INDEX FILM
FILM
Films screening this fortnight are listed below with certificate, credits, brief review and venue details. Film index compiled by Alan Morrison.
I Abba The Movie (U) (Lasse Halstrom. Swe/Australia. I977) ABBA. Robert lltrghes. Tom Oliver. Bruce Barry. 95 min. Made at the height of their populatrity. the wafer thin plotline consists of the four Swedes being pursued across Oz by a Sydney DJ. Dancing Queen. Water/(m. S. 0.5.. etc. Takes you back eh? Central: MacRobert.
I The Adventures 0i Prince Achmed (U) (Lotte Reiniger. Germany. 1926) 65 mins. The world‘s first feature-length animated film takes a stOry from the Arabian Nights about a prince rescuing a princess from assorted monsters and witches. A rare screening of a film which almost disappeared for ever. before a new negative was made from the one remaining print in the I970s. Glasgow: GFT.
I The Age 0i Innocence (U) (Martin Scorsese. US. 1993) Daniel Day-Lewis. Michelle Pfeiffer. Winona Ryder. I38 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. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I American lleartttS) (Martin Bell. US. 1993) Jeff Bridges. Edward Furlong. Lucinda Jenney. 114 mins. Newly out of prison. Bridges is tagged by son Furlong. and the two move into a shabby room in Seattle. They share dreams of moving to Alaska. but find it difficult to pull themselves free of the mire that surrounds them. Brilliantly acted by both leads. this generation-gap drama is perhaps gratuitously downbeat. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Appleseed (I5) (Kazuyoshi Katayama. Japan. 1991) 71 mins. In a future world. run by a singular corporate entity. policewoman Dunan and cyborg sidekick Bularis track down terrorist AJ. Sebastian. whose criminal acts threaten the delicate balance of this utopia. The character animation is rudimentary. even by manga standards: the backgrounds don't even aspire to the Akira class. and only the hardware seems to have been drawn with relish — which says a lot about the filmmakers and more about the target audience. Edinburgh: Odeon.
I The Assassin (18) (John Badham. US. 1993) Bridget Fonda. Gabriel Byme. Demrot Mulroney. 108 mins. Scene-for-scene remake of 1990's Nikita. with emphasis on the action rather than moody contemplation. Fonda brings depth to her character (a teenage drtrg addict turned g0vernment killer). making this a Hollywood thriller with more emotional sympathy than most. In its own terms. easily as good a movie as the original: it‘s a case of same song. different singers. Glasgow: GFf.
I Assassin Of The Tsar ( 12) (Karen Shakhnazarov. UK/Rtrssia. 1992) Malcolm McDowell. Oleg Yankovsky. 104 min. McDowell again makes an intriguing choice of material. starring in dual roles as a modern-day mental patient who is convinced he murdered Tsars Alexander 11 and Nicholas 11. A complex psychological thriller. backed up by fascinating historical detail. the film makes the most of its star's quirky presence. Glasgow: GFT.
I Baby's Day Out (PG) (Patrick Read Johnson. US. 199-1) 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 man-with-no-shame Mantegna. Saccharine sweet storytelling which diabetics would be well advised to steer clear of. General release.
I Bacltbeat (15) (Iain Softley. UK. 1993) Stephen Dorff. Sheryl Lee. Ian 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 film pushes the music aside and concentrates on the odd three-sided relationship of John Lennon. painter and ‘fifih Beatle‘ Stuart Sutcliffe and German photographer Astrid Kirchheir. The period detail and acting is superb. particularly from Hart in his second excursion as Lennon (following The Hours And 7imes. Central: MacRobert.
I Being There (15) (Hal Ashby. US. I979) Peter
Sellers. Melvyn Douglas. Shirley MacLarne. IJU mins. One of Sellers' best and most restrained perfomiances has him star as an illiterate idiot savant gardener who becomes a celebrity and adviser to the President when his millionaire boss dies. A gentle satire that still carries much weight. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Belle Epoque ( 15) (Fernando Trtreba. Spain. 1992) Jorge Sanz. Fernando Fernari Gomez. Ariadne Gil. Penelope Cruz. 109 mins. During the Civil War. a young deserter finds himself under the wing of air 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. Fife: Robin's.
I Betty Blue: The Complete Version (18) (Jean- Jacques Beineix. France. l98())Jeari-1lugues Anglade. Beatrice Dalle. Gerard Darrnon. 180 mins. The story remains the same -— boy meets girl. girl flips out — btrt the extra ()0 mins of unseen footage is a mixed bag. Some new scenes help give a creditable timescale to Betty's descent into insanity. while others are distracting. the cinematic equivalent of monstrous carbuncles on the face of a well-loved friend. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I The Beverly Hillbillies (PG) (Penelope Spheeris. US. 1993) Jim Varney. Cloris Leachman. lirika lileiriak. Diedrick Bader. 103 mins. A bunch 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 puns. desperate parodies and 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. bttt not in a cinema feature. Borders: Pavilion.
I The Big Sleep (PG) (Howard Hawks. US. 1946) Humphrey Bogart. Lauren Bacall. John Ridgely. Martha Vickers. 114 mitts. Marlowe gets caught tip in the peccadiIIoes of the Sternwood family as he tries to stop a spot of blackmail. Needless to say. the broad knows more than she lets on. Witty. sultry. atmospheric. irrainstreatrrfi/nr noir with Bogey and Bacall doing their excellent dotible act. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
t . ' I Blown Away (15) (Stephen Hopkins. US. I994) Jeff Bridges. Tommy Lee Jones. Suzy Amis. 121 mins. A psychotic terrorist blasts his way out of prison and leaves Ireland for America. where he discovers that a top bomb disposal expert is really a former ten'orist who caused the death of his sister. Cat and mouse
stuff with plenty of big bangs and high anxiety
stress factors for audiences who like their palms : clammy. All l‘Cls. Strathclyde: Magnum.
I Brainscan ( 18) (John Flynn. l'S. 199-1)
Iidwar'd Furlong. Frank Langclla. '1‘. Ryder
- Smith. Sixteen-year-old Michael (Furlong) sends off for the latest state-of-the-art terror toy. an
interactive (‘1)-ROM game that lets him ‘errjoy'
first-hand a brutal murder with himself as the killer. Btrt. back in the real world. the event has really happened. A Iii-tech nightmare in which
interesting ethical arguments are casually tossed around; but despite the great initial idea the on- screen realisation is poor and the ending yet another cop-out. See review. lidinburgh: l‘('l. Strathclyde: I'Cl Clydebank.
I Brighton Rock (PG) (John Boulting. UK. 1947) Richard Attenborough. Hermione Baddeley. William llai'triell. 91 mins. Tilt: pre- ltivvie Attenborough brings a menacing delinqtiincy to Pinkie. who has to sweet-talk a waitress who witnesses one of his murders. ‘l'he seaside atmosphere is essentially linglish and somehow sordid in this fine adaptation of Graham Greene's novel. which has lost none of its power to thrill. Glasgow: (ii-'1'.
I Carlito’s Way ( 18) (Brian De Palma. LS. 1993) Al Pacino. Sean Penn. Penelope Ann Miller. 141 mins. ()tit ofjail after five years. former drtrg runner Carlito Brigante can't come to terms 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. btrt still squeezes sensitivity frorii the character; Sean Penn is excellent in his return to acting; and De Palma pulls it all off with more restraint than usual. Strathclyde: UCI (‘Iydebank
I Chasing The Deer (PG) (Graham Holloway. Scotland. 1994) Brian Blessed. Lewis Rae.
I Matthew Zajac. Jacqueline Pii'ie. 'l‘he Jacobite
rising of the first half of the 18th century set Scot against Scot. and this low-budget native feature tells the tale through the story of Euan and Alistair Campbell. a father and son who end up on opposing sides. The religious and poltical background is only roughly sketched. the acting - for the greater part -— amateurish. the dialogue can be embarrassing. But a brave effort that will hopefully lead to bigger and better things being made on home soil. General release.
I Un Chien Andalou (18) (Luis Btrntiel. France. 1928) Simone Mareuil. Pierre Batcheff. Jaime Miravilles. Salvador Dali. Luis Btintrel. sundry dead donkeys. 17 mins. Classic Spanish surrealism. with famous eyeball-slitting scene and a great deal of bizarre imagery of obscure meaning. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I City Sliclters ll (12) (Paul Weiland. US. 1994) Billy Crystal. Jack Palance. Daniel Stern. 115 mins. Subtitled The Legend Of Cur/y’s Gold. this sequel is less concerned with American mid-life crises and is more enjoyable as family entertainment dressed up as a traditional Western romp. This time the city boys team tip with the deceased Cur'ly's twin brother (Palance again) arid set off iii search of buried treasure. Ctre that typical Crystal blend of genuinely funny one- liriers and yucky. sentimental. character- str‘eiigthening resolutions. See preview. General release.
I Clear And Present Danger (12) (Philip Noyce. US. 199-1) Harrison Ford. Willem Dafoe. James Earl Jones. 141 ntins. In the third and least exciting instalnrent in the series. Jack Ryan (Ford) is promoted to Deputy Director of the CIA and has to deal with high office treachery and South American drtrg lords. An elephantine btit not especially interesting narrative that might work better on the bestseller page. this is a new milestone in big budget tedium. General release. I Color Of flight (18) (Richard Rush. US. 1994) Bruce Willis. Jane March. Ruben Blades. 123 mins. A New York psychologist heads to LA after the suicide of a patient. btrt becomes involved in a murder htrnt when his buddy is stabbed to death. The killer is part of a therapy group. but which one'.’ Who eares'.’ A triumph of cliche over content. with top-shelf sex scenes. this proves that it's not just Willis's acting that's flacid. General release.
I The Crow (18) (Alex Proyas. US. I994) Brandon Lee. Ernie Hudson. Richelle Davis. 101 mins. Infamous as the film on which martial arts star Bruce Lee's sori 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 — btrt stylistically. it's a gem. Edinburgh: Odeon.
I l)ave(12)(lvan Reitman. US. 1993) Kevin Kline. Sigoumey Weaver. Frank Langella. 110 mins. It's one of those eternal Hollywood myths: an ordinary Joe — or in this case. Dave — finds himself in the White House and. despite the powers that be. decides to give US politics a liberal heart. Kline is at his most appealing. Weaver nicely tinderplays the supporting role.
Comfortable old-fashioned filmmaking that's a bit like soaking in a warm bath. lidinbtiigh:
Cameo.
I Enchanted April (t’) (Mike New-ell. t'K. I991 ) Josie Lawrence. Miranda Richardson. Polly Walker. Joan Plow-right. Alfred Molina. 95
mins. More repressed rriiddle-class Brits head off ‘
to the ‘charirring' llalian countryside in order to
find themselves. This time it‘s housewives
Richardson and Lawrence teaming tip with other
dissatisfied compatriots and rcassessing past. present and future lives in the comfort of l’ot'tofino. As an anagram of the title. ‘('rap
Linen Death' really says it all. Glasgow: GFI'.
I The Exorcist (i8) (William Fi'ietlkin. ('8. 1973) Linda Blair. lillen Burstyn. Max Von Sydow. 110 mins. [Earnest priest Von Sydow steps in to save poor little possessed girl in this htrgely effective scarefest. Dead good. dead
' scarcy. dead priest. Glasgow: ()deon. Iidinbtii'gh: ()deori Ayr. I Faraway. So Close! (15) (With Wenders.
l
: Germany. 1993) Otto Sander. Nastassja Kinski.
Bruno Ganz. 144 mins. Wenders's seqqu to
ll'ings Of Desire again focuses on the divide
between humans and angels. and has one of the E winged ones experience the joys and pains of
terrestrial life. However. after an exhileratiirg opening and some stunning photography. the
; film falls apart when it attempts a B movie gun-
rtrnning narrative. From genius to incorirpetence
in a matter of frames. Iidinbur‘gh: I‘ilrrihouse. I The Flintstones (L’) (Brian Levant. US. 199-1)
John Goodman. Rick Moranis. [Elizabeth Perkins. Rosie O'Donnell. 92 mins. Fred is promoted to an executive post at the quarry. btrt 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
0a!
v— ._ .‘
oh the best Film.this.a§flg- .
FIRST Bill
I Speed The fastest. most finely tuned white-knuckle ride of the year as cop Keanu Reeves goes up against mad bomber Dennis Hopper. General release.
I The Mask Literally eye-boggling. jaw-dropping stuff as conrputerised effects push Jim Carrey into the realms of a Tex Avery-style superhero. General release.
I Highway Patrolman On the highway beat. Mexican style. as Alex Cox’s latest (and very possibly best) movie finally makes it to UK screens. Glasgow: GFT
BEPEBTORY
I Rebel Without A Cause The archetypcal 50s youth tale. with James Dean excellent as the teenager alienated from parents and society. yet reaching out for love. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Le Jeune Werther A group of French schoolchildren come to terms with the suicide ofa friend while coping with the minor tragedies of day-to-day living. Perfectly observed. without a trace of sentiiricntality. Glasgow? CF]:
I Being There In his penultimate film. Peter Sellers puts in a moving and restrained performance as an illiterate gardener who becomes a national celebrity when his millionaire boss dies. Edinburgh: Cameo.
morality tale on greed that doesn't quite sit right. and comes otrt a little plot-heavy. 'l'lre one-liners will be picked tip by adults. kids will get bored. Btit it's no the yabba-dabba dodo it could have been. General release. I Four Weddings And A Funeral ( I 5) (Mike Newell.1'K. I993) lltrglr Grant. Andre MacDowell. Kristin Scott llmtllits‘. 117 mins. Sweet btit stuffy linglishriian ('hailie (Grant) is convinced that he is not the marry mg sort. btrt when he keeps meeting the alluring American ('ai'rie (MacDow ell) at an assortment of church cer'eriionies. he begins to doubt his resolve, The sort of charming British comedy that was destined to storm Airrei'ica. btrt which adds a little grit to the glamour of the pretty settings thanks to Richard (Ii/acktu/t/er) ('trrtrs's script. Glasgow: ()dcon lidinbur'gh: l)orrrinion. ()deon. I'Cl. Strathclyde: l'('ls.\\'.\1R. I Getting Even With Bad (PG ) (Howard I)ctllcli. LS. 1994) Macaulay (‘ulkiiL Ted Danson. Glenne llcadley. 109 mins. Danson is a small- tirrre crook doing one last job to hpr set him tip in the straight world; (‘tilkin is his estranged son who rumbles his dad's plaii. takes the loot and blackmails him into doing the bonding good- time thing. A liotch-potch movie. stirring elements ofcaper. lrerst.jorii:tirc‘c and travelogue into something that is not the sum of its parts. .f The gags are set tip well. btrt fall to the obvious at the punchline. Strathclyde: ()dCori Ayr. I Gettysburg (PG) (Ronald P. Maxwell. I'S. I994) Martin Sheen. 'l'om Bcrengei'. Jeff Daniels. 259 mins. Despite the running time. the focus of the narrative is limited to the three days of battle at Gettysburg during the Aiirei‘icarr (‘ivil War. This allows. however. the personalities of the mam protagonists to emerge clearly. By explaining tactical motes before and after the fighting. the action is heightened as we know not only why. btrt how the battles were fought. By no means an anti-war 1110\1C. yet it retains a certain masculine dignity. Sec IL'\ icw: Glasgow: MGM Sauchichall Sticct (7()mm)_ lidinburgh: l'(‘|. I GO Fish ( IS) (Rose l'ioclic. LS. 1993) l
Gtiiiicvcic 'l‘iiriicr. \'S Brodie. Anastasia Sharp
The List 23 September-o October 1994 19