FILM INDEX
some decent festival awards last year. See preview. Glasgow: Grosvenor. Odeon. Edinburgh: Odeon. I m X (15) (Spike Lee. US. 1992) Denzel Washington. Angela Bassett. Al Freeman Jr. 201 mins. Long-awaited and much needed biopic of Black political activist Malcolm X charts the life of the man from street hood to Muslem leader. An epic worthy of the name. both thematically and cinematically. as Lee brings the integrity and intelligence of a much-misunderstood figure to the masses. Washington‘s faultless performance helps us through some of the more weighty passages. Glasgow: MGM Sauchiehall Street. Edinburgh: Odeon. I Ian Ill” “(18) (Remy Belvaux/Andre Bonzel/Benoit Poelvoorde. Belgium. 1992) Benoit Poelvoorde. Remy Belvaux. Jenny Drye. 96 mins.-Somewhere in the unexplored hinterland between Henry: Portrait ofa Serial Killer and This Is Spinal Tap came three young Belgians. who spruced up their graduation film. Horrifically comic mock-doc on a poetry- quoting mass-murderer. it soon sharpens its serious edge and becomes truly shocking. A real chin-dropper of a film if ever there was one. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. ldeFe-musnkainer Werner Fassbinder. W. Germany. 1971) Hans Hirschmuller. Hanna Schygulla. 89 mins. Dominated by his mother. and rejected by the love of his life. a timid greengrocer enters an empty marriage. and finally drinks himself to death. Melodramatic yet moving biographical study. generally regarded as one of Fassbinder‘s finest achievements. Glasgow: GFT. I u I”! (PG) (Michael Gottlieb. US. 1992) Hulk Hogan. Sherman Hemsley. Austin Pendleton. 84 mins. Hulk Hogan follows the successful Suburban Commando with a film that owes something to Home Alone. This time he‘s a bodyguard roped into looking after two destructive kids who like nothing better than setting booby-traps for their nannies. For the kids only. Glasgow: MGM Parkhead. Odeons: Glasgow: Edinburgh: Ayr. UCIs: Edinburgh. Clydebank. I “I: Videos The third in the To Camera series focusses on sound looks at those groundbreaking music videos that combine the latest technology with chart hits. Works feature David Byme.-Michael Nyman and Sonic Youth. Edinburgh Filmhouse. I (If Ila All In (PG) (Gary Sinise. US. 1992) John Malkovich. Gary Sinise. Sherilyn Fenn. l l I mins. A slow-wilted. gentle giant and his resourceful. protective side-kick search for work in Depression-hit America. Sinise the director marries the themes of Steinbeck‘s classic novel to vibrant landscapes of rural farm life. American tragedy in its purest form. Central: MacRobert. I MMIMNM“ (18) (Sergio Leone. US. 1983) Robert de Niro. James Woods. Elizabeth McGovern. 228 mins. The story of two childhood friends and their early entrepreneurial activities. which blossom into careers in organised crime and politics. Leone‘s epic chronicle scrutinises the emergent American society of the early 20th century through the aspirations of the mob. Mammoth and often unforgivably vicious. yet somehow also lyrical and telling. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I m (PG) (Sally Potter. UK. 1992) Tilda Swinton. Billy Zane. Quentin Crisp. 92 mins. A male Elizabethan courtier begins a journey of self-discovery that involves four centuries and a sex change. Swinton‘s simple but unique beauty captures the androgyny of the perfect Everyman/woman. while director Potter creates from Virginia Woolf ‘5 novel a humorous and visually splendid succession of episodes that is a constant joy to watch. At last. a literary film rather than a literature substitute. Glasgow: GFT. Edinburgh: Cameo. I TO. Player ( 15) (Robert Altman. US. 1992) Tim Robbins. Greta Scacchi. Fred Ward. Peter Gallacher. 124 mins. Altman‘s satire on the wheeling and dealing of modern day Hollywood IS more than just an excuse for cineastes to play trarnspotter with the famous faces in cameo roles. It is also a terrific thriller about a studio exec receiving death threats from a spurned writer. Tim Robbins is magnificent in the lead role. while Altman manages to grin as he bites the hand that feeds him. Glasgow: GFT. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I M lb The Vol-e ( 15) (Allan Moyle. US/Canada. I991)Christian Slater. Scott Paulin. Ellen Greene. Samantha Mathis. 102 mins. The over-burdened students of Hubert Humphrey High relieve their frustrations every evening by tuning into pirate radioDJ Happy Harry Hard- On. But shy incomer Mark Hunter (Slater) soon finds that his nighttime alter-ego is getting a bit out of hand. particularly when one of his listeners commits suicide and Happy Harry is blamed. An anarchic teen angst movie with a soundtrack - The Pixies. Liquid Jesus. Bad Brains - that would put hairs on the chest of a bottle of mcths. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I “I Gala (15) (Brian De Palma. US. 1992)
' John Lithgow. Lolita Davidovich. Steven Bauer.
92 mins. John Lithgow puts the ‘psycho‘ in ‘psychologist‘ as a mind doctor growing more and more out of control. while his wife rekindles an affair and the police investigate serial murders. filled to overflowing with virtuoso thriller setpieces at the expense of characterisation. it will please cynical cineastes at least. Glasgow: Grosvenor.
I m 00.8 (18) (Quentin Tarantino. US. 1992) Harvey Keitel. Tim Roth. Michael Madsen. 100 mins. A gang of hoods. known only to each other by colour-coded nicknames. meets at an abandoned warehouse to figure how out their rigorously planned heist went so drastically wrong. The best debut in years from writer-director Tarantino. whose stylish violence seduces the audience into complicity. Brilliant in every sense of the word. Glasgow: Odeon. Edinburgh: Cameo. Fife: Cannon. IAMMWMPGHRoben Redford. US. 1992) Craig Sheffer. Brad Pitt. Tom Skerritt. 124 mins. A fine. lyrical piece by director Redford describing the love and loyalty of two contrasting brothers in Montana early this century. Based on Norman Maclean‘s semi- autobiographical novel. it fuses the Scots Presbyterian lifestyle of American settlers with an true understanding of nature. Wonderful performances. beautiful photography: altogether a perfectly crafted film about human relationships. Edinburgh: Dominion.
I Item Stand (18) (Geoffrey Wright. Australia. 1991) Russell Crowe. Jacqueline McKenzie. Daniel Pollock. 89 mins. A group of Nazi skinheads in Melbourne find their numbers dwindling when they get caught up in a street war with local Vietnamese. Hand-held camera shots draw the audience into the frenzy. letting them reject the skinheads' views with moral certainty rather than blind emotionalism. An important film that pressurises viewers into addressing the issues involved. See review. Glasgow: GFI‘.
I M at a m (15) (Martin Brest. US. 1992) Al Pacino. Chris O’Donnell. James Rebhom. 156 mins. A blind. alcoholic ex- serviceman and a scholarship college boy spend Thanksgiving Weekend in New York and find themselves in a series of funny and moving adventures which finally lead them to come to terms with their true selves. Overlong in its opening and closing scenes. this is still one terrific movie. with what is possibly Pacino’s best performance in a distinguished career. Watch out. Oscar night. Glasgow: MGMs. Edinburgh: Cannon. Central: Allanpark. All UCIs.
I We. (18) (Sidney Lumet. US. 1973) Al Pacino. John Randolph. Jack Kehoe. Biff McGuire. 130 mins. Early Pacino cop-paranoia. has him uncovering corruption in the upper echelons of the New York Police Department and ends up having to leave the country. As the plot suggests. there's nothing too remarkable here. despite the credentials of those involved. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I S”. I. (15) (Hal Hartley. US. 1992) William Sage. Robert Burke. Karen Sillas. 104 mins. Two mismatched brothers go in search of their athlete-turned-radical father. whose absent presence acts like Godot to their Estragon and Vladimir. And. as in the stage piece. it‘s the wordplay (Hartley's patented ear for quirky dialogue) and wayward philosophising en route that becomes more important than the journey itself. Fife: Adam Smith.
I Single White Female (18) (Barber Schroeder. US. 1992) Bridget Fonda. Jennifer Jason Leigh. Steven Weber. 107 mins. Flatmate-from-hell scenario is in full force when Leigh moves into the appartment of Fonda and gradually starts taking over her looks. life and boyfriend. An intriguing character drama and rousing genre piece that packs a visceral punch without neglecting to keep one‘s grey matter engaged. Central: MacRobert.
I Singles (12) (Cameron Crowe. US. 1992) Bridget Fonda. Campbell Scott. Kyra Sedgwick. Matt Dillon. 90 mins. The way it‘s been sold you'd think it was some total guitar hardcore odyssey vibe. but in fact it's a honey-coated romance that just happens to take place in Seattle. There‘s a high recognition factor for twentysomethings in the audience as they watch the ensemble cast find its way around misdirected crushes. parties from hell and crap gigs. Watch your life flash before you. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I SW M (PG) (Emile Ardolino. US. 1992) Whoopi Goldberg. Maggie Smith. Harvey Keitcl. 100 mins. When Nightclub chanteuse De ris (Goldberg) sees her gangster boyfriend mu r an underling. she goes on the run and ends up in as the unlikely new member of a nearby convent. A bit like Some Like It Hot meets The Sound 0/ Music. except the songs hark back to Motown and are by far the best thing about the movie. Glasgow: MGM Parkhead. Edinburgh: UCI. Strathclyde: UCl
Clydebank.
I m (12) (Phil Alden Robinson. US. 1992) Robert Redford. Mary McDonnell. Ben Kingsley. River Phoenix. 126 mins. A computer hacker (Redford) and his team are forced by the government to steal a revolutionary new Soviet code-breaking device. Tortuously technological plotting leaves the stellar cast with virtually nothing to do. so despite a few insights about power and information. it‘s really rather disappointing. Glasgow: Grosvenor. Central: MacRobert. Fife: Adam Smith.
I M T”, M m (15) (Stefan Schwartz. UK. 1992) Peter Capaldi. Elaine Collins. Richard Mlson. 91 mins. A Scot living in London has to return home to his native Glasgow for a family party. but meets various hazards on the road north. not the least of which is the slightly bizarre Yvonne. Capaldi‘s script perfectly captures that typically Scottish balance of innocent charm and sly humour. Not in the fast lane. perhaps. but motoring steadily towards its destination. Central: Cannon. Fife: Adam Smith.
I Slim!” Ilolrs (15) (Robert Young. UK. 1993) Eric Idle. Rick Moranis. Catherine Zeta Jones. 90 mins. In this sorry effort. Idle is a humble city broker who finds out he‘s really the lost Duke of Bournemouth. a title currently usurped by American tycoon (and his boss) Moranis. Cue big bosoms. romantic complications. national and ethnic stereotypes. etc. etc. Imagine Kind Hearts and Coroners rewritten for idiots. See review. General release. I W (PG) (Mark Joffc. Australia. 1992) Anthony Hopkins. Ben Mendelsohn. Bruno Lawrence. 93 mins. Hopkins. a sort of 605
version of Sir John Harvey-Jones. investigates an Aussie moccasin factory that's not keeping up to production levels. Soon he's seduced by the sheer eccentricity of the place and its employees. Ealing-style comedy that undoubtedly exists out of its proper time. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I m (IS) (Reinhard Haufi‘. W. Germany. 1986) Ulrich Pleitgen. Ulrich Tukur. Therese Affolter. 105 mins. Using court transcriptions. letters and prison memoranda. this controversial film recreates the trial of the Baader-Meinhoff group in the l970s. In a memorable and highly intense attempt to analyse the causes and effects of terrorism. Hauff criticises the intolerance of both perpetrators and those who inflict narrow-minded judgements upon them. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I St” 1.“ (PG) (Peter Hyams. US. 1992) John Ritter. Pam Dawber. Jeffrey Jones. 89 mins. Couch potato Roy Knable and wife getted zapped into TV Hell and have to survive 24 hours of deadly game shows and other broadcast spoofs in order to return to the real world. Basically an excuse for a succession of lame parodies. it plays to the attention span of TV audiences by never being in one joke situation for more than a few minutes. Try another channel. Strathclyde: Odeon Ayr. All UCIs.
I Stea- k TI. Screen (U) Vintage railway films from the 19305 through to the late 80$. introduced by Andrew Youdell of the BFI and Alan Willmott of Windjammer Films. Glasgow:
GFT.
I M “W (PG) (Baz ~Luhnnann. Australia. 1991) Paul Mercurio. Tara Morice. Bill Hunter. 94 mins. Dancefloor hopeful Scott Hastings incurs the wrath of the Australian Dance Federation by using his own steps in competition. loses his partner and his friends. but finds love and artistic integrity with the local wallflower. The ultimate feelgood movie. it is crammed with colour. glitter. music and spectacle. Fife: Adam Smith. Strathclyde: Odeon
Ayr. I M (18) (Tom Kalin. US. 1992) Daniel Schlachet. Craig Chester. Ron Vawter. 82 mins.
‘ Visually splendid monochrome retelling of the
murder of a young boy in 1924 Chicago by two wealthy Jewish students and their subsequent trial in which their homosexuality was brought to the fore. Kalin uses the episode to examine how history — here the demonisation of homosexuals - was written. but restrains from excusing their brutality. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I I“ Of Beatrix m (U) (Reginald Mills. UK. 1971) 90 mins. Various stories from the children's writer are told in musical form and danced by members of the Royal Ballet. Although Peter Rabbit and all his chums appear on screen. ballet is not perhaps the most engaging way to hold a young audience‘s attention. Nevertheless. twenty years after its original release. it has become pan of the holiday season and here benefits from being seer on the big screen. Edinburgh: St Brides.
I Th0 Tm (18) (James Cameron. US. 1934) Arnold Schwarzenegger. Michael arena. Linda Hamilton. 107 mins. In 2029 machines have all but conquered the planet but a saviour is at hand in the form of a new human leader. The machines respond by sending Schwarzenegger's cyborg back in time to 1984 on a mission to kill the future leader‘s mother. Inventive. excitingly-
paced science-fiction adventure with a notable performance from Arnie in his first villainous role. Edinburgh: Cameo. IfmszUS) (James Cameron. US. 1991) Arnold Swarzenegger. Linda Hamilton. Edward Furlong. Robert Patrick. 136 mins. The most expensive film ever made. In a reprogrammed role that says much about his changed image since the first movie. Arnie becomes the underdog fighting to protect mother and child from another more advanced cyborg. With an element of uncontrived human compassion lurking throughout the glorioust expensive action sequences. as Swarzenegger‘s cyborg develops human feelings. this is more than just a $100 million fairground ride. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I W (15) (Michael Apted. US. 1992; Val Kilmer. Sam Shepard. Graham Greene. “9 mins. A pan-Indian FBI agent (Kilmer) is sent tr South Dakota's Pine Ridge Reservation to investigate the unsolved murder of a local Sioux. Locals both help and hinder him. forcing him to come to terms with his heritage while
discovering that the murder is only part of a wider picture of corruption. The film‘s basis in fact makes for consistently absorbing viewing. showing the plight of Native Americans today rather than in some idealised Costnerland past. Fife: Adam Smith. I Tl” TO DUI (U) A film on the distinctive education system practiced by the 500 Rudolf Steiner schools around the world. focussing on four of the twenty six in Britain. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I TO” (PG) (Barry Levinson. US. 1992) Robin Williams. Michael Gambon. Robin Wright. 121 mins. When their father dies. Leslie Zevo and his sister Alsatia are left his utopian toy factory. but their nasty uncle decides instead to turn out war toys: it‘s militaristic madness against childish lunacy. Nice sets but. wow. is this a piece of gross self-indulgence from Levinson who doesn‘t seem to know if this is a kids‘ film for adults or an adults‘ film for kids. General release. I “850.0(18) (Andrew Davis. US. 1992) Steven Seagal. Tommy Lee Jones. Gary Busey. 103 mins. Die Hard on a boat. with martial arts ace Seagal as the ship‘s cook and the only man who can take on a group of terrorist revolutionaries who have taken over its nuclear arsenal. A kind of ultra-violent comedy. it shoulc take Seagal out of the video ranks and into the big league. as he‘s simply a better anti-hero and actor than Jean-Claude. Arnie and Dolph put together. General release.
(15) (Clint Eastwood. US. 1992) Clint Eastwood. Gene Hackman. Morgan Freeman. 123 mins. Clint returns to the saddle as a former killer. tamed by his late wife. but pressed into joining a bounty hunt which takes him to the town of Big Whiskey and into the presence of its sadistic sheriff (Hackman). A darkly disturbing western which destroys the genre's traditional notions of clear-cut good and
evil. instead presenting violent acts as physically
and psychologically painful for victim and perpetrator alike. Glasgow: MGM Sauchiehall Street. Edinburgh: UCI. Central: Caledonian. Strathclyde: UCl Clydebank. IMIMEI‘OHIIOWIUSHWim Wenders. Germany/US/Japan/Australia. I992) Solveig Dommartin. William Hurt. Sam Neill. 158 mins. After having been chased across the world by various nefarious types. Claire Tourneur (Dommartin) and lover Trevor (Hurt) end up in an Aussie underground lab. with nuclear armageddon around the comer. The sci- fi and ‘female Peer Gynr' elements don‘t gel. but Wender's flawed rock‘n‘roll-powered odyssey does have its own kind of fascination. Glasgow: GFT.
I VIC“: W The Electronic Images season continues with a compilation of works by women artists working with video. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I lay-0's m (PG) (Penelope Spheeris. US. 1991) Mike Myers. Dana Carvey. Rob Lowe. Tia Carrere. 95 mins. Two heavy metal dorks hit the big time when their public access cable show is snapped up by a greedy TV exec for national primetime. Crammed full of TV and film pastiches. this US phenomenon has far more hits than misses. while Wayne and Garth revel in an even wackier vocabulary than cinematic first cousins Bill and Ted. They‘ve shot. they‘ve scored! Glasgow: Mercat. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I l mu Tale (12) (Eric Rohmer. France. 1991) Charlotte Very. Frederic van den Driessche. Herve Furic. 114 mins. Rohmer‘s latest offering is a typically downbeat affair. framed around the moral dilemmas of a hairdresser and the men in her life. Brilliantly suffused with the unglamorous atmosphere of French suburbia. it may not be to everyone‘s taste. but bear with it because it’s a very different piece of cinema. See review. Glasgow: GFI‘. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
20 The List 26 March—8 April I993