FILM index
FILM INDEX continued
The Fly (I8) (David Cronenberg. US. I986) Jeff Goldblum. Geena Davis. I00 mins. Brilliant reconceptualisation of the camp I958 classic. with Goldblum highly effective as the scientist whose experiments in teleportation go disastrously wrong. and his wife Davis no less impressive as the love of his life. Special effects superlatively revolting. tension sustained throughout. Edinburgh: Cameo.
Funny Games ( I 8) (Michael Haneke. Germany. I996) Susanne Lothar. Ulriche Mt’ihe. Frank Giering. l03 mins. A wealthy family are subjected to an increasingly horrific series of ‘games' by two young men. beginning with humiliation and ending in torture and murder. The horror-thriller set up seems familiar. bttt Funny Games is one the most innovative and shocking films to reach our screens this decade. Chilling. calculated. cerebral. brilliant. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
Garde A We (The Inquisitor) (Claude Miller. France. I98I) Lino Ventura. Michel Serrault. Romy Schneider. 88 mins. lntense drama focusing on a cat and mouse game between a wealthy lawyer accused of the rape and murder of a child and his inquisitor. As events unfold on one New Year's Eve. the truth of the lawyer's failed marriage (to the late Schneider in her last film role) is also revealed. Part of the French Film Festival. Glasgow: (if-T Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
Genevieve (U) (Henry Cornelius. UK. I953) Dinah Sheridan. John Gregson. Kay Kendall. Kenneth More. 86 mins. Two couples race from Brighton to London in their vintage cars in this popular post-war feelgood movie. Light and fluffy. with charming performances from the four leads. Edinburgh: St. Bride's Centre.
Girls Town (I5) (Jim McKay. US. I998) Lili Taylor. Bruklin Harris. Anna Grace. 89 mins. Girls Tun'n — about three high school girls coming to terms with their best friend‘s suicide — is a raw independent feature based on improvisation. McKay‘s feature views lives through an observant style. a style which looks for the truth of a given moment over the harried needs of plot. See review. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
Godzilla (PG) (Roland Emmerich. US. I998) Matthew Broderick. Jean Reno. Maria Pitillo. I40 mins. Nuclear testing causes a lizard to grow to an enormous size. reproduce asexually and head to New York to lay some eggs. When the military take the offensive. it‘s time for the rampaging reptile to demolish Manhattan. (Judd/Ia goes beyond insulting its audience and makes the grave error of forcing our sympathy away from the monster and onto the non-descript humans. Edinbttrgh: Odeon. Irvine: WMR. The Governess ( I5) (Sandra Goldbacher. UK. I998) Minnie Driver. Tom Wilkinson. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers. I I4 mins. Driver excels in this period film as the charismatic Rosina. a Jewish prom-feminist who moves front her London life to presbyterian Scotland. where she passes herself off as a Gentile g0verness fora dysfunctional family. An underachieving movie. but Driver's star will continue to rise on the back of what is an utterly memorable performance. Glasgow: GFI‘.
Halloween H20 ( I 8) (Steve Miner. US. I998) Jamie Lee Curtis. Michelle Williams. Josh Hartnett. 89 mins. Forget the tiresome sequels that followed l98l 's Halloween 2. The plot picks up with Laurie Strode who. having changed her identity to that of a respected school headmistress. remains haunted by the masked face of Michael Myers. her insane killer-brother. Perhaps the only slasher movie to make any claim to the crown of John Carpenter's original. Glasgow: Odeon City Centre. Odeon Quay. East Kilbride: UCI. Paisley: Showcase. Stirling: Allanpark.
Hana-Bi (I8) (Takeshi Kitano. Japan. I998) ‘Beat‘ Takeshi. Kayoko Kishimoto. Ren Osugi. I03 mins. Kitano returns to the director's seat and also stars as a cop suffering bouts of guilt. His wife is dying in hospital. his partner has been paralysed during a stakeout and he‘s so far in debt to the Yakuza that he‘s contemplating robbing a bank. A more subdued atmosphere floats over a work that skillfully draws together its
38 TIIE lIST I9 Nov—3 Dec 1998
visual and emotional plains. while also displaying moments of deadpan comedy. Edinburgh: Cameo.
Helgoland. Babylon (Ein Engel Schlagt zurt‘iclt) (I8) (Angelina Maccarone. Germany. I997) Jale Arikan. Tatjana Blacher, Marek Harloff. 83 mins. On Helgoland. an isolated island in the North Sea a Jehovah‘s Witness named Charlotte awaits the arrival of an angel. signalling the end of the world. When Ayse. a prostitute from Hamburg. arrives to collect on her inheritance. Charlotte believes the apocalypse is upon her. Glasgow: GFF. Henry Fool (I8) (Hal Hartley. US. I998) Thomas Jay Ryan. James Urbaniak. Parker Posey. I37 mins. Intellectual vagabond Henry Fool drifts into a small American town and shakes up the monotonous lives of a bickering family. most notably of shy garbageman Simon Grim. who metamorphosis into a celebrated writer. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
Henry: Portrait Of A Serial Killer ( I8) (John McNaughton. US. I986) Michael Rooker. Tom Towles. Tracey Arnold. 80 mins. Based loosely on the true life (and subsequently recanted) confessions of Henry Lee Lucas. McNaughton's exemplary film is a harrowing account of an amoral mass murderer. Scenes of rape and mutilation transcend the usual titillation of the genre and force the audience to question the use of murder as entertainment. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
Hideous Kinky ( l 8) (Gillies Mackinnon. UK. I998) Kate Winslet. Said 'l’agmaouhi. 98 mins. From the battlefields of France in Regeneration to the Morocco of the I970s. Mackinnon adapts listher Freud's novel about a young woman who leaves London and a failed relationship behind and takes off with her kids for sunnier climes. peace. love and happiness. Glasgow: GFI‘.
Hope Floats (PG) (Forest Whitaker. US. I998) Sandra Bullock. Harry Connick Jr. Gena Rowlands. Il4 mins. 'l‘old on TV that her husband is having an affair. Birdee Pruitt (Bullock) tucks her tail between her legs and heads for her mu m's. Duck for cover. because here comes that self-conscious brand of ‘women's movie‘ with which Hollywood insults female audiences everywhere. It's all so obvious. you just know Bryan Adams is going to croon along to the final credits. General release.
If Only (I5) (Maria Ripoll. UK/Spain. I998) Douglas Henshall. Lena Headey. Penelope Cruz. 93 mins. Self-absorbed actor Victor is distraught that his ex-girlfriend. Sylvia. is about to marry someone else. But then he did admit to cheating on her. One drunken night. he's given a magical opportunity to relive the day he told Sylvia the truth. If Only bounces along with a fresh. independent spirit and Henshall's performance should make him Scotland‘s latest big screen star. See feature and review. Glasgow: Odeon Quay. UCI Clydebank. Edinburgh: UCI.
The Importance Of Being Ernest (PG) (Anthony Asquith. UK. I952) Michael Redgrave. Michael Denison. Joan Greenwood. 92 mins. Gorgeous 'I‘echnicolor print restoration of the feature film adaptation of Oscar Wilde's play. Unashamed about its stage origins. Asquith employs a fabulous cast and allows the text to speak for itself. Glasgow: GFT.
An Italian Straw Hat (U) (Rene Clair. France. I927) 75 mins. Clair‘s adaptation of the Labiche-Michel l9th century stage farce for the big (and then silent) screen successfully substitutes the play‘s verbal humour with visual jokes. With live piano accompaniment. Part of the French Film Festival. Glasgow: (ll-'l'. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
Je Ne Vois Pas Ce Qu'On Me Trouve (What's So Funny About Me?) (Christian Vincent. France. I998) Jackie Berroyer. Karin Viard. Tara Router. 99 mins. Bitter- sweet tale staring and co-written by stand-up comic Betroyer. A famous comedian returns to his home town to take part in a comedy marathon. bttt finds the ghosts of the past interfering with his comedic touch. Part of the French Film Festival. Glasgow: GFF. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
Je, Tu, II, Elle (15) (Chantal Akerman. Belgium. I974) Claire Wauthier. Niels Arestup. Chantal Akerman. 85 mins.
Come the revolution: Shane Hervey and Hans Metheson in Les Miserables
Akerman‘s second feature involves a taut circular narrative. passing through the singular personal pronouns. Akerman herself (Je) writes a letter to her female lover (Tu). and encounters a lorry-driver (ll) travelling to see lille in person. 'I‘autly structured investigations into sexual identity and urban alienation. Glasgow: GFI‘. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
Le Journal Du Séducteur (The Diary Of A Seducer) (Daniele Dttbroux. France. I997) Chiara h/Iastroianni. Melvil Poupaud. Hubert Saint Macary. 99 mins. When Claire discovers a copy of the eponymous diary lying on a bench she is won over by the writings of its author. one Gregoire. Intriguing mix of mystery. seduction. murder. philosophy and comedy. Part of the French Film Festival. Glasgow: GFI‘. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
Khule Wampe (Who Owns The World?) (Slatan Dttdow. Germany. I932) Hertha 'I‘hiele. Ernst Busch. Martha Woltcr. 75 mins. Bertolt Brecht wrote the screenplay for this parable of middle class apathy and working class evolutionary fervour set against a background of grinding poverty in I93()s Berlin. Glasgow: Gilmorehill.
The Land Girls (I2) (David Leland. UK. I998) Anna Friel. Rachel Weisz. Catherine McCormack. l I l mins. Down on the farm comes a film that reminds tts of times passed. Not ttecessarily good times. of course. as it is set during the confusion of WW2. bttt against this dramatic backdrop the human story it describes proves curiously affecting. 'lhree contrasting young women join the Land Army. only to find themselves knee-deep itt rustic accents and bad weather on a remote Dorset farm. lidinburgh: Brunton 'l‘lteatt'e. Dominion. Largs: Barrlields.
The Last Days Of Disco ( I 5) (Whit Stillman. US. I998) Chloe Sevigny. Kate Beckinsale. Chris liigeman. II2 mitts. Sevigny and Beckinsale play publishing assistants who frequent a trendy clttb in early 80s New York. where they and their male yuppie friends worry about relationships. careers arid the reactionary subtext of Disney's Lin/t ."IItI TIN‘ Tram/x It's glorious stttff. lidinburgh: Cameo. liast Kilbride: Arts Centre. Stirling: MacRobcrt. Last Year In Marienbad (U) (Alain Resnais. l-‘rance/ltaly. I96! ) Delphine Seyrig. Giorgio Albertazzi. Sacha I’itoeff. 93 mins. livocative and enigmatic tale of a tnan who meets a woman in a rambling hotel. and believes he had an affair with her the previous year. l’ast blends with present to the point where they are indistingttishable. and you can only really enjoy it if you don't worry too much whether they did or didn't. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
leaving Las Vegas ( I 8) (Mike Figgis. US. I995) Nicolas Cage. lilisabeth Shue. Julian
Sands. I I0 mins. Sacked from his job. Ben drives to l.as Vegas with the sole intention of drinking himself to death. but during his descent comes across hooker Sera. another lost soul. Figgis's neon-drenched movie captures the irresponsible euphoria and mental pain of alcoholism from a subjective viewpoint. Edinburgh: Cameo.
L'Echappée Belle (Beautiful Escape) (litienne Dhaene. France. I996) Jean-Marc Barr. Anemone. Olivia Bonamy. 84 mins. A family comedy about a pair of divorced parents involved in a custody battle. The father. who‘s obsessed with flying. employs every outrageous means at his disposal to convince the judge of his suitability to be guardian of the children. Part of the French Film Festival. Glasgow: GFT. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
L’Effrontée (An Impudent Girl) (Claude Miller. France. I986) Charlotte Gainsbourg. Bernadette Lafont. Jean-Claude Brialy. 97 mins. Gainsbourg's shy. unloved adolescent yearns for a better life. driving her father and brothers to distraction and relying solely on the housekeeper for company. Until the arrival of a famous child music prodigy that is. Part of the French Film Festival. Glasgow: GFI‘. Edinburglt: Filmhouse. Lethal Weapon 4 (I5) (Richard Donner. US. I998) Mel Gibson. Danny Glover. Joe I’esci. I28 mins. A series of films that started so darkly has undergone some drastic changes in recent years. 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. Paisley: Showcase. L'Homme Est Une Femme Comme Les Autres (A Man Is A Woman) (Jean-Jacques Zilbermann. France. I998) Antione de Caunes. lilsa Zylberstein. Michel Aumot. I00 mins. Already snapped up for remake by Steven Spielberg‘s studio. Dreamworks. this gender issue comedy revolves around the relationship between Zylberstein‘s Yiddiin soprano and de Caunes' gay Jewish clarinettist. Matters are complicated when the man's mother attempts to marry her son off to the singer. Part of the French Film Festival. Glasgow: GFI‘. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels (Gtty Ritchie. UK. I997) Nick Moran. Jason Statham. Vinnie Jones. I07 mins. A cocky young bunch of ‘entrepreneurs' set up a card game with Fast End London criminal Hatchet Harry. Of course. things don't work ottt in their favour and they find themselves owing the gangster plenty of dosh. Witty homage to the British crime thrillers of the I960s. Edinburgh: ABC Multiplex. Cameo. UCl. l’asiley: Showcase. Stirling: MacRobert.