Films screening this fortnight are listed below with certificate. credits. brief review and venue details. Film index compiled by Miles Fielder.
An Autumn Tale (U) (Eric Rohmer. France. I999) Beatrice Romand. Marie Riviere. Alexia Portal. llI mins. Rohnier once again. quite stunningly. accesses the thoughts and feelings of his characters. Patience is the key to Rolimer's work: if you can empathise with the vacillating characters. you are richly rewarded by a film whose charms linger for months afterwards. Kirkcaldy: Adam Smith. An Ideal Husband (PG) (Oliver Parker. UK. I999) Rupert Everett. Cate Blanchett. Julianne Moore. I()() mins. When scheming Mrs Cheveley hlackmails brilliant politician Sir Robert Cliiltern beltind his loving wife's back. Ioaf'ing Lord Goring comes to his fn'end's assistance in this fine adaptation Oscar Wilde's play. The cracking cast do jUstice to the archetypal Wildean witticisms. Edinburgh: Lumiere. Dunfei'mline: Carnegie Hall. Kirkcaldy: Adam Stiiith. Animal Farm (If) (John Halas & Joy Batchclpr. I'K. I955) 75 mitts. This atlttplalltit) til (ictit‘gc ()rwell's classic political allegory \\ as Britain‘s first full- length Britiin cartoon and emerges as a surprisingly faithful treatment of the tale of barnyard revolution. l’aralleling the Russian Revolution. the story tells of a group of' atumals' attempts to oust human beings and operate on their own. Glasgow: Grosvenor. Another Land (Amit Goren. I998) 85 mins. lixaniinatioii of the meaning of home. from a personal and public perspective. set against a background of political upheaval itt Israeli ' between I992—98. Part of Descriptions OfA Struggle. an lsraeli/Palestiiiian film season. I-Idinburgli: I-‘ruitiiiarket Gallery. Antz (PG) tliric Darnell/Ti tn Johnson. US. I998) The voices of Woody Allen. Sharon Stone. (iene Hackiiian. 83 mins. When worker ant /.--ll95 meets Princess Bala. he falls cotiipletely lll love: btit. while trying to prmc himself as a soldier. Iic uncovers a dastardly plan to flood the colony. Brightly coloured and full ofgags will) slick computer animation. Iidinbtirgh: Lumiere. Odeon. Barney's Great Adventure (L') 72 mins. A kids 'I'V phenomenon. Barney the purple dinosaur's big screen debut finds him down on a farm with a trio of kids iii search of a magic The all singin'. all dancin' Barney struts his way through the simple story with regular singaloiigs. making the filth perfect for under-fives. Stirling: MacRoberf. Because Of That War (()rna Ben Dor. I988) 90 mins. .\lnlti-a\vat'd winning documentary about the memory of the Holocaust. here reflected by second generation Israelis. Part of Descriptions ()f A Struggle. an Israeli/l’alestinian film season. Edinburgh: l‘i'tiilmai'k‘et (iallet‘y. Bedrooms And Hallways ( IS) (ROse 'I‘roclie. l'ls'. I999i Kevin McKidd. Tom Hollander. .laiiics Purcloy. 9o mins. 'I'hese IJer/rnmtts Am/ Ilt/l/irui s are populated by pretty. , professional. loved-up or cast-down twenty and thirtysometliings. In this case they also happen to be gay. Credible characters within the framework of a classic British farce. Edinburgh: Lumiere. Falkirk: FTH. Beefcake ( l8) ('I'hom Fitzgerald. Canada. I999) 93 mins. Blurring fact with fiction. [fee/i an tells the story of Bob Mixer. founder ()lL'l'tilIC model agency. Athletic Model Guide. liito .\li7et"s sun-drenched. well-oiled world walks I7-year-old Neil. who will soon be tiiiplicatcd in a sex scandal. Part of the Lesbian & (iay l‘lllll Festival. Glasgow: OFT. litliiibui'gh; I‘iliiiliouse. La Belle Et La Bete (PG) (.lean Cocteau. l‘ldllc‘c‘. l9-lfi) .leaii .\‘lat‘ais. .losettc Day. \laicel .-\iidre. 92 iiiitis. Sombre. tiiagical atid extravagant rendition of the fairytale with Day as Beauty and \Iarats as her shepherd l(i\ er and the Beast. A haunting fantasy. Iidmburgh: Lumiere. Beloved I )5) (Jonathan Demnie. US. I998) Oprah Winfrey. Danny Glover. 'l'handie \ewton. Kimberly lilise. I72 mins. Few I)ti\cls convey the emotional atid ps_\ cliological consequences of slavery quite as \ I\ It”) as Toni Morrison's Pulitzer Prize \\ iniicr. Ire/um! I'nfortunately Jonathan
26 THELIST 24 Jun-8 Jul I999
Demme‘s film doesn't have the same power as the book. Stirling: MacRoben. Beloved/Friend (l8) (Ventura Pons. Spain. I998) 90 mins. Chamber piece revolving around the interlocking relationships of five people in Barcelona: a middle-aged professor. his lover. a delinquent student. two friends and their pregnant daughter. Part of the Lesbian & Gay Film Festival. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
Besieged (PG) (Bernardo Bertolucci. Italy. I998) Tbandie Newton. David Thewlis. 92 mins. Besieged is a revelation. It has a youthful vigour that recalls Bertolucci's best early work. The only doubt is whether the simple story - about the oddly romantic relationship between music teacher (Thewlis). and his live-in African housekeeper (Newton) - is too slight. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
Better Than Chocolate (I8) (Anne Wheeler. Canada. I998) IOI mins. Lovelom teenage college dropout Maggie finds all she desires in itinerant artist Kim. Btit when Maggie‘s mom returns front a trip East. the women‘s comfort and joy is threatened. Sexy. fun. comic romp. Part of the Lesbian & Gay Film Festival. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
The Big Hit (l8) (CheoKirk Wong. US. I999) Mark Wahlberg. Lou Diamond Phillips. Christina Applegate. 9| ntins. Pitched somewhere between a sub-John Woo action picture and a frenetic romantic farce. this has straight-fo-video written all over it. Wahlberg exudes a likeable. dopey charm as Mel. a professional hitman for whom a lucrative kidnapping-on-the-side turns sour. See review. Glasgow: Odeon Quay. Showcase. Edinburgh: UCI. Paisley; Showcase.
The Big Lebowski ( )8) (Joel Coen. US. I997) Jeff Bridges. John Goodman. Steve Buscemi. I I3 mins. The Coen brothers give their unique twist to a Chandler-esque LA noir. as 70s hippy throwback Jeff ‘The Dude' Lebowski (Bridges) is drawn into the sordid affairs of his millionaire namesake. Suddenly he has to sleuth his way through disorganised crime. Edinburgh: Cameo.
The Bitter Tears Of Petra Von )(ant ( I8) (Rainer Werner Fassbinder. W. Germany. I972) Margit Carstensen. Hanna Schygulla. Irm Hermann. I24 mins. In a sumptuous apartment lives a fashion designer. slavisltly attended by her assistant. but the arrival of an attractive young woman whom the former wishes to use as a model changes the domestic power set-up. One of the great Fassbinder films. incisively examining the way in which social positions influence romantic relationships. Glasgow: GFI‘. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
Body Troopers (PG) (Vibeke ldsoe. Norway. I996) 92 mins. Imaginative children's adventure (a kind of remake of the l960s sci- fi film. Tlte Fantastic Voyage) about a little boy who travels around his ailing grandfather's body it) order to find out what is wrong with it. Glasgow: GFT.
Bride OTChucky (I8) (Ronnie Yu. US. I999) Brad Dourif. Jennifer Tilly. Alexis Arquetle. 89 mins. The dismembered corpse of the pitif- sized homicidal maniac is exhumed for this knowing horror sequel to the C/iilil Ts I’luv series. The new edition offers diversion iii the form of Jennifer Tilly as the once-human Chucky's vengeful ex-girlf'riend 'l'iffany. Selected release.
Bringing Up Baby (PG) (Howard Hawks. US. I938) Cary Grant. Katharine Hepburn. Charles Ruggles. I02 mins. Zany gal Hepburn causes timid zoology professor Grant to lose a valuable dinosaur bone and mislay a pet leopard within the course of one screwball evening. Archetypal Thirties crazy comedy with one outlandishly hilarious scene following another within the progression of an unerringly logical narrative. Both stars at their charismatic best. Glasgow: Gilmorehill Centre.
A Bug's Life (U) (John Lassetcr. LIS. I998) Voices of Dave Foley. Kevin Spacey. David Hyde Pierce. 95 mins. The colony ol'Aiit Island is being oppressed by a gang of menacing grasshoppers. When inventive btit clumsy worker ant Flik incurs the wrath of gang leader Hopper. he heads off to find help heavyweight help in the battle against his oppressors. Selected release.
Carry On Abroad ( PG) (Gerald 'l'hottias. UK. I972) Kenneth Williams. Sid James. Joan Sim. et al. 88 mins. The last film to feature all the regulars is as naughty as a ditty seaside postcard. The gang head off to Spain
t .I
Aiming to get results: Daniel Arteuil in The Lost Son
for a cheap holiday iii the sun iii a hotel that's still being btiilt. Edinburgh: Lumiere.
Carry On Up The Khyber ( PG) (Gerald Thomas. L'K. I968) Kenneth Williams. Sid James. Charles Hawtrey. et al. 87 mitts. The usual team showing their part (ooh-er?) iit the end (titter!) of the British limpire. An embarrassing British entry (nudge. nudge) III the width atid breadth of world cinema. Edinburgh: Lumiere.
Casablanca (PG) (Michael Curtiz. US. I942) Humphrey Bogart. Ingrid Bergman. Dooley Wilson. l()2 mins. You must remember this . . . Bogart being impossiny noble. Bergman tom between two lovers. Claude Rains playing both ends against the middle. devious Nazis. a fogbound airport. :1 piano-player tinkling that tune. Glasgow: Gilmorehill Centre. Edinburgh: Lumiere.
Celebrity ( I8) (Woody Allen. US. I999) Kenneth Branagh. Melanie Griffith. Winona Ryder. Charlize Theron. Leonardo DiCaprio. I I3 mins. A not always successful dissection of the nature and price of" fame. The llllll revolves around Branagh's philandering hack and wannabe screenwriter. Lee Simon (Allen‘s alter-ego). who is irresistible to a succession of dazzlineg attractive women. Glasgow: (ili'l‘. ()deon Quay. Edinburgh: Cameo.
The Chess Players (U) (Satyajit Ray. ltidia. I977) Set in l9th century India. Ray's first film iii Hindi (with Scots voice-over by Richard Attenborough) deals with to indolent nobles. who ignore their families and the dethroning of the Maharajah by the British East India Company. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. Children Of Shatila (Mai .Vlasri. I989) 50 tiiitts. Documentary made iii close collaboration with Palestinian two children living in the Shatila refugee camp iii Beirut. which came to world attention after the Sabre-Shantila massacre. Part of Descriptions ()fA Struggle. an Israeli/Palestinian fifth season. Iidinburgh: Fruitmarket Gallery. Chronicle Of A Disappearance (Iilia Suleiman. I990) 8-) mitts. Back from New York. Suleiman uses his perspective as a visitor to Israel to document how much the Arab population iii Israel is losing its identity Part of Descriptions ()l' A Struggle. ati Israeli/Palestinian film season. I'idiiiburgh: l‘ruitmarket Gallery.
A Civil Action ( l5) (Steven Zaillian. I'S. I999) John 'I'ravolta. Robert Duvall. William H. Macy. I I5 mins. 'I'ravolta's slick. ambulance-chasiiig lawyer grows a heart when he adopts a hopeless case. but in so doing comes a cropper. An intelligent and candid examination of the corruption inherent iii the CS legal system. Edinburgh: Lumiere. Cruel Intentions l )5) (Roger Kumble. (‘8. I999) 97 mins. Sarah Michelle Gellar. Ryan Phillipe. Reese Witherspoon. 98 mins. This teen remake of Dangerous Liaisons with horny high school kids taking the place of the sexual schemers is terrific fun. Kathryn (Gellar) and Sebastian (Phillipe) are two spoiled. wealthy step-siblings living in Manhattan wlto devise a wager to a seduce the new school principal's daughter (Withcrsptxin ). General release.
Darling ( l8) (John Schlesinger. I'K. I965) Julie Christie. |27 iiiitis. Forget the crass Ansfin Powers view of colourful Carnaby
Street. Schlesinger's encapsulation of swinging sixties Britain is the real thing. Christie excels as the ordinary woman who becomes pan of the jetset and won an Oscar for her trouble. Iidinburgh: Filmhouse.
Dead Man ( l8) (Jim Jarmusch. LES. I995) Johnny Depp. Gary Farmer. Lance Henricksen. l2| mins. After heading out west for a job vacancy that's already been filled. accountant Bill Blake (Depp) finds a posse on his fail when he shoots his would-be employer's son. With a bullet it) his own chest. Blake hooks tip with at) Indian called Nobody (Farmer). who reckons this is the spirit of the poet Blake atid so prepares a proper funeral. Gloriousl y shot it) black and white. meticulously paced and imbued with a spiritual transcendence. liditiburgh: Filmhouse.
The Debt Collector ( l8) (Anthony Neilson. I‘K. I999) Billy Connolly. Ken Stott. Iaiti Robertson. l |() mins. Reformed and out of prison. cx-loan shark Nicky Dryden (Connolly) is a rich. happily married celebrity on the Scottish art scene. btit policeman Kellie (Stott) is determined to crash his party. The lives ofJimmy Boyle atid Huin Collins spring to mind. btit writer-director Neilson uses the tale to picks away at the nasty jealousies and sitiaIl-itiindedness that can fester beneath the surface of a small nation. Selected release.
Deportation (Avi Mograbi. I989) I2 mins. Short film dealing with the exile of palestiniaii detainees by the Israeli authorities. Pan of Descriptions ()fA Struggle. at) Israeli/Palestinian film season. Edinburgh: l-‘ttiitmarket Gallery.
Le Diner De Cons ( I5) (Francis Verber. France. I999) Thierry Lhermittc. Jacques \"illcret. Catlterine Frot. 80 mins. Each Wednesday upmarket professional. Pierre and his friends invite someone for dinner as a plaything for their own amusement. Lhermitte's chosen victim on one such night is Francois. aii accountatit whose hobby is making models (tilt of ntatcltsticks. If'one finds interesting the idea of a lonely accountant abused for his stupidity before the tables are turned. then Verber's film offers much mirth. See review. Glasgow: (.il’l‘. lidinbui'gh: Filmhouse.
Don't Look Now ( )8) (Nicolas Roeg. LSK. I973) Donald Sutherland. Julie Christie. l()3 mins. Restoration expert with second sight visits Venice. where he meets up with two old sisters who claim spiritual communication with his recently drowned daughter. Against a Mann-like backdrop of unexplained deaths. he becomes obsessed with a tiny. red-coated figure he spies scurrying through the city's dark alleys. Splendid supernatural suspense movie. Glasgow; Gl-'l'. Iidinburgh: Filmhouse.
Elizabeth ( l5) (Shekhar Kapur. L'K. I998) Cate Blanchett. Geoffrey Rtisli. Christopher licclestone. I20 mins. Not your typical frock flick. Kapur's film may be ravishing to look at. btit it's altogether darker and more disturbing than you'd expect. A political thriller from Tudor history. iii which Blanchen‘s performance turns cherished notions about [England's Virgin Queen on their head. A gripping atid intelligent work. Glasgow: GFI'.