FILM INDEX
Lowensohn) searches New York for lter estranged brother while pursued by paranoic Van Helsing (Fonda). A self-conscious. black and white. any hon'or movie whose concept is overstrcached. with only moments of quirky humour from Fonda. Pixilvision sequences evoke the impressionistic. dream-like night world of the vampire and give the film a distinctive look. Glasgow: Gi’l‘.
I llelly it It. Arnautl (15) (Claude Satttel. France. 1994) Emmanuelle Beart. Michel Serraull. Jean-Hughes Anglade. 105 mins. Sautet's first film after Un ('uear En [liver is another delicate yet complex study of human relationships. A woman in her twenties. ttnlttcky in love. meets a retired magistrate and friendship blossoms when she takes a job helping him write his memoirs. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I “edit By Northwest (PG) (Alfred Hitchcock. US. 1959) Cary Grant. Eve Marie Saint. James Mason. Martin Landau. I36 tttins. Quintessential Hitchcock comedy-actioner with Grant perfect as the everyday adman pitched ittto a freewheeling espionage adventure. it here nobody believes his innocence btlt he finds self- worth and romance along the way. Classic sequences abound. including the crop-dusting routine and the Mount Rushmore climax. Brilliant entertainment. Glasgow: (117T.
I low And Then (PG) (l.esli Linka Glattcr. LS. 1995) Demi Moore. Melanie Griffith. Christina Ricci. Thora Birch. 102 mins. Four women meet after an a gap of ten years and remember back to their childhood. when an enigmatic headstone message set off a chain of events that bonded them together. Hints of a female Stand By Me perhaps. btrt this is a thoughtful. comforting memory piece. Sentimental. bill that comes with the ten'itory. General release.
I The Pebble And the Penguin (1)) (Don Blttlll. US. I995) With the voices of Martin Short. James Belushi. Tim Curry. 7-1 mins. The director of All Dogs Go 7i) Heaven and An .Almerican Tale presents another animated animal feature with musical interludes that will keep the youngsters happy for a while. Nice boy penguin wants to woo nice girl penguin with a pebble (er. yeah?) btlt nasty penguin gets in the way. Glasgow: MGM Parkhead. I Projectablllty Event 120 mins. 'l’hree short films by patients at Lennox Castle Hospital. including the animated shorts A Day ()at and They Came Front Tlle Sky. Also on the bill are two filrtts by Belgium-based Creative ct Handicap Mental. Glasgow: (ii-'1’.
I llebecea (PG) (Alfred Hitchcock. US. 1940) Laurence Olivier. Joan Fontaine. Judith Anderson. 130 mins. Wonderfully atmospheric romance. made when Hitch was at his height. The young bride of rich widower Maxim de Winterjoins him at his grand mansion — Manderley - but everywhere she turns. there are memories of his first wife. whOse death is surrounded by mystery. Anderson's overwrought Gothic housekeeper Mrs Danvers steals the show. Glasgow: GFT. I Restoration (15) (Michael Hoffman. UK. 1995) Robert Downey Jr. Sam Neill. David Thewlis. 118 mins. Art impoverished physician (Downey) is repaid in wealth and women when he tends King Charles 11‘s sick spaniel: asked to marry the King's mistress for convenience. he finds himself falling in love. Downey bounces around this superbly costumed adult playpen to good effect. bill when the tone darkens. his acting talents falter. Edinburgh: l-‘ilmhouse. I The Rock ( 15) (Michael Bay. ('8. 1996) Nicolas Cage. Sean Connery. lid Harris. I35 mins. Psychotic army commander Harris takes over Alcatraz and threatens to dccimate San Francisco in a poison gas attack: but on the goodies side are goofball chemical weapons expert Cage and Connery. the only man ever to have escaped ‘the rock'. llyped tip MTV-style direction. fast cuts. big explosions. Brain rem0val is recommended for fttll enjoytticnt. General release. I ltutttan llearts ( 15) (David Kane. Scotland. 1995) Maureen Beattie. Vicki Masson. Ewen Bremner. 89 mins. A mixed bunch of Glaswegians chase romance in writer-director Kane‘s brilliantly balanced comedy. Against a backdrop of unemployment. tacky clubs and seedy tenements. their lives overlap. bringing small joys and larger disappointments. Kane's script sparkles. btit he also proves his worth in the director‘s chair. coaxing terrific performances from his ensemble cast. Glasgow: GET. I Screamer: ( 18) (Christian Duguay. Canada. 1995) Peter Weller. Roy Dupois. Jennifer Rttbin. 108 mins. It's 2078. and on the mining colony of Siritrs 68. a ground war has degenerated into stalemate because of nasty flesh-chopping fighting machines called Screamers. Weller is the Colonel who disobeys orders and tries for peace. Moments of tension and nightmare- inducing horror are let down by poor dialogue and holes in the plot. It's based on a story by Philip K. Dick. bttt his enduring themes were
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better handled in Blade Runner. See review. Edinburgh: ABC. UCI. I Sense And Sensibility (U) (Ang Lee. US/UK. 1995) Emma Thompson. Kate Winslct. Alan Rickman. Hugh Grant. 135 mins. Denied their inheritance when the father of the household dies. the female members of the Dashwood family face a precarious future which complicates the romances of sensible Elinor (Thompson) and emotive Marianne (Winslet). Thompson's adaptation keeps the wordplay engaginly tart and sharp-wilted. btit never loses sight of the powerful frustrations simmering beneath the surface. Infinitely more satisfying than your typical fluffy period piece. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. Borders: Pavilion. Roxy. Strathclyde: East Kilbride Arts Centre. I Shallow Brave ( 18) (Danny Boyle. UK. 1994) Kerry Fox. Ewan McGregor. Christopher Eccleston. 90mins. Three Edinbtrrgh flatmates find their new co-ltabitant dead with a stack of money under his bed. so after performing a little DIY on the corpse. they reckon all their worries are m er. But the cops are closing in. there are two thugs after the money. and the psychological tension is beginning to show. Filled with dark humour and cynical one-liners. this Scottish thriller is bloody and intelligent enough to please the ctrlt audience while remaining accessible enough to be a mainstream hit. Edinburgh: Cameo. I Small Faces ( 18) (Gillies Mackinnon. UK. 1995) lain Robertson. Joseph McFadden. J.S. Dtrffy. 108 mins. Co-written with producer brother Billy. Gillies Mackinnon's marvellously detailed study about the growing pains of a boy caught in the fringes of Glasgow's gangland violence in the 60s emerges as a warm and accurate portrayal of working‘class family life. (‘entring on three brothers. it avoids the pitfalls of the Glasgow hard tnan movie. instead becoming a superior rites-of-passage tale. Strathclyde: L'Cl East Kilbride. I Smoke ( 15) (Wayne Wang. US. 1995) Harvey Keitel. William lltttt. Harold Pett'ineau. 108 mins. Novelist Hurt offers homeless lad Pettineau a place to stay after he is saved from being run over. Elsewhere. well observed Brooklyn characters hang out in the tobacco store where Keitel dispenses homespun philosophies. A delightful and compelling treat. based on the work of Paul Auster. Fife: Adam Smith. I Spy llartl (PG) (Rick Friedberg. ('8. 1996) Leslie Nielsen. Nicolette Sheridan. Andy Griffith. 91 mins. Secret agent \VD40 (oh yes. the laughs start here) is an accident-prone Bond type who finds himself tip against deadly enemy General Rancor. Another one to add to the growing spoof list - Airplane.’. Hot Shots. Naked Gun — btrt not as good as any of those. Glasgow: MGM Parkhead. Edinburgh: UCI. I Star Trek 1-7 (PG) (Robert Wise. Nicholas Meyer. Leonard Nimoy. William Shatner. David Carson. US. 1979—94) William Shatner. Leonard Nimoy. DeForest Kelley. etc. I32 mins‘. 95 mins: 105 mins; “9 mins; 107 mins'. 109 mins‘. 117 mins. Trekkie-maniacs only should consider beaming up for this marathon voyage toward the Final Frontier; though others may enjoy watching the hairs turn grey over a decade of boldly flogging the flagging horse Enterprise Glasgow: ABC Sauchiehall Street. I Stella Dallas (U) (King Vidor. US. 1937) Barbara Stanwick. John Boles. Ann Shirley. 106 mins. Soap opera. Hollywood-style. as Stanwick sacrifices herself for her daughter by entering a loveless maniage. But her commonness makes her husband leave her for another woman. Stanwick breathes life into an extraordinary role. receiving her first of four Oscar nominations. Glasgow: GF'T. I Stonewall (15) (Nigel Finch. UK/US. 1995) Guillemto Diaz. Fred Weller. Brendan Corbalis. 99 mins. Gay country boy Matty Dean (Weller) comes to New York in the summer of '69 and meets up with a crowd of drag queens led by diva LaMiranda (Diaz). Police harassment and injustice brings about gay rights demos. then riots in the days after Judy Garland‘s death. A colourful. moving. celebratory film from the late Nigel Finch. Edinburgh: Cameo. I Sm Days (18) (Kathryn Bigelow. US. 1995) Ralph Fiennes. Angela Bassett. Juliette Lewis. 139 mins. A cross-bred hybrid of film noir. futuristic thn'ller. political commentary and romance. Bigelow’s allegory shows technical skill. but doesn‘t weave its plot threads into a satisfying whole. Fiennes is the successful retailer of bootleg dreams. recorded live then jacked into by viewers experiencing the same adrenalin rush. but eventually murder crashes the party. Scorching visuals. whatever the final outcome. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Sui—leg With Straits (15) (George Huang. US. 1995) Kevin Spacey. Frank Whaley. Michelle Forbes. 95 mins. Usual Suspect and Oscar-winner Spacey dominates affairs as a monstrous Hollywood studio executive who bullies new boy Whaley in this impressive debut by Huang. Movies about movies are nothing
new. bill like the best (The Player. etc). this one gets beyond the glamour to say meaningful things about the priorities of work and nightmarish master-and-setyant relationships. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I thin line Between Love And llate (18) (Martin Lawrence. US. 1996) Martin Lawrence. Lynn Whitfield. Bobby Brown. 108 mins. Star of action movie Bad Boys. Martin Lawrence spreads himself wide as star. director. co-writer and executive producer of this comedy thriller about a nightclub promoter whose last love conquest becomes a deadly femme fatale when she's ditched. Lawrence has charisma. but he'd have done his talents more justice if he'd kept the darker. tenser moments and the gags in separate movies. Glasgow: ABC Sauchiehall Street. Edinburgh: UCI.
I Things to no In Denver When You’re Dead (18) (Gary Fleder. US. 1995) Andy Garcia. Christopher Walken. Gabrielle Anwar. 115 mins. When a final job for The Man With The Plan goes badly wrong. Jimmy The Saint is given 48 hours to get out of town. but sticks around to help save his associates. Garcia‘s calm presence balances with a host of colourfully eccentric character parts in a modem noir that's a million times more mature than the comic book gunplay of Pulp Fiction or the clever-clever twist of The Usual Suspects. One of the most literate scripts the genre has seen. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Toy Story (PG) (John Lasseter. US. 1995) With the voices of Tom Hanks. Tim Allen. Don Rickles. 81 mins. It isn‘t just the state-of-the-art images that distinguish Disney's first computer- generated animation feature. it's got a cracking adventure story too. A tale of friendship and self-belief combined with an exciting rescue and against-the-clock tension. Toy Story is sprinkled with comic asides. Don‘t be fooled into thinking these toys are just for the kids. General release. I Trainspotting ( 18) (Danny Boyle. UK. 1995) Ewan McGregor. Ewen Bremner. Robert Carlyle. Jonny Lee Miller. 93 mins. John Hodge's screenplay perfectly captures the desperate humour of Irvine Welsh‘s novel. keeping the episodic structure of junkie scenes for the first half. before concentrating more on Renton in London in the later stages. Fast and stylish direction. creative soundtrack and acting that's off-the-rails excellent. A cinematic blast from beginning to end. which also shows a complex - and true — understanding of the lure and fatal consequences of drug-taking. Glasgow: Odeon. MGM Parkhead. Edinburgh: C ameo. Filmhouse. UCI.
I The Truth About Catskill 0093(15) (Michael Lehmann. US. 1996) Uma Thurman. Janeane Garofalo. Ben Chaplin. 94 mins. An insecure radio host asks her beautiful neighbour to help her woo a British photographer. A modem female take on Cyrano De Bergerac which has proved a minor comedy hit in the States. Special preview screening; reviewed next issue. Strathclyde: UCl Clydebank.
I 0|! Close And Personal (15) (Jon Avnet. US. 1996) Robert Redford. Michelle Pfeiffer. Stockard Channing. 126 mins. TV news producer and fonner star reporter Redford takes ambitious wannabe Pfeiffer under his wing and grooms her for the big time as their relationship becomes more intimate. The May-to-December romance is to the fore. which is a shame. really. as much more could be done with American TV joumalism's clash between image and newsworthy substance. General release.
I the Usual Suspects ( 18) (Bryan Singer. US. 1995) Gabriel Byrne. Kevin Spacey. Stephen Baldwin. 106 mins. There's a good sense of noir fatalism hanging over The Usual Suspects. which is guessing game crnema at its best. A perfectly matched learn of crooks discover that their chance meeting wasn't so random after all: they're being used in an intricate vendetta by legendary gangster boss Keyser Sose. So stylish. it sends a tingle down the spine; bill the ludicrous use of Pete Postletwaite's character almost undemtines it all. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? ( 12) (Lasse Hallstrorn. US. 1993) Johnny Depp. Juliette Lewis. Leonardo Di Caprio. 118 mins. For once. Depp is the sole figure of calm in an oddball world. the oldest son in a dysfunctional family who live in a neurotic Iowa backwater. Only when holiday-maker Lewis am'ves does he begin to consider his own feelings. With one eye on detail. the other on the absurd. director Lasse (My Life As A Dog) Hallstrorn delivers a sympathetic romance surrounded by American foibles. The acting is superb from all concerned. A low-key wonder. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Who Framed ne'er llabblt? (PG) (Robert Zemeckis. US. 1988) Bob Hoskins. Joanna Cassidy. Christopher Lloyd. 92 mins. In 1949 LA. the humans live alongside the Toons. cartoon characters working in movies. Animated star Roger Rabbit hires private dick Hoskins to keep tabs on his wife. but he uncovers a conspiracy that threatens the future of Toontown itself. An amazing technical achievement for the interaction of cartoons and live action. Strathclyde: ABC.
32 The List 28 Jun-ll Jul 1996