INDEX FILM
Festival. Some of the artists will be in attendance fora discussion following the screening. For list of films. sec Rushes. Glasgow: GI-‘l‘. I The Nightmare Before Christmas (PG ) (treaty- Sclick. US. 1993) With the voices of Chris Sararrdorr. Danny Elfman. Catherine ()‘llara. 70 mins. Jack Skellingtoii. the skinny trickster king of llallowcentown. 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. Produced and based on a story and characters by Tim Burton. this is a real imaginative treat — deliciously dark stop-motion animation on the big screen. Glasgow: ()deon. Edinburgh: ()deon. I Only You (PG) (Norman Jewison. l'S. I994) Marisa Tomei. Robert Dow trey Jr. Bonnie Iltrrit. 108 mins. Playing with a ouija board as a kid. Faith is told the name of her man of destiny; years later. on the eve of her wedding. she finds out Ire really exists. and so begins a dash across Italy. The settings ou/e roiirance. 'l‘orrrci's playing is agreeably nutty and l)ow ney's charm has its appeal. but there's no real sense that these crossed lovers deserve each other. making this a poor cousin to S/r’t'lt/t'vv I/r Sum/t: See review and preview. General release. I Our life IS flow ( l5) (Suzanne ()steu. Sweden. I982) 92 mins. A young filrnjournalist goes to France in the hope of making her first picture. btit the war intervenes and she returns to Sweden. ller private life proves diffictrlt as she attempts to survive as an indivrdtral and with her ideals intact. Edinburgh: Filmhorise. I The Pagemaster (I ') (Joe Johnstone/Maurice Hunt. I‘S. I994) Macatrlay ('trlkin. Christopher Lloyd. 83 mins. Child-nerd Richard Tyler (Culkin) humps his head in the local library and finds himselftransported into air animated adventure with a trio of book friends — Adventure. Fantasy and Horror — to keep him company. The moral is that discover mg a role for yourself If) fiction helps you confront real life. Luckily. the plot episodes come and go at a pace that suits the skirirpicst concentration span. btrt that doesn't hide the fact the arriiiration is particularly dull. General release. I Une Partie De Campagne (r’t‘rr (Jean Renoir. France. I930) Sylvie Bataille. Georges I).irriot.l. 4() mins. In the late nineteenth century. a Parisian nobleman takes his family on a Sunday outrrig and one of his daughters falls in love l'irfinishcd. btrt imbued with an eye for Iarrdscape that makes it seem like an iitipressiourst painting brought to life. ('crrtial: MacRobcrt. I Peeping Tom ( I(Sl (Michael I’ow ell. t'fs'. I960) Karl Boehm. Moira Shearer. Anna Massey. A movie studio focus puller equips his camera with a spike and sets otrt to murder young women while filming the fear on their faces. l.'tterly reviled upon its initial release. Powell's daring examination of voyeurism as a metaphor for the cinema itself is now regarded as one of the most intelligent British films ever made. Glasgow: Gl’l‘. I Pulp Fiction ( IS) (Quentin 'l‘aiaiitiiio. LS. 1994) John Travolta. Samuel Jackson. l‘ma 'l'htrrriran. Bruce Willis. ISO mins. Much more ambitious than Rt‘vr'l’l'rtfl' Drier. the most awaited second feature of the 90s has many scenes that crackle with Taiairtino wit. and a few others that fall flat as the w titer-director bravely experiments. Interlocking stories in the pulp crime manner concern lrrtrirerr. arlirrg boxers. gang bosses and their rirolls. drug fiends. and assorted riff-raff. This year's surprise Cannes Palmc d‘()i winner is a trip. all the way General release I Raise The lied Lantern (I’G) ('/.hang Yirirou. China/Japan. I991 ) Gong Li. Ma Jrngvva. He Caifei. ('ao (‘urfeng I25 ruins '/.harig. director of Jii Don and Rt’t/ Sure/ruin. again combines exquisitely beautiful photography with formalised tirelodraitia. btrt this time creates one of the most moving films to appear anywhere on the world circuit in recent years. lisseritially the tale of a young girl forced to become a concubine and the jealotisies she encounters in her fortress home. it also acts as a riretaphor' for the repression of individual passions in post- Tianatrmen China. Glasgow: (il’l‘. I The Remains of the Day (I?) (James Ivory. UK. I993) Anthony Hopkins. Emma 'I'horirpsoii. James Fox. l34 mins. A butler reminisces on the pie-WW2 days he spent in Darlington llall. when he turned a blind eye to his errrployer's dealings with the Nazis and his own feelings for the housekeeper. ()ne of Mercharrt-lvory"s best. with Hopkins the epitome of linglish emotional repression. Fife: New Picture House. I Reservoir Dogs ( 18) (Quentin 'l'arantiiio. l'S. I992) Harvey Keitel. Tim Roth. Michael Madserr. I(X) mins. A gang of hoods. known only to each other by colour-coded nicknames. meets at an abandoned warehouse to figure how out their rigorously planned heist went so drastically wrong. The best debut in years from writer-director 'l‘arantino. whose stylish violence seduces the audience into complicity. Brilliant iii every sense of the word. Glasgow: ()deon.
Edinburgh: Cameo. ()deon. LiCl. Central: Allanpark.
I The Road To Wellville ( l8) (Alan Parker. US. I994) Anthony Hopkins. Matthew Broderick. Bridget Fonda. [20 mins. Cornflakes will never taste the same again after you‘ve spent some time with their eccentric inventor. Dr John llaivey Kellogg. at his Battle Creek Sanitarium at the beginning of the century. An evangelical vegetarian. played to mad comic perfection by llopkrns. he sets out an exhausting regime of meals. massages and enemas for his guests. Fine scatalogrcal humour and ensemble playing. See preview. Glasgow: ()deorr MGM Parklread. lidinburgh: I'Cl. Strathclyde: ()deons. IJCIs.
I Rough Diamonds (Pm (Donald ('r'ombie. Australia. I994) Jason Donovan. Angie Millikerr. Peter Phelps. 9() mins. A late addition to this fortniglit's releases (hence no big review). this culture clash comedy starts ex-.\'r'r'glrlmur Donovan as an Aussie cattle fainter whose bump on the ioatl with upmarket city girl Millikeu forces her to stay for a while at his ranch. Country ~style duettirig. social issues. romance. coriredy‘ - it's all thrown in for better or worse. lidirrburgh: HI
I Savage Eye 2 ( ll) 79 mins. A programme of works written specifically for film or television by Samuel Beckett. This set of unique works on the human condition consists of .r\ lliikr- For Stinr. If/i .IUt' arid l‘T/III ( I‘M-J). Glasgow: (il’l'. I Schindler's List ( l 5) (Steven Spielberg. I‘S. I993) Liam Neeson. Ralph liicimes. Ben Kingsley. I95 mins. During WW2. German industrialist and Nazi Party iiieriibcr ()skar Schindler saved the lives of over a thousand Jewish erriployces by demanding they work in his factory rather than be sent to Arischw itz. Spielberg‘s riragrrificent movie and Ncesoir’s perforirrarrcc capture this enigmatic brand of heroism. while depicting traumatic events in doctrrirentaiy-lrke black—arid-white images. Psychologically complex. emotionally devastating and artistically iiirpeachable. this is one of the best films ever made. Glasgow: Gl-‘l‘. Fife: New Picttrre House. Stratlrclyde: LlCl East Kilbride.
I La Scorta ( 18) (Ricky 'l‘ognazzi. Italy. I993)
Clatrdio Amendola. Enrico l.o Verso. Carlo (‘ecchi. 95 mins. Inspired by the real life story of a magistrate who moved from notlrerrr Italy to the Mafia stronghold of Sicily. this is a seating. edge-of-seat thriller concentrating on the bravery. dedication and corrrradeship of his personal police escort. The tension never lets off. Fife: New l’icttire llorrse.
I Shadowlands (PG) (Richard Atterrborough. l’S. I993) Anthony Hopkins. Debra Winger. Joey Mazzelo. Lil rrrirrs. The true story of ()xford don and children's novelist CS Lewis who. late in life. married feisty American divorcee Joy Gresham. only to lose her to cancer a few years later. Superlative acting frorii all concerned. with Hopkins opening his emotions more than usual and Attenborough showing that he can work effectively on a detailed. intimate canvas. lidinbiir'gh: Dorrriniori.
I Shallow Grave ( l8) (Danny Boyle. I’K. I994) Kerry Fox. liwan McGregor. Christopher liccleston. 90mins. Three Edinburgh flatmates find their new co-habitant dead with a stack of money under his bed. so after per'for'riiing a little l)IY on the corpse. they reckon all their worries are over. But the cops are closing in. there are two thugs after the money. and the psychological tension is beginning to show. Filled with dark humour and cy irrcal one liners. this Scottish thriller is bloody and intelligent enough to please the cult audience w liile remaining accessible enough to be a mainstream hit. General release.
I Show Boat (L) (George Sidney. l'S. l95l) Kathryn Grayson. Ava Gardner. Howard Keel. 108 mins. Kern and Harririrersteiii's musical gets the MGM colour treatment. and it's one of the best. Set among Mississippi river folk. it contains a batch of favourites including ‘()l' Man River" and ‘Make Believe'. Glasgow: GI’I'. I The Slingshot ( I2) (Ake Sairdgr'en. Sweden. I993) Jesper Salerr. Stellar) Skarsgar'd. Basia Frydrrran. l()() mins. In the l92()s. a 12-year-old Swede is bullied by all and sundry due to his mother's religion (Russian Jew). his father's politics (Socialist) and his own diminutive size. But at least his home tirade slingshots (knocked together from a couple of condoriis and a bit of wire) are selling like hotcakes - until his mother intervenes. A funny and unsentirrrental portrayal of the youthful pursuit of experience. Central: MacRobert.
I Soft Top. llard Shoulder ( IS) (Stet‘arr Schwartz. UK. I992) Peter (‘apaldi. Elaine Collins. Richard Wilson. 91 mins. A Scot living in London has to return home to his native Glasgow fora family party. btrt meets various hazards on the road north. not the least of which is the slightly bizarre Yvonne. Capaldi's script perfectly captures that typically Scottish balance of innocent charm and .sly humour. Not in the fast lane. perhaps. btrt motoring steadily towards its destination. Edinburgh: Cameo.
II The Specialist (18) (Luis Llosa. US. I994)
Sylvester Stallone. Sharon Stone. James Woods. ll0 mins. Crack explosives duo Stallone and Woods fall out when on the job. but soon find themselves going head to head once nrorc when Stallone is lured out of retirement to provide a few bombs for Stone's revenge plot on the killers of her parents. Frequent loud bangs can‘t fool trs into believing this is value for money. nor can the steamy sex scenes hide the fact that
i there's no chemistry between the leads. As for
| the mess that is the plot — it's like chunks of raw i meat flung onto a lazily tended barbcque.
General release.
I Stalingrad ( IS) (Joseph \'ilsmaier. Germany. I993) Thomas Kretshmann. Dominique
f llorvvitz. Joaclren Nickel. Sebastian Rudolph.
137 mins. A convincingly hard-edged account of the serge of the titular city during WW2. seen from a German perspective. lacks the extra emotive dimension that would result in a
genuinely heartfelt viewer response. However.
the production values are stunning. giving the
film an enveloping veracity even if the
sentirirents do stay at the war-is-hell level.
Glasgow: Gl’l'.
I Star Trek Marathon (PG) (US. 1979—94)
William Shatner. Leonard rN'imoy. DeForest
Kelley vi ((12. You've got (1” day mgr) )t‘llt’l'l’ rm man (or no (me. as it is now) has gone before. And not only are the first six movies on show.
there's also a unique chance at the end to catch a preview of Slur Trek: (It'lrci'titimri‘. the latest and very likely last iii the series. Trekkie heaven. Glasgow: MGM Film Centre.
I Stargate (PG) (Roland lirririrerich. US. I994) Kurt Russell. James Spader. Jaye Davidson. 122 mins. Was l-Iarth visited centuries ago by aliens. Seems like it. particularly when ligyptologist Spader solves the key to a huge engraved circle found at the pyrairiids and unlocks a doorway to another planet. Along with a military team led by Russell. Ire encounters totalitarian space god Ra (Davidson) and reverses I'S foreign policy by helping the locals. Big budget science fiction with gleefully ridiculous story and brilliant effects. General release.
I Summer With Monika (PG) (Ingmar Bergman. vaederr. I953) Harriet Aridersson. Lars Ekborg. Ake Grorrberg. 97 mins. The bright liveliriess of Arrderssoir is what drives Bergriran's drama. She stars as a young woman who gets pregnant while on an island holiday. brrt their leaves the father holding the baby. The director‘s bleak vision
tw hat future is there for these adolescents?) is offset by wonderful photography by Gtrnriai' Fischer. Edinburgh: Filrrrliouse.
I Thelma 8r Louise ( l5) (Ridley Scott. l'S. I991) Susan Sarairdoir. Geerra Davis. Harvey Keitel. Michael Madserr. l29 mins. The buddy/road movie genres are ttrrned on their heads as Sarairdorr and Davis grasp the steering wheel and head off leaving a trail of murder and iiiaylreiir in their wake. On one level. the film is the critical catalyst that had the feminists cheering and put the stars on the cover of Time irragazirrc; just as irrrportaiitly. it's an accessible piece of entertainrrient with excellent central performances. Central: Allanpark.
I Three Colours: Red ( IS) (Kr zysztof Kieslowski. Frairce/Switz/Polaitd. 1994) Irene Jacob. Jean-Louis 'I"rintignarrt. 9o rrrirrs. Kieslovvski's tr icolorrr trilogy comes to a close with what may be his greatest masterpiece. A Swiss model (Jacob) discovers that a retired judge ('l‘rrntigriant) is listening in to his rrcrghbours' phone conversations: but instead of denouncing liitii. she too opens up her innermost secrets. Stmcrficial details are stripped away as the director concentrates on parallel lives and rritervv ov err destinies. Edinburgh: ()deon.
I TimecOp ( IS) I Peter llyams. CS. 1994) Jean- (‘Iaudc \‘ari l);iirririe. Roii Silver. Gloria Reuben. 9S miiis \'.rir Dartmie and partner Reirberis are cops keeping an eye on time itself; when the duo travel bac-k to I994 to investigate the flly'SICly surrounding a powerful senator. personal agendas emerge. Ily ams. director of 2010 and ()irrluml. can handle the sfx of large-scale sci-fr. btrt the narrative and perfoiiirarices tend to be dwarfed by the design. Nev ertlreless. one of the few genuinely robust sci-fi movies around. General release.
I To live ( l2) (Zliarrg Yimotr. llong Kong/China. I994) Ge You. Gong Li. Niu Ben. 125 mins. With a gentle injection of humour alongside the tragedy. [hang returns to the epic scope of his earlier films. following (Ire effects of history on an trrriiriposing family. The ironies thrown up by political changes. taking in the Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution. may have bizarrely comic consequences. btrt they also inflict pain at a grass-roots level. Ge Yotr is a rrragnificent lead. Fife: Adam Smith.
I Trapped In Paradise (PG) (George Gallo. US. I994) Nicolas Cage. Jon Lovrtz. Dana Carvey.
l l l turns. The rie'er-do-well Firpo Brothers try to take the bank in the sleepy hamlet of Paradise. but find that accidents and circurirstances keep pulling them back to town. ()ccupyiiig a slightly
arcane twilight world of Capraesque imagery. writer-director Gallo‘s supposed comedy is under-developed slapstick that is ridden with cliches. See review. Glasgow: MGMs. Edinburgh: MGM. All UCls. I True lies ( l 5) (James Cameron. US. I994) Arnold Schwarsenegger. Jamie Lee Curtis. Tom Arnold. l4l mins. Arnie masquerades as a computer salesman to keep long-suffering spouse Curtis in the dark about his real job in the Iii-tech spy world. At a price tag of over SIOOm. C amerori‘s attempt to redefine the visual possibilities of the action genre is thrilling. disappointing and exasperating in almost equal measures. btrt at least the money's up there on the screen. Dodgy value judgements. brilliant wholesale destruction. Central: Allanpark. I True Romance (18) (Tony Scott. US. 1993) Christian Slater. Patricia Arquette. Dennis Hopper. “9 mins. Comic bookstore assistant Clarence meets. sleeps with and marries novice hooker Alabama within a matter of hours. then the lovebirds find themselves on the rtrn with an accidentally stolen ease of cocaine. Limelight- stealing cameos and writer Quentin Tarantino's verbal set-pieces fire this excellent iiiOvic. the epitome of disposable pop culture for the fast- food generation. Edinburgh: Cameo. Strathclyde: L‘Cl East Kilbride. I Vanya 0n 42nd Street (U) (Louis Malle. US. I994) Wallace Shawn. Julianne Moore. Andre Gregory. I I9 mins. Over a period of four years. stage director Andre Gregory worked with a group of actors for irregular ‘trndress rehearsal' run-throughs of David Mamet's adaptation of Chekhov‘s (lire/(i l’uirva. Malle's film version is equally experimental: the camera moves in close as the litres are delivered in a naturalistic manner without props or costumes. LTntimately. however the impeccible perforrirances and Chekhov's drama win the day. resulting in a good film. brrt excellent theatre. Edinburgh: Cameo. I Die Verlolite (l5) (Gunther Rucker/Guirther Reisclr. East Germany. I980) 83 mins. After years of coping with iriiprisonrireirt through reading and thoughts of her fiance. llella — a Communist activist — suffers a breakdown when he finally is allowed to visit. A fresh look at the role of women in East Germany‘s Communist resistance. Glasgow: Goethe lrrstitut. I War Of The Buttons (PG) (John Roberts. UK. I994) Colin Mcarrey. Gregg Fitzgerald. Johri Coffey. 94 mins. The rivalry between two villages in the south west of Ireland is taken tip iii childish skirmishes between local schoolkids. btrt soon their battles escalate. Colin Welland‘s script oozes liislr charm and a love of childhood. btit the repetitive structure begins to wear thin. Central: MacRobert. Fife: Robin's. I Wes Craven's New Nightmare ( IS) (Wes Craven. US. I994) Heather Langeiikamp. Robert Errgltrnd. Wes Craven. “2 mins. A disturbing. post-modern take on the [Elm Street series in which the original director reworks. reassesses and revitalises the moribund Freddy mythology by casting himself and other associates as themselves arid their fictional counterparts. Don't be fooled by the certificate - there's some creepy. subversive sttrff going on here. Glasgow: ()deon. Edinburgh: Odeon. Strathclyde: Cannon. I Whisky Galore (PG) (Alexander Mackendrick. UK. I949) Basil Radford. Joan Greenwood. Jean Code”. 82 mins. Much-loved Ealing comedy by the late Sandy Mackendrick. A ship carrying a cargo of whisky is shipwrecked off a Scottish island during wartime. so the locals decide it's time to wet their thirst. Ftrll of wit and charm that others can only hope to emulate. Edinburgh: Cameo. I Wildscreen (PG) I(X) turns. The Daily P/(lllr’! is the first prograiirrire in the Festival of Wildlife and Environrirental Film and TVs UK tour. It consists of Wild Elr'p/iruir ('ripriii't' Iii Smelt/u. which shows the attempts to balance Indian conservation issues with the needs of the local people: Holler 'I‘lrttir Thou. which questions the han surrounding the conservation movement; and 'Iigr-r Crisis. which reveals how extinction will follow unless poaching is reduced. Glasgow: Gl’f. I The Wings or Honneamise ( IS) (Hir'oyuki Yamaga. Japan. I994) With the voices of Robert Matthews. Melody Lee. Lee Stone. l2l mins. The best (lllfllie‘ feature since Akim is neither a splatterfest nor a techno-thriller. but a space race satire. Set in a parallel Earth. familiar yet different. it tells of an idealistic young recruit's attempt to become his country's first astronaut despite the military's hijacking of the project. Great animation. an absorbing story litre and even a touch of character development. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Zelig (PG) (Woody Allen. US. I983) Woody Allen. Mia Farrow. Garrett Brown. 79 mins. Allen's trickery with photography. which places ‘human chameleorr' Leonard Zelig at the heart of key scenes in the 20th century is imaginative and funny; btrt behind it lies art affecting story about a nobody who'll go to desperate lengths to be liked. The mock-doc feel and use of music are perfect. Edinburgh: Filmhotrse.
Tire List 27 Jan-9 Feb I995 27