FILM
FILM .2113-
Films screening this fortnight are listed below. with certificate. credits. brielreview and venue details. Full-length reviews of selected new releases can be found closeto the appropriate entry. Programme details appear in the Listings section which tollows. Film Index compiled by Alan Morrison.
I Allen 3 (18) (David Fincher. US. 1992) Sigoumey Weaver. Charles Dutton. Charles Dance. 114 mins. Forget the backlash and the woeful tales of production difficulties — pop promo wunderkind Fincher makes a brave attempt to bring something new to the series by placing a shaven-headed Ripley plus monster companion on a prison planet filled with religious nutcases. Okay. it's not Ridley Scott's classic sci-fi horror or James Cameron‘s Rambo In Space. but it is very dark. very atmospheric and very nearly worth the wait. See feature. General release. IBarton Flnk(15) (JoelCoen. US. 1991)John Turturro. John Goodman. Judy Davis. Michael Lerner. 117 mins. When socially-committed playwright Barton Fink (Turturro) is consigned by the Hollywood machine to write wrestling films. he slumps into a writer‘s block as large as his mysterious next-door neighbour (John Goodman). Unprecedented winner of best film. actor and direction awards at 1991's Cannes Film Festival shows the Coen‘s at their most menacing and absurd best. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Basic lnstlnct(18) (Paul Verhoeven. US. 1992) Michael Douglas. Sharon Stone. George Dzundza. Jeanne Tripplehorn. 128 mins. On-the-edge ‘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 fornications 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. Glasgow: Odeon. Edinburgh: Odeon. All UCls.
I Batman Returns (12) (Tim Burton. US. 1992) Michael Keaton. Michelle Pfeiffer. Danny De Vito. Christopher Walken. 127 mins. Unpredictable violence and aberrant psychology parading in the form of popular family entertainment — yes. the (Taped Crusader is back. brooding over the darkest recesses of Gotham City. De Vito‘s deformed penguin. Pfeiffer‘s whip mistress by night and Walken‘s cadaverous tycoon make it clear director Burton favours the complexity of his villains to his schizo hero. Bigger. better and blacker than the original. General release.
I Beethoven (U) (Brian Levant. US. 1992) Charles Grodin. Bonnie Hunt. Dean Jones. 87 mins. A small St Bernard pup escapes from an evil vet and attaches itself to the Newton family. Soon it grows to enormous proportions and begins to wreck domestic havoc. Endless visual gags and good timing. particularly from Grodin. enliven what might have been a run-of-the-mill mutt movie. General release.
I Bltl e Ted's Bogus Journey ( PG) (Peter Hewitt. US. 1991) Keanu Reeves. Alex Winter. George Carlin. Joss Ackland. 93 mins. Evil robot versions ofthat most excellent duo totally kill our heroes. causing them to take on the Grim Reaper at party games. make a quick visit to Heaven and eventually win the day. A triumphant sequel. slightly more coherent than the bodacious original - in Bill and Ted terms. at least. Strathclyde: Magnum.
I Canonslan 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. Glasgow: GFT.
I Cape Fear ( 18) (Martin Scorsese. US. 1991) Robert De Niro. Nick Nolte. Jessica Lange. Juliette Lewis. 127 mins. Scorsese's stunning remake ofthe 196 original leaves Silence ofthe 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-year-old Danny (Lewis). make this an even more uncomfortable. but unmissable. top-notch scare-fest. Central: MacRobert. I The Commitments (15) (Alan Parker. UK. 1991) Robert Arkins. Michael Aherne. Angeline Ball. Maria Doyle. 118 mins. Sod U2 — when would-be manager Jimmy Rabbitte (Arkins) puts together The Commitments. soul comes to Dublin and the band become the force to really put Irish musicon the map. Alan Parker delivers a hilarious. down-to-earth. close-to-home movie. stuffed full ofgood music and with some relcvent social comment to boot. Glasgow: GI’T. I Cyrano De Bergerac (U) (Jean-Paul Rappeneau. France. 1990) Gerard Depardieu. Jacques Weber. Anne Brochet. Vincent Perez. 135 mins. A stirring adaptation of Rostand‘s classic. romantic tragi-comedy. Full of grandly mounted. bustling crowd scenes. it revolves around typically superb performance from Depardieu as the large-nosed hero. Although performed in rhyming verse throughout (with subtitles by Anthony Burgess). and a touch overlong. the film‘s dramatic and cinematic qualities are outstanding. Edinburgh: Cameo. I Death In Brunswch ( 15) (John Ruane. Australia. 1991) Sam Neill. Zoe Carides. John Clarke. 105 mins. Carl. a cook in a sleazy Melbourne dive. gets involved in a crazy mix of sex'n’drugs‘n‘rock'n'roll when he falls for a fellow waitress. Falser suspected of murder and arson. he ends up on the run in what has to bethe strangest. blackest. most hilarious oddity to come from Down Under in recent years. Glasgow: GF'T. I Europa (15) (Lars von Trier. Den/FraJGer/ch. 1991)Jean-Marc Barr. Barbara Sukowa. 107 mins. A young American visits post-war Germany and falls in love with an enigmatic woman. . . but forget all that. because Europa exists purely for the sake of its visuals. The images are indeed stunning but. given that von Trier freely admits he is ‘a simple masturbator of the silver screen'. thisis simply an exercise in cinematic Showmanship. pretentious and unfulfilling. Glasgow: GFT. I Far And Away ( 12) (Ron Howard. US. 1992) Tom Cruise. Nicole Kidman. Thomas Gibson. 140 mins. If you‘ve seen the trailer. you'll know the story of the plucky duo fighting adversity to gain their place in the American Dream. Oirish accents. suppressed lust. bare knuckle fights. all looking sumptuous in Panavision Super 70mm wide-screen format. Other than that. it's sentimental tosh. as corny as they come. General release. I FemGully: The Last Balntorest (U) (Bill Kroyer. US. 1992) With the voices ofTim Curry. Samantha Mathis. Jonathan Ward. Robin Williams. Christian Slater. 76 mins. In a secret forest world touched by magic. a young fairy shrinks a human lumberjack. who then has to help save the rainforest from destruction. Eco-edged animation has a lot to recommend it other than its well-meaning intentions: lush colour. sweeping computer-aided cameras. and a decent set of songs. One for the grown-ups as well as the kids. General release. I Frankie and Johnny ( 15) (Garry Marshall. US. 1991 ) Al Pacino. Michelle Pfeiffer. Hector Elizondo. Kate Nelligan. 117 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 ofcliche and diner realism. from the man who brought you Pretty Woman. Central: MacRobert. I Gone Wllh The Wind (PG) (Victor Fleming. US. 1939) Clark Gable. Vivien Leigh. Olivia de Havilland. Leslie Howard. 220 mins. This new print has restored the original colour to the classic. fifty-three-year-old tale that brings alive the era of the civil war through gripping narrative and characterisation. remaining faithful to Margaret
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Mitchell‘s powerful novel. Strathclyde: UCl East Kilbride. I The Hand That Rocks The Cradle ( 15) (Curtis Hanson. US. 1991) Rebecca De Mornay. Annabella Sciorra. Matt McCoy. 110 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. Despite implausible plotting. director Hanson cranks up the tension and delivers a slap-bang finale. In other words. beautifully crafted mainstream trash. Glasgow: Odeon. Edinburgh: UCI. I Hear My Song (15) (Peter Chelsom.UK/1reland. 1991) Adrian Dunbar. Ned Beatty. Tara Fitzgerald. 103 mins. Devious but loveable promoter Mickey (Dunbar) tries to win back his reputation and the woman he loves by booking famous Irish tenor and tax fugative JosefLocke for his Liverpool nightclub. A modestlycharrning British production that is fun if you're not expecting some sort of all-time classic. Edinburgh: Cameo. I llearts ot 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. Fife: Adam Smith. I ngh Heels(15) (Pedro Almodovar. Spain. 1991 ) Victoria Abril. Miguel Bose. Marisa Paredes. 115 mins. More melodramatic frolics from Spain‘s finest. this time in the shape of a 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. Edinburgh: UCl. I Hoolt (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 appearsin 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 clse's. Strathclyde: Odeon Ayr. I Howards End (PG) (James Ivory. UK. 1992) Anthony Hopkins. Vanessa Redgrave. Helena Bonham Carter. Emma Thompson. 142 mins. After a succession of dreary Forster clones. the British film industry gets round to tackling his masterpiece. and one of the most important novels of the 20th century. The story. centring on the marriage between a wealthy and reactionary old duffer and an emancipated younger woman. is a complex family chronicle told with clarity and compassion. At last a cinematic period drama that exudes excellence. with some finely crafted performancesto match. Glasgow: GF'T. I In The Realm OtThe Senses Ai No Contact ( 18) (Nagisa Oshima. Japan. 1976) Tatsuya Fuji. Eiko Matsuda. 105 mins. At last deemed fit for certification. Oshima's shockingly erotic film can now be publicly screened. In the militaristJapan of 1936. a couple enclose themselves in their own sensual world. their passion escalating until only death can provide the next orgasm. Masterly though necessarily extremely explicit look at the power of sexual arousal. which has attracted controversy throughout the world. Glasgow: GF'T. I Jean De Florette (PG) (Claude Berri. France. 1986) Gerard Depardieu. Yves Montand. Daniel Auteuil. 121 mins. Provence. during the 1920s. Depardieu‘s indomitable hunchback struggles against impossible odds to make a success ofhis inherited farmland. unaware that his neighbours are plotting to drive him from his land. Beautifully photographed. with flawless performances. this is a towering tribute to the highest aspirations of French storytelling. A BAFTA winner for the film
ofthe year. 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 attorneyJim 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. Central: MacRobert.
I Last Tango In Paris (18) (Bernardo Bertolucci. France/Italy. 1973) Marlon Brando. Maria Schneider. 130 mins. A young Parisienne meets a middle-aged man with whom she develops an increasingly violent and purely sexual relationship. One of the key films of its decade. Bertolucci‘s powerful drama is a meditation on the expression and communication ofpersonal identity through intense sexual contact. Glasgow: GF'T.
I Lethal Weapon 3 (15) (Richard Donner. US. 1992) Mel Gibson. Danny Glover. Joe Pesci. 118 mins. Gibson and Glover team up for the third time. going though the usual motions to track down a crooked real estate and narcotics boss. Dazzlineg original it is not. but the spectacular explosions. car chases. shoot-outs and comic relief from Pesci mean this one could run and run. General release.
I The Long Day Closes (PG) (Terence Davies. UK. 1992) Marjorie Yates. Leigh McCormack. Anthony Watson. 82 mins. Beautiful. visually poetic film based on writer/director Davies early life in the Liverpool ofthe 1950s. Following on from the justly acclaimed Distant Voices. Still Lives. it places its young protaganist in an idyllically happy home. soon to be disrupted by the natural process of growing up. Davies‘s faultless use ofthe camera and soundtrack confirm his status as one of the country‘s leading filmmakers. Fife: Adam Smith.
I The Mambo Klngs(15) (Arne Glimchcr. US. 1991 ) Armand Assante. Antonio Banderas. Cathy Moriarty. 111 mins. Musician brothers in mambo melodrama! Swinging siblings in seduction stand-off! Forget the plot - it just trots out some tried and tested notions of fraternal rivalries (Fabulous Baker Boys) and big band wannabees (The Commitments) - and enjoy the colour. the congas. those hot beats ano super-sexy. Almodovar regular Banderas in his English dialogue debut. Glasgow: GET. Fife: Adam Smith.
I Manon Des Sources (PG) (Claude Berri. France/Italy. 1986) Yves Montand. Daniel Auteuil. Emmanuelle Beart. 114 mins. Ten years after the demise ofJean de F‘lorettc. the Soubeyrans run a prosperous carnation farm. Steering this epic rural saga towards the realms of Greek tragedy. this is a full and 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. Glasgow: GFT.
I Miller's Crosstng(18) (Joel Coen. US. 1990) Gabriel Byrne. Albert Finney. Marcia Gay Harden. John Turturro. Jon Polito.J.E. Freeman. 115 mins. The Coen Brothers‘ latest opus is a predictably quirky-but-stylish reworking ofgenre material — in this case the gangster flick. Set in an unnamed East-coast city in the 1930s. it centres on the falling-out between mob-leader Finney and his right-hand man Byrne when both take a shine to the same broad (Harden). Possibly the best. most under-rated film of1991. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I My Cousin Vinny (15) (Jonathan Lynn. US. 1992) Joe Pesci. Marisa Tomei. Fred Gwynne. 119 mins. Two New York students visiting the Deep South are charged with a murder they most certainly
didn't commit. Enter rookie lawyer Vinny Gambini (Pesci). and it's a test ofcan-do
Italian-American guile against the old-fashioned Southern gentility of Fred Gwynne's curmudgeonly judge. A howlingly funny character comedy that at last lets Pesci carry a movie on his own. Thoroughly recommended.
The List 21 — 27 August 1992 77