FILM LIST
Sammy and Rosie Get Laid (18) (Stephen Frears, UK, 1987) Shashi Kapoor, Frances Barber, Ayub Khan Dim. 100 mins. Wily, pragmatic Indian politican Rati Rahman (Shashi Kapoor) returns to England lorthe first time in thirty years. Escaping from political enemies at home, his aim is to revisit his son Sammy (Ayub Khan Dim) and enjoy a nostalgic pilgrimage to a country he admires and an English rose of a woman he once loved.
There is no one to meet him at the airport so he struggles to Sammy’s home in Brixton and discovers that his l tancilul recollections of a corner of the . world that is forever associated with 1 cricket lawns, lair play and cream teas, ' are about to come tumbling down. Around him the streets are erupting with riots and pillaging in response to the police shooting of a black woman. At every turn his apparently genteel sensibilities are assaulted by a rude awakening to the reality of inner-city British life in the latter half olthe 19805. His visit becomes a process of waking up from a dream into a nightmare as his perceptions of the world are confronted and he laces up to the unsavoury ghosts from his past.
Progressing from the success of My Beautiful Laundrette, screenwriter Hanit Kureishi appears to have come unstuck by his own ambition. Sammy And Rosie is a wide-ranging, bittersweet comedy that literally
1984) Katsuya Kobayashi. Mitsuko Baisho. 106 mins. The move from the country to a suburban apartment and the pressures of city life unhinges the already pretty cranky members of a ‘typical' Japanese family. Vicious black comedy with all the hilarious physical ferocity of Endurance. the famed TV game show. Edinburgh; EUFS I Creeper: ( 18) (Dario Argento.1ta1y. 1984)Jennifer Connelly, Dario Nicolodi. 83 mins. A schoolgirl‘s telepathic abilities maybe connected to a series ofgrisly murders. Disppointingly trashy schlock from a usually reliable horror stylist , sicko stuff that begins with the decapitation of the director's fourteen year-old daughter and works up to the bloody slashing ofhis wife. Edinburgh; Cameo
I Critters ( 18) (Stephen Herek, US. 1986) 3 Dee Wallace Stone. Billy Green Bush. 95 mins. Furry little alien creatures land in the Mid—West to wreak havoc on afarm and the all-American nuclear family. Modestly budgeted riposte to Gremlins, but imbued with a good deal more wit and invention. Full of fun little touches like subtitles for the pesky extra-terrestrials. Edinburgh; Cameo I Crocodile Dundeet 15) (Peter Faiman. Australia. 1986) Paul Hogan. Linda Kos/lnyvski. 98 mins. Slight but disarming comedy romance with Atrssie croc hunter lloges at large among the sophisticatesof l downtown Manhattan. The sequel opens l here in June. Glasgow: (iF'I‘. (Jrosvenor
I Cry Freedom (PG) (Richard Attenborough. US. 1987) Dcnzcl Washington. Kevin Kline. Penelope Wilton. 158 mins. Although notwithout its flaws, Attenborough‘s biographical re-creation of the friendship between black civil rights activist Steve Biko and white liberal newspaperman Donald , Woods is his best film to date; an epic. moving drama that also stands as a ligorous condemnation of the obscenity of
explodes across the screen in a dazzlineg undisciplined exploration of sexual politics, sell-justifying expediency and the bankruptcy of moral or personal commitment. Rati, one a freedom tighter, has soiled his hands with blood and torture in pursuit of a betterworld but do the ends justify the means? Sammy and Rosie (Frances Barber) live an open marriage of personable compatibility without sex, but istheir inabilityto make physical contact reflective of a world unwilling to take responsibility for its deeds and desires?
Redolent ot a provocative Canterbury Tale lorthe 1980s, the film teems with incident, character, intelligence,
apartheid. (ilasgow; Cannon Sauchiehall Street, (irosvenor. Edinburgh; Cannon. Dominion I Death Watch (15) (Bertrand Tavernier. UK/France, 1980) Romy Schneider. Harvey Keitel, Harry Dean Stanton. 118 mins. To perk up the ratings an unscrupulous TV exec. plants a small camera in the brain of a dying woman and her final days become prime time entertainment. Elegaic. often moving sc-fi. A bit too long but makingexcellent use of Glaswegian locations. Edinburgh; EUFS I Dirty Dancing ( 15) (limile Ardolino. t 'S 1987)Jennifer (irey Patrick Swayze. 100 mins. Conventional girl meets boy from the wrong side of the tracks rntrsical enlivened by a few telling period touches (1963) and some mildly suggestive boogieing. (ilasgow; Cannon (‘larkston Road. Strathclyde: ()deon Hamilton I Diva (15) (Jean-JacquesBeineix. France. 1981) Frederic Andrei. Roland Bertin. Richard Bohringer. 117 mins. 'l‘he twisted fate of two tapes. one an illegal recording of an American opera star. the other exposing a crime ring. is the central strand of this daffy (‘ralic cult favourite. Style exudes from everysproeket hole. (ilasgow: UFI‘ I Dragnet(1’(i) 2*: (Tom Mankiewicz. CS. 1987) Dan Aykroyd. Tom Hanks. Christopher Plummer. 106 mins. ('o-writer Aykroyd stars as a contemporary nephew of famed 'l'\' cop Jack Webb in this spoof of the 50s‘ series that begins with some promise but quickly degenerates in a morass of mediocrity. An anachronistic moral majority ofone. model cop Joe Friday is assigned a new partner in the shape ofhip. irreverent Pep Streebek (Hanks). Their first case is to investigate a string of crimes perpetrated by the cult movement of PA(iA.\'s (People Against Goodness and Normalcy).
_ SAMMY AND noer GET LAID
ironic wit and pertinence yet, whereas Laundrette stealthin beguiled the audience with its canny charm, Sammy And Rosie bludgeons it with atone ot unsubtle directness where all the characters seem symbols instead of people and the meat of the matter is expostulated in calculated rhetoric and didactic posturing. The film is about everything that ails us and about nothing in particular because its lack of precision orabilityto engender empathy render it alienating rather than involving. Undeniany challenging, well-acted and sickenineg relevant, it is a difficult film to ignore but an equally hard one to like. (Allan Hunter)
The script offers a few lonesome chuckles at the expense of Aykroyd's nicely pitched upright .loe but little is made of the star chemistry and the result is an all too predictably bland mix ofcar chases and American inverrile humour.
(ilasgow ; Canrton Sauchiehall Street. Central; Cannon. Strathclyde; Cannon. ()deon Ayr
I E.T. (1') (Steyen Spielberg. CS. 1983) Henry 'l'homas. Drew Barrymore. l)ee Wallace. 11" mins. A loner suburban youngster befriends a st randed alien creature in this fairly irresistible movie landmark. Crlasgow ; (il’l‘. lidinburgh; Filrnhotrse
I Eat The Peach ( P( i i ( Peter ( )rmrotl. litre. 1980) Stephen Brennan. liamonn Morrisey . Catherine Byrne. 97 mins. 'l'wt bogland villagers made redundant from the closing Japanese electronics factory near their home spend all their money on building a motorcycle wall of death. ()uintessentially Irish tragi-comedy. lidinburgh; lit 'FS
I Evid Dead 2: Dead Before Dawn ( 18) (Sam Rairni. CS. 1987) Bruce Campbell. Sarah Berry. Dan Hicks. 85 mins. Those pesky evil forces in the woods return to torment our lantern-jawed hero in this ferociously funny comic horror. Edinburgh; FL'FS
I Fatal Attraction ( 18) (Adrian l.yne. CS. 1987) Michael Douglas. (ilcnn Close. Anne Archer. 119 mins. Happily married lawyer Douglas discovers the high price of casual infidelity when his one night stand turns out to be a dangerously psychotic woman who w ill stop at nothing to gain her man's affection. (ilossy w ell-acted. misogy nistic l litchcoek-style thriller attracting more fuss than it merits. Glasgow: Cannon Clarkston Road. Cannon Sauchiehall Street. Cinema. (irosvenor. Edinburgh; Cannon. Dominion. Central: Cannon. Strathclyde; Cannon. Kelburne. ()deon Ayr. ()deon Hamilton. Rialto
I Ferris Bueller's Day Off ( 15) (John Hughes. US. 1986) Matthew Broderick. Jennifer (irey. Charlie Sheen. 103 mins. 9 sunny Spring day in Chicago is far too good to spend locked in a classroom sothe irrepressible Ferris Bueller feigns a malady. cuts classes and promises his two best friends a day to remember.
Chareteristieally uneven Hughes teen comedy that scores with fresh dialogue and appealing characterisations. but has the drawback of sortie laboured farce and the need to make meaningful statements. Edinburgh; Cameo I The 5000 Fingers of Dr T. (l ' ) (Roy Rowland. 1953) Peter Lind Hayes. Mary llealy. 'l'ommy Rettig. 88mins. ' Memorable fantasy detailing a child's nightmare in which he envisages a land ruled by his cruel piano teacher where all the children are forced to tinkle the ivories. Edinburgh; Filrnhouse I Four Adventures of Relnette and Mirabelle (U) r? (Eric Rohmer,France,1986)Joelle Miquel, Jessica Forde. Fabrice Luchini. 99 mins. Amiable portmanteau offour stories concerning Parisienne student Mirabelle and country girl Reinette. Made on a miniscule budget. purely for the director‘s pleasure apparently. the film is based around a series of anecdotes told to him by the twoleads.
A minor interlude in Rohmer‘s increasingly distinguished-looking career, but performed with the usual easygoing delicacy and piquant wit. Edinburgh; Filmhouse I Friendship's Death ( PU) (Peter wollen. ['K. 1987) Bill Paterson. Tilda Swinton. 78mins. A journalist coveringthe 1970 Black September conflict in Amman finds himself cooped up in a hotel room with Friendship. an alien robot on liarth asthe result of a malfunction.
Sympathetic performances from both the leads. with Swinton in admirably glacial form. grace this film essay on the nature of evolution and the place of machines in the social texture.yvhich. thanks to a self-effacing sense of humour is much more accessible than it sounds. (ilasgow: (3171‘
I F/X Murder By lllusiont 15) ( Robert Mandel. US. 1985) Bryan Brown. Brian Dennehy. 109 mins. Special-effects wizard Rolie Tyler is contacted by Justice Department agents to fake the assassination of a star witness in a Mafia trial (purely for his own safety) and becomes an unwitting pawn in a high-powered political conspiracy.
A thriller worthy of the moniker; ingenious. humorous and intriguing. Strathely'de; Haldane Film Society I The Golden Child (P(i ) (Michael Ritchie. L'S. 198(3) Eddie Murphy. Charles [)ance. Charlotte Lewis. 9-1 mins. Substandard pseudo-rnystieal Murphy claptrap with the lad himselfon the trail of a perfect infant born once every thousand generations. A dancing Pepsi can steals the show. Edinburgh; Cameo I Gone To Earth (PG) (Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, UK, 1948)Jennifer
Jones, David Farrar. Cyril Cusack. 110 mins. In the 18905, a wild Shropshire lass is lusted after by the local squire andthe village cleric. Rather obviously patterned melodrama which is mildly disappointing given the talent involved. Jones is surprisingly effective though , and there‘s an exciting fox-hunt sequence to savour. Edinburgh; EUFS I Gothic ( 18) (Ken Russell. UK. 1986) (iabriel Byrne. Natasha Richardson. Julian Sands. 87 mins. Shoddy. irritating Russell farrago with assorted Romantic poets pumped full of drugs and telling ghostie stories in a night of hysteria that was to inspire Mary Shelley's Frankenstein amongothers. Edinburgh; EUFS I Hamburger Hill ( 15) (John lrvin. US. 1987) Anthony Barrile. Michael Patrick Boatman. 110 mins. A sober and moving account of the young recruits mindlessly slaughtered during one particular
14'l'he list 19 Feb — 3 Mar 1988