FILM SCOTTISH
I Seawards The Great Ships: llilat’y Hart is. the .-\mcr'ican director of Scotland‘s l9ol ()scar-winning documentary short Suntan/s The Great S/ri/M. will give a rrrastcrclass‘ as part of the Glasgow Film and Video \\'ork,shop‘s Centenary ol (‘inema ()perr Day. The filtrr itself w ill be screened at Spm the day before at the (il’l‘.
The masterclass. which takes place at the Gl"\'\\"s premises at .‘i-l Albion Street at (rpm on Fri l7. is part of two- days ofcvcnts at all of Scotland‘s lilm workshops which w ill promote their activities to the general public. Information on specific organisations is available from GF\'\\ (0141 553 3520). Film and Video Access (()l 3| Ill) ()23()). l-idinburgh Video Training (‘ourse (()l 3| 335 (\SIS). l’ilton \'ideo Project (0! 3| 343 i 15] ). lidinburgh Film Workshop 'l‘r‘us't (()l3l 557 5342) arid ('as‘tlernilk Video l’roiect (()l4l (r3l 2367).
I Scottish Independents in London: Fdinburgh-bascd filmmakers Martin Smith and Alan Grady have been invited to show their recent work abotrt l.eith at an exhibition at the Design Museum in London, “Where The City Meets The Sea. which focuses on new developments in l.cith inclttding Forth l’ort's. ()cean 'l‘crminal. opened in the capital on Wed l5 \lay and runs until August.
Smith's film Stu-nil is an c\perimental drama which looks at dance as a form of communicatitin by mixing aerobics and the theories of Nostradamus; another of his works. I-‘i'rvl l-‘ie/rl. is a
Seawards The Great Ships ldocumentary shot in l.cith's Sparta
i Gym. Grady also contributes a documentary. /.(’f//l. which dispels some of the negative aspects of Leith's image. The pair have recently set tip a company called lndependents with three of their contemporaries with an aim of working in the film production field.
I Centenary of Cinema: In addition to the events listed elsewhere in the maga/ine. the Centenary celebrations — which have now moved west to mark the l()() year anniversary of the first ptrblic screening in Glasgow - include: Kit/I Roy producer Peter Broughan talking abotrt his work at a Scottish Screenwriters event at the Street Level Gallery. King Street. at (rpm on Fri 24: the unveiling of commemorative plaques for George Singleton. founder of the Cosmo Cinema (now Glasgow Film Theatre). and the site of the first screening (now the MGM on Sauchiehall Street); and a special open day on Sat 25 at the (HT. which incltrdes screetrings of (il’l': 'I'lrc .l'llli‘lt’ between I lain and 3pm.
I Short Film Festival: The 2nd Manchester international Short Filth and Video Festival takes place from 28 Sept-9 ()ct. but submissions (on any format. btrt under 30 minutes in length) must be sent before Fri )9 July. Categories include animation; drama and documentary; experirnental/digital art; gay and lesbian; new lrish cinema; and black cinema. Further information and submission forms are available frorn Kino Film Cltrb on (Hot 448
()S7S.
FEE-PRODUCTION ' THE BIG DIP
When working in film at the lower end of the financial scale, preparation is everything. Edinburgh-based filmmaker Simon Dennis is currently taking the typical pre-production route for his proposed short, The Big Dip, which involves redrafting the script, storyboarding and thinking hard about casting. He’s also gone one step further: shooting a test version of the film on video with voluntary actors.
It’s a sensible step when you think about it. The filmmaker can, at next- to-no expense, rearrange shots and scenes, experiment with ideas and create an ail-round dramatically tight unit before the costly location work begins. Dennis plans, after further tweaking during the summer, to shoot his film on 35mm with very little
wastage, as angles and the duration of individual shots have already been set down well in advance. Jim Henson Productions have already donated 2000 feet of stock, and the potential for the film to have a longer life at festivals or in cinemas supporting a feature automatically increases if it exists in the 35mm format.
Stylistically, The Big Dip will be claustrophobically shot in strong colours and with figures in dramatic silhouette; storywise, it’s an ambiguous cat-and-mouse game between a cheating husband who fakes his death and the killer hired by his wife to do the job for him. Dennis hopes to coax high profile actors into the roles (at reasonably paid rates) for a shoot in October. Before then, potential sponsors and anyone wanting further information should contact him at Small World Shorts on 0131 228 8646 (fax 0131 538 7629). (Alan Morrison)
VIDEOS
EME— CANADIAN BACDN
Director Michael Moore has already shown that he’s got no love of capitalists (Boyer And Me), but has a keen eye for the bizarre spirit of modern America (TV llafion). The two combine for his fictive debut, Canadian Bacon, a sharp satire that keeps its oddball ideas rolling.
flow that the Cold War has stripped America of obvious enemies, the President’s popularity is waning as the country has an inherent need to be the world’s bully. Who better to pick on than polite, iitterfree Canada, a few miles north across the largest unprotected border in the world? Hostilities are declared, the American media manipulates the truth (‘Iike maple syrup, Canada’s evil oozes over the United States’), and Niagara Falls sheriff John Candy and his mates turn themselves into a frontline task force.
Moore’s happy to poke fun at national stereotypes, but the film’s strength is the range of nicely observed eccentrics that fill government, television or law enforcement positions. The director
a
label.
Canadian Bacon: ‘keeps its oddball ideas rolling’
keeps a more serious warning to his compatriots beneath the surface, making Canadian Bacon a choicer cut than typical US comedies. And, after Grenada, who’s to say the central concept is ridiculous? (Alan Morrison) Canadian Bacon (PC) is available to rent from Wed 22 on the 20:20 Vision
I The Basketball Diaries ( l8) With the loose structure of real-life memory recall (it is culled from a diary. after all). Jitn Carroll's 70s disillusionment is updated to the 90s as Leonardo DiCaprio throws away a school sports career in favour of chemical abuse. livocative. but not as strong as it could have been. the filth confirms the star power of DiCaprio and features a tremendous supporting performance from Mark Wahlberg. (First independent)
I Murder In The First
( IS) The brutality of the Alcatraz prison regime is put on trial as rookie lawyer Christian Slater defends inmate Kevin Bacon on a charge of murder. Both actors are on fine fornr. but Bacon is the real discovery: tortured physically and mentally. his Henri Young is a man whose thinking process is not so much slow as irreparany damaged. Director Marc Rocco asks a lot of his stars in the long takes. but he should just let them get on with it: his constant stylised moves and playing with the catnera are an irritation. (Fox Guild)
I The Net ( l2) There's always room for paranoia when ‘they' know more than you do. Now it's not the Commies who have the necessary information at the fingertips. btrt the cotnputer boffins. Sandra Bullock takes viruses out
of new programmes. but when she stumbles onto an electronic key that can unlock airy security system. a trail of dead bodies lie behind her and she finds her identity erased from official files by the bad guys. A gripping. old fashioned conspiracy thriller dressed tip in new tritnmings that will be enjoyed by all except the most snooty techrroplriles. (Columbia) I Sister My Sister ( l5) Unnatural sibling bonding and class rivalries reach a murderous pitch in this theatrical melodrama set it) France during the 30s. At first the maids (.loely Richardson and Jolrdi May) and their mistress (Julie Walters) keep to their own upstairs/ downstairs donrains. but soon physical and psychological boundaries are transgressed. Richardson gives a tightly wound performance that suggests desire. guilt and jealousy pressed into one over-powering emotion.
( Arrow)
I El fiorte (PC) A brother and sister flee political oppression in Guatemala and head. via Mexico. to the fabled riches of America. A lesser movie might have stopped there. with a ‘testament of courage' journey. but this ()scar-winning screenplay pushes on. showing the naively of their dream and finding sympathy for the plight of illegal immigrants in an uncaring society. With such serious
subject matter. the high- class photography and moments of tenderness are a pleasant surprise. (Arrow L' l 5.99)
I Ghost In The Shell ( 15) At titnes the animation is beautiful manga as art ~< but this acclaimed movie is almost intelligible it) its narrative and philosophical concerns. The fusion of machine and human -» one of the genre's recurring themes ‘ is taken a stage ftrrther as a voluptuous cyborg. whose soul is reduced to a shadow in a techno-husk. questions her identity while pursuing a powerful hacker. (Manga £13.99) I Altered States i )8) William Hurt searches for his ()riginal Self through a concoction of hallucinogenic drugs and sensory deprivation experiments in one of cinema's most effective trips. heightened by a cracking ()scar-winning Dolby Surround soundtrack. Ken Russell‘s surreal eye adds visual stimulation to the intellectual concerns of this superior piece of sci- fi horror. (Beyond Vision £9.99)
I Trial And Error ((3) Adapted from John Mortimer's radio play The Duck Brie]. this turns into a virtual two-hander for incompetent solicitor Peter Sellers arid Richard Attenborotrgh. the mild- mannered murderer he’s determined to clear despite the latter's obvious guilt. A clever. but slight. little British character comedy. (Arrow £9.99)
32 Tlie List 17:30 May 19%