BACARDIBLACK
INDEXFflM
FILM -m_3:—
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 Miami 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 bizan'e movie. Edinburgh: UCl. I Baby’s Day Out (PG) (Patrick Read Johnson. US. 1994) Joe Mantegna. Lara Flynn Boyle. Brian Haley. 98 mins. Talk about regression! After Home Alone and Dennis. writer John Hughes now has a drooling toddler on the loose in the big city after he escapes from his kidnappers. led by trian-with-no-shanie Mantegna. Saccharine sweet storytelling which diabetics would be well advised to steer clear of. See review. General release.
I Belle Epoque ( 15) (Femando Trtieba. Spain. 1992) Jorge Sanz. Femando Feman Gomez. Ariadne Gil. Penelope Cruz. 10‘) mins. During the Civil War. a young deserter finds himself under the wing of an elderly libertine. enjoying 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. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I The Beverly Hillbillies (PG) (Penelope Spheeris. US. 1993) Jim Varney. Cloris Leachman. Erika Eleniak. Diedrick Bader. 103 mins. A btmch of backwoods natives strike oil. become billionaires and move to Beverly Hills. There are only a couple of almost wry moments amid the excruciatingly bad ptms. desperate parodies an‘d inane slapstick. and the writers seem to believe we need a stupid face or pose every ()0 seconds. That's a formula that might work on TV with constant commercial breaks. but not in a cinema feature. Glasgow: MGM Parkhead. Strathclyde: ()deon. All L'Cls.
I Beverly Hills Cop 3 (15) (John Landis. (TS. 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. insulting jumps in the narrative filled in by stilted vocal explanations — if there's a worse film this year. 1 don‘t want to see it. Edinburgh: L'Cl. Strathclyde: [7(71 Clydebank. I Beyond Bedlam (18) (Vadim lean. UK. 1994) Craig Fairbrass. Elizabeth Hurley. Keith Allen. 96 mins. Dream-invading serial killer The Bone Man (Allen) is the guinea-pig for mind-control drug experiments which allow him to go on a psychic rampage. bringing him face to face with cynical cop Craig Fairbrass. Pitched somewhere between a psychological thriller and an out-and- out horror movie. Jean's follow-up to Leon The Pig Farmer is creatively put together and avoids many of the typical genre trappings. Fife: Adam Smith.
I Blade Runner: The Director’s Cut ( 15) (Ridley Scott. US. 1982/92) Harrison Ford. Sean Young. Rutger llauer. 116 mins. Out go the pseudo-noir narration and the tacked-on happy ending; in comes a more defined sense that Deckard himself may be a replicant. The look and feel remain as powerful. and the acting is superb. A flawed masterpiece is now a restored masterpiece. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Blanlt Cheque (PG) (Rupert Wainwright. US. 1993) Brian Bonsall. Karen Duffy. Miguel Ferrer. 94 mins. When some guy runs over his bike. eleven-year-old Preston Waters is hurriedly given a blank cheque. which he subsequently cashes for a cool million dollars. But the signatory is thief Carl Quigley. and soon he's on the kid's trail. Every youngster's dream-come- true meets routine slapstick and slushy morality in what isn‘t the most subtle or original movie you'll see this year. Glasgow: Odeon. MGM Parkhead. Edinburgh: ()deon. UCl. Strathclyde: Odeon Ayr.
I Carlito’s Way (18) (Brian De Palma. US. 1993) Al Pacino. Sean Penn. Penelope Ann Miller. 141 mins. Out ofjail after five years. fomier drug runner Carlito Brigante can‘t come to temis with the erosion of any sense of honour on the streets. and finds his struggle to go straight becoming more and more impossible. Pacino at times slips into performance rather
than characterisation. but still squeezes sensitivity from the character; Sean Penn is excellent in his return to acting; and De Palma pulls it all off with more restraint than usual. Glasgow: Grosvenor.
I Computer Vlorldi (15) 114 mins. A rare opportunity to catch a showcase of international computer animation. Programme 1 consists of two parts: All Points On The Map and New Visions. New Terrain. Curated by Film & Video Umbrella. Wed 17 only. Glasgow: GF'T.
I The Crow ( 18) (Alex Proyas. US. 1994) 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 n0ve1. 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: Odeon. Edinburgh: liCl.
I A Dangerous Woman ( 15) (Stephen Gyllenhaal. US. 1993) Debra Winger. Barbara Hershey. Gabriel Byme. 101 mins. L'gly duckling Martha (Winger) fairly miserable life is made worse when she accuses a fellow worker of stealing money — one of her strange traits is that she cannot tell a lie. When she is rejected by her rich aunt's handyman (Byme) after a drunken fiing. her emotional and psychological levels tip way out of balance. Much more than your usual psycho-killer movie. Fife: Adam Smith.
I Easy Rider (18) (Dennis Hopper. LS. 1969) Peter Fonda. Dennis Hopper. Jack Nicholson. 94
mins. Artless. archetypal road movie in which
two dope-loving bikers travel the highways and by-ways of America. Dated cult attraction with Nicholson stealing the show as a boozy lawyer persuaded tojoin up for the trip. 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. Strathclyde: 1‘C1 East Kilbride.
I Faraway, So Close! ( 15) (With Wenders. Germany. 1993) Otto Sander. Nastassja Kiriski. Bruno Gaiiz. 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 exliilerating opening and some stunning photography. the film falls apart when it attempts a B movie gun- running tian‘ative. From genius to incompetence in a matter of frames. Glasgow: Gl’l‘.
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 of director Peter Weir's early work. Bridges is magnificent as his character reassesses the details of daily living. bringing pain to his family and hope to fellow survivors. Fife: Adam Smith.
I The Flintstones (U) (Brian Levant. US. 1994) John Goodman. Rick Moranis. [Elizabeth Perkins. Rosie O'Donnell. 92 mins. Fred is promoted to an executive post at the quarry. but only as a stooge for his boss‘s corporate rip-off; nevertheless. money and power go to the Flintstones' heads. causing friction with the Rubbles. The movie keeps to the TV series' prehistoric parody of modern suburban life. adds bright and chunky sets and a post-yuppie morality tale on greed that doesn't quite sit right. and comes out a little plot-heavy. The one-liners will be picked up by adults. kids will get bored. But it's no the yabba-dabba dodo it could have been. General release.
I Four Wedding: And A Funeral ( 15) (Mike Newell. L'K. 1993) Hugh Grant. Andie MacDowell. Kristin Scott Thomas. 117 mins. Sweet but stuffy Englishman Charlie (Grant) is convinced that he is not the marrying sort. bill when he keeps meeting the alluring American Carrie (MacDowell) at an assortment ofchurch ceremonies. he begins to doubt his resolve. The sort ofchamiing British comedy that was destined to storm America. btit which adds a little grit to the glamour of the pretty settings thanks to Richard (Blat‘kmlder) Curtis's script. General release.
I From Here To Eternity (PG) (Fred Zinnemann. US. 1953) Burt Lancaster. Deborah Kerr. Frank Sinatra. 118 mins. Cinematic soap opera with all the necessary love and jealousy set in a Pearl Harbour army base before the Japanese bombing. Frank won an Oscar. while Burt and Debbie tangled with more than the seaweed on the beach. 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. Glasgow: MGM Parkhead.
I Betting Even With Bad (PG) (Howard Deutch. US. 1994) Macaulay Culkin. Ted Danson. Glenne lleadley. 109 mins. Danson is a small- time crook doing one last job to help set him tip in the straight world; Culkin is his estranged son who rumbles his dad's plan. takes the loot and blackmails him into doing the bonding good- time thing. A hotch-potch movie. stirring elements of caper. heist. romance and travelogue into something that is not the sum of its pans. The gags are set up well. but fail to the obvious at the punchline. General release.
I Go Fish (18) (Rose Troche. US. 1993) Guinevere Turner. V.S. Brodie. Anastasia Sharp. 89 mins. Twentysoriiething would-be author Max is pushed by her wise owl fiatmate towards vet's assistant Ely. but the two girls' shyness could prove an tinassailable obstacle. Troche's film bustles with visual invention. deliciously catty dialogue and natural perfonriances. These are people. not issues. and even if Spike Lee was a romantic and a lesbian. he couldn't make a movie as fresh. funny and openly entertaining as 'his. Glasgow: GET. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I liigh Boot Benny (15) (Joe Comerford. Ireland. 1994) Marc ()‘Shea. 82 mins. A young delinquent from Belfast. now living in Donegal as a handyman in the local school. feels alienated politically. socially and sexually from the community of his upbringing. His affair with a school teacher promises to pull him back into society. btit the arrival of British soldiers following the murder of the janitor throws him
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back a state of unease. ()‘Shea proves that the promise he showed in You. Me & Marley has not gone to waste. bill the film is working on too many conflicting levels to achieve any thematic unity. Glasgow: Gl’l'.
I Homeward Bound (L') (Duwayne Dunham. US. 1993) Willi the voices of Michael J. Fox. Sally Field. Don Ameche. 87 mins. Disney remake of The Incredible Journey. in which two dogs and a cat cross the Californian mountains to retum to their family. More than mere anthrotmmorphisrii: the drattcd animals have characteristics that would put Ghandi to shame. Under-sixes will love it. parents probably not. Strathclyde: Paisley Arts Centre.
I liow To Be A Woman And llot Die In The
( AttemptHS) (Ana Belen. Spain. 1991 ) Caniien 1 Maura. Antonio Resines. 89 mins. Carmen is
l married to a typically macho Spaniard. and she‘s having troublejuggling work and home life. ’l‘hankfully. Maura's performance has a crucial sense of versimilitudc that prevents the message- laden script from becoming heavy-handed. Her seen-it-all toughness. underpinned by trademark vulnerability. pretty much sums up this character-driven drama. Glasgow: (3171'.
I Howard: End (PG) (James Ivory. UK. 1992) Anthony Hopkins. Vanessa Redgrave. Helena Bonham Carter. Emma Thompson. 142 mins. After a succession of dreary Forster clones. the British film industry gets round to tackling his masterpiece. and one of the most important novels of the 201h century. The story. centring on the marriage between a wealthy and reactionary old duffer and 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 perfoniiances to match. Glasgow: GET. I in The Name Of The Father (15) (Jim Sheridan. US/Eire. 1993) Daniel Day-Lewis. Pete Postlethwaite. John Lynch. 133 mins. Writer-director Sheridan manipulates the facts concerning the wrongful arrest and eventual acquittal of Gerry Conlon. one of the Guildford Four; but the deep. disturbing truths of this miscarriage ofjustice remain constant. Day- Lewis and Postlethwaite give career-best perfomiances as Gerry and Guiseppe Conlon. the father and son whose relationship provides the emotional core of the movie. Brave. powerful stuff. Strathclyde: UCI Clydebank.
I Jurassic Park (PG) (Steven Spielberg. US. 1993) Sam Neill. Laura Dem. JeffGoldblum. 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. Unsurpassed computer effects ensure 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. Glasgow: Odeon.
Batchthe
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best Flllll this week.
“FIRST BIJI
I The last Seduction A double- crossing femme fatale does the dirty in small-town America. A masterpiece of polished pulp from John Dahl. who’s fast making the genre his own. Edinburgh: Cameo. Odeon.
I (in Fish Twenty-something Max is trying to get it together with Ely, but the girl’s shyness is an obstacle in Rose Troche‘s fresh and funny lesbian slacker movie. Glasgow: GFT. Edinburgh: Cameo. BEPERTORY
I Without You I’m Nothing law- dropping comic splendour. smoochy soul and. eh. go-go dancing from the irrepressible Sandra Bernhard. Glasgow: CF]:
I From Here To Eternity Surf’s up for Burt Lancaster and Deborah Carr. falling in love at a Pearl Harbour army base which also houses Frank Sinatra and Montgomery Clift. Central: MacRobert.
I Kalifomia ( l 8) (Dominic Sena. ['S. 1993) Brad Pitt. Juliette Lewis. David Duchovny. Michelle Forbes. 118 mins. Take a car. a writer of a thesis. a photographer. a white trash woman- cliild and a murderous psycho. and ptit them on a road trip to the sites of various serial killings. The result is not your average serial killer movie. bill a tight and stylish character-driven piece that plays wtth our fascination for killers while delivering some slap-bang gore. Glasgow: MGM Parkhead. I The Last Seduction (15) (John Dahl. LS. 1993) Linda Fiorentino. Peter Berg. Bill Pullman. 110 mins. After double-crossing her husband. stealing some drugs sale cash and holing tip in a small town. Grade ‘A' bitch Bridget Gregory uses her sexual chaniis to lure the naive Mike Swale into a plan that will free her from her troubles. No one handles polished pulp like John (Red Rock li’esr) Dahl. and here he‘s got the added advantage of a deliciously nasty performance from Linda Fiorentino as a femme who's more fatale than most. Edinburgh: Cameo. ()deon. I lightning Jack (PG) (Simon Winccr. US/Aus. 1994) Paul Hogan. Cuba Gooding Jnr. Beverly D'Angelo. 94 mins. Although he needs his reading specs. Lightning Jack Kane reckons he’s a top bank robber and the fastest gun in the West. Detemiined to get his name in the history books. he learns tip with a mute sidekick. and sets out in search of some pretty lame adventures. The rascally charm that Paul llogati brought to Crocodile Dundee is about all there is to recommend what is undoubtedly a feeble family comedy masquerading as a western. Strathclyde: Cannon. I little Buddha (PG) (Bernardo Bertoluccl. L'S/UK/France. 1993) Keanu Reeves. Ying Ruocheng. Alex Wiesendanger. 120 tiiins. A Seattle moppet may or may not be the reincamation of a recently deceased Tibetan monk. so he and dad go to Bhutan where he's given a potted history of Buddhism. The story of Siddartha is easily the best section. with Vittorio
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The List 12~18 August 1994 83 i