INDEX FILM
un-Stephen-King-like a story as you could get. rttore consistently melodramatic than horrific. Mixerv's Kathy Bates stars as a helper-maid working for an elderly society queen. btrt whert she's discovered one day rtrtrrdering Iter ertrployer. it rekindles tltoirglits on a related rrturder two decades before. Poigrtant and lltougltl-pt0vt)klllg. witlt some fine performances to enjoy. See review. (ilasgow: ()deon. lidinbtrrgh: ()deon. ll(‘l. Strathclydc: l'(‘ls.
I Dracula, Prince of Darkness ( I8) ('l'ererrce Fisher. l'K. I905) ('hi'istopher Lee. Andrew Keir. Barbara Shelley. 90mins. Picks up from where the Hammer original left off. w itli trriwittirig travellers providtrtg the necessary blood to bring the (‘ount back to urrlrfe. A worthy successor. made when the coriipany was at its lierglit. lidinburgh: (‘ameo
I Ed Wood ( I5.) (Tim Burton. liS. I994) Johnny Depp. Martin Landau. Patricia Arquette. I23 mitts. Burton‘s fortdly atmospheric homage to the so-called 'worst director of all time' is his best film to date. It's more than a biopic pastiche. however: the erriotronal heart of the film rs found iii the genuinely caring relationship between Wood artd the dying. dttig~addicted Bela Lugosi (a itiatvellotis Martin Landau). Dcpp plays Wood as a bundle of energy attd innocent romanticism. capturing the spirit of dogged deteirtrtnatiori that rrrakes the subject such art appealing character. l-‘ife: Adam Srrritlr. I The Exorcist ( IS) (William Iii iedkiri. l‘S. I973) Linda Blair. Iillcn Btrrstyn. Max Yon Sydow. l 10 mins. Iiarnest priest \‘on Sydow steps in to save poor little possessed girl in this hugely effective scarefest. Dead good. dead scaiey. dead priest. (ilasgow: ()deon.
I The Fort and the Hound (l'i (Frank Thomas. Ollie Johnston. (‘liff Nordberg. l7S. I9S‘l ) Willi the voices of Mickey Rooney. Kurt Russell and Pearl Bailey: S3 mins. Slirggish. unintagrnative Disney cartoon in which art orphaned fox ctib and a loveable hunting hound puppy spend an idyllic childhood together until their traditional roles artd enmity are reaw'akened. ('ute in a very familiar fashion. Edinburgh: ()deon. l'(‘l. Stratlrclyde: I’(‘Is.
I Frankenstein Created Woman ( l8) ('l‘erericc liisher. l'K. I967) Peter (’tishirig. 'I'horley Walters. Susan Denberg 8(r rttirrs. Ari intriguing twist on Brit/e ()fI’I'unkwrvrr'rlr. and one of Ilaritmei 's better. more philosophical efforts. (‘usliirig is the Baron. who rev rves the body of a crippled village girl with the vengeful soul of her wrongly executed boyfriend. As ever. (‘usltrng brings a certain dignity to the exploitation material. lidrriburgh: (‘ameo
I Free Willy 2 (l’(i) (Dwight Little. ('8. NOS) Jason James Richter. Michael Madsen. Jayne Atkinson. When his real mother dies. Jesse (Richter) discovers that Ire Itas a half-brother. who then joins him arid Jesse's foster parents on an island holiday. Killer whale Willy's also there with his family. as is an oil slick (and. ofcourse. a convenient eco-message). A tad too anodyne and uninventive to really justify its existence. the movie does have its familiar charms. (ienet'al release.
I Hold Me. Thrill Me. Kiss Met l8) (Joel lleiscliman. l'S. I992) Max Parrish. Sean Young. Andrea Naschak. l00 rtiiris. 'l‘ower'iirgly sltainbolic. this shariieless collection of half- itleas ripped off from clsew here has a complete absence of comic (irrtiiig and invention. Set in a trailer park full of w ackos. the story is tirade ridiculous by a series of terrible perforrtrairces all on the level of camp hysteria. Sirttply excruciating. See review. lidirtburgh: I-ilrtihotise. I I Don’t Want To Talk About It How ( IS) (Mauro liaiias. Bra/.il. I992) 97 rriins. I‘arias' t]l|lCl§‘\\‘lllC(l social comedy reveals Rio de Jarreito as a city of extremes. where beauty and horror. rich and poor. exist side by side. When
his relationship with a rich girl ends aritrd he
finds himself almost destitute. Daniel takes the
chance to write his long cherished TV script. It‘s only the first in a chaotic spiral of events that brtrig about art identity crisis. Latin Arrterican l‘iltrr l‘cstival. (ilasgow: (il’l‘.
I i.d. ( IS) (Philip Davis. l'K/(ieriirany. I994) Reece Drnsdale. Sean Pei'tw cc. Richard (irahaitr.
I07 mitts. l'rrdcrcovei cop John (Dinsdale) discovers that he's ertroy irrg himself a bit too rrrtrch when he infiltrates a gang of football hooligans. Davis's hard-hitting movie lras a sense of gritty reality. biit its character development is too simplified to ring true: the shift fioiti copper to thug comes too quickly. (ilasgow: MGM Parkhcad,
I Jack & Sarah ( l5) ('I‘im Sullivan. l'K. I995) Richard li. (irant. Samantha Mathis. Jtrdr Derrclt. 105 mins. When ltrs wife dies shortly after giving birth to a baby daughter. Jack ((itant) at first rejects the child. btit is persuaded to take on his responsibilities by his family. In order to keep his job as a (‘ity law yer. he Iiires Amy (Mathis) as a live-in nanny. and so adds an extra corrrplicatiort to his life. A familiar scenario. helped along by breezy supporting performances. strffers when it takes a turn into ritelodrarnatic romance. (ilasgow: (il’l‘.
I Jefferson In Paris ( ll) (James Ivory. l’S. I995) Nick Nolte. (ireta Scacclii. Thandie Newton. I40 mins. Mercliant-lvory's take on the third American President's years as Ambassador in Paris lras the high production values we've cortre to expect. btrt the rtarratrve's pace is far too slack. Iilsewhere he may have reckoned 'all men are created equal' bill that didn't stop him. the film alleges. having an affair with one of his own slaves. (ilimpses only of the learn at its best. (ilttsgow: (il’l'.
I Judge Dredd ( I5) (Danny Cannon. l'K/l 'S. I995) Sylvester Stallone. Armand Assante. Diane Lane. It seems that Mega ('ity ()rte's
toughest lawman. Jtidge l)redd. has a geiretically-mutated clone of a brother. who lras
‘lllsl escaped frorti prison arid is bent on
destroying the Judge System. the only thing that
keeps this post-atorrnc world in order. l‘ans may
have a feeling of unease about Stalloric's casting.
but in young director Danny (‘arinon there's at least someone who understands l)redd's
(hydrology and who proved. w itli 'I‘lit' lint/re
:tntr’l'lt'tllh. that he's good on .‘llllttts‘pllClC if not plot. (ilasgow: ()deon. lidiributgh: MUM. l'(‘l. I Killer ( IS) (Mark Malone. I'S. I994) Anthony LaPaglra. Mimi Rogers. Matt ('raven. 98 rtriits. A hard-hearted assassin finds his life knocked otrt of balance when his latest job brings him into contact with a sexy woman with a death wish. Rogers and the under-rated LaPaglia make a great screen pair. as he searches for his lost soul in this moody existetrtialist hitman movie. liife~z Adartt Smith.
I Kind Hearts and Coronets (PG) (Robert llanrei‘. liK. l9-l9) Dennis Price. Alec (itrinness. Joan (ireenwood. Valerie llobson. I06 mitts. Blacker than black Iialing comedy ltas a suave
and sophisticated Price killing off an entire
fartrily tree (all played by (itiinness) iii order to move himself closer to the d'Ascoyne family
title. Low -key cynicism and disarming
callousness make it a true gem of British post- war crrrerrra. (ilasgow: (il’l‘.
I Kiss Of Death ( IS) ( Barbet Schroeder. l'S. I995) David ('ainso. Nicolas (Eige. Sarrrucl L. Jackson. l00 itiiits. Back iit psctido-noriish
territory for a remake of the l9-l7 genre original.
.VI'I’I) Blue's (‘aiuso returns to the big screen as a second division crook who reckons he‘s been double-crossed by the local Mr Big when in prison. (‘aitiso is too low key. particularly in the corrtparry of the deliciously over -the-top (‘age
i‘ ()kay as far as it goes w itlroiit really going far
enough. Iidinburgh: (‘ameo
I The Ladykillers (PG) (Alexander Mackerrtdrick. UK. I955) Alec Guinness. (‘ecil Parker. Katie Johnson. 97 units. A bunch of riot- so-bright crooks planning a daring robbery get rrrore than they bargain for when they set up headquarters with a seemingly ltai'iriless little old lady Wry lialing comedy. with (iurrrness as usual otrtshining a plethora of vigorous comic character actors. (ilasgovv: (il-"l'.
'l I The Last of the Mohicans ( IS) (Michael Mann. L'S. I992) Daniel Day-Lewis. Madeleine
Stowe. Russell Means. Steven Waddington I23
ntins. James lienimoie (‘ooper's tale of the [English/French colonial wars in America
becomes the rriost tltrrllitrg movie of the year in
the hands of Mann (Alan/nutter) and a splendid cast. Day-Lewis rtrakcs a line llaw keye. blending Native Arirericatt and Iiuropean nobility to create a syrirpatlretic. truly iiiertrorable hero. Iidinbtirgh: (‘aitreo
I Leon ( IX) (Lirc Besson. France. l99-l) Jean
Retro. Natltalie Portrtran. (iaiy ()Itlman. I I0 ririns. When his neighbour's family rs w rped out by crooked cops on a bungled drugs bust. ice cool liitrttan Leon finds himself looking after the sole survivor — twelve-ycar-old Matlrrlde. Luc Besson's first film itt linglish is. nevertheless. a l-‘rench frlnr in terms of style. editing and its boldness itt story arid theme. It's good to see that the director has finally got over the all-style-rio- content obstacle. Strathclyde: l'(‘l (‘lydebartk I Liberation (PG) (Arnold Schwartzittan. L'K. I994) 90 mins. 'I'he plight of Iiuropeart Jews during WW2. seen through a coittbirratiori of archive footage. period music and radio broadcasts. (il; sgow: (il’l‘.
I A Man or Ho Importance ( I5 (Suit Krisltnarttma. l'K. I995) Albert l‘lllllC)‘. 'l’ara Fitzgerald. Michael (iambon. 98 mitts. A batcltelor bus conductor in 60s Dublin is inspired to produce a stage version of Oscar Wilde's The Importance ()fBr'i/ig [fa/rim. btit the play causes a scandal arid forces him to declare his owtr love which. until irow. lras dated not speak its name. The tieatrttent of sexuality is well handled. but it's the period setting that is the film's downfall. bringing with it art overbearing sentimentality. Strathclyde: Iiast Kilbride Arts Centre.
I The Mangler ( l8) ('I‘obe llooper. ('anatla. I995) Robert liirglnnd. led Levine. Daniel Matrnor. l05 mitts. Another duff movie from llooper. this Stephen King adaptation about a demoriically possessed laundry press features dodgy sfx attd stodgy plottittg. A cop (Levine) is called in to investigate a series of industrial accidents at the laundry owned by the iiascilbe Iinglund. btrt all he discovers are a pile of washed-out. deja vu cliches. (ilasgow: (irosvenor.
I Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (PG) (Bryan Spicer. l'S. I995) Paul l‘ieemari. (iabr'ielle Fitzpatrick. Artty Jo Johnson. 95 units. A strictly juvenile big sereert version of the 'I'\-' show with the Angel (irove teenagers battlitig the evil Ivan ()oze. Wearing their colour-ctxled jumpsuits. they use good old-fashioned teartrwork to ttrmble and kickbox their way through oodles of rtionsters. The lights are well- staged. btrt sortie of the effects are tackv. It's all parito-blartd ertotrglt to keep the kids happy. (ietieral release.
I Monty Python‘s Meaning or tile ( (3) (Terry Jones. l'K. I983) John (‘lccse. (italiarri (‘lraptrrarL Michael Paliri. Iiiic Idle. I03 rritrrs. Ragbag of occasionally gross Python sketches loosely followirtg this mortal coil lioiii womb to grave. Watch out for the exploding Mr (‘reosote. (‘rlasgowz (iI-"I'.
I Muriel‘s Wedding ( l5) (P.J. llogarr. Atistralia. I994) Tout (‘ollette. Rachel (itifl'rths. Bill llurrter. I05 rtiins. [Tgly duckling Muriel decides to leave behind her boring lrfe irt Porpoise Spit
l artd search for her Prince (“harming in the big
I Iigltts of Sydney. A bouncy Abba soundtrack and
i fairy tale ambiance add to the charm of one of the year's best crowd-pleasers. As sparkling. in
l its own way. as The Adventurer Ofl’rixt'illtt.
l (ilasgow: ()deon. Iidinburgh: Cameo.
I Once Were Warriors ( IS) (Lee 'l'airialrori. New
Zealand. I993) Reria ()wen. 'l‘ermuera Morrison.
; Martraengaroa Keir-Bell. 99 rtrirts. ’I'amahori's
feature debut is a gritty Loach-style look at
l domestic violence and disenfranchisemeitt
; within Auckland s Maori underclass. It s a film
; about survival — of individuals. of families. and
of race It's also an uricontpi'oitiising. shocking
film that doesn't setrsatiorralise its material.
; Stiathclyde: l'(‘l (‘lydebank
I The Pagemaster (1') (Joe Joliitstone/Mauiice lltirtt. ITS. I994) Macaulay (‘ulkin. (‘hiistophei‘
Lloyd. 83 mins. (‘hild-ncrd Richard 'I‘yler
((‘trlkim buitips his head in the local library arid
finds himself transported into an animated
adventure with a trio of book friends —
Adv crittiic. l‘antasy and Ilorror — to keep hint
i comparty. 'l‘he rttoral is that discovering a role for
yourself in fiction helps you confront real life.
E Luckily. the plot episodes come and go at a pace
that suits the skirirpiest corrccntratiort span. bill
that doesn't hide the fact the arrirriatiorr is
f particularly dull. lidiribtrrglt: Filrrihouse.
I Pathfinder ( l5) (Nils (iattp. Norway. I987)
Mikkel (iairp. Ingvaltl (iiittorm. Iilletr Anrte
Bulljo. Sb mins. Set in the snowy wastes of
Lapland. the first film shot irt the Lapp language
follows a teenage boy Aigin ((iattp) as he returns
from a hunting trip to find his farttily slaughtered
by a gang of ntaraiiding warriors and vows to
avenge their deaths. liamiliar reworking of (iood
vs livil. fascinatingly filmed as sortiethirtg akin
to a Scandinavian Kurosawa movie. lidinburgh:
l‘IlltllltHls‘C.
I Priest ( l5) (Aritottia Bird. l'K. I994) Linus
Roaclre. Robert (‘arlyle. Tom Wilkinson. l03
mins. Writer Jimmy McGovern ((‘I'ut'kel; l/t'trrtr
'lm/ .llrnrlv) goes front strength to strength with
another tiricortiprornising foray into an area of
I social contention. while director Antonia Bird
(Safe) shows tltat she too is adept at balancing
political arid ettrotional irrrpact. l’rr'evr's handling
of liorttoscxtraltty within the clergy is no excuse
for tabloid scandal; instead. what emerges is a
story of personal freedom. corttpassion and the
struggle against hypocrisy. (ilasgow: (irosvenor.
I Pulp Fiction ( IS) (Quentin 'l‘arantino..l'S.
I994) John 'l‘ravolta. Samtrel Jackson. l.'rrta
'l‘hurtrian. Bruce Willis. I50 rrriiis. Much more
ambitious than Rt'xt'l‘i'utl' Dogs. the most awaited
second feature of the 90s Iras rttany scenes that
crackle w itlt 'I’ar'antirto wit. and a few others that
fall flat as (Ire writer-director bravely
experiments. lrtterlockirrg stories iii the ptin
crime mariner concern hitmeri. ailing boxers.
gatrg bosses and their rttolls. ditig trends. and
assorted riff-raff. A surprise (‘artnes Palme d'()r
winner is a trip. all the way. lidinburgh: ()deon.
I Rebel Without A Cause ( I8) (Nicholas Ray.
I’S. I956) James Dean. Natalie Wood. Jirtt
Backtrs. Sal Mirteo. l l I rrtirts. Seminal yotrth
movie Itas Dean as a sensitive but rtrisunderstood
kid battling to communicate with his parents arid
caught in tire violent struggle for self-definition.
'l‘houglt irrevocably tlated by now'. this is still
notable as the film that articirlated the until-then
unrecognised experiences and aspirations of a
w ltole generation and does of course contain otrr
favourite nostalgia icon in full flow. lidinburgh:
I"ilmhouse.
I La Heine Margot ( I8) (Patrice (‘hereatL
I lirance. I994) Isabelle Adjani. Dartiel Autetiil.
Jean-Hughes Anglade. I45 rrtirts. A forced
l l l
, wedding between the Protestant Ilenri de
Navarre and the (‘atholic Marguerite de Valois
' can't calm l(tlll century liraitce‘s religious wars
or stop the St Bartholortiew's Day Massacre.
Stairs
HUGH O'Covort AxTOxl'SHER CHARIOTTECOLE.\‘r.-\\ ROGERLLOYDPACK RUTH SHEE\
*‘ki‘k‘fitdrian Mole gone mad”.~...
NOIHING’S MORE DEADLY THAN A POISONED MIND
EDINBURGH CLYDEBANK From 15 sepl [mom 669 0777 [xi/01419511949
The List 8~21 Sept I995 29