uneven science-fiction cartoon set to a rock soundtrack. Edinburgh; Cinema 0 Iron Eagle (PG) 1? (Sidney J. Furie, US, 1986) Lou Gossett Jr, Jason Gedrick, David Suchet. Unseen at the time of going to press this appears to be another exercise in mindless American flagwaving Described as a contemporary action film the plot concerns an American teenager who relieves his frustration at bureaucratic delays by flying his own rescue mission to an alien land where his father is unjustly held captive by some pesky foreigners. Edinburgh; Odeon. o The Karate Kid, Part II (PG) (John G. Avildsen, US, 1986) Ralph Macchio, Noriyuki ‘Pat‘ Morita, Tamlyn Tomita. 113 mins. Set some six months after the 1984 box-office smash, this sequel takes young champion Daniel and his wisdom-dispensing mentor Miyagi to the latter’s ancestral home in Okinawa where the youngster learns a little more ofdignity, honour and the karate code of conduct. Edinburgh; Odeon. Glasgow; ABC Clarkston Road, Odeon. Lothian; ABC. Strathclyde; ABC Greenock, ABC Kilmarnock, Kelburne, Odeon Hamilton 0 The Lightship (15) (Jerzy Skolimowski, US, 1985) Robert Duvall, Klaus Maria Brandauer, Tom Bower. 88 mins. The mid Fifties. On board a floating lightship offthe coast of Virginia Captain Miller (Brandauer) shelters his teenage son, recently picked up by the police for fighting. The two are joined by three men whom they find floating in a disabled boat, and who turn out to be desperados on the run

Supremelvcinematie Skollmowskl film, making much use

of the location as a microcosm of the universe and couched tricksily halfway between moral and psychological drama Glasgow;GFT 0 Lost in America (15) (Albert Brooks, US, 1985) Albert Brooks, Julie Hagerty. 91 mins. A go-getting business executive drops out of the rat-race and begins a nomadic existence with his wife. Mild-mannered Easy Rider comedy for the Yuppie generation. Glasgow; Grosvenor

0 Love Letters ( 18) (Amy Jones, US, 1983) Jamie Lee Curtis, James Keach. 89 mins. An up—and-coming DJ (Curtis) discovers a cache of letters written by her late mother revealing a hitherto unsuspected

affair in the mm. which in turn awaken her own romantic desires.

She becomes embroiled in a messy and abortive affair with a married man (Keach) who refuses to leave his wife and kids.

Familiar material treated with the sort of respect and honesty it deserves but very often doesn‘t get. Impressively understated, with a strong, sympathetic performance by Ms Curtis. Glasgow; GFT o Lust in the Bust (15) 16: (Paul Bartel, US, 1985) Tab Hunter, Divine, Cesar Romero. 84 mins. typically uneven Bartel spoof of Western conventions Glasgow; GFT 0 Mad Max (18) (George Miller, Australia, 1979) Mel Gibson,

LIST

1986) Molly Ringwald, Andrew McCarthy, Jon Cryer. Harry Dean Stanton. 98 mins. The opening credits announce that this is ‘A John Hughes Production’, a fact which attests to the box-office pull and influence of the prolific writer-director, best known on these shores for the impressive high- school drama ‘The Breakfast Club’.

indeed, the cunent offering can be seen 5

as a companion piece to the earlier

success in its dissection of the manners '

and conflicts of today's teen tribes, and in the humour compassion and honesty with which it treats its young protagonists.

A gutsy Molly Ringwald in a reverse of her ‘BC’ rich bitch role, stars as a girl from the wrong side of the tracks (though she still scoots around in a chic pink Porsche) forced to choose between two men; Jon Cryer as an idolising misfit, like her something of an outcast because of his individualistic dress sense, and Andrew McCarthy, the aspiring writer from the dire St Elmo’s Fire, one of the rich kids. As the movie

understanding of her ne’er-do-well father, a typically magnificent Harry Dean Stanton, and the audience witnesses the not entirely unexpected triumph of true lust over social divisions. Yet a certain familiarity in the narrative is eclipsed by the evident feel for teenage dialogue and the right sort of social detail that Mr Hughes obviously possesses, which elevates his characters from cliche to credibility

Another aspect of the film which may help towards deserved British success for what might seem an all too American piece of work is its use of some excellent British bands on the soundtrack; hearing several New Order tracks, The Smiths and The Psychedelic Furs certainly ingratiated this reviewer. The result is such that even the sort of fashion~snobs who regard themselves as too aloof to be remotely concerned by the trials of terminally untrendy American teenagers should see Pretty In Pink, for it only goes to show that their experiences are not so very different from our own. 0f its genre, Pretty In Pink is a fine effort.

progresses, Hingwald comes to a better (Trevor JOMSIOM Joanne Samuel, Tim Burns. 93 mins. g Street, Cinema. Strathclyde; Odeon Atmospheric, futuristic Hamilto

high drama with death-defying stunt work. Glasgow; OFF

0 Mad Max 2 (18) (George Miller, Australia, 1982) Mel Gibson, Bruce Spence. 94 mins. Exhilarating post-Apocalypse adventure

Pure cinema, the highpoint

ofthe series. Glasgow; GET

0 No Retreat, No Surrender(15)n (Corey Yuen, US, 1986) Kurt McKinney, Kathie Silcno, Kim Tai Chong. 84 mins. See Caption Review. Glasgow; ABC (Sauchiehall Street)

0 Pinocchio (U) (Walt Disney Production, US, 1940) 77 mins Technically breathtaking animated tale of the little puppet toy of pine Edinburgh; Odeon

0 Police Academy 3: Back in Training (PG) (Jerry Paris, US, 1986) Steve Guttenberg, Bubba Smith, Bobcat Goldwait, George Gaynes. 83 mins. More wacky mayhem with those oh-so comic boys in blue. Edinburgh; ABC. Glasgow; ABC Clarkston Road, ABC Saucheihall

n 0 Pretty in Pink ( 15) in (John Hughes, US, 1986) Molly Ringwald, Andrew McCartny. Harry Dean Stanton, Jon Cryer. 99 mins. See Caption Review. Edinburgh; ABC. Glasgow; ABC Clarkston Road, ABC Sauehiehall Street. Lothian; ABC. Strathclyde; ABC Greenock, ABC Kilmarnock O Raging Bull (18) (Martin Scorsese, US, 1980) Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci. 129 mins. 1949 middleweight boxing champ Jake La Motta finds it difficult to sustain his early success and, as his career fades, he declines into a travesty of his former self.

De Niro‘s stunning physical performance dominates Scorsese’s savager bleak study of self-destructive male machismo

Glasgow; GET

0 lie-Animator (18) (Stuart Gordon, US, 1984) Bruce Abbott, Barbara Campton. 84 mins. Enjoyable black horror comic wherein a crazed scientist (aren‘t they all?) comes up with a serum that can bring the dead back to life. Much fun is had with the

excellent special effects (a little desmemberment, and a set of intestines that strangle someone) but unfortunately the censors have clipped out a side-splitting cunnilingual gag with a severed head. Hilarious or just plain depraved, depending on your vieWpoint. Glasgow; GET 0 The Rocky Horror Picture Show (15) (Jim Sharman, UK, 1975) Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick. 100 mins. Ollt musical horror SPOOf Edinburgh; Cinema 0 A Room with a View (PG) (James Ivory, UK, 1985) Helena Bonham Carter, Maggie Smith, Daniel Day Lewis. 117 mins. Elegantly mounted with an agreeable lightness of tone this is a near perfect screen version of Forster Edinburgh; Dominion o The Secret of the Sword (U) tr (Ed Friedman, Lou Kachivas, Marsh Lamore, Bill Reed, Gwen Wetzler, US, 1985) Voices John Erwin, Melendy Britt, Alan Oppenheimer. 91 mins. Yet another merchandising ploy, co-produced by Mattel toys, and featuring a selection of He-Man and She-Ra characters Edinburgh; ABC. Glasgow; ABC Clarkston Road, ABC Sauehiehall Street, Grosvenor, Rio. Lothian; ABC. Strathclyde; ABC Greenock, ABC Kilmarnock, Kelburne, Rialto 0 Swing Shiff (PG) (Jonathan Demme, US, 1984) Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell, Christine Lahti, Ed Harris. 100 mins. Goldie the dutiful little wife becomes Goldie the Riveter when her husband enlists and she signs on at a munitions factory during World War II. Agreeable, warm-hearted romantic drama persuasively acted and surprisingly sophisticated in its bittersweet emotional makeup. Glasgow; G171" 0 Trading Places (15) (John Landis, US, 1983) Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy. 116 mins. A ‘Prince and the Pauper‘ lifestyle-swapping comedy sparked by the dynamic presence of Murphy. Bears comparison with the screwball farces of the 19305 and probably Landis’s best film. Glasgow; Grosvenor I O Trancers (15) (Charles Band, US, 1984) Tim Thomerson, Helen Hunt. 76 mins. Police trooper Jack Deth from 2247 travels back to 1985 to eliminate the ancestor of a mystic whose zombie-like followers are a threat to society’s well-being.

Spirited B-movie mating of Blade Runner and The Terminator in the best (Escape from New York) punk-noir style. Glasgow; GET 0 Vagabonde (15) (Agnes Varda, France, 1985) Sandrine Bonnaire, Macha Méril, Yolande Moreau. 106 mins. An austere and lyrical portrait of Mona, a dropout from society wandering the wintry landscape of the South of France in an aimless quest for freedom but a freedom that involves only loneliness, hunger and hypothermia.

An uncompromising performance from Miss Bonnaire graces this unhurried, intense and affecting memorial to a troubled and despairing representative of Eighties’ youth. Edinburgh; Filmhouse

The List 8— 21 August 53