The Age from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia • Page 14

14 THE AGE THURSDAY 17 FEBRUARY 1994 Films IMUICAM INTERNATIONAL ASSURANCE CO (AUSTRALIA) LTD intend alter 10 days to issue a duolicate policy document in lieu ol Policy No OA0008SS on the hie ot JOHN DAVID WILSON which has been declared lost Sweet and sour family saga STREET INCORPORATED FAIR RAFFLE as oraw yn at ijoyern 13th February RAT Baillien lyye. 1st fine: (10211). 2nd Prize (1JI68) Pr.zi (03934). 4lh Pn: ie: Andren Sahhar ri: Roue A Fjv All wmnurl haw hnn 4th Prize: Dianne notified, thanks to all who enlerea, -nil 4 CERTIFICATE ot Title Volume oi3 rono 3U4 naving own iosi or destroyed it ti mtended Alter 14 days to cancel the original thereof ano issue a new Certificate ol Title in the name ol CAMCO SAW. MILLING COMPANY PTY.

LIMITED. i r. U. I. HALL REGISTRAR OF TITLES 1 8 V- aP11 111 'J New releases 41 I i i 1 i flTTl Swanston SI.

Carlton Sth at Oam. I litem). fin 'An iiiflj.MMimffli mi i muiiiHii mufti jjjji dim ii iin 'HP1 ns its Mi i I in Haja nn mnii iffi'i'lliP BHD lUD; "fl1 77it? cast of The Joy Luck Club': like the novel, the film is a series of short stories and psychological studies encompassing four generations. Be prepared to be confused about who is family with who! M. Kingnam State Secretary CHALLENGE BANK has Dleasure in Bililt mi announcing inai u.

Bpiinii oun-bury WA has won (1.000 worth i raveuers cheques issued 6.12.93 mm CITY (NO. 4 OF 1994) Notice is given that the Melbourne City Council on II February. 1994, made a Local Law titled "Miscellaneous Amendments Local Law 19941, (No. 4 ol 1994) oursuant to the provisions ol the Local Government Act 1989. The objectives ol the Local Law are to amend (a) certain Local Laws as a conse-Quence ol the Council deciding to change (i) the fitles ol member; or (m) the members ol the Council stall who are soecilted in those Local Laws; and (b) the Street Trading Local Law 1991 (No.

7 ol 1991). A cooy of the Local Law can be inspected at or purchased from the Coroorate Secretariat, 3rd Floor, Town Hall. Swanston Street. Mcl- Sourne, during ollice hours (i.e. .00 a.m.

to 5.00 0-m. daily Irom Ch.e. Executive OH.cer qqa jfllMo ttm- a CITV OF KEILOR A MENU MEN I IU LOCAL LAW NO. 8 ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH (ANIMALS AND BIRDS) Notice is hereby given thai the Council of Ihe City of Keilor has made amendment to its Local Law No. 8 Environmental Health (Animais ana Birasj, cats, other animals, i other birds, bees.

rep i ire j. made by Council of tsl February, letion of Clause 52 1994. is the deleti which restates a reauirei ready contained in the Victoria Building Regulations. A copy of this Local Law can be inspected at the Municipal Officers, Cilder j-tighway Keilor. J.

ft. CASTLI t. Director, Finance t. Subject to these conditions the competition is ooen to all residents of Victoria except employees of David Syme Co. Limited, 'the FNTBV ruonsner meir suosiaianes, ending the following Friday and tries must be enclosed in an envelope with name, address and phone number on the back.

There is no limit to the number of entries per oerson but they must contain original mastheads in sequential order from Saturday to Friday on the days of the promotion. Facsi- 3. Entrants under 18 years ol age from their legal parent or guardian with the mastheads The promotions starts on Saturday 5 February and finishes on FrirMw JCL Mirrh 5. One winner will be drawn each ionowing rnoav lor seven weexs. Weekly winners will be published in the Public Notices section of The? Aat each 5jturrJjw 6.

The mdges decision will be fmai lered into, the Publisher will not be responsible lor the awarding of prizes to any person where any entry has been lost in the post or elsewhere, or is not delivered due to a postal dispute. The Publisher reserves the right to correct any typographical, printing or other error. Should any errors occur in respect of the number of prizes Offered or won the Publisher reserves Ihe right to determine by way of ballot the ultimate allocation of such prizes. I. AM entries and the copyright therein become and remain the rnnorlv nl Iho Pnhlnhor I -pi Pre-Theatre Dinner mm NEIL JILLETT The Joy Luck Club Village THE main characters in 'The Joy Luck Club' all Chinese women have little joy and even less luck, but, spun out for 140 minutes, their unhappiness and misfortune make satisfyingly soppy entertainment.

Here is a film to be revelled in, weepily, because it makes such a good job of turning misery into a series of uplifting expe- It is co-scripted by Amy Tan from lior hpcf-collincr nnvpl This fitlp rpfprR to a man jong club formed oy tour women who left China and settled in San Francisco after World War II. At the ciud meetings mutual support is more important than the game. All the women have daughters, who are adults when the story opens. One of the mothers, Suyuan (Kieu Chin), has just died, and her daughter, June (Ming-Na Wen), is about to set off for China on a sentimental journey. This provokes a mass outbreak of sweet-and-sour nostalgia as the women look back over their lives in China and America.

Like the novel, the film is a series of thematically linked short stories and psychological studies. As these are built into a narrative jigsaw encompassing four generations, it is easy, on the screen or the page, to become confused about which daughter belongs to which mother. But there are plenty of incidents, including rape, murder and suicide (and even what comes across as a potted version of 'Raise the Red Lantern'), to distract you from wasting time by trying to sort out the charac- tprc Most of the anecdotes or mini-dramas in flashback concern what some psychologists regard as the 33 1 I It Hong, as the distraught young wife of a brutal Shanghai playboy, then France Nuyen, as the mother of Lena (Lauren Tom), who is also oppressed by an impossibly difficult husband, the oh-so-reasonable Harold (Michael Paul Chan). The domestic scenes featuring Nuyen, Tom and Chan have a satirical tartness that saves 'The Joy Luck Club' from becoming too heavily flavored with a cloying quasi-feminism. I found 'The Joy Luck Club' more engrossing than I was prepared to admit without first listing its faults.

Tan and Wang, with the help of a good cast even Andrew McCarthy abandons his usual rabbity mannerisms have made a film which, despite its often blatant assault on the tear ducts, does pack a genuinely emotional wallop. Although it is not a film for all the family, it proves, like another recent film, 'Mac', that family loyalties and conflicts are rich sources of drama. The director, Wayne Wang, learnt his craft in Hong Kong before going to America and making a reputation with two low-budget features, 'Chan Is Missing' and 'Dim Sum'. Wang allows far too much of the drama to be presented through voice-overs, most of them lifted from the novel and therefore self-consciously literary in tone. The film might have been less confusing if more of the interlocking stories had been shown rather than heard.

When the narratives go back to China in the 1930s and 1940s, the film, particularly Amir Mokri's photography, plunges into the glossy style of a Hollywood historical epic grand in scale with few pretensions to realism. 'The Joy Luck Club' has greater emotional power when it becomes more intimate. This inspires the film's best performances, both by women playing Ying Ying Yu Fei TTF vl no HID: "HID jjcdp The Critics 'Audienc roared with laughter'' "A realm of Sheer DeUght" "Fabulously fatertaining1' mm ne Tue-Sat 8.30pm Sun 5.00pm Victoria Heimy yA 7 Alfred PI, Melbourne Ph: 654 2366 ll I III ll KM Ml If I tarn 1 nn 1 11 300 features given their due credits Post-Theatre Supper 9. Entrants agree that their names ano iiKenesses may dp usea ana reproduced by the Publisher and any sponsor or advertiser relation to the publicity of the compe- Two Courses nBDODQaDUQDDDQ 0 a Michael J. l-'ox as Doug and Gabrielle Anwar as Andy in the dreary romantic comedy Hie Concierge' they come across as a couple of grade A creeps who thoroughly deserve each other.

Hotel comedy drops to basement level GASOLINE 8-1 1PM: THE ALBION INN HOTEL St, Collingwood Phone 417 2566 strongest of all human bonds, the relationship between mother and daughter. And my guess is that men as well as women will respond sympathetically to the way the mother-daughter motif is played out: with recriminations and reconciliations, plenty of tears and a fair amount of sniffly laughter. Men are generally peripheral to the women's stories, except to provide conflict as forces of brutality and evil. But the film eventually backs away from the impression that it is, among other things, an exercise in male-bashing. Towards the end, June's father (Chao-Li Chi) gets a chance to be tastefully maudlin, at some length, about his late wife's strength.

This is a clever ploy by the film-makers. It leaves us thinking of 'The Joy Luck Club' as a film more concerned with women's admirable courage than with men's callousness. over (Anthony Higgins), who is sexually serviced by a string of young women. One of them, Andy (Gabrielle Anwar), works at the hotel and spurns Doug's overtures. Doug and Andy are clearly supposed to be attractive young things, dreaming romantic dreams, although the script, by making them humorless materialists, steadily works against this intention.

The pair come across as grade A creeps who thoroughly deserve each other. Writers Mark Rosenthal and Lawrence Konner and director Barry Sonnenfeld expect us to hold our breath while we wait to see whether the crawler and call girl actually wind up together. Among THE BEST Beijing guy and the woman who makes their professional and personal lives very complicated). 'Mac' (Kino): That fine American actor John Turturro proves he is a good writer and an even better director with this study (sometimes rather confused) of a rigidly principled Italian-American carpenter in New York 40 years ago. The great achievement is that a dour, basically unlikeable character holds our attention for most of the film's two hours.

'Belle Epoque' (Kino): This beguiling Spanish romantic comedy cleverly blends a male fantasy with occasional sorties into a mockery of feminist politics. Part of its charm is the inventiveness it brings to its scenes of seduction. 'The Age of Innocence' (Hoyts): Set in high society New York in the 1870s, this is the big surprise of 1993: an elegant, G-rated, Jane Austen-ish tale of love and disappointment, directed and co-written by Martin Scorsese, that specialist in life on the mean streets and in back alleys. He is faithful to his subtly ironic source, Edith Wharton's novel. The result is handsome and ab tml II tljjj.

VI a a a a a a a aa a a PROUDLY PRESENTS ANDREW PENDLEBURY DOUG DE VRIES TONIGHT ONE SHOW ONLY CARD BOOKINGS ON 510 2788 OR CALL AT 132 A GREVILLE STREET PRAHRAN CLIFTON HILL HOTEL Pde, CLIFTON HILL 489 8705 THE BAND WHO KNEW TOO MUCH MARIE WILSON BAND BILLY MILLER (Early) plus BRODERICK SMITH (Late) BILLY MILLER 'ACOUSTIC NIGHT' The worst result of the fixed layout is that strongly unfavorable reviews of unimportant films are given the same space as favorable reviews of popular and critical successes. A better approach might have been for the editor and his most experienced contributors to decide how much each film deserved. On the credit side, few films are unfairly treated. The reviewers are more often charitable than grudging Perhaps the outstanding misjudg- ment is the sour review of 'Strictly Ballroom It seems perverse not to have chosen a reviewer who liked this critically acclaimed box-office hit. Murray says he has not sought consistency ol critical approach but he has gone too far the other way in using so many contributors and made it impossible for the reader to evaluate some ol them; one short re view offers little scope to judge a crit ic's worth.

The outstanding contributor is CieolT Gardner, a former director of the Melbourne Film Festival. I often disagree with him but admire the rare combination of virtues he shows in his 18 reviews: he gives an ade quate synopsis, he is clear in offering and justifying his opinions, and he knows the distinction between being balanced and sitting on the tence. Gardner's reviews are free of jargon and almost free of cliches, unlike those by several other contributors. It is surprising that Oxford University Press did not demand stricter edit ing. But Scott Murray's book is still useful as a well-documented re minder of the extent and variety of Australian turns over recent years, notes, nostalgia, magic realism and revolutionary history enable this blithe Mexican period piece to turn romantic comedy and Greek tragedy into roughly the same thing.

'The Snapper' (Nova): Earthy Irish comedy about an inconvenient pregnancy. Its characters and humor (drawn from Roddy Doyle's novel) greatly compensate for Its dull telemovie appearance. 'Jurassic Park' (Russell): Great special effects in this kids' adventure about the re-emergence of dinosaurs, but the story is busy and muddled rather than exciting. Director Steven Spielberg rarely matches the comic energy of his best work (the Indiana Jones trilogy). 'Much Ado About Nothing' (Russell, Rivoli): Kenneth Bran-agh, as treats Shakespeare with respect and competence rather than wit and imagination; as star (Benedick), he is outclassed by most of his colleagues.

'My Life' (Village): A feel-good-by-feeling-sad movie about how early death from cancer is a beautiful experience that can be enjoy-ably shared by all the family. Strictly for those wanting a nice, easy cry. Australian Film, 1978-1992: A Survey of Theatrical Features Compiled and edited by Scott Murray; Oxford University Press, $39.95 SCOTT MURRAY, the editor of this handsome paperback, notes that its main purpose is to record major technical and cast credits. As Murray says, while "many film lovers in the early 1970s saw most Australian features that were made, that is not the case today. The mid-1980s burst of activity saw so many films being produced that many disappeared quickly from view; others were never even sighted.

Listing each theatrical feature becomes a kind of verification of its very About 300 films ones that had a theatrical release, though not always in Melbourne are given a critical appraisal. The credits for several hundred other films (mainly telemo-vies and mini-series) are also listed. In the main part of the bonk the theatrically released films are arranged alphabetically by year. The least productive year was 1978 (12 films) and 1982 was the busiest (28). The book is hampered by its layout.

Each film is given a page made up of cast and technical details, a photograph, a signed review of between 300 and 500 words, and occasionally a gossipy footnote film was disowned by the director after it was cut by the Some of the reviews are "extracted" from longer ones published in the Melbourne journal 'Cinema Papers' (edited by Murray) when the films were released. sorbing film; not a great film, but certainly a very good one. Another extraordinary performance by Daniel Day-Lewis, as a young lawyer and'dilettante trapped by passion and duty. 'The Wedding Banquet' (Kino and elsewhere): Romantic comedy about a homosexual New York couple (a Chinese and a Caucasian) whose life becomes complicated when circumstances dictate that one of them should find a bride. Some wild scenes, but the general tone is fairly quiet and warmed by an affection for its characters.

'Desperate Remedies' (Kino and Lumiere): Shot in a waterfront shed, this high-camp, farcical mid-Victorian melodrama from New Zealand is one of 1993's funniest and most handsome comedies. Its influences seem to range from Charles Dickens and Barbara Cartland to Jean Genet and Graeme Murphy. 'Red Rock West' (Nova and Valhalla): This tightly plotted thriller, set in the wilds of contemporary California, combines the formulas of the Western and film noir and gives them quite a shake to very entertaining effect. 'Like Water for Chocolate' (Kino and elsewhere): Cookery comoetition. lon or me results oi tnc 0.

The prizes offered are seven (7) $19.90 6pm-lam plus spending money $5,000 per prue winner (per couolc). 1. Travel onzes are taken at the snip nt I ho winner i. 12. Travel is valid until February tyyb.

winners can cnoose tneir own destinations wilhrn the following conditions. Ocstmanons to be accordance with normal (light Qldns ol Qantas and its roljl-ecf earners. Winners must travel one direction and cannot backtrack (unless paid lor separately at winners expense), stopovers are unlimited. Itinerary lo be arranged by prize winners through Qantas Airways Ltd. Ticketing should be earned Out 2 1 days prior to deparlure.

3. Prizes are not redeemable lor cash and must be accepted as ottered. The Publisher reserves the nght to substitute similar onzes of 14. Entries must be received at the Melbourne mjm Lentre by pm or last mail on Thursday 1 7. 24 February and 3.

10. 17. Zd, 31 March 1994 marked The Age First Class Round the World' Competition. C- Melbourne Mail Centre. Melbourne.

Vic. 80S6 please note soeoai postcode number). Please include name, address and phone number on the back ol Ihe envelope. 5. Vic.

Permtt No. 94209 issued 2S-1 -9A. LEGAL A General Life ot Australia Lio mienas aner iu oavs 10 issue a Special Policy in lieu ol the undermentioned declared lost. 9352784V on tne lile ot O. L.

BERTygK, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA rviMiNAVjcrvicrN 1 intends alter ten days to issue a special Policy in accordance with the Lile Insurance Act 1945-73 lor Policy No. 1001 IQ22 declared lojidesfoyed. NATURE COVER 100 PERCENT i.asm'Hai.h Heiuno uompeimon Winners: Mrs Witham docket 36; Mr Mcleod Ukt 58. Mr A Chi dkts 53 62: Mr Javet dki 7. Mr Gayres dkt 71; Mrs Douglas.

North Clayton: Redhead Hairdress-mg. Vic Permit No. 9485. NORWICH Union Lite Australia Limi.ea mienas aner ien aays or this notice to issue a socoai policy substitution ot Norwich Investment Bond numbered 5825672 Bond Holders: I. P.

R. Smith, declared to be lost. NORWICH Union L-te Australia Ltd. mienas aner ten aays 01 tnis notice to issue "Special Policy" in substitution ol Policy No. 5621493 Egan declared to be lost.

PRAYER to the HOLY SPIRIT. Holy apini inou wno mates me see everything and shows me the way to reach the ideal. Thou who gives me the divine gift to forgive and I or at? I the wrona thjt is done to me and who arc in all instances in my me wirn me. 1 in ine snori dialoaup want lo thank vou for everything and confirm once more that I never want to separale Irom you, no matter how great the material desire may be. I want to oe wnn you ana my lovea one 11 your perpetual aior.

Amen. Sa this or-iver on 3 consecutive dav statmg your wish alter the third day. Your wish will be granted, no Promise to publish this as soon mis lavour has been heard. SEAMEN Thf Inllnwina 5rjmrn r.iMort registered number are required lo attend THE SEAMEN'S ENGAGEMENT CENTRE, 6 Riverside Quay, on THURSDAY 1 71h February, 1994 ai 10.30 a.m. IR 7870, 7833, THE administration of the Estate Agents uoaro nereoy gives notice that the following toooradon is applying, tor an eslale agent's licence.

POWERS ESTATE AGENTS PTY LTD ACN 063 230 615. Officer Cltective Control: Bill Coiiias. Oirectors: Bill CoMias anc tnns iaramounizos. Anyone wisn-ng to object lo the grant ol lireiv In (ho Jhiinx rorrwir jtirtr should lodge a Notice ot Obicction the prescribed form with the estate floor bourne 3000 within two weeks ol tne gate 01 inn aover nscmen.i.. COW HI HAII TBI KT REVENUE EXPENDITURE Aiv.uurN 1 for months ended 311293 S216.64? to Uisiripu.ions Sundry Eoenses Balance 311293 1 47 OA 1341.723 82.S26 259.19 By 1193 BALANCE SHEET CAPITAL A LIABILITIES Fund Capital i2.2ll.' revenue Expenditure Sut? Benefit Fund ASSETS Investments Current Accounts a.

it I li! Norton, Knight. Mac TONIGHT 314 Smith CREDIT IN PERSON 89 Queens TONIGHT: FRI: SAT: r. SUN: WED: SEQUENCES A BjckTnq TjbosT Prof foiouli'U. ii'js. Vil 01'.

Hi 1 The Concierge Russell AFTER a bright, brisk opening sequence, 'The Concierge' settles for being something like a low-budget clone of 'Pretty Woman'. In other words, it's a dreary romantic comedy that is as enter-taining and as morally attractive as a speech by the average Australian politician. Doug (Michael J. Fox) is the tax-evading concierge of a swank but cosy New York hotel. His grovelling efficiency earns him huge tips which he has put towards a scheme to build his own luxury hotel, in partnership with a crooked English tycoon, Han 'Schindler's List' (Russell): Using Thomas Keneally's novel, Steven Spielberg has made a great and serious film that any director should be proud to have his name on.

No film could do complete justice to the Holocaust, but Spielberg's epic of horror and nobility goes a long way towards achieving the impossible. Over the film's 185 minutes, the control exercised by Spielberg and his team rarely wavers, and when it does so it prompts a quibble rather than a major complaint. Unlike so many Holocaust films, this one which tells the astonishing story of a righteous Gentile who saved hundreds of Jews from Hitler's Final Solution does not trivialise, glamorise or sanitise its subject. Spielberg, with an excellent cast headed by I.iam Neeson in the title role, rarely injects any false emotion into the story. 'Farewell My Concubine' (Rivoli): This co-winner (with 'The Piano') of the top prize at Cannes last year is handsome enough to be enjoyed for its good looks alone.

The director, Chen Kaige, engrossingly combines epic sweep (tumultuous Chinese history between 1925 and 1977) with a very odd version of the eternal triangle (two male opera stars one a drag artist and homosexual, the other a regular a tv Mi rum DJl CYVAXhVi EL.