film
index
Films screening this fortnight are listed below with certificate, credits, brief review and venue details. Film index compiled by Miles Fielder.
Accion Mutante t In) (Ales de la Iglesia. Spain. I993) Frederique lieder. Antonio Resines. Alex Arrgulo. 94 nrins. A group of handicapped
revolutionaries kidnap an heiress and head to an off-
world mining planet for a bloody showdown. An irtstatrt sci-tii'hori'or cult classic let loose from the Almodov ar experimental labs. (ilasgow: (il7I’. Affliction l I 5) (Paul Schrader. L'S. I998) Nick .\'oltc. James (‘obttrir Sissy Spacek. ll-I mins. .\'olte's ()scar-nontinated performance as a small- town New Hampshire lawman is the outstanding component of Scirrader’s leaden film. which pttiirittels home its thetite ot paternal tyranny and child abttse it uh unnecessary lieav y-handedness Introspective and inaccessible See preview and review. IitliirI‘ttrgh; I‘IIilZIltlllvc‘
American History X t 1st i'l‘otty Kaye. t'S. I998) Iidvsatd Norton. Iidwartl I-tit'iotig. IE7 iiirns. A rterce. uncoitipronrismg study or :acrsnt amongst white working-class youths. ,rlllt‘t'l‘lt tr'I.‘ Hivttiit .\’ is as provocative .is it is visually arresting. David Mcls'ertiras script pulls ito punches in its depiction ot racist violence. but evplores more fully the origins of I‘izloted attitudes that inform it. See
rev tew. (ilasgow; (Ideott Quay. lidiirbui'gh: Iiilitthottse. ()deoi). I'(‘l,
Antz tl’ti) tliric Darnell ’Itm Johnson. I'S. I998) The voices of Woody Allen. Sharon Stone. (ienc Hackrnair 83 turns. \Vhen wetkcr ant [-4 I95 iAIleni meets I’riticess Baia. Ire falls completely in love; but. while trying to prove himself as .i soldier. he uncovers a dastardly plair to flood the colony. Brightly coloured arid “III of gags w ith slick computer animation. (ilasgow: ()deon Quay. Iidinbtirgh: l:lIlltIltltl\c‘. .\y r: t)de.in. Irv tne: \VMR. Kilrnarnock: ()deoti Stirling; .‘vl.’tcRobei't.
The Appletl’(it tSamtra Makhntalbaf. Iran. I997) 85 ittitts. In a small 'ieherazr coirttrrunity. .i 65-year- old man and his biztzd iv rte were reported to the authorities by cottceztied neighbours for keeping ii‘c‘ll twin daughters locked up for tlte entire twelve
veais of their lives. Director M.iintii;tIIr;tl\ docu-
dmma observes the changes undergone by tltis famin after their lives were publically exposed. Edinburgh: I-‘ilmhouse.
Aprile t l5) (Nanni Moretti. Italy. I998) Nanni Moretti. 78 mins. Between the March I994 general election that brought right-wing media mogul Silvio Berlusconi to power and the April I996 election ol Italy‘s first left-wing government and the birth of ltis first son. Moretti vvavers between making a documentary on the state of Italian politics and realising an old dream — a film musical set in the 50s about a 'I‘rotskyist pastry chef. See review. Edinburgh: I-‘ilrnhouse.
Arlington Road I 15) (Mark I’ellington. L'S. I998) Jeff Bridges. 'I'iin Robbins. Joan Crisack. ll? nrins. l’ellington's second feature goes a long way towards revitalising the paranoia thriller genre. drawing on the Oklahoma City bo'nbing aird tlte Waco siege. Single parent. widower and university lecturer iii American terrorism Bridges becomes suspicious of neighbours Robbins and ('tisack when he discovers a worrying. hidden past. See review. (ieneial release.
L'Avventura (Michelangelo Antonioiii. Italy. l9otli Monica \"itti. (iabriele lierletti. I.ea Massari. l-l5 mitts. A young girl vanishes into the bleak Sicilian landscape whilst on holiday with a grotip of bored. wealthy socialites. The girl's lover arid best friend set off Iralf heartedly to find her. but are more interested irr each other than their friend. Iiuropeait cinema front one of its masters. Iidinburgh: Italian Cultural Institute.
The Big Sleep (I’(i) tHowartl Ilavvks. L'S. I940) Humphrey Bogart. Lauren Bacall. John Ridgely. Martha \ickers. I l4 mitts. Marlowe gets caught up in the peccadilloes of the Sternwood family as he tries to stop a spot of blackmail. Needless to say. the broad knows more than she lets on. \Vttty. sultry. atmospheric. mainstream til/ii Ilt'fl' with Bogey and Bacall doing their escellent double act. (ilasgovv: (il’l‘.
Blade Runner: The Director’s Cut i ISi tRidley Scott. L'S. I983/93) Harrison liord. Sean Young. Ringer llauer. llo mins. ()iit go the pseudo-noir narration arid the tacked-on happy ending; in comes a more defined sense that l):ckard himself may be a replicant. The look and feel remanr as powerful. and the acting is superb. A flawed masterpiece is now a restored masterpiece. Stirling. Allanpark.
A Bug's l Lil lJUllll I.;!\\L‘lcl‘. IRS. I‘NS) VOIL'LN
Scottish National Gallery ofModcrn Art 13 March to 9 May 1999
Henri
Cartier-Brcsson
Portraits: Téte-a-Téte
Belford Road s Edinburgh Open Monday to Saturday 10am—5pm
and Sunday 2—5pm
Admission £3.00 - concessions £1.50
also admits to AviqdorArik/ra exhibition
SPONSORED BY
.\'.-\'l‘l().\':\l.
PORTRAIT GALLERY
TOURING EXHIBITION
llcnri (larticr-Brcsson (Io/ette and her companion I’tlil/frtt‘. it); 2
i Henri(Iartier-Bresson Magnum
of: Dave lioley. Kevin Spacey. David Hyde Pierce. Denis Leary. 95 ittiits. A Bug's Life takes us to Ant Island. where the colony is being oppressed by a gang of menacing grasshoppers. When inventive but clumsy worker ant lilik incurs the wrath of gang leader Hopper. he heads off to find help heavyweight help iii the battle against his oppressot‘s. (ieiieral release.
Central Station I IS) t\\'alter Salles. Brazil. I998) Vinicitis tIe ()liveii'a. Iici'nantla Montenegro. l It) mitts. Sugar-coated neo-r'ealisnr or a tilm that stares poverty in the eye'.’ Salles‘s international hit is the story of a young Rio de Janeiro street urchin and a fornrer schoolteacher who go on the run together in a film explores that l.atin .-\merican mainstay: the search for a missing loved one. (ilasgovv: (iITI‘. Iidinburgh: ('ameo.
The Cyclist tl’(it v Moltsen .‘vlakhrnalbaf. Iran. I989) 75 mins. Rare screening of this Iranian import. Desperate for money for his wife's medical treatiirent. Afghan refugee .\'as‘tm places a bet w tilt the local tovv itsfolk that he and his son cart pedal. non-stop for a week. Supported by" the short film. llllllti’fltlll. Iidttrbttrgh: Iiilinhouse. Dancing At Lughnasat t’t‘o tl’ai O'Connor. Ir'elarttlt'I’K/lS. I998) Meryl Streep. Michael (i.lllII‘t‘-il. (‘atiterrite Mct'orinack 95 turns. The screen version of Ilrtati I'llc‘hs successful and much loved play is strong itr its sense of a continuitin and a tinre- rural l)onegal iti I936 -- btrt doesn‘t quite develop any character outside of the lite sisters at the centre or the story. liast Kilbi'idc: Arts (cutie.
Dark Victory tI’(ii tlidinund (ioultlrng. I'S. I939) Bette Davis. Iluntpltrey Bogart. IIlS mitts. Davis has a high camp field day as the spoilt Long Island heiress who learns she has only has months to live. Iidiiibtii'gh: I‘ilntitouse. Stirling: MacRober‘t.
The Day Of The Beastt lat tAIc‘v de 1.: lglesia. Spain. I99.“ \Iev Avigtrlo. Armando de Razza. Santiago Segur. Ill) mtns. A priest‘s research leads him to heliev e the anti-Christ w ill be born in Madrid on (‘hristirtas Day. so he tiriinerses himself in evil. looks ftr cities in death tiretal songs and kidnaps a 'I'\' parapsycltologist. I)ev tlishly funny horror comedy. (ilasgow; (iI’I.
Easter Parade it'i it‘harles Wallets. [8. I948) I‘ired Astaire. Judy (iatland. Ann Miller. lll9 initis. Astaire. true to type. plays a song-and-dance man oit
index FILM
the lookout for a new partner. [inter Garland stage left. and the result is air enjoyable if lightweight musical that brings together Hollywood's top genre stars for the first and only time. Iklinburgh: St Bride's Centre.
Ed Wood ( l 5) (Tim Burton. US. I994) Johnny l)epp. Martin Landau. Patricia Arquette. I33 rnins. Burton's fondly atmospheric homage to the stl-Cilllc‘cl 'worst director of all time' is his best film to date. It‘s ntore than a biopic pastiche. however: the emotional heart of the film is found in the genuinely caring relationship between Wood arid the dying. drug-addicted Bela Lugosi ta marvellous Landau). (ilasgow: (il’l‘. (irosvenor.
The Eel t l8) tS‘hohei Imamura. Japan. I997). Koji Yaktisho. Misa Shimim. I I7 rnins. Irnarntira's l’alrne D'Or-winning filnr about two wounded people. 'I‘akuro. a man who murdered his adulterous wife and Keiko. the woman he discovers after art attempted suicide. Simplicity is its strength. Iidinburgh: Iiilmhouse. Lumiere. Elizabeth t l 5) (Shekhar Kapitr. L'K. I998) Cate Blarrclrett. Geoffrey Rush. Christopher Iicclestone. IZU mins. Not your typical frock llick. Slreklrar Kaptir's film may be ravishing to look at. but it's altogether darker and more disturbing than you'd expect. A political thriller from IlchOI‘ history. in which Blanchett's performance turns cherished notions about lingland‘s Virgin Queen on their head. (ilasgow: I.‘(‘I Clydebank. lidinburgh: L‘CI. [East Kilbride: I't'l. (ialas‘hiels; Pavilion. l.;lfgSI Barrl'telds. Enemy Of The State t I8) (Tony Scott. L'S. I998) Will Smith. (iene Ilackrnan. l38 mitts. A chance meeting w ith air old college friend plunges the unwitting Smith iitto a dangerous. convoluted conspiracy involving a rogue National Security Agency boss vvttlt an agenda of Ills own. A slick. entertaining stab at updating the 70s conspiracy thriller. (ilasgovv: IICI. Paisley: Showcase.
The Exorcist t I8) (\Villiain I‘Tlc‘tlklll. L'S. I973) Linda Blair. IiIIen Btizstyn. Max \"on Sydow. Ill) inins. Now re-released in remastered fornr. with a super stereo soundtrack tso you cart Irear those obscenittes in full). Dead good. dead scary. dead priest. lidtnbtugh: ()deon.
Continued over page
18 Mar —l t\pt I999 THE “ST 27