INDEX FILM
FILM
Films screening this fortnight are listed below with certificate, credits, brief review and venue details. Film index compiled by Alan Morrison.
I The Adventures or Priscilla. Queen or The Desert ( 18) (Stephan Elliott. Australia. 1994) Terence Stamp. Hugo Weaving. Guy Pearce. 101 mins. Two transvestites and a trans-sexual team tip for a trip across the Australian outback for a drag show in Alice Springs. Serious issues pop up from time to time. but the emphasis is on the camp humour of the in-bus bitchiness and outrageous musical set-pieces. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Andre (l l) (George Miller. US. 1994) Tina Majorino. Keith (‘arradine. Chelsea Field. 94 mins. This time it's the turn of a seal to keep the kids oohing and aahing. as the true story of Andre unfokls. Set during the early 60s in a small fishing town in Maine. the film has all the necessary elements — cute kid bonding with cute animal — and with a few adventure sequences in the plot that puts this fiippered hero in the Skippy/Champion/Rin Tin Tin class. Central: MacRobert.
I Arizona Dream ( 15) (Emir Kusturica. France/US. 1993) Johnny Depp. Faye Dunaway. Jerry Lewis. 13.5 mins. We're talking the ‘logic of dreams' here. so it's useless to attempt a plot synopsis. Let's just say it has Depp as an NYC fish inspector out west. a bizarre love triangle with wacko Dunaway and her weirdo daughter“. caddy salesman Lewis. Eskimos and a flying machine. Sometimes inspired. often infuriating. mostly impenetrable. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Asterix Conquers America (U) (Gerhard Hahn. Germany. 1995) 85 mins. While brewing up a potion. village druid Getafix is captured by the Romans and taken over the sea to America. Immediately Asterix and Obelix set off to save him. coming across a tribe of Indians. starnpeding buffalo and other Western adventures. The animation style hasn't changed for years. so you know exactly what to expect. See review. Glasgow: MGM Parkhead. All UCls.
I Asterix in Britain (U) (Pino Van Lamsweerde. France. 1986) With the voices of Jack Beaber. Bill Kearns. Graham Bushnell. 89 mins. The Romans have invaded Britain and only one village refuses to surrender. Their chief sends a message to his distant cousin Asterix the Gaul. who rttshes to the rescue with his sizeable colleague ()belix and a bottle of secret potion. Along the way. he acquires a bag of special herbs said to have remarkable revivifying powers and this ‘tea' proves immensely popular with the Brits. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I An Awfully Big Adventure (15) (Mike Newell. UK. 1995) Hugh Grant. Alan Rickrnan. Georgina Cates. 112 mins. Amidst dreary post- war surroundings. the naive and impressionable Stella (Cares) discovers a microcosmic world of rivalry. jealousy. lust and resentment when takes a job as assistant stage manager with a rep theatre company. Newell taps into the darkness of Beryl Bainbridge's novel. but like his previous Enchanted April and Four Il'eddingx Ant/A l-‘uneral. it really might be more suited to an evening at borne in front of the box. Glasgow: (ll-'1'. Central: MacRobert. Fife: Adam Smith.
I Bad Boys ( 15) (Michael Bay. US. 1995) Martin Lawrence. Will Smith. Tea Leoni. 101 mins. When a criminal mastermind completes a huge drug heist. Leoni is the only witness to the accompanying murder. but she'll only talk to cop Smith. Smith's out of the office. so partner Lawrence assumes his identity. and the two buddies with badges have to keep the swapped role stunt up until trial date. Plenty of Opportunities for comedy and action are made the most of in this new post-Murphy black cop franchise. Glasgow: Odeon. MGM Parkhead. Edinburgh: ()deon. I'Cl. Strathclyde: L'Cls.
I Baralta (PG) (Ron Fricke. US. 1992) 96 mitts. Environmentally aware eco-doc in the style of K oyaanisqarsi has the major advantage of having been shot in 70mm. which makes the stunning cinematography the star of the show. Beautiful footage of Planet Earth is juxtaposed with man's harmful relation to it. with the Big Statement being pushed forwards by a series of powerful images. A genuine spectacle. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Batman Forever (PG) (Joel Schumacher. US. 1995) Val Kilmer. Tommy Lee Jones. Jim Carley. 122 mins. A lightening of tone has followed the departure of Tim Burton from the director‘s seat. meaning that this third effort is. in comparison. shallow. noisy and rather by-the- numbers. That said. no one will be asking for
their money back. Added to the list ofcharacters this time are Carrey's The Riddler and Jones's Two-Face - villains of truly hissable class - and another wannabe vigilante in the shape of orphaned Dick Grayson (Chris O'Donnell). Just don't expect the same dark forays into the shadows of the human psyche. General release. I Before Sunrise (15) (Richard Linklater. US.
1995) Julie Delpy. Ethan llawke. Andrea Eckert.
101 mins. American Inter-Railer Hawke and French student Delpy are the strangers on a train
who strike up a chance conversation and spend a night wandering around Vienna. The actors give career-best performances while director Linklater veers into Eric Rohmer territory with a ftrnny. sweet and fundamentally wise movie. Strathclyde: East Kilbride Arts Centre. I Betty Blue (18) (Jean-Jacques Beineix. France. 1986) Jean Hughes Anglade. Beatrice Dalle. 120 mins. Tempestuous love gone mad as an older handyman and a free-spirited woman embark on a passionate. peripatetic fiing that ends in tragedy. Filmed with a dazzling technique and an irritating emptiness by the maker of Diva. Edinburgh: Cameo. I Black Beauty (U) (Caroline Thomson. 17S/11K. 1994) Sean Bean. David Thewlis. Peter Cook. 82 mins. The most famous horse in children‘s literature returns in a faithful screen version by debut director Thomson. whose work as a screenwriter — The Secret Garden. Edward Scissor/randy. The Nightmare Before Christmas — taps into a darker current of childhood vision. The pace sets off at a gallop. and should intrigue adults as well as younger viewers. Fife: Adam Smith. I Blacula (18) (William Crain. US. 1972) William Marshall. Vonetta McGee. Denise Nicholls. 93 mins. An African prince bitten decades back in 'I'ransylvania stalks the nighttime streets (and clubs) of modern Los Angeles. The scare factor is as good as anything from the early 70s. which stops this being a totally shameless piece of blaxploitation. Glasgow: Gl’l‘. I Blue Velvet ( 18) (David Lynch. US. 1986) Kyle Macl.achlan. Dennis Hopper. Isabella Rossellini. 120 mins. 1n small-town Middle America. would-be boy detective MacLachlan finds a severed ear on some waste ground. When the police shoo him away he decides to do some investigating of his own. A singular fusion ofthe cosy and the terrifying which blends kitsch and nightmare. B-movie detection and brutal sex to deconstruct our complacent vision of normal society. This is film-making of remarkable imagination and skill. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Boys (In The Side ( 15) (Herbert Ross. US. 1995) Whoopi Goldberg. Drew Barrymore. Mary Louise Parker. 1 17 mins. Raucous black lesbian Goldberg and shyly romantic ride-share Parker are off to discover a new life; en route they save abused Barrymore from her drug- dealer boyfriend. When Barrymore discovers she‘s pregnant. the trio show sisterly solidarity and set up house together. Though the characters may sound like crude archetypes. the sheer strength of the performances invests them with humanity. Girls' night out movie of the year. Edinburgh: Cameo. I The Brady Bunch Movie (12) (Betty Thomas. US. 1995) Shelley Long. Gary Cole. Michael McKean. 98 mins. The makeshift Brady household is caught in a 70s timewarp of flares. groovey chicks and parental homilies. so while trying to pay off their back taxes. their anachronistic attitudes clash with the moral ambiguities of the 90s. Kitsch and absolutely hilarious. this is the one TV-to-big-screen transition that has worked a treat. Glasgow: MGM Film Centre. I Bullets Over Broadway ( IS) (Woody Allen. US. 1994) John (.‘usack. Dianne Wiest. Chazz Palminteri. 105 mins. Self-absorbed playwright David Shayne (Cusack) compromises all the way down the line as he attempts to get his new masterpiece staged — he‘s willing to cast a gangster's girlfriend for the necessary funding and take writing tips from her streetwise bodyguard. Allen‘s emphasis is on witty dialogue and strong performances. which gives the film a slightly theatrical feeling. Glasgow: GFI‘. Edinburgh: Cameo. I Casper (PG) (Brad Silberling. US. 1995) Christina Ricci. Bill Pullman. Cathy Moriarty. 100 mins. Everyone‘s favourite friendly ghost has been living with his three bad-tempered uncles in an abandoned mansion. When it's bequeathed to a money-grabbing heiress who thinks it's filled with hidden treasure guarded by unquiet spirits. Caspar comes into contact with ghost psychologist Pullman's tomboy daughter (Ricci). A likeable but messy amalgam of Gltmtbttsters effects. Addams Family gothic humour and the sort of feelgood Spielbergiana that revels in ftrnny gadgetry and family values. See review. General release. I Cinema Paradise: The Special Edition (15) (Giuseppe Tornatore. Italy/France. 1988) Salvatore Cascio. Philippe Noiret. Jacques
Perrin. 170 mins. The nostalgic chronicle of a Sicilian youngster's fonnative relationship with his local movie house and its wise old projectionist is largely unaltered: the new material details the older Salvatore's traumatic return home. showing exactly what happened to his teenage pararnour. Consequently. the tone is darkened. a counterpoint to the central slushiness. A masterpiece restored. Glasgow: GFT. I Circle Of Friends (15) (Pat O'Connor. US/UK. 1994) Chris O‘Donnell. Colin Firth. Minnie Driver. 102 mins. A group of friends meet and socialise together as a relief from their college studies in Dublin. with love and disappointment inevitably rearing their heads. A slice of life in 1957 Ireland - so parochial it might as well be another planet — O'Connor's adaptation of Maeve Binchy's novel is faithfully recreated but too lightweight. Glasgow: Odeon. I Cobb ( 15) (Ron Sheldon. US. 1994) Tommy Lee Jones. Robert Wuhl. 128 mins. Part sports hero. part an'ogant bastard. Ty Cobb (Jones) has a strange charisma. or so thinks his biographer A1 Stump (Wuhl). Throughout. the film rests on the debate between printing the legend or writing the naked truth. Sheldon doesn't condone or sentirnentalise his subject. but maybe he also doesn't realise how unpleasant this man is. Tommy Lee Jones. however. is magnificently loud and dominant. Glasgow: GFT. I Congo (12) (Frank Marshall. US. 1994) Dylan Walsh. Laura Linney. Tim Curry. 108 mins. This misbegotten morass of half-baked ideas. crass miscalculation and sheer stupidity is an awful warning to those who thought Michael Crichton (whose source novel is the only ‘star' on offer) could do no wrong. There‘s a talking gorilla. a ring whose design leads the way to a jungle diamond mine. killer primates and a volcanic earthquake for a finale. but none of it works for a moment. Glasgow: MGM Film Centre. Borders: Roxy. All UCIs. I Country Life (12) (Michael Blakemore. Australia. 1995) Keny Fox. Greta Scacchi. Sam Neill. 114 mins. Set in the Australian outback immediately after the Great War. this transportation of Chekhov's Uncle Vanya proves more successful than most at reinterpreting a literary classic for a modern audience. Soul- searching. betrayal. class tension and the drowning of sorrows occur amongst family and friends in a once glorious house. The play's human relationships remain rich and intact. while the setting adds new levels about Australia's sense of its nationhood and colonial status. See review. Edinburgh: Cameo. I Crumb (18) (Terry Zwigoff. US. 1994) 119 mins. Comic artist Robert Crumb has remained resolutely part of the counter-culture since he started drawing in the 60s. In this fascinating and personal film. long-time friend Zwigoff tries to explain the cartoonist's disturbing output. finding a casual connection between childhood. madness and creativity. btrt skimming over legitimate concern at his portrayal of women. Edinburgh: Cameo. I The Crying Game (15) (Neil Jordan. UK. 1992) Stephen Rea. Forest Whitaker. Jaye Davidson. 112 mins. A disillusioned IRA terrorist strikes up a friendship with the black British soldier he has kidnapped. and subsequently finds himself in London and in love with the latter's girlfriend. A bold. unpredictable film that has plenty to say about notions of personal and sexual identity. If only all British movies were as good as this. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I D'Artagnan's Daughter (15) (Bertrand Tavernier. France. 1994) Sophie Marceau. Philippe Noiret. Claude Rich. 136 mins. Originally a project for director Riccardo Freda (who then fell ill). this lacklustre swashbuckler was picked up by Tavernier. but his approach lacks pizzazz and good old cut-and-thrust. When a dastardly duke attacks her convent. young nun Marceau is forced into action. and so she drags dad D‘Artagnan and his rnusketeer mates out of retirement. A few diverting flourishes aside. Dick Lester probably did it better. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Death And The Maiden ( l 8) (Roman Polanski. UK/US/France. 1994) Sigoumey 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 Hitchcockian thriller (which trivialises Ariel Dorfrnan's source material). while Weaver waves a gun around like there's something creepy. crawly and extraterrestrial under the bed. Fife: Adam Smith. Strathclyde: East Kilbride Arts Centre. I [as Diaboliques (15) (Henri-Georges Clouzot France. 1955) Simone Signoret. Vera Clouzot. Paul Meurisse. 107 mins. Fiendishly clever and much imitated thriller in which a tyrannical schoolmaster is murdered by his wife and mistress. Except that he doesn't stay dead for long. The famous bathroom finale has most
Catch the best Film this fortnight.
FIRST BUN I Country Life Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya is transferred to Australia earlier this century. Sam Neill. Kerry Fox and Greta Scacchi star in this comic examination of rural life and cultural elitism. Edinburgh: Cameo. I Batman Forever The tone might have been lightened considerably after the departure ofTim Burton. but there’s no denying that the startling effects, non-stop action and cartoonish villainy of this second sequel is value for money. General release.
I The Brady Bunch Movie Even if you're not familiar with the US TV series. you’ll laugh yourselfsilly as the kitsch homilies of the 70s clash with the reality ofthe 90$. UCIs. BEPERTOBY
I [as Diaboligues Clouzot‘s great suspense chiller. with a magnificent shock ending. is re-released in a sharp new print. Glasgow: OFT
I Once Were Warriors A disturbing. moving. unforgettable movie from New Zealand, examining the domestic violence and loss ofdignity in a Maori household. Edinburgh:
F [Int/rouse.
I Performance/The Man Who Fall To Earth Dazzling double bill from Britain‘s Nic Roeg: the first has Mick Jagger in a spiral of sex and violence. the second David Bowie as a persecuted alien. Glasgow: GFT.
I The Last 01 The Mohicans Daniel Day Lewis stars in Michael Mann‘s superb widescreen epic: great battle scenes. passionate romance. jaw- dropping photography. Edinburgh: Cameo.
recently been borrowed by Adrian Lyne's Fatal Attraction. but this is the original and best. now released in a new print. Glasgow: GET.
I The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (IS) (Luis Bunuel. France. 1972) Fernando Rey. Delphine Seyrig. Stephane Audran. 105 mins. A group of friends find their dinner gathering interrupted by a series of bizarre. mostly dreamt up events. Not as savage a satire as Bunuel's
earlier work. but he is certainly more assured as he fires at his constant targets -— the church. the state and the army. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Don Juan BeMarco (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 maniage. 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: GFT.
I Double Irrdernnity (PG) (Billy Wilder. US. 1944) Barbara Stanwyck. Fred McMurray. Edward G. Robinson. 106 mins. Cracking adaptation by Wilder and Raymond Chandler of the James M. Cain novel has insurance man McMurray attracted by the alluring Stanwyck. who talks him into murdering her spouse. and all goes well until his boss Edward G. begins to suspect foul play. Sexual chemistry. labyrinthine plotting. tart wordplay. it's all here. A classic. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
The List 28 Jul-10 Aug 1995 31