Midler. 103 mins. See Caption
Review. Edinburgh; ()deon. Glasgow; ()deon o Dreamchild (PG) ((iavin Millar. UK. 1985) Coral Browne. lan Holm.
Peter Gallagher. 94 mins. The aged Mrs Alice Hargreaves (Browne). who as a little girl was the child to whom Lewis Carroll (1-1o1m)to1dthe Alice stories. is in town to receive an Honorary Degree from Columbia University. The confrontation with a brash New World sends the 80 year-old back to the sunny days on the lsisofher childhood. Dennis Potter's first original cinema screenplay is a careful and evocative study of the way in which the memories ofold-age can fit together the half-understood experiences of youth. Browne is outstanding. Edinburgh: Filmhouse 0 Echo Park ( 15) (Robert Dornhelm. Austria. 1985) Susan Dey. Tom Hulce. Michael Bowen. 90mins. Dey is a waitress who is really an actress. Bowen is a body-builder convinced he's the next Schwarzenegger and l lulce is a closet Composer who moonlights as a pizza delivery man. Such is the blend of fantasy and reality in the lives of three showbiz hopefuls in a rundown Los A ngeles suburb.
Whimsical study of modest charm and gentle wit. (ilasgow; (iFl'
o Fantasia (Lj) (Walt Disney Production. US. 1940) 135 mins. Generally tedious attempt to make a self-consciously artistic cartoon as various classical pieces are set to animation. Edinburgh: Playhouse
0 Fright Night( 18) (Tom Holland. US. 1985) Chris Sarandon. William Ragsdale. Roddy McDowall. 106 mins. Ragsdale grows convinced that his new next-door-neighbour is a vampire. No one takes him seriously but the vampire knows that his accusationsare true . . .
Standing cross and fang above recent gory offerings this combines credible special effects. imaginative direction. decent characterisations and a properly developed narrative within a formula redolent of the Hammer House of 1 lorror. Nicely done. Edinburgh; ()deon. (ilasgow; Odeon Strathclyde; ()deon Ayr o The Girl in the Picture ( 15) (Cary Parker. UK. 1985) John Gordon Sinclair. Irina Brook. 91 mins. The girlfriend of professional photographer Sinclair parts company with him. Despite a roving eye and a disarming little-boy-lost manner he misses her. realising that their mutual misery was. in fact. true lurv. Glasgow; Salon 0 Gregory‘s Girl (PG) (Bill Forsyth. UK. 1980).1ohn (iordon Sinclair. Dee Hepburn. Chic Murray. 91
mins. Shy. gawky (iregory is
. deposed from his school football
f team by a skilled girl player. However. a gaggle of canny young women and the unexpected powers l of numeracy lead him stumbling
l along the path of first love.
Acutely perceptive. fresh and funny adolescent epic that earned l Forsyth top marks and a gold star from punters and pundits alike. S‘Wonderful. Edinburgh; Filmhouse
20 The 26June
FILM LIST
No Surrender (15) (Peter Smith, UK, 1985) Michael Angelis, Bernard Hill, James Ellis. New Year's Eve: a no-man's-land somewhere on Merseyside. The Flamingo, a rundown nightclub stands out deliantlytrom the urban wasteland all around.
In a parting gesture, the outgoing manager otthe club has arranged a baptism by tire for his successor. As the worst sort of double booking imaginable (two rival groups of Protestant and Catholic senior citizens) descends on the venue, the inevitable outcome at his horrendous practical joke is nothing short of a sectarian war.
As iithat weren’ttrouble enough, the ‘entertainment’ lorthe evening consists ot a ‘gay' comedian, an incompetent magician (Declan McManus, aka Elvis Costello in a cameo role), and an even more out-ol-place rock band who indulge in a gobbing contest with the audience.
As the evening progresses, sinister forces gather around them —an ageing IRA terrorist seeks temporary retuge in the gents, while the owner and the boys in the backroom exert a bit 01 grievous bodily on the aiorementioned manager for his sins.
0 The Hitcher ( 18) (Robert Harmon. US. 1986) Rutger Hauer. C. Thomas Howell. JenniferJason Leith. 98 mins. A tense. skilful tale of cross-country motorised combat ensues when drowsy driver Howell
. stops to pick up the refreshing
o Jagged Edge ( 18) (Richard
company of Hauer. a deranged killer with a penchant for in-car slayings. Lothian; ABC. Strathclyde; ABC Greenock. ABC Kilmarnock. Kelburne. ()deon Hamilton. Rialto. 0 Into the Night( 15) (John Landis. US. 1985)Jeff(3o1dblum. Michelle Pfeiffer. Roger V'adim. 115 mitts. Bored insomniac (ioldblum is sucked into a whirlpool of intrigue when distressed damsel Pfeiffer lands on his car bonnet one evening. As the possessor of six perfect emeralds she‘s a wildly popular lady and soon they are skittering through LA trying to evade a host of buffoonish assassins.
Flaccid. junk escapism made slightly more bearable by charismatic lead performances. Edinburgh; Filmhouse
into this impending disaster walks an unsuspecting Michael Angelis —the unmistakable voice of those ‘Young Sammy decides to visit Lavinia’ British Rail ads-the new boss at the Flamingo. Fartrom taking the easy option and burying his head in the sand while all around are losing theirs, however, he chooses to take them all on headtront. The ensuing chaos has its horrific and I violent episodes, but typitying its a writer and setting, there are more than
just one ortwo moments of high comic reliet. it is a tribute to the exemplary V writing talents of Alan Bleasdale (the i dialogue is razorsharp) thatsuch a ! gem of a movie - his iirst— has been created out of such a seemingly unlikely situation.
Marvellous ensemble playing from the relatively unknown cast brings the drama explosively to lite, with Angelis especially endearing as the calm tigure in the eye of the storm. ‘Blackstutt’ buddy Bernard ‘Yosser’ Hill assists ably but it is Joanna Whalley who share the nightwith her new boss, in more ways than one.
A normal night out these days? I hope not. (Brian McLure)
Marquand. (IS. 1985) (ilenn Close. Jeff Bridges. 109 mins. Bridges stands accused of the brutal slaying ofhis wealthy wife. Close is the
defence lawyer whose involvement with her client blends business and pleasure in a lethal mix. Unremarkable. courtroom whodunnit.
(ilasgow: ABC (Sauchichall Street). . Rio. Salon 0 Jewel ofthe Nile (PG) (Lewis Teague. US. 1985) Kathleen '1'urner. Michael Douglas. 108 mins. lacklustre. ramshackle ; sequel-by-numberstothe altogether ; more charming Romancing the 1 Stone.
Edinburgh; Dominion. ()deon. Glasgow; ABC (Clarkston Road). ()deon. Strathclyde; Kelburne. ()deon Hamilton 0 King Solomon's Mines ( PG) ‘53? (.1. 1 Lee Thompson. US. 1985) Richard Chamberlain. Sharon Stone.
Herbert Lom. 100 mins. 11. Rider Haggard meets Indiana Jones in this opportunistic remake that jettisons i the heart and soul ofthe novel in
favour of simplistic high adventure. Edinburgh; ABC. Glasgow; ABC (Clarkston Road). ABC (Sauchichall Street). Cinema. (irosvenor. Rio. Lothian: ABC. Regal. Strathclyde; ABC (ireenock. ABC Kilmarnock. Kelburne. Odeon Hamilton. Rialto
0 Leicester International Super 8 Film Festival on Tour ( 15) Festival director Laraine Porter will introduce selections from the recent Leicester event. International selections include work from (iermany and from Jamal l-‘arhat. a young Lebanese reporter who has been using Super 8 to record life behind the headlines in Beirut. (ilasgow; (i171
o Lennyt 18)(Bobl-‘osse.13S. 1974) Dustin Hoffman. Valerie Perrine. Stanley Beck. 111 mitts. Stark. accomplished biography ofscabrous nightclub comic Lenny Bruce. (ilasgow: (if’l~ -
0 Little Lord Fauntleroy (U) (.lack (iold. 13K. 1980) Alec (iuinness. Ricky Schroder. 1(13mins. One more time for the old chestnut about an ingratiating nipper from the States who is the heir to an English title. 'l‘ravelling to the old country he soon melts even the hardest of hearts. Vigorous. restrained and surprisingly heart-warming. Iidinburgh; l’ilmhouse
0 Local Hero (1’0) 1 Bill i-‘orsy-ih. UK. 1983) Burt Lancaster. Denis Lawson. Peter Riegert. 111 mins. A high-flying American businessman is dispatched to Scotland on an oil-related deal. Removed from the high pressure atmosphere of his workplace he learns a little of life's simple pleasures.
A lyrical. melancholy examination of the foibles and eccentricities of mankind with some delightful moments. An ambling. discursive treat. lidinburgh: 1’i1mhouse a Lost in America ( 15) (Albert Brooks. LS. 1985) Albert Brooks. Julie 1 lagerty. Michael (ireen. 91 mins. The upward mobility of a go-gctting business executive is stopped dead in its tracks when he is passed over for promotion. Miffed. he decides to opt out of the rat race. sells up and begins a nomadic existence with his wife. However. the charmsofa freewheeling. easy-going lifestyle soon begin to pall.
.‘vlild-mannered liasy Rider comedy for the Yuppie generation lidinburgh: l-‘ilmhouse 0 Marie ( 15) a? (Roger Donaldson US. 1985) Sissy Spacek. JeffDaniels Fred Thompson. 112 mins. Earnest true story of Marie Ragghianti. In 1968 she escaped the clutches of a bullying husband and began to carve out a life for herself and her three children. Working her way through university she graduates and secures a job via a friend of the newly elected Democratic governor. Appointed to a state parole board her position of influence brings access to corruption in high places. Deciding to blow the whistle. she faces intimidation. threats and phoney charges of misconduct in a fearless bid to ensure that justice prevails. Edinburgh;
ABC. Glasgow; ABC. Sauchiehall