INDEX FILM
is an attempt to find his lighter side. as he plays the tinlikeliest victim of peer and parental pressure you could imagine. A different take on the ‘hood. with the cliches slightly inverted and a script that keeps plugging away in search of a laugh. It's pleasant enough. even when the pace sags. Strathclyde: l.‘Cl Clydebank.
I Fun ( 18) (Rafal Zielinski. US/Can. 199-1) Alicia Witt. Renee Humphrey. William R. Moses. 105 mins. Two young teenage girls meet on a roadside. become frrrn friends and murder an old woman before evening. Yes. another case history of a senseless crime. another bleak portrait of our morally bankrupt society. but Fun is more distanced and thought-provoking than Ile’tll't'Il/Y ('rt'ultrrt'i. The actresses create evasive. tinkriowable and compellineg real characters. Central: MacRobert.
I Heavenly Creatures ( 18) (Peter Jackson. New Zealand. 199-4) Melanie Lynskey. Kate Winslet. Sarah Peirse. 98 mins. In 1952. New Zealand was shocked by the murder of llonora Parker by her teenage daughter and a schoolfriend. Despite director Peter Jackson's back catalogue in slapstick gore — Bruititlt'ml. Burl Iititt' — Heaven/i: ('rt'utitrrx does not dwell on the more lurid details of the crime. Instead. it examines the imaginative fantasy worlds of the girls and the strength of their friendship in a sympathetic light. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Ilotttards End (PG) (James Ivory. UK. 1992) Anthony Hopkins. Vanessa Redgrave. Ilelena Bonham Carter. Emma Thompson. 142 mins. After a succession of dreary Forster clones. the British film industry gets round to tackling his masterpiece. and one of the most important novels of the 20th century. The story. centririg on the marriage between a wealthy and reactionary old dtifl'er and an emancipated younger woman. is a complex family chronicle told with clarity and compassion. At last a cinematic period drama that exudes excellence. with some finely crafted performances to match. Edinbrrrgh: Filmhouse.
I linniortal Beloved ( IS) (Bernard Rose. US/UK. 1994) Gary Oldman. Jeroen Krabbe. Isabella Rossellini. 120 mins. Taking the route of a flashback romantic riiystei‘y rather than a traditional biopic. Rose's investigation into the loves of Beethoven's life ends tip actually revealing more about the composer's state of mind and his music. L'nl'ortunately the direction frequently plods along. but the final '()de To Joy‘ set-piece is worth the wait and ()ldman perfectly captures Ludwig's frustration with his deafness. Stiathclyde: East Kilbride Arts Centre. I The Intruder ( 12) (Roger Corman. US. 1961) William Shatner. Frank Maxwell. Beverly Lunsford. 84 mins. Roger Corman's most serious film (and apparently his favourite of his own pictures) has a pie-Kirk Shatner in blistering form as an tinsci tiptilous agitator who arrives iii a small Southern States town on the eve of the integration of the local school. his sole purpose to stir tip racial hatred. 'l'aut. passionate and effective message picture based on actual events. it was Corman's orin commercial failure even when reissued under the rather more tabloid title of I Hate Your Guts. Followed by a discussion on ‘the Corman ethic'. Glasgow: GET.
I Jefferson In Paris ( l 2) (James Ivory. US. 1995) Nick Nolte. Greta Scacchi. Thandie Newton. 14(lmins. Merchant-lvory's take on the third American President's years as Ambassador in Paris has the high production values we've come to expect. btrt the narrative's pace is far too slack. Elsewhere he may have reckoned ‘all men are created equal' btit that didn't stop him. the film alleges. having an affair with one of his own slaves. Glimpses only of the team at its best. Strathclyde: UCI East Kilbride.
I Ladybird. Ladybird (18) (Ken Loacli. UK.
1994) Crissy Rock. Vladimir Vega. Sandie Lavelle. 101 mins. Loach‘s latest hard-hitting socio-political drama tells the story of ‘Maggie'. a woman with a history of relationships with violent men. who has her four children taken from her when she refuses to co-operate with Social Services. A new liaison with a gentle South American exile only causes new traumas. Loacli pushes our sympathies to the side of the underdogs rather than the social workers who are also victims of a heartless system. Extremely harrowing. btit a vital catalyst to debate. Glasgow Gl’l’.
I the Last Seduction ( 15) (John Dahl. IS. 1993) Linda Fioreirtino. Peter Berg. Bill Pullman. l 10mins. After double-crossing her husband. stealing some drugs sale cash and holing tip in a small town. Grade ‘A' birch Bridget Gregory uses her sexual charms to line the naive Mike Swale into a plan that will free her from her troubles. No one handles polished pulp like John (Rn! Rock ll’t'tt) Dalrl. arid here he's got the added advantage of a deliciously nasty performance front Linda Fiorentino as a femme who's more fatale than most. Glasgow: MGM Parkhead.
I legends or the Fall ( 15) (Edward Zwick. US 1994) Brad Pitt. Anthony Hopkins. Aidan Quinn. Julia Ormond. 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 WW 1. to the beginning of modern American society. A bit like a coming- of-age tale for a nation. its narrative is too condensed. with the effect that it ends by lrrrching from one tragedy to the next. Fife: New Picture House.
I Little Odessa ( 15) (James Gray. US. 1994) Tim 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. Fife: Adam Smith.
I little Rascals (U) (Penelope Spheeris. US. 1994) Travis Tedford. Brig 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 American sentiment arid unnecessary low humorrr here. Fife: MGM.
I London (U) (Patrick Keiller. UK. 1993) 84 mins. Three trips across London. taking in the city's artistic and literary heritage and rubbing it against contemporary social and political events from 1992. Presented as a fictional series of
journeys. narrated by Paul Scofreld. it is a poetic.
brilliantly photographed. insightful take on the capital. Glasgow: GF'T.
I The Long Day Closes (PG) (Terence Davies. UK. 1992) Marjorie Yates. Leigh McCormack. Anthony Watson. 82 mins. Beautiful. visually poetic film based on writer/director Davies early life in the Liverpool of the 1950s. Following on front the justly acclaimed Dixrmt! Voices. Still Lives. it places its young protaganist in an idyllically happy home. soon to be disrupted by the natural process of growing tip. Davies's faultless use of the camera and soundtrack confirm his status as one of the country's leading filmmakers. Glasgow: GFT.
I the lord of the Rings (PG) (Ralph bakshi. US. 1982) With the voices of Christopher Guard. William Squire. Michael Scholes. John Htrrt.
133 mins. Successful animated version of the
Tolkien epic covers the first two books of the trilogy only. Sticking closely to the text and using live action tracings to give authenticity to the animation. it manages to avoid Disney crrteness and creates an exciting and enjoyable mythical adventure that only the Tolkien purist will find fault with. Glasgow: GET.
I the Madness M King George (PG) (Nicholas Ilytner. UK. 199-4) Nigel Hawthorne. Helen Mirren. Rupert Everett. 110 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 llawthorne'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. Central: MacRobert. Strathclyde: East Kilbride Arts Centre.
I The Mask (PG) (Charles Russell. US. 1994) Jim Carrey. Cameron Diaz. Peter Reigert. 95 mins. A timid bank clerk finds an ancient mask that allows him to fulfil his innermost desires as a suave charmer and crime-fighting whirlwind. An amalgam of 20s. 30s and 40s decor. The Mark has a skimpy plot. btit its rousing musical set-pieces and eye-popping computer-generated effects (like a live action Tex Avery cartoon) make it the surprise hit of the srrrnrner. Strathclyde: UCI East Kilbride. . I Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: the Movie (PG) (Bryan Spicer. US. 1995) Paul Freeman. Gabrielle Fitzpatrick. Amy Jo Johnson. 95 mins. A strictly juvenile big screen version of the TV show with the Angel Grove teenagers battling the evil Ivan Ooze. Wearing their colour-coded jumpsuits. they use good old-fashioned teamwork to tumble arid kickbox their way through oodles of monsters. The lights are well- staged. btrt some of the effects are tacky. It's all panto-bland enough to keep the kids happy. Glasgow: Cannon. Odeon. MGM Parkhead. All UCls.
I Muriel's Wedding (15) (PJ. Hogan. Australia. 1994) Toni Collette. Rachel Griffiths. Bill Hunter. 105 mins. Ugly 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 Adventurer ()f Priir'i/ltt. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Natural Born Killers (18) (Oliver Stone. US. 1994) Woody Harrelson. Juliette Lewis. Robert Downey Jr. 1 19mins. 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 fonnats. NBK is a landmark in MTV-influenced filmmaking. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Nostalgia (15) (Andrei Tarkovsky. Italy. 1983) Oleg Jank0vsky. Erland Josephson. Domiziana Giordano. 126 mins. A Russian poet and rnusicologist researching in the Tuscany hills meets a mysterious stranger who believes the world is about to end. Often obscure. often hauntingly beautiful evocation of exile and the need for faith. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Once Were Warriors ( 18) (Lee Tamahori. New Zealand. 1993) Rena Owen. Termuera Morrison. Marnaengaroa Kerr-Bell. 99 mins. 'l‘amahori's feature debut is a gritty Loach-style look at domestic violence and disenfranchiseirient within Auckland's Maori underclass. It‘s a film about survival - of individuals. of families. and of race. It's also an uncompromising. shocking film that doesn't sensationalise its material. Fife: Adam Smith. Strathclyde: UCI East Kilbride.
I One From the heart (Francis Coppola. US. 1982) Frederic Forrest. Teri Garr. Raul Julia. Nastassja Kinski. 107 mins. Uncharacteristically optimistic effort from Frank ltas Forrest and Garr as a Iovin' an' leavin' an lovin' again couple. whose simple history is told in the form of a neon-lit musical comedy set in Las Vegas on Independence Day. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I 101 Dalmatians (U) (Wolfgang Reitherman/llarniltorr S. Lriske/Clyde Geronimi. US. 1961) 80 turns. A Disney re-r'elease that's a personal favourite. Dad Dalmatian Pongo and various animal churns help rescue his offspring from a terrible fate as the intended coat of Cruella De Vil. Plenty of fun. acres of cuteness. and the best villainess in aniiriation history. Strathclyde: Magnum.
I Orlando (PG) (Sally Potter. CK. 1992) Tilda Swinton. Billy Zane. Quentin Crisp. 92 mins. A male Elizabethan coui'tier begins a journey of self-discovery that involves four centuries and a sex change. Swinton's simple btit unique beauty captures the androgyny of the perfect Ever'yirian/woman. while director Potter creates from Virginia Woolf's novel a humorous and visually splendid succession ofepisodes that is a constant joy to watch. At last. a literary film rather than a literature substitute. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Pulp Fiction ( 18) (Quentin Tarantino. [75. 199-1) John Travolta. Samuel Jackson. Uma Thurman. Bruce Willis. 150 mins. Much more ambitious than Reservoir Dogs. the most awaited second feature of the 90s has many scenes that crackle with Tarantino wit. and a few others that fall flat as the writer-director bravely experiments. Interlocking stories in the pulp crime manner concern liitmen. ailing boxers. gang bosses and their molls. drug fiends. and assorted riff-raff. A surprise Cannes I’alme d'Or winner is a trip. all the way. Edinburgh: Cameo. Filmhouse.
I The Quick And The Dead ( l 5) (Sam Raimi. US. 1995) Sharon Stone. Gene llackman. Russell Crowe. Leonardo DiCaprio. 108 mins. Into town rides Stone. intent on a revenge-driven show down with the imrrieasurably evil llackman. who keeps his enemies six feet under with an annual quick-draw tournament for a huge cash prize. As befits a western more in the European as opposed to American tradition. Raimi behaves like Sergio Leone‘s hip. hyperactive grandson. Defrantly cartoonisli. with as many twisted angles. fast edits. rooms and swoops as can be fitted in before hiin noon. See review. Glasgow: ()deon. MGM Parkltead. Edinburgh: MGM. UCI. Strathclyde: liCls.
I Ritchie llich (PG) (Donald Petrie. US. 1995) Macaulay Culkin. Jonathan Ilyde. John Larroquette. 95 mins. The world‘s wealthiest child played by the world's wealthiest child actor - this comic strip turned movie ltas enough knockabout mayhem to keep the kids happy. Culkin is more confident and appealing than in his some of his other work. btit it's Hyde's sarcastic butler who brings a better comic touch to the proceedings. Strathclyde: Cartoon.
I Rob Roy ( 15) (Michael (‘aton-Jones. US/UK. I995) Liam Neeson. Jessica Lange. Tim Roth. 130 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. btit 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. Edinburgh: Odeon. Strathclyde: Odeon Ayr.
I Santa Sangre ( l8) (Alexandro Jodorowsky. Italy/Mexico. 1989) Axel Jodorowsky. Blanca
CLAUDE BERRI PRISINTS
ISABELLE HUPPERT DANIEL AUTEUIL;
‘Huteuil and Huppert are astonishingly powerful together ’r
x mm m- CHRISTIAN VINCENT
From 22 Sept GLASGOW FILM THEATRE 0141 332 8128
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The List 22 Sept-5 Oct 1995 27