Pillars 0f Society Sta'tzen Der Gesellschafl (PG) (Detlief Sicrck. Germany. I935) 82 mins. Before relocating to Hollywood and renaming himself Douglas Sirk. the director already made his mark in the domestic melodrama genre. A successful rancher returns to Norway for a tour with his circus- owner friend. but his presence reopens old wounds when the ward of a businessman falls in love with him. Glasgow: GI’T.
ll Postino (U) (Michael Radford. Italy. I995) Massimo Troisi. Philippe Noiret. Maria Grazia Cucinotta. l08 mins. When exiled Chilean poet Pablo Neruda (Noiret) arrives on a remote island off the Neapolitan coast. he aids local postman Mario (Troisi) to woo the village barmaid. Gently paced and full of Mediterranean sun. Radford's film is nicely unsentimental. Sadly. Troisi died the day after shooting was completed. btit he couldn't have left a finer legacy. Glasgow: (iilrnorehill.
Prisoner Of The Mountains (18) (Sergei Bodrov. Russia/Kazakhstan. I996) Oleg Menshikov. Sergei Bodrov Jr. Through this simple. moving fable based on a story by Tolstoy. Bodrov sheds a clear light on the bitter war between the fomier Soviet Union and the independence-seeking Chechens. A pair of captured Russian soldiers are used by a local chieftan to get his own son back. but complications ensue. A collision of
deep human need and the stark realities of war that garnered a deserved Oscar nomination. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
Pusher ( l 8) (Nicolas Winding Refn. Denmark. I996) Kim Bodnia. Laura Drasbaek. Zlatko Buric. l()5 mins. Watching this Danish thriller is rather like gazing into a basin full of piranhas in the midst of a feeding frenzy. Small-time dealer Frank (Bodnia) finds himself in hock to a Serbian gang boss after a drug transaction is ruined by a police bust. but attempts to free himself are balked at every turn as it becomes apparent that fate has it in for him. The film has a documentary sheen and direction is admirany controlled but. God. is it cold. Edinburgh: Cameo.
Regeneration (l5) (Gillies Mackinnon. UK/Canada. I997) Jonathan Pryce. James Wilby. Jonny Ice Miller. Il3 minutes. Faithful to Pat Barker’s source novel. Mackinnon's film touches on trench life during WWI. but is mostly confined within the walls of Edinburgh‘s Craiglockhan Hospital. where psychiatrist Dr Rivers (Pryce) nurses the shell-shocked back to mental fitness. It's a sober. mournful work. and most of the fireworks comes from the actors. all of whom excel. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. Kirkcaldy: Adam Smith. Resurrection Man (18) (Marc Evans. UK. I997) Stuart Townsend. James Nesbitt. John Hannah. IOI mins. Dealing with a series of (non-political) killings in Belfast. Rt’xllrl‘r't‘flml Man challenges attitudes towards a society saturated with media
The Queen and I: Judi Beach in Mrs Brown
coverage of violence. Victor (Townsend). at the centre ofa random and ruthless killing spree. becomes glamorised by a local journalist and begins to believe in his own myth. A difficult and uncomfortable film to watch which has the power to blow the mind. Galashiels: Pavilion.
Romeo And Juliet (I2) (Baz Luhrmann. Australia/US. I996) Leonardo DiCaprio. Claire Danes. Pete Postlethwaite. 120 mins. The Strictly Ballmom director‘s treatment of the Shakespeare tragedy is a magnificent not of colour. action and sexy teen romance. without any need to sacrifice the text. To call it ‘MTV filmmaking' misses the point that the camera tricks and in-jokes don‘t in any way distract from the fact that Luhrmann has completely grasped the issues at the centre of the play. An intoxicating. breathtaking mix of Catholic iconography. high camp and street violence that‘s both deliciously feverish and studiedly cool. Glasgow: Odeon Quay. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. Kirkcaldy: Adam Smith. Wishaw: Anew.
Schlussakord Final Chord (PG) (Detlef Sierck. Germany. I936) Maria Von Tasnady. Willy Birgel. Albert Lippert. IOO mins. The pre-Hollywood Douglas Sirk was in over- the-top form with this melodrama about a woman who returns to Germany to find her son when her husband commits suicide. but has to become his governess before things are straightened out. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. Secrets And lies (I5) (Mike Leigh. UK. I996) Timothy Spall. Brenda Blethyn. Phyllis Logan. I40 mins. Leigh's Palme D’Or-winning follow up to Naked is a bittersweet take on suburban domestic life. Young black optician Hortense searches for the mother who put her up for adoption as a baby. but is surprised to discover it's white working-class Cynthia. Genuinely emotional. with great performances by Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Timothy Spall. but the showstopping turn comes from Cannes winner Brenda Blethan. Edinburgh: Cameo.
Shooting Fish (I2) (Stefan Schwartz. UK. 1997) Kate Beckinsale. Dan Futtennan. Stuart Townsend. l04 mins. Two contrasting con men recruit a beautiful assistant and set about fleecing the complacent rich (big fish) in order to help the poor (themselves). The director and producer of Soft Top, Hard Shoulder turn a contrived. cheesy and very busy plot into a sublime story that unfolds on screen with seamless case. A breathlesst pacy movie. Falkirk: Town Hall.
Sick (no cert) (Kirby Dick. US. I997) 89 mins. This unforgettable documentary on the life and death of performance artist and self-proclaimed ‘supermasochist' Bob Flanagan contains some extreme images — a penis nailed to a block of wood. real footage of Flanagan's death. But it's not simply sensationalist. Instead it shows how a man wracked by pain from cystic fibrosis claimed back his body by acts of self- mutilation and a brave humour. Inspiring. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
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 Looney Tunes in their amusement park on Moron Mountain. but Bugs has the brainwave of challenging them to a basketball game and enlisting the talean of Michael Jordan for his team. Lacking the class of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and the pace of a real basketball game. Space Jam should divert the kids on Saturday mornings. even though the jokes and effects are tired from over-use. Glasgow: Grosvenor.
SpiceWorld: The Movie (PG) (Bob Spiers. UK. I997) The Spice Girls. Richard E. Grant. Alan Cumming. 93 mins. ‘A 90s Hard Day '5 Night. with a pinch of Spinal Tap and a little Speed thrown in.‘ says the publicity material. The story chronicles the hectic five days in the lead-up to the girls‘ first live concert at the Royal Albert Hall and. on the way. crams in so many celebrity cameos. you get the sense this could be the big screen equivalent of Nael's House Party. Of course. plenty of hit songs are included too. Glasgow: Showcase. Edinburgh: UCl. GIenrothes.
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6-19 Mar 1998 THE U3T35