INDEX FILM
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 Lemmon outstanding. Underrated director l‘oley does wonders to break out of the stageplay fortnat. Not easy going. but an unforgetable achievement. ('entral: MacRobert. I Gone With The Wind (PG) (Victor l-‘leming. US. I939) ('lark (Table. Vivien Leigh. ()livia de Havilland. Leslie Howard. 320 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 Mitchell's powerful novel. Strathcly‘de: l'('l liast Kilbride. I GoodFellas ( lb’i (Martin Scorsese. L’S. I990) Robert De Niro. Ray l.iotta. Joe Pesci. Lorraine Braco. Paul Sorvino. 145 mins. l.iotta plays Henry Hill. a real-life nut/inst). with De .\'iro as his mentor in crime. Aiitl while the bullets. lists and carving knives fly. Scorsese brings tis back to that unavoidable question yes. it's glamorous and lucrative to live this way. but can anyone really live with the conseqtiences'.’ lidinburgh: Filmhouse. I The Hairdresser’s Husband ( 15 i (Patrice Leconte. l-‘rance. I990) Jean Rochefort. Anna (ialiena. 9() mins. The romantic tale of a young boy who resolves to many a hairdresser. and in eccentric middle age does just that. According to director l.econte. the film ‘is not autobiographical. although it really ought to have been’. since the boy‘s resolution is one he himself made. but failed to keep, A witty. sexy and eccentric movie with dark tindercurrents from the director of .llunvieur Hire. lidinburgh: l‘ilmhousc. I Heathers ( IS) (Michael l.ehiiian. I'S. I939) Winona Ryder. ('hristian Slater. Lisanne l’alk. I02 mins. An tiltrablack parody of the high school teenfiick. Lehman's first feature film manages to combine box office success with artistic merit. This cult hip hit of its year has Slater and Rydei starting a suicide cra/c to muscle in on the cliqtiey Heathers rtmning the joint. Tune in. turn on. drop dead. Iidinburgh: (’ameo. I Henry And June I is) (l’lltltp Katil'iiian. t‘s. I990) l-red Ward. I‘ma 'I‘liuriiian. Maria de Madeiios. Richard li. (irant. 137 mins. The triangular relationship between the erotic writers Henry Miller and Anais .\'m and Miller‘s wife June is the backbone of this well mounted biopic. which suffers from the slightly incoiigonUs explicitness of Kaufman's previous ('Iilit’urulile lightness (ll Being and the same uncomfortably slow pace. lidinburgh: ('ameo. I Hoffa ( 15) (Danny l)e\'ito. I’S. I992) Jack Nicholson. Danny l)eVito. J.T. Walsh. IRS mins. At Ioiig last Jack gets a decent leading role that lets him act instead of overact. A biopic of the US Teamster L'nion boss. it presents the historical facts about his mafia connections without ever really revealing what exactly kept him so faithful to the labour movement. l)e\'ito‘s direction is at times showy, btit there is a genuine attempt to get at the man behind the myth . . prov ided you care about w ho lie was it) the first place. (ilasgow: ()deon. MGM l’arkhead. lidinburgh: ()deon, All I'(‘Is. I Home Alone 2: Lost in flow York (I) ((‘hris (’olumbUs. ITS. I992) Macaulay ('tilkin. Joe l’esci. [)aniel Stern. The Mc(‘allistcr family head off on holiday and leave little Kevin behind. Sounds I'ainiliar'.’ More remake than sequel to the I990 box office sensation. this time the brat ends up battling with his favourite burglars in New York City. (‘rass slapstick. uninspired writing. If you loved/hated the first one. you'll lov c/hatc this one. (ienei‘al release.
X factor
lllorn the T-shlrt, maybe even seen the film. How it’s time to get to grips with the origins of the Malcolm X phenomenon, and there’s no better place to start than The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley (Penguin £5.99). As a narrative, it’s likely that the drama — street pimp to civil rights leader - was heightened to make it more of a parable of conversion, but whatever the reader’s attitude to the religious content, this is undoubtedly an inspiring book that corrects decades of media manipulation of the man’s words. The chronological timescale lets the reader learn from Malcolm’s early misconceptions about the race struggle at the same moment he does, and lets us share the powerful pleasure he felt in his final, more tolerant beliefs. Profoundly moving, this is one of the most important books on race ever written, as vital to our understanding of mankind now as it was almost 30 years ago.
Malcolm X for Beginners (Writers and Readers Publishing £6.99), written and illustrated by Bernard Aquina Doctor, is a watered-down version of the autobiography which misses some of the important subtleties of Malcolm’s developing philosophies. Not only that, the picture-plus-one-paragraph format resembles those Life of Jesus pamphlets, and treating Malcolm as a religious icon is just another way of
THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MAL t .,
1s told to Air: Tilk',
avoiding the real impact of his words.
By Any Means Necessary (Vintage £7.99) is the perfect follow-on from the autobiography, as it charts not only the problems Spike Lee faced when filming the movie Malcolm X, but reveals the obstacles that are still placed in the way of any outspoken Black American today. This is the filmmaker as angry artist, with a level of commitment beyond most of his Hollywood peers and the guts to come out firing in print. Hot that it’s all invective; in its own way it’s a morally uplifting tale of getting things done, providing a forum for debate and learning from past mistakes. (Alan Morrison)
I Honey, l Blew Up The Kid (1') (Randal Kleiscr. l'S. I993) Rick Moranis. Marcia Strassman. Robert ()liveri. 9() 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 l.as Vegas. Very much aimed at the young children's market. and brought to you by the man who directed Grease. (ieneral release. I Honeymoon in Vegas ( I 2) (Andrew Bergman. ITS. I992) Nicolas Cage. James (‘aan. Sarah Jessica Parker. 96 mins. Slightly manic Jack Singer (Cage) linally takes the plunge and asks his long-standing girlfriend to marry him in Las Vegas. but ends tip losing her in a card game to smoothy Tommy Korman ((‘aan). (iood. solid comedy of the old screwball school with more than its fair share of parachuting lilvis impersonators. l-ife: (ilenrothes.
I Howards End (PG) (James Ivory. I'K. I992) Anthony Hopkins. Vanessa Redgrave. Helena Bonham ('arter. limma Thompson. l4: mins. After a succession of dreary Forster clones. the British film industry gels 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 atid reactionary
old duffer atid 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. ~(ilasgow: (il"l lidinburgh: I‘(’l.
I Husbands and Wives ( 15) twtmay- Allen. ITS. I992) Woody Allen. Mia Farrow. Sidney Pollack. Judy Davis. 107 mins. The Roths (Allen and l‘arrow) find their domestic life rocked by the news that their best friends are splitting tip. Doubts about their marriage are heightened by Mr R's half-innocent dalliance with a young student ((iipe Mal/"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 Sivn'rs. (ilasgow: (irosvenor.
I The itallan Straw Hat (PU) (Rene (lair. l-‘rance. I927) Albert l’rejean. ()lga Tschekow a. A silent satire on middle-class preteiision. centring on a man who's hampered from getting to a wedding w hen his horse eats a lady 's straw hat. Willi live piano accompaniment. (ilasgow: (il-‘T.
I Jii ( l2) (Michael Raeburn. Zimbabwe. i990)
“Rohmer is “our greatest living filmmaker”
An Artificial Eye Release
7 ERIC ROHMER’S A U
TALES 0'; THE FOLR SEASO‘sS COVE D'PWER
E‘.GLIS.“ SLETITLES
From 1 April - Edinburgh Filmhouse
Geoff Andrew TIME OUT
“Utterly delightful. "engrossing’iiaiis ON “Rohmer's best for years”
Derek Malcolm THE GUARDIAN
From 5 April - Glasgow Film Theatre
FROM THE DIRECTOR OF A\TALE OF SPRTN‘GTIM’E j z “A beguiling tale”
Philip French THE OBSERVER
Dominic Makuvachunia. SibongiIe-Nene. Farai Seven/o. 92 mins. A Zimbabwean boy falls in love with a record-company babe. but has difficulties persuading her father he‘s the right man for her. Help comes in the shape of a beer- swilling ancestral spirit. Lots of live footage of jit stars helps give this romantic comedy more atmosphere than originality. See review. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Jungle Book (II) (Wolfgang Reitherman. US. I967) With the voices of George Sanders. Louis Prima. 78 mins. Growing up in the jungle. young Mowin learns from the animals around him. linjoyable Disney. a long way after Kipling. btit the songs are wonderful. (ieneral release. I The Killing (PG) (Stanley Kubrick. I'S. I956) Sterling Hayden. (‘oleen (iray. Vince lidwards. 83 mins. Kubrick's partially abstract vision of Jim Thompson's novel creates classic film "Off with its perfectly cast and rawly vivid depiction of greed and comiption. An ex-coii recruits the help of small time crooks to rob two million from a race track. and the tightly structured narrative follows the ensuing chaos as the plan falls apart. A harsh. clinical piece that did the director's growing reputation no harm at all. lidinburgh: ('ameo. I Kindergarten Cop ( 12) (Ivan Reitman. I'S. I990) Arnold Schwarzenegger. Penelope Ann Miller. Pamela Reed. Richard Tyson. l I I mins. The large fellow is the polis in question. taking tip the reins in a nursery class when he goes undercover to track down the wife and child of a murder suspect. This is a sleazy. exploitative llilS‘llmttsii of genre-blending. famin comedy spliced clumsily with bloodthirsty thriller. and a spot of child abuse thrown in for cheap pathos and a veneer of social concern. Since 'l’vvmx. we‘ve known Arnold has a sense of humour. but can he play the new man'.’ ()ii this evidence. no. (ilasgow: Mercat. I Labyrinth of Passion ( l8) (Pedro Amtxlovar. Spain. I982) ('ecilia Roth. lmanol Arias. Antonio Banderas. 94 mins. A nympho club chanteuse falls fora Middle liastern heir. who in turn is having a fling with a terrorist who's out to kidnap him. Sluggishly paced and relentlesst tawdry. this early work is not the place for would-be Pedrophiles to start. See Screen Test. Glasgow: (EFT. I The Last Days of Che: ilous ( l 5) (Gillian Amistrong. Australia. 1992) Lisa Harrow. Bruno (ianl. Kerry Fox. 96 iiiitis. A Sydney hoUsehold. peopled by a successful novelist. her l-‘rench husband and her daughter. is throw it otit of balance by the arrival of the woiiian‘s sister. The latest from (iillian (.‘llv Bellini/ill ('ureer) Armstrong has some of the most believable characters you'll have seen on screen for ages. while script. cast and director chime in resonant harmony. Sure to be one of the most underrated movies ofthe year. lzdinburgh: l-‘iliiihouse. I The Last of the Mohlcans ( 15) (Michael Mann. IFS. I992) Daniel Day-Iewis. Madeleine Stowe. Russell Means. Steven Waddington. 122 mins. James l’eniniorc ('ooper‘s tale of the English/Hench colonial wars in America becomes the most thrilling movie of the year in the hands of Mann (.ilunliimrn') and a splendid cast. Day-Lewis makes a line Hawkeyc. blending Native Aiiiei'icaii and litiropean nobility to create a sympathetic. truly memorable hero. Iidinburgh: (‘amco. ('entral: MacRobert. I‘ifc: Adam Smith. I Leon The Pig Farmer ( IS) (Vadim Jean/Gary Sinyor. ITK. I992) Mark I‘rankel. Brian (ilover. Janet Summit. 96 mins. A highly kosher comedy in which young l.eon (Frankel) discovers that he's not the Nice Jewish Boy he thotight he was. but the result of a botched artificial insemination experiment. His real daddy is a Yorkshire pig breeder. l‘unny independent British movie from a determined cast and crew. which picked up
_J
The List 26 March-S April I993 19