FILM INDEX
I Crooltlvn (l2) (Spike Lee. US. 1994) Alfre Woodard. Delroy Lindo. Spike Lee. 114 mins. Lambasted by the critics. Lee‘s deliberate exercise in nostalgia is an impressionistic. near- chaotic rendering of his own suburban New York childhood. What distinguishes it — apart from a cooking soul soundtrack - is the multiplicity of perspectives running through it. In its way. a very life-affirming movie. Fife: Adam Smith. I Darkness h Tallinn (15) (llkka Jarvilaturi. Est/Fin/US/Swe. 1993) lvo Ukkivi. Milena Gulbe. Juti Jarvet. 95 mins. Shot in visually captivating high-contrast black-and-white. this cracking heist movie chronicles the problems that beset a gang of crooks trying to capture Estonia‘s national gold reserve. The first film from the newly independent Baltic state. this is su risineg cool and caring. Edinburgh: Cameo. Ideas Diary (15) (Nanni Moretti. Italy. 1994) Nanni Moretti. Renato Carpentieri. 100 mins. An intimate joumal. captured with both narrative and technical freedom. Moretti's Cannes award- winner sees him zip around Rome on his Vespa. visit the Aeolian island home of a friend. and come up against the doctors who are having problems diagnosing his possibly malignant illness. What may seem loose and unordered is actually very carefully structured. with a level of intimacy rarely achieved in the cinema. Central: Adam Smith. I Demon Knight (18) (Ernest Dickerson. US. 1995) Billy Zane. William Sadler. Jada Pinkett. 93 mins. A feature-length horror movie derived from the HBO cable series Tales F mm The Crypt (itself based on the EC. Comics from the 50s). this finds fugitive Sadler and assorted flophouse inmates under siege from The Collector (Zane). Spike Lee cinematographer Dickerson displays a reasonable flair for the genre. but the action is predictable. the sfx merely adequate and the fright quotient far too low. See review. Glasgow: MGMs. All UCIs. I Disclosure (18) (Barry Levinson. US. 1994) Michael Douglas. Demi Moore. Donald Sutherland. 128 mins. High-flying computer hardware exec Douglas is beaten to promotion by former flame Moore. whose subsequent attempts to get his pants off brings about allegations of sexual harassment. The spark point in Michael Crichton‘s source novel is only one factor in this corporate suspense thriller. which is as slick. professional and empty of sure-footed morality as you would expect. That said. you'll stay glued to the screen. Central: MacRobert. I Distant Voices. Still lives ( I 5) (Terence Davies. UK. 1988) Freda Dowie. Pete Postlethwaite. Angela Walsh. Dean Williams. 85 mins. 1n the Liverpool of the late Forties and early Fifties. a working class household perseveres through domestic violence. death and marriage. A brilliantly made tribute to the Davies family‘s experience. and a requiem for a way of life now past. by one of the most gifted cinematic artists this country now possesses. Edinburgh: Cameo. I lion Juan Deflarco (15) (Jeremy Levin. US. 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. but. despite the lightweight structure. Brando's contribution is something to treasure. Glasgow: MGM Film Centre: Edinburgh: MGM. UCl. Strathclyde: All ' UCls. I Dinah Md limiter (12) (Peter Farrelly. US. 1994) Jim Carrey. Jeff Daniels. Lauren Holly. 102 mins. Brainless limo driver Lloyd (Carrey)
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drags equally intellectually challenged roommate Harry (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. sharnefacedly hilarious stuff for people who didn't understand the jokes 1"; li’ayne‘i War/(I. Glasgow: Odeon. Edinbtrrgh: Odeon. UCl. Strathclyde: l.‘Cls.
I Ed Wood (15) (Tim Burton. US. 1994) Johnny Depp. Martin Landau. Patricia Arquette. 123 mins. 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. h0wcs'cr': the emotional heart of the film is found in the genuinely caring relationship between Wood and the dying. drug-addicted Bela Lugosi (a marvellous Martin Landau). Depp plays Wood as a bundle of energy and innocent romanticism. capturing the spirit of dogged determination that makes the subject such an appealing character. Glasgow: (ii-‘1'. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Even Cowgirls Get The Blues ( 15) (Gus Van Sant. LS. 1993) l'ma ‘l'hurman. John Hurt. Rain Phoenix. 88 mins. Thurman stars as the free- wheeling Sissy llankshaw. sent to the all-female
Rubber Rose ranch to shoot an advert for female hygiene products. it) this unsuccessful adaptation :
of Tom Robbins' seminal 70s novel. Van Sant neither sticks to straight narrative nor fully endorses the esoteric. so the result falls bctw ccn
two stools. Edinburgh: Cameo. ' I The Exorcist (18) (William Friedkin. US.
1973) Linda Blair. Ellen Burstyn. Max Von Sydow. 110 mins. Earnest priest Von Sydow steps in to save poor little possessed girl in this hugely effective scarefest. Dead good. dead scarey. dead priest. Central: Allanpark.
I A Fistful Of Dollars (18) (Sergio Leone.
Italy/Genriany/Spain. 19o4)(‘1int Eastwood.
Gian Maria Volonte. Marianne Koch. 100 mins. Based on Kurosawa's samurai classic l’ajimlm. the spaghetti western that set the ball rolling has
Clint squinting into the sun as The Man With No
Name. An amoral figure. he profits from both
sides as two duelling gangs fight it out in a small
town. Ennio Morricone's distinctive score
1 underlines the stylish delight of the genre. Glasgow: GET. I The Flintstones (1?) (Brian Levant. US. 1994)
John Goodman. Rick Moranis. Elizabeth Perkins. Rosie O'Donnell. 92 mins. Fred is promoted to an executive post at the qtrarry. but
; only as a stooge for his boss's corporate rip-off;
nevertheless. money and power go to the
Flintstones' heads. causing friction with the
Rubblcs. The movie keeps to the TV series'
her teenage daughter and a schoolfriend. Despite director Peter Jackson's back catalogue in slapstick gore — Braintleatl. Bad Taste - Heavenly Creatures does not dwell on the more lurid details of the crime. instead. it examines the imaginative fantasy worlds of the girls and the strength of their friendship in a sympathetic light. Glasgow: Odeon. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. Central: MacRobert. Strathclyde: East Kilbride Arts Centre. Magnum.
I Highlander (15) (Russell Mulcahy. UK. 1986) Christopher Lambert. Beatie Edney. Sean Connery. 111 mins. A handful of immortals battle through the centuries to win a mythical prize. A curious mixture of romance in 16th century heather and car chases in present day New York. the film is an inelegant. often ludicrous. but enjoyany daffy adventure. lambert seems more at home with the contemporary passages anti only the ever wonderful Connery has the requisite style for the kitsch Scottish scenes. Strathclyde: Kelbume.
I 1 Love A Man In Uniform (I8) (David Wellington. Canada. 1993) Tom McCamus.
: Brigitte Bako. Kevin Tighe. 99mins. Henry. a
i
prehistoric parody of modern suburban life. adds
bright and chunky sets and a post-yuppie morality tale on greed that doesn't quite sit right. and comes out a little plot-heavy. The one-liners will be picked up by adults. kids will get bored. But it's no the yabba-dabba dodo it could have been. Glasgow: Odeon.
I Fresh (18) (Boar. Yakin. US. 1994) Sean Neison. Giancarlo Esposito. Samuel L. Jackson. 115 mins. 'l'welve-year-old Fresh (Nelson) is re:koned by all-and-sundry to be the neighbourhood gopher: he'll run heroin and crack for local drug-dealers. but he'll also make sure he gets to school on time. Because Fresh has a maturity beyond his years. coupled with a
a necessary detachment for life around him. and
that‘s what‘s going to get him clear of trouble 5 before he's dragged in further. An excellent
debut by Yakin. with an extremely moving perfomiance by Nelson. Edinburgh: UCl.
I Grease (PG) (Randal Kleiser. US. 1978) John Travolta. Stockard Channing. Olivia Newton John. 110 mins. The long-running broadway show arrives on screen dripping with Fifties' nostalgia. cheery tunes. a high catnp value and the winsome charms of the plastic Newton~John and the toothy Travolta. A nice collection of old timers enhance the cast. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Grosse Fatigue (15) (Michel Blane. France. 1994) Michel Blane. Carole Bouquet. Philippe Noiret. 92 mins. A host of Euro stars. including Roman Polanski and Charlotte Gainsbour‘g. play themselves in Blanc's clever spoof of film celebrity. A Blanc lookalike is trying to bed beautiful girls at the Cannes Film Festival and in Paris — but the real actor-director is close on his tail. Glasgow: GF'T. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I The Hand That Rocks The Cradle (15) (Curtis Hanson. US. 1991 ) Rebecca De Momay.
E Annabella Sciorra. Matt McCoy. 110 mins.
Nanny manages to con her way into the home of the family who inadvertantly caused her husband's suicide and her own miscarriage. and soon begins to show psychotic tendencies. Despite implausible plotting. director Hanson cranks up the tension and delivers a slap-bang finale. In other words. beautifully crafted mainstream trash. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Heavenly Creatures ( 18) (Peter Jackson. New Zealand. 1994) Melanie Lynskey. Kate Winslet. Sarah Peirse. 98 mins. in 1952. New Zealand was shocked by the murder of Honora Parker by
bank clerk and aspiring actor. lands the role of a
cop in a TV series. but finds it difficult to
separate his fictional character from reality. Soon
he is subsumed by his alter-ego and finds himself becoming directly involved in urban
violence. A provocative psychological thriller.
Central: MacRobett. . I M. (18) (Philip Davis. UK/Gennany. 1994) Reece Dinsdale. Sean Pertwee. Richard Graham.
l()7 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. but its character development is too simplified to ring true: the shift from copper to thug comes too quickly. All UC Is.
I ll] (U) (Fred Schepisi. US. 1994) Tim Robbins. Meg Ryan. Walter Matthau. 96 mins. Brainy. ditzy mathematician Meg Ryan is engaged to pompous academic Stephen Fry. but she would be drawn to easy-going car mechanic Tim Robbins if it wasn‘t for the fact that she believes a good marriage 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 Sturges. Strathclyde: Odeon Ayr.
I Immortal Beloved (15) (Bernard Rose. US/UK. 1994) Gary Oldman. Jeroen Krabbe. Isabella Rossellini. 120 mins. Taking the route of a flashback romantic mystery rather than a traditional biopic. Rose's investigation into the loves of Beethoven‘s life ends up actually revealing more about the composer’s state of mind and his music. Unfortunately the direction frequently plods along. but the final ‘Ode To Joy“ set-piece is worth the wait and Oldman perfectly captures Ludwig's frustration with his deafness. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Interview With The Vampire (18) (Neil Jordan. US. 1994) Tom Cruise. Brad Pitt. Christian Slater. 122 mins. 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 vampirism. The homo-erotic qualities of the original may be downplayed. but the morbid melancholy of 18th century New Orleans and the Grand Guignol set- pieces are well realised. making this the most uncompromising studio horror film since The Shining. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. Strathclyde: WMR.
I Jack & Sarah ( 15) (Tim Sullivan. UK. 1995) Richard E. Grant. Samantha Mathis. Judi Dench. When his wife dies shortly after giving birth to a baby daughter. Jack (Grant) at first rejects the child. but is persuaded to take on his responsibilities by his family. in order to keep his job as a City lawyer. he hires Amy (Mathis) as a live-in nanny. and so adds an extra complication to his life. A familiar scenario. helped along by breezy supporting performances. suffers when it takes a turn into melodramatic romance. See review. Glasgow: MGMs. Edinburgh: MGM. Strathclyde: UCls. I Jurassic Park (PG) (Steven Spielberg. US. 1993) Sam Neill. Laura Dem. Jeff Goldblum. A group of scientists are invited to give their approval to a theme park filled with genetically engineered dinosaurs. but the giant reptiles are soon running amok. Unsurpassed computer effects ensure that the dinosaurs themselves are terrifyineg believable (moreso than the PG certificate would suggest). but by the halfway point. it‘s more or less a chase movie with superior technology. Strathclyde: Odeon Ayr.
I Kiss Of Death (18) (Barbet Schroeder. US. 1995) David Caruso. Nicolas Cage. Samuel L. Jackson. 100 mins. Back in pseudo-noirish territory for a remake of the 1947 genre original. NYPD Blue's Caruso returns to the big screen as a second division crook who reckons he's been double-crossed by the local Mr Big when in
Catch the best Fllm this fortnight.
'0 .
FIRST Bill
I The Brady Bunch Movie Even if you’re not familiar with the US TV series, you’ll laugh yourself silly as the kitsch homilies of the 70s clash with the reality of the 90s. General release.
I liob lloy When he is betrayed and his homestead burned. Rob Roy MacGregor fights to win back the honour of his name. Alan Sharp‘s script is a masterpiece: Michael Caton-Jones’s film is intelligent. literate and entertaining. General release.
I Ed Wood Tim Burton’s biopic of Hollywood’s worst ever director is an affectionate tribute to artistic vision, boldly shot in black-and-white and enthusiastically acted by the entire cast. General release.
I Postcards From America The late David Wojinarowicz’s autobiographical writings are perfectly adapted for the big screen by director Steve McLean. And the rest of the touring Lesbian And Gay Film Festival is worth checking out too. Glasgow: GFT Edinburgh
F i Int/rouse.
I Clerks Lewd. crude and very rude, Kevin Smith’s hilarious take on
slacker life and philosophy behind the cash register is a masterpiece of low-budget filmmaking. Edinburgh: F ilmhouse.
I Muriel’s Wedding Upbeat fun from Australia as ugly duckling Muriel sets out to find her Prince Charming, while singing along to some Abba ditties. General release.
REPERTORY
I Heavenly Creatures: The true story of a scandalous 19508 New Zealand murder case is sympathetically shown through the eyes of its schoolgirl perpetrators by director Peter Jackson. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
prison. Caruso is too low key. particularly in the company of the deliciously over-the-top Cage. Okay as far as it goes without really going far enough. See review. General release.
I The Last Seduction (15) (John Dahl. US. 1993) Linda Fiorentino. Peter Berg. Bill Pullman. 110 mins. After double-crossing her husband. stealing some drugs sale cash and holing up 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. No one handles polished pulp like John (Red Rock West) Dahl. and here he's got the added advantage of a deliciously nasty performance from Linda Fiorentino as a femme who's more fatale than nrost Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Last Tango in Paris ( l 8) (Bernardo Bertolucci. France/Italy. 1973) Marlon Brando. Maria Schneider. 130 mins. A young Parisienne meets a middle-aged man with whom she develops an increasingly violent and purely sexual relationship. One of the key films of its decade. Bertolucci's powerful drama is a meditation on the expression and communication
24 The List 2-15 Jun 1995