FILM W—
I leon l() Feb. French writer-director l.uc Besson‘s first English language tnovie finds Jean Reno working as a hitman in New York and teaming up with the twelve-year-old girl next door to avenge the murder of her family by psycho cop Gary ()ldtnan. A stylish thriller that treads on the toes of several taboos. I Star Trek: Generations 10 Feb. .-\ freak time warp means that the series can now go where no plot has gone before ~ bringing together Captains Kirk and Picard. Will the original crew now finally ' go into retirement as Patrick Stewart and - co also decide to hang tip their phasars'.’ I Natural Born Killers 24 Feb. Media- fuelled frenzy over the certification hold- up will ensure that Oliver Stone’s satire on serial killer stardom will burst box office records. A multi-format assault on the eyes and ears. it's certainly not like any l-lollywood studio movie you've ever
I Pret a Porter 3 Mar. Robert Altman weaves the odd supermodel or two into his trademark ensetnble narrative web as he turns his hand to the Parisian fashion world. As ever. the cameo quotient is remarkably high. and Altman. after The Player and Short ('ut.v is undoubtedly on a roll.
I Disclosure 10 Mar. liven before the book was in print. Michael (‘richton's tale of sexual harassment in the workplace '— male molested by fetuale -- was stirring tip controversy. After Basic Instinct and Fatal Attraction. this is common ground for Michael Douglas. btit what effect will the star presence of Demi Moore make on the content'.’
I Immortal Beloved to Mar. Mozart had Anna/ens. now it‘s the tttrn of Beethoven as Bernard Rose‘s film attempts. through a look at the life and loves of the great composer. to discover the identity of the mysterious ‘immortal beloved' named in l.udwig‘s will. interest is sure to be overshadowed by the off-screen liaison between stars Gary ()ldman and lsabella Rossellini.
I Quiz Show l7 Mar. US post-war , innocence and the image of the infant television medium are tarnished when it is i discovered that a game show has been l fixed to boost ratings. Robert Redford again manages his trick of getting the best ' out of his actors when behind the camera:
another Oscar nomination for Ralph i
Fiennes should consolidate his Hollywood I Bullets Over Broadway 21 Apr. He l returned to the early. funny ones with Manhattan Mun/er .ilyxterv: now Woody i Allen decides to keep 'em laughing as he forces John Cusack‘s idealistic playwright to compromise his principles in order to get his work produced. The period detail is perfect. the acting impeccable.
I Priest Apr. The premiere of Antonia Bird's follow-up to Safe at the Drambuie Edinburgh Filtn Festival proved that it
deserved more than a BBC broadcast. The moving story of a yuppie priest (Linus Roche) coming to terms with his homosexuality is likely to be the British movie of the year.
I Clerks May. A hilarious low-budget US indie that catches the mood of the slacker generation to perfection. Writer-director Kevin Smith chronicles the behind-the- casli-register philosophies of Dante and his pal Randal. as they cope with customers and life in general.
I Rob Roy May. Okay. the Scots outlaw is played by an lrishman (Liam Neeson). his love interest is an American (Jessica l.ange). as is his mate (Eric Si()il'l.). but Scotland‘s Michael Caton-Jones is behind the camera and the script is by Alan Sharp. so this big budget movie. filmed in the Highlands. should have an authentic base. Another Scots director to look out for this month is Gillies Mackinnon. who's guiding Steve Martin through A Simple 'Iit'ist (If/"ate.
I Ed Wood May. The worst director in Hollywood‘s history is revealed to be nothing if not an enthusiastic optimist in Tim Burton‘s masterpiece. Atmospherically shot in black-and-white. it features ()scar-worthy performances by Johnny l)epp in the title role and Martin Landau as the dying Bela Lugosi.
I Tank Girl May. Comic book anarchy becotnes live action as l.ori Petty becomes the cinema's first genuine Riot Grrrl. with a little help frotn lce-T as her kangaroo- like sidekick. Unlike ll’atcrwurltl (see below) this is a dust dry vision of the future. where an environmental disaster has caused water to be in short supply.
I First Knight Jun. A romantic fantasy-
adventure that rewrites the legend of King Arthur by following the fortunes of
l.ancelot. the renegade knight. This time it was Richard Gere‘s turn to add his weight to a US blockbuster being shot in Blighty. but Sean Connery is also in there for good
. . -‘ I Judge Dredd July. Young British director Danny Cannon follows up The Young Americans with the awesome challenge of turning Sylvester Stallone into Mega City ()ne's toughest cop. Backed by a big budget and some cracking sets. maybe this self-confessed 2000AD fan can capture that distinctive comic book feel on the big screen.
J
Preview
I Waterworld Jul. At the time of writing. it‘s not close to being finished and the budget has topped the l()() million mark. Kevin Costner again teams up with director Kevin Reynolds for a post- § apocalyptic adventure that will have to do Jurassic business to break even. Melting polar ice-caps flood the world. mankind develops gills to survive. but Dennis Hopper is in psycho tnode to pose a deadly threat.
I Braveheart Summer. lt's‘ Scotland‘s year to be in vogue. but the thought of Mel Gibson as William Wallace is enough to make anyone's sport‘an turn white with shock. Set in a muddy 13th century. it's a i stirring tale about taking on the tinglile ' blah. blah. blah. Finding credibility may prove a bigger battle. because on paper this looks like Rubi/t Hoot/s l’ruit e (2/ Thieves without the laughs.
Scottish director Gilles Mackinnon ('l'lie l’lttvbovv, Cour/nest ()f'l'lte Sour/t Pole) is promoted to the big league and has his first major Hollywood star in the shape of Steve Martin. The trick will be to find the right balance between the actor‘s comic talents and his indulgance in schmaltz in this modern take on Silas Marne/a
I A Simple Twist or Fate Autumn. i l
I Apollo 13 Aug. Ron Howard. never one for the concise and subtle approach. tells the true story of Apollo astronaut James A. Lovell and his two companions. who found their trip to the stars taking a bit longer than planned after an equipment malfunction. ()scar-winner Tom Hanks stars. with Bill Paxton and Kex in Bacon as his fellow spacemen.
Natural Born Killers (Feb):
dy and Juliette get mean
Woo
I Batman Forever Aug. Summer blockbuster fever continues with the third li’iitmim instalment. but this time without 'l‘im Burton or Michael Keaton. Val Kilmer is the Capetl Crusader. Joel Schumacher the director and Jim Carrey continues acting wacky as The Riddler. ()ther sequels on show for the summer are /)ie Hit/11.? and Under Siege 2.
I Pocahontas Aug. l)isney moves away from fairy and folk tale structures with its latest animated feature. this time perhaps aiming at an older average age group with the story of the lndian princess who married an linglislunan and came to live in Britain. ()ther kids' fare for the year includes l-‘ree li'i/lv 2 in July. and Riv/tie Rte/1 Llllti [ill/c /\)(1.\('(lf.\' it] April.
I Mary Reilly Nov. Robert Louis Stevenson's .lekv/l .‘l/n/ Hyde tale. told from the point of view of a young servant girl. stars .lolm Malkovitch and Julia Roberts. both of whom stirred local interest when the production catne to lidinburgh for a few days‘ shooting last year. Direction is by Stephen Frears.
I Goldeneye l)ec. After a relatively long pause. in which the mantle passed from Timothy Dalton to Pierce Brosnan. comes the latest Bond picture. And surely this has to be the make«or-break point: post- Cold War. can any spy series really compete with the star attractions and big budget blasts of Let/mi Wet/pun and the li‘~.s
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file list l3 at) January [99515