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 The Adventures Of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert (18) (Stephan Elliott. Australia. 1994) Terence Stamp. Hugo Weaving. Guy Pearce. 104 mins. Two transvestites and a trans-sexual team up for a trip across the Australian outback for a drag show in Alice Springs. Serious issues pop up from time to time. but the emphasis is on the camp humour of the in-bus bitchiness and outrageous musical set-pieces. Glasgow: Odeon. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. Odeon.
I The Age Of 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 18705 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. Strathclyde: UCI East Kilbride.
I Alive (15) (Frank Marshall. US. 1992) Ethan Hawke. Vincent Spano. Josh Hamilton. 126 mins. Based on the true story of a Uraguayan rugby team who survived a plane crash in the Andes by eating the ice-packed corpses of their fellow travellers. After a hair-raising crash sequence. the film loses its way with with too mtrch ‘triumph of the spirit‘ TV movie stuff. Come back Cannibal Holocaust. all is forgiven. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I All About Eve (PG) (Joseph L Mankiewicz. US. 1950) Bette Davis. Anne Baxter. George Sanders. Marilyn Monroe. 138 mins. Davis and Baxter are on top form in this tale of back-stage back-biting and conniving and a young Marilyn makes a big entrance in a small part. A witty and intelligent film. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I AS All Eilean F rom The Island 1 PG) (Mike Alexander. Scotland. 1993) Ken Hutchison. lain F. Macleod. Wilma Kennedy. 100 mins. The first ever Gaelic language feature raises questions of language and communication between human beings as it merges two stories by Iain Crichton Smith. A widowed headmaster is intrigued by both the local nurse and a stranger whose presence uncovers resentments in an island village. Glasgow: GFT.
I Attack Of The 50ft Woman (12) (Christopher Guest. US. 1994) Daryl Hannah. Daniel Baldwin. William Windom. 89 mins. Put-upon Nancy Archer tells her psychiatrist how she suffers on account of her unfaithful husband and bullying father. Fortunately. a brush with a UFO in the desert means that she can channel her anger against the men in her life as she grows to an enormous size. As silly as the atomic-age sci- fi film that inspired it. but with a tighter approach to the feminist issues. this allegorical remake is actually a lot of fun. Edinburgh: Cameo.
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 ohn 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. Glasgow: Odeon. MGM Parkhead.
I Bad Boy Bubby (18) (Rolf de Heer. Australia/Italy. 1993) Nicholas Hope. Claire Benito. Ralph Cotterill. 114 mins. Bubby's lead something of a sheltered life. trapped by his mom and used for sex in a bunker. When he emerges at the age of 35. he‘s got a rather limited view of the outside world and its inhabitants. An exceedingly warped and unforgetable cinematic experience that builds to a surprisingly moving climax. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Beyond Bedlam (18) (Vadim Jean. 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. Strathclyde: UCI East Kilbride.
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 Born In 45 (15) (Jurgen Bottcher. East Gennany. 1965/90) 94 mins. Bottcher's first film was a verite style documentary that went against typical East German cinema aesthetics by using non-professional actors and real locations — in this case. urban slums. Despite the director‘s obvious. almost poetic talent. the film was banned for its ‘glorification of the perverse'. Glasgow: Goethe Institut. I Born Yesterday (PG) (George Cukor. US. 1950) Judy Holliday. William Holden. Broderick Crawford. 103 mins. The chorus-girl mistress of a gangster decides to better herself. but ends tip falling for the guy employed to teach her a few refinements. Great acting and a witty script have ensured that the bubbles have never gone flat on this great Hollywood comedy. Later rehashed as The Girl Can 'r Help It and in a dreadful Melanie Griffith remake. Edinburgh: Filrnhorrse. I The Browning Version ( I 5) (Mike Figgis. US/UK. 1994) Albert Finney. Greta Scacchi. Matthew Modine. 97 mins. An unpopular classics teacher is given a surprise gift by a pupil on the day of his retirement. unleashing a torrent of emotions. Finney. as the repressed man. coming to temrs with his failings and his wife's infidelity. is marvellous. But there'sjust enough sense of (Ieju va — English repression. nice manners. pretty countryside - to make you think you've been here several times before. Glasgow: MGM Film Centre. I Carrie (18) (Brian DePalma. US. 1976) Sissy Spacek. Piper Laurie. John Travolta. 98 mins. DePalma‘s adaptation of Stephen King is still the high school angst movie to end 'em all. - Distressingly awkward teen Spacek‘s adolescent experience is so humiliating that she develops telekinetic powers. and the school bullies are to get their corneuppance when their prom night pranks fly right back in their faces. Watch out for the much-copied shocker finale. Edinburgh: Cameo. I Basque Bleu (15) (Gerard Jugnot. France. 1994) Gerard Jugnot. Victoria Abril. Valerie Lermecier. 101 mins. Jugnot directs and stars in this comedy about an errant husband who takes his wife (Abril) on a second honeymoon. only to end up in a war situation. A late addition to the French Film Festival programme. it screens a week after the main section of the Festival ends. With a personal appearance by Gerard J ugnot. Glasgow: GFT. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Cinema Paradiso: The Special Edition ( 15) (Giuseppe Tomatore. Italy/France. 1988) Salvatore Cascio. Philippe Noiret. Jacques Perrin. 170 mins. 'l'he nostalgic chronicle of a Sicilian youngster"s formative relationship with his local movie house and its wise old projectionist is largely unaltered; the new material details the older Salvatore’s traumatic return home. showing exactly what happened to his teenage paramour. Consequently. the tone is darkened. a counterpoint to the central slushiness. A masterpiece restored. Glasgow: Grosvenor. I Clear And Present Danger (12) (Philip Noyce. US. 1994) Harrison Ford. Willem Dafoe. James Earl Jones. 141 mins. In the third and least exciting instalment 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 drug lords. An elephantine but not especially interesting narrative that might work better on the bestseller page. this is a new milestone in big budget tediurn. Glasgow: MGM Film Centre. Edinburgh: UCl. Strathclyde: Magnum. UCI Clydebank. I The Client ( 15) (Joel Schumacher. US. 1994) Susan Sarandon. Tommy Lee Jones. Brad Renfro. 121 mins. Roundly superior to both The Firm and The Pelican Brieflwhich isn‘t saying much). this John Grisham adaptation has the benefit of credible performances by its leads. A young boy becomes the pawn in a legal battle when Ire finds himself on the run from both the Mob and the FBI. No masterpiece. but as a popcorn movie. there's more to savour than other airport novel fillers. General release. I Cool liunnings (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 harrnlessly amiable. but unfortunately cranks rrp 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. Strathclyde: Odeon Ayr. I The Devil Rides Out (18) (Terence Fisher. UK. 1967) Christopher Lee. Charles Gray. Patrick Mower. 95 mins. Lee is the good Duc de Richleau‘. Gray the Satarrist baddie: Richard Matheson the writer (from Dennis Wheatley's novel): Fisher the director who pulls it all off atmospherically. One of Hammer's finest moments. with a fine use of colour. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Don’t look llovJ(18) (Nicolas Roeg. UK. 1973) Donald Sutherland. Julie Christie. 103 mins. Restoration expert with second sight visits Venice. where he meets up with two old sisters who claim spiritual communication with his recently drowned daughter. Against a Mann-like backdrop of unexplained deaths. he becomes obsessed with a tiny. red-coated figure he spies scurrying through the city's dark alleys. Splendid supernatural suspense movie. as subtly textured and brilliantly edited as any of Roeg's work. with the added advantage that it's a rather good yarn. Glasgow: GFT. I Easy Rider(18) (Dennis Hopper. US. 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 ET (U) (Steven Spielberg. US. 1982). Dee Wallace. Henry Thomas. Peter Coyote. 115 mins. An alien creature gets stranded on earth (the opening sequence of threatening legs and flashing torches is beautifully done). where he is adopted by some kids. who help him constnrct a communication device to summon back his spaceship. All the little guy wanted to do was go home. but Spielberg made sure he had lots of cute and agreeable adventures first. and slipped in the most tear-jerking psuedo-death since Baloo the Bear in The Jungle Book for good measure. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. 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. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. Odeon. I Faraway, So Close! (15) (With Wenders. Germany. 1993) Otto Sander. Nastassja Kinski. Bruno Ganz. 144 mins. Wenders's sequel to Wings OfDexire 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 13 movie gun- mnning narrative. From genius to incompetence in a matter of frames. Fife: Adam Smith. 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. Edinburgh: Cameo. I Forrest Gump (12) (Robert Zemeckis. US. 1994) Tom Hanks. Robin Wright. Gary Sinise. 142 mins. Even those with the lowest le can rise to the top in the land of the free. as this picaresque tale sets out to prove. But despite its incurably sweet hero and its fairly standard love story core. Forrest Camp has a surprisingly dark-tinted view on recent American history -— complete with racism. drug and child abuse. war and political assassination. There are some bitter tasting choices hidden among the soft centres. General release. I Four Weddings And A Funeral (15) (Mike Newell. UK. 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. but when he keeps meeting the alluring American Carrie (MacDowe11)at an assortment ofchurch ceremonies. he begins to doubt his resolve. The sort of charming British comedy that was destined to storm America. but which adds a little grit to the glarnqur of the pretty settings thanks to Richard (Blat‘kadder) Curtis's script. Glasgow: Odeon. Edinburgh: Odeon. UCI. Fife: Adam Smith. I Getting Even With Bad (PG) (Howard Deutch. US. 1994) Macaulay Culkin. Ted Danson. Glenne lleadley. 109 mins. Danson is a small- time crook doing one lastjob to help set him up in the straight world: Culkin is his estranged son who rumbles his dad's plan. takes the loot and blackrnails 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 parts. The gags are set up well. but fall to the obvious at the punchline. Strathclyde: Odeon Ayr. I Gettysburg (PG) (Ronald F. Maxwell. US. 1994) Martin Sheen. Tom Berenger. Jeff Daniels. 259 mins. Despite the nrnning time. the focus of the narrative is limited to the three days of battle at Gettysburg during the American Civil War. This allows. however. the personalities of the main protagonists to emerge clearly. By explaining tactical moves before and after the fighting. the action is heightened as we know not only why. but how the battles were fought. By no means an anti-war movie. yet it
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tch the best Film this fortnight.
IBST llllll
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein The ost faithful version ever of the ovel, with Kenneth Branagh irecting and starring as the eager oung medical student who gives life 0. then abandons. his sympathetic reation, played by Robert De Niro. eneral release.
Pulp Fiction Hitmen, boxers, : ouble-crossers and other down-at- eel types in Quentin Tarantino’s 'nterlocking tales. Funny, violent, mbitious and so hip it hurts. General release.
Mina Tannenbaum Brilliantly bserved and performed portrait of friendship and growing up in Paris.
The Wicker Man Edward
oodward finds himself caught up in izarre 20th century occultism on a mote Scottish island in this tmospheric British horror movie. inburglz: Cameo.
Metropolis Almost 70 years on, ritz Lang’s monumental vision of a future world where mankind is slave 0 industry still impresses with its uge cityscapes and effects.
inburgh: F ilmlzouse.
Hiroshima Mon Amour The omplex personal histories of a
rench actress and a Japanese
chitect are retold through the hifting narrative framework that is he essence of the Alain Resnais style. lasgow: GFTI
retains a certain masculine dignity. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (15) (Sergio Leone. Italy. 1968) Clint Eastwood. Lee Van Cleef. Eli Wallach. 180 mins. During the American Civil War. a trio of mean gringos squabble over hidden loot. Most people remember the Mon‘icone score from this Leone extravaganza. but the degree of directorial stylisation (just count the number of times extreme close-ups fill the screen) make it a pretty remarkable effort all round. Third and last movie with Eastwood as the Man With No Name. because the series really had nowhere else to go. Glasgow: GFT.
I The Great lloclr 'n’ lloll Spindle (18) (Julian Temple. UK. 1979) Malcolm McLaren. The Sex Pistols. Ronnie Biggs. 104 mins. Temple's jigsaw of the Pistols experience - music videos. animated sequences. interview fragments. McLaren's stepby-step guide to musical exploitation — is as chaotically energetic as the phenomenon that spawned it. Dodgy moments of two-fingered bad taste (trainrobber Ronnie Biggs and Nazi ‘Martin Bomran' lapping up Brazilian beaches) sit side by side with punk classics (Sid's never to be forgotten ‘My Way'). Edinburgh: Cameo.
I lliroshima Mon Amour (l8) (Alain Resnais. France. 1959) Emmanuelle Riva. Eiji Okada. 91 mins. The romantic liaison between a French actress working in Hiroshima and a Japanese architect awakens the ghosts of her wartime relationship with a Gemran soldier. First major work by a director who has altered the perception of cinematic time. here moving effortlessly through the flashbacks and fiashforwards of Marguerite Duras' emotive script. Glasgow: GFT.
I in The llame Of The Father ( I 5) (Jim Sheridan. US/Eire. 1993) Daniel Day-Lewis.
The List 4—17 November 1994 21