FILM INDEX
FILM ma-
Films screening this fortnight are listed below with certificate, credits, brief review and venue details. Film index compiled by Alan Morrison.
I Ace Ventura: When liable Calls (PG) (Steve Oedekerk. US. 1995) Jim Carrey. Simon Callow. Ian McNeice. 94 mins. This puerile. stereotyped and occasionally brilliant follow-up to the . surprise hit that launched Cartey's career finds the pet detective in Africa. The natives are defined by silly rituals and a war-like nature. the English as upper-class twits. and amongst it all. (.‘arrey's hit-and-miss antics become wearisome. General release. I Amateur (15) (Hal Hartley. US. 1994) Isabelle lluppert. Martin Donovan. Elina Lowensohn. 105 mins. Isabelle. an ex-nun writing porn stories. meets amnesiac Thomas on the streets of New York; soon they find that his past is somehow linked to Sofia. a porn actress. and two violent corporate assassins. The patented Hartley dialogue and wit is ever present. but this time there are a few filmic jokes thrown in with references to specific genres and other movies. Edinburgh: Film Guild. I The American President ( 15) (Rob Reiner. JS. 1995) Michael Douglas. Annette Bening. Martin Sheen. 113 mins. Widower and leader of the Western world Andrew Shepherd (Douglas) falls for a sparky environmental lobbyist (Betting). but finds that press intrusion. opposition slurs and his day-today chores get in the way of romance. Director Reiner (When Harry Met Sally) again pulls offa perfectly balanced romantic comedy. throwing in some serious points along the way. Glasgow: MGM Filrrr Centre. Edinburgh: Dominion. UCI. Borders: Pavilion. I Apocalypse flow! (18) (Francis Coppola. US. 1980) Martin Sheen. Marlon Brando. Robert Drrvall. Dennis Hopper. 153 mins. Vietnam as The Ultimate Trip. We follow US Army assassin Sheen downriver and deeper into the Heart of Darkness ruled over by Brando's mad Colonel Kurtz. Altemately pretentious and visually overpowering (the Valkyries helicopter attack. for example). its grandiloquent folly somehow pierces right to the bone of the conflict. Newly re-released in a 70mm print. Glasgow: GET. I Babe (U) (Chris Noonan. Australia. 1995) James Cromwell. with the voices of Christine Cavanaugh. Miriam Margolyes. Hugo Weaving. 92 mins. An orphaned pig falls under the eye of a kindly collie and begins to think he's destined for glory at the regional trials. Talking animals suggest that this is a kids' movie: to an extent it is - and a great one - but there's enough skewered humour (hail the psycho mice!) for adults to discover an unexpected cult hit. A triumph for the underpig. General release. I Baby Doll (18) (Elia Kazan. US. 1956) Carroll Baker. Karl Malden. Eli Wallach. 114 mins. Tennessee Williams and director Kazan took two of the playwright‘s one act works and tumed them into this blackly comic melodrama about a bored teen bride. her clumsy husband and their slyly seductive neighbour. The chaos of the couple's house mirrors the broken-down morality of the characters. while the hot 'n‘ sweaty Deep South setting keeps passions close to the boil. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Being Human (PG) (Bill Forsyth. US. 1994) Robin Williams. John Turturro. Vincent D’Onofrio. 122 mins. After a troubled history and substantial cuts forced upon it. Forsyth's ambitious feature still disappoints. Its five stories. spread across the decades and continents. follow different men called Ilector (all played by Williams) who are separated from their families. But none of the segments satisfies in itself. and cumulatively they build to nothing. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I BlaeItIs. . . BlackAh’t(l8)(Marion T. Riggs. US. 1995) 88 mins. In his final film before he died of AIDS. Riggs examines what it means to be Black and American in the present day and age. An experimental. openly autobiographical documentary that gives voice to those silenced by race. class and sexuality. Glasgow: GFT. I Black Ilaln (15) (Shohei lmmamura. Japan. 1989) Yoshiko Tanaka. Kazuo Kitamura. ELsuko lchihara. 123 mins. Immamura‘s adaptation of the acclaimed novel by Masuji lbuse horrifyineg depicts the devastation of Hiroshima by the first atomic bomb. and explores the despair of the survivors uncomprehendingly condemned to a slow death by the contaminated black rain that falls shortly afterwards. Seriously intentin and extremely movrng attempt at putting on screen events that. although they should never be forgotten.
probably remain unfilmablc. Edinburgh: Film Guild. I Braveheart (15) (Mel Gibson. US. 1995) Mel Gibson. Patrick McGoohan. Sophie Marceau. 177 mins. Mel Gibson's long and bloody account of the life of Scottish warrior hero William Wallace boasts some remarkable battle scenes and great perfomtances. particularly McGoohan's merciless King Edward. Aiming to entertain on a wider scale than the more literate Rob Roy. Braveheart's Scottish passion is tempered by a few Hollywood moments - touches of sentimentality and ‘dramatic' historical inaccuracy. Nevertheles. it's a fine. full-blooded attempt to tap into the spirit that fires Scotland's heroes. General release. I The Bridges 01 Madison County (12) (Clint Eastwood. US. 1995) Clint Eastwood. Meryl Streep. 94 mins. Robert James Waller's book may be literary tripe. but one's admiration for director-star Eastwood increases a thousand- fold. as he conjures one of his finest achievements as a filmmaker. It’s a classic love story between a passing photographer and a woman whose husband and children are off at the state fair. and Eastwood has created a work with real tear-stirring potency despite its utter lack of sentiemental gushiness. Fife: New Picture House. Strathclyde: East Kilbride Arts Centre. I earrington (18) (Christopher Hampton. UK. 1995) Emma Thompson. Jonathan Pryce. Steven Waddington. 123 mins. Hampton‘s debut as writer-director concentrates on the deeply loving. platonic relationship between Bloomsbury Group writer Lytton Strachey (Pryce) and painter Dora Carrington (Thompson). The film takes an episodic approach to their life together. letting the performances flourish. but providing some extremely funny and literate one-liners to lighten the moments when tragedy looms. Darker and more intriguing than the typical British period piece. Fife: New Picture House. I Cesar (PG) (Marcel Pagnol. France. 1938) Raimu. Pierre Fresnay. Orane Demazis. 123 ntins. The final part of Pagnol‘s ‘Marseilles Trilogy' sees him taking over the reins as director and encouraging fine performances from the cast. Cesariot. son of Marius and Fanny. believes his stepfather Panisse to be his biological parent. but goes on a quest when he is told the truth. See also Fanny and Marius. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I to Colonel Cirabert (PG) (Yves Angelo. France. 1994) Gerard Depardieu. Fanny Ardant. Fabrice Luchini. 111 mins. In the post- Napoleonic years. a hero thought to be dead returns to Paris and tries to reclaim his rank and fortune from his now remartied wife. Angelo's directorial debut has strong similarities in its story to The Return 0] Martin Guerre. 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. Edinburgh: Cameo. I Crimson Tide ( 15) (Tony Scott. US. 1995) Gene Hackman. Denzel Washington. George Dzundza. 116 mins. When a rebel Russian nationalist general with his mitts on the nuclear trigger brings Armageddon back onto the agenda. the USS Alabama. with its 24 Trident missiles. is called into action. With a nightmare scenario. two top stars acting their socks off and a director who knows how to get the most front big budget effects. this tense and claustrophobic submarine thriller is a prime slice of weekend entertainment. Edinburgh: Cameo. Strathclyde: WMR. I Cullodert (15) (Peter Watkins. UK. 196-1) 73 mins. Watkins' first full length piece for television was an attempt to film a period conflict in the manner of a present day newsreel. and on the spot interviews blend with an impassioned and committed commentary. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Cyrano lle Bergerac (U) (Jean-Paul Rappeneau. France. 1990) Gerard Depardieu. Jacques Weber. Anne Brocbet. Vincent Perez. 135 mins. A stirring adaptation of Rostand's classic. romantic tragi-comcdy. Full of grandly mounted. bustling crowd scenes. it revolves around typically superb performance from Depardieu as the large-nosed hero. Although performed in rhyming verse throughout (with subtitles by Anthony Burgess). and a touch overlong. the film's dramatic and cinematic qualities are outstanding. Edinburgh: Cameo. I blinds (15) (John N. Smith. US. 1995) Michelle Pfeiffer. George Dzundza. Courtney B. Vance. 106 mins. In a tougher role than some she's played to date. Pfeiffer is an ex- marine who becomes English teacher to a bunch of underachieving inner city kids with academic potential. The Hollywood optimism of the plot sits oddly with the classroom realism that comes from casting fledgling actors and streetwise non- professionals. but it's a brave attempt at tackling the serious subject of education in modem-day America. See feature and review. General release.
I Devil III A Blue Dress (15) (Carl Franklin. US. 1995) Denzel Washington. Jennifer Beals. Tom Sizemore. 102 mins. The social realism and detailed atmosphere remain true in Franklin's screen translation of Walter Mosley's novel. with the added bonus of superb photography and a sensuous perfonnance by Washington. He stars as Easy Rawlins. newly unemployed in post- WW2 LA and uying to earn a buck searching for a mysterious woman. The Chandler tradition with a more cynical racial twist. See preview. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Down By Law (15) (Jim Jannusch. US. 1986). John Lurie. Roberto Benigni. Tom Waits. Three petty crooks in New Orleans find themselves framed (‘down by law') and imprisoned in the heart of the Louisiana swamps. They escape. but the jailbreak is hardly relevant (and hardly explained either) — the crux of the film lies in the relationship between the three men as they make their hazardous way through an alien environment. Benigni just steals the honours from his better-known comrades in Jamiusch's splendidly off-beat. monochrome comedy. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Elisa ( 15) (Jean Becker. France. 1994) Vanessa Paradis. Gerard Depardieu. Chlothilde Courau. 115 mins. A streetowise girl moves from council estate to sleazy hotel to windswept lighthouse to exact revenge for her mother's suicide. Becker's film suffers an awkward change of tone from funny buddy action to father-daughter mind games. Paradis isn't bad. she'sjust asked to cover too much ground. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Fair Game ( 18) (Andrew Sipes. US. 1995) Cindy Crawford. William Baldwin. Steven Berkoff. 96mins. In her acting debut. supermodel Crawford plays a Miami attorney on the run from ex-KGB assassins led by Berkoff; her only helping hand comes from cop Baldwin. Yet again. at time of writing. the film company
is refusing to show the film to the press — never a good sign. and this one has less in its favour than
most. General release.
I Fall From Grace (15) (Ian Wyse. UK. 1984) 55 mins. Scottish filmmaker Wyse follows Bonnie Prince Charlie as he retreats to the Highlands after the failed Battle of Culloden. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Fanny (PG) (Marc Allegrct. France. 1932) Raimu. ()rane Demazis. Pierre Fresnay. 125 mins. The second part of Marcel Pagnol's 'Marseilles Trilogy' picks up with Fanny's discovery that she is pregnant. Marius has gone
remember the Morricone score from this Leone extravaganza. but the degree of directorial stylisation (just count the number of times extreme close-ups fill the screen) make it a pretty remarkable effort all round. Third and last movie with Eastwood as the Man With No Name. because the series really had nowhere else to go. Fife: Adam Smith.
I lleavy(l5) (James Mangold. US. 1995) Pruitt Taylor Vance. Shelley Winters. Liv Tyler. 105 mins. In a US indie trailer park hinterland. a fat grry with communication problems falls in love with the waitress at the pizzeria he runs with his domineering mother. Vance makes social misfit Victor a complex figure. and the film is acted with an intelligent tenderness. but Mangold's portrait of a poetic poverty is sentimental. rheumy-eycd realism. See review. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I The Horseman On The Roof (15) (Jean-Paul Rappeneau. France. 1995) Juliette Binochc. ()livier Martinez. Jean Yanne. 130 mins. Rappeneau's follow-up to Cyrano De Bergerac lacks the verve of that modern arthouse blockbuster. An Italian hussar evades llapsburg agents and crosses cholera-ravished 19th century France. meeting up with a beautiful young woman. Emotions are repressed to the extent that it actually hinders audience involvement. and we're left just looking at pictures — which are spectacular. admittedly. Glasgow: GFI‘. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I The lndian In The Cupboard (PG) (Frank ()1. US. 1995) Hal Scardino. Litefoot. David Keith. 96mins. For his birthday. young Omri is given a magic cupboard that brings to ilesh-and-bone life his plastic toys. principally Native American Little Bear. Excellent sfx bring Lynne Reid Banks' novel to life. bttt aside from that. it doesn't really develop. apart from some trite
moral lessons about showing respect for the lives
of others. General release.
I Knife in the Head (18) (Reinhard llauff. Germany. 1978) Bruno Ganz. Angela Winkler. Hans llonig. 113 mins. A biogcneticist is
accidently shot in the head by police. but
although he survives, he loses his memory and is branded a terrorist. A chilling psycho-[Xihtical
thriller. with a tremendous ccntral performance
by Ganz as the man trying to piece togethcr his
past life. Edinburgh: Film Guild.
I Land And Freedom ( I 5) (Ken Loach.
UK/Spain. 1995) Ian llart. Rosana Pastor. lciar
Bollain. 109 mins. A magnificent. moving. politicist epic on the Spanish (‘ivil War by
to sea. so she is forced to marry the older Panisse 2
to save her reputation. A touching love story that remains universally popular. See also Marius and Cesar. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Four Rooms (18) (Quentin Tarantino/Robert RodriguezJAllison Anders/Alexandre Rockwell. US. 1995) Tim Roth. Antonio Battderas. Madonna. 105 mins. Tarantino and friends concoct a quartet of stories set in a hotel and linked by Tint Roth‘s bell boy. Universally panned by journos and given the cold shoulder by the public. with most of the criticism targetted at Quent‘s self-indulgent section. It's up to you to decide whether or not the Tarantino bubble has burst. Edinburgh: Cameo. UCI. Strathclyde: UCI Clydebank.
I Funny Bones (15) (Peter Chelsorn. UK/US. 1995) Lee Evans. Oliver Platt. Jetty Lewis. 128 mins. Chelsom's tragicomedy has funny moments. but its main interest lies in its seriousness. Tommy (Plait) leaves Las Vegas and comes to Blackpool in search of new material: there he meets Jack (Evans). an instinctively funny man. who's linked to him by more than profession. An honest and sensitive portrait of the deep sorrow that often underlines comic genius. Fife: Adam Smith.
I Seminal (15) (Claude BClTi. France. 1993) Renaud. Miou-Miou. Gerard Depardieu. 160 mins. A mining village in 19th century France strikes when management imposes an unjust wage cut. Zola‘s novel prefigures much of the unrest seen in the 1984 Miners' Strike in the UK. and - while showing the ugly side of
conflict between working-class communities — sows the seeds for trade unionism.
Atmospherically shot with wide social scope and intimate detail by the director of Jean De Florette. and well acted throughout. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Soldeneye (12) (Martin Campbell. UK/US. 1995) Pierce Brosnan. Sean Bean. lzabella Scorupco. 130 mins. A long wait. a new Bond. a twist to bring him up to the 90s. It's definitely wonh it. because this is a solid two-and-a-bit hours of fun. filled with all the old puns and gadgets. but with a bit of character development. Brosnan is the best Bond since Connery. and his wry smile helps our hero through his trials as he tracks down the baddies who have hijacked a satellite system that can wipe the world's computers clean. General release.
I The Good. The Bad and The Ugly (15) (Sergio Leone. Italy. 1968) Clint Eastwood. Lee Van C1ccf.Eli Wallach. 180 mins. During the American Civil War. a trio of mean gringos squabble over hidden loot. Most people
Britain's most committed director on the Lelt. An unemployed man (llart) leaves 30s l.i\‘L‘I’[XX)l to fight with the 1’(.)UM Militia. and sees first hand the betrayal of his cause by the Stalinists. His story is told in flashback. as his
granddaughter reads his hidden letters home — a link to the present day that proves these events have a strong relevance to today. Edinburgh:
Filmhouse. Fife: Adam Smith.
I little Rascals (U) (Penelope Sphccris. US. 1994) Travis Tedford. Bug Hall. Brittany .\shton Holmes. 82 mins. After Beverly llil/ln'llt'ex, director Spheeris does another TV remake. this
time going for a bunch of smug brats who leave
a trail of destruction behind them. liven kids who enjoyed the Home Alone level of mayhem might not take to the American sentiment and unnecessary low humour here. Glasgow: MGM Film Centre.
I Mad Max ( 18) (George Miller. Australia. 1979) Mel Gibson. Joanne Samuel. Steve Bisley. 93 mins. In a bleak. near future the forces of law and order are barely able to suppress a reckless bcdlam rampaging on the highways of the state. Weary and disgusted. supercop Gibson retires but returns with a purpose to avenge the murder by marauding bikers of his wife and child. Violent stuff with death-defying stunt work. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I The Madness 0f King George (PG) (Nicholas llytner. UK. 1994) Nigel Hawthorne. lleletr Mitten. 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. Fife: New Picture House. I Manhunter (18) (Michael Mann. US. 1987) William 1.. Petersen. Tom Noonan. Brian Cox. Kim Griest. 119 mins. FBI agent Petersen returns from psychiatric treatment to face another case. using his customary technique for tracking down serial killers by recreating their train of thought. Cox‘s embodiment of Hannibal Lector may not have had the same amount of coverage as Hopkins'. but his remains the more chilling perfonnauce. Convincing and disturbing adttlt thriller with effortlessly stylish use of the wide screen. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Marius (PG) (Alexander Korda. France. 1931) Raimu. ()rane Demazis. Pierre Fresnay. 125 mins. Writer-prtxlucer Marcel Pagnol's ‘Marseilles 'l'r'ilogy' begins with the story of Marius. a young man who yeams '0 go to sea.
30 The List 12-25 Jan 1996