INDEX FILM
of personal identity through intense sextral contact. Glasgow: GFT.
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 nan'ative is too condensed. with the effect that it ends by lurching from one tragedy to the next. General release.
I leon (I8) (Luc Besson. France. I994) Jean Reno. Nathalie Portman. Gary Oldrnan. 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. Edinburgh: Cameo. Strathclyde: UCI East Kilbride.
I little Odessa (l5) (James Gray. CS. 1994) Tint 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. Glasgow:
I little Rascals (U) (Penelope Spheeris. L'S. I994) Travis Tedford. Bug Hall. Brittany Ashton Holmes. 82 mins. After Beverly Hillbillies. director Spheeris does another TV remake. this time going for a bunch of smug brats who leave a trail of destruction behind them. Even kids who enjoyed the Home Alone level of mayhem might not take to the Arrrerican sentiment and unnecessary low humour here. General release. I london lesbian And Gay Film Festival Now in its ninth year. the LLGFF makes its way north once again. bringing a selection of new features and shorts to the Glasgow Film Theatre and Edinburgh Filmhouse.
Boys Shorts(18) 81 mins. In Raoul O‘Connell‘s A Friean 0] Dorothy. a college freshman seeks freedom from the chastity of isolation; David Ebersole's Death In Venice updates the fate of Aschenbach; Zahid Dar‘s Destiny/Desire/Devotion evocatively portrays the problems of being gay in an Asian family; and a queer foursome go for a picnic in Adam Rowley's comedy Holloway Quartet. Glasgow:
GFT. Fresh Kill (I8) (Shu Lea. US. I993) A multi- media. multi-ethnic. eco-techno thriller that manages to make the best of all its many elements. In the future. radioactive delicacies are served in top restaurants. while single lesbian mother Sarita Choudhry tries to unravel the mystery of her kidnapped child and New York's toxic waste problem. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. Girls Shortens) 77 mins. Deborah Hoffman's Complaints Of A Dutiful Daughter is a moving. totally unsentimental study of a woman‘s response to her mother's battle with Alzheimer‘s Disease; in Kathy Stephen's Heatwave. a dreamy teenager writes poems to her beloved; and a punk babe stands up to her dad in Nicola Kerridge's Nice Girls Don 't. Glasgow: GET. Highway 0t Heartache (18) (Gregory Wild. Canada. I994) 86 mins. John Waters meets Douglas Sirk in this hysterical musical about Wynona Sue Turnpike. a God-fearing Southern redneck with gravity-defying hair. After shooting her no-good husband. she heads out on a journey of murder and mayhem. becoming a beautician. a pom star and a Country and Western superstar. Glagsow: GFI‘. El lunar Sin limites (l8) (Arturo Ripstein. Mexico. 1977) NO mins. A rare screening of Ripstein's story of bordello drag-queen ‘La Manuela’ and his daughter. both of whom are attracted to (and afraid of) the macho Pancho. A moving. incisive portrait of male transvestitism. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. Mlthldtt Dancers (I8) (Mel Chionglo. Philippines. I994) 110 mins. Three brothers enter the gay world of Manila as 'Macho Dancers': one has a wife and gay lover. another prefers the dangerous life on the streets. while the youngest begins a relationship with a transvestite. An emotional. erotic portrait of survival. Edinbu h: Filmhouse. 1m Days Before Command (18) (Hussein Erkenov. Russia/Germany. I990) 70 mins. A strong sense of homo-eroticism grows amongst a group of soldiers. alienated by life in the barracks. The emphasis is on despairing mood. not narrative. in this mannered but beautifully chaste look at spiritual anguish. Glasgow: GF’I‘. Only Tire Brave (18) (Ana Kokkinos. Australia. I994) 60 mins. A million miles away from the
1'
world of Neighbours. two disillusioned young
3 Greek-Australian girls rebel against the confines I legends or The Fall (15) (Edward Zwick. US.
On A Train (29 ruins). the adventures of two
of their seedy Melbourne suburb. With Kisses
teenage girls in India. Glasgow: GFT. Postcards From America (18) (Steve McLean. L‘S/L‘K. I994) 93 mins. Using the writings of multimedia artist and gay activist David Wojinarowicz as its source. McLean's first
feature boasts sheer visual assurance. The film 1 follows its main character through troubled
childhood. hustling teenage years and anguished
maturity in an American landscape pitched
somewhere between Kerouac and Gus Van Sant. : Very impressive. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
. Skin Deep (18) (Midi Onodera. Canada. I994)
85 mins. Film director Alex plans an
exploitation film on tattooing and the culture of
pleasure/pain. but in the process undermines her
relationship with her lover Montana when
contact with charismatic (‘hris goes beyond research. Glasgow: GFI'.
! World And Time Enough ( l 8) (Eric Mueller. ITS.
I994) 90mins. Voted Best Gay Feature at the San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay
1 Film Festival. Mueller"s comic take on a group
of twentysomcthings makes a great companion piece to Go Fir/i. Mark is an aspiring artist and gay activist; his partner Joey is searching for his biological parents due to his adoptive parertts'
homophobia. Together .hey live their lives in the
midst of Minneapolis. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
. I lumiere Event ()0 mins. Lyon. I895. and the
Lumiere brothers set the first hundred years of cinema in motion. In this special event. Bernard
Charderc. Chairman of the lnstitut Lumiere in
France. presents a montage of early Lumiere
films. Glasgow: GET. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Mart 0098 And Englishmen ( [8) (Henry Cole.
I’K. I995) Elizabeth Hurley. C. Thomas Howell. Liz llrrrley may have made a few films in the past. but this is the first to be released since she appeared on the cover of every magazine
imaginable. Here. she's the object of desire of
messenger boy Howell. Director (‘ole tries (and
fails) to recreate the drugs. booze and sex party
i feel of a modem decadent London. brrt it's all a terrible. boring mistake. Glasgow: MGM
Parkhead. Edinburgh: CC].
I The Madness flitting George (PG) (Nicholas Hytner. UK. I994) Nigel Hawthorne. Helen Mirren. Rupert Everett. IlO mins. Alan Bennett's adaption of his own stage play is a great British film in its own right with no lingering sense of theatricality. Nigel Hawthome'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. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Major league (15) (David S. Ward. US. 1989) Tom Berenger. Charlie Sheen. Corbin Bersen. l07 mins. The Cleveland Indians baseball team includes Berenger as a seasoned catcher with a dodgy knee. rookie pitcher Sheen trying to stay out ofjail. and third baseman Bensen. who‘s more concerned with television commercials than with the game. Their dreams are fulfilled when they get to compete in the major league. Very American comedy with some sharp observation courtesy of writer/director Ward. whose previous credits include an Oscar for the screenplay of The Sting. Glasgow: Grosvenor. I Man or The House (PG) (US. 1995) Chevy Chase. Farah Fawcett. Jonathan Taylor Thomas. Hold the front page — a half-decent movie from Chevey Chase. He plays Jack. new man in the life of Fawcett. an attractive divorcee artist living in bliss with her eleven-year-old son Ben. who sets out to get rid of this interloper into their cosy twosome. Some mildly amusing ‘getting to know you' scenes pep up this gentle. patchy. family-oriented fare. See review. Glasgow: Odeon.
I Mean Streets (18) (Martin Scorsese. US. 1973) Harvey Keitel. Robert de Niro. David Proval. 110 mins. Tony's Bar is the base for four young Italian-Americans. whose increasingly illegal activities lead to tragedy. Vividly observed character study which combines breathtaking technique with a pervasive sense of corruption. Keitel and de Niro give of their very best. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Mi Vida loca (IS) (Allison Anders. US. 1993) Angel Aviles. Seidy Lopez. Jacob Vargas. 92 mins. Anders. director of the excellent Gas Food Lodging. literally gives a voice to the members of LA's Echo Park Latino gangs. Overlapping story segments are played out on screen with occasional narration from different characters. changing perspectives on the same events. Some of the acting is pretty dodgy. the stories are familar from black urban movies and the dialogue is over-emphatic. but there's undoubtedly a strong current of energy propelling it along. Strathclyde: East Kilbride Arts Centre.
I he Met And Tire Vicious Circle (15) (Alan Rudolph. US. 1994) Jennifer Jason Leigh. Campbell Scott. Matthew Broderick. I24 mins.
A veritable legend in biting one-liners. Dorothy Parker. along with her sophisticated group of literary friends. wielded incredible influence in
jazz age America. Alan Rudolph‘s film reveals
her to be a passionate. contradictory woman who toyed alternately with success and suicide. Jennifer Jason Leigh's performance is unique and certainly remarkable. btrt there is a sense that it is too reliant on surface details such as accent. Glasgow: Odeon. Strathclyde: East Kilbride Arts Centre. Magnum.
I Muriel’s Wedding ( I S) (P.J. Ilogan. Australia.
I994) Toni Collette. Rachel Griffiths. Bill
lltrnter. 105 mins. Ueg 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 My Fair lady (PG) (George Crrkot'. US. 1904) Rex Harrison. Atrdrey Hepburn. Stanley
' Holloway. \Viift'cd Ilyde White. 175 mins. Familiar screen adaptation of Lerner and
Loewe's musical slant on I’ygmalion. notable for
a catalogue of great tunes. Harrison's somehow
endearing half-spoken singing. and Cecil
. Beaton's splendid costume designs (especially in the racecourse sequence). Strathclyde: UCI
(Wydebank.
I Natural Born Killers ( 18) (Oliver Stone. US.
1994) Woody Ilan‘elson. Juliette Lewis. Robert Downey Jr. I I9 mitts. 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 film formats. NBK is a landmark in M'I'V-infiuenced filmmaking. Edinburgh: LiCi. Central: Allanpark. Fife: Adam Smith.
I Hell (12) (Michael Apted. US. 1994) Jodie Foster. Liam Neeson. Natasha Richardson. Isolated from the modern world for her entire
life. Nell (Foster) must prove that she is capable
of looking after herself in the wilds or she will
i be taken into care. The fact that she speaks only
in a language all of her own doesn't help. but
sympathetic doctor Nceson takes her side.
Foster's stand-out performance is perhaps more theatrical than cinematic. but that doesn't hinder a film that avoids most of the patronising pitfalls
it sets up. Central: MacRobert. I 101 Dalmatians (1?) (Wolfgang Reithcrman/IIamilton S. Luske/Clyde Geronimi. US. [96! ) 80 mins. Disney's Easter '95 release is a personal favourite. Dad Dalmatian Pongo and various animal chrrms help rescue his offspring from a ten‘ible fate as the intended coat of Cruella De Vil. Plenty of fun. acres of cuteness. and the best villairress in animation history. General release. I Outbreak ( l 5) (Wolfgang Petersen. US. 1995) Dustin Hoffman. Rene Russo. Morgan Freeman. l22 mins. A deadly virus transfers from the African jungles to California and. in a terrifyineg short space of rirrte. is threatening the entire world. Petersen's AIDS paranoia thriller starts out well cnorrgh. building on very real fears. but it does descend into a hardware shtxrt-'ent-up. ()kay as a slab of entertainment. btrt it fails to tap the potential of its subject matter. General release. I les Parapluies de CherbourgtPG) (Jacques Dcmy. France. I904) Catherine Dcnerrve. Anne Vernon. Nino (‘astelnuovo 92 mins. Romance between a shopgiri and a garage attendant is rekindled when they meet again after years apart. Delightful screen operctta using only sung dialogtrc. with deftness of camera movement and delicious production design maintaining the interest when the plot creaks (which it does). Glasgow: (iI-‘T. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Patlabor (IS) (Mamoru ()shii. Japan. I989) 100 mins. In I999. Tokyo's Mobile Police use advanced robots called Labor‘s to combat criminals. but when a batch go rampaging across the city. a sinister revenge plot threatens to bring a wave of destruction. Exciting storyline and brilliant rnccha animation make this one of the better anime features on offer. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I le Peril Jeune ( IS) ((‘edric Klapisch. France. 1994) l02 mins. Four former schoolfriends reunite after five years for the birth of a child fathered by their recently deceased colleague. Dtrring an all-night vigil in a Parisian hospital. the past is reassessed. An ensemble buddy movie. laced with humorous confessions. Glasgow: GIT. Edinburgh: Filmhorrse. I The Piano ( IS) (Jane Campion. Australia/New Zealand. I993) IIolIy llrrnter. Sam Neill. Harvey Keitel. 120 mins. Jane Campion's masterpiece follows mute Scotswoman Ada (Hunter) as she travels to 19th century New Zealand with her piano and daughter to enter into an arranged marriage. Soon she begins a passionate and
KNIVES
David Harrower
THE PLOUGHMAN THE WIFE &
THE MILLER
A DANGEROUS COMBINATION
Pony \Mlliam has a passion for horses. His wife has a thing about the miller. Gilbert Horn is a hated man & the tragic catalyst for the murderous events that follow.
See Theatre Section for Preview Piece
gum/£2) 2 - 10 JUNE 01312281404
IN HENS
if y_
THE TRAE
. I.
The List 2- 15 Jun 1995 25