-FII.M SCOTTISH
SCOTTISH FILM
I Crossing Glasgow-based independent producer Angela Murray‘s collaboration with Dutch artist Barbara Visser is one of the films currently on show at The Unbelievable 'I'ralh exhibition at the Tramway in Glasgow. Cmssin g. a combination of drama and documentary. explores unexplained phenomenon in Scotland through a series of interviews with people who have experienced a strange event that has made them or others doubt their sanity. The film takes in sightings of the Loch Ness Monster and alien abductions. but its intriguing fact-or- fiction approach. whereby the viewer is never sure if the interviewee is genuine or fake. feeds into the overall concept of ‘unbelievable truths‘. The exhibition runs until Sunday 22 December - see Art Listings for details.
I Star Trek: First Contact Several stars from the eighth Star Trek feature film are about to boldly go where no member of the USS Enterprise has gone before — the new Showcase Cinemas Glasgow East multiplex near Coatbridge. Michael Dorn (Lt Worf) and Gates McFadden (Dr Crusher) will
be joined by actors James Cromwell. . Alf re Woodard and Alice Krige fora special premiere screening on Wednesday 11 December. Proceeds go to The Prince's Trust in Scotland. which helps yottng people in rural and urban areas by providing training and study schemes. volunteer opportunities and individual projects. For ticket details. contact the cinema on ()1236 438880.
I Scottish Screenwriters Group Since its formation last year. the SSG has organised writing sessions for its members drawing on the expertise of the makers of ('arrliar' Arrest. Rab Ray. Beaulijirl Thing and various Tartan Shorts. Prime Cuts and television dramas. Next year will see writing workshops fitting alongside monthly seminars. but before then screen scribes can take part in two day-long workshops in December: ‘Narrative Structure‘ with Ian Ileggie on Saturday 7 and ‘Writing For Short Film” with Chris Dolan on Friday 13. Bookings are limited. cost £15 per workshop and are held at Glasgow Film and Video Workshop. 3rd Floor. 34 Albion Street. Glasgow G1 ll..H. Annual membership of SSG is £7.50. and more information is available on ()1—11 553 2620.
transm- Sharing Stories
When film producers from across Europe and North America want to talk about the state of the industry and their own future projects, they don’t do it on the Internet or even by phone. They come to Scotland. Sharing Stories, the annual international film and television co-production conference that began in 1992, can now make the bold claim to be the largest event of its type in the world. This year, between 22-24 November, well over 200 delegates packed out Edinburgh’s Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza Hotel to discuss development and production funding, the impact of new communication technologies, youth programming and other topics.
Case studies included Lars Von Trier’s Scottish-set melodrama Breaking lire Waves and lien Loach’s forthcoming Carla’s Song, which stars Robert Carlyle as a young Glaswegian bus driver whose chance encounter and growing relationship with a Nicaraguan refugee takes him to Central America.
At a spotlight session on Carla’s Song, producer Sally Nibbln traced the routes of the film’s complex network of funding back to the days of Riff Raff (also starring Carlyle) and explained how the combination of European co-production ‘rules’ and loach’s individual working style brought in partners from Spain, Germany and France, as well as the Glasgow Film Fund and Channel 4. Also on the platform was the film’s German financier Dieter Kossllck, who
Robert Carler and Oyanka Cabezas in Carla’s Song
explained why a politicised film set in Glasgow and Nicaragua was a necessary component of the German film industry (which regularly churns out comedies that rarely play outside the country’s borders).
Perhaps the most unexpected lesson of the session was the discovery that, despite also having worked together on Land And Freedom, Ribbin and Kosslick had never met in person until that day. This seems to be one of the principal strengths of Sharing Stories - giving filmmakers the chance to size each other up, face to face. In an industry which increasineg requires the pooling of forces from different parts of the globe, such one-to-one contact can secure a sense of trust at an early stage in a proiect. The fact that it all happens on Scottish soil lust might open a few extra doors for members of the Scottish filmmaking community. (Alan Morrison)
Carla’s Song will open in Scotland on Fri 31 Jan.
RENTAL
I Fargo ( 18) Joel and lithan Coen‘s perfectly plotted crime drama might be set in the icy colds of Minnesota. but it finds a warm heart in the character of pregnant Police Chief Marge Gtrnderson (Frances McDormand). It‘s her selfless determination that eventually makes inroads into a murder case when a botched kidnapping goes badly wrong. William H. Macy is both pathetic and sympathetic as the debt- ridden instigator of the plan. while Steve Buscemi turns in another trademark performance as a petty criminal out of his depth. (PolyGram)
I The Secret Agent Club (PG) In action terms. Hulk Ilogan isn't Arnie and The Serra! Agent ('luh isn't True Lies. but the premise of a top government agent posing as a family man draws inevitable comparisons. Surprisingly. this kids adventure comes out very favourany indeed as it sensiny drives the action from the point of view of Hogan's screen son and his friends. who rescue dad from the evil clutches of a female arms dealer. Thrown away on its cinema release (but popping back for the odd matinee). it‘s crammed full of fun sequences and features Hogan's most endearing film performance to date. (Fox Guild)
I Firestorm ( 18) ()n planet Markus 4. sentient androids have been enslaved by designer dictator John Savage. whose human employee Bobby (Bently Mitchurn) betrays him in favour of the android revolution. But this is the universe of video entertainment. so of course Bobby has an identical twin brother. Sonny. who takes it upon himself to revenge his sibling. coming over to the good cause in the process. The acting isn‘t always brilliant. but there‘s plenty of fun to be had in this solid sci-fi actioner which will provide a perfect evening‘s rental for those who aren't searching for
the new ('irircn Kane. (First Independent)
I Down Periscope t 12) Second-rate US Navy man Thomas Dodge (l’rasier's Kelsey Grammer) is finally given command of his first submarine — a rusting. diesel-powered relic from World War 11. crewed by a bunch who would be rejected even by Police Ana/wiry sequels. Nevertheless. he‘s supposed to take on the best nuclear craft in a wargames exercise and get us rooting for his underdogs. None of the misfits on board are given any time to develop beyond caricatures and the jokes are (literally) sub standard. (Fox Guild) I Proteus ( 18) Bob Keen. the special effects man behind Hal/raiser and other nasties. makes his feature film debut as director with this low budget. but effective horror movie that makes the best of limited resources. Six survivors of a shipwreck end up on an isolated oil platfrom where dodgy genetic experiments by deranged scientists have created a deadly monster — The Oil Rig ()fDr Moreau. perhaps? All the basic elements are in place and. as you'd expect with Keen‘s monster make-up background. the creature is very much the star. (PolyGram)
I Rainbow (PG) Bob Hoskins appears in and directs (very badly indeed) this overly moralising children‘s story about a group of kids who discover the secret of the rainbow. but bring havoc to the world when one of them steals some of its gold. The ‘human greed leads to ecological disaster‘ theme
\ Also out: Slgoumey Weaver is the prey for a serial killer in the distasteful thriller Copycat (Warner, rental)
l
~ Also out: liemiMoore ls pressured into loading the verdict In The Juror (20:20 Vision rental)
is pounded into our heads like the most uninspired classroom lesson. but the film‘s visual style — with a hyper-colourised world gradually fading to greys - is a clever touch. It's just a pity the same attention wasn't paid to ensuring there was enough colour in the story. (First Independent)
RETAIL
I Martin Scorsese Box Set If you're wondering what to give the discerning movie fan this Christmas. look no further. This stylishly packaged set consists of a widescreen video of the superlative Raging Bull and an updated edition of the .S'r‘ursase ()Il .S'r‘nrsese book. in which the master director travels from beginning to end through his career and techniques. (Faber and Faber £14.99) I BBC Scotland Comedy The new holiday season is almost upon us. but there's still time to resurrect the ghosts of New Years past with some classic chuckles. Post- l-lstonia. nothing in Scottish football can be funnier than reality. but the team from Only All Excuse (12. £12.99) put in an extra effort as they send up notjust the personalities involved in the beautiful game. but also its media presentation. This tape includes the 1995 Hogrnanay show. fifteen minutes of material left out on the night and another 55 minutes of extra time footage taking in Euro 96 and other recent events on and off the itch. Jolly: A Man For All easons (PG £12.99) sees Ricki Fulton’s dour minister fluffing his way through a wedding. spending a night in the cells and heading eastwards for the General Assembly; as ever. the set-piece ‘Last Call‘ is hilarious. Fans can also treat themselves to the entire fourth series of Rab C. Nesbiti (PG £14.99) on one volume or sample the west coast wit of Dorothy Paul on Dorothy (PG £12.99). (PNE Video)
26 The List 29 Nov-12 Dec 1996