HEM—INDEX
foregoes the cat-and-mouse games of that movie for a colder. bleaker approach to identity and justice. Well-played literary cinema that's perhaps too sombre to draw everyone in. Glasgow: GFI'. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Dazed And Confused (18) (Richard Linklater. US. 1994) Wiley Wiggins. Jason London. Rory Cochrane. 95 mins. The last day of the 1976 term for a bunch of US schoolkids. and. for some. it's time to face the initiation humiliations as they move fromjunior to senior high. Linklater abandons the baton-passing narririve style of his seminal work. Slacker. and shows masterful skill as he weaves together a multitude of plot strands a la American Graffiti. (‘oo-trl. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Death And The Maiden (18) (Roman Polanski. UK/US/France. I994) Sigourney Weaver. Ben Kingsley. Stuart Wilson. 104 mins. A former torture victim believes the man who helped her husband when his car had a flat is the doctor who abused her years before. Polanski thinks he's doing a llrtclicockian thriller (which trivialises Ariel Dorfman s source material). while Weaver waves a gun around like there's something creepy. crawly and extraterrestrial under the bed. Glasgow: Gl’l'. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Don Juan DeMarco ( 15) (Jeremy Levin. LS. 1994) Johnny Depp. Marlon Brando. Faye Dunaway. 100 mins. Convinced he's the legendary seducer and swordsman Don Juan. Depp finds himself under the psychiatric care of Marlon Brando. who is inspired by his young charge's energy to invigorate his own marriage. Writer-director Levin doesn't vary the structure or add any flair to the movie. btrt. despite the lightweight structure. Brando's contribution is something to treasure. See review. Glasgow: MGMs. Edinburgh: MGM. 17(‘1. Strathclyde: L'Cls.
I Dumb And Dumber (12) (Peter Fanelly. (PS. 1994) Jim (‘an‘eyn Jeff Daniels. Lauren Holly. 102 mins. Brainless limo driver Lloyd (Carrey) drags equally intellectually challenged roommate Ilany (Daniels) to Aspen in search of the beautiful Mary. not knowing the suitcase he's carrying contains the ransom for her husband's kidnappers. There's nothing patronising about these guy's sheer stupidity — this is aimless. puerile. shamefacedly hilarious strrff for people who didn't understand the jokes in ll'uyne'x World. General release.
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I Eat Drink Man Woman (PG) (Ang Lee. Taiwan. 1993) Sihung Lung. Kuei Mei Yang. Chein Lien Wu. 123 rnins. Ang Lee‘s The Il’erliling Banquet was a surprise international hit: Eat Drink Man ll’nman surpasses it on every level. (.‘hu is the greatest chef in Taipai. bill for years his affection for his three grown-up daughters has been redirected into the lavish meals he prepares for them. When love unexpectedly enters into the lives of all four. their inability to cornrnrrnicate comes to a head. Warm. frrnny. colourful. A joyful experience. Glasgow: MGM Parkhead.
I Ed Wood (15) (Tim Burton. CS. 1994) Johnny Depp. Martin Landau. Patricia Arquette. 123 ruins. Burton's fondly atmospheric homage to the so-called ‘worst director of all time' is his best film to date. It's more than a biopic pastiche. however: the emotional heart of the film is found in the geturinely caring relationship between Wood and the dying. drug-addicted Bela I trgosi (a marvellotrs Martin Landau). Dcpp plays Wood as a bundle of energy and innocent romanticism. capturing the spirit ol dogged determination that makes the subject such an appealing character. See feature. Edinburgh: Cameo. All l'Cls.
I les Entants Du Paradis (PG) (March Carrie. France. 1944) Arletty. Jean-Louis Barrault. Pierre Brasseur. 195 mins. Paris in the 1840s. Amid the seething heart of the French capital‘s theatre street. a mime artist falls in love with the delicious btit Ilit‘talious Garnace. One of the cinema's most extravagantly enjoyable productions. this gorgeous elephantine wallow of a film is crammed with incident and compellineg curious Gallic comic characters. Edinburgh: Filmhorrse.
I The Exorcist (18) (William Friedkin. US. 1973) Linda Blair. Ellen Burstyn. Max Von Sydow. 110 mius. Earnest priest Von Sydow steps in to save poor little possessed girl in this hugely effective scarefest. Dead good. dead scarey. dead priest. Followed by a discussion on censorship with a Sight And Sound panel of critics and filmmakers. Glasgow: GET.
I Eyes Without A Face Les l'erLt‘ Sam Visage (18) (Georges Franju. France. 1959) Pierre Brasserrr. Alida Valli. Edith Scob. 90mins. A plastic surgeon persuades his devoted female assistant to kidnap and murder beautiful girls whose facial tissue he is trsing to graft onto his daughter. disfigured in a car crash. A horror movie that retains a distinctively European
' poetic quality. Glasgow: GET.
I First Reels 1 (18) 105 mins. A showcase of new work from the third year ofthe Scottish Film Council/Scottish Television scheme. including Peter Mtillan's (Jami Dav Far The Bar! Guys. Steve Dickson's ( ‘rime ()f Ephemera. Susan Kemp's Hill 0/ Beans and Andy McLeod's Trekfm'ee.‘ The Movie. Wed 24 only. Glasgow: Gl’l'.
I First Reels 2 (18) 105 ruins. A second showcase of new work from the third year of the Scottish Filrn Council/Scottish Television scheme. including Simon Fildes's Wit/mu! The And. Emma Davie's Seaview. Duncan Nicol's Black and Ewan Morrison's The Contract (see Scottish Film). Thurs 25 only. Glasgow: (if-'1'. I Fresh (18) (Boaz Yakin. US. 1994) Sean Nelson. Giancarlo Esposito. Samuel L. Jackson. l15 mins. Twelve-year-old Fresh (Nelson) is reckoned by all-and-sundry to be the neighbourhood gopher: he'll run heroin and crack for local drug-dealers. btrt he'll also make sure he gets to school on time. Because Fresh has a maturity beyond his years. coupled with a necessary detachment for life around him. and that's what's going to get him clear of trouble before he's dragged in further. An excellent debut by Yakin. with an extremely moving performance by Nelson. Glasgow: MGM Film Centre. Edinburgh: UCI.
I Gettysburg (PG) (Ronald F. Maxwell. US. 1994) Martin Sheen. Tom Berenger. Jeff Daniels. 259 mins. Despite the running 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. btit how the battles were fought. By no means an anti-war movie. yet it retains a certain masculine dignity. Strathclyde: Magnum.
I Groundhog Day (PG) (llar'old Ramis. US. 1993) Bill Murray. Andie MacDowell. Chris Elliot. TV weatherman Phil Conners (Mun‘ay) finds himself in the back of beyond. trapped in an ever-repeating single day. Partying and babe- chasing leads to serious romancing as he goes after his producer (MacDowell). Murray's cuddly sarcasm stops the movie from becoming the kind of moralising mush that surrounds so many of his contemporaries. At last. a Hollywood comedy that is really funny. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I I lllre It like That ( 15) (Darnell Martin. US.
1994) Lauren Velez. John Seda. Griffin Dunne. 106 mins. A sparky debut by twentysomething writer-director Martin shows the influence of Spike Lee. but has a refreshingly female perspective. Forced to take a job with a record company when her husband is put in jail. Lysette faces typical sex. class and race obstacles. A pumping Latin soundtrack adds to the buzz. Central: MacRobert.
I i.d. (18) (Philip Davis. UK/Gennany. 1994) Reece Dinsdale. Sean Pertwee. Richard Graham. 107 mins. Undercover cop John (Dinsdale) discovers that he's enjoying himself a bit too much when he infiltrates a gang of football hooligans. Davis's hard-hitting movie has a sense of gritty reality. btrt its character development is too simplified to ring true: the shift from copper to thug comes too quickly. All I’Cls.
I Interview With The Vampire ( I 8) (Neil Jordan. US. 1994) Tom Cruise. Brad Pitt. Christian Slater. I22 rnins. More faithful to Anne Rice's book than anyone had any right to expect. Jordan's blood-soaked movie never shies from the more gruesome aspects of vampirisrn. The homo-erotic qualities of the original may be downplayed. bill the morbid melancholy of 18th century New ()rleans and the Grand Guignol set- pieces are well realised. making this the most uncompromising studio horror filrn since The Shining. Edinburgh: Cameo. Central: Allanpark. MacRobert.
I IO (U) (Fred Schepisi. US. 1994) Tim Robbins. Meg Ryan. Walter Matthau. 96 ruins. Brainy. ditzy mathematician Meg Ryan is engaged to pompous academic Stephen Fry. but she would be drawn to easy-going ear mechanic Tim Robbins if it wasn't for the fact that she believes a good man‘iage is founded on a meeting of minds. Enter her uncle. Albert Einstein (a brilliant comic caricature by Walter Matthau) who decides to experiment with sexual chemistry. A delightful period comedy that really does capture the old-fashioned spirit of Capra and Sttrrges. Strathclyde: Odeon Ayr.
I Jason and The Argonauts (U) (Don Chaffey. UK. 1964) Todd Armstrong. Nancy Kovack. Gary Raymond. 103 mins. Totally brill adventure yarn as our hero Jason sets out to retrieve the legendary golden fleece and is helped by a number of the gods on Olympus along the way. Ray llarryhausen‘s stop-motion effects remain among the best of his career. most notably the final conflict with an army of skeletal soldiers. Strathclyde: Magnum.
I Junior (PG) (Ivan Reitman. US. 1994) Arnold Schwarzenegger. Danny DeVito. Emma Thompson. I 1() 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. btrt decide to test their fertility dnrg on a human being —- hey presto! Arnie's pregnant! Little to laugh over. however. until he gets into the frocks and tries passing himself off as female. Otherwise there's just a whiff in the air that this surefire moneyspinner is treading in some morally dubious areas. Fife: Glenrotlres. Strathclyde: Cannon.
I Jurassic Park (PG) (Steven Spielberg. US. 1993) Sam Neill. Laura Dern. Jeff Goldblum. A group of scientists are invited to give their approval to a theme park filled with genetically engineered dinosaurs. btit the giant reptiles are soon running amok. Unsurpassed computer effects ensure that the dinosaurs themselves are terrifyineg believable (rnoreso than the PG certificate would suggest). but by the halfway point. it's more or less a chase movie with superior technology. Strathclyde: ()deon Ayr.
I Knife In The Water (15) (Roman Polanski. Poland. 1962) Leon Niemczyk. Jolanta Umeeka. Zygmunt Malanowicz. 94 mins. Polanski came to prominence with this tight btrt imaginative three-character psychological study. A couple going on holiday pick up a hitch-hiker and soon dangerous emotional games are being played. The director's simple approach keeps the tension high and rnelodramatics low. Glasgow: GET.
I legends or The Fall (l5) (Edward Zwick. US. 1994) Brad Pitt. Anthony Hopkins. Aidan Quinn. Julia Onnond. 133 mins. A sweeping epic that follows three brothers. their domineering father and the women they all love. Legends covers the period from the end of the Old West. through WWI . to the beginning of modern American society. A bit like a coming- of-age tale for a nation. its narrative is too condensed. with the effect that it ends by ltrrching from one tragedy to the next. General release.
I Leon (18) (Lue Besson. France. 1994) Jean Reno. Nathalie Portman. Gary Oldman. 110 mins. When his neighbour‘s family is wiped out by crooked cops on a bungled drugs bust. ice cool hitman Leon finds himself looking after the sole survivor — twelve-year-old Mathilde. Luc Besson‘s first film in English is. nevertheless. a French film in terms of style. editing and its boldness in story and theme. It's good to see that
the director has finally got over the all-style-no- content obstacle. Glasgow: GFT. Fife: Adam Smith. Strathclyde: East Kilbride Arts Centre. I little Odessa (15) (James Gray. US. 1994) Tim Roth. Edward Furlong. Moira Kelly. 98 mins. Roth plays a hitman for the Russian Jewish mafia in New York. whose latest assignment brings him back into contact with his family. Despised by his father and idolised by his brother. he triggers events that lead to inevitable tragedy. Gray's debut is relentlessly downbeat. capturing in almost sepia tones the disillusionment and moral disintegration of this immigrant family in their musty home. See review. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I little Rascals (U) (Penelope Spheeris. US. 1994) Travis Tedfor'd. Bug llall. Brittany Ashton Holmes. 8?. mins. After Beverly Hillbillies. director Spheeris does another TV remake. this time going fora bunch of smug brats who leave a trail of destruction behind them. Even kids who enjoyed the Hume Alone level of mayhem might not take to the American sentiment and unnecessary low humour here. General release. I little Women (L') (Gillian Armstrong. US. 1994) Winona Ryder. Susan Sarandon. Gabriel Byrne. 118 mins. Louisa May Alcott‘s novel has charmed readers for generations. despite weighing down its morals with a morrntain of sentimentality. In Ilollywrxxl's third screen version. the March girls are still rrnbelievably good and forgiving. but Armstrong and writer Robin Swicord have added a touch of 90s post- feminism to give a contemporary relevence to their bonding and independence. A glowing view of family love. Borders: Roxy. I The Madness 0t King George ( PG) (Nicholas Hytner. UK. 1994) Nigel Ilawthorne. Helen Mirren. Rupert Everett. 110 mins. Alan Bennett's adaption of his own stage play is a great British film in its own right wiih no lingering sense of theatricality. Nigel llawthome's excellent portrayal of the King. his demented behaviour threatening the stability of the nation. gives the film an emotional core. while the script's themes are intelligently handled throughout. Glasgow: Grosvenor. MGM Film Centre. Edinburgh: Cameo. Fife: New Picture House. I Mama (15) (Zhang Yuan. China. 1991) 90 mins. Zhang's raw low-budget feature failed to leave anyone unmoved when it ran off with the lntemational Critics' Prize at the 1992 Edinburgh Film Festival. It's a moving story of a mother's fight to raise her mentally handicapped son in modern China. despite the attitude of the authorities. A breakthrough piece for a new generation of filmmakers. Glasgow: (ll-'1‘. I The Mangler (18) (Tobe llooper. Canada. 1995) Robert Englund. Ted Levine. Daniel Matmor. 105 mins. Another drrff movie from llooper. this Stephen King adaptation about a demonically possessed laundry press features dodgy sfx and stodgy plotting. A cop (Levine) is called in to investigate a series of industrial accidents at the laundry owned by the irascilbe Englund. but all he discovers are a pile of washed-out. deja vtr cliches. See review. All UCls. I Muriel's Wedding (15) (Pl. llogan. Australia. 1994) Toni Collette. Rachel Griffiths. Bill Hunter. 105 mins. Ugly duckling Muriel decides to leave behind her boring life in Porpoise Spit and search for her Prince Charming in the big lights of Sydney. A bouncy Abba soundtrack and fairy tale ambiance add to the charm of one of the year‘s best crowd-pleasers. As sparkling. in its own way. as The Adventures Of Priscilla. General release. I Natural Born Killers ( 18) (Oliver Stone. US. 1994) Woody llarrelson. Juliette Lewis. Robert Downey Jr. 119 mins. Stone's visual and aural assault makes for one of the most remarkable cinematic experiences in years: his attempts to marry style with content. and provide a damning expose of the media adulation of serial killers is less successful. let down by his trademark overstatement. Violent. mesmerising. hallucinatory and bold in its use of various filrn formats. NBK is a landmark in M'l'V-infiuenced filmmaking. Edinburgh: L'Cl. I The Neverendlng Story Ill (U) (Perci- MacDonald. US/Germany. 1994) Jason James Richter. Melody Kay. Freddie Jones. 100 mins. Now relocated with dad. steprnom 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. Glasgow: Grosvenor. I One Deadly Summer ( 18) (Jean Becker. France. 1983) Isabelle Adjani. 133 mins. In rural France. a town flirt investigates the dark secret of her past and digs up more than she had bargained for. lnterminable Gallic melodrama which Adjani does little to enliven. Sanitised smut. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
24 The List 19 May-l Jun 1995