FILM INDEX
FILM ma-
Fllnis screening this fortnight are listed below with certificate, credits, brief review and venue details. Full length reviews of new releases can he found in the Listings section wlch follows. Fllm index complied by Alan Morrison.
I Abba The Movle (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 07. by a Sydney DJ. Dancing Queen. Waterloo. S. 0.5.. etc. Takes you back eh‘.’ Edinburgh: Cameo. I Aid Justice For MI (15) (Norman Jewison. US. 1979) Al Pacino. Jack Warden. John Forsythe. Lee Strasberg. Christine Labti. l 19 mins. Terrifying yet compelling expose of corruption in the heart of the American judicial system. in which Pacino stars as a defence attorney struggling against the grain to secure justice for his stitched-up clients. The effect is diluted somewhat by a quirky strain of humour and a dated disco soundtrack. but the storytelling is still chillingly effective. Edinburgh: St Brides. I Awakenings (12) (Penny Marshall. US. 1991) Robert De Niro. Robin Williams. John Heard. Julie Kavner. Penelope Ann Miller. Max von Sydow. 121 mins. Based on the book by psychiatrist Oliver Sacks. Awakenings tells the story of a reclusive neurologist (Williams) who finds himselfdrawn to a particular group of statue-like encephalitic patients. As his obsession with their unexpressed inner lives grows. he develops a relationship with Lowe (De Niro) which begins to release both Lowe‘s ability to communicate and his own repressed emotions. Strathclyde: Paisley Arts Centre. I Beactyand the Beast (U) (Gary Trousedale/Kirk Wise. US. 1991) With the voices of Paige O‘Hara. Robby Benson. Richard White. 84 mins. The first animated film ever to get an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. the 30th Walt Disney feature-length cartoon is a classic by anyone‘s standards. The familiar story is supplemented by terrific songs. a host of comic characters and a breathtaking combination of traditional and computer animation techniques. Glasgow: MGM Parkhead. Strathclyde: Odeon Ayr. All UCIs. I The BestIhIngs In life Are Free (U) (Michael Cuniz. US. 1956) Gordon MacRae. Dan Dailey. Sheree North. 104 mins. Better than average musical biopic. ccntring on the DeSylva/Henderson/Brown team. Great production set pieces and songs but. unlike most of its peers. it actually has some interesting nuances in the plot department. Edinburgh: St Brides. I Bitter Moon (18) (Roman Polanski. UK/France. 1992) Peter Coyote. Hugh Grant. Emmanuelle Seigner. 134 mins. A wheelchair- bound novelist (Coyote) entraps a young Englishman (Grant) with his tale of lust and perversion while on board a luxury liner. Polanski‘s dissection of the darker side of desire may not be to everyone’s taste. but it certainly has its moments of outrageously black comedy. Glasgow: Odeon. I Blade llunner: the Director's Cut (15) (Ridley Scott. US. 1982/92) Harrison Ford. Sean Young. Rutger Hauer. 1 16 mins. Out go the pseudo-noir narration and the tacked-on happy ending: in
' 425295 7
13 Hyde Park Corner, Leeds L56 lAF. Tel (0532) 743753. Open 9.30-5.30 Mow-Sat and until 7.00 on Thursdays
comes a more defined sense that Deckard himself may be a replicant. The look and feel remain as powerful. and the acting is superb. A flawed masterpiece is now a restored masterpiece. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Blue Eyed (15) (Reinhard HaufT. Germany. 1989) Gotz George. 88 mins. A German living in Argentina closes his eyes to the acts of the junta
. just like a passive German citizen in the Third
Reich. An action film that also acts as a
psychological analysis of the mentality of fellow : travellers. Glasgow: GF'T.
; I Blue Steel ( 18) (Kathryn Bigelow. US. 1990) : Jamie Lee Curtis. Ron Silver. Clancy Brown.
106 mins. Curtis stars as an ill fated rookie cop. who kills a gun-toting hood on her first night on the beat. landing herself in terrible trouble when
i Silver‘s yuppie absconds with the .44-calibre ; evidence. and prepares to do some killing of his
own. There are shades of Sea ()flxrve when he ominously begins dating her. but the film as a whole is an original. fast-paced and stylish thriller with a pinch of feminism thrown in. Edinburgh: Cameo. I The Bodyguard ( 15) (Mick Jackson. US. 1992) Kevin Costner. Whitney Houston. Gary Kemp. 130 mins. Costner tries dubious tough guy mode as the personal minder of pop icon Rachel Marron (a good debut by singer Houston). when she is threatened by an obsessive fan. Lawrence Kasdan‘s script is a complete mess from beginning to end. and the film as a whole is a piece of Hollywood excrement sugared by a topping of romance and chart songs. Avoid. Glasgow: MGM Parkhead. All UCIs. I Brain Stdter’s Dracula ( 18) (Francis Ford Coppola. US. 1992) Gary Oldman. Winona Ryder. Anthony Hopkins. 128 mins. More gothic love story than out-and-out horror. Coppola‘s version is not the strict Stoker adaptation that many had hoped for. but is a visual feast nonetheless. Oldman taps his own dark. sexy. stonny self to create a powerful but sympathetic monster. while the rest of the casl range from the ineffectual to the overbearing. A rich and substantial vampire movie for our times. General release. I Candyman(18)(Bemard Rose. US. 1992) Virginia Madsen. Tony Todd. Kasi Lemmons. 93 mins. Writer/director Rose (who brought us the memorable Paperhouse) transplants Clive Barker‘s short story ‘The Forbidden' to a run- down Chicago housing block where a series of killings are blamed on Candyman. a hook- handed boogieman figure. The film‘s use of urban myth takes it well beyond the jumps and scares of the genre (although they aren‘t ignored either). to make it the most intelligent. disquieting horror film since Jacob '3 Ladder. See preview. Odeons: Glasgow. Edinburgh. Ayr. All UCIs. I City (It Joy ( 15) (Roland Joffe. UK/France. 1992) Patrick Swayze. Pauline Collins. Om Purl. 135 mins. Surgeon Patrick Swayze agrees to help Pauline Collins run a school and medical dispensary in the poorest area of Calcutta. but is intimidated by the local gang chief. Roland (Killing Fields) Joffe‘s latest offering is another attempt to create a feclgood epic from a situation of incalculable suffering. but despite being well made and acted. its didacticism smothers any ability to respond. Glasgow: GFI‘. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I The Comm ( 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 music on the map. Alan Parker delivers a hilarious. down-to-earth. close-to-home movie. stuffed full of good music and with some rclevent social comment to boot. Glasgow: Mercat. Strathclyde: UCI Clydebank. I Consentlng Adults ( 15) (Alan J. Pakula. US. 1992) Kevin Kline. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. Kevin Spacey. 99 mins. How many more of these yuppie-households-in-peril movies can we take? The Parkers‘ family life is perfect until dodgy financial advisor Eddy Otis (Spacey) and his babetitious spouse move in next door. and Mr P. (Kline) decides to break a commandment or two. When she's found beaten to a pulp. he‘s suspect No. 1. A contrived set-up that slides into absurd convolutions. General release. I‘lhel)oolr,TheThlel. lliszteAndllerlover (18) (Peter Greenaway. UK. 1989) Michael Gambon. Helen Mirren. Alan Howard. Richard Bohringer. Tim Roth. 120 mins. A superb film which nonetheless contains something to offend everybody. Beautifully photographed. directed. written. acted and art-directed (with lavish costumes by Jean Paul Gaultier). its subject matter is at once bizarre. repulsive. romantic and compelling. Centring on Greenaway's obsessions with food. decay and infidelity. it‘s an unforgettably stylish tale of forbidden love and brutal revenge. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Brush ( 18) (Alison Maclean. New Zealand. 1992) Marcia Gay Harden. Caitlin Bossley. William Zappa. 97 mins. After trashing a car and placing literary critic Christine in a coma. femme fatale Lane ends up in bed with an aspiring author by way of a manipulative friendship with his daughter. After an hour of disjointed set-up. C rush transforms into a ferocious. stricken drama that is. ultimately. absolutely compelling. See review. Glasgow: GF'I'. I The Cryleg 8'0 (15) (Neil Jordan. UK. 1992) Stephen Rea. Forest Whitaker. Jaye Davidson. 1 12 mins. A disillusioned IRA terrorist strikes up a friendship with the black British soldier he has kidnapped. and subsequently finds himself in London and in love with the latter‘s girlfriend. A bold. unpredictable film that has plenty to say about notions of personal and sexual identity. If only all British movies were as good as this. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. Central: MacRobert. I I)” (18) (Louis Malle. UK/France. 1992) Jeremy Irons. Juliette Binoche. Miranda Richardson. Rupert Graves. 1 l 1 mins. A Tory MP. headed for high office. drops his parliamentary briefs in favour of his son‘s new girlfriend. David Harc's script is restrained and dispassionate. leaving the audience detached from the potential melodrama. A very English sexual repression pulled apart by French master Malle. Glasgow: Grosvenor. MGM Sauchiehall Street. Edinburgh: Cameo. I Delicatessen (15) (Jean-Pierre Jeunet/Marc Caro. France. 1991) Dominique Pinon. Marie- laure Dougnac. Jean-Claude Dreyfus. 99 mins. In a sepia wasteland somewhere in the future. a butcher feeds his neighbours with the juicy joints of his lodgers. But when former clown Louison (Pinon) arrives and falls for his daughter. an underground vegetarian resistance group come to the rescue. Hilarious blend of bizarre characters. slapstick and comic tension makes for the first true cult item of the 90s. UCI East Kilbride. I the Double Life el Veronique (15) (Krzystof Kieslowski. Poland/France. 1991) Irene Jacob. Phillppe Volter. Alexander Bardini. 1 10 mins. Two girls ~ one Polish. the other French — are born at the same time on the same day and come to discover that their fates are bound up together. An eerily fascinating and disturbing erotic dance of love and death from the director of Dekalog (The Ten C ommandments). with an extraordinary twin performance by Cannes award-winner Jacob. Fife: Robins. I Ilene (PG) (David Lynch. US. 1985) Kyle McLachlan. Sting. Kenneth McMillan. 133 mins. lncomprehensible attempt by an unsuitable filmmaker to come to terms with Frank Herbert‘s Sprawling sci-fi bestseller. Spectacular production design and a few moments of characteristic perversity only do so much to distract the attention from story-telling of numbing ineptitude. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. 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‘ Italian 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. ‘Crap Linen Death' really says it all. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I A Few Good Men (15) (Rob Reiner. US. 1992) Tom Cruise. Jack Nicholson. Demi Moore. Keifer Sutherland. 138 mins. Navy lawyers Cruise and Moore are called upon to defend two suspected murders. but as the case develops. it becomes clear that their superior officers (Nicholson and Sutherland) may have had a role in the affair. A fine return to real acting for Nicholson and yet another engrossing piece of work from Reiner. General release. 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 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. Strathclyde: Paisley Arts Centre. I Sim Glee Bees (15) (James Foley. US. 1992) Al Pacino. Jack Lemmon. Ed Harris. Alan Arkin. 100 mins. The combination of Foley‘s camera and Mamet's dialogue makes for verbal choreography in this hard-hitting. word-heavy account of the bonding and back-stabbing in a US real estate office. The cast are magnificent. Pacino and Lernrnon outstanding. Underrated director Foley does wonders to break out of the stageplay format. Not easy going. but an unforgetable achievement. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I SeodFelias ( 18) (Martin Scorsese. US. 1990) Robert De Niro. Ray Liotta. Joe Pesci. Lorraine Braco. Paul Sorvino. 145 mins. Liotta plays Henry Hill. a real-life mafioso. with De Niro as 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: Cameo.
I llellraiser ill: liell ea Eltli (18) (Anthony Hickox. US. 1992) Terry Farrell. Doug Bradley. Paula Marshall. 93 mins. Pinhead and Cenobitc chums take to the streets of New York in this admirable third outing for Clive Barker‘s creations. A capital blend of sado-masochistic imagery. stunning special effects and meaningful characters raises the movie above standard honor fare. and in Doug Bradley we have an actor who really can bring some depth to the lead monster. Strathclyde: WMR.
I liotta (15) (Danny DeVito. US. 1992) Jack Nicholson. Danny DeVito. J.T. Walsh. 135 mins. At long last Jack gets a decent leading role that lets him act instead of overact. A biopic of the US Teamster Union boss. it presents the historical facts about his mafia connections without ever really revealing what exactly kept him so faithful to the labour movement. DeVito‘s direction is at times showy. but there is a genuine attempt to get at the man behind the myth . . . provided you care about who he was in the first place. See preview. Glasgow: Odeon. Edinburgh: Odeon. All UCIs.
I Ilene Alone 2: Lost In low York (U) (Chris Columbus. US. 1992) Macaulay Culkin. Joe Pesci. Daniel Stern. The McCallister family head off on holiday and leave little Kevin behind. Sounds familiar? More remake than sequel to the 1990 box office sensation. this time the brat ends up battling with his favourite burglars in New York City. Crass slapstick. uninspired writing. If you loved/hated the first one. you‘ll love/hate this one. General release.
I lloaey. l Blew I» The Kid (U) (Randal Kleiser. US. 1992) Rick Moranis. Marcia Strassman. Robert Oliveri. 90 mins. This time accident- prone scientist Moranis changes the size of his beloved offspring in the opposite direction. with the effect that baby Adam becomes a titanic tot terrorising Las Vegas. Very much aimed at the young children's market. and brought to you by
the man who directed Grease. General release. I ileueymoe in Vegas (12) (Andrew Bergman. US. 1992) Nicolas Cage. James Caan. Sarah Jessica Parker. 96 mins. Slightly manic Jack Singer (Cage) finally takes the plunge and asks his long-standing girlfriend to marry him in Las Vegas. but ends up losing her in a card game to smoothy Tommy Korman (Caan). Good. solid comedy of the old screwball school with more than its fair share of parachuting Elvis impersonators. Glasgow: Odeon. Edinburgh: Odeon. UCI. Fife: Cannon. Strathclyde: Cannon. UCl Clydebank.
I "0880 Of M (12) (Paul Seed. UK. 1990) Ian Richardson. 200 mins. Devious chief whip Francis Urquhart (Richardson) makes his Machiavellian way up the political ranks. using and abusing his position of power. First shown as a TV four-parter. this is a rare chance to see Andrew Davies's wonderful satire on the big screen. Glasgow: GFI‘.
I Howard: 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. ccntring 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 performances to match. Fife: Robins. Strathclyde: Odeon Ayr.
I "m and Wires (15) (thdy Allen. US. 1992) Woody Allen. Mia Farrow. Sidney Pollack. Judy Davis. 107 mins. The Roths (Allen and Farrow) find their domestic life rocked by the news that their best friends are splitting up. Doubts about their marriage are heightened by Mr R's half-innocent dalliance with a young student_(Cape Fear's Juliette Lewis). More than a life-initating-art movie. given the recent allegations about the Allen household: it is a searching and incisive character comedy. his best since Hannah and her Sisters. Central: MacRobert. Fife: Adam Smith.
I In Bed With Madonna (18) (Alek Keshishian. US. 1991) Madonna. her dancers. the tour crew. a bottle of mineral water. 119 mins. This behind the scenes look at the world's top pop icon may not be the candid revelation the hype would have us believe. but newcomer Keshishian provides a constantly entertaining portrait of the artist. as she switches from super-bitch to mother mode.
20 The List 12 —25 March 1993