Films screening this fortnight are listed below with certificate, credits. brief review and venue details. Film index compiled by Alan Morrison.
The Adventures Of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert ( I 8) (Stephan I-leiott. Australia. I994) 'I'ercnce Stamp. l-lugo Weaving. Guy Pearce l0-l mins. 'I‘wo transvestites and a trans-sexual team tip for a trip across the Australian outback for a drag show in Alice Springs. Serious issues pop tip froin time to time. btit the emphasis is on the camp humour of the iii-bus bitchiness and outrageous musical set-pieces. (ilasgow: (it‘t)s\'eliot'. Anaconda t )5) (l.ttis l.losa. US. I997) .lenniler l.ope/. liric Stolll. Jon Voight. 90 mins. In the Ania/on. a documentary film crew and a tiiy stcrious stranger are pittetl against a giant snake. which proceetls to pick them off will) an atliiiirable appreciation of star billing. 'lhc creature is a triumph of special effects in its spectacular killing sty lc. thotigli not especially realistic- looking. so audiences will either walk otit or decide to stay aiitl enjoy the whole ludicrous affair in all its camp glory See review. (iellt‘t'tll release. Andre t I?) ((ieot'ge .‘yliller. US. I994) 'lina .\laioriiio. Keith (‘arradine. ('helsea Held. 94 mins 'l'his time it's the turn of a seal to keep the kids oohiiig and aahing. as the true story ol Andre unfolds. Set during the early fills in a small fishing town in Maine. the film has all the necessary elements — cute kid bonding with cute animal - and with a few atlyenttirc sequences iii the plot that ptits this flippcred hero iii the Skippy/t'haiiipioii/Rin Tin Tin class. l)tii)lcriiilinc: Robin‘s. Annie Hall ( IS) (Woody Allen. I’S. I977) Woody Allen. Itiane Keaton. 'l‘oiiy Roberts. 9“ iniiis \N'aiiii. \yistltil. wonderfully witty \Voody discourses on one. death and life in the Big Apple iii this nitilti-()scar-winniiig .ttitohit)gi'apliical coiiietly-i'otiiaiicc. (ilasgoyy. (il'il' Apocalypse Now! i Io‘) tl-‘raneis Coppola. I’S. I9S‘0i Martin Sheen. Marlon Brando. Robert I)ti\all. Dennis Hopper. l5”) mins. Vietnam as ‘l'lie l‘ltimate ’l'i'ip. We follow I’S Army assassin Sheen dowiiriver and deeper into the Ht’tt/‘I of [lurk/ten ruled over by Brando's mad Colonel Ktii't/.. Alternater pretentious and \ isually overpowering (the Valkyries helicopter attack. for esample). its gi'aiidilotiucnt folly somehow pierces right to the lNlllL' of the t‘olilliel. (ilasgow: (il‘.li. The Big Sleep (l’(it (llowartl llaw ks. l'S. I9~loi Humphrey Bogart. lauren Bacall. Ioliii ls’idgcly II4 mins Raymond (‘liaiidlci's creation. l’htlip .\larloyy e gets caught tip in the peccadilloes of the Stcriiwood family as he tries to stop a spot of blackmail. Needless to say. the broad knows more than she lets on. Witty. sultry. .itiiiosphet‘ic. Iiiaiiistt'eatti til/ii [full with Bogey .iiid Bacall doing their escellent double act (‘handlcr biographer Tom lliney talks about the author alter the screening. ladiiibtirgli. Cameo A Blonde In Love t IS) t .‘ylilos lioriiian. ('/eeIioslosakia. I965) S3 mins. Before he lilI lloll} “Ut‘tl \\ Ill) ()Itt' l‘ft'll ()t't't‘ The (in Am: 's .\'e\I. strum/em and The People vs lot rt l'.’\i:t. l‘itl'llltlll was a leading light in (‘xecli .‘iiiciiia 'l his. his second film. tells of tlie lo‘.e .ittair between a shy factory girl and a visiting pianist Youth is iii coiillict ysith the older generation iii this simple film which has a keen eye for titiii'ks of human l‘s'll;l\lttlll'. lidinbui'gh l'IlIlIllttll\C. Le Bonheur t I5Hlitienne ('liatiliez. l-‘rance. l‘NSI \llc‘liel Set't'atlll. l'Altl) Mitchell. (Lii iiieii \latii'a lilo miiis Scrratilt excels in this warmly comic tale of a harried l)llslllt‘ssllltlll who escapes his dull marriage and work problems by taking up another identity at a country retreat with Carmen Mama and .i new family. ‘l‘lie humour has a sei ious touch to it. and it's also worth checking out footballer lit'lc ('antona in his ltisl big screen cameo SI :\I)tll'e\\'s1 New l’icttiie Home Box Of Moonlight t 15) ( lom I)i(‘i||o. lTS. |99(i) .loliii 'l tii‘ttiiro. Sam Rockwell. Catherine Keener. III lllllls. When his business trip is cancelled. stickler for routine
Undercover man: Johnny Depp in Donnie Brasco
Al I’ountain ('l‘tirturro) watches all his best laid plans fall apart. The allegorical nature of this film makes it difficult to engage with any of the characters. btit writer-director I)iCillo (Living In Oblivion) is more interested in satirising society than individuals. 'l‘urturro turns in an intelligent and often amusing performance. btit doesn't have the power to make the film live. (ilasgow: (il’l‘. lidinburgh: l’ilmhotise. Carla's Song ( )5) (Ken l.oach. UK. I996) Robert Carlyle. ()yanka Cabezas. Scott (ilenn. I37 mins. A more commercially viable outing for l.oach. without a loss of political commitment. Carlyle plays (ilasgwegian bus driver (ieorge. who gives tip everything to help refugee Carla return to Nicaragua and find 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 nor does the director seem totally at home with the ‘action‘ elements. Carlyle. however. is excellent — mildly tough and totally charming. l'Idinbiirgh: Cameo. Stirling: MacRoben.
La Ceremonie A Judgment In .s‘rmie ( )5) (Claude (‘habrol. lirancc. I995) Sandrine Bonnaire. Isabelle lltippert. Jacqueline Bisset. I I I mins. An illiterate maid begins work at a posh btit isolated home in rural fiance and begins a strange relationship with the obsessive local postal clerk. Chabrol‘s masterly adaptation of Ruth Rendell's novel is like a reworked l/(‘tll't’ll[\ Creatures meeting a thinking-iiian's The Hand T/tttl tht'kt't/ T/tt' (.Hlt/lt'. litlitihtlfgl): l’ilmhouse.
Dante’s Peak l l 3) (Roger Donaldson. L'S. I997) Pierce Brosnan. Linda Hamilton. Charles Hallahan. l09 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 .luirs sI_\ lc. the bigwigs don‘t want to cause panic. and a couple of kids are missing tip the mountain. Disaster of a huge scale. lhtttte'y l’eul. works on its special effects ley cl. btit the dialogue and characterisation is abysmal. (ilasgow: ()deon ()tiay. Showcase. lidinburgh: Dominion. I'Cl. .~\yi': ()dcoii. Darkness In Tallinn ( IS) (llkka Jat‘y tlaltlt'l. Iist/l‘in/US/Swe. I993) lyo L'kkivi. Milena (itilbe. Jiiri larvct. 95 mins. Shot in visually captivating high-contrast black-and-w hite. this cracking heist movie chronicles the problems that beset a gang of crooks trying to capture listonia's national gold reserve. The first film from the newly independent Baltic state. this is surprisingly cool and caring. (ilasgow: (El-"Ii.
Donnie Brasco t )8) (Mike Newell. LS. I997) Al Pacino. Johnny Depp. Michael Madsen. l27 mins. l)epp plays a federal agent who gains the confidence of mob underling Al Pacino as part of a maior surveillance operation it) late ‘70s New York. btit their growing bond threatens the forthcoming bust. 'l‘hrough his eyes. we learn the language. rituals. and economic realities of being a made man ’l'he violence and setting tiiiglit not be new. btit the filmmakers play with genre expectations. See review. (ienei'al release.
Dr Crippen An Bord ( I 3) tl-irieli lingels. (iermany. I942) 86 mins. A re-telling of the story of the wife poisoner. captured on board a ship as he fled to America. The film concentrates on the suspicious of the crew and their subsequent amateur detective work (ilasgoys: (il’l‘.
Eddie ( I 2) (Steve Rash. e8. 19%, whoopi (ioldbei'g. Dennis l‘arina. l’rank l.angclla. I00 mins. Whoopi (ioldberg plays New York Kiiicks lan lidwina Franklin. 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 (ioldberg playing little more than a mild variation on the sassy. loiidiiiouth. fly-iii-the-oiiitiiient role she made her own in Sister .-\(‘I. (ieneral release.
The Empire Strikes Back (t :) (Irvin Kei'sliner. I‘S. I9S0) Mark Hamill. llarrison l‘ord. (‘arrie l’isher. I24 mins. Like the middle section of many great trilogies. 'I’lte li/tipire Strikes [luck is caught between reintroducing the popular elements of the original while setting tip the contest for the climax. As such. the story itself doesn‘t move on greatly. but the totie is somewhat darker. ‘l'he effects were considerably advanced by this stage and. of course. are even sna/./ier it) this special edition. (ienei'al release
The English Patient ( 15) (Anthony .‘ylinghclla. Ills/CS. l99oi Ralph l-‘iciincs. .lultette Binoclic. Kristin Scott ’l‘hoiiias. lo} mins. A mysterious stranger. suffering from
index FILM
horrific burns. is cared for by a Canadian nurse during the final days of WW2. ln flashback. we discover tnore about the great romantic affair whose tragic climax brought him to this state. Anthony Minghella alters the focus of Michael ()ndaatie‘s Booker Prize-winning novel to concentrate more on boiling passions in the North African desert. Spectacularly filmed on location. the film boasts magnificent performances from each antl every one of the leads. (ieneral release. Everyone Says I Love You ( 12) (Woody Allen. US. I996) Julia Roberts. (ioldie Hawn. Woody Allen. 101 mins. Woody takes the plunge and makes a fully-fledged musical. with a story that (lips from New York to Paris to Venice. Various lovers burst into song and dance at regular intervals. gamer ix'rforniing 30s and 40s standards with varying degrees of success. The director himself looks distinctly pained when he sings his number. btit his discomfort is nothing compared with ours when Julia Robens opens her iiiotith to sing ‘All My I.ife‘. A disappointing misfirc. lidinburgh: Cameo.
The Exorcist ( )3) (William l-‘riedkin. US. I973) Linda Blair. lillcii Bursty n. Max Von Sydow. llI) iiiitis liarncst priest \"on Sytlow steps in to save poor little possessed girl in this liltgely effective setii‘efesl. l)e;1tl gootl. dead scary. tleatl priest. (ilasgow: (ltleoii ()iiay. lidinbtirgh: ()deon.
Evita ( | 3) (Alan Parker. llS. I990) Madonna. Antonio Bandci‘as. .lonathan
l’i'y ce. I35 mins. l’arker's genuine epic. based on the Inn Rice/Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. boasts huge crowd scenes (tip to 40.000 esti'as. according to sources) and stars on top form. 'l‘hc film belongs very much to i'Vlatlonna in a gift of a role. which follows the i'ags-to-i'iches life of liva Peron from poverty to her place it) the hearts of a nation. It‘s narrated iii song by sardonic revolutionary Che (itiey ara (Banderas). btit once the audience becomes accustomed to the style. the sheer scale of the (Movie should take effect. ('enti'al: MacRobert.
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k i I C hien 1580 both slieel
glasgow 92 I: 33) 1206/2257
21415 May 1997THE LIST 31