FILM INDEX
well handled. the characterisations strong and the brutality on both sides is never glossed over. General release.
I “’ llellalile (I5) (Nadia Tass. Australia. I996) Colin Friels. Jacqueline McKenzie. Paul Sonkkila. I I3 mins. Based on a true story that had the Australian nation gripped to their television screens. Tass's offbeat and upbeat movie is another success front Down Under. During the I968 Summer of Love. petty criminal Wally Mellish‘s home is under siege: only in Australia could a situation teetering on tragedy end in wedding bells. A marvelloust lively character piece that captures the anarchic spirit of the country. See preview and review. General release.
I Met Treasure Island (PG) (Brian Ilensori. US/UK. I996) Tim Curry. Kevin Bishop. Billy Connolly. l02 mins. Young Jim IIawkins. 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 (Cun‘y). and Fozzie. Kermit. Miss Piggy et al 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. Fife: ABC.
I llatural Born Killers ( I8) (Oliver Stone. US. I994) Woody llairelson. 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. mesmerising. hallucinatory and bold in its use of various film formats. NBK is a landmark in MTV-influenced filmmaking. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I llotliing Personal (l5) (Thaddeus O'Sullivan. UK. I995) Ian Ilart. James Frain. John Lynch. 85 mins. During a shaky ceasefire in I975. a team of Loyalist paramilitaries in Belfast pursue their own agenda. bringing tragedy to an innocent Catholic man (Lynch). O'Sullivan‘s dramatic portrait of The Troubles shows the effect of the violence on ordinary people. as well as hinting at how the situation Iegitirnises the actions of dangerous psychotics. The acting is strong. while the mood has a tense inevitability. Glasgow: GET.
I The Iltrtty Professor ( l 2) (Tom Sliadyac. US. I996) Eddie Murphy. Jada Pinkett. James Coburn. 95 mins. Stealing the plot from the Jerry Lewis vehicle. this Jekyll-and-llyde variation has Murphy in a variety of roles. Principally. he‘s overweight but sweet scientist Sherman Kltrmp. who comes up with a formula that shrinks him to sexy btit egotistical Buddy Love. Unfortunately. he often reverts to gross size at inopertune moments. The make-up is good. bill the fart level of humour is way too simplistic. General release.
I It!) Days Before The Command ( l8) (lltrssein Erkeirov. Russia/Germany. I990) 70 mins. A strong sense of homo-eroticism grows amongst a group of soldiers. alienated by life in the barracks. The emphasis is on despairing mood. not narrative. in this mannered brrt beautifully chaste look at spiritual angtrish. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Othello ( I2) (Oliver Parker. US/UK. I995) Laurence Fishburne. Kenneth Branagh. Irene Jacob. l2~l mins. A sexier stab at Shakespeare - director Parker reckons the story is an erotic thriller — with Fishburne a magnetic presence as the Moor whose jealousies bring tragedy to his new maniage. As Iago. Branagh is allowed one too many asides to the camera. but succeeds in making the audience complicit with the plot. Lively and accessible. Glasgow: GET.
love letters: The Pllloiii Booli
I The Pebble And The Penguin (U) (Don Bluth. US. I995) With the voices of Martin Short. James Belushi. Tim Curry. 74 mins. The director of All Dngr (In To Heaven and Art American 'Iirlv 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?) btit nasty penguin gets in the way. Central: ABC. I Pedale Douce ( I8) (Gabriel Aghion. France. I996) Patrick Timsit. Fanny Ardant. Richard Berry. I00 mins. A huge hit on home territory. this gay comedy follows a publicity executive whose behaviour by day is as conservative as his nightlife is flamboyant. Plot elements. such as a dinner engagement when the man has to pass off a female nightclub owner as his wife. draw to mind Lu Cage Aur' Fol/m. French Film Festival. Glasgow: GEl'. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Perils Of Pauline (U) (George Marshall. US. I947) Betty Ilutton. John Lund. Constance Collier. 93 mins. A lively biopic of silent star Pearl White. which is filled with entertaining songs. minor characters and comic moments. The re-enactments of those cliff- hanging silent serials is affectionately done. Edinburgh: St Bride's. I The Pillow Book ( l 8) (Peter Greenaway. UK/ Netherlands/France. I996) Vivian Wu. Ewart McGregor. Yoshi Oida. 126 mins. Greenaway's distinctive style of frames within frames and text scrolling across the screen reaches its zenith in this visual masterpiece. A Japanese model chooses her lovers on the strength of their calligraphic skills. and slowly she ptrts in motion a revenge plan against the man who ruined her father. McGregor co-star's as a bisexual translator whose kit is more off than on. but the graphic nudity is sensually handled. Achineg gorgeous images make for sheer cinematic poetry. Glasgow: GI-T. Edinburgh: Cameo. I The Promise ( l5) (Margarethe vori 'I'rotta. Germany. I994) Arrgust Zirner. Corinna llarfouch. Meret Becker. II9 mins. Two East Berlin students in love with each other obtain a plan of the sewer system a couple of years after the Wall goes tip. but only she escapes and for years they remain separated. A heartfelt work from one of Germany's most important directors. which has an epic scope and human central story that might appeal to more than the arthouse crowd. Glasgow: GET. I Rehecca (PG) (Alfred Hitchcock. US. I940) Laurence Olivier. Joan Fontaine. Judith Anderson. I30 mins. Wonderfully atmospheric romance. made when llitcli was at his height. The yorrrrg bride of rich widower Maxim de Wiriterjoins him at his grand mansion — Marrderley — but everywhere she trrrns. there are memories of his first wife. whose death is surrounded by mystery. Anderson's ovenvrought Gothic housekeeper Mrs Danvers steals the show. Edinburgh: Film Guild. I Richard III ( l 5) (Richard Loncraitie. UK. I995) Ian McKelIeri. Annette Bening. Jim Broadbent. l03 mins. Updated to England dtrririg the 30s. Shakespeare's play is sensiny trimmed to concentrate fully on the crookbacked king's murderous rise to the throne. McKellen gives a commanding performance amidst some wonderful supporting turns. while Loncr'aine ensures that the bard has rarely been treated in such splendidly cinematic terms. The fascistic look of the costumes does help clarify some of the divisions in the text. Strathclyde: UCI East Kilbride. I la lloue (l2) (Abel Gairce. France. I922) Severin-Mars. Ivy Close. Gabriel de Gravoue. l50 mins. Gance's silent masterpiece — worth seeing in itself— becomes an unmissible event courtesy of Adrian Johnston's live music score. The melodramatic story sets a father and son‘s love for the same woman against location footage of France's railway system. Gance's fast editing and camera techniques remain stunning to this day. See review. French Film Festival. Edinburgh: Festival Theatre. I Science. Gender And The Body (I5) 220 mitts. An introduction and discussion supplements a pair of screenings that examine the ethics of medicine. specifically on female patients — Stephen Poliakoff's drama Century and the BBC Horizon programme on DNA. C rut king The Code. Glasgow: GET. I Scotland On Screen: The Future or Scottish Film In the last of the series. a group of yorrng Scottish filmmakers discuss how their national indentity informs their work. Glasgow: GET. I The Servant (18) (Joseph Losey. UK. I963) Dirk Bogarde. James Fox. Wendy Craig. II5 nrins. Bogar‘d found one of his best screen roles in this now dated class drama as a riianservant forcing role-reversal in the home of his decadent master (Fox). Absurdity and tension is heightened by Harold Pinter‘s inimitable dialogue. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Sat. Bilko (PG) (Jonathan Lynn. US. I995) Steve Martin. Dan Aykroyd. Phil Hartman. 95 mins. There are no surprises in this routine Steve
Martin vehicle. lifted from the Phil Silvers 50s TV show. Here the scam-boy Master Sergeant continues his private vendetta with Major Thorn. By turns funny and boring. the script has too much sheen and no real firepower. (‘entialz ABC.
I Smoke ( I5) (Wayne Wang. LS. I995) Harvey Keitel. William Hurt. llarold Peniiieati. l08 mins. Novelist litll'l offers homeless lad Perrineau 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. Glasgow: GEI'.
I Snow lliders (U) The latest Warren Miller extreme ski and snowboard action film is one highlight in an evening dedicated to skiing enthusiasts. Glasgow: GET. Central: MacRobert. I Spy llard (PG) (Rick Friedberg. I’S. I996) Leslie Nielsen. Nicolette Sheridan. Andy Griffith. 9| mins. Secret agent WD40 (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 — Airplrrma’. Ilur Slum. Naked Gun — btrt not as good as any of those. Strathclyde: ABC.
I Stealing Beauty ( l5) (Bernardo Bertolucci. ltaly/Frartce/L'K. I996) Liv Tyler. Jeremy Irons. Donal McCann. I I8 mins. A teenage Arrrer'ican 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 Bertolucci's first Italian-set film for fifteen years is characteristically masterfrrl. although the storyline may contain a little too much middle- aged male lechery. Strathclyde: l’(‘l Iiast Kilbride.
I Strange Days ( l8) (Kathryn Bigelow. I'S. I995) Ralph Fiennes. Angela Bassett. Jtrliette Lewis. I39 mins. A cross-bred hybrid of film noir. futuristic thriller. political commentary and romance. Bigelow's allegory shows technical skill. btit doesn't weave its plot threads into a satisfying whole. Fienues is the successful retailer of bootleg dreams. recorded live their jacked into by viewers experiencing the same adrenalin rush. htit eventually murder crashes the party. Sc0rching visuals. whatever the final outcome. Edinburgh: Filirihouse.
I A Title To Kill ( I5) (Joel Schumacher. IJS. I996) Matthew .\Ic(‘onarighey. Sandra Bullock. Samuel L. Jackson. N9 mins. Based on an early John Grisham novel. this hellisth over-extended courtroom drama wastes its stellar cast on a crass-fuelled ride to cliche city. IIot newcomer McConaughey plays the struggling lawyer defending Jackson on a charge of murdering the white racist thugs who raped his young daughter: this being the Deep Sorrtli. the job ain't going to be easy. Ultimately. it's all very par and patronising. Edinburgh: li(‘l. Fife: Adam Smith. I Tin Cup ( l5) (Ron Shelton. LS. I996) Kevin Costner. Rene Russo. (‘heech Marin. I35 mins. Unpredictable. washed-rip golfer Costner tries to pull himself together and win the heart of his adversary‘s girl by entering the US ()perr. Shelton comes up with the funniest sports film since his own baseball movie Bull Durham. while Costner turns in an immensely appealing performance. Good humour. good insight. Glasgow: ABC Sauchielrall Street. ()deon Quay. I The Tit And The Moon ( l8) (Bigas Luna. Spain. I994) Mathilda May. Gerard Darmon. Miguel Poy'eda. 88 mins. The director of .lunimi errmi arid (Juli/mi [Jul/r completes his bawdin humorous trilogy with this tale about a boy‘s fixation for a breast he can call his own. A wonderful carnivalesque atmosphere combines with blatant erotic imagination in an unabashed manner that's not for the po-faced or prudish. Glasgow: Grosvenor. Fife: Adam Smith. New Picture Ilouse.
I Trainspotting ( I8) (Danny Boyle. L'K. I995) Ewan McGregor. Ewen Bremner. Robert Carlyle. Jonny Lee Miller. 93 mins. John Ilodge's screenplay perfectly captures the desperate humour of Irvine Welsli's novel. keeping the episodic structure ofjunkie 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: City Centre Odeon. Edinburgh: Cameo. Odeon. I True Blue (I5) (Ferdinand Fairfax. UK. I996) Dominic West. Johan Leysen. Dylarid Baker. I I8 mins. A film about the I987 ‘mutiny' ofthe Oxford Boat Race crew - hardly a vital episode of sporting history. American values clash with old-fashioned British traditions in a story with limited srrspense. The film seems unable to grasp the idea that. jtrst because events are factual.
they‘re not necessarily interesting. See review. Glasgow: A B(‘ Sauchiehall Street. ()deons. Showcase. Edinburgh: [‘CI. Strathclyde: [3(‘ls. I Twelfth llight (U) (Trevor Nunn. UK. I996) Imogen Stubbs. Helena Bonham Carter. Nigel Ilawthorne. I35 mins. There's a dark cloud hanging over the happy ending in this splendid Shakespeare adaptation by ex-RSC top man Nunn. The farcical action brought about by the cross-dressing plot never loses sight of the pain at its core. and the joke on Malvolio (Hawthorne) has a cruel edge. Performances are excellent. with Ben Kingsley an inspired choice. bringing weight to the role of the fool Feste. Borders: Pavilion.
I Twister (PG) (Jan De Bont. US. I996) IIelen Ilunt. Bill Paxton. Jami (iertz. II3 mins. A rrieteorologist and his estranged scientist wife get together again while chasing the biggest tornado to hit Oklahoma itr decades. The plot is slight. but the characters are interesting and. of course. the special effects are amazing. Brit the structure is too repetitive — each storm is a little bigger. each encounter a little closer — for this to be something really special. Glasgow: Virgin. Strathclyde: Magnum.
I Two Days In The Valley r IS) (John llerzfeld. I’S. I996) Danny Aiello. Jeff Daniels. James Spadet'. I00 mins. Assassirratiott. double~cross. kidnapping. murder — multiple characters pitch tip for this modest. old-fashioned btit perfectly enjoyable movie that's filled with disarming performances. Aiello's touching study in clawed-back dignity tops the bill. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Varda 1 - Cineastes En Famille (PG) 85 mins. 'l'he Festival's retrospective on the woman regarded as the godmother of the French New Wave begins with screenings of I967's ()m'li' Yum-u. about her hippy uncle In San Francisco. and l.('\ I)(’Illllf\t'/lt’\ ()n [in 2.5 Am. which returns to the site of Jacques Demy's homage to the American musical. [my Dr'nmiwI/r's Dr Rm‘lli’fm'l. French Film Festival. Glasgow: (JET. Edinburgh: Filriiliouse.
I Varda 2 - Debuts Mediterraneens ( IS) I I 3 mins. Varda's I958 (l(X‘llIlIClll£ll‘)’ Du ('im' De La Cure. an examination of the tourist boom on the Riviera. is paired with I95-l's dehrrt feature [.(I Poi/rte Comte. which stars Silvia Montfort and Philippe Noriet as a couple who meet for a last rendezvous before their separation. French Film Festival. Glasgow: GEI'. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Varda 3 - Fernrnes lie Parisr I8) I I t tttins. Two shorts — l.('\ l)ll(‘.\ ('uriuliili'r (with its Parisian poems. songs and statues) arid R(’\/)UII\(’\ Dr I’i'nmii' (a search for the female perspective) — screen with l96l 's feature ('Im I)!’ 5 A 7. wlrrch traces two hours in the life of a nightclub singer awaiting the results of a test for cancer. French Film Festival: Glasgow: GEI'. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Verde 4 - les Deiriunisr I8) 122 mins. l.'()peru Mnuffr' presents an affectionate portrait of a pregnant woman in the Mouffetard area of Paris. while the superb I985 feature SUI” 'liii't Ni 1in (Virgo/made) stars Sandrine Bonriaire as an office girl who gives up her job for an aimless existence on the roads. French Film Festival. Glasgow: GET.
I The Way West (PG) (Andrew V. McLaglen. US. I967) Kirk Douglas. Robert Mitchum. Richard Widmark. l22 mins. I843. and a variety of pioneers head west from Missouri to Oregon. Spectacular. starry. would-be blockbuster western that doesn‘t ever quite have the narrative grip to come off. Edinburgh: St Bride‘s.
I The Wind In The Willows (U) (Terry Jones. UK. I996) Terry Jones. Eric Idle. Steve Coogan. 88 mins. When Mole's home is destroyed by weasel property developers. he enlists the help of Rat. Badger and egotistical Toad to uncover a conspiracy. Jones's Python-for-kids adaptation of the classic novel is a tad self-indulgent. with some awful songs and lacklustre pacing. However. the characters and atmosphere will probably charm a younger audience not yet into their more cynical teens. Glasgow: Odeon Quay. Edinburgh: UCI. Borders: Pavilion. Strathclyde: ABC.
I Withnail & I (I5) (Brrrce Robinson. UK. I987) Paul McGann. Richard Grant. Richard Griffiths. l07 mins. Two orit-of-work acrors surviving I969 London giro squalor take a break in a picturesque Lake District cottage. where one of them suffers the attentions of the ageing homosexual owner. Entertaining British comedy has a second stab at glory. and it's the bleaker end-of-the-decade elements that have lasted best. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I l led and Two lloughts ( I 5) (Peter Greenaway. UK/Netherlands. I985) Brian Deacon. Eric Deacon. Andrea Ferreol. I I5 mins. Wracked with grief following the deaths of their wives in a freak accident. a pair of twin brothers become obsessed with the cycle of of birth. death. decay and putrefaction. An early indication of Greenaway's extraordinary visual qualities. and his unwholesome interest in decay. Edinburgh: Cameo.
35 The List 15-28 Nov I996