FILM index
FILM INDEX continued
Les Miserables t )2) (Bille August. US. I998) Liam Neesoii. Geoffrey Rtisli. Claire Daties. l3-l iitiiis. With preconceptions of the hit musical left in the foyer. the movie can be enjoyed for wliai it really is - a sombre dual character study concentrating on the psychological cai-atid-mouse game played by es-conv ict Valtean and police inspector .lavert. August. director of l’t'llc The ('aiit/ut'mr. has made a European artliotise tiiovie filmed on a Hollywood budget. l’alkirk: I-‘l'll.
Mulan (if) (Barry Cooki'l‘oiiy Bancroft. US. I998) Voices of: Ming-Na Wen. Dottny ()snioiid. Eddie Murphy. S9 iiiitis. After Disney ‘s tastin designed venture into Greek mythology with llt'l't lI/('\. the studio has brought its lens to bear on the rich and colourful possibilities of Chinese legend. Details of cltaracter. movement and expression areas fine as should be expected from the world's best known cartoon \llKllt). btit the stunning large-scale set pieces are truly astonishing. ls'ii'kcaldy. .-\dam Smith. Stirling. .-\llaiipark.
My Name Is Joe t )5) t is'en l.oacli. UK. I998) Peter Mullah. Louise (ioodall. David McKay I05 mins. Recovering alcoholic Joe Kavanagh meets and falls iii love with health visitor Sarah. btit his well iiiteiitioned scheme to get a young friend otit of the grip of a vicious drug dealer looks likely to backfire on every one he cares for. 'I‘errific acting from all concerned. Edinburgh: Cameo.
Nil 8y Mouth ( IS) ((iary ()Idmaii. L‘K. I997) Ray \N'iiis'iotie. Kathy Burke. Charlie Creed-Miles. l39 mins. ()ldmaii's directorial debut is ati account of alcoholism aitd marital abuse wlitcli stalks smoky liast l:ll(l pubs. sitiog-riddeii council estates atid cheap-rate lives with an itchy amphetamine energy. lit a flaw less ensemble cast. Burke (whose performance won her the Best Actress award at Cannes) is heroic as the put-upon wife. while Winstone dominates the screen. 'lllts is simply one of the best British movies of the 90s -— shocking. funny. heartfelt and honest. Edinburgh: l-'iliiiliotise (l'lllh (itiild).
N6 (l5) (Robert I.epage. Canada. I998) Anne-Marie Cadieus. Alesis Martin. 85 mins. Adapted from stage and film director Lepagc's own seven-hour play. The Seven BI'tlIl('/I(’.\ ()f The River ()ia. .\'a draws parallels between ()uebecois separatism and Japanese Noh theatre. Btit the plot strands. concerning aii actress performing on stage in Osaka and her boy friend. an amateur political activist iii .‘vloiiireal. have been sewn together with a skilftil hand. so that the themes resonate hartiiotiiously. atid often hilariously. (ilasgow. (ill.
The Out Of Towners (P(ii (Arthur llillei'. LES. I969) .Iack l.enimoii. Sandy Dennis. 97 mins. Neil Simon comedy about a couple arriving tn Manhattan from Iowa for a iob iiiterv tew only to esperience a transit strike. a blizzard and misplaced hotel reservation. Screening includes a presentation on representations of stress iii cinema by l'iliiilioiise education officer Slioiia Wood. Edinburgh: l'iliiihouse.
The Parent Trap il‘i Dennis Quaid. Natasha Richardson. Lindsay l.oliaii. l35 iiiitis 'l his updated version of the Hay Iey Mills oi'igtiial casts l.oliatt iii the dual role of identical tw iits completely unaware of each otliei”s esisteiice until they discover the truth at summer camp Never having iiiet the other parent. r\|lICI'Ic;l|) Hallie aiid linglisli Annie agree to swap identities. lidiiiburgh: ()deon. I‘CI
Patch Adams I l I) t'l‘oiii Shadyac. IRS. I993) Robiii Williams. .\Ioiiica Potter. Philip Seymour Hoffman. llS mins. 'l‘he
epotiyiiious medic‘s philosophy that laughter
is the best medicine brings him mto conflict witlt the hospital authorities. \Villiaiiis wears his heart iiist a little too obviously on his sleeve and. cast once again as the caring btit unconventional doctor. it is tiiipossible to escape a diagnosis here of teritiinal deia vii. (ieiiei‘al release
Paws ( P( ii (Karl /.w icky. .'\ll\ll;ill.l/l 'ls'. I997) \ailiaii (avaleii. liiitlie l i'aiicois. voice of Billy Connolly Si iiiiiis. ('Ievci doggie PC is oii .i iiiisstoii to deliver a computer disc. but is being tracked down by the unpleasant baddie w ho killed his master.
28 THE lIST i
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Befriending computer whin. kid Zac. the mutt links tip to a voice simulator and starts talking with the broad twaiig of Billy Connolly. Some genuinely funny moments. Glasgow: L'Cl Cly'debaiik. liast Kilbi'itle: L'Cl.
Payback (l8) (Brian llegeland. US. I998) Mel Gibson. Gregg Henry. Deborah Kara Uiigei'. ll() tiiiiis. An entertainineg erratic rehash of l9(i7's I’m/it Blank. I’avliat‘k finds Gibson good. if unlikely. tn the Ice Man iii tough guy role. Hegelaiid‘s tiiipressive directorial debut. while perhaps even more cynical than the earlier film. turns much more to comedy and works partly as a send- iip aiid partly as an homage to John Booriiian's original. (ienei‘al release. Pecker I l 5) (John Waters. L'S. I998) Edward l-‘urlotig. Christina Ricci. l.ili 'l'aylor. so mitts. Narrative logic very rarely crops tip in Waters' films. replaced instead by filmic flippaiicy. And that's the case with this rags-to-t‘iches-aiid-back-to-rags story of a young Baltimore photographer. who briefly becomes tltc darling of the New York art set until he rejects it all for his hometown. family atid friends. ()iin the sheer ftiii of it all rather than any notion of insight or depth. will probably keep this
I’t't ls't'l‘ up II) [he INN ()lillc‘t‘ \ItlkL'S. (iltisgtiw; (il-‘l‘. lidinbtirgli: Cameo.
Perdita Durango ( t S) (:\le\ tic la lglesia. l'S/Spain. I998) Rosie Perez . Javier Bardem. IZZ mins. \‘v'heii (iiffoi'd‘s characters (froiiill’ilt/xll I/t'ai'i) fall into the hands of Spain’s de la lglesta. they 't'e badly served by a filmmaker whose blatant tiiisogyny and incompetent handling of narrative momentum were evident iti xlt ('IUII .llulaiile and Day ()f The Bean. Glasgow: (ill.
The Philadelphia Story Il’(i) ((ieoige Cukor. L'S. I940) Katharine Hepburn. Cary Grant. James Stew art. ll? mins. Splendidly sophisticated Holly wood comedy w itlt Stewart as a scandalsheet reporter covering the society wedding of recently divorced Hepburn. cs-liubby (irant lurking tn the
w itigs. and romance reciii'dliiig despite itsell. Sparkling dialogue and cli.iristiiatic performances all round make this one of the best of its kind. Reiiiatle as the musical. Hie/i Sat It’ll. Kirkcaldy: .-\daiii Smith.
Big Breakfast: Jean Alle
n and Rease Witherspoon in Pleasantville
Pink Flamingos t IS) (John Waters. US. I972) Div me. David l.ochat‘y. Mary Vivian Pearce. l(l() mins. The (alien Kane of bad taste films is re-released in the UK censored version once again. albeit with a better quality print and with a message from Waters added at the end. Divine plays white trash matriarch Babs. defending her title of the 'l5iltliiest Person Alive". Waters goes all out to offend every member of the audience. btit there is a inescapable humour to his shock tactics. lidiiiburgli: Cameo.
Pippi Longstocking (tit it‘iive Sinittt. Sweden/(iermany/(‘anada. i997) SO mins. Anitiiated adventures featuring the beloved Swedish child-heroine originated in the books of .-\sti'id l.iiidgreii. (ilasgow: (iilnioreliill Centre. Stirling: MacRobert. Pleasantville t I2) ((Bui-y Russ. LES. I998) Tobey .\laguire. Reese \\'itliei'sptitii‘.. William H. Macy. IIJ mitts. 'I‘liaiiks to a dodgy plot tw isi. 9()s kids David and Jennifer are zapped iiito I’lt'asanit'ii'le. aii / /.ui't' /.II( i-sty lc 5()s sitcom. a monochrome world where ses. art and passion are unknown. If this was ittst a gimmick movie. it would be a brilliant one. bttt l’lt'ava/iti'i/lc is also a relentlessly inventive comedy Duiiferiiiliiie. Robins. (ialashiels. Pavilion. ll\lIlL', Magnum,
Plunkett And Macleane i IS) (lake Scott. CK. l‘)‘)9) Jtiiiliy ICL' Millet”. RUDCH Carlyle. l.l\ 'I'yler. l()l mitts. When destitute gentleman James .‘vlacleaiie and bankrupt apothecary turned thief Will Pluiikett are thrown together in mid- l Silt century London. the odd couple decide to pool their complementary talents to launch a new career as dashing highway men. l’liaikci! .-\m/ .lltltft'tlllt' takes the conventions of British costume drama and filters them through the lens of an irreverent. contemporary buddy movie. A hugely etiioyable if eiitpty-headed romp See review. (ieneral release
The Rugrats Movie t it (Norton \'ii'gien/lgor Kovalym. I'S. I99S) Voices of: l’..(i Daily. (’Iiristiiie Cavaiiaugli. ls'ath Soiicte. Sf) iiitiis 'l‘lte weekly animated adventures of the tin-cutesy. irritatineg voiced Pickles family is big among kiddies and adults iii the States. but the movie is definitely more of a tumor entertainment.
The film‘s message is well intentioned. and it might keep the little ones quiet fora while. General release.
Saturday Night Fever ( l8) (John Badham. US. |977) John Travolta. Karen Lynn Gorney. Julie Bovasso. I I9 mins. Remember the Bee Gees music. the white suits. the days when 'l'i'avolta was a promising young talent‘.’ Nostalgia rules again with the revival of this rather ordinary teen rebellion/dance mini-classic iii which an ordinary working-class youth finds the only meaning in his life during his energetic peregrinaiions on the weekend dance floor. Stirling: Allanpark.
Saving Private Ryan ( I 5) (Steven Spielberg. US. I998) Tom Hanks. 'I‘om Sizemore. Matt Danton. I70 mins. Saving Pl'fl'ult' Ryan focuses its attention squarely on the brutalities endured by American soldiers in World War II. Central to this
impact is the already legendary opening half
hour. detailing with i‘eiiiorseless brilliance the carnage of the D-Day landings. The actual meat of the story concerns Hanks‘s unit's attempts to locate the eponymous Ryan. Glasgow: ()deon City Centre. Showcase. Edinburgh: Cameo. UCI. Galashiels: Pavilion. Paisley: Showcase. Scottish Short Film Day 50 mins approx. Programme of five short films screening prior to My Name Is Jm': Duck. Wee Three. Gasman. Pan-Fried atid Bag Sltllltltll'd. A one-stop package to show why Scotland is leading the world iii short tilmmaking. Edinburgh: Cameo.
Seul Contre Tous I Stand Alam’ ( t8) (Gaspar Noe. France. I998) 93 mins. Hardcore peiietrative ses atid a nauseating scene iii which a pregnant woman is repeatedly punched in the stomach. Disturbing and graphic'.’ Yes. Gratuitous shock tacties'.’ No: only material of such uncompromising brutality can bring the viewer close to the utter desolation felt by the main character. an unemployed 50-year- old butcher who has been slammed into a dead-end existence. Edinburgh: Cameo. Shakespeare In Love ( 15) (John Madden. UK. I998) Joseph Fiennes. Gwyneth Palti‘ow. Rupert Everett. I20 mins. Eiennes. a pair of breeehes aitd a few moody verses and a league of women will leave the cinema wondering why they never figured it otit at school: Shakespeare is sex on legs. 'l'om Stoppard's script is esuberantly confident. irreverent and witty — atid was surely the basis for the ()scars sweep. General release.
Showboat (PG) (James Whale. US. I936) Helen Morgan. Paul Robeson. I I2 mins. Whale's personal favourite of his own films wasn't a horror movie. bill this marvellous musical. l:illll()llS for Robesoti‘s rendition of ‘()l' Man Rivet". Slimr/nmt's triumph lies iii the quality of its performances. Glasgow: (il’l'. Edinburgh: i5ilitihouse.
Small Soldiers (PG) (Joe Dante. US. 1998) Kirsten Dunst. Gregory Smith. Denis Leary. I II) mins. Dante plunders his anarchic live action cartoon tale. (front/ins. substituting toys for little devils and adding state-of-the- art computerised effects. Sanitised. bland and banal. Edinburgh: ()deon. Ayr: ()deon. Kilttiarnock: ()deon.
Stepmom ( I2) (Chris Columbus. US. I998) Julia Roberts. Susan Sarandon. Ed Harris. I24 mins. Successful fashion photographer Isabel Roberts moves iii with boyfriend Harris aitd his two young children who resent their new ‘stepmom' as does Harris's es-w-ife. .supermum Sarandon. After numerous trials and tribulations. the mums and kids sort things out between one another. Jtist iii time too, because Sarandoii is diagnosed with terminal cancer. Great entertainitient for schmaltz lovers. Glasgow: .-\ BC Muirend. Duiifermline: Carnegie Hall. A Summer’s Tale (U) (Eric Rohmer. l'ltlllCL‘. I996) Melvil l’opaud. Aurelia Noliii. Amanda Langlet. I IS mins. On holiday in Diiiard. young Gaspard stumbles into two- timing complications while awaiting the arrival of his nominal girlfriend. It's astonishing how much richness of insight and incident the l'lCthl) master packs into a relatively confined canvas. A witty and touchingly humane portrait of youthful indecision. Edinburgh: l'lllllllousc.
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