Fill INDEX
FILM -m::-
Films screening this fortnight are listed below, with certificate, credits, brief review and venue details. Full-length reviews of selected new releases can he found close to the appropriate entry. Programme details appear in the Listings section which follows. Film Index compiled by Alan Morrison.
IAhlra The Movie (U) (Lasse Halstrom. Swe/Australia. 1977) ABBA. Robert Hughes. Tom Oliver. Bruce Barry. 95 min. Made at the height of their populatrity. the wafer thin plotline consists of the four Swedes being pursued across 02 by a Sydney DJ. Dancing Queen. Waterloo.
S. 0.5. . etc. Takes you back eh? Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Tna M18810! ( 18) (Atom Egoyan. Canada. 1991) Elias Koteas. Arsinee Khanjian. Maury Chaykin. 102 mins. A disparate array of plot elements —an insurance adjuster. film censors. a kinky couple — combines with off-kilter Twin Peaksish humour and some bizarre visuals in Atom (Speaking Parts) Egoyan's most approachable movie to date. ‘A film about believable people doing believable things in an unbelievable way' is how he describes it. Wierd and. in its own way. wonderful. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
IAil Dogs Goto Heaven (U) (Don Btuth. US. 1989) With the voices ofBurt Reynolds. Loni Anderson and Dom DeLuise. 84 mins. Likeable Alsatian Charlie Barkin is killed by his partner in small~time crime. but manages to trick his wayout of the Afterlife to face earthbound adventure with cute orphan Anne-Marie as he seeks revenge on his double-crossing buddy. Occasionally sloppy animation is more than made up for by the inventive story-line and an allusive sense of humour that should even have adults suppressing the odd guffaw. Glasgow: GFT.
I Animation From The LFMC ( 15) The London Film Makers Co-op presents a programme ofclassic animation. including the pioneering abstract work of Viking Eggeling. the psychedelic riot of Storm dc Hirsch and Lesley Kean‘s tribute to Paul Klee. Taking/1 Line ForA Walk. Glasgow: GFT. IAsterlx and The Big Fight(U) (Keith Ingham. UK. 1989) With the voices of Bill Oddie. Michael Elphick. Andrew Sachs. 82 mins. Asterix celebrates his thirtieth anniversary with this new animated feature in which he and his band of plucky Gallic mates take on the might ofthe Roman army. Glasgow: GFT.
Install! in Britain (U) (Pino Van Lamswcerdc. France. 1986) With the voices of Jack Beaber. Bill Keams. Graham Bushnell. 89 mins. The Romans have invaded Britain and only one village refuses to surrender. Their chief sends a message to his distant cousin Asterix the Gaul. who rushes to the rescue with his sizeable colleague Obelix and a bottle ofsecret potion. Glasgow: GFT.
I l'Atalartte (PG) (Jean Vigo. France. 1934) Michel Simon. Jean Daste. Dita Parlo. 89 mins. The only feature to be made by the brilliant Vigo before his tragically early death. A simple narrative follows the tangled passions of newlyweds Daste and Parlo as they spend their honeymoon on a barge trip with seedy old captain Simon. L 'Atalante‘s rich cavalcadc of ever-changing moods and unforgettably poetic moments of sensuality make it a unique classic to be cherished. Glaszow: GFT.
amour (15) (Eric Rochant. France. 1991) Yvan Attal. Kristen Scott-Thomas. Marc Bennan. 95 mins. A young man (Attal) hijacksa school bus in order to visit the woman he fell in love with while on holiday. On one level. Rochant's follow-up to A World Without Pity is an accessible and exciting heist picture done in a fairly Hollywood manner; on another. it manages to create genuine audience sympathy for its gun-toting protagonist. See review. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
Iaaslclestlnct(18) (Paul Verhoeven. US. 1992)
Michael Douglas. Sharon Stone. George Dzundza. Jeanne Tripplehorn. 128 mins. On-the-cdge ‘Frisco cop Nick Curran (Douglas) becomes embroiled with a successful novelist and murder suspect (Stone); she. in turn. treats him to
a series of psychological fomications while going
along a similar path with his body. Easily the best.
| ice~pick~sharp thriller for several years. with
steamy sex scenes that leave the screen dripping with sweat. General release.
I Black none (15) (Bruce Beresford. US. 1991) Lothaire Bluteau. Aden Young. Sandrine Holt. Stirring version of Brian Moore‘s tale of a 17th century Jesuit priest travelling across North America to a remote mission takes a realistic view ofthe savagery of the Indian tribes. Nevertheless. their philosophies and way of life are treated with the same respect as those of the Christians. Bluteau‘s anguished looks are perfect for the conscience-stricken priest who gradually comes to terms with the harsh landscapes and opposing cultures. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. Fife: Adam Smith.
I Boudu Saved From Drowning ( PG ) (Jean Renoir. France. 1932) Michel Simon. Charles Grandval. Marcelle Hainia. 87 mins. The extraordinary confrontation of moral outlook between a tramp saved from drowning. and his well-to~do rescuer who becomes his host is both charming and disturbing. as Renoir explores relationships between opposite sectors of a polarised community. Glasgow: (ii-'1".
I Calamity Jana (U) (David Butler. US. 1953) Doris Day. Howard Keel. Allyn Mcl.erie. Gale Robbins. 101 mins. When the Deadwood stage comes on over the hill bringing the wrong Adelaide Adams to the town's music hall. Calamity"s in trouble again. and Wild Bill Hickok ain‘t too happy either. Bouncy musical with good songs. great laughs and an engaginglyenergetic performance from Day as the buckskinncd tomboy. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Dan-Asian Shorts Programme 2 (PG) The second of two programmes of short film and video works by and about Canadians of Asian origin. This selection highlights the rules imposed on these people by racist stereotyping and cultural assumptions. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Cape Fear(18) (Martin Scorsese. US. 1991) Robert De Niro. Nick Nolte. Jessica Lange. Juliette Lewis. 127 mins. Scorsese‘sstunning remake ofthe 196
original leaves Silence of the Lambs pallid by comparison. De Niro is terrifying as white trash psycho Max Cady. out of prison and stalking the family of the lawyer who suppressed evidence to put him away. Disturbing sexual undertones. centring on 15-ycar-old Danny (Lewis). make this an even more uncomfortable. but unmissable. top-notch scare-fest. Glasgow: Grosvenor. Edinburgh: UCl. Strathclyde: WMR.
I Cartoons Spool Hollywood (U) 85 mins. From time to time. the top American animators took pleasure in biting the hand of the Hollywood studio that fed them. more often than not by caricaturing the top stars of the day or parodying well-known films. Here. Bugs. Daffy. Elmer and the rest of the crew find themselves amongst the likes of Lauren Bacall. Bing Crosby and Groucho Marx. A fascinating example ofone popular culture‘s reaction to another. Edinburgh:
l g
Filmhouse. I City Slickers (12) (Ron Underwood. US. 1991) Billy Crystal. Daniel Stern. Bruno Kirby. Helen Slater. Jack Palance. 114 mins. Funny man Crystal stars as a fortysomething advertising salesman who faces up to the mid-life crisis by joining a two-week cattle drive with his pals. Moderately amusing second feature from the director of Tremors. Central: MacRobert.
I Commissar (PG) (Aleksandr Askoldov. USSR. 1967) Norma Murdyukova. 110 mins. Askoldov‘s humanist masterpiece that revives the poetic eloquence of earlier Soviet masters like Dovzhenko and Eisenstein. The story concerns a Red Army officer experiencing the suffering and the bravery of a Jewish community during the Civil War ofthe 1920s. Sensitive subject matter that caused the film to be shelved by the authorities for over twenty years. leaving its director unable to find work. Glasgow: GFT.
I Cill De Sat-(18) (Roman Polanski. UK. 196(1) Lionel Stander. Donald Pleasance. Francoise Dorleac. 111 mins. Early British exercise in Polanskian absurdity has wounded gangster Stander turning up on the remote island owned by Prospero figure Pleasance and hisapparently ill-matched concubinc. The result is something like Beckett meets The Tempest. with acineaste's knowing cynicism added to the strange brew. An odd one. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I The Decline of the American Empire ( 18) (Denys Arcand. Canada. 1986) Dominique Michel. Dorothee Berryman. Louise Portal. 10! mins. 1f the only ‘safe‘ sex left is the purely verbal then this non-stop talking shop must be the safest film ever made. Eight beings. four per sex. eat.drink. work-out and talk endlessly about their sexual hang-ups. fears and frustrations. Sometimes witty. sometimes insightful. often truthfully close to home but ultimately this is an over-generous dollop of interminable discourse. Glasgow: GFI I Don't Tell Mom The Bahysitter‘s Dead ( 12 ) (Stephen Herek. US. 1991 )Christina Applegate. Keith Coogan. Josh Charles. 95mins. in a somewhat dubious plot development. the elderly babysitter of five kids left at home for the summer kicks the proverbial bucket. leaving the teens to learn how to work together. accept responsibility. etc. etc. For all that. it's fairly amusing youth fare that grabs its various sub-plots with both hands. General release.
I The Double Life oi Veronique ( 15) ( Krzystof Kieslowski. Poland/France. 1991) Irene Jacob. Philippe Voltcr. Alexander Bardini. llllmins. Two girls — one Polish. the other French -~ are born at the same time on the satne day and conte to discover that their fates are bound up together. An eerily fascinating and disturbing erotic dance of love and death from the director of [)ekalog
t The Ten Commandments). with an extraordinary twin performance by Cannes award-winner Jacob. Edinburgh: Cameo. Filmhouse.
I Edward II ( 18) (Derek Jarman. 13K. 1991) Steven Waddington. Tilda Swinton. Andrew Tiernan. Nigel Terry. 90 mins. Christopher Marlowe's lbth century play was a tale of illicit love. jealousy and rcgicide. Jarman‘s reworking of the script makes the central themes more relevant to the present day. with particular emphasis on the repressed love between lidward and his friend Gaveston. (ilasgow: (iFl‘.
I Europa Europa ( 15) (Agnieszka Holland. France/Germany. 1991) Marco Hofschncider. Julie Delpy. Halina Labonarska. 112 mins. lnan attempt to avoid the death camps. a youngJewish boy tries to pass himselfoff as a member ofthe Hitler Youth. Despite touching a few raw nerves on hotne territory. the films uses its 'based on a true story‘ caption as the excuse for all tnanner of unbelievable coincidences and laughable situations. A real disappointment. Glasgow: OFT. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Final Analysis ( 15) (Phil Joanou. US. 1992)
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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. Edinburgh: Dominion.
I The Five Heartbeat: ( 15) ( Robert Townsend. US. 1991) Robert Townsend. Michael Wright. HarryJ. Lennix. 98 mins. Having turned his wickedly funny eye on the American film industry in Hollywood Shuffle. Robert Townsend now exposes racism and exploitation on the music scene. A group of five buddies takes a journey through His R& B and 7iis funk. passing some pretty hilarious moments on the way. Definitely worth the effort . even if it's not quite a black Commitments. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Freedom ls Paradise ( 12) (Sergei Bodrov. USSR. 1989) Volodya Kozyrev. Alexander Bureyev. Svetlana (iaitan. Vitautus Tomkus. 75 mins. The bleak story ofa thirteen-year-old lad (Kozyrev) who is an inmate in a special school for ‘difficult' children. When he fittds out bychance where his father is being held. he resolves to escape frotn the school and makes a hazardous journey across the USSR to the prison in Arkhangelsk. An excellent and moving portrayal of lost innocence and dctertnination. Glasgow: GFI‘.
I Freeiacltt 15) ((ieoff Murphy. US. 1991 ) Emilio listevez. Mick Jagger. Anthony Hopkins. 105 mins. Just before his racing car bursts into a ball of flame. Alex Furlongflistevez) is hurled intothe future to become the recipient of a state-of-the-art mind transfer. Soon he‘s on the run from a ruthless bounty hunter (Jagger). Conclusive proof that Jagger has as much screen presence asa 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. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Gladiatort 15) (Rowdy Herrington. US. 1992) James Marshall. Cuba (iooding Jr. Brian Dennehy. 98 mins. In order to repay hisfather's gambling debts. Tommy Reilly (James Marshall of Twin Peaks fame) climbs into the boxing ring. only to find that he mUst knock the livingdaylight out of his best buddy (Boy: .\' The Hood's Cuba (iooding Jr). A dash ofsocial conscience makes this more cheering than your average slugfest. See review. All ()deons. All liCls. (ilasgow: Cannon The Forge. Central: Cannon.
I Grand Canyon ( 15) (Law rencc Kasdan. US. 1992) Kevin Klittc. Mary McDonnell. Steve Martin. Danny (ilovcr. 134 mins. Kasdan's9fls retort to his earlier The Big ( ~hill looks at the fears and anxieties of successful white professionals against the background of a disintegrating society The contrast between the rich and poor doesn't always work — there areas matty sentimental subplots as effective sequences — although the end result has to rank as a major American movie. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Grease (PG) (Randal Kleiser. US. 1978)John Travolta. Stockard Channing. ()livia Newton
John. 110 mins. The long-running broadway show
arrives on screen dripping with l‘ifties' nostalgia. cheery tunes. a high camp value and the winsome charms of the plastic Newton-John and the toothy Travolta. A nice collection of old timers enhance the cast. Glasgow: Grosvenor.
I The Hand That Rocks The Cradle ( 15) (Curtis Hanson. US. 1991 ) Rebecca De Mornay. Annabella Sciorra. Matt McCoy. 111) mins. Nanny manages to con her way into the home of the family who inadvertantly caUsed her husband‘s suicide and her own miscarriage. and soon begins to show psychotic tendencies. Despitt implausible plotting. director Hanson cranks up the tension and delivers a slap-bang finale. In
"...lNSPinED acrmc rtrto attraction
...Yvnrr Arrnt EXCELS" lonnrrmv Rowan TIME OUT
FILMHOUSEAUTOBU s
A FILM BY ERIC ROCHANT
(AUX YEUX DU MONO!) 15
18The List 19June-2July 1992