FILM INDEX
deeds in a village. Although much of the narrative takes the structure of a detective story. Browning‘s direction is frequently inspired and the photography by the great James Wong Howe is always remarkable. Glasgow: GET.
I Miami Rhapsody (15) (David Frankel. US. I995) Sarah Jessica Parker. Antonio Banderas. Mia Farrow. 97 mins. It's not often that Hollywood manages to pull off a romantic comedy that comes at you consistently from a woman's point of view. Aspiring comedy writer Gwen decides to settle down and get married. only to discover that all of her family are having affairs. Despite this rather different approach to romance. the tone isn't necessarily cynical. more open and honest for the 90s. Edinburgh: Cameo. I Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (PG) (Bryan Spicer. US. I995) Paul Freeman. Gabrielle Fitzpatrick. Amy Jo Johnson. 95 mins. A strictlyjuvenile big screen version of the TV show with the Angel Grove teenagers battling the evil Ivan Ooze. Wearing their colour-coded jurnpsuits. they use good old-fashioned teamwork to rumble and kickbox their way through oodles of monsters. The lights are well- staged. but some of the effects are tacky. It's all panto—bland enough to keep the kids happy. General release.
I Monkey Trouble (U) (Franco Allltll‘t‘i. US. I994) Tlrora Birch. Harvey Keitel. Mimi Rogers. 96mins. Birch is a weeny with family trouble. who happens on a rogue capuchin monkey as a pet. Problerrr is. it's a trained thief belonging to strange-accented European gypsy Keitel. Unimaginative. sentimental tale with an insufferable Hollywood mix of group hugs and cute furballs. Glasgow: MGM Parkhead. Strathclyde: UCI East Kilbride.
I Mr: Munclt (Diane Ladd. US. I995) Diane Ladd. Bruce Dem. Kelly Preston. 104 mins. The debut as writer-director by actress Ladd follows the physical and psychological battles between the recently divorced Rose Munck and her invalid stepfather-in-law. with whom she had an affair earlier in her life. Ladd adds an unusual twist to the proceedings by casting her own ex- husband Dem as her on-screen adversity. Don‘t expect Hollywood schmaltz: this drama has a cold edge and a bitterly cruel black humour. Drarnbuie Edinburgh Film Festival. See preview in Festival Film. Edinburgh: Dominion.
I Muriel’s Wedding (15) (PJ. Hogan. Australia. I994) Toni Collette. Rachel Griffiths. Bill Hunter. IOS mins. Ugly duckling Muriel decides
to leave behind her boring life in Porpoise Spit and search for her Prince (‘harming 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. Glasgow: Grosvenor. Odeon. Strathclyde: East Kilbride Arts Centre.
I Natural Born Killers ( I 8) (Oliver Stone. US. I994) Woody Harrelson. Juliette Lewis. Robert Downey Jr. I I9 mins. Stone‘s visual and aural assatrlt rtrakes for one of the tnost 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 MTV-influenced filmmaking. Glasgow: ()deon. Edinburgh: UCI. Strathclyde: UCI East Kilbride.
I Nobody‘s Fool ( I5) (Robert Benton. US. I994) Paul Newman. Bruce Willis. Jessica Tandy. l l() mins. In a performance to rank with his best. Paul Newman is a down-on-his-luck construction worker scraping a living in the wintry upstate New York town of North Bath. The more we see his destiny intertwine with those around him. the nrore weight and meaning cling to an apparently marginal existence. As subtle. humane. wise and witty a piece as lras come out of Hollywood in many a long year. Central: MacRober't.
I Nosferatu (PG) (FW Murnau. Germany. 1922) Max Schr‘eck. Alexander Grarrach. Gustav von Wangenheim. 72mins. Schreck is a truly terrifying figure as Bram Stoker's famous vampire. looking more like a skinned bat than a human being. A wonderfully visual movie. with twisted shadows and sexual undercurrents placing it well above the Kitrski/llerzog remake. Glasgow: GFI'.
I Cut III The Archives 3 ( l8) Another itr the GFT's series of programmes exploring the portrayal of lesbians and gays on British TV. From I977 comes a BBC production of EM. Forster’s Tlre Obelisk. about a middle-aged couple's encounter with two young sailors; while The ll’etlrresrlrrv Play: Horror Of Darkness (from 1965) has Nicol Williamson professing unrequited love for Alfred Lynch despite the latter's relationship with Glenda Jackson. Glasgow: GFI‘.
I Panther (I8) (Mario Van Peebles. US. I995)
l.
RENFIELD STREET, GLASGOW NOW SHOWING
tulng DI'Cdd (15) Rob Roy (15) First Knight m» The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain (PG) ll
Muriel’s Wedding as)
NEW RELEASES — AUGUST 18th Die Hard With a Vengeance (15) NEW RELEASES — SEPTEMBER 1st While You Were Sleeping (PG) 8th Braveheart m 8th Dolores Claiborne (18) 22nd A Simple Twist of Fate in» 29th Forget Paris (12) NEW RELEASES — OCTOBER 6th The Scarlet Letter «so
IN
ACCESS/VISA CREDIT CARD HOTLINE: 0141 333 9551 11am - 6.30pm DAILY
24 HOUR MOVIE INFORMATION: 0141 332 8701
12-1 mins. Writer and director team Melvin and Mario Van Peebles don't pull any punches with this politicised account of the origins of the Black Panther Party. Unlike a message movie by. say. ()liver Stone. l’unrlrer doesn't bombard the atrdietrce with repeated theories; the views are. nevertheless. forthright. brrt there's also a strong and itrvolving narrative. And it's a lilm that doesn't pander to the commercial demands of the market by foregroundirrg a white character. Drambuie Edinburgh Filrrr Festival. Edinburgh: L'CI.
I Pulp Fiction ( l8) (Quentin 'l'ararrtino. ITS. I994) John Travolta. Samuel Jackson. l'ma 'I‘hur'man. Bruce Willis. I50 mins. Much more ambitious than Re'ir'rr‘utr [)ngr. the most awaited second feature of the 90s has rnatry scenes that crackle with Taratrtino wit. and a few others that fall flat as the writer-director bravely experiments. Interlocking stories in the pulp crime manner concern hitmen. ailing boxers. gang bosses atrd their molls. drug fiends. and assorted riff-raff. Last year's surprise Cannes Palme d'()r' winner is a trip. all the way. Edinburgh: Filrnhouse. Strathclyde: ()deon Ayr'. I Ritchie Rich (PG) (Donald Petrie. I'S. I995) Macaulay (‘ulkin. Jonatlratr Hyde. John Larrtxruette. 95 mins. The world's wealthiest child played by the world‘s wealthiest child actor — this corrric strip turned rrrovie lras etrotrglr knockabout mayhem to keep the kids happy. Culkin is more confident and appealing than in his some of his other work. btrt it's Hyde's sarcastic butler who brings a better comic touch to the proceedings. Glasgow: ()deon.
I Rob Roy (I5) (Michael Caton-Jones. US/UK. I995) Liam Neeson. Jessica Lange. Tim Roth. I30 mins. When he is betrayed by the Marquis of Montrose (John Hurt) and a maliciously psychopathic Englishman (Roth). Rob Roy MacGregor is determined to win back the honour of his name. Alan Sharp‘s script is rich. witty and literate: Caton-Jones's direction injects a little action. but doesn't pander to Hollywood; and all the performances are wonderful. A stirring epic which refuses to compromise. making it one of the best films about Scotland and the Scottish psyche ever made. Glasgow: GET. Odeon. Edinburgh: UCl. Strathclyde: UCI Clydebank.
I Saturday Night Fever ( 18) (John Badham. US. I977) John Travolta. Karen Lynn Gomey. Jtrlie Bovasso. I I9 mins. Remember the Bee Gees music. the white suits. the days when Travolta was a promising young talent? Nostalgia rules again with the revival of this rather ordinary teen rebellion/dance mini-classic in which an ordinary working-class youth finds the only meaning in his life during his energetic peregrinations on the weekend dance floor. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I The Shamhanlt Redemption (15) (Frank [)arabont. US. I994) Tim Robbins. Morgan Freeman. Bob Gunton. I43 mins. Banged up for a crime he didn't commit (ain't they all?) quiet man Robbins plans a slow but effective revenge on the unnecessarily harsh prison regime. Freeman excels as the fellow con with an uncanny knack for procuring desired items. The film is certainly overlong. but the apocryphal feel to the storytelling and the period detail are well handled in what is. ultimately. a very fine movie indeed. Central: Allanpark.
I Spanking The Monkey (18) (David 0. Russell. US. I994) Jeremy Davies. Alberta Watson. Benjamin Hendrickson. 98 mins. Emotionally blackmailed into looking after his bed-ridden mother during college vacation. Ray's life begins to tip over the edge as annoying circumstances escalate and sexual tension begins to take its toll. The subject matter isn't sensationalised. but played out in psychologically realistic terms; the performances. too. tend not so much to be offbeat as understandably awkward and uncomfortable as they would in real life. See review. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Star Trek Generations (PG) (David Carson. US. I994) Patrick Stewart. William Shatner. Malcolm McDowell. I 17 mins. A contrived plot brings together Captains Picard and Kirk in order to save millions of lives at the hands of the demented McDowell. Forget the time warp tosh and cringing references to the joys of the family; enjoy instead the self-referential jokes of the seventh Trekkie movie which clearly shows that the Next Generation crowd make for better sci-fr than the original pantomime team. And the effects are indeed spectacular. Glasgow: GFT.
I Stargate (PG) (Roland Emmerich. US. 1994) Kurt Russell. James Spader. Jaye Davidson. 12?. mins. Was Earth visited centuries ago by aliens. Seems like it. particularly when Egyptologist Spader solves the key to a huge engraved circle found at the pyramids and unlocks a doorway to another planet. Along with a military team led by Russell. he encounters totalitarian space god
Ra (Davidson) and reverses US foreign policy by helping the locals. Big budget science fiction with gleefully ridiculous story and brilliant effects. Glasgow: (El-T.
I Three Colours: Blue t l5)(Kr1.ysztof Kieslowski. France. I993) Jrrlrette Birroche. Benoit Regent. Charlotte Very. l00 mins. A yorrrrg woman tries to isolate herself from friends and any notion of affection following the death of her composer husband and child in a car crash. btrt she cannot escape frotn the fragments of his unfinished cornposrtion. in which she played a major part. An expressive and symbolic film that is also enrotionally satisfying. Binoche's award-winning performance. in a film of profound beauty. is the best of her career. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Three Colours: Red ( I5) (Krzysztof Kieslowski. France/SwitIjl’oland. I994) lrerre Jacob. Jean-Louis 'I’rintigrrant. 96 mins. Kieslowski's tricolour trilogy comes to a close with what may be his greatest masterpiece. A Swiss model (Jacob) discovers that a retired judge (Trintignarrt) is listening in to his neighbours' phone conversations; btrt instead of tletrorrncirrg him. she too opens up her itrnerrrrost secrets. Superficial details are stripped away as the director concentrates on parallel lives and interwoven destinies. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Three Colours: White ( IS) (Kr/.ysztof Kieslowski. France/Switzjl’oland. I993) erigniew Zamachowski. Julie Delpy. Janusz (iajos. 9| mins. Another masterful piece of cinema by Kieslowski. rrrtrclr less lyrical and visually poetic than his most recent works. This time the theme of the trilogy is ‘eqtrality'. as a Polish hairdresser sets otrt to get revenge on his French cx-wife. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I fimecop ( I 8) (Peter Ilyams. US. 1994) Jean- Claude Van Damme. Ron Silver. Gloria Reuben. 98 mins. Vatr Damme and partner Reuberrs are cops keeping an eye on time itself; when the duo travel back to I994 to investigate the mystery surrounding a powerful senator. personal agendas emerge. llyarns. director of 20/0 and ()IlflUlltl. can handle the sfx of large-scale sci-ft. but the narrative and performances tend to be dwarfed by the design. Nevertheless. one of the few genuinely robust sci-fr movies around. Central: Allanpark.
I Two For The Road (PG) (Stanley Dorretr. UK. I967) Albert Finney. Audrey Hepburn. Eleanor Bron. l l2 mins. ()ne of [)onen's most important late works. this examination of married life shows how the director's viewpoint had cotrre almost full circle from the happy worlds of his MGM musicals. The narrative uses flashbacks to various key periods in the life of Finney and Hepburn to juxtapose scenes frorn the same holiday route they have taken over several years. It‘s a remarkable journey. with stop-offs at early infatuation through to disillusionment and resignation. Drambuie Edinburgh Film Festival. Glasgow: GI’I'.
I The War (PG) (Jon Avnet. US. I994) Kevin Costner. Elijah Wood. Mare Winningham. I25 mins. Since returning from the Vietnam War. Stephen (Costner) has strtrggled to keep down a job: meanwhile. his son and daughter fight out their own battles during the summer of I97() with the neighbouring white trash troupe. A wonderful family movie with strong liberal themes, The War really belongs to the kids rather than Costner. Wood's performance is easily one of the best by a child actor ever put on screen. Drambtrie Edinburgh Film Festival. Edinbtrrgh: MGM.
I Waterworld (l2) (Kevin Reynolds. US. I995) Kevin Costner. Dennis Hopper. Jeanne Tripplehorn. I35 tnirrs. Forget all the pre- judgemerrtal hype about a production disaster: this is adventure on an immense scale. The polar ice caps have melted and society survives on man-made atolls. A bunch of biker-like pirates storm one of these floating fortresses to kidnap a young girl whose back shows a tattooed tnap to the mythical Dryland. Only The Mariner (Costner) can save her from the clutches of self- styled tyrannical messiah. The Deacon (Hopper). The action set-pieces are amongst the most spectacular ever put on frlrn. See review. General release.
I What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? (12) (Lasse llallstrom. US. I993) Johnny Depp. Juliette Lewis. Leonardo Di Caprio. I IS mins. For once. Depp is the sole figure of calm in an oddball world. the oldest son in a dysfunctional family who live in a neurotic Iowa backwater. Only when holiday-maker Lewis arrives does he begin to consider his own feelings. With one eye on detail. the other on the absurd. director Lasse (My Life As A Dug) llallstrorrr delivers a sympathetic romance surrounded by American foibles. The acting is superb from all concerned. A low-key wonder. Edinburgh: Cameo.
FOR DETAILS OF EDINBURGH FILM FESTIVAL PROGRAMMES, SEE PAGES 63 T0 67
“The List 11-17 Aug 1995