The List: 1 Jul 1994 (32/96)

FILM INDEX

BACARDI BLACK

FILM

Films screening this fortnight are listed below with certificate, credits, brief review and venue details. Film index compiled by Alan Morrison.

I Ace Ventura: Pet Detective ( 12) (Tom Shadyac. US. 1994) Jim Carrey. Sean Young. Courtney Cox. 86 mins. When Snowﬂake. mascot of the Miatni Dolphins. goes missing. there‘s only one man for the job - Ace Ventura. a cross between Phillip Marlowe and Dr Doolittle. Another American TV comedian to successfully make the transfer to the big screen. Carrey’s wacky persona doesn't outstay its welcome in this funny and bizarre movie. Edinburgh: UCI/ I The Adventures Of Huck Finn (PG) (Stephen Sommers. US. 1993) Elijah Wood. Courtney B. Vance. Robbie Coltrane, Jason Robards. 108 mins. Woods. America‘s best male child actor. carries his role at the centre of this appealing Disney version of Mark Twain's classic. Teaming up with a runaway slave. Huck heads down the Mississippi. meeting two riverfront rouges: The Duke (Coltrane) and The King (Robards). Fine entertainment for all the family. Glasgow: MGM Parkhead.

I The Age ot Innocence (U) (Martin Scorsese. US. 1993) Daniel Day-Lewis. Michelle Pfeiffer. Winona Ryder. 138 mins. Up-and-coming lawyer Newland Archer risks the wrath of 1870s New York society when he falls in love with the scandal-shrouded Countess Olenska. despite being already engaged. Scorsese is magniﬁcently faithful to Edith Wharton's novel. while painting its troubled emotions with an eloquent camera. Opulent and richly detailed. with no release from the intemalised pain of passion. Central: MacRobert.

I Alphaville (15) (Jean-Luc Godard. France. 1965) Eddie Constantine. Anna Karina. Howard Vernon. 98 mins. Enjoyable mid-60s Godard caper which turns contemporary Paris into Alpha 60. a chilly city of the future from which such concepts as love and tenderness have been banned. Enter Constantine's grizzled gumshoe Lemmy Caution and we're set for an extended and highly idiosyncratic homage to comic strip heroism. Glasgow: GET. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I And The Band Played (in (12) (Roger Spottiswoode. US. 1993) Matthew Modine. Alan Alda. Patrick Bauchau. 141 mins. Countless cameos from Richard Gere. Anjelica Huston. Phil Collins. Steve Martin and others add a bit of zip to this somewhat overlong and lecture-ish account of the race to discover the AIDS virus. Played as a medical detective story. it has a good strong lead in Modine and certainly points a few political ﬁngers. but its mainstream potential is limited. Glasgow: GET. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Angie ( 15) (Martha Coolidge. US. 1994) Creena Davis. James Gandolfini. Stephen Rea. 108 mins. Born and bred in the New York district of Bensonhurst. Angie still cherishes the dreams of her childhood. Driven by ideals of self-betterment. her life changes when site falls pregnant to her boyfriend. More honest and real than the similar. but commercial. ll'urking Girl. there is a good film here trying to get out. Glasgow: ()deon. Edinburgh: ()deon.

I The Aristocats (1') (Wolfgang Reitherman. US. 1970) With the voices of Phil Han‘is. Eva Gabor. Sterling Holloway. 78mins. A street- wise alley cat woos an upper-class feline against the backdrop of turn-of-the-centut‘y Paris. Loads of loveable cats. dogs. mice detectives and human adversaries. alongside some of Disney's

delicious gastronomic experience and an exquisite. boisterous slice of cinematic narrative with real feeling. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.

I Backbeat(15)(lain Softley. UK. 1993) Stephen Dorff. Sheryl Lee. lan Hart. 100 mins. Back before The Beatles were a musical phenomenon. they were just ﬁve young lads knocking out rock 'n' roll hits in seedy Hamburg. Softley's ﬁltn pushes the music aside and concentrates on the odd three-sided relationship of John Lennon. painter and 'ﬁfth Beatle‘ Stuart Sutcliffe and German photographer Astrid Kirchherr. The period detail and acting is superb. particularly from Hart in his second excursion as Lennon (following The Hours And Timex. Glasgow: Grosvenor.

I Bad Girls ( 15) (Jonathan Kaplan. US. 1994) Madeleine ~Stowe. Andie MacDowell. Drew Barrymore. Mary Stuart Masterson. 98 mins. Four prostitutes take hold of their own destinies and set out to make a land claim in ()regon. battling off outlaws. Pinkerton detectives and other misfortunes. More male fantasy about buckskinned babes than a feminist westem. the plot and character development have huge chunks missing. Enjoyable. but probably for all the wrong reasons. See review. General release. I Bad lieutenant ( 18) (Abel Ferraro. US. 1992) Harvey Keitel. Frankie Thome. Zoe Lund. 96

mins. A rettrm to urban sleaze by master of the genre Abel Ferraro. A NYPD cop (Keitel). in

debt due to drugs. alcohol and gambling addiction. is intrigued by a big money reward in

; the case of a raped nun. Harsh. powerful. but é ﬁlled with a religious orthodoxy. this is a

reminder of the director at his best (Angel of Vengeance. Driller Killer). Glasgow: Grosvenor. I Beethoven’s 2nd (U) (Rod Daniel. US. 1993) Charles Grodin. Bonnie Hunt. Debi Mazar. Chris Penn. 89 mins. It's love at ﬁrst sight when cinema's favorite St Bernard sees Missy. looking delectable with a pink bow in her hair. Pretty soon. this Beethoven has produced a not-so- musical quartet of pooping pups. whose ability

for mischief is matched only by their sickening cuteness. Cloying stuff. certain to be lapped up

by kids and people who smile at Andrex adverts. Glasgow: Odeon. Edinburgh: UCI. Strathclyde: Odeon Ayr. UCI East Kilbride.

I Belle Epoque (15) (Fernando Trueba. Spain. 1992) Jorge Sanz. Fernando Feman Gomez. Ariadne Gil. Penelope Cruz. 109 mins. During the Civil War. a young deserter ﬁnds himself under the wing of an elderly libertine. enjoying

v the pleasures of his four daughters - a lesbian. a widow. a bride-to-be and a virgin. Sparkling. - feel-good. period comedy that revels in the joys

of life and love. Central: MacRobert.

I Beverly Hills Cop 3 (15) (John Landis. US. 1994) Eddie Murphy. Judge Reinhold. Hector Elizondo. 107 mins. Axel's boss takes a bullet. so he heads off to an LA theme park to track down the baddie. Terrible plotting. ineffectual action scenes. irrsultingjumps in the narrative ﬁlled in by stilted vocal explanations - if there's a worse ﬁlm this year. 1 don't want to see it. General release.

I The BFG (U) (Brian Cosgrove. UK. 1989) 105 mins. Animated version of the Roald Dahl favourite has young Sophie battling against evil. aided and abetted by the Big Friendly Giant. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.

I Bound And (lagged: A Love Story ( I8) (Daniel Appleby. [7-8. 1992) Ginger Lynn Allen. Elizabeth Saltarelli. Christopher Denton. 95 mins. A bisexual woman kidnaps her female lover in order to ‘dept ogramme' her from her

‘ dependence on her violent husband. and heads

out on the road with a male would-be suicide friend in tow. Sex and comedy blends with more serious issues — domestic violence and the consequences of obsessive relationships — which gives this movie a little weight. despite its moral idiosyncracies. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.

I The Chase (15) (Adam Rifkin. US. 1994) Charlie Sheen. Kristy Swanson. Henry Rollins.

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 Cool Runnings (PG) (John Turteltaub. US. 1993) Doug E. Doug. Leon. John Candy. 99 mins. Speculative comedy based on the ﬁrst-ever Jamaican bobsled team at the last Winter Olympics is harmlesst amiable. but unfortunately cranks up too many moralistic messages complete with appropriate accompanying music. Still. audiences seem to like its easy-going nature. making it an affectionate tribute to the late John Candy. Edinburgh: Cameo.

I The Crow ( 18) (Alex Proyas. US. I994) Brandon Lee. Emie Hudson. Richelle Davis. 101 mins. Infamous as the ﬁlm on which martial arts star Bruce Lee's son Brandon was killed by a defective stunt gun. this is the most consistent attempt yet to create on ﬁlm the distinctive feel of the graphic novel. The characterisation and plot development may be slight - a rock star comes back from the dead to wrech revenge on the gang who killed him and his girlfriend — but stylistically. it's a gem. Glasgow: Grosvenor. Odeon. MGM Parkhead. Edinburgh: Odeon. UCl. Strathclyde: Odeon Ayr. UCls.

I Damage (18) (Louis Malle. UK/France. 1992) Jeremy irons. Juliette Binoche. Miranda Richardson. Rupert Graves. 111 mins. A Tory MP. headed for high ofﬁce. drops his parliamentary briefs in favour of his son's new girlfriend. David Hare‘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. Edinburgh: Cameo.

I Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (PG) (Carl Reiner. US. 1982) Steve Martin. Rachel Ward and a cast of revived luminaries. 87 mins. Film noir spoof has private eye Martin involved with femmefarale Ward and ﬁendish Nazi scientist Reiner. Much of the humour stems from intercutting new material with original footage from the detective thrillers of the 1940s. Edinburgh: Cameo.

I The Exorcist (18) (William Friedkin. US. 1973) Linda Blair. Ellen Burstyn. Max Von Sydow. 110 mins. Earnest priest Von Sydow steps in to save poor little possessed girl in this hugely effective scarefest. Dead good. dead scarey. dead priest. Glasgow: Odeon. Central: Allanpark.

I Faraway. So Close! (15) (Wim Wenders. Germany. 1993) Otto Sander. Nastassja Kinski. Bruno Ganz. 144 mins. Wenders's sequel to Wings Of Desires again focuses on the divide between humans and angels. and has one of the winged ones experience the joys and pains of terrestrial life. However. after an exhilerating opening and some stunning photography. the ﬁlm falls apart when it attempts a B movie gun- running narrative. From genius to incompetence in a matter of frames. See review. Edinburgh: Cameo.

I Fearless ( 15) (Peter Weir. US. 1993) Jeff Bridges. Isabella Rossellini. Rosie Perez. 122 mins. Convinced of his own immortality after surviving a horrendous plane crash. Max Klein's reaction to his near-death experience has a metaphysical bent reminiscent ofdit'ector Peter Weir's early work. Bridges is magniﬁcent as his character reassesses the details of daily living. bringing pain to his fatnin and hope to fellow survivors. Glasgow: GET.

I Fortress ( 18) (Stuart Gordon. US. 1992) Christopher Lambert. Kurtwood Smith. Loryn Locklin. in a harsh America of the future. a former Black Beret and his wife are thrown into a futuristic maximum security prison for

I Free Willy (U) (Simon Wincer. US. 1993) Jason James Richter. Lori Petty. Michael Madsen. 112 mins. After moving from one set of foster parents to another. young Jesse ﬁnds himself helping out with chores at a marine amusement park where Willy the orca whale has also been separated from his family. Land and sea rebels become soul-mates. and the plot heads down a distinctly ET-like path. Easy-to-grasp adventure for the kids; a little too simplistic and manipulative for a more sophisticated audience. Glasgow: GET. I The Fugitive (15) (Andrew Davis. US.'1993) Harrison Ford. Tommy Lee Jones. Jeroen Krabbe. 130 mins. Wrongly accused of murdering his wife. Dr Richard Kimble (Ford) goes on the run. trying to track down the one- anned man who is the real killer while being hunted by a US Deputy Marshal himself. Great acting. but what could have been one of the best thrillers in recent years lacks edge-of-the-seat appeal as director Davis fails to light the fuse on a dynamite plot. Central: MacRobert. I The Getaway ( 18) (Roger Donaldson. US. 1994) Kim Basinger. Alec Baldwin. Michael Madsen. 115 mins. Much more of a star vehicle than the tougher Peckinpah original. this bank- roberry-revenge-chase could do well to cut away from the leads and focus more on the weirdo subplot following double-crossed baddie Michael Madsen and loopy hostage Jennifer Tilly. The plot has interesting elements. but it‘s all a bit to glossy for a hard crime thriller. See review. General release. I Golden Balls (18) (Bigas Luna. Spain. 1993) Javier Bardem. Maria De Medeiros. Maribel Verdu. 95 mins. Benito Gonzales has three passions: fried eggs. building skyscrapers and having sex. When he manies for money. it seems that all his dreams could come true. especially when he's able to see his former girlfriend on the side. A sleazy take on lust and Spain's nouveau riche from the director of Jarnon Jamrm. See feature. Glasgow: GET. I Bumpy Old Men (12) (Donald Petrie. US. 1993) Walter Matthau. Jack Lemmon. Ann~ Margret. 103 mins. Two grouchy neighbours re- run their earlier ﬁght over the late wife of one when a sparky new woman moves in close-by. Matthau and Lemmon are as irascilbe and funny as ever. but the thin plot and predictable gags don't give them enough to get their dentures into. Plenty of sharp one-liners but a mite too strained to recapture the glon'es of yesteryear. Edinburgh: Dominion. Borders: Roxy. I Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer ( 18) (John McNaughton. US. 1986) Michael Rooker. Tom Towles. Tracey Arnold. 80 mins. Based loosely on the true life (and subsequently recanted) confessions of Henry Lee Lucas. McNaughton's exemplary ﬁlm is a harrowing account of an amoral mass murderer. Scenes of rape and mutilation transcend the usual titillation of the genre and force the audience to question the use of murder as entertainment. Simultaneously one of the most important releases of recent years. and one recommended with caution. Glasgow: GET. I Hercules Returns (15) (David Parker. Australia. 1993) David Argue. Bnlce Spence. Mary Coustas. 80mins. A ﬁlm-buff reopens an old cinema with a screening of an old 'swot'ds and sandals' epic. but discovers at the last minute the print has arrived in its original. unsubtitled Italian form. Cue some Double Take voiceovers and a ﬁlm that is destined for late- night cultdom. even if the humour is far from sophisticated. Edinburgh: Cameo. I Honey. 1 Blew lip 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

more under-rated songs. Borders: Roxy.

I Autumn Moon ( l5) (Clara Law. Hong Kong/Japan. 1992) Masatoshi Nagase. I.i Ptt Wai. 108 mins. Dissolute youth 'l'okio stumbles through downtown llong Kong and forms a

attempting to have a second child. Stuart (Reunimumr) Gordon delivers an entertaining prison-break drama with sci-ﬁ trappings. great sets. deliciously overcooked acting and a

the man who directed Grease. Strathclyde: Paisley Arts Centre.

I I Know Where I'm Going! (U) (Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger. UK. 1945) Wendy lliller.

An escaped. falsely convicted bankrobber kidnaps an heiress and ﬁnds himselfcaught tip in a live-TV media circus. Only rock ‘n ' roll hard-man Henry Rollins as a cop makes any

platonic relationship with schoolgirl Wai. who‘s waiting out the term before joining her parents abroad. The influence of Jim Jarmusch casts a long shadow. but this deceptive charmer is a more human affair. See review. Edinburgh: FilthtrSe.

I Babette‘s Feast (U) (Gabriel Axel. Denmark. 1987) Stephane Audran.Jean-Phi1ippe Lafont. Bibi Andersson. 103 mins. The Jutland peninsula during the late 19th century. Exiled French housekeeper Audran wins 10.000 francs in a lottery and uses the money to prepare a sumptuous banquet in honour of a deceased Lutheran dean. whose daughters are sustaining his mission to the poor and needy. But when the shopping list arrives the sisters begin to wonder if a feast is compatible with their piety. . .A

30 The List 1—14 July 1994

lasting impression: Swanson is all synthetic attitude and Sheen once again reveals his incredible talent for snifﬁng out cinematic stiffs. All L‘Cls.

I Cleopatra .lones ( 18) (Jack Statrctt. US. 1973) Tamara Dobson. Shelley Winters. Bernie Casey. 89 mins. A ﬁne example of blaxploitation as karate-kickin‘ CIA agent Dobson goes after drug baddies. Plenty of violence. but not exactly right-on material. At least now we can place it in a sociological pre-Spike Lee context. harp on about cinematic awareness of minorities and secretly lap up the action. Edinburgh: Cameo.

I The Cook, The Thief, llis Wile And Her lover (18) (Peter Greenaway. 15K. 1989) Michael Gambon. Helen Mirren. Alan Howard. Richard Bohringer. Tim Roth. 120 mins. A superb ﬁlm

The List: 1 Jul 1994 (Issue 230)