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 Hughes. Tom Oliver. Bruce Barry. 95 rttin. Made at the height of their popularity. the wafer thin plotline consists of the four Swedes being pursued across Oz by a Sydney DJ. Dancing Queen. ll’arerlrm. 5.0.5.. etc. Takes you back eh'.’ Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I The Adventures 01 Priscilla. Queen Of The Desert ( 18) (Stephan Elliott. Australia. 1994) Terence Starttp. Hugo Weaving. Guy Pearce. 104 rrtins. Two transvestites and a trans-sexual team up for a trip across the Australian outback for a drag sltow irt Alice Springs. Serious issues pop up frortt time to time. btrt the emphasis is on the carttp humour of the in-bus bitchiness artd outrageous musical set-pieces. Glasgow: Odeon. Edinburgh: Odeort.
I Airheads ( 15) (Michael Lehrttann. US. 1994) Brendan Fraser. Steve Buscemi. Adartt Sandler. 92 mitts. A struggling LA rock band hijack a radio station with water pistols and demand that their demo be played over the air; but when the tape is accidentally destroyed. they're caught iii a hostage situation. Revisit Bill 'n' Ted land with Heathers director Lehmann. but without his characteristic black humour. Evert the great Steve Buscemi finds himself languishing. See review. Glasgow: MGM Film Centre. Edinburgh: UCI. Fife: Robins. Strathclyde: Kelbume. UCI Clydebank artd East Kilbride.
I Alias Nick Deal (15) (John Farrow. US. 1949) Ray Milland. Thomas Mitchell. Audrey Totter. 93 mins. Another variation on the Faustian legend. with Mitchell as a conscientious politician falling urtder the influence of the mysterious Milland (just how does he an'ive irt each scene'.’). Farrow keeps the sense of menace throughout. but falls at the finale with its religious overtones. Edirtburgh: Filmhouse.
I American Graffiti (15) (George Lucas. US. 1973) Richard Dreyfuss. Cartdy Clark. Han'ison Ford. 1 10 mins. Where were you in '62? Superior nostalgia following a day and night iii the lives of some aimless high-school graduates coming of age in a small California town. Endearirtg and entertaining with a cast of future luminaries displaying early promise. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Baby’s Day Out (PG) (Patrick Read Johnson. US. 1994) Joe Mantegna. Lara Flynn Boyle. Brian Haley. 98 rrtirts. Talk about regression! After Home Alone and Dennis. writer John Hughes now ltas a drooling toddler on the loose iii the big city after he escapes front his kidnappers. led by man-with-no-shartte Mantegna. Saccharine sweet storytelling which diabetics would be well advised to steer clear of. Glasgow: Odeon. MGM Parkhead.
I Bad lieutenant ( 18) (Abel Ferrara. US. 1992) Harvey Keitel. Frankie Thorne. Zoe Lund. 96 rttins. A return to urban sleaze by master of the genre Abel Ferrara. A NYPD cop (Keitel). in debt due to drtrgs. alcohol and gambling addiction. is intrigued by a big money reward iii the case of a raped nurt. Harsh. powerful. but filled with a religious orthodoxy. this is a reminder of the director at his best (Angel of Vengeance. Driller Killer) and should be picked up by Resen'oir Dogs fans. Glasgow: GET. Fife: New Picture House.
I Badlands ( 18) (Terence Malick. US. 1973) Martin Sheen. Sissy Spacek. 94 mins. A young girl and her garbage collector boyfriend leave a trail of murder across the American Midwest. Literate. beautifully judged and impressively performed study of small town torpor and youthful rebellion. Glasgow: GFT.
I Bad lieutenant ( I8) (Abel Ferrara. US. 1992) Harvey Keitel. Frankie Thorne. Zoe Lund. 96 rttins. A return 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 filled with a religious orthodoxy. this is a reminder of the director at his best (Angel of Vengeance. Driller Killer) and should be picked up by Resen'oir Dogs fans.
I Being Human (PG) (Bill Forsyth. US. 1994) Robin Williams. John Turturro. Vincent D‘Onofrio. 122 rttins. After a troubled history and substantial cuts forced upon it. Forsyth's ambitious feature still disappoints. Its five stories. spread across the decades and continents. follow different men called Hector (all played by Williams) who are separated from their families.
l i I
But none of the segments satisfies in itself. and cumulatively they build to nothing. Glasgow: GFT.
I Blade Runner: The Director’s Cut ( 15) (Ridley Scott. US. 1982/92) Harrison Ford. Sean Young. Rutger Hauer. 116 rrtins. Out go the pseudo—noir narration and the tacked-on happy ending; in comes a rttore 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: Filmhouse.
I Blind Man's Bluff (15) (Arter Prentinger. Israel. 1993) 95 mins. A promising young classical pianist escapes frortt her over~protective farttily to a rundown flat where she begins a relationship with her new upstairs neighbour. Art authentic portrait of a woman’s search for iderttity irt rttodern Israel. Glasgow: GET.
I The Blue Kite ( 15) (Tian Zhuangzhuang. China/11K. I993~) Ltr Liping. Zhang chyao. Chen Xiaomart. I38 ntins. A mother and sort struggle to survive the upheavals of the Mao regime and the violent turmoil of the Culttrral Revolution. Tian's film tells it straight. where others. such as Farewell My (‘mrcubinta have taken a more metaphorical approach. and the result is art honest and moving account of a still sensitive issue. Glasgow: (3171'.
I Born In 45 ( 15) (Jurgen Bottcher. East Germany. 1905/90) 94 ntirts. Bottclter's first film was a write style documentary that went against typical Iiast German cinema aesthetics by using
non-professional actors and real locations — irt
this case. urban sltrrtts. Despite the director's obvious. almost poetic talent. the film was banned for its ‘glorification of the perverse‘. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I A Brighter Summer Day ( IS) (Edward Yang. 'l‘aiwan. I991) 237 mins. The epic tale of a ; generation of Taiwanese ltiglt school kids in the
()Os who. unlike their parents. hadn't suffered the tyranny of the Chinese. Yang shows them go through the typical twists artd turns of coming of age. btrt widens it out to offer a vast panorama of a society irt a state of flux. Central: MacRobert. I The Browning Version ( I5) (Mike Figgis. IFS/UK. 1994) Albert I‘irtney. Greta Scacclti. 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 ofemotions. Finney. as the repressed man. coming to terms with his failings and his wife's infidelity. is marvellous. But there's jtrst enough sense of rleja ru — English repression. nice
: manners. pretty countryside — to make you think
you've been here several times before.
I Bugsy Malone (U) (Alart Parker. UK. l976) Scott Baio. Jodie Foster. Martin Lev. 93 rttins. Musical spoof of Prohibition-era gangster films. with an all-child cast. Fantin entertainment pure ' and simple. and a true original with it. Fife: Robins.
I City Sliclters II (12) (Paul Weiland. US. 1994) Billy Crystal. Jack Palance. Daniel Stern. 115 mins. Subtitled The Legend Of Curls-1r Cold. this sequel is less concerned with American trtid-life crises and is more enjoyable as fantin entertainment dressed tip as a traditional Western romp. This time the city boys team tip with the deceased Curly's twin brother (Palance again) and set off irt searclt of buried treasure. Cue that typical Crystal blend of genuinely funny one- liners and yucky. sentimental. character- strengthening resolutions.
I Clear And Present Danger (12) (Philip Noyce. US. 1994) Han'ison Ford. Willem Dafoe. James Earl Jones. 141 rttins. In the third and least exciting instalment iii 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. Art elephantine but rtot especially interesting narrative that might work better on the bestseller page. this is a new milestone irt big budget tediurtt. Glasgow: MGM Film Centre.
I The Client (15) (Joel Schumacher. US. 1994) Susan Sarandon. Tommy Lee Jones. Brad Renfro. 121 mins. Roundly superior to both The Firm and Tire Pelican Brieflwltich isn't saying much). this John Grisham adaptation has the benefit ofcredible performances by its leads. A young boy becomes the pawn in a legal battle when he finds himself on the rtrrt from both the Mob and the FBI. No masterpiece. but as a popcorn movie. there's more to savour than other airport novel fillers. Glasgow: MGM Film Centre and Parkhead. Edinburgh: Dominion. MGM. UCI. Borders: Roxy. Strathclyde: l.'Cl Clydebank and East Kilbride.
I Color Of flight (18) (Richard Rtrsh. US. i994) Bruce Willis. Jane Marclt. Ruben Blades. 123 mins. A New York psychologist heads to LA after the suicide of a patient. btrt becomes involved in a nturder hunt when his buddy is stabbed to death. The killer is part of a therapy group. but which one? Who cares? A triumph of cliche over content. with top-shelf sex scenes. this proves that it's rtot just Willis's acting that's flaccid.
I Corrina Corrina (PG) (Jessie Nelson. US. 1994) Whoopi Goldberg. Ray Liotta. Tina Majorino. 116 mins. Goldberg stars as the maid to a recently widowed jingle writer (Liotta). whose daughter helps them overcome the social distance that the times - the I950s - demand. Comedy and drama move with seamless skill. although the triumph of romance over cynicism may prove too sweet for sonte. See review. Glasgow: MGM Film Centre and Parkhead. Edinburgh: Odeon. Strathclyde: UCI Clydebartk and East Kilbride.
I The Crow (18) (Alex Proyas. US. 1994) Brandon Lee. Ernie Hudson. Richelle Davis. 101 ntirts. 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 rtovel. The characterisation and plot development may be slight — a rock star comes back front the dead to wreak revenge on the gang who killed hint and his girlfriend — btrt stylistically. it's a gent. Glasgow: Grosvertor.
I Cyrano De Bergerac (U) (Jean-Paul Rappeneau. France. 1990) Gerard Depardieu. Jacques Weber. Anne Brochet. Virtcent Perez. 135 mins. A stirring adaptation of Rostand's classic. romantic tragi-comedy. Full of grandly mounted. bustling crowd scertes. it revolves arourtd typically superb perfortttance frortt Depardieu as the large-nosed hero. Although performed in rhyming verse throughout (with subtitles by Anthony Burgess). artd a touch overlong. the film's dramatic and cinematic qtralities are outstanding. Glasgow: Grosvenor. I Dated And Confused ( 18) (Richard Linklater. US. 1994) Wiley Wiggins. Jasort London. Rory Cochrarte. 95 rrtirts. The last day of the 1976 term for a bunch of CS schoolkids. and. for some. it's time to face the initiation htrrttiliatiorts as they move fromjunior to senior ltigh. Linklater abandons the baton-passing nan'ative style of his serrtinal work. Slacker. artd shows masterful skill as he weaves together a multitude of plot strands a la American Graffiti. Coo-til. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I The Decline of the American Empire (18) (Denys Arcand. Canada. 1986) Dominique Michel. Dor'othee Berryman. Louise Portal. IOI rttins. lftlte only ‘safe' sex left is the purely verbal then this non-stop talking shop must be the safest film ever made. Eight beings. four per sex. eat. drink. work-out artd talk endlessly about their sexual hang-ups. fears and frustrations. Sometimes witty. sometimes insightful. often truthfully close to home but ultimately this is an over-generous dollop of interminable discourse. ~Edinburgh: Filrrtltouse.
I The Devils ( 18) (Ken Russell. UK. 1971) Oliver Reed. Vanessa Redgrave. Dudley Sutton. III rttins. Based on the play by John Whiting. which was based in turn on Aldous Huxley's The Devils of Lora/en. this account of demonic possessiort and witchcraft in 17th Century France was the filtrt in which Russell's work metamorphosed frortt arty eccentricity irtto full- blowrt gothic mortstrosity. complete with masturbating nuns and a public burning. Mad Ken is nothing if not controversial. artd your reaction will probably depend on how you stand on the director's idiosyncratic visions. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (15) (Luis Bunuel. France. 1972) Fernando Rey. Delphine Seyrig. Stepltarte Audran. 105 mins. A group of friends firtd their dinner gathering interrupted by a series of bizarre. mostly dreamt- trp events. Not as savage a satire as Bunuel's earlier work. btrt he is certainly more assured as he fires at his constant targets - the church. the state and the army. Edinburgh: Cartteo.
I The Double life of Veronique ( I5) (Krzystof Kieslowski. Poland/France. 1991) Irene Jacob.
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Catch the best Film thls fortnight.
FIRST Bill
I Three Colours: Bed The final instalment in Kieslowski's trilogy may well be his masterpiece. a rich depiction of interlocking lives as Irene Jacob and Jean-Louis Trintignant strip away social conventions to reveal their true selves. Glasgow: OFT Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein The most faithful version ever of the novel. with Kenneth Branagh directing and starring as the eager young medical student who gives life to. then abandons, his sympathetic creation. played by Robert De Niro. General release.
I Faust Jan Svankrnajcr draws upon Goethe. Marlowe and —- primarily — Czech puppet theatre in his ever- imaginative. partly animated retelling of the legend. Glasgow: OF]? Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Pulp Fiction Hitnten. boxers. double-crOssers and other down-and- heel types in Quentin Tarantino’s interlocking tales. Funny. violent. ambitious and so hip it hurts. General release.
REPEBTDRY
I The Devils A rare chance to catch one of Ken Russell’s rttost controversial works (not available on video). Oliver Reed gives his best performance as he finds himself caught up with possessed nuns and exorcising priests in the 17th century. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Drphée/le Testament D’orphée Jean Cocteau toys with the trickery of cinema and achieves mesmerising results as he first updates the myth and then spins out a personal flight of fancy. Glasgow: GFI". Edinburgh: Film/rouse.
Pltillppe Volter. Alexander Bardini. I 10 rttins. Two girls — one Polish. the other French — are born at the saute time on the same day artd come to discover that their fates are hourtd up together.
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The List 18 November—I December 1994 21