Films screening this fortnight are listed below with certificate, credits. brief review and venue details. Film index compiled by Miles Fielder.
The Acid House (I8) (Paul McGuigan. UK. I998) Stephen McCole. Kevin McKidd. Ewen Bremner. I l I mins. Irvine Welsh adapts a trio of tales from his early short story collection. while director McGuigan varies visual style and dramatic tone. Two fingers in the face of anyone expecting a Trainspotting clone. Glasgow: Odeon Quay. Showcase. UCI Clydebank. Edinburgh: Cameo. UCI. Kilmamock: Odeon. Paisley: Showcase.
The Adventures of Robin Hood (U) (Michael Ctirtiz. I938) Errol Flynn. Olivia De Havilland. Basil Rathbone. I02 mins. Sparkling. excitement as Flynn and his merry men light the evil Prince and the wicked Rathbone to help the poor and capture the hand of the fair De Havilland. Peerless sword-play and an infectious sense of high spirits. Glasgow: Grosvenor. Angel Sharks Marie Baie [)ei' Anger (I5) (Manuel Pradal. France. I998) Frederic Malgras. Vahina Giocante. 90 mins. Stylised fairy tale love story set on the Cote d'Azur. In hiding in a Monte Carlo villa. fourteen-year-old young offender ()rso looks back over his doomed love affair with fellow juvenile delinquent Marie. Glasgow: Gl’l‘.
Antz (PG) (Eric Darnell/Tim Johnson. US. I998) The voices of Woody Allen. Sharon Stone. Gene Hackman. 83 mins. When worker ant 7,-4l95 (Allen) meets Princess Bala (Stone). he falls completely in love: btit. while trying to prove himself as a soldier. he uncovers a dastardly plan to flood the colony. Ant: is brightly coloured and full of gags. so adults will chuckle while kids are pulled in by the slick computer animation. General release.
As Good As It Gets ( I5) (James L. Brooks. US. I997) Jack Nicholson. Helen Hunt. Greg Kinnear. I39 mins. Neurotic writer Melvin suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder. btit compensates for his Ioner life by becoming a master of abuse. Carol. the waitress in a local restaurant. is the only person tough enough to take him on. As romantic comedies go. it's an odd pairing. but the match works thanks to a sharply witty script and spot-on performances from Nicholson and Hunt. lidinburgh: I-‘ilmhouse.
Babe: Pig In The City (PG) (George Miller. L’S. I998) James Cromwell. Magda Szubanski. 99 mins. Just as precocious as before. young Babe accidentally injures Farmer Hoggett arid puts the farm in jeopardy. In desperation Mrs H and Babe set off to make a lee-paying appearance at a State Fair. But fate is not smiling upon the farmer's wife and her innocent pig. as their adventures iii the big city begin. General release.
Babette's Feast (L’) (Gabriel Axel. Denmark. I987) Stephane Atidran. Jean-Philippe Lafont. Bibi Andersson. I03 mins. 'l'he Jutland peninsula during the late I9th century. lixiled French housekeeper Audran wins l0.000 francs in a lottery and uses the money to prepare a sumptuous banquet in honour of a deceased Lutheran dean. whose daughters are sustaining his mission to the poor and needy. A delicious gastronomic experience. lidinbtirgh: Lumiere. Le Bossu ( l5) (Philippe De Broca. France. I997) Daniel Atitetiil. Vincent Perez. Fabrice Luchini)
I28 mins. Le Busstt has an abundance of plot. with the action centering on the exposure of an aristocrat's dastardly bastard brother. and the restoration to wealth of an heiress.Only an undemanding audience would be satisfied with the overall film. Edinburgh: Lumiere. Bulworth (18) (Warren Beatty. US. I998) Warren Beatty. Halle Berry. Oliver Platt. I08 mins. See review. Glasgow: Odeon Quay. Showcase. Edinburgh: Dominion. UCI. Paisley: Showcase.
Captain Blood (PG) (Michael Curtiz. I935) Errol Flynn. Olivia de Havilland. Lionel Atwill. I I9 mins. One of the best swashbucklers of all time. following the adventures of a British surgeon-tumed-bucanncer. who still retains the moral highground. Great action work throughout. de Havilland looks radiant as the love interest. Basil Rathbone is a nasty baddy' and Flynn became an overnight star. lidinburgh: Lumiere. Carlito’s Way (18) (Brian De Palma. ISS. I993) Al Pacino. Sean Penn. Penelope Ann Miller. l4) mins. Recently release from jail. former drug runner Carlito Brigante can’t come to terms with the erosion of any sense of honour on the streets. and finds his struggle to go straight becoming more and more impossible. Pacino at times slips into performance rather than characterisation. squeezes sensitivity from the character. Edinburgh: Cameo.
Cinema Paradiso (PG) (Giuseppe 'I‘ornatore. ltaly/France.l988) Phillipe Noiret. Jacques Perrin. Salvatore Cascio. l23 mins. 'l'old largely in flashback. the winner of the I990 Oscar for Best Foreign Film traces young Salvatore's infatuation with his village cinema. and his growing friendship with its projectionist (played to perfection by Noiret). Iissentially. it's 'l‘ornatore's lament for the joyous iiiovie-gomg experience of his youth and a recognition of the price we pay for our maturity. Iidiiiburgh: Cameo.
Class Trip [1! (lane 01' .Vt'igr ( l5) (Claude Miller. France. I998) ('leiiient Van Den Bergh. Francois Roy. 97 mins. See preview and review. Glasgow: GFI'. lidinburgli: Filmliouse.
The Cook, The Thief, His Wife And Her Lover (l8) (Peter Greenaway. L'K. I989) Michael Gambon. Helen Mirren. Alan Howard. I20 iiiins. Beautifully photographed. directed. written. acted and art-directed (with lavish costumes by Jean Paul Gaultier). its subject matter is at once bizarre. repulsive. romantic and compelling. For review of the Greenavsay exhibition in lidinburgh. see art listings. page 7o lidinbtirgh: Cameo.
Dance Of The Wind (PGi (Raiaii Khosa. Germany/UK/India. I997) Kitu Gidvsaiii. Bhaveen Gosain. BC Sanyal. 85 mins. When her mother dies. traditional singer Pallayi becomes so distraught that she loses her voice. She withdraws and starts seeing :1 little girl. Tara. who has a beautiful voice herself. The antithesis of lumbering. Godzillassood culture. this idea- Iaden film relates its mystery by haunting music and lingering images rather than special effects trickery. (Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
Divorcing lack ( (Si (David Caffrey. (.‘K. (998) David 'l'liewlis. Robert Lindsay. Laura Fraser.
I I0 mins. The year is I999 and the independent state of Northern Ireland is united around slick Prime Ministerial candidate Michael Bruin. The focus is on jourtio Dan Starkey and his failing marriage. his boozing and his infidelity with an art student called Margaret. Margaret gets murdered and Starkey finds himself wanted by the IRA. the UVF and (he RITC. Stirling;
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Dobermann (Jan Kounen. France. I998) (I8) Vincent Cassel. Tcheky Karyo. I03 mins. Cassel plays Yann. nicknamed ‘The Dobermann‘. a tough but sexy criminal who leads his gang in a series of bank robberies pursued by corrupt cop Christini (Karyo). Kounen‘s references are 100% cinematic — spaghetti westerns. Hong Kong action movies. Tarantino stand-offs. But beneath its flashy surface. Dobermann is a shallow movie. Glasgow: OFT. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. Dr Dolittle (PG) (Betty Thomas. US. I998) Eddie Murphy. Ossie Davies. Oliver Platt. 85 mins. A turkey with Rex Harrison in its original form. and still pretty dire this time round. Overall. the film might have benefitted from a simpler. less snappy and more family orientated tale. while Murphy’s comic judgement has again become decidedly questionable. Stirling: AIIanpark.
Easy Rider ( l8) (Dennis Hopper. US. I969) Peter Fonda. Dennis Hopper. Jack Nicholson. 94 mins. Artless. archetypal road movie in which two dope-loving bikers travel the highways and by-ways of America. Dated cult attraction with Nicholson stealing the show as a boozy lawyer persuaded to join up for the trip. Edinburgh: Cameo.
The Elephant Man ()5) (David Lynch. US. I980) John Hurt. Anthony Hopkins. Anne Bancroft. I25 mins. Moving story ofreal-Iife Victorian freak John Merrick. brilliantly played by Hurt under a grotesque make-upjob. and his appalling mistreatment by society before he finally received the medical attention he deserved. Fascinating period detail and rich monochrome cinematography make this a real treat from a slightly unexpected film-maker. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
Elizabeth ( l 5) (Shekhar Kapur. UK. I998) Cate Blanchett. Geoffrey Rush. Christopher Iicclestone. I20 mins. Not your typical frock llick. Shekhar Kapur‘s film may be ravishing to look at. but it's altogether darker and more disturbing than you'd expect. A political thriller from ’I'udor history. in which Blanchett‘s performance turns cherished notions about Iingland‘s Virgin Queen on their head. (Edinburgh: Brunton Theatre. Dominion.
Enemy Of The State ( l 8) (Tony Scott. US. I998) Will Smith. Gene Hackman. I28 mins. A chance meeting with an old college friend plunges the unwitting Smith into a dangerous. convoluted conspiracy involving a rogue Natiotial Security Agency boss with an agenda of his own. When his life is electronically invaded and systematically dismantled his only hope is ex-CIA surveillance expert Hackman. A slick. entertaining stab at updating the 70s conspiracy thriller. General release.
54 (IS) (Mark Christopher. US. I998) Mike Myers. Ryan Phillippe. Neve Campbell. 93 mins. In the mid-to-late 70s. Studio 54 was the hottest. hippest. most happenin' discotheque in New York City and. therefore. the world. Movie stars. models. socialites and assorted hangers-on worked their collective booty on the dance floor. However. Christopher's film fails to capture any of the heady atmosphere that made the venue the planet's most exclusive nite spot. See review. Glasgow: Showcase. UCI Clydebank. Virgin. lidinburgh; ABC Multiplex. L'CI. East Kilbride: L'Cl.
Five Easy Pieces ( )5) (Bob Rafelson. US. I970) Jack Nicholson. Karen Black. Susan Anspach. 98 mins. Adventures of a middle-class nogoodnik. his pregnant mistress and his brother's girlfriend.
index FILM
Archetypally impish Nicholson performance and some all-time classic sequences. including the legendary set-to in the diner. bound together with a smashing country soundtrack. One of the finest films of the 70s. Edinburgh: Cameo.
Flame aka Slade In Flame (12) (Richard Loncraine. UK. I974) Noddy Holder er al. 9l mins. Director Loncraine casts Noddy and his boys as Flame in a tale of the rise of the ’ eponymous 70$ rock combo - not much acting needed then? Best moments are those on film on stage with guitars plugged in. Glasgow: GFT. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
Flood Tide (PG) (Frederick Wilson. UK. I949) Gordon Jackson. Jimmy Logan. Rona Anderson. 90 mins. Jackson's Clydebanlt apprentice who makes good as a ship‘s designer falls in love with the boss's daughter inwhat turns out to be a nive piece of social history on film. Supported by Seawarrl The Great Ships. a documentary about Glasgow's seafaring tradition. based on a treatment by John Grierson and winner of Scotland‘s first Oscar statuette. Edinburgh: Lumiere.
The Fountainhead (PG) (King Wdor. US. I949) Gary Cooper. Patricia Neal. II2 mins. Loathed and reviled as it was on its release. the King's version of the Ayn Rand novel stands erect as one of the most ambitious. stunning and. frankly. barmy films made by a major studio during Hollywood's golden age. Inspired by the life of Frank Lloyd Wright. C00per plays Howard Roark an architect with a vision which will not be blunted by matters of cash. career or love. Glasgow: GFT.
Great Expectations (PG) (David Lean. UK. I946) John Mills. Bernard Miles. Finlay Currie.
I I8 mins. Lean's adaptation of the Dickens novel remains cinema's definitive version even after half a century. An orphan meets an escaped convict and is introduced into a new world of adventures and finely observed characters. Photography and design at its best. Glasgow: GFT
lie Got Game (18) (Spike Lee. US. 1998) Denzel Washington. Ray Allan. Milla Jovovich. I34 mins. While doing time for murdering his wife. Washington is released for seven days and baited with a pardon if he can persuade his basketball star son sign up with the right college. A few clumsy moments aside. it‘s both a touching and stylish film and the use of the classical Aaron Copland score and Public Enemy songs is audacious. Stirling: MacRobert.
I Want You (18) (Michael Winterbottom. UK. I998) Rachel Weisz. Alessandro Nivola. 87 mins. Unfairly overlooked film from the director of Jade and Welcome 7?) Sarajevo. Winterbottom transplaces the elements of film noir — moody visuals. smouldering eroticism. intrigue - from America to a small south coast England seaside town‘with startling results. Stirling: MacRobert.
Jacob's Ladder ( 18) (Adrian Lyric. US. I990) Tim Robbins. Elizabeth Pena. Danny Aiello.
I I3 mins. Vietnam vet Jacob Singer is seeing some very strange things. like nurses with demons' horns and people with faces straight out of a Francis Bacon painting. As his grip on the reality of his present life begins to slip. he has recurring flashbacks to the night his platoon was wiped out during the war. A terrifying. yet ultimater moving. paranoia thriller. Edinburgh: Cameo.
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