FILM index
FILM INDEX continued
The Boxer ( I5) (Jim Sheridan. UK/US. I997) Daniel Day-Lewis. limin Watson. Briati Cox. ll? mins. Sheridan's follow-up to In The Name ()f The Father brings the current drive towards a peaceful settlement right up to date. Day~l.ewis is perfect as the slow-burning ex-lRA man trying to rebuild his life and rekindle love with his childhood sweetheart despite resistance iii his neighbours. 'l‘he boxing scenes have a hard. realistic aggression. while the political perspective allows us to understand the demands that peace makes on a dis ided Republican community. lialkirk; low it Hall. Breakdown ( l 5) (Jonathan Mostow. US. I997) Kurt Russell. Kathleen Quinlan. J.'l'. Walsh. 93 mins. When their car breaks dosvn iii the desert. a nightmare begins for yuppie Russell after his vs ife accepts a lift from truck driver Walsh. then disappears off the face of the earth. A solid. silly. amiably suspenseful romp that's stuck firmly within its particular corner of the suspense genre and is on first name terms with every cliche in the immediate vicinity. If you can bear the familiarity of thejourney. then sit back and enjoy the ride. Paisley: Showcase. St Andrews: New Picture House. The Butcher Boy ( l 5) (Neil Jordan. UK. I997) Stephen Rea. liamotin ()svens. Aisling O'Sullivan. I08 mins. Jordan fuses an oblique. nightmarish view of life in a small rual Irish town during the early 60s with a brutally honest. painfully funny coming-of- age story. [Everything is seen through the eyes of twelve-year-old Francie (()wens). who blots otit the cruel reality of his home life with increasingly ferocious flights of fancy. Extraordinary: Stirling: MacRobert. Chasing Amy ( l8) (Kev in Smith. US. I996) Ben Afflect. Joey Lauren Adams. Jason Lee. I l I mins. The third film by the writer/director of Clerks is a wry and surprisingly mature look at twentysomething relationships. Comic book artist Holden (Affleck) falls desperately in love with Alyssa (Adams). btit she prefers gals to guys. Sexual desire and a crisis of
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30 THE LIST 11—25 Jun I998
masculinity come under the microscope in a film that's bloody funny iii a risque ssay. Edinburgh: Cameo.
City Of Angels ( I 2) (Brad Siberling. US. I998) Meg Ryan. Nicolas Cage. Dennis Franz. ll7 mins. Cage plays an angel who falls in love with heart surgeon Ryan in this
earnest btit unintentionally leaden remake of
Wim Wenders‘ sublime ll'mgs ()f l)(‘.\ll'('. Moments of high emotion are off-set by flashes of humour. bill the (iothic tiiagnificence of Wenders' film is replaced by a soft focus. filtered earnestness that pushes the story towards soapy melodrama. See feature and review (ieneral release. The Creature From The Black Lagoon (l8) (Jack Arnold. L'S. I954) Richard Carlson. Jtilia Adams. Ricou Browning. 79 mins. Fifties' monster movie classic Iias a party of scientists on an Amazon expedition discovering a strange amphibious creature. the gill man. who proceeds to threaten the safety of the entire group. Impressis e underwater cameravsork and some sympathy for the big green fella mark this otit as far superior to most of the genre. In 3-D. vs ith glasses available on the night. (ilasgow: King Tut's.
Dad Savage ( l8) (Betsan .‘vlon'is liv ans. CK. I998) Patrick Stewart. Kevin McKidd. Joe McFadden. l()-I tiiiiis. A heist-gone-w rong thriller with Western overtones. this impressive Britiin feature tells a dark tale of buried money. murder and tulip-farming iii rural Lincolnshire. Told in a series of flashbacks. the film is at first rather confusing. but has a tvs istitig plot. Western allusions atid glowering Cinemascope in its favour. There's also Stewart's charismatic presence and a fine young cast who make it bit/.1. itito tension- ftielled life. Edinburgh; l'CI.
Dark City ( l 5) (Alex Proyas. UK. I998) Rufus Sewell. Kiefer Sutherland. William Hurt. 100 mins. Part noirish thriller. part paranoic sei-fi. Proyas' follow-up to The Crow boasts stunning effects. design and photography. Sevs ell plays an amnesiac who wakes to find he is wanted for murder in a night-time city run by a mysterious clique. Although it succeeds as a mystery. it's less assured in its final sci-Ii incarnation. General release.
Days Of 36 ( l8) ('I‘heo Angelopoulos. (ireece. I972) I20 mitts. 'lhe first of Angelopoulos' triptycb on 20th century Greek history is based on actual events that took place in I936 when a man was arrested for the assassination of a politician. Protesting his innocence. he takes a hostage in his cell. Glasgow: (il’l‘.
Deconstructing Harry ( )8) (woody Allen. US. I997) Woody Allen. Kirstie Alley. Billy Crystal. 94 mitts. Author Harry Block has writer's block. and his friends has e all btit abandoned him due to his habit of recasting them as characters in his best-selling ‘Iiction‘. Allen plays with the received. perceived idea of ‘Woody Allen‘. and Stun/us! Memories floats in the background. There are flaws in the film. btit there are also many. many prime Woody thi'ossaw ay s. Edinburgh: Cameo
Deep Impact ( l 2) (Mimi I.edei'. t'S. I998) Morgan Freeman. 'l‘ea I.eoiii. Robert Duvall. l2l mins. A massive comet is tearing tosvards liarth at extinction-level speed. President Morgan l'i'eeiiian reveals that an underground shelter has been built to house a chosen few. and a national lottery will decide who gets to join the bigss igs dow ll below. Deep Impact is a perfectly respectable disaster epic. rather like they used to make 'em. only flasher. As lotto fever rages. the film cons eys disconsolation more than desperation. (ieneral release. The Devil's Advocate ( l8) t’l‘ay-tor Hackford. US. I997) Al Pacino. Keanu Reeves. Charlize Theron. l-IS mins. Hot shot lawyer Kevin l.omax (Rees es) is recruited by a New York firm. but comes to realise its founder. John Milton (Pacino). is head of something a lot more scary than the legal industry. This modern-day morality play allows Pacino to grandstand in a part that's plainly absurd. while Reeves is too wooden for his supposedly charismatic role. Glasgow: UCI Clydebank. l-Idinburgh: UCI. East Kilbride: UCI.
Dragonheart (PG) (Rob Cohen. LES. W96) Dennis Quaid. Sean Connery. David 'l‘hewlis. l03 mins. Disillusioned btit noble knight Bowen (Qtiaid) teams tip with the
last of the dragons (voice and mannerisms by Connery) to free the land from a tyrant king ('l‘hewlis). Dungeons and dragons for all the family iii a film that is only ftiii when the expertly animated. fire-breathing beast is on screen. Otherwise the storyline lumbers along. Glasgow: (iilmorehill.
Edinburgh College of Art Show films by the new graduates of liCA are always fascinating. entertaining and eye-opening. 'lhis year's crop includes a nevs slant on Don Quixote. a jury's dilemma ov er a rape case. a man trapped iii a speeded-up world and a square who wants to be a triangle. lidinburgh: Filmhouse.
The Exorcist ( l8) (William Friedkin. US. I973) Linda Blair. [Ellen Burstyn. Max \‘on Sydow. I I0 mins. liarnest priest Von Sydoss steps in to save poor little possessed girl iii this hugely effective scat'efest. Now re- released in remastered form. with a super stereo soundtrack (so you can hear those obscenities in full). Dead good. dead scary. dead priest. See feature. (ieneral release. Fairytale: A True Story (U) (Charles Sturridge. L'K. I997) Florence Hoatli. Elizabeth liarl. Paul McCiann. 98 mins. Iii telling the story of two lidwardian girls who cause a sensation when they capture a photographic image of fairies. I-‘uiry/ule manages to be more coherent and less
dow nbeat than the similar Photographing Fairies. A carefully judged film that provides moving entertainment for the family audience. (ilasgow: UCI Clydebank. liast Kilbride: L'Cl.
Fargo ( I8) (Joel Coen. US. I990) I‘i'anccs McDoritiand. Steve Btiscemi. William H. Macy. 97 mins. Hoping to make some bucks. a car salesman attempts to have his vsife kidnapped by hitmen; btit quickly blood is spilt. As the pregnant police detective on the case. McDot'mand provides a warm-hearted centre for the movie. while the absurdist plot and weird local colour gain momentum. (ilasgovv; ()deon Quay. Ferris Bueller's Day Off ( )5) (John Hughes. US. I986) Matthew Broderick. Jennifer (irey. Charlie Sheen. I03 mins. A sunny spring day in Chicago is far too good to spend locked iii a classroom so the irrepressible Ferris Bueller cuts classes and promises his two best friends a day to remember. CharacteristicalIy uneven Hughes teen comedy that scores vs ith fresh dialogue. btit has the draw back of some laboured farce and the need to make meaningful statements. lidiiiburgh: Cameo. Fierce Films lidinburgh prtxltiction company Fierce Films show cases a collection of shorts made by talented locals. Featuring (it! The .Iluxrunl. the w inner of this year's Royal Television Society ass ard for Best Short Drama. lidinburgh: Filmhouse.
Flubber (U) (I.es Mayi'ieltl. t's. I997) Robiti Williams. Marcia (iay Harden. Christopher McDonald 93 mins. 'I‘his remake of I9(il Disney favourite 'I‘lit' Absent Mimlct/ Professor casts a subdued Williams as a scientist who invents a gravity defying goo. btit may well lose his fiancee in the process. Combining many of the worst. most annoying attributes of films designed to have 'family appeal'. Hub/2w merely flops when it should fly. lidinburgh: City Centre ABC. Kirkcaldy: Adatn Smith.
Apocalypse now: the comet nears Earth in Deep Impact
The full Monty ( I5) (Peter Cattatico. UK. I997) Robert Carlyle. Tom Wilkinson. Mark Addy. 92 mins. Carlyle plays (iary. an unemployed Sheffield steelsvorker who. along with an odd mix of former colleagues. decides to go one better than the (.‘liippendale troupes that till the local halls. Cattaneo‘s laugh-out-Ioud film comes front the same tradition as lii'tivst't/ ()ff. mixing comedy with a strong social conscience and show mg unemploy ment as an etiiasculating experience. It's the oidiiiariness of these blokes that gives the film both its humour and its depth. (‘umbernauldz 'Iheatre. Gattaca ( t 5) (Andrew New). US. I997) [Ethan Hawke. Uma 'l’liurmaii. Jude Law. l06 mins. In the future. discrimination isn't based on the colour of a man's skin. btit its genetic make-tip. 'Noi'mally ' born Vincent (Hass ke) forms a pact vs ith crippled Jerome (Law) to tise his genetic identity in an attempt to become an astronaut. 'l'he photography is washed by coloured filters and the retro-future design is as distinctive as [flat/c Runner. Bold ideas develop at their ow n pace and. despite the intrusive ‘Hollyvs-ood' moments. (int/um emerges as a true individual iti an industry of clones. lidinburgh; ()deon.
The General ( I 5) (John Bootnian. UK. I998) Brendan (ileeson. Adrian Dunbar. Joti \'oight. IZ-I mins. Controversy and ambiguity surrounds the story of one of Ireland's most notorious gangsters. Martin (.‘ahill. ()ii one hand. he's a Robiii Hood figure who shares out the spoils of his (belt; on the other. he is vicious. brutal and amoral. (ileesoii‘s performance is compelling. vs hile the black .iiid w hite photography liardens the edges of the Iriin landscape by making very simple things stark and beautiful. (ialashiels. Pavilion. Wisliaw Ariovs.
George Of The Jungle tt') (Sam \v‘eisnian. l'S. I997) Brendan Fraser. I.eslie Mann. Holland 'laylor. 9| mins. l.oiiicloth-clad hero (icroge (l’raser) saves Sat) Fransicati socialite l'rsual (Mann). btit his trip to the urban jungle is shoitIiscd when he Items of the kidnap of his hairy sidekick. Ape (voiced by John Cleesc). 'lhe plot is the usual bletid of humour. action. slapstick. adventure and. of course. romance. while the knovsing and punchy script is easily up with the best of modern Disney. Ayr: ()deon. (ialashiels: Pavilion.
Gigi ( P(i) (\‘intcntc Minnelli. l'S. I958) I.eslie Caron. l.ouis Jourdan. Maurice Chevalier. l|9 mins. (‘aion is the cocotte allied to .lourdan's rake. they are watched over by an cxtr.'ivagantly I'iench Chevalier and the rest of [in t/t' \It‘t lt' Paris. This is a lavish musical from the golden days of .'\l(i;‘vl. adapted from ('olette's novel by I.erner and l.oevse. As ()scar-winner iii its day. now best retiiciiibcretl for songs like "lhank Heavens For little (iii‘ls‘, (ilasgow: (irosvenor.
Good Burger il’(i) ( Biiaii Rt bbitis. US. I997) Kel Mitchell. Kenan 'l‘hompson. Sinbad. 95 mins. A spin-off from US cable channel Nickelodeon's daytime (cries All 'I‘litil. this kids comedy is likely to fail through unfamiliarity. 'l‘sso blokes working in a burger joint fight off the advances of the fast-food chain across the road ss ith their new sauce reclpe. The next Big Ni’glil'.’ I don't think so. lidinburgh: ()deon.