FILM LIST
Vietnam offensive in May I969. Strathclyde; Rialto
IThe Hil ( 18) (Stephen Frears. UK. I984) John Hurt . Tim Roth. Terence Stamp. 90 mins. Two hit men are sent to Spain to bring a supergrass back to London to face the music but they find their prey in philosophical frame of mind and well-prepared for the end. Entertaining shaggy dog road movie with Stamp in a role he was born to play. Edinburgh; (‘ameo
I Hope and Glory ( IS) (John Boorman. UK. I987) Sarah Miles. David I layman. lan Bannen. I12 mins. A warm. witty and affectionate autobiographical portrait of the child who grew up to be John Boorman. Well-crafted wartime nostalgia. (ilasgow; (il’l‘
I The Horse Thief ( Is) (Tian Zhuangzhuang. ('hina. l9is’b)'l‘se.shang Rigzin. Dan Jiji. 88 mins. Tibet. 1923. To provide for his poverty-stricken family Norbu steals horses from wandering nomads and offerings reserved for the gods. llis actions earn him the contempt of his village and. ultimately. exptrlsion from his tribe.
An episodic narrative. The Horse ’l‘lrr'ef lingers on the rites and rituals of the tribe with anthropolpgical longing. Edinburgh; lr‘ilnihouse
I House of Games ( IS) ( David Mamet. US. I987) Lindsay (‘rouse. Joe Mantegna. Lilia Skala. 102 mins. A workaholic psychiatrist. the author of a bestselleron compulsive behaviour. becomes hopelessly interested in a group ofcon men and the seams they perpetrate on gullible suckers. Attraeted by the vicarious thrill of their games she is eager to graduate from observer to participant but then finds that her lighthearted escapism has led to larceny. intrigue and murder.
Although slow to start this developsinto a gripping and pleasuranyserpentine thriller of ingenious plot twists. hard-boiled (‘handleresque dialogue and surprise double-crosses. A Chinese box of a film to be seen and savoured. Edinburgh; Filmhouse
I Insignificancei 15) (Nicolas Roeg. tfls’. 1985) Theresa Russell. Tony ('urtis. (iary Busey. 108 mins. New York. 1954. A quartet of mid-century icons congregate in a hotel. the fietionalised interconnection of their lives allowing for speculation on the private concerns of some very public figures. Terry Johnson's stage play presents ideal material for Roeg‘s characteristically dense but unusually accessible explosion of ideas in this exploration of personal identity. Edinburgh: (‘ameo
I The Journey of Natty Gann (PG) (Jeremy Paul Kagan. US. I985) Meredith SalengerJohn Cusack. 10] mins. Depression era Disney family adventure ofa young girl traversing the country to join her father and the numerous adventures that befall her. Full of solid old-fashioned storytelling virtues. Glasgow; Cannon (‘larkston Road
IThe Killing Floor (PO) (Bill Duke. US. 1984) Damier Leake. Alfred Woodard. Moses Gunn. 117 mins. Challenging political drama which concentrates on the struggle of workers at Chicago stockyards to gain recognition of their rights and on the racial conflicts which divide them. Set in the years following the First World War. Duke's film looks painstakingly researched with archive material skilfully intercut and the blood and sweat ofthe killing floor convincinglyconveyed. Edinburgh; EUFS
I Kiss of the Spiderwoman ( 15) ( I lector Babenco. US/Brazil. 1985) William Hurt. RaulJulia. Sonia Braga. 12I mins. Two men share a prison cell. victims in their individual ways of an unspecified fascist regime. One is a flamboyant homosexual. the other a macho revolutionary. The pain oftheir confinement brings mutual understanding and a moving exchange of
ANGEL DUST
e, fmszg 2, Angel Bust (15) (Edouard Niermans, France, 1987) Bernard Giraudeau, Fanny Bastien, Fanny Cottencon. 94 mins. Inspector Simon Blount is having a tough week. His wife Martine (Cottencon) has left him, just as their daughter is starting school. He's taking It badly and his only solace is a warm hip flask. While searching for his missing wile Blount Is also supposed to be investigating a series of apparently routine cases— a petty theft, an armed robbery and the violent murder of a pimp — but frankly he can't be bothered. Then he discovers the mysterious and alluring Violetta (Bastien) camping out In the local supermarket.
Giraudeau gives a convincing performance as the rejected policer,
roles. (ilasgow ; ( il’l‘. litlinbrrrgh; liilmhouse
I Lamb ( l5) (('olin(iregg. l'ls'. 1935) l.iam .\'eeson. llugh ()'(‘onor. Ian Bannen. lIIlmins. l‘nsentimentaland affecting screen translation of the Maclayerty noy el in which a disillusioned young priest flees a grim remand home on the Irish coast and vainly tries toestablish a happier life in l.ondorr with a boy whom he has befriended. Despite a number of plotholes this is clear-sighted story telling with a number of commendable performances. Iidinburgh; I-‘ilmhorrse
I The Last Emperorr IS) I Bernardo Bertolucci. l‘ls' ltaly. 191V ) .lohrr l.one. Peter O‘Toole. .loan ( ‘hen. lb: mins. See panel. (ilasgow; ()deon. Izdrnbur'gh: ()dcon
I The Lost Boys ( IS) (.locl Schumacher. US. 1987) Kiefer Sutherland. Dianne Weist. (’orey l-‘eldman. 98 mins. Disappointingly jokey and inconsistent attempt to inject fresh blood into an old genre as two brothers become involved with a seaside community infested with punk vampires.
The visuals are well handled but the influence of MTV and the decision to aim for a juvenile market make this little more than The (iormfes with garlic. (ilasgow; Cinema. Strathclyde; Kelburne. Rialto I Manon Des Sources ( l’( i ) (Claude licr‘r'l. France Italy. 198(3) \'\cs .‘ylontand. Daniel Auteuil. limmanuelle Beart. ll4 mins. Ten years after the demise of .lean
De l’lorette. the Soubey rans now run a prosperous carnation farm. llow ey er. Jean's daughter has now grow n into an alluring young woman and. through the twistsof unpredictable fate. Is able to wreak her revenge.
Steering this epic rural saga towards the realrnsof (ireek tragedy. .eron is a full and satisfying second half that explores the suffering of the guilty as they pay a crippling penance for man's greed and envy. The production values are as high as
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bestubbled, trench-coated and vodka-soaked, as he shambles through an ever more complex web of coincidence. Eventually a long-standing tale of revenge begins to ; unravel and Blount stops boozing as depression gives way to obsession.
But the plot of this Hitchcocklan . thriller, while soundly constructed, 3 remains secondary to its style. Niermans manages to create a claustrophobic sense of repressed violence and all-pervading corruption, whilst retaining a certain wry humour and avoiding any excessive pandering to the current taste for gratuitous gore. The sort of thriller they don't seem to make any more, unless they’re French. (Richard Reece)
eycr and Auteuil assumes l )epardieu‘s mantle as the human soul of this episode in his tragi-conric deyclopment from glaikit idiot to br'oken-hearted suitor. A stirring achiey ement. (ilasgow ; ( il’l‘
I Masters of the Universe (PG) (Gary
Goddard. US. 1987) Dolph Lundgren. Meg Foster. Frank Langella. l()()mins. Lethally dull Star Wars clone with the | inspired plotline ofgood and evil battling I it out for intergalactic domination. Disappointing lead debut for the awesome Dolph as the heroic lie-Man. but what can you expect from a film designed to sell toys.(ilasgow; (‘annon Sauchrehall Street. I“ (‘inema lidinburgh; Dominion. Strathclyde: Kelburne. Rialto
I Mauricer I5) (.lames lyory. tiK. I987) .lames Wilby. Rupert (iravcs. l lugh (irant. l-Ill mins. ()verlongbut . impeccably crafted screen version ofthe l Ii..\l. I'orster novel in which a young Iidwardian man slowly but rnovingly comes to terms with his homosexuality in the face of widespread ignorance. bigotry and the pressures ofclass to conform to some fanciful notion of normalcy.
Although over-indulgent. the film uses l
its beautiful locations. Brides/reml-style cast and langorous evocation of pre-War i Britain to sweeten an angry pill about the ’ strictures of the class system and the unchanging face of senseless prejudice. .larnes Wilby is a revelation in the title role. skilfully capturingthe complexityof the emotional traumas faced by his character. lidinburgh; (‘ameo I Men( 15) (Doris Dorrie. W. (iermany. I985) l leiner l.auterbach. L'we ()chsenknecht. I'lrike Kriener. 99mins. Droll ( ierman production in which a complacent. philandering middle-class businessman reacts to his wife's infidelity by secretly moving in with her hippy lover and attempting to transform him into a carbon copy of himself. A mildly rnirthful. entertainineg performed comedy of manners. lidinburgh; lzdinburgh liilm
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C guru/(1g 7’ luls
9.3mm
HOME STREET TOIICROSS TEI Olil 2284b“
NOW SHOWING MAURICE (15)
3.15pm (not Sun), 6pm, 8.40pm.
Sun 21 at3.30pm
2001 : A SPACE ODYSSEY (15)
Sun 28 at 3pm INSIGNIFICANCE (15)
O Lalo Wig/r! s Fri IQat 11.15pm MONA LISA (18) & THE HIT (18) Sat20at11.15pm FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF(15) & THE GOLDEN CHILD(15) Fri263t11.15pm CREEPERS (18) & CRITTERS (18) Sat27at11.15pm THE BLUES BROTHERS (15) & RUMBLE FISH (15) Starts Fri 26: WHITE MISCHIEHIB) 3pm, 5pm, 7pm, 9pm.
(iurld
IMona Lisar Isrtxc-II.IIIIII;III. I'ls‘. Wsor Bob l loskins. Cathy l'y son. \lrchael ('aine. liLI mrns. lloskrrrs gryesa heartrendrng. nrueh lauded per Ior marree as the ex-con with a battered heart III Ilrrs brilliant lilm norr thriller. l drnburgh. (‘ameo
I MrKleinI IF I (Joseph I osey . l~r arree. l97’b) Alain Delon. .leanne \lorearr. Michael l.onsdale III mrrrs. ln wartime l’r'ancc. Catholic art dealer Delorr cynically exploits the desperation ol liuropean .lcws III need of last money. then the tables are turned \s hen he rs confused with a wanted .lc\\ who bearsthe same surname. An Interesting premise. dissipated by the film's length and some characteristic l.osey pretentiousness Winner of the l‘rcnclr ( csaf as the best film of its year. lzdinbtrr'gh; l-renelr Institute ‘
I Near Dark( lb’l I Katherine lirgclow . l 8. I987) Adrian l’asdar'. .lenny Wright. l.ance llcnriksen. 98 mins. A chance sexual encounter for a Texas youth leads to his abduction by a group of maraudrng bloodstrckcrs and his difficult transformation to their parasitic mode ol existence. As y ampire-biker-wester ns go. this is a pretty good one. (ilasgow. (‘annon (’larkston Road
I A Night On The Town ( Pt i) ((‘Ims Columbus. l'S. I987) lilr/abeth Shire. {\laia Brewton. Keith ( ‘oogan. 9b mins. ()riginallycntitled .‘ilfi‘r'lllllft'y m Bahy's‘rllmg. this directorial debut by Spielberg scriptwriter('olurrrbusrs reputedly a pleasant but unremarkable teen variant of the yuppie-rn-per il genre. 17 year-old babysitter Shue is asked to drive into('hicago to help astranded friend. Reluctantly she takes her two charges and their ey nical chum w ith her. When the car breaks dow n and she discovers the absence of her purse the evening‘s fun has only his! begun Edinburgh; ()deon
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The List 1‘) Feb 3 Mar 1988]!)