lran. I984) Majid Nirumand. Musa 'l'orkizadeh. Reza Ramezani. 94 mins. A l3- year-old boy tries to scrape a living on the streets of an Iranian seaport. and his running
ability comes in handy in keeping him out of
trouble. Determined to improve his lot. he enrols in an adult literacy class where learning becomes a ritual that gives his life meaning. Continually engrossing semi- autobiographical piece offering a detailed insight into the workings of another culture. Edinburgh: l-‘ilmhouse.
The Saint (12) (Philip Noyce. US. I997)
’al Kilmer. lilisabeth Shue. Rade Serbedzija. I I4 mins. Snapping at the highly successful heels of Miss/rm: l/n/mss‘ihle comes another 90s cinema version of a 60s TV espionage series. Master thief Simon Templar (Kilmer) is pitted against a nationalistic Russian megalomaniac in this surprisingly playful film which balances action with our hero’s variety of silly disguises for most of the movie keep both him and us amused. Glasgow: ()deon Quay. Scream ( l8) (Wes Craven. US. I996) Neve Campbell. Courteney Cox. Drew Barrymore. 1 l lmins. Rather than depart frotn the traditional devices. shockmeiser Craven plays safe with what he does best. but plays it [mowing/y. 'lhe teenagers of Woodsboro know they're typical stalker fodder. so when a killer hits town. they gather in an enormous house to watch horror movies as the real bad guy gets closer. Self- conscious references are good fun. the opening sequence is genuine white-knuckle material. and — if you know the rules — you‘ll find it perfectly scary and funny. General release.
She’s The One (15) (lidward Burns. US. I996) Edward Burns. Mike McGlone. Jennifer Aniston. 97 mins. This pleasing comedy shares the same sense of humour as Burns‘s debut (The Brothers .l'lt‘Mu/Ien) and focuses on the fraternal tensions between a pair of Irish-Americans in matters of love. sex and marriage. A gentle. witty. perceptive film with neat dialogue. fresh characters and nicely judged acting — US indie cinema as quality soap. Stirling: MacRobert.
Shine ( l 2) (Scott Hicks. Australia. I996) Geoffrey Rtish. Noah 'l‘aylor. Armin Mueller-Stahl. l()5 mins. Winner of nine top awards at Australia‘s equivalent of the ()scars. Shine is a remarkable and devastating film about the life of child prodigy and pianist David Helfgott. who was forced to retire from the stage due to a mental breakdown. btit returned later in life. 'lhe jx'rformances show real love. while the recital passages are presented with a conviction that underlines the quality of the film as a whole. lidinburgh; Dominion. Space Jam (U) (Joe Pytka. US. I996) Michael Jordan. Bugs Bunny. Wayne Knight. 87 mins. Nasty alien cartoons have captured Bugs Bunny and are going to enslave the l.ooney Tunes in their amusement park on Moron lylountain. but Bugs has the brainwave of challenging them to a basketball game and enlisting the talents of Michael Jordan for his team. Lacking the class of Who l-‘rumu/ Roger Rabbi/7 and the pace of a real basketball game. Spare lam should divert the kids on Saturday mornings. even though the jokes and effects are tired from over-use. (ieneral release. Space Truckers ( l 2) (Stuart (iordon. US.
I996) Dennis Hopper. Stephen Dorff. Charles Dance. 92 mins. What should have been an off-beat science fiction comedy has ended tip as a clunky. predictable pot-boiler.
-s
Lovers in arms: Clair Danes and Leonardo DiCapprio in Romeo and Juliet
Spaced-out cowboy Hopper. trainee trucker Dorff and exiled Noo Yawk diner waitress Debi Mazar battle with intergalactic pirate Dance (a hilarious. self-mocking performance) and a consignment of bio- mechanical warriors. Nothing gels. and the effects sequences are tacky and unimaginative. See review. Glasgow: ABC Film Centre. Virgin Parkhead.
Star Trek: First Contact ( l 2) (Jonathan lirakes. US. l996) Patrick Stewart. Jonathan Frakes. Brent Spiner. lll mins. The eighth and most impressive instalment in the series gives the N art General/mi crew a chance to be fully centrestage. A brooding Captain Picard (Stewart) leads the fight against the half-flesh. half-machine Borg. who are intent on attacking liarth and changing history. Genuinely scary in parts. with fine performances throughout. Stirling: MacRobert.
Star Wars: Special Edition (U) (George Lucas. US. 1977/97) Mark llatnill. Harrison Ford. Carrie Fisher. 126 mins. A screen legend returns. slightly souped-up for the modern audience: sound is suitably thunderous. the minimal extra footage of largely anorak interest. and the additional digital effects rather obviously painted in. Set against today's blockbusters. it has become something of a period piece. However. for its conceptual imagination. its innocence of spirit and budget-stretching technical resource l.ucas's movie milestone remains just that. Glasgow: ()deon Quay. Coatbridge Showcase.
The Starmaker (15) (Guiseppe 'l‘ornatore. Italy. I995) Sergio Castellitto. 'liziana l.odato. I-‘ranco Scaldati. l l 3 mins. Like his award-winning Cine/nu l’urm/i'su. this film from 'l'ornatore features beautiful cinematography. but this time the celebration of cinematic illusion is given a backseat role in favour of colourful characterisation. A conman armed with a camera comes to I953 Sicily offering locals the possibility of fame in return fora paid- for screentcst. but is touched by the personal stories his subjects relate. .«\ magical and refreshing insight into the dreams and disappointments of everyday people. Stirling: MacRobert.
Surviving Picasso (15) (James Ivory. UK. I996) Anthony Hopkins. Natascha Mclilhone. Julianne Moore. 122 mins. Merchant-lvory's film is less interested with the secrets of Picasso‘s craft than a portrait of the artist as lover. The argument is that the chauvinism he showed the women in his life was necessary to his genius, but there's no attempt to offer insight into his creativity. What almost redeems the filth. however. is Hopkins's astonishing performance and physical transformation. Stirling: MacRobert.
Taxi Driver ( I 8) (Martin Scorsese. lFS. I976) Robert De Niro. (‘ybill Shepherd. Jodie Foster. l|4 mins. An alienated taxi driver in New York is so repelled by the squalor and the moral decay around him that he is driven to terrible violence. ()ne of the key films of the Seventies with the Scorsese-De Niro partnership at its peak. Restored and enhanced print. (ilasgow: (El-T. lidinburgh: l-'ilmhouse.
The Tin Drum IM' lilt'r‘lill'umnu'l ( IS) (Volker Schlondorff. W.( iermany. I979) David Behnent. Mario Adorf. ('harles Aznavour. l4l mins. ('ompelling screen version of the (iunter (irass novel about a young boy who refuses to grow tip as the Nazis rise to power in Germany. Glasgow:
GFT.
To Kill A Mockingbird (PG) (Robert Mulligan. US. I962) Gregory Peck. Mary Badham. Philip Alford. Brock Peters. l29 mins. Sturdy film adaptation of the classic Harper Lee novel won an Oscar for Peck as a liberal lawyer in the Deep South defending a black man accused of rape. The material is delicately handled as he attempts to explain the situation to his children. and Duvall makes his screen debut as their friend. a retarded man. Glasgow: Gli'l‘.
Twin Town (18) (Kevin Allen. UK. I996) Rhys lfzms. Llyr livans. Dougray Scott. 99 mins. 'lhe quaint Ivor The Engine image of Wales is seriously derailed by Allen's anarchic comedy. When their father is refused compensation fora work accident. the badly behaved Lewis twins start an escalation of violence that blows open a drugs deal and leads. ultimately. to mass murder. This darkening plot structure pulls the film away from its farcical early scenes into a brilliant combination of bizarre comedy. nasty brutality and poetic justice. Magnum Irvine.
The Umbrellas 0f Cherbourg (PG) (Jacques Demy. l-‘rance. I964) Catherine Deneuve. Anne Vernon. Nino Castelnuovo. 92 mins. Romance between a shopgirl and a garage attendant is rekindled when they meet again after years apart. Delightful screen operetta using only sung dialogue. with deftness of camera movement and delicious production design maintaining the interest when the plot creaks. Glasgow: Gl-‘l‘. Vertigo (PG) (Alfred Hitchcock. US. 1958) James Stewart. Kim Novak. Barbara Bel Geddes. l28 mins. Detective Stewart. a man with a fear of heights. falls in love with a woman who apparently commits suicide. When he meets her double. he becomes obsessed with the possibility that she is still alive. listaordinary plotting in this Hitchcock study of romantic mania. with Stewart tnemorably cast against type as the distinctly on-the-edge cop. 'lhe Bernard Herrmann score is simultaneously lush and disturbing. Restored print. lidinhurgh: l-‘ilmhouse.
index FILM
Wages of Fear (PG) (Henri-Georges Clouzot. France. I953) Yves Montand. Charles Vanel. Peter Van Eyck. I44 mins. In a sleazy South American shanty town four equally sleazy desperadoes agree to drive a couple of truckloads of nitro-glycerine across the mountains. Bring a sponge to wipe the sweat up with: this classic suspense vehicle creates buckets of the stuff. A fine sourpuss vision of man's greed married to film-making of unbearable tension. Glasgow: GFT.
Walking And Talking (15) (Nicole Holofccner. US. I996) Catherine Keener. Anne Hecht. 86 mins. The friendship between two childhood pals is sorely tested when one decides to get married. a decision that leaves her chum feeling very solo indeed. As this parade of neuroses and insecurities passes before our eyes. what‘s remarkable is not the slickness of the one- liners. but how much everyone gets under the skin of these characters. Truly vivid and alive. See review. Glasgow: GET.
.Welcome To The Dollhouse ( I 5) (Todd
Solondz. US. I995) Heather Matarazzo. Brendan Sexton Jr. Matthew Faber. 87 mins. Heather Matarazzo delivers an unforgettable performance as Dawn Wiener — a lonely. softly-spoken child subjected to constant abuse at school and virtually ignored at home. This Sundance Grand Jury Prizewinner presents the world of high school as far closer to the bone than the usual sanitised version. probing an inner world of frustration and anger with scathing humour and understanding. East Kilbride: Arts Centre.
When We Were Kings (U) (Leon Cast. US/Africa. 1996) Muhammad Ali. George liorman. Norman Mailer. 84 mins. An ()scar-winner in the Best Documentary category. this splendid account of the historic ‘Rumble in the Jungle' boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George l-‘orman gets beyond the punches thrown in the ring to convey the sense of black pride being born. Amazingly dramatic. See l-‘rontlines and review. Glasgow: Odeon Quay. lidinburgh: Cameo.
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