FILM INDEX
modem New York to do battle with sorcerer Van Peebles. We wish there could have been only one. Glasgow: Odeon. MGM Parkhead. Edinburgh: Odeon. UCI. Strathclyde: UCls.
I The Hudsucker Proxy (PG) (Joel Coen. US. I994) Tim Robbins. Jennifer Jason Leiglt. Paul Newman. Ill mins. When Htrdsucker lndustn'es‘ boss takes a dive from an upper storey boardroom window. mailroom boy Norville Barnes (Robbins) finds himself catapulted to executive status. But pretty soon he's forgotten his roots and is becoming as heartless as his manipulative mentor. played by Paul Newman. A winning blend of 40s screwball comedy. 50$ consumer quirks and satire on 80s corporate greed. the Coen brothers' latest is cinematic fantasy in its purest form. Edinburgh: Cameo. Filmhouse.
I In Cuba They’re Still Dancing (PG) (Richard Downes. Scotland. I993) 37 mins. An award- winning documentary about the late Agnes McLean's visit to Cuba. A life-long socialist and fan of Latin Dancing at Glasgow‘s Pollock Centre. McLean sees Castro's regime first hand as she rumbas her way through the Tropicana nightclub in Havana. The film will be followed by a discussion with its producer. Barbara Orton. and a screening of Strawberries A ml Chocolate. Mon l9 only. Glasgow: GI’I‘.
I It Could Happen To You (PG) (Andrew Bergman. US. I994) Nicolas Cage. Bridget Fonda. Rosie Perez. 101 mins. New York cop Cage hasn't enough change to tip waitress Fonda. so he promises to split his winnings if his lottery ticket comes tip . . . and it does. But wife Perez doesn't think that honesty is the best policy. Having junked its working title ((‘ap Give Waitress $2 Million Tip) for a snappier wish-fulfilment moniker. this warirr-hearted comedy is the best adult fairytale since Sleepless In Seattle. Glasgow: Odeon. Edinburgh: UCI. Strathclyde: UCI Clydebank.
I Jainon, Jamon(18)(Bigas Luna. Spain. 1992) Penelope Cruz. Anna Galiena. Javier Bardem. 94 mins. ‘Jamon‘ equals ham; ‘tiira mulierjamona' equals hot hispanic babe. Ptit them together and you've got this mix of reprehensible depravity and tease of social significance. As it tells of the desire of a pregnant woman for the bulgineg becrotched Manuel (with weightly subplots involving various mums). you can‘t help feeling it's aiming at too many targets. Sex. leering and exploitation. but not necessarily a fine film. Glasgow: Grosvenor. I The Joy luck Club ( 15) (Wayne Wang. L'S. I993) Tsai Chin. Ming-Na Wen. Tamlyn Tomita. I39 mins. lntertwining tales of four Chinese women and their Chinese-American daughters which use elements of ethnicity and the immigrant experience to highlight the more universal themes of mother/daughter relationships. Above all. it is a very Hollywood- style movie. attempting to manipulate emotions and downplay much of the insight of Amy Tan's novel. but it will strike a chord with many in the audience. and not just the women. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Junior (PG) (Ivan Reitrnan. US. 1994) Arnold Schwarzenegger. Danny DeVito. Emma Thompson. lA: mins. The Twins team are back and. like it was first time around. they're trying to pass off a single joke as an entire movie. Scientists Schwarzenegger and DeVito have their funding pulled. btit decide to test their fertility drug on a human being — hey presto! Amie‘s pregnant! Little to laugh over. however. until he gets into the frocks and tries passing himself off as female. Otherwise there'sjtist a whiff in the air that this surefire moneyspinner is treading in some morally dubious areas. General release.
I Kill Me Again (18) (John Dahl. US. 1990) Val Kilmer. Joanne Whallev-Kilmer. Michael
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Madsen. Jonathan Gries. 96 mins. All the nrarkers of a 40sfllnt hair are set against the bright. neon-washed landscapes of 80s Nevada. as Whalley-Kilmer fakes her death to escape the clutches of her ex-boyfriend and the mafia. both of whom lay claim to the suitcase of money that is her favourite possession. No classic. btrt a passable double-cross special that should keep crime thriller addicts more than amused. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Kismet (U) (Vincente Minnelli. US. 1955) Howard Keel. Ann Blyth. Dolores Gray. l 13 mins. Not MGM or Atthtir' lit‘ccd's greatest moment. as this third screen version of the Arabian Nights-style stage show uses music by Borodin. The exotic sets are lush enough. and the characters range from magicians and viziers to poets and lovers. btrt Minnelli‘s direction seems very half-hearted. Glasgow: (il-‘l‘.
I Lancelot Du Lac ( l5) (Robert Bi'esson. France. 1974) Ltic Simon. Vladimir Arttaliek. 85 mins. The legend of King Arthur stripped of all
the glowing heroism that is usually attached to it.
This later Bressorr shows the director's austerity of visual style working at its sparsest. the result being a work of typically ascetic spirituality. Glasgow: GET.
I The Last Seduction ( l 5) (John Dahl. LS. 1993) Linda Fiorentino. Peter Berg. Bill Pullman. 110 mins. After double-crossing her husband. stealing sortie drugs sale cash and
holing tip in a small town. Grade 'A’ bitch Bridget Gregory uses her sexual charms to lure the naive Mike Swale into a plan that will free
her from her troubles. .\'o one handles polished ptilp like John (Red Rue/t: ll'est) Dahl. and here he‘s got the added advantage of a deliciously
nasty performance from Linda liiorentino as a
fenrme who's more fatale than most. Edinburgh: Cameo. Filmhouse.
; I The lion King (PG) (Roger Allers/Rob
Minkoff. US. I994) With the voices of Matthew Broderick. Jeremy Irons. Robert Guillaume. 88 mins. The first Disney animated feature to be
based on an original story rather than a
traditional folk or fairy tale. The Lion King
retains all of the studios markers: impeccable
animation. jolly songs. colourful characters and a strong moral guideline. Startling fanrily fare.
General release. I little Buddha (PG) (Bernardo Bertoltrcci. US/UK/France. I993) Keanu Reeves. Ying
Ruocheng. Alex Wiesendarrger. 120 mins. A
Seattle moppet may or may not be the reincarnation 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 Storaro's glorious cinematography to commend it. but elsewhere the pace is doggedly slow. the eco-friendly sentiments hazy. and the lecturing tone like a school lesson. Bertolucci's greatest folly. Edinbtrrgh: Filmhouse.
I Ma Saison Preteree (15) (Andre 'I‘echine. France. 1993) Catherine Deneuve. Daniel Auteuil. Marthe Villalonga. 125 mins. A public notary (Deneuve) and her neurologist brother (Auteuil) reassess their own empty lives when they have to put their elderly mother into care. Deneuve is elegance and charm: Auteuil wins sympathy fora dislikeable character. Their combined star power raises this above a standard issue domestic saga. Central: MacRober't.
I The Magic Toyshop ( l 5) (David Wheatley. UK. 1986) Tom Bell. Caroline Milmoe. Kilian McKenna. 107 mins. Three orphans are sent to live with their tyrannical uncle (Bell). a toymaker who won't let children play with toys. Unlike Neil Jordan's The Cmrrpany (If ll’irlves. which is also based on an Angela (‘arter novel. here the nastiness is underplayed. the pubescent fantasies are badly handled and the effects are pretty dull. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
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I The Magnificent Ambersons (PG) (Orson Welles. US. l942) Joseph Cotton. Dolores Costello. Agnes Moorehead. 88 mins. The decline and fall of an American family told when Welles was at the peak of his cinematic power. Even studio tinkering can‘t lessen its impact. as the director takes an ambivolent view on how American life was changed by the industrial age. Unmissable. given the current re- assessment of Welles's talent as a filmmaker. Glasgow: GFI‘.
I Making Up (15) (Katja Von Garnier. Gennany. I992) Katja Riemann. Nina Kronjager. 54 mins. The student graduation project roots of this German short feature show through mainly in the limited scope of the themes — two female friends meet two new men and expectations are confounded — but the dialogue is witty and the situations recognisable. More intriguing. btrt also not quite pulling it off. is the accompanying short. a satire on sexism called The Most Beautiful Breasts In The World ( 15 mins). See video panel. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Man Bites Dog ( 18) (Remy Belvattx/Andre Bonzel/Benoit Poelvoorde. Belgium. I992) Benoit Poelvoorde. Remy Belvaux. Jenny Drye. 96 mins. Somewhere in the unexplored hinterland between Henry: I’m-trait rgfa Serial Killer and This Is Spinal rap came three young Belgians. who sprticetl tip their graduation film. llort‘ifically comic mock-doc on a poetry- qtioting rrrass-murderer. it soon sharpens its serious edge and becomes truly shocking. A real chin-dropper of a film ifever there was one. Glasgow: Grosvenor.
I Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (15) (Kenneth Branagh. US/UK. I994) Robert De Niro. Kenneth Branagh. Helena Bonhanr Carter. l20 mins. Ambitious medical student Victor Frankenstein discovers the means of regenerating dead tissue. btit so horrified is he with his success that he abandons his creation — bringing a terrible revenge upon his friends and family. Keeping close to Mary Shelley's book. Branagh departs front it only to clarify and expand upon her aims. The scope is immense. the themes deep and literate. the design first class. Just remember it's not a horror film. btit a full-blown gothic romance. Glasgow: Odeon. Edinburgh: Odeon. UCI. Strathclyde: UCls.
I The Mask (PG) (Charles Russell. US. 1994) Jim Carrey. Cameron Diaz. Peter Reigert. 95 mins. A timid bank clerk finds an ancient mask that allows him to fulfil his innermost desires as a suave charmer and crime-fighting whirlwind. An amalgam of 20s. 30s and 40s decor. The Mask has a skimpy plot. btrt its rousing musical set- pieces and eye- popping computer-generated effects (like a live action Tex Avery cartoon) make it the surprise hit of the summer. Glasgow: GFI‘. Edinburgh: L’Cl.
I Maverick (PC) (Richard Donner. US. I994) Mel Gibson. Jodie Foster. James Garner. I27 mins. Romantic gambler Bret Maverick has got to get tip a big enough pot to enter a poker game with a stake of half a million dollars. but encounters various loose and at times unconnected adventures on the way. A card-con movie with western trappings. Maverick showcases the ‘unpredictable‘ quirks of Gibson's screen persona. the kind of thing that he gives a lunatic edge in the Lethal ll’eaprm series. Rollicking. pre-packaged entertainment that slips into the shambolic. Glasgow: GFT.
I Meet Me In St Louis (U) (Vincente Minnelli. US. 1944) Judy Garland. Margaret O'Brien. Leon Ames. Mary Astor. ll3 mins. The comfortable lifestyle of Garland's St Louis family is threatened by her father‘s promotion and a move to New York. Altemately nostalgic. moving and sickeningly sweet. the film paints a memorable picture of an innocent world now long gone. Minnelli's best and an important
entry in the musical genre. Glasgow: GFI‘. I A Midstmer Illght‘s Bream (U) (Max Reinhardt/William Dieterle. US. I935) James Cagney. Dick Powell. Jean Muir. l33 mins. Cagney's Bottom. Mendelssohn's music. Rooney‘s Puck. Hollywood panache. Oh. and even a bit of stuff by a bloke called Shakespeare. Actually. this is one of the most successful American cinema version of the bard. with the magic of the play transforming itself onto the screen with ease. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I The Mighty Ducks 2 (U) (Sam Weisman. US. I994) Emilio Estevez. Carsten Norgaard. l07 mins. Ice-hockey coach Estevez conveniently forgets everything he learned first time round (remember. the original was Champions in the cinema and The Mighty Ducks on video) and finds himself shaping tip the kids in Team USA for the Goodwill Games. The rivals are the. ehm. mighty Iceland. a bunch of racistly painted Nazi- types. Totally devoid of charm. See review. Glasgow: Odeon. Edinburgh: Odeon. UCI. Strathclyde: Odeon Hamilton. UCls. I Miracle On 34th Street (PG) (Les Mayfield. L'S. l994) Richard Attenborough. Elizabeth Perkins. Dylan McDermott. llO mins. Kriss Kringle (Attenborough) is a department store Santa who goes one better and claims he's the genuine article. Only by winning a court case — and convincing one cynical little girl (Mara Wilson) can he ptit the joy and magic back into the festive period. A fairly unnecessary remake. btrt this secular fable still sparkles with charm. General release. I Mrs Doubttire (PG) (Chris Columbus. US. 1993) Robin Williams. Sally Field. Pierce Brosnan. 125 mins. Separated from his wife and kids. out-of-work voice actor Daniel Hillard (Williams) dons make-up and body-padding to become a sexagenarian nanny. Another top- notch comic performance by Williams. who makes the most of his split personality zest without becoming overly sentimental. Hugely enjoyable and well pitched with gags for the whole audience. Fife: New Picture House. I Much Ado About Nothing (PG) (Kenneth Branagh. UK/US. I993) Denzel Washington. Kenneth Branagh. Emma Thompson. Keanu Reeves. lll mins. A lusty. lively version of Shakespeare‘s comedy of love and deceit. set in the sun-drenched Tuscan hills. Barbed witticism fly across the screen as British thesps and American stars acquit themselves with honours. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I The Muppets Christmas Carol (U) (Brian Henson. US/UK. I992) Michael Caine. Kermit. Miss Piggy and other bits of foam. It‘s Christmas time. and nasty old nriser Scrooge (Caine) needs taught a lesson by three seasonal ghosts. Colourful version of Dickens' classic tale that will please the kids and keep the adults smiling with its little in‘everent spices. Glasgow: Cannon. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I The letterending Story lll (U) (Peter MacDonald. US/Gennany. I994) Jason James Richter. Melody Kay. Freddie Jones. l00 mins. Now relocated with dad. stepmom and sister in a new town. Bastian finds that the all-important book as fallen into the hands of the local bullies. who use it to cause havoc in Fantasia. The twist this time is that a couple of the Henson-style creatures are transported to modern-day America. but this only means there are fewer effects to distract kids from this sad decline in standards. See review. General release. I The Nightmare Before Christmas (PG) (Henry Selick. US. 1993) With the voices of Chris Sarandon. Danny Elfman. Catherine O'Hara. 76 mins. Jack Skellington. the skinny trickster king of llalloweentown. is restless with success and needs a new challenge. so he hatches a plot to kidnap Santa and create a mixed-up Yuletide isn't quite what the kids of the world expected.
"FUNNY, TOUCHING, INSPIRING" "CHARMING COMEDY... DELICIOUS"
Derek Malcolm THE GUARDIAN
"GREAT CHARM
AND WIT"
Sheila Johnston THE INDEPENDENT
36 The List 16 December 1994—12 January 1995