FILM INDEX
FILM -Irrrra-
Films screening this fortnight are listed below with certificate, credits, brief review and venue details. Film index compiled by Alan Morrison.
I The Adventures 01 Priscilla. Queen Of The Desert ( IS) (Stephan Iilliott. Australia. 1994) Terence Stamp. llirgo Weaving. Guy Pearce. 101 mins. Two transvestites aild a trans-sexual learn tip for a trip across the Australian outback for a drag show ill Alice Springs. Serious issues pop tip from time to tinre. bill the emphasis is on the camp humour of the ill-bus bitclriness and outrageous rrrusical set-pieces. lidinbur'gh: Cameo. Filmhouse.
I Asterirt Conquers America (1') ((iCIlltll‘tl Hahn. Germany. 1995) SS rrrins. erile brewing up a potion. village druid Getafrx is captured by the Romans and taken over the sea to America. Immediately Asterix and ()belix set off to save him. coming across a tribe of Indians. stampeding brrffalo and other Western adventures. The animation style hasn't changed for years. so you krrow exactly what to expect. All L'Cls.
I Bad Boys ( 15) (Michael Bay. LS. 1995) Martin Lawrence. Will Smith. Tea Leoni. 101 mins. When a criminal mastermind completes a huge drug heist. Leoni is the oilly wrtrress 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 ill this new post-Murphy black cop franchise. Glasgow-2 ()deon. Glosvenor. Central: Allapark. All l'Cls.
I Batman Forever (PG) (Joel Selttnnaehet. ('5‘. 1995) \'al 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 arid rather hy-the- numbers. That said. no one will be asking for their money back. Added to the list of characters
in: CAM rsorarr
HOME STREET 0 TOLLCROSS 0 TE 031428 4141
NOW SHOWING Spanking The MOery (to)
1.15, 3.45, 6.15, 8.45pm
Before The Rain (15) 1.30, 4.00, 6.30, 9.00pm (late night Thurs 31 st at 11.55pm)
51 51 Italia!
Italian Season, see listings for details.
FROM FRIDAY 1 SEPT
The City of Lost Children (15)
1.30, 4.00, 6.30, 9.00pm (late night Thurs, Fri, Sat at 11.45pm)
Spanking The MOery (18)
1.35, 4.05, 6.35, 9.05pm (late night Thurs, Fri, Sat at 11.55pm)
Before The Rain (is)
1.15, 3.45, 6.15, 8.45pm (1.15, 3.34pm not Sun)
SEE LISTINGS FOR LATE NIGHTS AND MATINEES
CAMEO rm
this time are Cariey's The Riddler and Jones's 'I'wo-l‘ace — villains of truly hissable class - and another wannabe vigilante ill the shape of orphaned Dick Grayson (Chi is O’Donnell). Just don't expect the same dark forays into the shadow s of the human psyche. General release. I Before The Rain ( 15) (Mtlclto Mailcllevski. l'K/Flance/Macedonia. 199-1) Rade Scrbedzija. Katiin (‘ar'tlrdge 115 mrrrs. Three rnterlnrked tales shed light on the current Balkan conflict by concentrating on fraught relationships and love affairs iil Maccdorira and London. The film's main strength lies iii the authenticity of its naked emotions and superb landscape photography. creating a heartfelt lament for a splinterlng crrlttrre. See rev rew. Glasgow: Gl’l'. lidinhurgh: Cameo.
I Bicycle Thieves (I’(i) (\‘rttnttn Dc .s‘ictt. ltaly. l9-1S) Lamberto Maggroranl. lirlzo Staiola. All unemployed ltalran workman has his bicycle stolen. and badly needs it for a new (oh. so he and his small son search the busy streets of Rome for it. The eprtorne of ltaliari nco-realisirl. with the Roman setting vividly sketched and the performances compellineg natural. so that :his uirronrantic drama takes on art ovel'w lleilrlng power. Masterly' .stilff. lidinbiligh: Callreo.
I Bullets Over Broadway ( IS) (woody Allen. l'S. 199-1) John Cusack. Dianne Wrest. Chan Palrnirrteri. 105 mins. Self-absor bed playw rrglrt David Shayne ((‘usack) compromises all the way down the lrrre as he attempts to get hrs new ' masterpiece staged — he’s w illiilg to cast a gangster‘s girlfriend for the necessary funding arid 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. ~Fdinburgh:
Filmhouse. Fife: Adam Smith.
I Burnt By The Sun ( 15) (.‘s’ikiia Mikhalkov. Russia. 1994) Nikita .\1ikhalkov. ()leg Menchikov. lngeborga Dapkounaite. 13-1 mins. Mikhalkov‘s Oscar-winner is a genuine masterpiece. The gradual slide from the glory of the Revolution into the terror of the Stalin dictatorship is concentrated into the events of a single summer's day ill 30s Russia. as the country household of a popular Soviet officer is disrupted by the return of his wife's former lover. now a government informer. The sense of tragedy is immense. as the sunny. idyllic opening gives way to a darker. more uncertain reality. See preview. Glasgow: Gl’l‘. Iidinburgh: Filmliouse. I Butterfly KISS ( 18) (Michael Wintel'bottom. (K. 1995) Saskia Reeves. Amanda Plummer. 88 nrins. Winterbottolrl‘s striking road movie about two lesbian killers is clever. atmospheric and boasts sharp perforrrrances. bill it lacks empathy at its core. There are tender moments between the two characters. btlt they’re both too wacko for us to share any elements of humanin with them. If only rrrore time had been spent setting things up. then we might have irad a very
college studies in Dublin. with low and disaprmintrnent inevitably rearing their heads. A slice of life in 1957 Ireland — so parochial it might as well be anotller planet - ()‘Connor's adaptation of Maeve Binchy's novel is faithfully recreated birt too lightweight. Glasgow: ()deon. Fife: Adam Smith.
I The City 01 lost Children ~( IS) (Jean-Pierre
Jeilnet/Maic Caro. France. 1995) Ron Perlman. Daniel Iimilfork. Judith V'ittet. 112 mins. On a
mist-shrouded oil rig. rrrad scientist Klairk ages prematurely because he cannot dream. and so he
kidnaps children front the local port and steals
rnlo their sleeping hours. A visually wonderful.
wacky fairytale from the makers of [)¢'/l('(llt'.\‘.\¢’II.
that brims over w itll cinematic imagination. See feature. lidrrlburgh: Cameo. I Clerksr IS) (Kevin Smith. 1S. 1993) Brian
()‘1lalloran. Jeff Anderson. Marilyn Gliigliotti. 9(1rnins. Just when you were sick of the very
sight of the word 'sl:ic‘kc'i". along comes Clerks and gives the w hole commercialisation of the Gen X lifestyle a good hard kick up the backside. Kevin Smith‘s hilariously foul dialogue peps tip the exchanges on life. sex and everyday living between bored convenience store check-out assistant Dante and equally bored video store manager Randal. Stratirclyde: liast Kilbride Arts Centre.
I le Colonel Chabert (PG) (Yves Angelo.
France. 1994) Gerard Depardieu. Fanny Ardarlt.
Fabrice Luchini. ll 1 mins. Ill the post-
Napoleonic years. a hero thought to be dead returns to Paris and tries to reclaim his rank and fortune from his now remarried wife. Angelo‘s
directorial debut has strong similarities in its
story to The Return ()fdla/rin Guerra. but it 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‘. Central: MacRobert.
I Congo ( 12) (Frank Marshall. US. 1994) Dylan Walsh. Laura Linney. Tim Curry. 108 mins. This rnisbegotten morass of half-baked ideas. crass
miscalculatiorr 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. hilt none of it works for a moment. Glasgow: MGM Film Centre.
I Country Life (12) (Michael Blakemore. Australia. 1995) Kerry Fox. Greta Scacchi. Sam
Neill. 11-1 mins. Set ill the Australian outback
iiilmediately after the Great War. this
transportation of Chekhov's Uncle I’anlva proves
more successful than most at reinterpreting a literary classic for a modern audience. Soul-
searching. betrayal. class tension and the
haunting film indeed. Glasgow: GFT. Edinburgh:
Filmhouse.
I Carlota Joaquina - Princess Of Brazil ( l 5 ) (Carla Camurati. Brazil. 1994) 100 mins. An 18th century Spanish princess is forced to marry an ugly Portugese prince and embarks on a series of affairs. It is only when the Portugese court is forced by Napoleon to flee to Brazil that she is able to find true love. A colourful colonial epic with a strange humour all of its own. Latin American Film Festival. Glasgow: Gi-‘i'.
I Caspar (PG) (Brad Silberling. 17S. 1995) Christina Ricci. Bill Pullman. Cathy Moriarty. 100 mins. liver'yone's favourite friendly ghost has been living with his three bad-tempered uncles ill all 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 very messy amalgam of (Iliosrlruxrerx effects. Alli/anti l-‘anrr'lv gotlric humour and the sort of overblown feelgood Spielbergiana that revels ill funny gadgetry and family values. General release.
I Charlotte's Web (1’) (Charles A. Nichols. L'S. 1972) Voices of Debbie Reynolds. llenr'y Gibson. 85 rrrins. Animated version of the [5.13. erite classic ill which a farmyard spider befriends a shy piglet. Not badly done by the llanna-Barbera studio. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Cinema Paradiso: The Special Edition ( 15) (Giuseppe 'l'oriratore. Italy/France. 1988) Salvatore Cascio. Philippe Noiret. Jacques Peirin. 170 nrins. The nostalgic chronicle of a Sicilian youngster's formative 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 par'arilour. Consequently. the tone is darkened. a counterpoint to the central slushiness. A masterpiece restored. iidinburgh: Cameo.
I Circle Of Friends ( 15) (Pat O'Connor. ITS/15K. 1994) Chris O'Donnell. Colin Firth. Minnie Driver. 102 rrrins. A group of friends meet and socialise together as a relief from their
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 nationhotxl and colonial
status. Glasgow: (3171'. I Crooklyn ( 12) (Spike Lee. l'S. 1994)A1fre
Woodard. Delroy Lindo. Spike Lee. 1 14 mins.
lambasted by the critics. Lee's deliberate exercise in nostalgia rs all impressionistic. near- chaotic rendering of his ow n suburban New York cllildhood. What distinguishes it — apart from a cooking soul soundtrack — is the multiplicity of perspectives running through it. lll its way. a very life-affirming movie. (ilagsow': (ii-T.
I The Decameron ( IS) (Pier Paolo Pasolini. ltaly. 1972) Ninetto Davoli. Frailco ('itti. 111
mins. lioccaccio according to Pasolini means visually extraordinary medieval production design and much naked romping. Iidinburgh:
Carrieo.
I Delicatessen (15) (Jean-Pierre Jeunet/Marc Caro. France. 1991) Dominique Pinon. Marie- 1.aur'e Dougnac. Jean-Claude Dreyfus. 99 mins. In a sepia wasteland somewhere in the future. a butcher feeds his neighbours with the juicy joints of his lodgers. But when former clown Lottison (Pinon) arrives and falls for his daughter. an underground vegetarian resistance group come to the rescue. llilar'ious blend of bizarre character's. slapstick and comic tension makes for the first true cult item of the '90s. lidinburgh: Cameo.
I Die Hard With A Vengeance ( I5) (John Mc'l‘iernan. US. 1995) Bruce Willis. Jeremy lions. Samuel L. Jackson. 128 mins. Basically an extended cat and mouse game. .‘vlc'l‘iernan's sequel to his owil original has washed-up anti- her'o Willis and pissed-off. good-hearted sidekick Samuel L. Jackson dashing across New York City from pay-phone to pay-phone. solving childish riddles ill time to deactivate a stash of hidden bombs. Imagine Speed with a hangover.
with plenty ofcornedy. the best buddy pairing in
years. but a curious lack of satisfying set pieces. Glasgow: (if-'1".
I Dirty Weekend ( 18) (Michael Winner. UK. 1993) Lia Williams, David McCallum. Miriam Kelly. 102 mins. Not a female Death Wish. but a feminist revenge fantasy taken to extremes.
11ml
Catch the best Film this fortnight.
I Burnt By The Sun Tire idyllic Soviet world of the 30s slowly falls into the shadow of Stalinism: this year’s Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Filrrr is indeed a masterpiece by actor-director Nikita Mikhalkov. Glasgow: GI'T Edinburgh: Film/rouse.
I City Of Lost Children French cinematic eccentrics qunet and Caro get weirder and even more splendidly imaginative in this fairytale world follow-up to Delicatessen. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I The Usual Suspects A teasing, twisting. turning rrrodem hair that boasts strong and varied characterisations and bucketloads of style from director Bryan Singer. Glasgow.“ M OMS.
I Waterworld You'll certainly get your money‘s worth with Costner's futuristic adventure. set in a world where the polar ice-caps have melted and society has reverted to Mad Max’- style barbarism. General release.
I Before The Rain Three tales overlap and intercut. bringing characters together and tearing them apart, in this poignant take on the tensions between Christians and Muslims in Macedonia and Albania. Glasgow: GFT.
REPEBTDBY
I Masque Of The Red Death Perhaps Roger Corman‘s best Poe adaptation. with a wonderful sense of decadence running through its stylised sets and Vincent Price’s central performance. Glasgow: OFT
I A Fistful Of Dollars Clint‘s first outing as Tire Man With No Name. in Leone's seminal westem. All the elements are here - a Morricone score. enigmatic squints. a delicious arrrorality. extreme widescreerr close- ups. Edinburgh: Film/louse.
Winner captures the tone of Helen Zahavi's novel perfectly. bill the film's shoddy editing. lighting and dtrbbillg is unforgivable. Technically inept. extremer offensive. but of some social relevance. Glasgow: Grosvenor.
I La Dulce Wm 18) (Federico Fellini. Italy/France. 1960) Marcello Mastroianni. Anita likberg. Anorrk Aimee. 173 mins. Paparazzi Mastroianni mixes with the beautiful people of rich Roman society and is ambivalently shocked and fascinated by the vigour of their excessive decadence. Everything you ever wanted from a Fellini movie - black humour. grotesque sexuality. inspired visual imagination and the wonderful Marcello. See it. Edinburgh: Cameo. I The Englishman Who Went Up A 11111 But Come Down A Maintain (Chris Monger. UK. 1995) Hugh Grant. Tara Fitzgerald. Colm
75 The List 25 Aug-7 Sept 1995