. who stars as a college drop-out who inherits a private police squad. The comedy. action and Slater‘s idiosyncratic style just fail to gel. leaving a celuloid mess that should be arrested for indecent exposure. General release.
IThe LestBoyScoanl) (Tony Scott. US. 1991) Bruce Willis. Damon Wayans. Chelsea Field. 105 mins. Ill-matched buddy duo of scuuball private eye (Willis) and disgraced sports idol (Wayans) biff. bang and crash their way through bone-crushing violence and producer Joel Silver's trademark explosions. State-of-the-art fluff.
which works like a good dirty joke — shameful but kind of fun. Edinburgh: UCI. Borders: Kingsway. Fife: Glenrothes. I LII OI Desire ( 18) (Pedro Almodovar. Spain. 101 mins) Eusebio Poncela. Carmen Maura. Antonio Baderas. 101 mins. Notorious filmmaker Pablo moves through a decadent lifestyle of sensual pleasure. his only real concern for his transsexual brother-turned-sister. However. when he falls for government minister‘s 5011 Antonio. a nightmare of manipulation and deceit is to follow. Flamboyant Spanish iconoclast Almodovar‘s exaggerated sexual farrago is interesting as a sort ofoverheated melodrama. though the lack of narrative control near the end does let the film down. Edinburgh: Cameo. I Ludsle Hell (U) (John Elder. UK. 1952) Ronald Squire. Kathleen Ryan. Raymond Huntley. 77 mins. A constitutional crisis rears its head when five car owners in a remote Hebridean village refuse to pay their road fund licences until an adequate road is built. A parable for ourtimes? 01 another dated British comedy? Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Lesbian Love Stories ( 18) Six mainly comic shorts. including Cheryl Farthing‘s Rosebud. Megan Siler‘s buddy movie First Base. French-Canadian Jeanne Crepeau‘s By Attrition and Betsan Morris Evans‘ Came Out. It Rained. Went Back In Again. which was originally made for BBC2. Glasgow: GF'I‘. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Lite on a String (15) (Chen Kaige. China/UK/Germany.1991)Liu Zhongyuan. Huang Lei. Xu Oing. 103 mins. An old blind musician and his young blind disciple find love and violence in a village they happen upon in their travels. Poetic and magical filmmaking from the director of Yellow Earth with essential themes of obedience and self-denial that can be interpreted on manylevels. Glasgow: GI-‘T. I The Long Day Closes ( 12) (Terence Davis. UK. 1992) Special BAFTA Scotland preview screening of the latest semi-autobiographical account of director Davis‘s early life. this time concentrating on Liverpool in the mid-50s and the music ofthe period. A young boy struggles to adapt to life at a new school while living a contented family life. Terence Davis will be in attendance. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Menhunter ( 18) (Michael Mann. US. 1987) William 1.. Petersen.Tom Noonan. Brian Cox. Kim Griest. 119 mins. FBI agent Petersen returns from psychiatric treatment to face another case. using his customary technique for tracking down serial killers by recreating their train ofthought. Cox's embodiment of Hannibal Lector may not have had the same amount ofcoverage as Hopkins’. but his remains the more chilling performance. Convincing and disturbing adult thriller with effortlessly stylish use of the wide screen. Edinburgh: Cameo. I Miller's Crossing (18) (Joel Coen. US. 1990) 5 Gabriel Byrne. Albert Finney. Marcia Gay Harden. John Tunurro. Jon P0lito.J.E. Freeman. 115 mins. The Coen Brothers‘ latest opus is a predictably quirky-but-stylish reworking of genre material — in this case the gangster flick. Set in an unnamed East-coast city in the 19305. it
"centres on the falling-out between mob-leader 'Finney and his right-hand man Byrne when both
.Strathclyde: Motherwell Theatre.
take a shine to the same broad (Harden). Possibly the best. most under-rated film of 1991.
I My Glti (PG) (Howard Zieff. US. 1991) Macaulay Culkin. Dan Aykroyd. Jamie Lee Curtis. Anna Chlumsky. 102 mins. A millionaire and not yet in his teens — don‘t you just love Macaulay Culkin (he said through clenched teeth). This time he‘s sorting out the lives ofhis tomboy neighbour and her widowed mortician dad. A kiddies‘ romance with a (literal) sting in the tail. Also with the best character name in recent months (can you imagine admittingto knowing someone called Vada Sultenfuss?) General release.