FILM LIST
Usher. (ilasgow: (iFI‘.
I Grease (PG) (Randal Kleiser. IS. 1978) John Travolta. Stockard (banning. Olivia Newton John. I to mins. The long-running broadway show arriyeson screen dripping witfi 'Slls nostalgia. cheery tunes. a high camp y alue and tire winsome charms of the plastic Newton-John and the toothy 'I'ray olta. A nice collection of old timers enhance the cast. Iidinburgh: ('ameo.
I Hope and Glory l 15 ) (John Boorman. I'K. 1987) Sarah Miles. I)ayid I layman. Ian Bannen. Stisan \Vooldridge. 112 mins. A dceeptiy ely simple but perfectly crafted slice of wartime nostalgia that paintsa warm atid witty portrait of the ady'etitttrous childhood of the boy who would be .lohn Boormari Now a leading ()scar contender with 5 nominations lidinburgh: Dominion. I-ilrnliouse. Strathclyde: ()deon Ay r.
I House of Gamest 15 i ( I)ay id Mamet. I'S. I937) Lindsay (‘rotisculoc Mantegna. I.iIia Skala. 102 mins. A workaholic psychiatrist. the author of a bestseller on compulsiy e behay iour. becomes hopelessly interested tn a group of con men and the seams they perpetrate on gtillible suckers. Attracted by the vicarious thrill of their games. she is eager to graduate from obsery er to participant but then finds that her lighthearted escapism has led to larceny . intrigue and murder.
Although slow to start this dey elops into a gripping and pleasurany serpentine thriller of ingenious twists. hard-boiled (‘handleresque dialogue and surprise double-crosses. A (‘hincse box of a filtti to be seen and say our'ed Izdinburgh: (‘anieo I In a Lonely Place l l’( i i l Nicholas Ray. IS. 1950) llumphrey Bogart.(iloria (irahanic. Martha Stew art. 91 mins. Bogart is on peak form as the self-destrtrctiy e I lollyyy ood hack suspected of murder in this tart and cynical mystery (irahame is art appropriate foil as the woman in the opposite bungalow w Ito offers a shoulder tocry on. (ilasgow: (il’l‘.
I Innerspace ( P( i l (.Ioc Dante. LS. 1987) Dennis ()tiaid. Meg Ryati. Martin Short. 11‘) mins. .‘ylimaturi/ed and accidetitally injected into Short's bum. may crick pilot ()uaid has a mere twenty -f’our hours to alert the hapless y ietim to his presence. effect an escape and ey ade the w ieked CIlttL‘ltesof various industrial spies.
()y‘erplotted btit engagingly ramshackle cartoonish ady enture frolic. lzdtnburgh: Iiilmhouse.
I l've Heard the Mermaids Singingl tSi (I’atricia Ro/ema. (‘anada. 1%” ) Sheila McCarthy . l’aula Baillargeon. Ann-Marie McDonald. HI ruins the slightly scattcrbrained. socially nialadrort I’olly lands a secretarial rob iii a fasliiotiable art gallery and tumbles intoa platonic crush w ith her employer (iabrielle. Although iiittriiidated by the woman and her surroundings. I’olly eventually is made to see that iudging yourself by other people's standards is worthless.
Funny and touching feminist fantasy which admirably displays the way in which good w riting. w it and imagination can make tip for a lack of fittattce. (ilasgow: (iI’I'.
IJagged Edge ( ISl ( Richard Marqtiand. I'S. WSSHilenn ('lose. Jeff Bridges. Robert Loggia. 10‘) mins. Bridges stands accused of the brutal slay ing of his wealthy wife. (‘Iose is the defence lawyer whose involy etnent w ith her client dangerously mixes business with pleasure. Antiquated. unremarkable courtroom w hodunnit. (ilasgow: (it’osy‘ettor. i
IJesus ( I 'l I’eter Sykes. IS. 1979) Brian Deacon. Niko \itat. ( iadi Roi. ll" mins. Straightforward Biblical biopic of you-know -w ho. filmed iii Israel. Iidinburgh: Dominion.
SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME
Someone To Watch Over Me (15) (Ridley Scott, US, 1987) Tom Berenger. Mimi Rogers. Lorraine Bracco. 106 mins. The oft-quoted trouble with Ridley Scott's films is the way in which their sense of style frequently swampsthe underdeveloped content. The result is like a sumptuous box of irresistible confectionery with hollow centres. In Someone To Watch Over Me, his characteristic sheen is applied to an appropriate setting and a substantial. if cliched story. Whilst the result might not entirely eshew his traditional glossy vacuity it does produce a seductively watchable thriller.
The plot threads are among the oldest in the book; beautiful. wealthy socialite Claire Gregory (Rogers) is an accidental witness to the savage murderol one of herclosestlriends. The killer is on the loose and her name is at the top of his list. Cat and mouse suspense is clearly on the cards.
Among her round-the-clock minders is newly promoted detective Mike Keegan (Berenger). A decent lamin man from the other side of the tracks, he falls in love with her and her privileged Iilestyle. Prolessional objectivity quickly disappears as his marriage is endangered and his son comes in the firing line of the malevolent psychopath stalking Gregory.
Although sluggisth paced and slightly overlong. the film delivers a few crisp jolts and is held together by
I June Night i P( i i ( I’er I .indberg. Sweden. I‘M“) Ingrid Bergman. ( iurinar Sioberg.(‘arl Strotn. ‘Ill mtns I-‘leeingan unsayoury incident in a smalltown. a woman attempts to forge a new life for herself in Stockholm but is unable to escape the ghosts in her past. Bergman's final Swedish film until Stimu/unuu in 1967‘. Iidtnburgh: f’ilmhouse. I Kangaroo ( Po i ('l‘im Burstall. Australia. I‘ISleudy l)a\ts.('oltn I'rtels. Juli Nihill. llHniins. Stolid adaptationof the autobrographrcal 1).”. Lawrence noy el iii w hich an finglrsh noy elist seeks artistic freedom and new hori/ons in Australia and becomes enmeshed in the machinations of a group of l'ascists. l’ictorially beautiful btit fatally lackingtn passion or pace. (ilasgow : (if-'1'. I King Lear l I ‘l ((irigori ls'osintsey. l'SSR. 19"] l Yuri .laryet. l3"mins. Brilliant Russian y crsion of Shakespeare filmed in bleak monochrome. reinterpreting the text in termsof a civilisation iti turmoil rather than priy ate tragedy. (ilasgow: (il’l‘. IThe Last Emperori IS i ( Bernardo Bertolucci. Italy (Irina. l‘)«S"-'lJtiliri Lone. I’eterO'Ioole. .loari (’hen. Io: mins. Peking. Wt IS. a three year-old boy ascends to the Imperial Throne to become the lord of Ten Thousand Years'. A mere 5‘) years later. how cy er. he dies a humble gardener in a (him that is now' the Maoist I’cople's Repttblic. Intelligent epic following the self-delusion and re-education of a man shaped by a superseded pow er structure. A little cold perhaps. but the production and cinematography are ofsuch exquisitness that one only wishes the film were longer. (ilasgow : ()deon. (irosyenor. Izdinburgh: ()deon. Strathclyde: ()deon Ilamilton.
Scott's wallow in Manhattan chic and the very creditable central performances. Amidst the twinkling neon lights. hissing grates and rainsweptwindows Berenger. Rogers and Lorraine Bracco as the wife. really do draw you into the anguish and hurt of a triangular relationship. The brittle domestic scenes are among the best in the film and Berenger evokes a faint
I The Life and Death of Colonel Blimpil i (Michael I’ow ell. I' titer Ic I’ressbutgci . I'K. I‘MM Roger l.iyesey . Deborah Kerr. Anton \Valbiook lo} nuns. ()neof the great British films this is aiiecslatic. uplifting celebration and. paiadosically. critique of the essence of Britisliriess ()utwitled through 'cheatrng' in a l‘M.‘ Home ( iuard exercise. ( ierieial ( 'liyc \Vyriiie-(aiidy reflectson his life. military career atid loy e of a special woman. concluding that his geiitlemaiily notions of law play' haye become otit riioded Magnificent. lidrnbuigh: ('aiiieo
I Little Dorrit l l l H In More I'd/ard. I "Is. IVS") Derek Jacobi. Alec ( itilrtttess. Sarah I’ickering I’art ( )ne: Nobody ‘s I"ault ( l"b minsi l’ait Iwo. I ittle I)orrit‘s Story l lhl nuns) Dickens comples noy el about the gr im social duplicity of his conteriipoiaiy I ondoii is beautifully translated to tliescreen focusingon the central relationship between the upright Arthur (’leiinam atid I.ittle I)oi rrt. born in a debtor \l‘risoii. yetstillconyeyirigthe scope.detailaiid
changing perspecttyesof the original. As
their tentaliy e romance slowly blossomsa y iyid. scathing picture is gradually wine” of scandalous landlords. impenetrable and inefficient bureauct acy and parasitic wealth. It isa two-nation society and the parallels with Britain today are startling
Derek Jacobi is outstanding as the gentle. bewildered ( 'lennam and isany supported by a host of delicious character performances reflecting Dickens blend ol the grotesque and the realistic as the film moy es from pain to comedy A classic filtn that pays eloquent testimony to
; Dicken‘s sharp socialdocumentationand unshakeableability totellagoodstoiy
Iidinburgh: cameo. I'lIlIIIltittsL'. I Live at Filmhousei m for one night
I echo of Bob Hoskins in Mona Lisa as the unsophisticated slob touchineg out of his depth. like a commoner elevated to a queen‘s escort.
Moody. maudlin. smooth and romantic. Someone To Watch Over Me confirms that a very human heart can beat beneath the hi-tech glitz ol Ridley Scott‘s cinema. (Allan Hunter)
i only . direct from the london Alternattye ('abar‘et circuit. I‘lIlttITUUSL' plays host to I Actiye l’r‘oductions' presentation of staitd I up comedy pliis a selection of ‘truly tacky l commercials and an improy rsed ad lib 1 yoice-oy erof a WES episodeof teley ISIUII\ I'lte slili-i'nIurm oft "upturn I lhii'uHirief. I‘or those w hoenloyed i .-tyrro-/oni/>ies at last year's Iidinburgh - l-‘estiyal this sounds like similarly wacky entertainment. April IR is the date l’ier‘re I lollins and Nick Hancock are your stdc-spltlttng hosts. I Lord olthe Dance. Destroyer oflllusion (I’( i l 1 Richard Kohn. I’ranee Switzerland \V. (iermany. NSF) ltl.\‘ mins. filmed in a remote regionof Nepal. treat the l'ibetan border. this documentary captures the secret world of Tibetan 'I‘antric ritual in its natural setting of the Iligli Ilirnalayas. The focus ison the annual Manr-Rimdu I‘estiyal and 'I’rulshig Rrrrpoclte. the 'I'ibetan lama w hodir'ects itsperformance. I-dtnburgh: I'lllllllUtlSL‘ I Mad Matti Ib') ((ieorge \llllel'. Australia. WW) Mel (iibson. Joanne Samuel. Stey e Bisley 03 mins. In a bleak. near future the forces of law and or'derare barely able to suppress a reckless bedlatn rampaging on the highways of the state. Weary and disgusted. supercop ( iibson retires btit returns with a purpose to ay erige the death by marauding bikersof his w ife and cluld. Violent stttff with death-defy trig stunt work. Izdinburgh: (‘altietr I Mad Max I I8) I ( ieorge Millet. Australia. I‘LS'I l Mel ( iibson. Bruce Spence. ()4 mins. Iixhilarating post-Apoealy pse ady enture. pure cinema and the highpoint of the series. Iidinburgh: (‘ameo I Mélo (I’(il (Alain Resnais. I‘rance.
'l'he list 1 l4 April l‘)i\.\'13