FILM LIST
o This section aims to provide a review of every film to be seen in central Scotland overthe next fortnight. For programme times see individual cinema listings.
(U)—Universal, suitable for all ages. (PG) — Parental Guidance suggested as some scenes may be unsuitable for youngerchildren.
(15) — No one under the age of 15 admitted.
(18) — No one underthe age 0118 admitted.
air—NOW Release.
The Big Easy (18) (jim McBride, US, 1987) Dennis Ouaid, Ellen Barkin, Ned Beatty, Soloman Burke. 101 mins. New Orleans local nickname provides the title torthis smart cop thriller. Lieutenant Remy McSwain (Dennis Ouaid), while coping with a series of vicious underworld slayings, is also laced with the arrival of Special
I Prosecutor Anne Osborne (Ellen
Barkin) to investigate corruption in the I police department. Whilst she is shocked by the laxity of the law enforcement activities, she is also very much attracted to Ouaid, and as their relationship develops her influence ' forces him to re-evaluate his ingrown moral laxity, particularly with regard to the mysterious Widows and Orphans Fund. His colleagues however have too great a vested interest and he soon
0 Aliens ( 18) (James Cameron. US. 1986) Sigourney Weaver. Michael Biehn. 137 mins. Revived from a 57-year snooze in deep space. Warrant Officer Weaver is cajoled into joining a marine rescue mission to the planet that is home for the original alien. A nerve-shredding sequel that not only matches its predecessor but cannily surpasses it. Edinburgh; EUFS
O Amadeus (PG) (Milos Forman. US. 1984) Tom Hulce. F. Murray Abraham. 160 mins. A risible title fight for a place in posterity between a God-fearing but mediocre talent and a musical genius. Majestic music though. Edinburgh; Cameo
0 An American Tail (U) (Don BLuth.
THE BIG EASY
all Cajun music and unfamiliar accents and eating habits— leads to a moral reappraisal lorthe central characters. Barkin learns to let her hair down a little, whilstthe Cajun cop is forced to re-examine his cossetted position in a traditionally bent police force, whose ranks are dominated by his family and friends, in the light of the outsider's stand fortruth, justice and the American way.
The two’s passionate relationship divides his loyalties even further, but it also makes for an endearineg fumbling screen lurve story. The genuine chemistry between Barkin and Ouaid tums the movie into classic wisecracklng stuff redolent of the great screen partnerships and featuring one of the most convincingly erotic seduction scenes in a while. From then
US. 1986) Voices of Dom De Luise, Madeline Kahn. 81 mins. Cutesy. patriotic animated feature with the Spielberg touch as the Mousekewitz family make the hazardous journey from old Russia to the New World. The rich detail demanded by master craftsman Bluth wins the day. Strathclyde: Odeon Ayr. Odeon Hamilton 0 Angel Heart ( 18) (Alan Parker. US. 1987) Mickey Rourke. Lisa Bonet. Robert De Niro. 113 mins. Unkempt private eye Harry Angel (Rourke) is hired by the mysterious Louis Cyphre (De Niro) to track down a missing Forties‘ crooner who has reneged on a Iife-or-death deal. His investigations lead him to a seedy New Orleans dominated by voodoo cults and a trail ofvery dead bodies. Unpalatable Faustian brew unsuccessfully blending a detective yarn with explicit special effects. horror and gore. Glasgow; Odeon. Edinburgh; Odeon. Strathclyde; Odeon Avr 0 Art in Cinema, Programme 10 ( 18) 9() mins. A selection ofexperimental films that take the city. or some aspect ofit. as their theme. New York. Paris and London are viewed in varying moods from the lyrical to the manic. Edinburgh; Filmhouse 0 Back to the Future (PG) (Robert
Zemeckis. US. 1985) Michael J. Fox. Lea Thompson. 116 mins. Deservedly popular time-travelling fantasy adventure with streetsmart 8()s‘ teenager whisked back in time fora little ()edipal chicanerywith his future parents. Edinburgh; Filmhouse
o Bananas ( 15) (Woody Allen. US. 1971) Woody Allen. Louise Lasser. Sylvester Stallone. 82 mins. Early Allen mayhem with gags. gags. gags as he becomes unwittingly involved with revolution south of the border. A virtual remake ofa 192(ls' Harold Lloyd vehicle but lotsa fun. Edinburgh; Cameo
o The Berlin Affair( 18) (Liliana Cavani. Italy/West Germany. 1985) Gudrun Landgrebe. Kevin McNally. MioTakaki. 121 mins. Berlin 1938. as the Nazis exert their fullest control over public life. a diplomat‘s wife gets involved in a shifting triangular relationship with her husband and a young Japanese woman. Familiar Cavani sexual melodrama after The NighrPorrcr Edinburgh; EUFS
0 Betty Blue ( l8) (Jean-Jacques Beineix. France. 1986) Beatrice Dalle. Jean-Hughes Anglade. 120 mins. Tempestuous tale of amour fou delivered with all the style (and none of the substance) one expects from the auteur of Diva. Glasgow;
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seen it before; but if you’d like to see It gem. And any movie that’s knowing done again, and done with enough to put soul legend Soloman consummate wit and character then Burke on the cast list certainly gets my The Big Easy is an unassuming little burn on the seat. (Trevor Johnston)
on the audience is hooked, and McBride proves himself an assured Hollywood craftsman in confidently splicing the love interest with a bullet-riddled narrative. OK, so you've
finds himself on the end of a set-up that is to try the strength of his new-found romance.
As in Peter Weir’s Witness, 3 brush with another culture — New Orleans is
8 The List 13 — 26 November 1987