Films screening this fortnight are listed below with certificate, credits, brief review and venue details. Film index compiled by Alan Morrison.
Addicted To Love ( l5) (Griffin Dunne. US. I997) Meg Ryan. Matthew Broderick. Tcheky Karyo. I00 mitts. Hard-hearted Ryan teams up with romantic Broderick to spy on and sabotage the new partnership of their respective ex-Iovers. bttt discover that love tnight jtist be kindling between themselves. Ryan tinkers witlt her sweet image but it never really rings true. The cinematic equivalent of a frozen ready-meal — not turkey. btit close — this is bland. predictable atid cottveniettt. btitjust about digestible. Irvine: Magnum. Air Force One ( l 5) (Wolfgang Petersen. US. I997) Harrison liord. Gary ()ldmati. Gletttt Close. IN tttiits. Kazhakstatti terrorists ltijack the White House‘s private 747. so President James Marshall (liord) ltas to ptit his own life on the litte to save the day. There's no attempt to take the piss otit of US gting-ho positivisttt. so instead we ltave an overextended excuse to show American resourcefulness triutnphittg once again. The wltole ass-whuppiitg jingoism of it all is particularly virulent. See review. General release. Albino Alligator ( 18) (Kevin Spacey. US/I-‘rance. I996) Matt Dillon. liaye Dunaway. Gary Sinese. 97 mins. Spacey's directorial debut sees Dova (Dillon) as a complex and compromised gattg leader who seeks refuge after a bungled raid iii a basement bar only to be hemmed iii by the cops and conflicts with fellow bad guys. While there are some fiite performances to be had. including Duttaway as the world- weary bartender. the wltole seems to lack direction. fallittg down on its awkward fatttily values message. Iidinburgh: liilmhouse. L'Appartement (IS) ((iiIIes Mimouni. France. I996) Vincent Cassell. Romatte Boltringer. Jean-Philippe licoffey. I I6 mins. Young exec Max t‘Cassell) finds himself drawtt itito the mystery of ltis owtt past when a chance encounter iii a cafe settds him ltot on the trail of the girl he loved attd lost. Mintouni marshals the switcltback between past aitd present with effortless elan - it's all very Hitchcockian. btit the film's emotional component stops it from being ntere pastiche. Quite possibly the coolest lirench debut since him. See review. lidinburgh: liilmhouse. Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery (IS) (Jay Roach. L’S. I997) Mike Myers. [Elizabeth Hurley. Michael York. 94 mins. Austin Powers. the Sixties' silliest superspy. is brought out of suspended animation attd pitted him against his old nemesis. Btit the woild ltas moved on three decades. so his un-I’C catchphrases attd behaviour create a bit of a comic time-clash. Written by and starring liltltllt' Ts World's Mike Myers. /lll.\IlII l’oit-ers has perfect detail. spot-on casting and a hilarious mix of clever pastiche attd toilet gags. General release. Basquiat ( l 5) (Julian Schnabel. US. I996) Jeffrey Wright. David Bowie. Michael Wittcott. l()6 tnitts. Schnabel's biopic of his friend Jean-Michel Basquiat truly captures the whim of the SOs New York art scene where hype tttattercd tnore titan talent. Wright takes Basqtiiat front graffiti artist of overnight star to drug overdose victim attd conveys his cltarttt and artistic vision. The film is packed with cameos attd larger roles by celebs -- ttotably Bowie‘s turn as Andy Warhol — making it as tttuclt a film about hangers-on as its subject matter. Kirkcaldy: Adant Sitiitli. Batman 8: Robin (PG) (Joel Schumaclter. US. I997) (ietirge (‘lootteyz Arnold Schwarzenegger. Chris O'Donnell. I30 mitts. Moving even furtlter way front the Gotltic melancltoly of'Iim Burton‘s first two films. the fourth But/nun movie brings in Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman) and disaffected scientist Dr liree/e (Schwarzenegger). 'I‘htirman's scene-stealing performance saves the film front total failure. wltile Clooney does exactly what's required. btit no tnore. Noisy. empty attd witltotit a hint of
28 THE llST I? Sep 2‘.) Sep 199/
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wit or intelligence. Glasgow: ()deon Quay. Glenrothes.
Bean (PG) (Mel Smith. UK. I997) Rowan Atkinson. Peter MacNicol. Pamela Reed. 97 mins. Bean the movie makes an attempt to broaden the range of Atkinson's tremendously successful 'I'V sight-gag character by sending him off to California to be mistaken for an an expert. Most gags are agreeably daft; several are tiresomer lavatorial; eventually. however. the film upholds family values and true blue American schmaltz. You'll like it if you like the TV show. Real grown-ups should stay away. General release.
Between Marx And A Naked Woman (I8)
(Camilo Luxuriaga. Iicuador. I996) 90 tnitts. ()nly the fourth feature ever to come ottt of licuador. this version of the novel by Jorge linrique Adoum follows a group of friends iii the 60s. Latin American Film Festival. Glasgow: GFI‘.
The Blue-Veiled (U) (Rakltshan Batti- litemad. Iratt. I995) 85 tttiits. A widow selects a number of women to work on his tomato farnt. including a young girl responsible for supporting her family. Also on show is Scottish-produced short film Open Sesame. which records Glasgow's Festival of Islamic Art attd Culture to date. Glasgow: (il’l'.
The Blues Brothers ( IS) (John Landis. US. 1980) John Belushi. Dan Aykroyd. Carrie Fisher. 130 mins. Bloated. overlong anarchic Chicago comedy with the two stars on a tttission front God to salvage the imperilled fortuttes of an orphanage. Lots of guest stars. musical ttumbers and automotive destruction it) a typical product of over- emphatic contetttporary American humour. Iidinburgh: Cameo.
Box Of Moonlight (IS) ('I‘om DiCillo. US. I996) John 'I‘tirturro. Sattt Rockwell. Catherine Keener. l l2 tttitts. When his business trip is cancelled. stickler for routine Al Fountain ('I‘urturro) watches all his best laid plans fall apart. The allegorical natures of this filttt ntakes it difficult to engage with any of the characters. btit writer-director DiCiIlo (Living In Oblivion) is more interested iii satirising society than individuals. 'I'urturro turtts iii art intelligent. often amusing performance. bttt doesn‘t ltave the power to make the filttt live. Kirkcaldy: Adaitt Smith.
Braveheart (IS) (Mel Gibson. US. 1995) Mel Gibson. Patrick McGoohatt. Sophie Marceau. I77 ntins. Mel Gibson's long attd bloody account of the life of Scottish warrior hero William Wallace boasts some remarkable battle scenes and great performances. Aiming to entertain on a wider scale than the tttore literate Rob Roy. Brave/teari‘s Scottislt passion is tetttpered by a few Hollywood moments — touches of setttimetttality atid 'dramatic' ltistorical inaccuracy. Nevertlteless. it's a fitte. full- blooded attempt to tap ittto the spirit that fires Scotland‘s history aitd heroes. Stirling: MacRobert.
Broken English ( IS) (Gregor Nicltolas. New '/.ealand. I996) Aleksandra Vujcic. Rade Serbedzija. Julian Araltattga. 9t) tttitts. Nina (Vujcic) attd lter fatttily ltave fled the war it) their native Croatia aitd settled lll Auckland. btit her father (Serbed/ija) is
The Blue-Veiled from Iran plays at the FT as part of Glasgow'sghalaam! Festival
over-protective to the poitit of violence. Trouble brews when she falls it) love with a young Maori man. Another variation on the star-crossed lovers theme. Broken ling/is/i fails to gel. Vujcic makes an impressive debut while Serbedzija gives the film its redeeming centre. Edinburgh: l-‘ilmhottse. Career Girls (IS) (Mike leigh. UK. I997) Katritt Cartlidge. Lynda Steadman. Joe 'l'ucker. 86 mins. (.‘un'er Girls doesn't work within a narrative. btit a series of character encounters. playing (tilt in two time-frames. Annie and Hannah meet tip for a reunion weekend years after they shared a flat together as students. In the present attd iii the past. they cross paths — with credibility stretched to breaking point — with a past boyfriend. another flatmate. and a schizophrenic fellow student. The emotions and social backdrop rittg true where the characters themselves crucially do itot. See preview attd review. Glasgow: GI’I‘. lidinburgh: Cameo. UCI. East Kilbride: UCI.
Carla's Song (IS) (Ken Loaclt. UK. 19%) Robert Carlyle. ()yanka Cube/as. Scott Glenn. l27 mitts. A more commercially viable outing for l.oach. without a loss of political cotttmitment. Carlyle plays Glasgwegiatt bus driver George. who gives tip everything to help refugee Carla return to Nicaragua attd find her boyfriend. The love story aspect of the first (Scottislt) Italf of the filttt is its strongest point: the revelations itt Central Attterica don't hold surprises nor does the director seen) totally at honte w itlt the 'action‘ elements. Carlyle. however. is excellent — mildly tough attd totally charming. Glasgow: Gl’l".
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (U) (Ken Hughes. UK. I968) Sally Anne l-lowes. Dick Van Dyke. Lionel Jeffries. I45 tttitts. lengthy. effects-filled children's adventure conceived iii the wake of Wort l’op/iinv‘s huge conttnereial succes but w itlt a charm (attd great songs) all of its owtt. Dick Van Dyke is the ttiad inventor whose flying car propels his children attd romantic interest Ilowes to a far-off land of adventure. Glasgow: (ill.
The Cloud-Capped Star (tbc) (Ritwik Ghatak. India. I960) Supriya Choudhury. Attil Cltatterjee. Bijoit Bhattacharya. I27 tttins. More politicised than fellow Bengali Satyajit Ray. Ghatak's film is a fantin drama set iii a 50s shanty town or) the edge of Calcutta. 'I'he filmtttaker‘s anger is clear. btit there's also sympathy at work. Stirling: MacRobert.
Con Air ( I 5) (Simon West. l'S. I997) Nicolas Cage. John Malkovich. Joltit Ctisack. IIZ tttitts. Sit dowtt. strap yourself itt. stick your head ittto the roar of the jet engine of this noisy. stretch-the-credibility movie. Cage plays a ittanslaugltter parolee wltose prison plane ride home is ltijackcd by vicious convict Malkoviclt. so lie draws on his ntilitary trainittg attd strong sense of honour to save the innocents III the air frottt certain death. A constant attack of big bangs. action set-pieces . dry one-litters aitd illogical plot hiccups. Kirkcaldy; Adam Smith.
Conspiracy Theory ( I S) ( Richard Donner. US. I997) .‘slcl thsoit. Jttlia Roberts. Patrick Stewart. I40 tttttts lltttitble New
York cabbie Mel Gibson has a paranoid theory about everything. bttt when he's picked off the streets by men in long coats. his delusions seem to have foundation. Mixed up in all this is attorney Julia Roberts. who has dedicated years to investigating the nturder of her federal judge father. Glossy attd overlong. this collection of post-Vietnam cliches and sinister governmental operations which passes fora plot isn‘t even titade interesting by star power. General release.
Deep Crimson ( I8) (Arturo Ripstein. Mexico. I996) I I4 ntins. Based on the satne true story that gave tis Honeymoon Killers. this bleak drama chronicles the odd partnership between an overweight woman attd a balding bloke who teant tip to exploit attd murder vulnerable wonten. Latin American l-‘ilm I-‘estival. See review. Glasgow: Gl’l‘.
Dragonheart (PG) (Rob Cohen. US. I996) Dennis Quaid. Seati Connery. David 'l‘hewlis. l()3 tttitts. Disillusioned but noble knight Bowen (Quaid) teams tip with the last of the dragons (voice and mannerisms by Connery) to free the land frottt a tyrant king ('l‘hewlis). Dungeons and dragons for all the family it) a film that is only fun when the expertly animated. tire-breathing beast is on screen. Otherwise the storyline Iuntbers along. Glasgow: Grosvettor.
Drifting Clouds (IS) (Aki Kattrismitki. I-‘inland. I996) Kati ()utitten. Kart Vaananen. 96 mitts. 'l‘he Scandinavian director‘s tttost sumptuous work to date (warm blues. lush reds attd deep greens) tells the tale of a couple atid their struggle against stagnation hotlt economic attd emotional. While Katirismaki may not come across as the partying kind. his films continue to offer warmth. wit and subtlety. lidinburgh: Cattteo.
Event Horizon (IS) (Paul Anderson. US/UK. I997) Laurence l-isltburne. Sam Neill. Joer Richardson. 9| mins. 'Ihe crew of a rescue ship discover that hell Itas been unleashed inside a missing craft that reappears near Neptune. as their deepest fears begin to terrorise them iit physical forttt. liffectively a haunted house movie set it) space. Iii't'n/ lloriron boasts stunning "lechno Medieval’ design; btit tigltt editing leayes the characterisation attd story stripped to within art ittclt of their lives. General release.
Foreign Land I I8) (Walter Sallis/Daniela 'I‘ltomas. Brazil/Portugal. I995) Ill) tttitts. An unusual black-and-white love story set against the economic depression facing Brazil‘s first dentocratically elected government. An actor moves to Portugal attd falls for a Brazilian woman. Latin American film liestival. Glasgow: (ill.
The Full Monty ( IS) (Peter Cattaneo. UK. I997) Robert Carlyle. Tom Wilkinson. Mark Addy. 92 tttitts. Carlyle plays Gary. an unemployed Sheffield steelworker who. along w itlt an odd mix of former colleagttes. decides to go one better than the Chippendale troupes that fill the local halls. Cattatteo‘s laugh-out-Iotid filttt cotttes front the sante tradition as Ii’rovsu/ ()ll. mixing cottiedy w itlt a strong social conscience aitd showing tinetttploymcttt as an entasettlatittg experience. It's the ordittarittess of these blokes that gives the film botlt its humour aitd its depth. General release.
Gandhi (PG) (Richard .-\ttcnborotiglt. UK. I982) Bert Kingsley. Candice Bergen. lidwat'd I-'ox. 'I‘t'evor Howard. Jolttt Mills. ISS ntitts. ()scar-Iadeti biopic of the great Indian leader aitd man of peace chronicles attd clarifies the country's birth paitts. Although the choice attracted some flak. Kittgsley gives ati outstanding perforittance iii the title role. attd packed otit by star cameos the film ltas the feel of an old- fashiottcd epic. But a good one. Glasgow: Grosvenor.
Get Shorty ( I 5) (Barry Sottnenfeld. US. I995) Joltit 'l‘ravolta. Danny DeVito. Gene Ilackman. Rene Russo lI(I tttitts. Loatt shark ('Iiilt Palmer ('I'ravolta) shifts front .\liamt to LA and. being a movie buff. decides to get iitto the film business. With its sharp dialogue. quirky cltaracters and offbeat Itutttotir. this is probably the best adaptation yet of an lilmore Leonard tiovel. ‘l‘rayolta show s his true star quality he's as cool as milk attd as deadly as a rattlesnake Iidittbui'glt. Cameo.