"I'M just back, very tired, it was tough," said Oliver Stone, exhausted but exhilarated after a whirlwind 48 hour trip to the Lacandon Jungle in south east Mexico. Stone made the difficult journey to meet sub commander Marcos and other indigenous commanders of the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN), on the night of the Oscar awards and was awarded a Zapatista consolation Oscar, in the shape of a pipe, by Marcos. He spent his time in the jungle eating beans and tortilla and fighting off mosquitoes and humidity, in an act of solidarity with the rebels.
In a late evening interview with The Irish Times, Stone described Marcos as a "very powerful, very inspiring" individual, but denied rumours of a plan to make a film with the masked rebel, who led thousands of indigenous people, against the Mexican government in January, 1994.
"I didn't come here with the intention of making a movie," said "Stone, a bloody mary in his hand. "Marcos asked me to come down and share ideas with him. The indigenous have very few rights, something I understand from my own experience in the US. We participated in our own form of ugliness in the slaughter of the native American."
Stone came with a human rights delegation, in advance of the "Intergalactic Encounter against Neoliberalism and For Humanity", a worldwide initiative organised by the rebels for July 1996. "I will come back and back as long as Marcos needs help, we have so much, they have so little."
Stone and Marcos spent hours chatting about films, politics and revolution. "It was a pleasure to discover a real Ian of my work," joked Stone, who discussed Salvador, Platoon and Natural Born Killers with Marcos. "I saw in Marcos a very revolutionary man, I sensed in his eyes the acceptance of death," concluded Stone, as if making the final brush strokes to a Hollywood script - The Last Hero Of The Twentieth Century?
WITH seven new movies and a major reissuing today, the turnover of Irish cinema releases is more rapid than in years and is likely to be even speedier when the new UCI complex opens in Blanchardstown in the autumn, when all wide releases wilt open on six Dublin screens.
Next Friday sees the opening of Dead Man Walking, for which Susan Sarandon won her Oscar this week; Laurence Fishburne, Irene Jacob and Kenneth Branagh in Oliver Parker's new treatment of Othello; Eric Rohmer's three parter, Rendezvous In Paris; the well regarded movie of Frances Hodgson Burnett's A Little Princess with Irish actor Liam Cunningham; Sandra Buttock and Dennis Leary in Stolen Hearts (released in the US as Two If By Sea); and the US comedy, Billy Madison, with Adam Sandler.
At Pacino, John Cusack and Bridget Fonda star in City Hall, which arrives here on April 12th, along with John Travolta and Christian Slater in John Woo's Broken Arrow and Josiane Balasko's French Twist (Gazon Maudit). Terry Gilliam's 12 Monkeys and Wayne Wang's Smoke open on April 19th, as do the fashion documentary, Unzipped; Liam Neeson and Meryl Streep in Barbet Schroeder's drama, Before And After; and the new Jean Claude Van Damme yarn, Sudden Death.
On April 26th took out for two comedies, Mike Nichols's The Birdcage with Robin Williams and Gene Hackman, and Woody Allen's Mighty Aphrodite with Helena Bonham Carter and Oscar winner Mira Sorvino two thrillers, Jon Amiel's Copycat with Sigourney Weaver and Holly Hunter, and Anthony, Waller's Mute Witness, and Julia Roberts and John Malkovich in Stephen Frears's long delayed Mary Reilly.
Due on May 3rd are Ian McKellen as Richard III; Gary Fleder's thriller, Things To Do In Denver When You're Dead with Andy Garcia and Christopher Walken, Iain Softley's computer tale, Hackers; and Pamela Anderson in Barb Wire. A week later the eight new releases will be Isabelle Huppert and Sandrine Bonnaire in Claude Chabrol's La Ceremonie; Thaddeus O'Sullivan's Northern Ireland set drama, Nothing Personal; Jeff Bridges putting out to sea in Ridley Scott's White Squall; Richard Dreyfuss in his Oscar nominated performance in Mr Holland's Opus; Johnny Depp and the ubiquitous Christopher Walken in the thriller, Nick Of Time; Kurt Russell in the action adventure, Executive Decision; the White Men Cant Jump pair of Woody Harretson and Wesley Snipes reteamed for Money Train; and last year's Venice prize winner, Tran Anh Hung's Cyclo.
On May 17th we can expect Kevin Spacey as a megalomaniac Hollywood producer in Swimming With Sharks; Christian Slater and Mary Stuart Masterson in the romantic Bed Of Roses; Larry Clark's supposedly controversial Kids; and more teenage angst in Victor Salva's Powder. The latest Spike Lee movie, Girl 6, is due on May 24th, along with Claude Sautet's Nelly And M. Arnaud; Richard Gere in the legal, drama, Primal Fear; and the comedies, Vampire In Brooklyn with Eddie Murphy, and Down Periscope with Kelsey Grammer.
Rounding off a very busy month on the 31st wilt be the eagerly awaited Fargo from Joel an Ethan Coen Denzel Washington in the hi tech thriller Virtuosity; Allen, and Albert Hughes's Dead Presidents and Sophia Loren joining Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau for the sequel Grumpier Old Men.
THE annual Razzies - the Golden Raspberry award for the screen lowlights of the year, as voted by 456 film professionals, journalists and fans - were announced in Hollywood on Sunday. Paul Verhoeven's Showgirls, which is banned in land, predictably led the, er, winners, taking seven Razzies, including worst film, director, screenplay and two to the hapless Elizabeth Berkley, as worst actress and worst new star.
The cringe inducing Pauly Shore was named worst actor for Jury Duty, while Dennis Hopper was voted worst supporting actor for the wretched Waterworld, and Madonna was worst supporting actress for the equally awful Four Rooms. The Scarlet Letter was named worst remake or sequel.
