T FILM
while the astonishing performances by the leads help it transcend the surface tawdriness and delve deep into underlying emotions. Strathclyde: East Kilbride Ans Centre. I "I” Aphrodite (l5) (Woody Allen. US. I995) Woody Allen. Mira Sorvino. Helena Bonham Caner. 95 mins. Spons writer Lenny (Allen) and his busy art dealer wife (Bonham Caner) adopt a baby. but when the kid starts to show unusually high intelligence. dad goes searching for the real mother - a none-too-bright hooker and porn actress (Sorvino). Oscar- winning Sorvino is the best thing in the movie. even if her role is rather dubious. but Woody‘s a bit long in the tooth for his pan. Funny. but a little tired. Central: MacRoben. I lee Ml” ( l 2) (Claude Lelouch. France. I995) Jean-Paul Belmondo. Michel Boujenah. Annie Giradot. I77 mins. A vastly enjoyable 20th century updating of the Hugo novel. which also examines the effects of trial. tribulation and coincidence on a single man (Belmondo). Its unflinching depiction of France's treatment of the Jews under the Occupation puts iron in the movie's abundant soul. Strathclyde: East Kilbride Arts Centre. I Minion: leoeeIliIe (PG) (Brian De Palrna. US. I996) Tom Cruise. Jon Voight. Ernmanuelle Bean. I I0 mins. Unlike the fondly remembered TV series which pushed the notion of teamwork. this lavishly produced Hollywood thriller is driven by Cruise's solo star power. As the only survivor of a hit on his espionage team. he races across the world. setting up double bluffs to flush out a mole. There are a couple of dazzling set pieces. but they're padded out by yards of complicated plot. Slick. but cold. Glasgow: Virgin. Edinburgh Odeon. UCI. Borders: Pavilion. Strathclyde: UCls. I II Holland’s Opus (PG) (Stephen llerek. US. I995) Richard Dreyfuss. Glenne lleadly. Jay Thomas. I43 mins. An old-fashioned and very sentimental melodrama starring the Oscar- nominated Dreyfuss as a teacher whose throws himself into his dream of composing a major work when his son is diagnosed as deaf. Occasional tedium is lifted with moments of emotion and lump-in-the-throat poignancy. so it's not one for the cynics. Central: MacRobert. I 'k llanny (PG) (Michael Gottlieb. US. I992) Hulk Hogan. Sherman Ilernsley. Austin Pendleton. 84 mins. llulk Ilogan follows the successful Suburban Commando with a film that owes something to Home Alone. This time he's a bodyguard roped into looking after two destructive kids who like nothing better than setting booby-traps for their nannies. For the kids only. Strathclyde: UCI East Kilbride. I Muppet Treasure Island (PG) (Brian Henson. US/UK. I996) Tim Curry. Kevin Bishop. Billy Connolly. I02 mins. Young Jim Hawkins. along with his friends the Great Gonzo and Rizzo The Rat go hunting for treasure with Captain Flint’s map. meeting up on the way with Long John Silver (Curry). and Fozzie. Kermit. Miss Piggy et aI as various Stevenson characters. Faithful to the book. but hilarious in its extraneous details — especially in the opening section - this is one time everyone can enjoy Hollywood's plundering of British literature. Glasgow: Virgin. Strathclyde: Odeon Ayr. I My Beautiful laundrette ( I5) (Stephen Frears. UK. I985) Daniel Day Lewis. Roshan Seth. Gordon Warnecke. Shirley Anne Field. 97 mins. A young Asian from South London is given the chance to manage his uncle's laundrette. which he and his ex-skinhead boyfriend transform into the latest word in laundromats. Made for TV. the filth nevertheless attracted some critical acclaim and won a cinema release - the first for Channel 4. Glasgow: GI’I‘. I llatual Born Killers ( I8) (Oliver Stone. US. I994) Woody llarrelson. Juliette Lewis. Robert Downey Jr. I I9 mins. 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. mesrnerising. hallucinatory and bold in its use of various film fonnats. NBK is a landmark in MTV-influenced filrnmaking. Edinburgh: Cameo. I Once Were Warriors ( I 8) (Lee Tarnahori. New Zealand. I993) Rena Owen. Tennuera Morrison. Marnaengaroa Kerr- Bell. 99 mins. Tamahori's feature debut is a gritty Loach-style look at domestic violence and disenfranchisement 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. Edinburgh: Filrnhouse. I The Perez Family ( I5) (Mira Nair. US. I996) Marisa Tornei. Alfred Molina. Anjelica Huston. I I3 mins. When he‘s released from a Cuban jail after 20 years. Juan Perez (Molina) dreams of joining his wife in Miami. Instead. he falls in with a flamboyant ex-prostitute (Tomei) while wife Carmela (Huston) is shacked up with a police officer (Palminteri). A simple but
engaging plot is given a boost by excellent acting. building up a spicy tale of family and freedom which will wann your hean but won't rot your teeth. See review. Glasgow: GFT.
I Phenomenon (PG) (Jon Tuneltaub. US. I996) John Travolta. Roben Duvall. Kyra Sedgwick. I23 mins. When a strange white light knocks him flat. rural mechanic George (Travolta) becomes a srrper-achiever overnight; but his new-found genius turns him into the town pariah and soon the FBI are on his case. This is a big- hearted. big-minded filrn lit up by cracking performances from every single one of the cast. with Travolta playing the lead with total commitment and honesty. See review. General 'elease.
.I ll Postino (U) (Michael Radford. Italy. I995) Massimo Troisi. Philippe Noiret. Maria Grazia Cucinotta. I08 mins. When exiled Chilean poet Pablo Neruda (Noiret) arrives on a remote island off the Neapolitan coast. he aids local postman Mario (Troisi) to woo the village barmaid. Gently paced and full of Mediterranean sun. Radford's film is nicely unsentimental. Sadly. Troisi died the day after shooting was completed. but he couldn't have left a finer legacy. Edinburgh: Cameo. Filmhouse.
I La llegle llu Jell (PG) (Jean Renoir. France. I939) Marcel Dalio. Nora Gregor. Jean Renoir. II3 mins. A weekend shooting party for the assorted bourgeoisie results in a welter of romantic intrigue and a hint of tragedy. Strppressed during the war because censors objected to its portrayal of French moral degeneration. Renoir's celebrated comedy can now be seen as a triumph of bleak satire and fluid cinematic technique. Glasgow: GF'I".
I Restoration ( IS) (Michael Hoffman. UK. I995) Robert Downey Jr. Sam Neill. David Tlrewlis. Il8 mins. An impoverished physician (Downey) is repaid in wealth and women when he tends King Charles II‘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 gotxl effect. btrt when the tone darkens. his acting talents falter. Central: MacRobert.
I Rob Roy ( l5) (Michael Caron-Jones. US/UK. I995) Liam Neeson. Jessica Lange. Tim Roth. I30 mins. When he is betrayed by the Marquis of Montrose (John lltrrt) 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 actiort. but doesn't pander to Hollywood: and all the mrformances are wonderful. A stirring epic which refuses to compromise. making it one of the best films about Scotland and the Scottish psyche ever made. Borders: Pavilion.
I The Rock ( I5) (Michael Bay. US. I996) Nicolas Cage. Sean Connery. Ed Harris. I35 mins. Psychotic army commander llatris takes over Alcatraz and threatens to decirnate San Francisco in a poison gas attack: btrt on the goodies side are goofiiall chemical weapons expert Cage and Connery. the only man ever to have escaped ‘the rock'. llyped up MTV-style direction. fast cuts. big explosions. Brain removal is recommended for full enjoyment. Glasgow: Odeon. Edinburgh: Odeon. UCI. Borders: Pavilion. Fife: Adam Smith. Strathclyde: Odeon Ayr. UCIs. I The Rocky Horror Picture Show ( 18) (Jim Sharman. UK. I975) Tim Curry. Susan Sarandon. Barry Bostwick. Meat Loaf. 100 mins. 'l’lu' cult film to end all others. this rock spoof on old horror movies has created a breed of Rocky Horror crazies. and packs them in at late shows everywhere. The film has its moments. and Curry is splendidly camp as the bisexual Frank N. Furter. Edinburgh: Cameo. I The Secret 01 Iloan Iniell (PG) (John Sayles. US/Ireland. I994) Jeni Courtney. Eileen Colgan. John Lynch. l03 mins. Master filmmaker Sayles delivers a wonderfully wistful Celtic fantasy that should appeal to older and younger viewers alike. Capturing the mood of rural Ireland and the legend of the half-human. half-seal selkies. he spins a rich tale ofeveryday magic which taps into the cultural identity of the setting without a hint ofcondescension. See preview and review. Edinburgh: Cameo. Fife: Adam Smith.
I Secrets And lies ( I5) (Mike Leigh. UK. I996) Timothy Spall. Brenda Blethyn. Phyllis Logan. l-IO mins. Leigh‘s Palrne D'Or-winning follow tip to Naked is a bittersweet take on suburban domestic life. Young black optician Hortense searches for the mother who put her up for adoption as a baby. brrt is surprised to discover it's white working-class Cynthia. Genuinely emotional. with great performances by Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Timothy Spall. but the showstopping ttrm comes from Cannes winner Brenda Blethyn. Glasgow: GFT.
I Sense Md Sensibility (U) (Ang Lee. US/UK. I995) Emma Thompson. Kate Winslet. Alan Rickman. Hugh Grant. I35 mins. Denied their inheritance when the father of the household dies. the female members of the Dashwnnrl
family face a precarious future which complicates the romances of sensible Elinor (Thompson) and emotive Marianne (Winslet). Thompson's adaptation keeps the wordplay engaginly tan and sharp-witted. but never loses sight of the powerful frustrations simmering beneath the surface. Infinitely more satisfying than your typical fluffy period piece. Fife: Adam Smith.
I Seven (l8) (David Fincher. US. I995) Brad Pitt. Morgan Freeman. Gwyneth Paltrow. I27 mins. The outline is familiar — two cops track down a serial killer — but Seven is a step ahead of its rivals. Front its opening title sequence onwards. it's an extremely dark movie which winds through the most twisted recesses of human nature. Each death is a graphic interpretation of one of the seven deadly sins. giving Alien 3 director Fincher the material for an intense stylistic exercise in horror. Strathclyde: East Kilbride Ans Centre.
I Small Faces ( I8) (Gillies Mackinnon. UK. I995) Iain Robenson. Joseph McFadden. J.S. Duffy. I08 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 wann and accurate portrayal of working-class family life. Centring on three brothers. it avoids the pitfalls of the Glasgow hard man movie. instead becoming a superior rites-of—passage tale. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Smoke ( l5) (Wayne Wang. US. I995) Harvey Keitel. William Hun. llarold Penineau. I08 mins. Novelist Hurt offers homeless lad Penineau 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. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I the Snapper (I5) (Stephen Frears. UK. I993) Colm Meaney. Tina Kellegher. Rtrth McCabe. 90 mins. Don't expect the pltrsher production values of The C mnmr'rmenrx with the latest screen version of Roddy Doyle's novels; instead. enjoy a hilarious comedy that never loses sight of its human heart. Sharon C urley announces her pregnancy but not the name of the father. setting the small Barrytown community into uproar. but bringing her family closer together. A gem. Fife: Adam Smith.
I Stealing MW ( l5) (Bernardo “r'flnlm‘r‘i
Italy/France/UK. I996) Liv Tyler. Jeremy Irons. Donal McCann. ”8 mins. A teenage American beauty (Tyler) visits her late mother‘s bohemian ex-pat friends in Tuscany with a mind to lose her virginity to the young man for whom she has had a lasting infatuation. Rivals for her affections are many. and her arrival unsettles the balance of the house. The photography and handling of Benolucci‘s first Italian-set film for fifteen years is characteristically masterful. although the storyline may contain a little too much middle- aged male Iechery. See review. Glasgow: GFT. Edinburgh: Cameo. Strathclyde: UCI Clydebank.
I Stranger than Paradlee (I5) (Jim Jannusch. US/West Germany. I984) John Lurie. Eszter Balint. Richard Edson. Cecilia Stark. Danny Rosen. 89 mins. In Jannusch‘s debut feature. Lun'e (later to star in Down By Law) is a New Yorker playing reluctant host to his cousin from Hungary. When she depans to play cards with her mad aunt in Ohio. he and his mate Edson follow her into the bleak. rnid-westem snowscape. All very low-key and monochrome. but there's a wonderfully dry sense of humour at play. Glasgow: GFT.
I The SM“! (PG) (John Landis. US. I996) Tom Arnold. Jessica Lundy. Christopher Lee. 94 mins. America's dumbest family stumble onto what they think is a massive rubbish theft scam. but is really a ploy by military baddies to sell arms to world criminals. Again Hollywood says thick-is-cool in an embarrassing bout of farcical foolishness that stumbles over some woeful jokes. Glasgow: Odeon. Edinbu h: UCI. IThlnoel’elIalnllenveerhen eu'rellearl (l8) (Gary Fleder. US. I995) Andy Garcia. Christopher Walken. Gabrielle Anwar. I I5 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 pans 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. Fife: Adam Smith.
I Top Ilat (U) (Mark Sandrich. US. I935) Fred Astaire. Ginger Rogers. Edward Everett Honon. IOO mins. A bout of mistaken identity makes Fred and Ginger's path to true love via London and Venice a little more circuitous than they might have liked. but there are plenty of classic Irving Berlin numbers along the way to help
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