FILM index
FILM INDEX continued
Kissed ( l8) (Lynne Stopkewicz. Canada. l996) Molly Parker. Peter ()uterbridge. Jay Brazeau. 79 ittitts. A young necrophiliac works iii a funeral home where she is able to fulfil her sexual desires. Stopkewicz‘s brave examination of female sexuality is no perverse horror piece btit a tender and often poetic film. Likewise. the lead character is not a freak. btit a confident woman. strong iii her convictions. Challenging itt its morality. perhaps. btit romantic at the core. (ilasgow: (il’l‘. The Land Girls (12) (David Leland. UK. HMS) Anna l-‘riel. Rachel Weisz. Catherine McCormack. I l l mins. Dowtt on the farttt comes a film that reminds us of times passed. Not necessarily good times. of course. as it is set during the confusion of World War II. btit against this dramatic backdrop the human story it describes proves curiously affecting. ‘lltree contrasting young women join the Land Arnty. only to find themselves knee-deep itt rustic accents and bad weatlter on a remote Dorset farnt. Kihtiarnock: ABC. Stirling: MacRobert. Wishaw: Arrow. lA Confidential ( l S) (Curtis Hanson. US. I‘M?) Kevin Spacey. (iuy Pearce. Russell Crow e. Kittt Basinger. IRS ntiits. Adapted front James l-leroy's neo-noir novel. the best .-\ttterican film of I‘M? evokes a glitzy post- WWZ l.os Angeles underpinned by an all- perxasive. festering corruption. An intricate. drop-dead brilliant plot litiks bent cops. good cops. Hollywood star lookalike prostitutes and the ttiob. The dialogue crackles and the actors hurtt tip the screen: one of the few filtits one wottld dare mention iii the same breath as the definitive ('liuutmtrn. lidinburgh: Cameo. The Last Days Of Disco ( l 5) (Whit Stillman. US. l‘MS) Cltloe Sevigtty. Kate Beckinsale. Chris liigentan. I ll tttiits. Writer-director Stillman ltas carved out a cinematic niche for himself with his urbane comedies of manners .Wt‘ll'upu/i/un attd Ii'urt (’ll’lltl. aitd his latest is no exception. Sex igny attd Beckinsale play publishing assistants wlto frequent a trendy club it) early Sits New York. where they and their male yuppie friends worry about relationships. careers and the reactionary subtext of Disney's l,tl(/\ Am/ The Trump. lt‘s glorious sttiff. l-"alkirk: l’l‘H. Kirkealdy: Adam Smith. Lethal Weapon 4 ( l5) (Richard Donner. US. l‘MS) Mel (ilbstm. Danny (ilover. Joe Pesci. IIS mins. A series of films that started so darkly has undergone some drastic changes in recent years. As the violence ltas been downplayed. the humour has come more to the fore. especially the bickering relationship between Riggs aitd his long- suffering partner Murtaugh. who are coming to the realisation that they (attd the series) are past their prime. (ilasgow: ()deon Quay. Showcase (ilenrothes Cinema. Paisley: Showcase. Lock. Stock And Two Smoking Barrels ((iuy Ritchie. UK. l‘M7) Nick Moran. Jason Stathant. Vinnie .lones. l()7 ntins. A cocky young bunch of 'entrepreneurs‘ set tip a card game with liast lind London criminal llatcltet Harry. Of course. things don‘t work out Ill their favour and they find themselves owing the gangster plenty of dosh. Witty homage to the British crime thrillers of the l()()llS. with appropriately seedy. underworld locations aitd streetwise dialogue. (ieneral release. Lost In Space tl’(i) (Stephen Hopkins. US. I‘MS) William Hurt. (iary ()ldman. Matt Le Blanc. llM ittiits. The cult TV series for the hits gets a 90s make-over aitd. despite the state-of-the-art special effects. it‘s every bit as cheesy as the original. Professor John Robinson (Hurt) aitd his family are sent to colonise the distant planet of Alpha Prime. btit an act of sabotage causes them to spin utto the stratosphere. (‘ertain performances are so irritating that most viewers will sympathise with ()ldman's craven villain. lidinburgh: ()deon. Kilntarnock: ()deon. Love Is The Devil ( IS) (.loltit Maybury. UK. I‘MS) Derek .lacobi. Daniel Craig. Tilda Swinton. 90 mins. By no means a documentary -sty le portrait of the artist. Love Is The “(’t'lf is concerned with the destructixe relationship between Bacon atid his lover (ieorge Dyer. Pill" more visual and
34 THE LIST ‘t—l‘) Nov 1998
l l l l l
Let there be rock: Hans Matheson in Still Crazy
experimental than ittost of wltat passes for British cinema these days. .lacobi has an uncanny physical resemblance to Bacon. btit the real acting revelation is Craig ((ieordie ii) Our Friends In The Nor/Ii) who superbly gives life to this human tragedy waiting to happen. lidinburglt: liilnthouse.
The Magic Sword (U) ll'TCtlL‘l'lK t)u Chau. US. l‘MS) The voices of Gary ()ldtttati. Jessalyn (iilsig. Cary lilwes. SS ittiits. All is happy under King .-\i‘tlittt"s rule until evil Lord Rubcr tries to steal lixcalibur. When the wondrous weapon becomes lost iii the l-‘orbidden l-‘orest. 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 — bttt the animation itself lacks Wall's grace. (ilasgow; UCl Clydebank. liast Kilbride: UCl. (ilettrotltes Cinema. Majorettes In Space (various. France. l996-97) A new package of l-‘rench gay short films. including A Little I)('(II/l (26 ittiits) and A Summer /)I'(’.\x ( l 5 tttiits). directed by Francois ()Ion (whose longer films Regan/c Lu Her and Sitcom were screened at this year's lidinburglt international film Festival). The programme is completed by One Moment (6 mins). .S'onu't/it'itg Different (30 mitts) aitd Mir/urctlt'v In Space (6 ntins). (ilasgow: (il’l‘. Stirling: MacRobert.
MouseHunt (U) ((iore Verbinski. US. l‘M7) Nathan Lane. Lee livans. Christopher Walken. ()S iititts. Lane aitd lixans play hapless brothers who inherit a decrepit mansion. bttt when they decide to renovate aitd auction it. a resident rodent is itot willing to be ex icted. An excellent blend of Laurel and Hardy slapstick attd black humour. Mmist'llum is sheer entertainment and ltas some real belly laughs. The tone and the pacing are spot-on throughout. and the sets antl special effects are the ictttg on the cake. liditiburgh: ()deon. Ayr: ()deon.
Mr Magoo (PU) (Stanley Tong. US. 1997) Leslie Nielsen. Kelly Lynch. Matt Keeslar. S7 ittitts. When a priceless stolen gem falls ittto the ltattds of bumblittg millionaire Quincy Magoo. he keeps on emerging unscathed as chaos ensues around him. This live action version of the short cartoons relies on broad physical slapstick for its comedy rather than verbal jokes. .-‘\merican critics slaughtered the film » ‘an atrocity" (Boston Phoenix). ‘an insult to tlte intelligence of the entire human race' (USA Today). 'corny. inept script' (San l-‘ransisco Chronicle). (ilasgow; (irosxeuor. Muhammed Ali The Greatest (William Klein. l'S/Ysiire. l‘)(t4--74i l3(l nuns Made over ten years. Klein's documentary portrait of Cassius Clay opens will) the man. my
legend. takitig the crown aitd his new name and closes w ill) his amazing comeback bottt. dtibbed "l'he Rumble In The .lungle'. Ties it) with the Klein photography exhibition (see art listings) and is also interesting as a companion piece to the more recent When We llt'l't’ King's. lidinburgh; l-‘ilniltouse. Mulan (l') (Barry Cook. Tony Bancroft. US. I‘MS) The voices of Ming-Na Wen. Donny (lsmond. liddie Murphy. S‘) ittiits. After Disney 's tastily' designed venture itito (ireek mythology wiilt Ilt'l’t'lI/(W. tltc studio has brought its lens to bear on the rich and colourful possibilities of Chinese legend. Details of character. movement atid expression are as fine as should be expected from the world's best kttow n cartoon studio. btit the stunning large-scale set pieces are truly astoitisltiitg. while the design team stirs iii an authentic flavour of China. (ieneral release.
My Name Is Joe ( l5) (Ken Loaclt. t'ls'. l‘MS) Peter .‘ylullait. Louise (iootlall. Dax id McKay l(l5 ittiits. .l'/\ Mime Ix ./m"s hlettd of coittedy. social drama. love interest atid tense thriller makes for a more accessible movie than wed normally expect frottt Loach. Recoyertng alcoholic .loe Kaxaitagh (Mullaiti meets and falls in loye witlt health visitor Sarah ((ioodall ). btit his well intentioited scheme to get a young friend out of the grip of a \ icious drug dealer looks likely to backfire oit ex cryone he cares for. ()tkA with writer Patil Laverty atid star Louise (ioodall at The Cameo. Sun S Nov at 3pm. See feature aitd rcx icxx. (ieneral release.
My Son The Fanatic ( l S) flitltty'tll) l’rasatl. UK. I‘M7) ()itt Puri. Rachel (ii'iffiths. Stellan Skai'sgard. In Hand Kureishi‘s screen adaptation of his own short story. . put-upon Bradford taxi driver Puri is caught tip iii a domestic battle that pits whisky atid Louis Ariitstroitg against the Koran. Those expectinrl another rock ‘n' roll rites of passage tale a la Built/Int ()t Suburbia may be disappointed. btit ltere is an absorbing account of conflicting ntoralities and generational tensions itt [Ill (It' \I('( l(’ Britain. lidinburgh: Cattteo.
Mysteries Of A Hairdresser's Shop (Various. (ierntauy. I‘ll?) Karl Valentin. Blandine libinger. Liesl Karlstadt. 34 tttiits. l‘ilmed by a collectixe including Bei'tolt Brecht and starring legendary Munich coitiedtait Valentin this is a surreal. slapstick short tit which a beauty salon is transformed iitto a theatre of cruelty. Playing with Kittie/ulnar (Bet'tolt Brecht. (iDR. IVS?) l‘riedt'ich (inalft. Angelika llurwicL lirwin (ieschoniiek no itttits. Brecltt's most direct iiivolveiitent with conditions in the (‘terman Dcittocratic Republic looks at class warfare
iii the rural farntittg community. Glasgow: (ioethe lnstitut.
101 Dalmatians (U) (Stephen Herek. US. l‘Mh) 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 Alone buffoonery. making sure there are plenty of dogs to make the kids go 'aaahhh'. The story remains pretty much untouched - yile villainess Cruella De Vil (Close) kidnaps enough spotty pups to make a stunning coat. btit the animal world gets the better of her - and so does the old-fashioned morality. which stresses the sanctity of marriage attd that a woman's place is by her man‘s side. Irvine: Magnum.
Paulie: A Parrot‘s Tail (PG) (John Roberts. US. l‘MS) Jay Moltr. Tony Shalhoub. (iena Rowlattds. ()l mins. Caged it) a research institute. Paulie the parrot relates his life- story: front helping a little girl with a stutter to a series of adventures with various adults. Neither as iituttediately cute nor as bizarrely inspired as Ila/w. Paulie nevertheless marks a step it) the right direction for the l)reattt\\’orks studio. Jay Mohr‘s vocal talents give the parrot a streetwise sense. while the mix of live action attd attitttatrottics is always realistic. Edinburgh: ABC Film Centre. Stirlittg: Allanpark. MacRoberts.
Paws (PCi) (Karl Zwicky’. Australia/UK. l‘M7) Nathan Cavaleri. limilie Prancois. the voice of Billy Connolly. S3 mins. Clever doggie PC is on a mission to deliver a computer disc. btit is being tracked dowtt by the unpleasant baddie who killed his master. Befriending computer whi'u. kid Zac. the itttitt links tip to a voice simulator and starts talking with the broad twang of Billy Connolly. Sonte genuinely funtty moments allow for a wltole range of teenage crises to be dealt with iii an uncringewortlty fashion. Kiltnarock: ()deon. A Perfect Murder ( lS) (Andrew Davis. i US. I‘MS) Michael Douglas. (iwyneth Paltrow. Viggo Mortensen. l()7 mitts. There is. quite simply. no one to touch Douglas when it comes to playing alienated. middle- class. ittiddle-aged. white American males. | Which is precisely why he's so perfectly I cast as a ntanipulative. predatory ‘control freak' with a talent for exploiting human ' weakness iii this entertaining and intelligent . re-workittg of Hitchcock's dramatically flat 3-D thriller. Dial M For .‘lflll't/(V'. (ieneral release.
The Players Club ( l 8) (ice Cube. US. 1998) LisaRaye. Monica Calhoun. ‘M mitts. lce Cube's directorial debut has been called. 'a gritty black version of S/ioirgirlx“. The action takes place it) a (ieorgia strip-joint. where Diana Aritistrong aka Diamond (LisaRaye) starts workutg to make ends
meet. Wise to the ways of tlte underworld.
she keeps her distance front lter dodgy boss. but is hard pushed to look after her naive cousin who decides to join the trade. A 70s blaxploitation ittovie with a bit ofextt’a
iitsigltt. See review (ilasgow: Showcase. Primary Colors ( IS) (Mike Nichols. US. l‘MS) John 'l‘ravolta. limnta 'l'hompson. Adrian Lester. l-l.‘ mins. Now we know all there is to know about President Clinton‘s sexual proclivities. the belated appearance
of l’ruiutrv (‘u/niix can only scent. if you'll pardon the expression. an anti-climax. Bttt even tltotiglt it ltas been overtaken by events. there is still a fair amount of satirical bite in this fictiottal portrayal of a Southern
politician whose rampant libido continually threatens to scupper his pursuit of the presidency. (ieneral release.
Quadrophenia ( I8) (Prank Rotltlam. UK. l‘)7‘)) Phil Daniels. Leslie Ash. Pltilip
Davis. Sting. l2() ittiits. Mods and rockers
live it tip on Brighton beach by swapping buckets attd spades for chains and sticks. Lively first half has enough energy. music.
x iolence and period flavour to carry it along. btit all too sooit it degenerates ittto soitte sort of treatise oit the morality of youth. set to tunes by The Who. (ilasgow: (irosvenor. Razor Blade Smile ( lts’) (.lake \\'e.st. UK. l‘MS) iiileen Daly. Christopher Adamson. David Warbeck. l()l ittiits. iiitjoyable
hokum about a l‘)th century vampiress who I. assumes the modern day role of contract killer aitd goes about assassinating a secret techno-supernatural sect. the Illuminati. Modest. respectable attemtp to emulate US "