BACARDI BLACK
INDEX FILM
thrillers in recent years lacks edge-of-the-seat appeal as director Davis fails to light the fuse on a dynamite plot. Edinburgh: Cameo. I Seminal (IS) (Claude Berri. France. I993) Rerrarrd. Miou-Miou. Gerard Depardieu. 160 ntins. A mining village in 19th century France strikes when management imposes an unjust wage crrt. Zola's novel prefigures much of the unrest seen in the I984 Miners' Strike in the UK. and — while showing the trgly side of . conflict between working-class communities — sows the seeds for trade unionism. Atmospherically shot with wide social scope and intimate detail by the director of Jean De Florette. and well acted throughout. See preview. Glasgow: GET. Edinburgh: Cameo. I Glengarry Glen floss ( I 5) (James Foley. US. I992) Al Pacino. Jack Lentnton. Ed Harris. Alan Arkin. I00 ntins. The combination of Foley‘s camera and .‘vlamet's dialogue makes for verbal choreography in this hard-hitting. word-heavy account of the bonding and back-stabbing irt a US real estate office. The cast are magnificent. Pacino and Lerttmon outstanding. Underrated director Foley does wonders to break out of the stageplay format. Not easy going. bttt art unforgetable achievement. Edinburgh: Cameo. I ounhed ( I2) (Masato Ilarado. Japan. l989) Masahiro 'I’akashima. Brenda Bakke. IOI mins. A rip-off of every hardware movie. going — spot the references to Alienr. Blur/e Runner. even 'li‘unr/ormers and The A-Tmnr - as a group of treasure hunters battle with biodroids on a war- torn island somewhere in the future. Alternater dull artd confusing. with poor effects and a minimum of story. Edirtburgh: ()deort. I Ital Hartley Shorts (l5) (Hal Hartley. US. 199] ) 8-1 mins. In between Trust and Simple- Men. Ilartley refined his filrrtrnakirtg technique w itlt a trio of shorts. Ambition is stylistically closer to Godard. artd more physical than his trsttal work; Tllt’UI‘I‘ ()fAi‘liii't'i'nren! centres on New York trendy underachievers; and .S'nrvir-ing Desire tells of a literature teacher's love for a pupil. Hartley's dialogue is as idiosyncratic and entertaining as ever. Edirthrrrglt: Catneo. I Hard Boiled ( l8) (Johrt Woo. Ilong Kong. I992) Cltovv Yuri-Fat. Tony Lettttg. Teresa Mo. I20 rtrins. A tough cop nicknamed Tequila is driven by obsession to nail a Triad gun-runner irt John Woo‘s incomparable Ilortg Kong gangster movie. The action sequences — particularly the opening tea-house shoot-out and the climactic hospital finale — show the action movie master at Itis best. as he takes moments of ort-sereen violence to levels of choreographed genius. Strathclyde: L'Cl (‘lydebank I Hocus Pocus (PG) (Kenny Ortega. L'S. I993) Bette Midler. Sarah Jessica Parker. Kathy Najimy. ()mri Katz. 97 mins. Three I7th century witches are brought back to life in modern-day Salem. artd go searchirtg for young blood to keep them imrttortal. Katz is our hapless hero. helped out of one predicament to the rtext by resourceful heroine Vinessa Shaw. The story cracks along. the effects are moderate. the gags good. bttt it's for the younger ertd of the teen rttarket. Edinburgh: Filntltouse. I In The Marne or The Father ( 15) (Jim Sheridan. l'S/Eire. I993) Dartiel Day-Lewis. Pete Postlethwaite. John Lynch. I33 rrtirrs. \N'r'iterdirector‘ Sheridan manipulates the facts concerning the wrongful arrest and eventual acqtrrttal of Gerry Conlon. one of the Guildford Four; btrt the deep. disturbing truths of this miscarriage ofjustice remain constant. Day- Lewis and Postlethwaite give career-best performances as (ierry and Giuseppe Cortlott. the father artd son whose relationship provides the emotional core of the movie. Brave. powerful stttff. Glasgow: MGM Satrcltiehall Street. I Jason and The Argonauts (t‘) (Don Chaffey. I'K. I964 ) Todd Armstrong. Nancy Kovask. Gary Raymond. l()3 mins. Totally brill adventure yarrt as ottr hero Jason sets ottt to retrieve the legertdary golden fieeee attd is helped by a number of the gods on ()lyrttpus along the way. Ray llar‘ryltausen's stop-motion effects remain among the best of Itis career. rttosr rtotably the firtal conflict with art arnty of skeletal soldiers. Edinburgh: Cameo. I Jurassic Park (PG) (Steven Spielberg. ITS. I993) Sam Neill. Laura Dern. Jeff (ioldblum. A group of scientists are invited to give their approval to a theme park filled with genetically engineered dinosaurs. but the giant reptiles are soon running amok. I'rtsrtr'passed computer effects enstrre that the dinosaurs themselves are terrifyineg believable (moreso than the PG certificate would suggest). but by the halfway point. it's more or less a chase movie with superior technology. Edinburgh: Cameo. I7Cl. Strathclyde: Magnum. UCI East Kilbr'ide. I Kafka (l5) (Steven Soderbergh. US. I992) Jeremy Irons. Theresa Russell. Alec Guinness. Ian llolrtt. 98mins. Working in an insurance
office by day. writing novels by night. Franz Kafka finds himselfcaught alternately in a bureaucratic nightmare and in an anarchist bomb plot. Irons plays the character as an intense loner. but the real star of the film is the Prague location. which director Soderbergh has captured in all its labyrinthine complexity. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I King 01 The Hill (I2) (Steven Soderbergh. US. I993) Jesse Bradford. Jeroen Krabbe. Lisa Eichhom. I03 mins. Why Soderbergh's beautifully moving portrait of St Louis during the Depression failed to spark any interest during its London release is beyond me. When his father is forced to go off in search of work and his mother is sent to a sanitoriunt. twelve-year- old Aaron has to rely on his wits to survive. An engaging. atmospheric rites-of-passage movie that doesn't treat its young hero with condescension. Recommended. Central: MacRobert. I The Lady Front Shanghai (PG) (Orson Welles. US. I948) Orson Welles. Rita Hayworth. Everett Sloane. 87 mins. Irish sailor Welles falls itt love with femmefutu/e Ilayworth and becomes enmeshed in a deadly game of murder and intrigue involving her unscrupulous millionaire husband. Studio boss Harry Colin offered a reward to anyone who could explain the plot to him. but a classic love scene in an aquarium and the brilliant final shoot-out in a hall of mirrors show the authentic Welles touch at work. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I The Line, The Cross And The Curve (PG) (Kate Bush. UK. I993) Kate Bush. Stewart Arnold. Miranda Richardson. Lindsay Kemp. 52 rttins. Acting. singing. dancing and directing. Buslt builds on the grand scope of The Red Shoes album (itself inspired by Powell and Pressburger's film) with her first film. ‘A dance to Itell attd back on the other side of the min‘or' she calls it. and it certainly does push back the limits of the typical pop video. Edinburgh: UCI. I Lost Landscape ( IS) (Andreas Kleinert. Germany. I992) l06 ntins. A West German politician is summoned to East Germany after the fall of the Wall. and rediscovers the traumas of his childhood 30 years ago. Edinburgh: Filnthouse. I The Man Without A Face (12) (Mel Gibson. US. I993) Mel Gibson. N'ick Stahl. Fay Masterson. lI-l rttirts. A lortely boy gets the town recluse. a former teacher badly burned front a car accident. to help him with an exam resit. but local prejudices rear their heads. A delicate. emotionally balanced debut as director from Gibson. who also puts in possibly his best performance to date. The sentimentality is not overdone. artd there is a tenderness to the central relationship that is more credible and fulfillirtg than irt other American dramas. Fife: Adant Smith. I Manhattan Murder M1318” (PG) (Woody Allen. US. I993) Woody Allen. Diane Keaton. Alan Alda. I08 tttirts. When herelderly neighbour (lies mysteriously and suddenly. Carol Lipton (Keaton) does sortte amateur sleuthing along with the New York literary set. Allen returns to the comic formula that first trtade his name — neat plot. snappy one-liners — making this a ntuch ntore approachable and enjoyable experience than his more serious work of late. Glasgow: GET. I Mother's Boys ( IS) (Yves Sirttoneau. L'S. I993) Jamie Lee Curtis. Peter Gallagher. Joanne Whalley-Kilnter. 95 rttirts. Curtis is the nasty rrtortt who abandoned her family a few years back. brrt now decides she wants to split ex- Itubby Gallagher front new girlfriend Whalley- Kilrner. Iler secret weapon is the emotional pull she ltas on her kids. Another twist on the ‘honte invasion“ scenario. this is stylishly rendered brrt the plot collapses into laughable farce. General release. I Mrs Doubtlire ( l2) (Cltris Colurttbus. US. I993) Robirt Williams. Sally Field. Pierce Brosrtan. IZS rttirts. Separated front his wife and kids. out-of-work voice actor Daniel Hillard (Williams) dorts make-up artd body-padding to become a sexagenariart nanny. Another top- notch comic performance by Williams. who makes the rrtost of his split personality zest without becoming overly sentimental. Hugely enjoyable and well pitched with gags for the whole audience. Glasgow: MGM Saucltiehall Street. Edirtburgh: UCI. Stratltclyde: L'Cl (Iydebank. I Music or Chance ( I 5) (Philip Haas. VS. I993) James Spader. Mandy Patittkirt. M. Emmet Walsh. 97 ntins. A good-natured drifter loses his car and cash when Ite backs a professional gambler in a poker game. then finds himself paying off the debt with the pointless task of building a stone wall. Low-key comedy and impressive character insight makes this one of those classily realised US independent movies that is a joy to discover. Edinburgh: Cameo.
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I My Father. “I Item (PG) (Steve Miner. US. I993) Gerard Depardieu. Katherine Heigl. Dalton James. 90mins. Identical in plot to Mon Pere. Ce Hams. which also starred Depardieu. it was mundane first time round and there Iras been no injection of genius here. Dad takes teenage daughter to tropical paradise; she pretends he's her lover to impress local hunk and outrage other holiday-makers. Parents will cringe. adolescents might snigger. See review. All ()deons. All UCls. Glasgow: MGM Parkhead.
I New Visions Glasgow's international festival of film. video and media takes place at three venues — Glasgow Film Theatre. the Certtre for Contemporary Arts and Glasgow School of Art. The ‘International Zeitgeist‘ screenings mix formats and styles to give a comprehensive sense of the current state of experimental filrttrtrakirtg. Van Gogh TV Salvatore Vanasco presents a session on the Piazza Virtuale. the first live interactive TV programme staged at the Docurttenta Festival in I992. (ii-"II Fri 6. Hunt. Programme 10 92 mins. Work frortt Norway. Italy. Germany and the UK. with a strong Scottish line-up. consisting of Sarah Gavron‘s Hem/less Wont/er. Chris Byrrte's Sentoriu. Sltaz Kerr's 'liml. Drew Mulholland's Smrunrbri/ist artd I‘i'uiting For Trains. and the Tvvisty Ileaded Man Cos Changes. (IF/i Fri (1. 1pm. Programme 11 107 rrtirts. An international programme of found footage frortt USA. Latvia. Austria. Germany. Belgium and Northern Ireland. CCA. Fri 6. 3pm.
Programme 12 93 mins. Fourteen works fr ortt Austria. USA. Canada. Spairt. Italy. Belgium. Switzerland and the UK. with Ali Craigltead attd Michael Curran's lxll‘t'llt' representing Scotland. CCA. Fri 6. 5pm.
Programme 13 105 mins. Austria. Switzerland and the UK feature here. along with Scottish input front Christina MacBride's 'li'ueking. Elsie Mitchell/Derek Scanlon/Gorbals Friendship Centre‘s Cur/nth. A Piece ()f/JIINI. Doug Aubrey and Alart Robertson's II'nrk. Rev! cfi- l’luv artd Peter Mullen's award-winning ('lim'. (,‘I’I: Fri 6. 6.30pm.
Programme 14 NH mitts. Four works —- Alison Murray's Kiu'v Sunrki Stick. Btrbble (iunt Fuck‘s No l’itv artd (letting Close '1}; Nut/ring. artd Krtrrd Vesterkov‘s Nazi/riggeiz C(‘xl. Fri 6. 8.30pm. Programme 15 97 rtrirts. The Netherlands. I’K. Austria. Ireland artd Canada all ltave works on show. as does Scotland with Louise Crawford's Claiming 'Ii'rrito/jv. ('(‘xt Sol 7. l/(llll. Programme 16 I I9 mins. Work frortt I'K. Italy. Germany. Brazil and Latvia/USA. with Jim Buckley's in’f/IU artd Sltiorta MeCubbin's ()n A Train front Scotland. (ii-"II Sat 7. //mt.
Van Gogh TV A live ntoderrt artd projected trrtage link-up between Glasgow artd Ilarrtburg. (TA. Sat 7. 3pm.
Programme 17 100 tttins. The final International Zeitgeist screening comes front (ier'ntarty - Klaes Maeck and Johanna Scltenkel's Lie/M/iet/t'r. (IF/i Sit! 7. 6pm.
I The Northemers ( I5) (Alex van \\';trttetdartt. Netherlands. I992) Leonard Lucieer. Jack Wouterse. Alex van Wanterdarrt. IIIS mins. Underneath the stoicisnt of art isolated Dutch community runs a vein of pure abnormality. conjured tip by a disfurtctiortal group of characters. Slightly overlong. it ltas post-Peaks weirdness written all over it irt huge Lyrtcltian letters. For anyone with a subtle sense of irony and the seriously strange. Glasgow: (il-‘I‘. Fife: Adanr Smith.
I Orlando (PG) (Sally Potter. I'K. I993) Tilda Swinton. Billy Zane. Quentin Crisp. 93 rttirts. A male Elizabethan eouttier begins a journey of self-discovery that involves four centuries arid a sex change. Swinton's simple but trrtrqrre beauty captures the androgyny of the perfect Everyman/woman. while director Potter creates frortt Virginia Woolf's novel a humorous and
visually splendid succession of episodes that is a constantjoy to watch. At last. a literary film rather than a literature substitute. Edinburgh: Filrnhouse.
I The Paper ( t 5) (Ron Howard. US. I994) Michael Keaton. Robert Duvall. Glenn Close. Marisa Torttei. ll2 tttirts. A day on a sleazy New York tabloid (called The Sun): the news editor (Keaton) Itas to scoop back on the papers who scooped him the day before. ltis wife ('I'ontei) is very pregnant. his man-eating managing editor (Close) is pushing him to run art incorrect. better-selling version of the lead story. Easily accessible outside the world ofjournalism. The Paper. like is subject. forgettable btrt entertaining. See review. (ieneral release.
I Paris Trout ( l8) (Stephen (iyllenltaal. l'S. I99I ) Dennis Ilopper. Barbara Ilershey. Ed Harris. Tina Lifford. 99 rttirts. Hopper is on trademark psychotic forrtt. this tirttc irt the Deep South during the late I94()s. When a young black man fails to keep up the payments on a car he bought frortt shady businessman Paris Trout. the latter assumes white superiority artd kills his client‘s sister. Interesting. but by no means stunning. Edinburgh: Filrrthouse.
I Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid ( IS) (Sam l’eckinpah. I'S. I973) James Cobtrrrt. Kris Ktistoffersort. Bob Dylan. I()(t ntirts. Bloody version of the Western legend. with l’eckinpalr attd screenwriter Rudy Wurlitzer reaching for a moody. brutal American tragedy. only to have their work re-edited by the studio. Dy lart fans will vvattt to ealclt him lit a decent stab at acting. With animated short llil/ I-‘urnr. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I The Pelican Brief ( l3) (Alart J. Pakrtla. I'S. I993) Jttlia Roberts. Denzel Washington. Sam Shepard. I-ll mins. Another adaptation of a John (The Firm) (irisltartt novel; another over-long. flabby thriller. Law student Roberts finds herself on the run from killers vvltert her speculative brief on the murder of two Supreme Court judges hits a raw rtervc. lttstarttly disposable stuff. w itlt \k'asltirtgton as solid as ever irt his beefed-up role. Borders: Roxy.
I The Phantom of liberty ( IS) ( t .uis Buttuel. France. 197-1) \Ionica Vittr. Michel l’iccoli. Jean-Claude Brraly. l()l rttirts. Btrrtuel links a series of episodes front the early l9tlt century to the present day by coiling thent around Karl .Nlatx's phrase. ‘the plrarttortt of liberty". 'l'ltrs ts a surreal por'trart of a world trrrrred trpside down artd inside out. where dinner guests sit around a table on irtdivrdttal Iavatories before excustrtg themselves to go artd eat lit a small room behind a locked door. (ilasgow: (il’li.
I Philadelphia ( l 3) (Jortathart Dertrrrtc. l'S. I993) Tout Ilartks. Denzel Washington. Jason Robards. l35 tttirts. A lawyer takes his forrrter employers to eotrrt. cortvrrtced that Ire ltas been sacked because Ite is suffering front AIDS. Detttrtte's film goes as far as arty rrt.rinsttearrt Hollywood movie on tltrs‘ subject could iii the current climate. but for all its corrtptorrtrses. it should be applatrded for avoiding any rrotrort of rrraittpulatrve death bed setrsatioitalisnt. Hanks. for once. rs allovv ed to break free frortt lightweight contrc roles. artd delivers a rrrov trig performance. (ieneral release.
I Pink Floyd The Wall (I5) (Alan Parker. l‘K. I982) Bob (ieldof. Christine Hargreaves. Bob lloskirts. 95 mins. An ambitious attempt by Parker artd tlte I‘loyd's Roger Waters to trrrrr the band’s albrrrrt The Will into a visual. almost dialogue-less story. Ill wltrcb a schoolboy narrted l’rnk grows rrp to be art isolated rock star. 'I lte result did not rttatclt the arrtbitrort. (ilasgow: ()deon.
I Raging Against The Dying or The light ( is) 7I mitts. A brief selection of sortte outstanding work from the Big Apple. Bill Morrison's lleirt/r 'l'ruin unfolds a history of cinema; Bradley liros
and Jeartrte I.iotta\ I)(’I'\'f\/I Machine is a visual
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