The List: 22 Apr 1994 (36/96)

FILM INDEX

BACARDI BLACK

employers to court. convinced that he has been sacked because he is suffering from AIDS. Demme's ﬁlm goes as far as any mainstream Hollywood movie on this subject could in the current climate. but for all its compromises. it should be applauded for avoiding any notion of manipulative death-bed sensationalisrn. Hanks. for once. is allowed to break free from lightweight comic roles. and delivers a moving performance. General release. I The Piano (15) (Jane Campion. Australia/New Zealand. 1993) Holly Hunter. Sam Neill. Harvey Keitel. 120 mins. Jane Campion's masterpiece follows mute Scotswoman Ada (Hunter) as she travels to 19th century New Zealand with her piano and daughter to enter into an arranged marriage. Soon she begins a passionate and erotic affair with her illiterate neighbour as the means of regaining her treasured instrument. lmpeccable performances lift this highly charged piece to the realms of classic cinema. undoubtedly one of the best ﬁlms of the 90s. Strathclyde: UCI East Kilbride. I Pink Floyd The Wall (15) (Alan Parker. CK. 1982) Bob Geldof. Christine Hargreaves. Bob Hoskins. 95 mins. An ambitious attempt by Parker and the Floyd's Roger Waters to tum the band's album The Wall into a visual. almost dialogue-less story. in which a schoolboy named Pink grows up to be an isolated rock star. The result did not match the ambition. Strathclyde: UCI Clydebank. I Bainlng Stones (15) (Ken Loach. UK. 1993) Bruce Jones. Julie Brown. Ricky Tomlinson. 90 mins. Another slice of real life from one of Britain's most dedicated ﬁlmmakers. An unemployed father brings tenor to his household when he goes to a loanshark in order to pay for his daughter's first communion dress. Throughout. the northern community‘s sense of natural humour makes this a heartening. amusing and very accessible ﬁlm indeed. Edinburgh: Cameo. Strathclyde: UCI Clydebank. I llelrecca (PG) (Alfred Hitchcock. US. 1940) Laurence Olivier. Joan Fontaine. Judith Anderson. 130 mins. Wonderfully atmospheric romance. made when Hitch was at his height. The young bride of rich widower Maxim de Winterjoins him at his grand mansion — Manderley — but everywhere she turns. there are memories of his ﬁrst wife. whose death is surrounded by mystery. Anderson‘s overwrought Gothic housekeeper Mrs Danvers steals the show. Edinburgh: St Bride's. I The Remains oi the Day (U) (James Ivory. UK. 1993) Anthony Hopkins. Emma Thompson. James Fox. 134 mins. A butler reminisces on the pre-WW2 days he spent in Darlington Hall. when he turned a blind eye to his employer's dealings with the Nazis and his own feelings for the housekeeper. One of Merchant-Ivory's best. with Hopkins the epitome of English emotional repression. Fife: MGM. New Picture House. Strathclyde: Kelbume. Odeons. UCl Clydebank. I Reservoir Dogs (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. Odeon. Fife: Robin's. Strathclyde: WMR. I Rite, Sue 81 M Too (18) (Alan Clarke. UK. 1986) Michelle Holmes. Siobhan Finneran. George Costigan. 95 mins. Working-class sex comedy about two Bradford girls who have a ﬂing with a slimy married man. Clarke's points about dead-end life are distanced from us by the unappealing. cold touch he brings to the proceedings. and soon it becomes a sleazy catalogue of stereotypes. relying on crudity for shock value. Edinburgh: Cameo. I the lloeky Horror Picule Show (18) (Jim Shannan. UK. 1975) Tim Curry. Susan Sarandon. Barry Bostwick. Meat Loaf. 100 mins. The cult ﬁlm to end all others. this rock spoof on old horror movies has created a breed of Rocky Horror crazres. and packs them in at late shows everywhere. The ﬁlm has its moments. and Curry is splendidly camp as the bisexual Frank N. Funer. Edinburgh: Odeon. I Ito-e0 b Bleeding (18) (Peter Medak. US. 1993) Gary Oldman. Lena Olin. Annabella Sciorra. Juliette Lewis. Corrupt cop Jack Grimaldi (Oldman) sells info on people in the Witness Protection Programme to the mob. bagging some extra cash on the way. But the tables are turned when lust draws him from both wife (Sciorra) and mistress (Lewis) to deadly female assassin (Olin). Blacker-than-black comedy. with Britain's bad boy obviously enjoying himself. See feature. Edinburgh: UCI.

Strathclyde: UCI Clydebank.

I to Samurai (PG) (Jean-Pierre Melville. France/Italy. 1967) Alain Delon. Francois Perier. Nathalie Delon. 105 mins. The classic French ﬁlm noir. re-issued with. for the ﬁrst time. subtitles rather than the appallingly dubbed version that did the rounds years ago. Delon is Jeff Costello. an enigmatic hired killer who becomes obsessed with the beautiful pianist who witnessed a hit but refuses to testify against him. Minimalist dialogue and perfect attention to detail make this the director's masterpiece. Central: MacRobert.

I saw. Sunday AMI Monday SUDUIU. Domenica E Lllflé’tlf (PG) (Lina Wertmuller. Italy. 1990) Sophia Loren. Luca De Filippo. Luciano De Crescenzo. 115 mins. Loren stars as the matriarch presiding over an extended. eccentric family as they approach the all- irnportant Sunday dinner. Italian Film Festival. Glasgow: GI’I‘. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.

I Say A Little Prayer ( 15) (Richard Lowenstein. Australia. 1993) 97 mins. The director ofcult favourite Dogs In Space relums with the story of a young boy. grounded for the summer holidays. who falls in love with a twenty-year-old girl with a drtrg problem. With Monica Pcllizzari's Just Desserts (13 mins). Australian Film Festival. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.

I Schindler’s List (15) (Steven Spielberg. LS. 1993) Liam Neeson. Ralph Fiennes. Ben Kingsley. 195 mins. During WW2. German industrialist and Nazi Party member ()skar Schindler saved the lives of over a thousand Jewish employees by demanding they work in his factory rather than be sent to Auschwitz. Spielberg's magniﬁcent movie and Neeson‘s performance capture this enigmatic brand of heroism. while depicting traumatic events in documentary-like black-and-white images. Psychologically complex. emotionally devastating and artistically impeachable. this is one of the best ﬁlms ever made. General release. I La Scorta The Escort ( 18) (Ricky Tognazzi. Italy. 1993) Claudio Amendola. Enrico Lo Verso. Carlo Cecchi. 95 mins. Inspired by the real life story of a magistrate who moved from nothern Italy to the Maﬁa stronghold of Sicily. this is a searing. edge-of-seat thriller concentrating on the bravery. dedication and comradeship of his personal police escort. The tension never lets off. Italian Film Festival. Glasgow: GFT. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.

I The Secret Garden (U) (Agnieszka Holland. US. 1993) Kate Maberly. Maggie Smith. John

' Lynch. 102 mins. The unusual combination of

the director of Europa Europa and the writer of Edward Scissor/tartar conspires to create an authentic and affecting version of the children‘s classic novel. Shipped back from India. lonely orphan Mary makes friends with a local lad and her sickly cousin. exerting a magical rccuperative process on the latter and a hidden walled garden. Touching and uncontrived. Strathclyde: Odeon Ayr.

I Shadowlands (PG) (Richard Attenborough. US. 1993) Anthony Hopkins. Debra Winger. Joey Mazzelo. 131 mins. The true story of Oxford don and children‘s novelist CS. Lewis who. late in life. married feisty American divorcee Joy Gresham. only to lose her to cancer a few years later. Superlative acting from all concerned. with Hopkins opening his emotions more than usual and Attenborough showing that he can work effectively on a detailed. intimate canvas. Glasgow: Odeon. Edinburgh: Dominion. Odeon. UCI. Strathclyde: Cannon. UCls.

I Short Cut! (18) (Robert Altman. US. 1993) Andie MacDowell. Tim Robbins. Lily Tomlin. Tom Waits. et al. 187 mins. Long and absorbing. Altman's patchwork approach shifts Raymond Carver‘s short stories to Los Angeles. a city socially and geologically on the point of falling apart. The stories cross over. character‘s lives rub together. threads are picked up after receeding for a while — this is classy soap opera at its best. with ﬂawless acting and construction. Edinburgh: Cameo.

I Show Boat (U) (George Sidney. US. 1951) Kathryn Grayson. Ava Gardner. Howard Keel. 108 mins. Kern and Hammerstein's musical gets the MGM colour treatment. and it's one of the best. Set among Mississippi river folk. it contains a batch of favourites including ‘01' Man River' and ‘Make Believe'. Charity screening in aid of Simpson's Maternity Neo Natal Unit. Edinburgh: St Bride's.

I Sister Act 2: Book II The “It (PG) (Bill Duke. US. 1993) Whoopi Goldberg. Kathy Najimy. Maggie Smith. 107 mins. Her Whoopiness is back as Sister Mary Clarence. helping Mother Superior Smith and the other nuns knock some knowledge into San Francisco's underprivileged. But the baddies are about to close the school down and time is running out before the all-state choral

championships . . . Chequebook cinema at its worst. predictably churning out a slew of musical numbers. but absolutely nojokes. General release. I Stepping Razor: Red X ( 18) (Nicholas Campbell. Canada. 1993) 92 mins. A detailed documentary on fonner Wailer Peter Tosh. who was compiling autobiographical tapes. convinced he was undergoing investigation. until his murder in 1987. Excerpts provide a bitter voice-over of rantings to images setting out his early life and role models and concert footage. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Striking Distance ( l 8) (Rowdy llerringtou. US. 1993) Bruce Willis. Sarah Jessica Parker. Dennis Farina. 101 mins. A ﬁfth generation Pittsburgh cop (Willis) is demoted when he accuses the department of covering up the murder of his father. Along with his new partner (Parker). he does a little investigation work of his own. It's all development and no pay-off as car and boat chases alternate with Broocie getting duffed up and some gratuitous snogging. A real disappointment. General release. I That Obscure Object of Desire (15) (Luis Bunuel. France/Spain. 1977) Fernando Rey. Carole Bouquet. Angela Molina. 103 mins. A rich businessman’s desires for his maid are continually frustrated. Bunuel. in his last film. cast two actresses as the lead female and. although confusing at ﬁrst. this decision allows us to see two sides to the character which the man fails to notice. Glasgow: GFI'. I Thelma & louise (15) (Ridley Scott. LS. 1991) Strsan Sarandon. Geena Davis. Ilarvey Keitel. Michael Madsen. 129 mins. The buddy/road movie genres are turned on their heads as Sarandon and Davis grasp the steering wheel and head off leaving a trail of murder and mayhem in their wake. ()1) one level. the film is the critical catalyst that had the feminists cheering and put the stars on the cover of Time magazine; just as importantly. it's an accessible piece of entertainment with excellent central performances. Glasgow: Grosvenor. I Three Colours: Blue (15) (Kt'zysztof Kieslowski. France. 1993) Juliette Binoche. Benoit Regent. Charlotte Very. 100 mins. A young woman tries to isolate herself from friends and any notion of affection following the death of her composer husband and child in a car crash. but she cannot escape from the fragments of his unﬁnished composition. in which she played a major pan. An expressive and symbolic ﬁlm that is also emotionally satisfying. Binoche‘s award-winning pcrfonnance. in a ﬁlm of profound beauty. is the best of her career. Glasgow: GI’I‘. Fife: Adam Smith. I the Three Musketeers (PG) (Stephen llcrek. US. 1993) Chris O'Donnell. Charlie Sheen. Kiefer Sutherland. ()liver Platt. 106 mins. Young D'Artagnan (O‘Donnell) teams up with a trio of the king's bodyguard and together they set out to foil the evil Cardinal Richelieu's plans. save the monarcy. snog the wenches. drink their ﬁll and do what 17th century French heroes have to do. Unpretentious value-for-money entertainment that bears a passing resemblance to a novel by Alexandre Dumas. Edinburgh: liCl. I to Forget Palermo [)imentu‘are Palermo ( 18) (Francesco Rosi. Italy. 1990) James Belushi. Mimi Rogers. Joss Ackland. 100 mins. An Italian-American political candidate comes on a honeymoon trip to Sicily and discovers that the beautiful scenery hides a corrupt society. Italian Film Festival. Glasgow: GFI‘. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Your And Viv (15) (Brian Gilbert. US/UK. 1993) Willem Dafoe. Miranda Richardson. Rosemary Harris. 125 mins. Not the most favourable ponrait of the author of The Wasteland. as the ﬁlm centres on Eliot's role in the unnecessary committal of his wife in a mental asylum. However. the dialogue is stilted. the direction ﬂat and Dafoe gives an uncharacteristically poor performance. Richardson. however. is more powerful in another of the ‘slightly rnad' roles she has made her own. Glasgow: Odeon. Edinburgh: Cameo. UCI. I Treasure Island (PG) (Fraser Ileston. US/UK. 1990) Charlton Heston. Christian Bale. Christopher Lee. 133 mins. Well. shiver me timbers if it ain't (‘ap‘n Heston pere with only one leg and a parrot harnming away in this new version of the Robert Louis Stevenson tale. And blow me if it ain't that Master Bale from Empire of The Sun in the role ofJim lad. More than that we daren‘t say. except to add that our critical black spot is on its way to writer/producer/director Heston ﬁls. care of the Admiral Benbow sushi bar. Burbank. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I True Romeo (18) (Tony Scott. US. 1993) Christian Slater. Patricia Arquette. Dennis Hopper. 119 mins. Comic bookstore assistant Clarence meets. sleeps with and marries novice

hooker Alabama within a matter of hours. then the lovebirds ﬁnd themselves on the run with an accidentally stolen case of cocaine. Limelight- stealing cameos and writer Quentin Tarantino‘s verbal set-pieces ﬁre this excellent movie. the epitome of disposable pop culture for the fast- food generation. Glasgow: MGM Parkhead. Edinburgh: L'Cl. Fife: Adam Smith.

I Ultras ( 18) (Ricky ’l‘ognazzi. Italy. 1990) Claudio Amendola. Gianmarco Tognazzi. Ricky Memphis. 86 mins. A bunch of soccer hooligans follow their team around the country merely as an excuse to perpetrate violence. Powerful. hard- hitting stuff. which touches several raw nerves. ltaliarr Film Festival. Glasgow: Gl’l'. Edinburgh: I-‘ilmlrouse.

I Wages of Fear (PG) (Henri-Georges Clouzot. France. 1953) Yves Montand. Charles Vanel. Peter Van Eyck. 144 mins. In a sleazy South American shanty town four equally sleazy desperadoes agree to drive a couple of truckloads of nitro-glycerine across the mountains. Bring a sponge to wipe the sweat up with: this classic suspense vehicle creates buckets of the stuff. A fine sourpuss vision of man‘s greed married to ﬁlm-making of unbearable tension. Edinburgh: St Bride's.

I Wayne’s World 2 (PG) (Stephen Surjik. L73. 1993) Mike Myers. Dana Carvey. Tia Carrere. 95 mins. It‘s time to party on again with Wayne and Garth. now they've left home and decide to stage Waynestock. a somewhat over-ambitious concert. in Aurora. More of the same. with a higher babe factor (Kim Basinger and Drew Barrymore in cameos). Garth discovering the love of a woman. and another nasty turn by Christopher Walken. Schwing-time once more. Glasgow: MGM Film Centre.

I What time Is It? Che ()ra If." ( 15) (Ettore Scola. Italy. 1989) Marcello Mastroianni. Massimo 'l'roisi. Anne l’arillaud. 102 mins. An elderly father meets his son. currently doing his military service. and discuss future plans. The script skilfully allows each to gradually reveal his innermost feelings as they journey around town. Italian Film Festival. Glasgow: GI’I'. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.

I What's love Get To Do With It? (18) (Brian Gibson. ('3. 1993) Angela Bassett. Laurence Fishburne. 118 mins. The life of Tina Turner presented as inspiration for women trying to escape from domestic abuse. While suffering from the usual short ctrts and polishings as any biopic whose subject is still alive. it boasts two magniﬁcent central perfonnances from Bassett and Fishburne. who brings the right level of seductive nastiness to Ike. Songs and period detail are good. Strathclyde: IICI Clydebank.

I White Angel (15) (Chris Jones. UK. 1993) Peter Firth. Harriet Robinson. Don Henderson. 92 mins. With a blonde-wigged woman killer on the loose. Ellen (Robinson) should think twice before renting a rooru out to lodger leslie (Firth) — although she herself is a murder suspect. following the disappearance of her husband. Independently produced stab at commercial ﬁlmmaking by young Brits is competently shot and edited. but betrays a naivety of narrative style. The serial killer theme merely recycles scraps from another table. Strathclyde: UCI East Kilbride.

I Widows Peak (PG) (John twin. UK. 1993) Joan Plowright. Mia Farrow. Natasha Richardson. 101 mins. The women-only enclave of Widow's Peak is thrown into disarray when glamorous American Edwina Broome (Richardson) arrives in the quaint Irish village of Kilshannon. Suddenly the dominating rule of Mrs Doyle Counihan (Plowright) is under threat. Slightly stereotypical. Widow Zr Peak harks back to the witty charm of the Ealing comedies and those days when dialogue mattered. See review. Glasgow: Odeon. Edinburgh: Odeon.

I The Wild Bunch (Sam Peckinpah. US. 1969) William Holden. Emest Borgnine. Robert Ryan. 145 mins. The bloody but emotionally sensitive tale of a battle to the death between rough-riding Texans and Mexican revolutionaries. A classic and highly influential Western. which creates a paradoxical beauty from explicitly violent ingredients. Edinburgh: St Bride's.

I Women (In Holiday Donne In Un Giorno Di Fesrva (15) (Salvatore Maira. Italy. 1993) Flora Mastroianni. Sabrina Ferilli. Bettina Giovannini. 93 mins. A diverse group of women. drawn together by their collective memories of the past. are drawn to the orphanage where they were brought up. Italian Film Festival. Glasgow: GF'I". Edinburgh: Filmhouse.

I The Young lions (PG) (Edward Dmytryk. US. 1958) Marlon Brando. Montgomery Clift. Dean Martin. 167 mins. A thoughtful war picture following the fates of two American soldiers (Martin and Clift) and a German ofﬁcer (Brando). powered by excellent perfomtances. Edinburgh: St Bride's.

The List: 22 Apr 1994 (Issue 225)