Films screening this fortnight are listed below with certificate. credits, brief review and venue details. Film index compiled by Alan Morrison.
Alaska (PG) (Fraser Heston. US. 1996) Thora Birch. Vincent Kartbeiser. Charlton Heston. l09 mins. A young brother and sister go searching in the Alaskan wilderness for their father. missing in a plane crash. 'I'heir adventures bring them into contact with a grizzled hunter (Heston) and acute polar bear cub. (iood wholesome family entertainment with some tense action scenes. Falkirk: ABC. Kilmarnock: ABC. Another Life ( I5) ((‘arlo Mazzacurati. Italy. I992) Silvio ()rlando. Adrianna Bierdrzynska. Claudio Amendala. 90 mins. Mazzacurati's third film examines the themes that have obsessed him since: the presence of immigrants. particularly from Eastern Iiurope. in Italy and the interaction between cultures. A dentist and a young Russian woman begin a tormented love affair. btit both are weighed down by past relationships. Unsubtitled print. Part of the Italian Film Festival. (ilasgow: (ll-'I'. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
Apocalypse Now! ()8) (Francis Coppola. US. I980) Martin Sheen. Marlon Brando. Robert Duvall. 153 mins. Vietnam as the Ultimate 'I‘rip. We follow US Army assassin Sheen downriver and deeper into the Ht'url OfDurknuvs ruled over by Brando's mad Colonel Kurtz. Alternately pretentious and visually overpowering (the Valkyries helicopter attack. for example). its grandiloquent folly somehow pierces right to the bone of the conflict. Ifdinburgh: St Brides.
Aquarium ( l S) (Michele Sardillo. Italy. I996) Ivano Marescotti. Carlina 'I'orta. Maria Consagra. 76 mins. Three tales combine to give a portrait of the human condition. A woman approaching 4() suddenly leaves herjob and find more meaningful employment; the situation becomes strained when an unexpected guest stays longer than intended in a single woman's flat: and a dissatisfied husband is asked out by a woman at work. In Italian with French subtitles. Part of the Italian Film Festival. (ilasgovs: (il-‘I‘. Iidinburgh: Filmhouse.
Basquiat ( l 5) (Julian Schnabel. US. I996) Jeffrey Wright. David Bowie. Michael Wincott. 106 mins. Schanbells biopic of his friend Jean-Michel Basquiat truly captures the whims of the 80s New York art scene where hype mattered more than talent. Wright takes Basquiat from graffiti artist to overnight star to drug overdose victim. and conveys his charm and artistic vision. The film is packed with cameos and larger roles by celebs — notably Bowie's turn as Andy Warhol — making it as much a film about hangers-on as its subject matter. Iidinbtirgh: Cameo.
Be Damned The Day I Met You ( l5) (Carlo \“rdone. Italy. I992) Carlo Verdone. Margherita Buy. IiIizabetta l’ozzi. l IS mins. Director Verdone plays a rock biographer
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24 THE LIST I8 Apr—I May I997
Rise and shine: John
suffering a state of mid-life crisis after discovering that his girlfriend is having an affair. A visit to a psycho-analyst doesn‘t help. however. An award-winning comedy about anxieties and insecurities. Part of the Italian Film Festival. (ilasgow: (iFI‘. Iidinburgh: Filmhouse.
Beautiful Girls ( I5) ('I'ed Demme. US. I996) Matt Dillon. 'I‘imothy Hutton. Uma 'I’hurman. I I3 mins. In a Big ('liill-ish scenario. the young men of a small New lingland tow n have a weekend reunion Ill order to indulge in some psychological navel-gazing. liven the women of the title can't enliven the proceedings. Stirling: MacRobert.
Beyond The Clouds ( I8) (Michelangelo Antonioni/With Wenders. I-‘rance/ItaIy/(iermany. I995) John Islalkovitch. Fanny Ardant. I’eter Weller. l I 3 mins. Despite being in his eighties and having suffered a stroke. master filmmaker Antonioni completed (with minimal help from Wim Wenders) this four-part exploration of sexual love and the outer masks that people wear. The overall impression is one of stark. meditative beauty. Fast Kilbride: Arts Centre.
The Big Heat ( IS) ll‘l'II/ lang. I‘S. I955) (ilenn Ford. (iIorizt (irahame. Ice Marv in. 9() mins. Muscular thriller as ex-cop Ford tries to track down his wife's killer and nab a crime ring with the assistance of (irahame's sympathetic moll. Marv in is a blisterineg vicious villain. stubbing out cigarettes on a human ash-tray and scalding (irahame with the contents of a coffee pot. I-Idinburgh: (.‘ameo.
Bits And Pieces ( IS) (Antonello (irimaldi. Italy. I996) Asia Argento. Daniele I.ticchetti. Ivano Marescotti. I()7 mins. A bitter-sweet snapshot of 2-1 hours in the lives of a cross- section of Rome's inhabitants. (irimaldi aims for the type of tilmmaking embodied in Altman's Short Cuts. btit finds his own originality. Part of the Italian Film Festival. (ilasgovv: (iFI’. Iidinburgh: I-‘ilmhouse. Bound ( IS) (Larry and Andy Wachowski. US. I996) Jennifer Tilly. (iina (ici‘son. Joe I’antoliano. 97 mins Iix-con Corky is seduced by Violet into helping steal $2 million from mob money -laundcrer Caesar. btit the sting doesn't go smoothly. After a slightly cliched opening. oozing with steamy
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lesbian sex. the Wachowski's neo-noit' thriller truly comes into its own. 'I‘ightly plotted and ftill of stylish quirks. its story takes unpredictable twists to keep any of the characters holding all the cards at one time. Iidinburgh: Cameo.
Box Of Moonlight ( l 5) (Toni I)i(‘illo. US. I996) John 'I‘urturro. Sam Rockwell. ('atherine Keener. I I3 mins. When his business trip is cancelled. stickler for routine Al Fountain ('I‘urturroi watches all his best
laid plans fall apart. The allegorical nature of
this film makes ll difficult to engage with any of the characters. but writer-director DiCilIo (Living In Oblivion) is more interested in satirising society than individuals. 'I'ui‘ttirro turns in an intelligent and often amusing performance. but doesn't have the power to make the film live. See review. lidinburgh: Filmhouse.
The Bull (I5) ((‘arlo Mal/acurati. Italy. I993) Diego .-\batantuono. Roberto ('itran. .‘vlarco Messeri. I()5 mins. After being unexpectedly dismissed from his farm job. a man steals the prize bull and. with a friend in tow. heads for Hungary across the war- torn landscapes of Slovenia and Croatia. An exciting journey brings to mind some classic cattle-driving Westerns. bill the social context is very contemporary. Winner of the Silver lion at Venice. Part of the Italian Film Festival. (ilasgow: (il-"I‘. Iidinburgh: Filmhousc.
ll Cariacatore ( IS) ( Iiugenio ('appucio/i‘ylassimo (iaudioso/Fabio Nunziata. Italy. I996) 97 mins. The trials and tribulations of tilmmaking are seen via the crises of three aspiring auteurs who all play versions of theirselves. trying to break from short films into features. Iiurope's answer to Living In ()lilivmn. Part of the Italian Film Festival. (ilasgow: (il’l‘. lidinburgh: Filmhouse.
A Cold, Cold Winter ( IS) (Roberto (‘impanellL Italy. I996) ('ecilia Dal/i. Carlotta Natoli. I’aola 'I‘i/iani. I().‘~ mins. 'I'hree beauty parlour assistants and their boss ignore the realities of life and get wrapped tip in various problematic relationships with men. But a tax deadline brings them to their senses and they rally to save the shop. Part of the Italian Film Festival. (ilasgovv: (iI’I'. Iidinburgh: I-ilmhouse.
9.
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Inverleith Park, Edinburgh, 19 - 25 May 1997. Booking now. Telephone (0131) 5
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Scottish International Children’s Festival * Britain’s biggest performing arts festival for young people
53 7700 for a programme of events.
Dante's Peak ( l2) (Roger Donaldson. US. I997) Pierce Brosnan. Linda Hamilton. Charles Hallahan. I09 mins. A volcanologist (Brosnan). haunted by the past. arrives in an idyllic town and tries to persuade the nice lady mayor (Hamilton) that a dormant volcano is about to erupt. In true Jaws style. the bigwigs don‘t want to cause panic. and a couple of kids are missing up the mountain. Disaster of a huge scale. Dante's Peak works on its special effects level. but the dialogue and characterisation is abysmal. (ieneral release.
Eddie ( I3) (Steve Rash. US. I996) Whoopi (ioldbcrg. Dennis Farina. Frank Langella. I()() mitts. Whoopi Goldberg plays New York Knicks fan Iidwina I-‘ranklin. picked by the struggling team‘s flashy new owner as coach for the end of the season. Underdog saves ailing team. star players learn the team spirit. sportsman ship wins the day over commercialism. with Goldberg playing little more than a mild variation on the sassy. Ioudmouth. fly-in-the-ointment role she made her own in Sister/Ir]. Selected release.
8": (I8) (Federico Fellini. Italy. I963) Marcello Mastroianni. (‘Iaudia Cardinalc. Anouk Aimee. I38 mins. Following a scenario not unlike the one that faced the director when he was under pressure to come up with a sequel to [.(l Dulce Vila. this masterpiece stars Mastroianni as a filmmaker plagued by intellectual insecurtiy and (‘atholic guilt as a weird succession of actresses. financiers. writers and hustlers (log his every move. As ever with Fellini. it‘s all about spectacle rather than ideas. btit the show is a sparkling one. Part of the Italian Film Festival. (ilasgovv: GI’I‘. lidinburgh: I-‘ilmhouse.
The Empire Strikes Back (U) (Irvin Is'ershner. I7S. I980) Mark Hamill. Ilarrison Ford. Carrie Fisher. I24 mins. Like the middle section of many great trilogies. T/lt’ [fin/tire Strikes [fuck is caught between reintroducing the popular elements of the original while setting tip the context for the climax. As such. the story itself doesn‘t move on greatly. but the tone is somewhat darker. The effects were considerably advanced by this stage and are even snazzier in this special edition. (ieneral release.
The English Patient ( l5) (Anthony Minghella. L'K/US. I996) Ralph Fiennes. Juliette Binoche. Kristin Scott 'IIiomas. I62 mins_ A mysterious stranger. suffering from horrific burns. is cared for by a Canadian nurse during the final days of WW2. In flashback. we discover more about the great romantic affair whose tragic climax brought him to this state. Anthony Minghella alters the focus of Michael ()ndaatje's Booker Prize-winning novel to concentrate more on boiling passions iii the North African desert. Spectacularly filmed on location. the film boasts magnificent performances from each and every one of the leads. (ieneral release. Enough Of You ( l5) (Carlo \"erdone. Italy. I993) (‘arlo \'erdone. Asia Argento. Aldo Maccione. I I5 mins. An obnoxious TV host loses his cool when a paraplegic girl accuses him of hypocrisy live on air. When she comes into his life again once he's been reduced to working on a poor private channel. a strange relationship begins.