g 0 This section aims to provide a review
i of every film to be seen in central Scotland overthe next lortnlght. For
programme times see individual cinema listings.
U - Universal, suitable for all ages.
PG - Parental Guidance suggested as some scenes may be unsuitable lor younger children.
15 - No-one underthe age ol15
admitted.
18 - No-one under the age ol18 admitted. it - New Release.
oAnnie Hall(15)(WoodyAllen. us. ; ‘_
1977) Woody Allen. Diane Keaton. 93 mins. Warm. wistful. wonderfully witty Woody discourses on love. death. and life in the Big Apple in this multi-Oscar-winning autobiographical comedy romance. Glasgow; G Fl‘
0 Baby, It's You ( 15) (John Sayles. US. 1983) Vincent Spano. Rosanna Arquette. 1(14mins. l96()s New
Jersey and a tale of fraught romance. ‘
She‘d middle-class. studious and
Jewish. He‘s working-class.
Italian-Catholic and a hip layabout. By turns streetwise and romantic
without being slushy. the strength of
Sayles‘ sharply observed writing lifts the material above the standard teenager-in-love fare. Glasgow: GET
0 Back to the Future (PG) (Robert Zemeckis. US. 1985) Michael J. Fox. Crispin Glover. (‘hristopher Lloyd. 116 mins. In the mannerofa certain Mark 'l‘wain hero a typical American teenager is transported thirty years back in time via a
nuclear-powered De Lorean. Apart i
from the well-observed culture shock he encounters there is the additional complication of a blossoming romance with his future mother.
Inventive. time-swopping adventure with an ()edipal twist. Popular entertainment at its best. Edinburgh: Dominion. (ilasgow; ABC ((‘larkston Road)
I Betore Stonewall (15) a (Greta Schiller. Robert Rosenberg. US. 1984) Narrator: Rita Mae Brown. 87
in a sympathetic portrait ofa movement not yet emboldened to come out of the closet and vocalise the need for collective rights and mutual respect. An interesting insight into a neglected and little-documented era. Edinburgh: Filmhouse
o The Blue Angel (PG) (Josef von Sternberg. Germany. 193()) Marlene Dietrich. Emil Jannings. 98 mins. An ageing English professor falls
Commando (18) (Mark L. Lester, US, 1985) Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rae Dawn Chong, Dan Hedaya. 90 mins. Arnold Scharzenegger’s body isn’t the only thing to have developed in recent years as the astute Austrian-born lormer Mr Universe has inexorably moved towards the top of the pile in the Hollywood action league. Alter appearances in the likes of Stay Hungry and The Villain he dutifully piodded his way through two Conan epics beiore making us sit up and take notice with his villainous performance as the cyborg in The Terminator. Now, with Commando, he mounts a cheeky challenge to the Hambos of this world and emerges a clear winner.
in Commando he plays the former head of an American SAS-style team now settled into rustic retirement with his devoted daughterJenny. It doesn‘t last, oi course. When General Arius, once the feared dictator oi Val Verde, kidnaps Jenny, Matrix the action man is back in business. Jenny is the blackmail gambit to coax Matrix into
_ . FILM 1:253? _
under the spell ofa cabaret singer. He leaves his job and follows her on tour. enduring numerous humiliations to be near the woman he loves. The unkindest cut comes from her growing boredom with his fawning presence.
Slow but still potent drama with a stodgy performance from Jannings. Dietrich sings ‘Falling in Love Again‘ and smoulders memorably as the wickedly decadent Lola Frohlich. This film, shot in two versions. made her a world-class star. Edinburgh; EU Filmsoc 0 Cal (15) (Pat O‘Connor. UK. 1984) John Lynch. Helen Mirren. 102 mins. More a tale of impossible love than a ‘Northern Ireland‘ film. Cal is nonetheless a commendable small-scale attempt to deal with the human reckoning in the Irish troubles. Sensitive work from newcomer Lynch and Mirren. Edinburgh: Filmhouse
0 Le Caporal Epingle (PG) (Jean Renoir. France. 196l)Jean-Pierre (Tassel. Claude Brasseur. Claude
— - COMMANDO
settle an old score with an erstwhile
buddy who’s swapped allegiances. It’s a piece of cake really.
The plot 01 Commando is patently preposterous and just as clearly irrelevant, a mere coat hanger upon which to display the monolithic talents of Mr Schwarzenegger and an able stunt crew. Murder, mayhem and musculature are the film’s raisons d’étre and, on that level, it succeeds admirably. Schwarzeneggerhas the charm and the biceps whilst the wonderful Rae Dawn Chong supplies the acting muscle, giving a terrific bite to her role as an air-stewardess along tor the ride and a few wisecracks. ‘I can't believe this macho bullshit,’ she groans as Arnie and yet another opponent batter each other senseless.
Director Mark Lester rarely lets the pace flag and Commando is a pure action adventure told with verve and the saving grace of James Bond-style gallows humour. Commando quite simply kicks sand in the lace ol Rambofi it contains a similar quota of
Rich. 106 mins. During World War 11. three Frenchmen repeatedly attempt to escape from a Nazi prison camp. Like the much earlier La Grande Illusion this later Renoir film is another symbolic drama about the human will to survive. not quite as successful but with a few deft comic touches. Edinburgh; French Institute 0 CarTrouble(18) (David Green. UK, 1985) Ian Charleson. Julie Walters. Hazel O‘Connor. 93 mins. Pathetic British farce of the woes that beset a bickering suburbanite couple when he trades in the old Citroen for an E-Type Jaguar. An unworthy vehicle for two stars who are far from their best. Edinburgh; ABC. Glasgow; ABC (Sauchiehall Street) 0 Charulata (U) (Satyajit Ray. India. 1964) In the India ofthe187()s a young middle-class wife becomes alienated from her work-conscious husband and develops a strong friendship with another man. a literary acquaintance. One of Ray‘s masterpieces. Nothing much happens in usual narrative terms. but the director‘s subtleties evoke a sense of restrained Chekovian dramatics. Edinburgh: Film Guild 0 A Chorus Line (PG) (Richard Attenborough. US. 1985) Michael Douglas. Alyson Reed. Terrence Mann. 118 mins. Sixteen dancers reveal their innermost secrets and fears to director-choreographer Douglas in a bid to secure one of eight coveted roles in a brand new Broadway musical. Edinburgh: ()deon. Glasgow: Odeon. Strathclyde; ()deon (Ayr) O Christiane F ( l8) (Ulrich Edel. W Germany, 1981) Natja Bruckhorst. Thomas Haustein) 131 mins. A semi-documentary treatment of the lives of two young heroin addicts in Berlin. Grittily realisitc. Edel‘s film stomach-wrenchineg portrays the protagonists‘ struggle to kick the habit whilst steadfastly refusing to over-dramatise or sensationalise the situation. Glasgow; GET 0 Commando ( 18) a (Mark L. Lester. US. 1985) Arnold Schwarzenegger. Rae Dawn Chong. Dan Hedaya. 90 mins. See caption review. Edinburgh; Odeon. Glasgow; Odeon o Coup de Grace (J. Cayrol and C. Durand. France. 1964) Michel Piccoli. A man is haunted by his shameful. unpatriotic past during the occupation. Glasgow; French Cine-Club 0 Death in a French Garden ( 18) t} (Michel Deville. France. 1985) Michel Piccoli. Nicole Garcia. Christophe Malavoy. 101 mins. See caption review. Edinburgh; Filmhouse. Glasgow; GET 0 Death Wish 3(18) (Michael Winner. US. 1985) Charles Bronson, Deborah Raffin. Martin Balsam. 90 mins. Unrelenting
vigilante Bronson. ageing dispenser ofrough justice. returns to New
York City and avenges the murder of an old friend in a rundown |
mins. Documentary chronicling the history ofthe American gay movement throughout the 211th century until the 1969 riots at Stonewall Inn. a benchmark of contemporary militancy
Personal reminiscences. archive
footage and interviews are combined
assassinating the democratically elected President of Val Verde thus paving the way lor Arius’s coup d'état.
blood-letting butwithout the Iatter’s unsavoury political aftertaste and H pretensions itemerges as an enjoyable owever, Matrix refuses to play ball . escapist lantasylor small boys of all . -.. . . and gains himseli eleven hours grace ( ages. Bam! Pow! Kersplatt! (Allan : pr g‘mgS’ A to rescue Jenny, beat the bad guys and Hunter) I mayhem with no redeeming features
to offset the laughable absurdity ofit j o CINEMATI‘l'MEs AND DA'rES'nMiE £96
The List 7 - 31) Mar 25