FILM INDEX
FILM
Films screening this fortnight are listed below with certificate, credits, brief review and venue details. Film index compiled by Alan Morrison.
I the Adventures (it Pinocchio (U) (Steve Barron. US. l996) Martin Landau. Jonathan Taylor Thomas. Udo Kier. 96 mins. More faithful to the original novel than the Disney cartoon. this mix of anirnatronics. computer animation and live action still falls short of the tnark. Landau is a sympathetic Geppctto and the period detail gives a nice fairytale mood. but the sentimentality and moralising (and the shoddy cricket animation) undermine its good elements. Glasgow: Odeon Quay. Borders: Pavilion.
I Alaska (PG) (Fraser Heston. US. l996) Thora Birch. Vincent Kartheiser. Charlton Heston. I09 mitts. A young brother and sister go searching in tlie Alaskar wilderness for their father. missing in a plane crash. Their adventures bring them into contact with a grizzled hunter (Heston) and a crrte polar bear cub. Good wholesome family entertairrment with some tense action scenes. Edinburgh: ()deon.
I Home Molesto I I8) (Mario Martone. Italy. I995) Anna Bonaiuto. Angela Luce. Gianni (‘ajaia l04 mins. A woman is found dead on a beach and. despite an official verdict of suicide. her' daughter remains unconvinced. Naples in physical decay provides a superbly atmospheric backdrop to a story about human corruption told in the form of a mystery thriller. Disorientating flashbacks give a stylistic edge to a confident piece of European filrnrnaking. See review. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Antonio's line (I5) (Marleen Gorris. Nether'lands/Belgium/UK. I995) Willeke van Ammelrooy. Els Dottertnans. Dora van der ()verloop. I04 mins. The Best Foreign Film ()scar winner for l996. Antonia '.r Line is the famin saga of five generations of women from a rural Dutch community. The story. told with magic realist elements. is fragmented and incidenet-driven. brrt it's uplifting in its engagement with the sexual politics Gorris has explored in previous films. Central: MacRobert. Fife: Adam Smith.
I Arachnophohia (PG) (Frank Marshall. US. I990) Jeff Daniels. Julian Sands. Harley Jane Kozak. IIO mins. In rural retreat on the Californian coast. the Jennings family are rrnpleasantly surprised when they meet their new neighbours. a particularly venomous breed of spiders. Produced by Steven Spielberg and billed as a ‘thrillomedy‘. this feast of humorous horrors is grrarenteed to appeal to sick-minded punters who enjoy either nightmares or close contact with our eight-legged friends. Glasgow: GFT.
I Ball Of Fire (PG) (Howard Hawks. US. I942) Gary Cooper. Barbara Stanwyck. Oscar llornolka. llI mins. Stanwyck is the superny named nightclub stripper Sugarpuss O'Shea avoids the attentions of a gangster by hiding out in a house with Gary Cooper and seven stuffy old professors who are researching slang for a new dictionary. Zany twist on Snow White And The Seven Drvarfv by writers Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder. with Hawks on top form keeping everyone on a roll. Glasgow: GFT. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Blue in The Face (IS) (Wayne Wang. US. I995) Harvey Keitel. Roseanne. Victor Argo. 89 mins. Using Keitel‘s cigar store manager‘s tangled love life as a loose narrative thread. the makers of Smoke returned to the set for an improvised portrait of Brooklyn and its residents. Witty celebrity cameos aplenty from Madonna. Jim Jarrnusch and Michael J. Fox. in what is nothing less than a party on screen. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I The Blues Brothers ( I 5) (John Landis. US. I980) John Belushi. Dan Aykroyd. Carrie Fisher. I30 mins. Bloated. overIong. anarchic Chicago comedy with the two stars (admittedly in top form) on a mission from God to salvage the imperilled fortunes of an orphanage. Lots of guest stars. musical numbers and automotive destruction in a typical product of over-ernphatic contemporary American humour. Central: MacRobert.
I Brassed 0" (I5) (Mark Herman. UK. I996) Ewan McGregor. Tara Fitzgerald. Pete Postlethwaite. l05 mins. When the local pit is due to be closed down. it‘s the end of the day for the colliery brass band as well. even though they've got a chance at winning the national competition. Politics are the heart of the story. but writer-director Harmen has created a film that balances nicely between pithy humour and
heartbreaking poignance. Performances are excellent. particularly Ballvkimmgel's Stephen Tornpkinson. Edinburgh: Cameo. Fife: Adam Smith.
I Braveheart (l5) (Mel Gibson. US. I995) Mel Gibson. Patrick McGoohan. Sophie Marceau. I77 mins. Mel Gibson’s long and bloody account of the life of Scottish warrior hero William Wallace boasts some remarkable battle scenes and great perfonnances. Aiming to entertain on a wider scale than the more literate Rob Roy. Brar'elreart‘s Scottish passion is tempered by a few Hollywood moments — touches of sentimentality and 'dramatic' historical inaccuracy. Nevertheless. it‘s a fine. full-blooded attempt to tap into the spirit that fires Scotland‘s history and heroes. Edinburgh: Odeon.
I Bringing Up Baby (U) (Howard Hawks. US. I938) Cary Grant. Katharine Hepburn. Charles Ruggles. I02 mins. Zany gal Hepburn causes timid zoology professor Grant to lose a valuable dinosaur bone and mislay a pet leopard within the course of one screwball evening. Archetypal 30s crazy comedy with one outlandisth hilarious scene following another within the progression of an unerringly logical narrative. Both stars at their charismatic best. Glasgow: GFT. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I The Brothers (PG) (David Macdonald. UK. I947) Patricia Roc. Maxwell Reed. Duncan Macrae. 9| mins. When an orphan girl arrives in a Skye fishing village. she begins a family feud. Dark story that oozes superstition while benefitting from good use of outdoor locations and a certain ambivalence towards the central female role. Showing with ll’aver/ev Ste/n. a I947 documentary looking at the lives of Edinburgh citizens over a period of 24 hours. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Carla's Song (I5) (Ken Loach. UK. I996) Robert Carlyle. ()yanka Cabezas. Scott Glenn. l27 mins. A more commercially viable outing for Loach. without a loss of political commitment. Carlyle plays Glasgwegian bus driver George. who gives up everything to help refugee Carla return to Nicaragua and firtd her boyfriend. The love story aspect of the first (Scottish) half of the film is its strongest point: the revelations in Central America don't hold surprises but without Hollywood gloss. the war: scenes seem more realistic. Carlyle is excellent - mildly tough and totally charming. Glasgow: Odeons. Edinburgh: Cameo. UCI. Strathclyde: UCls.
I Carry On Cleo (PG) (Gerald Thomas. UK. I964) Sid James. Kenneth Williams. Amanda Barrie. 92 mins. One of the best from the team as they parody the pretentious of the Taylor- Burton Cleopatra with seaside postcard humour. ‘Infamy. infamy. they‘ve all got it in for me.‘ says Williams‘s Caesar — dialogue that would have made Shakespeare proud. Glasgow: GFT. I Chungklng Snares: ( I2) (Wong Kar-Wai. Hong Kong. I994) Brigitte Lin. Takeshi Kaneshiro. Tony Leung. Faye Wang. 97 mins. Such a glorious concoction of humour. energy. style and kookiness rarely comes our way. The two looser overlapping stories are set around a fast food stall in Hong Kong. with mismatched romance and indulgent heartache the menu for today. The second segment is the stronger. but the film is so fresh and unusual that it more than survives this slight imbalance. A Bout De Souffle for our times. Edinburgh: Film Guild.
I Binena Paradise (PG) (Giuseppe Tornatore. Italy/France. I988) Phillipe Noiret. Jacques Pertin. Salvatore Cascio. I23 mins. Told largely in flashback. the winner of the I990 Oscar for Best Foreign Film traces young Salvatore's infatuation with his village cinema. and his growing friendship with its projectionist (played to perfection by Noiret). Essentially. it‘s Tornatore's lament for the joyous movie-going experience of his youth and a recognition of the price we pay for our maturity. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Dead Poets' Society (PG) (Peter Weir. US. I989) Robin Williams. Robert Sean Leonard. Ethan Hawke. 129 mins. In a staid private boys school in 50s New England. an unconventional teacher (Williams) interests his charges in literature. but with tragic consequences. The film focuses mainly on the boys‘ emotional development and crises. creating a sensitive. tense and moving study of the conflict between passion and authority. Fife: New Picture House. I Documentary Videos (PG) As part of the European Artists Pépinieres Scheme. Pedro Sena Nunes (from Portugal) and Antonio Hergueta (from Spain) have spent four months in Glasgow each developing a short documentary video about the city. This special screening presents an opportunity to consider the videomakers' views and experiences of the city both on screen and in the discussion that follows. Glasgow: GFT.
I (PG) (Rob Cohen. US. I996) Dennis Quaid. Sean Connery. David Thewlis. IO3 mins. Disillusioned but noble knight Bowen (Quaid) teams up with the last of the dragons
(voice and mannerisms by Connery) to tree the land from a tyrant king (Thewlis). Dungeons and dragons for all the family in a film that is only fun when the expertly animated. fire-breathing beast is on screen. Otherwise the storyline Iumbers along. Glasgow: ABC Clarkston Road. Odeon Quay. Edinburgh: Odeon. Fife: Adam Smith.
I The Edge Of The World (PG)(Michael Powell. UK. I937) Niall MacGinnis. John Laurie. Belle Chrystal. 8l mins. Powell's first major feature was shot on the wild remote landscapes of Foula in the Shetland Isles. Inspired by the evacuation of St Kilda. the narrative charts how the struggle to survive breaks down even the closest of friendships. Powell returned to the project in I978 to add new footage for a BBC version. but the enterprise only proved that his original material and imagination had stood the test of time. Edinbrrrgh: Filmhouse.
I Evita (I2) (Alan Parker. US. I996) Madonna. Antonio Banderas. Jonathan Pryce. I35 mins. Parker’s genuine epic. based on the Tim Rice/Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. boasts huge crowd scenes (up to 40.000 extras. according to sources) and stars on top form. The film belongs very rmrch to Madonna in a gift of a role. which follows the rags-to-riehes life of Eva Peron from poverty to her place in the hearts of a nation. It's narrated in song by sardonic revolutionary Che Guevara (Barrderas). brrt once the audience becomes accustomed to the style. the sheer scale of the movie should take effect. General release.
I The Exorcist ( I8) (William Friedkin. US. I973) Linda Blair. Ellen Burstyn. Max Von Sydow. I l0 mins. Earnest priest Von Sydow steps in to save poor little possessed girl in this hugely effective scarefest. Dead good. dead scary. dead priest. Glasgow: Odeon.
I Extreme Measures ( I 5) (Michael Apted. I996. US) Hugh Grant. Gene Hackman. Sarah Jessica Parker. II8 mins. Hugh Grant turns in a believable performance as a junior doctor in a top New York teaching hospital who stumbles upon a dark conspiracy that threatens his career. if not his life. A decent. old-fashioned medical thriller with some clunky discussions of ethics and an overly contrived plot. it's better than your average Hollywood no-brainer. General release. I Fargo ( I8) (Joel Coen. US. I996) Frances McDormand. Steve Brrscerni. William H. Macy. 97 mins. Hoping to make some bucks. a car salesman attempts to have his wife kidnapped by lritrnen: but quickly blood is spilt. As the pregnant police detective on the case. McDonnand provides a warm-hearted centre for the movie. while the absurdist plot and weird local colour gain momentum. It'll be considered a classic. given time. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Fierce Creattnes ( I2) (Robert Young/Fred Schepisi. UK/US. I996) John Cleese. Jamie Lee Curtis. Kevin Kline. Michael Palin. 93 mins. The team from A F ish Called Wanda team up again for a completely different story. Kline has dual roles as a crude media tycoon and the son he sends to trrrn the English 200 he‘s just bought into a profit-making machine by chucking out the fluffy animals and filling it only with ‘fierce creatures‘. The film lacks bite. however. and the TV stalwarts in the smaller roles are often embarrassing. A light farce that doesn't match their earlier effort. See review. General release. I Fiorile ( I2) (Paolo and Vittorio Taviani. ltaly/France/Gemrany. I993) Claudio Bigagli. Galatea Ranzi. Michel Vanan. Il8 mins. In a typically classy affair. the Taviani brothers take a 200year trek through the travails of the unfortunate Benedetti family. Transitions between past and present are handled with great fluidity. but the longer the piece goes on. the more the pace begins to drag. Borders: Roxy.
I Flipper (PG) (Alan Shapiro. US. I996) Elijah Wood. Paul Hogan. Chelsea Field. 96 mins. Difficult city teenager Sandy (Wood) doesn‘t warm to ex-lrippy uncle Porter (Hogan) down in the Florida Keys until along comes friendly dolphin Flipper. The story brings to mind aspects of Amlre and Free Willv. but there are only so many scripts that can accommodate an acquatic star. Predictable stuff in the heart- warming category. Edinburgh: Odeon. Strathclyde: ABC.
I The Fly ( l 8) (David Cronenberg. US. I986) Jeff Goldblum. Geena Davis. I00 mins. Brilliant reconceptualisation of the camp I958 classic with Goldblurn highly effective as the scientist whose experiments in teleportation go disasterously wrong. Special effects are superlatively revolting. and tension is sustained throughout. Glasgow: GFT.
I Fly Away Home (U) (Caroll Ballard. US. I996) Anna Paquin. Jeff Daniels. Dana Delany. I07 mins. When her mother is killed in a car crash. young Amy (The Piano fr Paquin) is sent to live with her estranged father in Canada. Soon they‘ve hatched a plan to help a flock of baby geese migrate south for the winter by leading them in a modified glider. An orphaned kid.
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FIRST lllJI .. ". I 'llees lounge Actor Steve B ascenti also writes and directs this warm and honest character study about a Long”: .5 Island barfly. See preview and - ._ “5 review. Edinburgh: Cameo. I liaasoat When his son is kidnapped, self-made businessman. : . Mel Gibson decides not to playg’byj. the rules. Slickaction and-thrills all‘the‘, way. General release. f j I llldlcrtle Patrice Leconte’s period comedy-drama is as lush-a moirieas .. any to come out of France for some time. But don't be fooled by the ' ' surface — underneath, it bites. « _ t ‘ Glasgow: GFTI Edinburgh:
F ihnhouse.
I carla's Song A love story in g Glasgow between a bus driver and a ,_ refugee is burdened by civil war in v . : Nicaragua in Ken Loach’s latest drama. starring Scotland‘s Robert Carlyle. See feature and review. a Limited general release. . ‘
I Shine The true story of Australian < pianist David Helfgott. whose promising career was cut Short by A. mental illness. provides the basis for this exceptional film. Remarkable I performances at every level. Glasgow: GFTZ Edinburgh: Cameo. ~ BEFERTOBY : ‘
[The Brothers Less well known: * ‘ than Whisky Galore, this nostalgic- - 1947 film about a fishing family'on A Skye boasts incredible landscape 7 photography and fine character ' performances. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. lounging tipeaby Cary Grant and v. Katharine Hepburn star in-Iwhat‘is perhaps the best screwball comedy ever made. doubled up in the Howard- Hawks retrospective with Only Angels Have Wings. Other Hawksian , delights include Barbara Stanwyck in Ball Of Fire and Jane Russell in The. Outlaw. Glasgow: GFTZ~Edinburgle ~ Filmhouse.
some fluffy animals — brrt this gets beyond the fomtula by injecting some credible emotional depth into the performances by the two leads. See review. General release.
I The Fridrteners ( I 5) (Peter Jackson. New Zealand/US. I996) Michael J. Fox. Trini Alvarado. Peter Dobson. IO‘) mins. Director Jackson follows up Heavean C reattrres with a six-saturated scare-fest that shifts from slapstick horror comedy into something much darker and more disturbing. Fox plays a charlatan parapsychologist whose offer to rid a town of its ghosts backfires when he rekindles an old serial killer case. More complex than it first appears. Glasgow: Odeon Quay. Showcase. Virgin. Edinburgh: UCI. Strathclyde: UCls.
I From that Till m (I8) (Robert Rodriguez. US. I996) George Clooney. Harvey Keitel. Quentin Tarantino. I08 mins. For its first third. this Tarantino—scripted movie is a suspenseful kidnap thriller as two killers on the run (Clooney and Tarantino) hole up with three hostages in a Mexican strip club. Then the tone changes into
28 The List 7-20 Feb 1997