FILM LIST
I The Adventures of Mark Twain ( t ' ) «:2 (Will \‘inton. 1S. 1985 1 With the voicesof James \Vhitmore. Michele Mariana. (iary Krug. 83 mins. 19111. and Mark Twain
plans his last journey to l lalley'sComet which was last sighted in the yearofhis birth sev enty-five years ago. 1 luck Finn. Becky Thatcher and Tom Sawyer stow away on board his amazing flying machine and their presence inspires him to recall some of his great yarns of the past andto create some new adventures en route to the comet and a reunion w ith his late wife l.ivy.
Remarkable (‘laymation feature capturing the storytelling wit and wisdom ot Twain. A delight for children and adults that tised a staggering two tons of plasticme ov er the several years ofits creation. lidinburgh: l‘ilmhoUse I The American Friend ( 15 ) ( Wim \Venders. l'S France W. Germany. 1977) Bruno(ian/.. Dennis l lopper. Lisa Kreuzer 123 mins. Based on Patricia llighsmith's novel Ripley’s (iame. this stars ( ian/ as an inconspicuous l lamburg picture-trainer suffering from a fatal blood disease. One day he is offered a great deal of money to commit a murder. assuring financial security for his family but one murder is not the end of the story.
Suspenseful mystery that is both a tribute to the 1 lollywood film noir ofyorc that also serv cs as an examination ofthe
.-\mericani/ation of Iiuropean life and culture. Directors Nicholas Ray and Sam Fuller contribute cameos. Edinburgh: Filmhouse
I Appointment With Death ( PG) (Michael Winner. l'K. 1987). Peter Listinov. Lauren Bacall. 111.5 mins. MichaelWinner has assembled an all-star cast (although
one or two of them are there fortheir former glories rather than current high
profile) led by Peter L'stinov and Lauren Bacall for this latest adaptation ofan Agatha (‘hristie mystery. but it may leave you wondering why he went to all that trouble.
The inevitable murder victim is a tyrannical American matriarch touring liurope and the Holy Land with her subjugated but rebellious brood. every
one naturally a prime suspect. as well as her lawyer. who knows about a dirty trick she pulled with her late husband‘s estate. Also implicated is a young English teacher who has become romantically involved with one ofthe sons.
Conveniently enough. ace 'tec l lercule Poirot just happens to be along on the same trip. and sorts things out in notime. Well. actually. in an interminable amount oftime. if you want the truth. Bacall srnoulders convincingly as (another) overbearing American widow. though. and everybody hams it up for all they are worth. none more so than L'stinov. who started of in the realms ofcaricature with the Belgian sleuth. but has now moved into vaudeville. Then again. the people who like this kind of thing will probably love it. Glasgow: (‘annon Sauchiehall Street.
IAria ( 18) (Various. UK. 1987) 98mins. Ten sequences by major directors (including Roeg. Russell. Altman. Temple. and Godard. although my favourite came from Charles Sturridge) based on operatic arias inevitably produced a self-indulgent and wildly mixed bag. but the film isoccasionally excellent. and the music consistently impressive. Strathclyde: ()deon Ayr
I The Aristocats t U) (Wolfgang Reitherman. (IS. 1970) 78 mins. Aimiahle Disney animation about a cat and her three kittens who are kidnapped and abandoned by a nasty bat/er, featuring the voices of lira (iabor. I’hil Harris and Maurice ('hei'a/ier. Strathclyde: ()deon Ayr.
I Asterix the Gaul (1}) (France. 19mins mins. A summer season examining the Art of Animation begins with the early adventures of the plucky little warrior aided by (ietafix and his amazing magic potions. Future titles include Snoopy. Bugs Bunny and the best of European animation. Glasgow: GET
I Baby Boom (PG) (Charles Shyer. US. 1987) Diane Keaton. Sam Shepard. Harold Ramis. 111 min. Fast rising. single-minded career woman Keaton is stopped in her tracks by the inheritance of a bouncing baby through the unfortunate demise of a cousin. Choosing to mother the little mite. she ditches job and lover to move to the dubious delights ofrustic contentment in Vermont. Brought down to earth by boredom and sexual frustration. her capitalistic juices flow again with the development ofgourmet
w-‘Efi
baby food and she tries anew to have a career. child and lover.
An intriguing premise for a modern feminist reworking of Frank Capra is largely squandered in this thoroughly predictable and rather icky damp squib of a comedy. Strathclyde: Cannon Kilmarnock I Betty Blue ( l8) (Jean-Jacques Beineix. France. 1986) Jean llughesAnglade. Beatrice Dalle. 120 mins. Tempestuous love gone mad as an older handyman and a free spirited woman embark on a passionate. peripatetic fling that ends in tragedy. Filmed with a dazzlingtechnique and an irritating emptiness by the maker of Diva. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Beverly Hills Cop ( 15) (Martin Brest. US. 1985) Eddie Murphy. Judge Reinhold. John Ashton. 105 mins. A downtown. streetwise Chicago cop is out of his element but never out of hisdepth investigating a friend‘s murder in up-market Los Angeles. Murphy reigns supreme in this well-paced slice of entertainment made in the days before his ego swamped the substance of his film vehicles. Glasgow: GFT
I Bliss ( 18) a (Ray Lawrence. Australia. 1985) Barry ()tto. Lynette Curran. Helen Jones. 112 mins. Advertising executive ()tto suffers a massive heart attack and is clinically dead for four minutes. When he later regains consciousness he believes himself to be in Hell and begins tojot down all the bizarre happeningsthat substantiate this conviction.
Generally considered an improvement on Peter Carey's original novel this isa weird and blackly humorous parable about love and death full of surreal and sardonic moments in the tradition of Bunuel and given immense credibility by the committed performance ofOtto. Glasgow: GET I Bread. Love and Jealousy (PG) (Luigi (‘omencini. ltaly. 1954) Vittorio De Sica. Gina Lollobrigida. 98 mins. One ofthe successful 1950s Bread. Love and. . . series this is an amiable social comedy featuring La Lolla trying to capture the attentions of De Sica's comic town official. Bittersweet rustic comedy full ofsharp observations. Edinburgh: Filmhouse I Bright Lights, Big City (18) 1? (James Bridges. US. 1987) MichaelJ. Fox. Kiefer Sutherland. Phoebe Cates. 108 mins. See Panel. Glasgow: Odeon. Edinburgh: Odeon.
I Can't Buy Me Love (PG) (Steve Rash. US. 1987) Patrick Dempsey. Amanda Peterson. 95 mins. More from the angst-ridden mores of high-school anxiety in this teen movie. in which the school nerd. Ronald. attempts to win the respect of his peers and a serious cool factor by co-opting the school cheer-leader as his girl-friend. For a price. that is. Cindy. being an all-American girl. goes for the deal without a twinge ofconsciencc. until shostarts to find Ronald actually quite cute when he is just being himself. .. Glasgow: Odeon
I Casanova ( l8) (Federico Fellini. Italy. 1976) Donald Sutherland. Tina Aumont, Cicely Browne. 154 mins. The life and
times of 18th century author. scientist and lecher Giacomo Casanova as seen through the eyes of Fellini. Opulent. stylised sexual Cook‘s tour of Europe done in lavish fashion. Exhaustive but not really involving. Glasgow: GFT
I Chuck Jones Retrospective (U) 80mins approx. Genius is an overused word in the film industry where anything that grosses over S 100 million is hailed as a classic but Chuck Jones‘ body of work really does justify the use of the term in thisinstance. A genius of animation. Jones" witty. inventive handiwork was responsible for many of the best Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck films and created both the Road Runner and Coyote series. This programme includes favourites like Duck Dodgers. Feed the Kitty and Scarlet Pumpernickel as well as the promise of several rarely seen goodies. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Death Wish 4: The Crackdown ( 18) n (J. Lee Thompson. US. 1987) Charles Bronson. Kay Lenz. John P. Ryan. 98 mins. Ageing vigilante Bronson puffs his way towards another pay cheque in this thoroughly unimaginative entry in a seemingly interminable series. Back in Los Angeles. architect Paul Kersey is seeking the quiet life once again; designing a new arts centre and planning marriage with newspaper reporter Karen Sheldon (Lenz). However. . . out ona date. Karen' s teenage daughter dies ofa heart attack induced by acocaine overdose. When her boyfriend confronts the drug dealer he is stabbed to death. Kersey decides it is time to dole out his particular brand of rough justice.
Marginally less surprising than a three piece jigsaw this is formula fodder at its most uninspired; indiscriminate video audiences have got a lot to answer for. Strathclyde: Odeon Hamilton. Rialto I Dog Soldiers (18) (Karel Reisz. US. 1978) Nick Nolte. Tuesday Weld. Michael Moriarty. 126 mins. Sickened by the carnage he has experienced in Vietnam correspondent Moriarty inveiglcs his naval buddy Nolte and wife Weld in a desparate scheme to smuggle a large consigment of heroin to the United States. The plan backfircs and he finds the inescapable violence of Vietnam brought destructively home.
Robert Stone‘s powerfu1.prizc-winning novel of sour. senseless disillusionment and meanness is treated in a somewhat kid-glove fashion by Reisz but bubbling under the surface are some strong performances and an effective 70$ atmosphere. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Earth (U) (Alexander Dovzhenko. USSR. 1930) Scmyon Svashenko. Stepan Shkurst, Mikola Nademsky. A rarely equalled lyrical evocation of a land and its people by one of the poets ofcelluloid. Glasgow: GF'T
I Everybody Go Home (PG) (Luigi Comencini.lta1y. 1960) Albero Sordi. Serge Reggiani. Martin Balsam. 120 mins. September 1943. The Badoglio government signs an armistice with the Allies. Mussolini is established as a German puppet and Sordi's
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BThe List I()— 23 June 1988