FILM index
FILM INDEX continued
The Magnificent Ambersons (PG) (Orson Welles. US. I942) Joseph Cotton. Dolores Costello. Agnes Moorehead. 88 aims. The decline and fall of an Aruerican fatnin told when Welles was at the peak of his cinematic power. liven studio tinkering can't lessen its impact. as the director takes an ambivolent view on how American life was changed by the industrial age. Urimissable. l’alkirk: Town Hall.
The Man Who Would Be King (PG) (John Huston. US. I975) Sean Connery. Michael Caine. Saeed Jaffrey. I29 mitts. Rudyard Kipling's moral fable on the pursuit of power becomes a rumbustious minor epic iii the hands of Huston. Connery and Caine. all at the peak of their powers. Set iii India. it tells the uncomfortable but entertaining story of a pair of women who find themselves elevated by the locals to a rank far above their natural station. btrt falling from grace owing to their innate greed. lzdinburgh: St Bride's.
Men In Black (PG) (Barry Sonnenfeld. US. I997) Tommy Lee Jones. Will Smith. Vincent D‘()nofrio. 95 mins. Stiiitli and Jones are two cryptically named ‘cosmic G- men' who monitor extraterrestrial aliens living on liarth. while stopping the nastier breed of space haddie from colonisitig the planet. Jones‘s seen-it-all straight man is the perfect foil for Smith's wide-eyed new kid on the block. while Sonnenfeld's skilful integration of the visual effects proves that eye-popping spectacle and coherent storytelling need not necessarily be diametrically opposed. lidinburgh: City Centre ABC.
Mrs Brown (PG) (John Madden. UK. 1997) Jtrdi Deneh. Billy Connolly. Antony Sher. I03 mitts. Queen Victoria's obsessive tnourning for Prince Albert is casting gloom over the entire country. so Highland ghillie John Brown is called down from Baltnoral to shake tip the stuffy linglish court. Madden's film can‘t match the comic brio and visual panache of The Madness ( )f King George. but his understated direction undeniably
suits the story. The perfomiances are uniformly splendid. with Dench and Connolly (both perfectly cast) giving the film a surprising emotional depth. Glasgow: Odeon Quay. UCI Clydebank. Edinburgh: UCI.
Mrs Dalloway (PG) (Marleen Gorris. US/ UK/Netherlands. I997) Vanessa Redgrave. Natascha McElhone. Michael Kitchen. 97 mins. Oscar-winner Gorris (Antonia it Line) adapts Virginia Woolf's novel into a moving and romantic drama about an intelligent and vibrant woman. Set in I923. with numerous flashbacks. it presents the thoughts. memories and actions of a middle-aged society lady as she prepares for an evening party on one single summer day. Beautifully filmed in a period London and held together by a strong British cast. See review. Glasgow: GFT.
Mrs Parker And The Vicious Circle t I 5) (Alan Rudolph. US. I994) Jennifer Jason leigh. Campbell Scott. Matthew Broderick. 124 mins. A veritable legend in biting one- liners. Dorothy Parker. along with her sophisticated group of literary friends. wielded incredible influence injazz age America. Alan Rudolph‘s film reveals her to be a passionate. contradictory woman who toyed alternately with success and suicide. Jennifer Jason Leigh‘s performance is unique and certainly remarkable. but there is a sense that it is too reliant on surface details such as accent. Glasgow: (il’l‘.
My Mother's Courage (12) (Michael Verhoeven. Germany. I995) Pauline Collins. Ulrich Tukur. Natalie Morse. 92 ruins. When the Jews of Budapest are calloust rounded up and sent to the death camps. only one woman stands up to her oppressors. In the true life role of Mrs Tabori. Pauline Collins relies too much on ‘cuddly auntie' acting. The impression is that another six millions stories could have been told. none of which would have been as dull and uninspirational as this one. Glasgow: Giltnorehill.
My Own Private Idaho (I8) (Gus Van Sant. US. I99I) River Phoenix. Keanu Reeves. William Richert. I05 mins. Shakespeare‘s Henry IV Parts I and 2 are given a sleazy.
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In Woolf‘s clothing: Alan Cox and Natascha McElhone in Mrs Dalloway
contemporary twist iii Vat) Sarrt's follow-up to the admirable Drugstore Cow/iota Screen heart-throbs Phoenix and Reeves make brave career moves by playing a rent boy and the preppie layabout object of his affections. but to good effect. A compelling. idiosyncratic. left-field gent. lidinburgh: Catneo.
Natural Born Killers (I8) (()liver Stone. US. I994) Woody Harrelson. Juliette Iewis. Robert Downey Jr. I I9 mins. Stone's visual and aural assault makes for one of the most remarkable cinematic experiences iti years; his attempts to marry style with content. and provide a damning expose of the media adulation of serial killers is less successful. let down by his trademark overstatetnent. Violent. rnesmerising. hallucinatory and bold iri its use of various film formats. NBK is a landmark iii h’I'I'V-int‘luenced filmmaking. Wishaw: Arrow.
Nil By Mouth ( I8) (Gary ()ldman. UK. I997) Ray Winstone. Kathy Burke. Charlie Creed-Miles. I39 mins. ()ldman's directorial debut is an account of alcoholism and marital abuse which stalks smoky liist lind pubs. smog-ridden council estates and cheap-rate lives with an itchy amphetamine energy. In a flawless ensemble cast. Burke (whose performance woii her the Best Actress award at Cannes) is heroic as the put-upon wife. while Winstone dominates the screen. This is simply one of the best British movies of the 90s — shocking. funny. heartfelt and honest. lidiriburgh: T'TJIIIIIOIISC. No Pain, No Gain ( IS) (UK/US/Yugoslavizi. I97 I —l99(i) ()4 mins. This collection of classic and contemporary performance-based works have a recurring fascination with the body under duress. Artists include Stephanie Smith and lidward Stewart. Gillian Dyson. Anne Wliitehurst and Marina Abramovic. lidinburgh: l‘ilrrihousc.
Nosferatu (PG) (PW Murnati. Gertnany. I922) Max Schreck. Alexander (iranach. Gustav vori Wangenheitti. 72 mins. Schreck is a truly terrifying figure as Bram Stoker‘s famous vampire. looking more like a skinned bat than a human being. A wonderfully visual movie. with twisted shadows and sexual undercurrents placing it well above the Kinski/Herzog remake. Stirling: MacRobert.
Odd Man Out (PG) (Carol Reed. UK. I947) James Mason. Robert Newton. Robert Beatty. llo mins. ()ne of the fittest British post-war movies finds Mason as a wounded IRA man on the run. staggering through a murky. expressionistic world. Haunting and lyrical. with a noir-ish plot and an inspired central performance. Edinburgh; l-‘ilm Guild. 101 Dalmatians (U) (Stephen Herek. US. I996) Glenn Close. Joely Richardson. Jeff Daniels. l03 mins. Disney turns one of its favourite animated films into a live action pantomime with spodges of Home .‘I lone buffoonery. making sure there are plenty of dogs to make the kids go ‘aaahlrh'. The story remains pretty much untouched -- vile villainess Cruella De Vil (Close) kidnaps enough spotty pups to make a stunning coat. but the animal world gets the better of her - but so does the old-fashioned morality.
which stresses the sanctity of marriage and that a woman's place is by her man's side. Glasgow: UCI Clydebank. liast Kilbride: UCI.
One Night Stand (IS) (Mike liiggis. US. I997) Wesley Snipes. Nastassja Kinski. Kyle Macl-achlan. l()2 mins. A single noctural liaison between two happily married people is the trigger iii director Mike Figgis's follow tip to Leaving [xix Vegas. lilecked with unexpected twists and turns. the plot makes us sympathise with two-timer Max (Snipes). Whether this is a romantic story of fated coincidence or a moral about the consequences of infidelity. One Night Stand is an emotional rollercoaster ride. brought to life by its distinctive directorial style. Glasgow: Odeon Quay.
Ossessione (l5) (Lucino Visconti. Italy. I942) Clara Calarnai. Massimo Girotti. Juan De Landa. Dhia Cristani. l39 mins. Visconti's first feature pre-empted the Italian neo-realism movement with its steamy story of crime passionel -- The Postman Alit'ays Rings Twice set in the Po Delta. Seductive but controlled. it was an early indicator of the auteur's intelligence and intensity. Glasgow: Gilttiorehill.
Palookaville (IS) (Alan 'I'aylor. US. I996) William l’orsythe. Vincent Gallo. Adam Trese. 92 triiris. The simplest way to nutshell I’a/ookaville would be to describe it as a heist movie starring the Three Stooges. Incompetence causes our heroes to break into a bakery instead of the next door jeweller's. but then their humanity wins over as they save a security driver's life. The jokes are everywhere — all over the script. in the visuals and off-camera lialkirk: Town Hall.
Pandora's Box ( l5) (G. W. Pabst. Germany. I929) Louise Brooks. liritz Korttier. Franz Lederer. 98 riiitis. Jolly Teutonic monochrome. iti which a woman kills her boyfriend and goes on the garue. only to run into an unfortunate scrape with Jack the Ripper. Surprisingly enjoyable piece. with ten'ilic perfoririarice from Ms Brooks. Stirling: MacRobert.
Paws (PG) (Karl Zwicky. Australia/UK. I997) Nathan Cavaleri. limilie Francois. voice of Billy Connolly. S3 tnins. Clever doggie PC is on a mission to deliver a computer disc. but is being tracked down by the unpleasant baddie who killed his master. Befriending computer whrzz kid Zac. the mutt links tip to a voice simulator and starts talking with the broad twang of Billy Connolly. Some genuinely futitiy moments allow for a whole range of teenage crises to be dealt with in an uncririgeworthy fashion. General release.
The Pebble And The Penguin (U) (Don Bluth. US. I995) With the voices of Martin Short. James Belushi. Tim Curry. 74 mins. The director of All Dogs Go 72) Heaven and An American Tale presents another animated animal feature with musical interludes that will keep the youngsters happy for a while. Nice boy penguin wants to woo nice girl penguin with a pebble (er. yeah?) but nasty penguin gets in the way. Stirling: Carlton.