FILM listings FILM LISTINGS continued
Stigmata (18) *** (Rupert Wainwright, US, 1999) Patricia Arquette, Gabriel Byrne, Jonathan Pryce. 102 mins. Portentous, religious-themed supernatural thriller that's rips off the obvious genre classics: The Exorcist and The Omen. Pittsburgh hairdresser Frankie Paige (Arquette) is afflicted with wounds that resemble those suffered by Christ on the cross. Her increasingly torturous condition comes to the attention of the Vatican, where devious Cardinal Houseman (Pryce) despatches investigator Andrew Kiernan (Byrne) to check on the validity of Paige ’5 case. Glasgow: Odeon At The Quay, Showcase. Edinburgh: Virgin Megaplex. Paisley: Showcase.
The Stralght Story (U) ***** (David Lynch, US, 1999) Richard Farnsworth, Sissy Spacek, Harry Dean Stanton. 111 mins. Midwestern old timer Alvin Straight is hellbcnt on re-uniting with his estranged, terminally ill brother so he takes to the road aboard his motorised lawnmower. Farnsworth's lead performance is honest, heart-felt and credible, while Lynch maintains his fascination with the inherent strangeness of smalltowns and lost highways. But, in this sublime snail’s pace odyssey, modern psychosis is replaced by old time decency. Edinburgh: Lumiere.
The Sweet Hereafter (15) about (Atom Egoyan, Canada, 1997) Tan Holm, Bruce Greenwood, Sarah Polley. 110 mins. When a small community is torn apart by a school bus accident that claims the lives of most of their children, an ambiguous lawyer with family troubles of his own comes to represent them in a compensation case. The film unfolds in a patchwork of flashbacks and set-pieces, but it's Holm's beautifully judged performance that’s the bedrock of the film. As a study of helpless grief, it's rarely been bettered. Edinburgh: Cameo. The Testament Of Dr Mabuse (PG) iii (Fritz Lang, Germany, 1933) Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Otto Wernicke. 122 mins. The second Dr Mabuse thriller sees the criminal mastermind dying in an asylum and being replaced by his assistant. Although Lang insisted his film contained a message denouncing Hitler, it was scripted by the director’s wife who remained a confirmed Nazi. A slick penny dreadful nevertheless. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (18) *tit (Tobe Hooper, US, 1974) Marilyn Burns, Gunnar Hansen, Allen Danziger. 84 mins. A group of kids travel to a broken-down house in the middle of nowhere and meet cannibalistic degenerates who pick off the cast one by one. Perhaps the most relentless slice of terror ever put on screen Glasgow: Grosvenor.
That‘s Entertainment (PG) mu (Jack Haley Jr, US, 1974) 137 mins. Vibrant collection of MGM musical faves, with admittedly skimpy narration given by the likes of Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Bing Crosby and Liza Minnelli. While never
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quite capturing the impact of any of the complete musicals, it works well as a companion piece, and is worth tracking down for the rarities it contains. Edinburgh: Lumiere.
Three Seasons (12) ** (Tony Bui, UK/Vietnam, 1999) Nguyen Ngoc Hiep, Tran Manh Cuong, Don Duong. 108 mins. The feature debut of Bui, a Vietnamese-born and American-raised writer-director, the film consists of a series of intersecting stories, set against the backdrop of contemporary Vietnamese society. Three Seasons offers up a portrait of a country in a process of transition, where Western values hold sway, but where economic ‘progress’ and modernisation have come at a substantial price for many of the inhabitants. Although exquisitely photographed, as a piece of drama Three Season’s is curiously unfulfilling. Glasgow: GF'I‘. Tierra (15) **** (Julio Medem, Spain, 1996) Carmelo Gomez, Emma Suarez, Karra Elejalde. 125 mins. The latest by the writer-director of Vacas and The Red Squirrel) describes a place that is both physical and metaphysical. Angel (Gomez) believes that a part of him does not exist, but speaks to him out of the cosmic darkness. Housewife Angela (Suarez) is loved by Angel’s ‘angel', while sexually vociferous teenager Mari (Silke) is desired by Angel the man. Uncompromising, inventive, controlled and fascinating. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. Time Regained (18) ***** (Raul Ruiz, France/Italy, 1999) Marcello Mauarella, Catherine Deneuve, Emmanuelle Béart. 162 mins. Marcel (Mauarella) lies in bed thinking about
his life, and reflects back less on his own actions than of those in the wealthy late l9th/early 20th century salon culture in which he moved. Ruiz’s adaptation of Proust’s final volume of Remembrance Of Things Past captures brilliantly the tenuousness and subjectivity of memory — aided and abetted by his trademark lateral tracking shots, technical correlatives to Proust's thinking. Glasgow: GF'I‘.
Topsy-Turvy (12) *‘k‘k‘k (Mike Leigh, UK, 2000) Jim Broadbent, Allan Corduner, Martin Savage. 159 mins. At the film’s core is the turbulent creative partnership between Victorian opera writer Gilbert (Broadbent) and playboy genius composer Sullivan (Corduner). But preparations for their greatest show, The Mikado, involve a whole cast who give flawless performances. This might be Leigh's first period drama, but it’s another excellent ensemble piece engaging with his usual preoccupation: people at work, rest and play. See preview and review. Glasgow: GFI‘, Odeon At The Quay. Edinburgh: Cameo, UCl, Virgin Megaplex.
Toy Story 2 (U) *ittt (John Lasseter, US, 2000) Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack. 95 mins. The new film expands on the original settings and themes: When Woody is not taken to Cowboy Camp by his owner Andy, he begins to question the meaning of his ‘life’. When he’s subsequently stolen by a collector - who plans to sell him to a Japanese you museum — Buzz and the gang travel across town to rescue their pal. The emotive range of the animated characters is extraordinary; they say that
Obsession: Najwa Nimri in Open Your Eyes
computer generated images will never replace the real thing, but 'Iov Story 2 makes you wonder. General release. Trouble In Paradise (PU) *‘k‘k‘k (Ernst Lubitsch, US, 1932) Herbert Marshall, Miriam Hopkins, Kay Francis. 86 mins. In this lightweight comic masterpiece jewel thieves insinuate themselves into a wealthy l’arisienne household, only for one of them to fall in love with the madam of the house. Edinburgh: Edinburgh l-‘ilm (iuild at the Filmhouse.
The Usual Suspects (18) *thr (Bryan Singer, US, 1995) (iabriel Byrne, Kevin Spacey, Stephen Baldwin. 106 mins. There’s a good sense of noir fatalism hanging over The Usual Suspects, which is guessing game cinema at its best. A perfectly matched team of crooks discover that their chance meeting wasn't so random after all: they're being used in an intricate vendetta by legendary gangster boss Keyser Sose. So stylish, it sends a tingle down the spine; but the ludicrous use of Pete Postletwaite's character almost undermines it all. Falkirk: l-‘l‘ll Cinema. Vanya On 42nd Street (U) ivth (Louis Malle, US, 1994) \Vallace Shawn, Julianne Moore, Andre Gregory. 1 19 mins. Over a period of four years, stage director Andre Gregory worked with a group of actors for irregular ‘undress rehearsal' run-throughs of David Mamet’s adaptation of Chekhov‘s Uncle Vanya. Malle's film version is equally experimental: the camera moves in close as the lines are delivered in a naturalistic manner without props or costumes. Ultimately, however, the impeccable
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