FILM index
FILM INDEX continued
Good Burger (PG) (Brian Robbins. US. I997) KeI Mitchell. Kenan Thompson. Sinbad. 95 mins. A spin-off from US cable channel Nickelodeon‘s daytime series All That. this kids comedy struggles through unfamiliarity. Two blokes working in a burgerjoint fight off the advances of the fast-food chain across the road with their new sauce recipe. The next Big Night? I don't think so. Glasgow: UCI Clydebank. East Kilbride: UCI.
Good Will Hunting (l5) (Gus Van Sant. US. I997) Matt Damon. Robin Williams. Minnie Driver. I26 mins. A yottng college janitor (Damon) with a history of abuse is given the opportunity to fttlfil his potential as a maths genith by a kindly therapist (Williams). Hot-shot Damon received Oscar nods as Best Actor and for Best Original Screenplay. but its Williams in an understated performance who steals the show. An insightful script. tenderly acted. Edinburgh: Odeon. Kilmarnock: Odeon.
A Goofy Movie (U) (Kevin Lima. US. I996) With the voices of Bill Farmer. Jason Marsden. Jim Cummings. 74 mins. After a school prank backfires. Goofy decides to take troublesome son Max off on a bonding fishing trip. Max is trying his best to be cool. but that isn't easy when your dad‘s this particular Disney star. An incident-packed journey provides plenty of laughs which should keep restless kids and accompanying adults amused. Kilmarnock: Odeon. Grease (PG) (Randal Kleiser. US. I978) John 'I'ravolta. ()Iivia Newton John. Stockard Channing. 1 IO mins. 'lhe colourful goings-on at Rydell High — particularly the romance of square out-of—towner Sandy and tough guy Danny — is the stuff ofclassic movie escapism. In addition to a plot which groans with frustrated passion. bristles with gang tensions and swings with teen verve. the songs are the soundtrack for a generation. Twenty years on. Grease is still the word. and still the way we are feeling. Falkirk: FI‘H. Largs; Barrfields.
He Got Game (15) (Spike Lee. US. 1998) Denzel Washington. Rosario Dawson. Ray Allen. I34 mins. The latest collaboration between Spike Lee and Denzel Washington has produced perhaps their finest filtn. Washington is excellent as convict Jake Shttttleworth who is doing time for the accidental manslaughter of his wife some years before. Meanwhile his son. Jesus. has become the hottest high school basketball prospect in the country. which is why Jake is prevailed upon by the state governor to sign Jesus to his alma mater. and receive his mercy in return. Glasgow: Odeon Quay. Edinburgh: Cameo.
The Horse Whisperer (Robert Redford. US. I998) Robert redford. Kristin Scott Thomas. Sma Neil. 168 mins. Redford indulges several of his favourite passions at once in British author Nicholas Evans' best- selling tale of an equine shrink. As with Redford's previous directorial efforts this is a fine looking and intelligent film. pitting the yuppie values of east coast magazine editor Scott Thomas against the virtuous all- American qualities of Midwesterner Redford. General release
The Imposter(15)(Ajejandro Maci. Argentina. I997) Antonio Birabct. Walter Quiroz. 98 mins. l930s-set period drama about a young man. Sebastian. who leaves his well-to-do Buenos Aires family to take refuge in their estate in the Pampas with his friend Juan.. Howver. their relationship is strained when Juan becomes infatuated with his friends Danish girlfriend. Part of the Latin American Film Festival. Glasgow: GFI‘.
I Shot Andy Warhol (I5) (Mary Harron. US/ UK. I996) Lili Taylor. Jared Harris. Stephen Dorff. I0 mins. Iingrossing account of what lead radical artist and Warhol fringe figure Valerie Solanas to attempto to murder the be-wigged guru of the New York art scene. Taylor is outstanding in the lead role. while Dorff's tttrn as Candy Darling is uncanny and Harris' Warhol is pitched pleasingly short of parody. Great score by former Velvet Underground member John Cale. too. Edinburgh: Cameo.
Jack Smith And Ken Jacobs Shorts (18) (Smith and Jacobs. US. I957 - 70) 90 mins. Selection of the first films New York
23 THE usr 10—24 Sep 1998
#1
experimental filmmakers Smith and Jacob collaborated on. Jacobs' films include: Saturday Afternoon Blood Saeri/iee. Little C ohra Dance. Star Spangled '12; I )eat/i. Little Stabs At Happiness and The Death Of P'Town. Smith's films include: St'olt‘lt 7ape. Overstimulaterl. Respeetahle Creatures and Hot Air Specialists. Glasgow: (ii-T.
James And The Giant Peach (U) (Henry Selick. US. I996) Paul Terry. Susan Sarandon. Simon Callow. 79 mins. From the director of Tim Burton s The Nightmare Before Christmas comes a wonderfully colourful adaptation of Roald Dahl's much- Ioved novel. Live action tops and tails the story. but for the most part. it’s fun times with stop-motion puppets. By turns funny and scary. it stays true to [)ahl's surreal and whimsical vision. Ayr; ()deon.
The Knack... And How To Get It (PU) (Richard Lester. UK. I965) Rita Tushingham. Ray Brooks. Michael Crawford. 84 mins. Dated. bttt fun swinging sixties movie about a meek school teacher attemptingto pick up the ‘knack‘ of picking up women from his lecherous mate. Lester. better known for The Beatles’ movie. Hart/ Day 's Night. shot this film in his characteristically madcap style. Glasgow: Arches. King Tut's.
Kundun (I5) (Martin Scorsese. US. I997) I40 mins. Scorsese's biography of the fourteenth Dalai Lama is also a painstaking record of a culture close to extinction. The beauty of Tibet and gentle nature of the people is disrupted by invasion by China. but the Dalai Lama remains true to the ideal of non-violence. A highly cinematic. though heavily wrought film. Klillt/llll also features a pulsating music score by Philip Glass. The first hour. while beautiful to watch. does seem to pass very slowly. but. by the end. it has a curious calming energy all of its own. Edinburgh: Cameo.
Kurt And Courtney (18) (Nick Broomfield.
UK/US. I997) 93 mins. Was Nirvana mainman Kurt Cobain's death suicide or something more sinister? Courtney Love‘s father reckons Courtney herself had a hand in her husband's untimely demise — and that allegation was enough to get Broomfield's documentary into a lot of hot water on both sides of the Atlantic. However. the interviewees are too drug-addled to be coherent. let alone convincing and Broomfield seems too keen to get his own tanned mug into the shot. Kirkcaldy: Adam Smith.
The Last Days Of Disco ( l 5) (Whit Stillman. US. I998) Chloe Sevigny. Kate Beckinsale. Chris Iiigeman. I 12 mitts. Writer-director Stillman has carved ottt a cinematic niche for himself with his urbane comedies of manners Metropolitan and
Whispering Bob: Robert Redford rides again in The Horse Whisperers
Baree/ona. and his latest is no exception. Sevigny and Beckinsale play publishing assistants who frequent a trendy club in early 80s New York. where they arid their male yuppie friends worry about relationships. careers and the reactionary subtext of Disney's [xii/y Am/ The 'I'rantp. lt's glorious stttff. Glasgow: Gl’l'. lidinburgh: I-‘ilmhouse.
Lethal Weapon 4 (I5) (Richard Donner. US. I998) Mel Gibson. Danny Glover. Joe Pesci. 128 mins. A series of films that started so darkly has undergone some drastic changes in recent years. The suicidal cop- Itero who purposefully lived his life on the edge. has found a reason to live so has lost that lethal edge. As the violence has been downplayed. the humour has come more to the fore. especially the bickering relationship between Riggs and his long- .suffering partner Murtaugh, who are coming to the realisation that they (and the series) are past their prime. See review. General release.
The Little Mermaid (U) (John Mttsker/Ron Clements. US. I989) 82 mitts. Disney’s ailing fortunes quickly reversed when this delightful animated feature first came ottt in I989. There's the universal appealling story of the mermaid Ariel's love for handsome Prince iiric. Oscar-winning songs. humanised animal sidekicks and some colourful set-pieces. Now with electronically cleaned-up colours and digital sound. Glasgow: ()deon Quay. UCI Clydebank. lidinburgh: ABC Multiplex. UCI. l-Iast Kilbride: UCI. Stirling. MacRobert.
lock. Stock And Two Smoking Barrels (Gtty Ritchie. UK. I997) Nick Moran. Jason Statham. Vinnie Jones. l()7 mins. A cocky young bunch of ‘entrepreneurs‘ set tip a card game with east end London criminal Hatchet Harry. Of course. things don‘t work out in their favour and they find themselves owing the gangster plenty of dosh. Witty homage to the British crime thrillers of the l960s. with appropriately seedy. underworld locations and streetwise dialogue. General release.
Lost In Space (PG) (Stephen Hopkins. US. I998) William Hurt. Gary ()Idman. Matt Le Blanc. l09 ntins. The cttlt TV series for the 60s gets a 90s make-over and. despite the state-of-the-art special effects. it‘s every bit as cheesy as the original. Professor John Robinson (Hurt) and his fartiin are sent to colonise the distant planet of Alpha Prime. bttt an act of sabotage causes them to spin into the stratosphere. Certain performances are so irritating that most viewers will sympathise with ()Idman's craven villain. General release.
Love Is The Devil (l8) (John Maybury. UK.
I998) Derek Jacobi. Daniel Craig. Tilda Swinton. 90 mins. By no means a documentary-ster portrait of the artist. Love Is The Devil is concerned with the destructive relationship between Bacon and his lover George Dyer. Far more visual and experimental than most of what passes for British cinema these days. Jacobi has an uncanny physical resemblance to Bacon. but the real acting revelation is Craig (Geordie in Our Friends In The North) who superbly gives life to this human tragedy waiting to happen. See preview and review. Glasgow: GFI". Edinburgh: Cameo.
Lust For Life (PG) (Vincente Minnelli. US. I956) Kirk Douglas. Anthony Quinn. Pamela Brown. I22 mins. Brilliant performance from Douglas as the tortured artist. Van Gogh. Minnelli's account offers a portrait of an artist in despair. struggling to make his peers (among them Quinn's Gauguin) and family appreciate his art. Glasgow Gl’l'.
The Magic Sword (U) (Frederik Du Chau. US. 1998) With the voices of Gary Oldman. Jessalyn Gilsig. Cary Elwes. 88 mins. All is happy under King Arthur's rule until evil Lord Ruber tries to steal Excalibur. When the wondrous weapon becomes lost in the Forbidden Forest. plucky young Kayley reckons she‘s brave enough to save the day. This animated feature sticks to the Disney formula - action. bawled-out ballads. kooky sidekicks — but the animation itself lacks Walt's grace. General release.
The Man With Two Brains (I5) (Carl Reiner. US. I983) Steve Martin. Kathleen Turner. David Warner. 93 mins. Zany Martin-Reiner romp in which the great man plays a brilliant brain surgeon driven to the depths of despair when he weds Turner. a man-hungry murderess with a penchant for driving elderly husbands to early graves and pocketing their legacies. Delirioust delightful. Edinburgh: Cameo.
Matilda (PG) (Danny De Vito. US. I996) Mara Wilson. Dany De Vito. Embeth Davidtz. 98 mitts. Capturing the delicious wickedness of Roald Dahl's writing. director De Vito fttlly exploits exaggerayion and playful camera work to tell the tale of a gifted child who uses her super brain to outwit her neglectfttl parents. ()ffsetting the lovable Matilda against a series of horribly infiated bad characters. the film's empowering message for children will appeal to the mischevious kid in everyone. Glasgow; (ii-'T.
Metroland (I8) (Philip Saville. UK. 1998) Christian Bale. limin Watson. Lee Ross. l()l mins. It's I977. and Chris is becalmed in Metroland. the suburban sprawl at the end of London Underground‘s Metropolitan line. In his early 30s. he is held fast by job. marriage and fatherhood. Then his old school friend Toni arrives to stir up his calm domesticity and remind him of the time when they were rebellious public schoolboys cocking a snook at the bourgeoisie. In bringing Julian Barnes' debut novel to the screen. director Saville has failed to translate those qualities that made the original enjoyable: cool intelligence. playful wit and ironic attthorial voice. See review. Glasgow: (ii-T lidinburgh: Filmhouse.
Mindwalk ( l 2) (Bernt Capra. US. I990) l.iv Ullman. Sam Waterston. John Heard. 106 mins. Based on the book The 7iirning Point by the physicist I-‘ritjof Capra and directed by his brother Bernt. Mindwalk is a meditation on life approaching the millennium. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
Mr Nice Guy ( l 5) (Samo Hung. US. I998) Jackie Chan. Richard Norton. Miki Lee. 95 mins. The martial arts legend makes his latest bid for international stardom with another movie typical of all that is so entertaining in his work. There are the breathless stunts. a protracted chase. knockabout humour and yet more breathless sttmts. The plot is merely a vehicle for the action. and what a sleek. deliciously pointless vehicle it proves. Edinburgh: UCI. Normal Love ( l8) (Jack Smith. US. I963) Mario Montez. Tiny Tim. I05 mins. Sequel to l-‘laming Creatures. previously shown in various versions. bttt never completed by Smith. This is a screening of footage assembled accordingto Smith‘s journal notes. Screening includes the short. Normal Love Athletic/um Reel. Glasgow: GFT.