FILM LIST
Montand. Daniel Auteuil. 121mins. Provence. during the I9les. Depardieu's indomitable hunchback struggles against impossible odds to make a success of his inherited farmland unaware that his apparently friendly neighbours are secretly planning to drive him from his land.
Beautifully photographed with flawless performances. this is a towering tribute to the highest aspirations oftraditional French storytelling. A recent BAI’I'A winner as the film of the year. (ilasgow: (il’l‘.
IThe Jerk( 15) (Carl Reincr. CS. 1981) Steve Martin. 104 mins. Hit and miss comedy as Martin goes from rags to riches to rags again. when his ground-breaking invention that stops spectacles slipping down the wearer‘s nose turns out to have disastrous side effects. Watch out for the classic cat-juggling sequence. and Martin's usual command of the physical gag. (ilasgow: (il’l‘.
I Lancelot Du Law 15) (Robert Bresson. France. 197-1) 1.uc Simon. Vladimir Antaliek. 85 mins. The legend of King Arthur stripped of all the glowing heroism that is tisually attached to it. This later Bresson shows the director's austerity of visual style working at its sparsest. the result being a work of typically ascetic spirituality. lidinburgh: French Institute. I Mask ( Peter Bogdanovich. CS. 1985) Cher. Sam Iilliott. liric Stoltz. llemins. Tear-jerking drama based on the true story of Rocky Dennis. a plucky teenager whose face has been horribly disfigured by a rare disease. Cher excels as hisbiker mother trying to cope with herown emotional traumas. (ilasgow; (iI’I'.
I The Man With Two Brains ( 15 ) (Carl Reiner. CS. 1983) Steve Martin. Kathleen Turner. David Warner. 93 mins. Zany Martin-Reiner romp in which the great man plays a brilliant brain surgeon driven to the depths of despair when he weds Turner. a man-hungry murderess with a penchant for driving elderly husbands to early graves and pocketing their legacies. Delirioust delightful. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Midnight Bun ( 15) (Martin Brest. L's. 1988) Robert De Niro. Charles Cirodin. Yaphet Kotto. John Ashton. 122 mins. De Niro is charming and surprisingly straightforward as an honest ex~cop turned bounty hunter. crossing the country to bring crooked accountant Grodin back form New York to LA. so that he can face charges ofcmbczzling Mafia money. The only problem being that the FBI. the mob. the cops. and another bounty hunter all want their hands on the suspect too.
Superior Hollywood entertainment. very capably served up and performed. Strathclydc: ()deon Ilamilton.
I My Life AS A Dog (PG) (Lasse 1 Ialstrom. Sweden. 1985) Anton (ilanzelius. Manfred Server. Anki Liden. 101 mins. Wholly captivating rite of passage tale set in Sweden during the 1950s. Twelve year-old lngemar copes with his mother‘s terminal illness and his family's general indifference to his boisterous spirits by indulging in a high fantasy life. including the pretence that he is a dog. 'I‘erribletitle. wonderful. unmissable film. Edinburgh: National Museum OfScotland.
I Nico ( 18) (Andrew Davis. US. 1988) Steven Seagal. Pam Grier. Henry Silva. 99 mins. In Vietnam he saw a CIA torturer inject a prisoner with drugs to extract information. now in 1988 Chicago Nico (Seagal) and his black partner Jax (Pam Grier) could be on the verge of discovering that the CIA are controlling the city's drug trade in order to finance a right-wing invasion of Nicaragua. Ifthey live to tell the tale. that is.
Familiar slam-bang action. but presented with some panache by ex-bodyguard Seagal and the narrative displays more political nous than we have any right to expect in an actioner like this. Glasgow: Cannon. Strathclydc: AMC
BIG TIME
Big Time (PG) (Chris Blum, US, 1988) Tom Waits, Ralph Carney, Marc Ribot, Greg Cohen. 91 mins. In a way, there‘s a certain irony to the title of this one. While Waits’ transformation from the left-field jazz balladry of his Seventies material on the Asylum label to the crazed R'n'B junkyard of his masterly trilogy for Island Records- Swordfishtrombones (1983), Rain Dogs (1985) and Frank's Wild Years (1987) — has seen him reaching a wider area of appreciation, he is hardly paddling in the mainstream of American musical entertainment.
Given his charismatic performances in Hollywood movies like Babenco’s lronweed, and Coppola's The Cotton Club, however, it hardly comes as much of a surprise then to see him documenting the acclaimed performances of the Frank’s Wild Years tourfor cinematic posterity. Deriving a sense of coherence from their roots in the stage musical or ‘Dperachi Romantico' of the same name, the songs here present the jumbled imaginings of one of life's eternal losers, as he casts himself in the role of suave crooner for ‘Straight To The Top‘ or ‘Down In The Hole’ 3 evangelical combatantwith Satan.
The problem with Levis adman Chris
Blum‘s movie though, is that it lacks the confidence to let the Waits show stand up on its own. Thus we are treated to a loose string of non-scenes featuring Waits as just another Joe Schmo working in the theatre, which serves to distract from the main musical business of the evening. Another carp is that the direction also manages to concentrate too much on Waits for us to appreciate that this is a fine band we are hearing. Fairly minor quibbles reallythough, in the face of the enticing prospect of an hour and a half in Waitsland for the disciples of St
Thomas. (TrevorJohnston)
Clydebank. Cannon Kilmarnock. I The Night 18 Young ( 18)( 1.eos('arax. France. 1986) Denis 1.avant.Juliette Binoche. Michel Piccoli. 109 mins. Never mind the rather asinine plot (rival gangsin pursuit of the serum to an AIDS-like virus) but delight in the young director‘s exuberant sense of cinema. llis feeling for colour and movement. affection for his ragarnuffin characters and sheer beliefin the power of visual imagery to captivate the audience are both exhilarating and intoxicating. Edinburgh: Cameo. I 9% Weeks ( 18) (Adrian I.yne. LS. 1985) Mickey Rourke. Kim Basinger. 113 mins. Divorcec Basinger becomes a slave to love when she succumbs to the stubbly charms of commodities broker Rourke. Iimpty-headed designer honking. Edinburgh: Cameo. I No Way 0111 ( 15) (Roger Donaldson. CS. 1987) Kevin Costner. Scan Young. Gene Hackman. 11-1 mins. Resourcefulnaval hero Costner. now a liaison officer between Secretary of Defense Hackman and the CIA. is asked to lead an investigation into the murder of a Washington socialite. I lowevcr. he knows that llackman was the accidental killer and that the finger ofsuspicion isbeing falsely pointed towards another man who shared the girl‘s bed. natncly himself. Beautifully paced conspiracy yarn with fine performances all round. Ilighly recommended. lidinburgh: Cameo. I Orphans ( 15) (Alan J. Pakula. CS. 1987) Albert Finney. Matthew Modine. 121) mins. Two boys left to their own devices since childhood in a decaying Newark house fend for themselves almost as wild animals. until a gangster on the run (himselfthe product ofan orphanage) seeks refuge there and sunders their strange existence forever. Well-handled version of intriguing stage material. never quite transcending its origins but a worthwhile curiosity. Engrossing performances. Edinburgh: Cameo. I Pennies From Heaven (Herbert Ross. US. 1981) Steve Martin. Bernadette Peters. Jessica Harper. 81 mins. Condensed US film version of Dennis Potter's epic British television film which
manages to retatn much of the essential mix of humour. musical fantasy and harsh social realities which distinguished the original. and does so with considerable style. Iintcrtaining. if not quite up tothe longer version. (ilasgow: (ii-'1‘. I Play ItAgain Sam ( )5) (Herbert Ross, CS. 1972) Woody Allen. Diane Keaton. Tony Roberts. 8o mins. Plagued with uncertainties about the possible course of a relationship. Woody relies heavily on the advice of personal mentor Bogey. Iingaging homage to the silver screen romances of days gone by. with the addition of Allen's ever neurotic humorous edge. Cilasgow: (iI’I‘. I II Posto I Hie/uh) (PU) (Iirmano()lmi. Italy. 1961 ) Sandro I’anzeri. 1.oredanna Detto. 91) mins. A teenage boy gets his first job and moves up the ladder from office gopher to clerk when art older man dies. Iixtraordinarilyobservant quasi-documentary. making absorbing drama out of an everyday urban working experience. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Predator( 18) (John Mc'I'iernan. 11S. 1987) Arnold Schwarzenegger. Carl Weathers. Iilpidia Carillo. 107 mins. Arnie and his dirty half-dozen are hired to enter a dense South American jungle to free a kidnapped cabinet minister. but lurking unseen in the foliage is a chameleon-like being waiting to skin alive any unsuspecting human to cross its path. Slow to build. but ultimatelygripping macho mayhem with a real sense ofthreat. (ilasgow: ()deon. I The Princess Bride ( PU) (Rob Reiner. US. 1987) Cary Iilwes. Robin Wright. Mandy Patinkin. Billy Crystal. 99 mins. The princess in question is one Buttercup. chosen by the nasty Prince llumperdinck to be his bride; her heart. however. belongs to Westley. a farm boy. who has gone off to make his fortune before marrying her. but has disappeared. The princess is kidnapped by a rather dodgy trio. which proves to be the cue forthe rc-appearance of Westley. now become the Dread Pirate Roberts. and the beginningof a series ofoften very funny swashbuckling adventures before true love can finally prevail.
William Goldman‘s heavily ironic. tongue-in-cheek fairy tale is given a spirited treatment by the director ofSrund By Me and an enthusiastic troupe. lidinburgh: Edinburgh l'nivcrsity Film Society.
I Prizzi‘s Honourt 15) (John Huston.17S. 1985) Jack Nicholson. Kathleen Turner. Anjelica Huston. 129 mins. Slow-witted Mafia hit man Nicholson beds and weds his female counterpart Turner but middle-aged bliss is not to be his. She has bcsmirched his family name with a double-dealing casino scam and nobody violates the code of the Priuis with impunity. even blood relatives. Skilful black comedy directed with a veteran' s assurance and distinguished by a rogucs‘ gallery of performances. lidinburgh: Cameo.
I The Purple Bose Df Cairo ( P( i i ( woody Allen. CS. 1985) Mia Farrow. .leff Daniels. 84 mins. A dowdy waitress meets the man of her dreams when a matinee idol steps down offthe tnovic screen and into her life. l'nfortunately. the studioare not amused as the character involved is their property. and the actor w hoplaycd the role worries about the possibility ofa paternity suit.
Basically. a one-joke movie. but this Pirandellian conceit is admirably worked out. offering a few barbs of wisdom on the illusory nature of romance. (ilasgow: Crl’l'.
I The Railway Children (P(i)(1.ionel Jeffries.l'K.1971))DinahSheridan. William Mervyn. Jenny Agutter. 1118 mins. A trio of youngsters find that their involvement with the railway that runs past their garden is to lead them into adventure. Pleasing family film. lit up by a bright performance from a very young Ms Agutter. lidinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Be-Animatou 18) (Stuart (Bordon. CS. 1985 ) Jeffrey Combs. Bruce Abbott. 8-1 mins. Much ghoulish fun as mad scientists discovers a way of bringing bodies back to life. and before long severed heads and frisky intestines are gambolling their way across the screen. Crlasgow: ()deon.
I River's Edge ( 18) (Tim I lunter. l'S. 198(i)Crispin (ilover. Keanu Reeves. Dennis Hopper. 99mins. A motivelcss murder is the catalyst for a moral crisis among a group of teenage buddies.
Challenging exploration of alienated youth and their attempts to forge a value system in a society of numbing moral blankness. Iidinburgh: Cameo.
I Santa Claus: The Movie ( PG ) (Jeannot Swarc. CS. 1985) Dudley .\loorc..lohn Lithgow. 108 mins. Cuddly Dudley and Father C. himself in the satne movie‘.’ ()nc to entertain the younger viewers. or those with a high crassness threshold. Edinburgh: ()deon. Strathclydc: Rialto. I Scarface ( 18) (Brian Dcl’alma. ['S. 1983) Al Pacino. Steven Batter. Michelle Pfeiffer. 169 mins. Cuban emigrant Pacino builds a vast Miami crime empire on foundations of cocaine. but his life is destroyed when he loses control of hisown indulgence. ()verbearing rnoralising dominates this sweeping gangster saga. with stylish violent highlights the De Palma trademark as ever. (ilasgow: Cannon ('larkston Road.
I Scrooged (PCi) ~52 (Richard Donner. CS. 1988) Bill Murray. 95 mins. See caption review. (ilasgow: Cannon. (irosvenor. Edinburgh: Cannon. Central: Cannon Falkirk. Strathclydc: AMC Clydebank 10.Cannon Kilmarnock. Kelburne Paisley. Odeon Ayr. ()deon Hamilton. Rialto Dumbarton.
I The Seven Samurai ( PG) (Akira Kurosawa. Japan. I954)'1‘oshiroMifune. Takahashi Simura. 200 mins. A groupof timid villagers seek protection against the excesses of a brutal warlord by hiring seven heroic samurai. Seminal Japanese action picture. with a slow-building dignity matching the best ol'John Ford. and in its stylishly aesthetic handling of screen violence a profound influence on the likes of Sam Peckinpah. Ilighly
The List 25 Nov ~ 8 Dec 198815