FILM LIST
I The Accused ( 18) (Jonathan Kaplan. US. 1988) Kelly Me(ii|lis. Jodie Foster Berni Coulson. 1 11 mins. SarahTobias (Jodie Foster) is raped on a pinball machine by three men. yet when the assailants are taken to court. a plea bargain with Sarah's lawyer Kathryn Murphy ( Kelly Me(iillis) reduces their charges. When both women realise this is a sell-out. they decide to bring charges against the men in the bar who cheeredon the attack and offered encouragement to the rapists.
Standout performance from Fosterin this sympathetic and responsible treatment of difficult subject matter. whose firm grasp of character and honest intentions help allay one's reservations about the content (ilasgow : Cannon Clarkston Road. Cannon Sauchiehall Street. Central: ('annon. Strathclyde: Cannon. Kelburne. ()deon Ayr. ()deon Hamilton. Rialto. WMR Film Centre. AMCClydebank it).
I The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (P(i) (Terry (iilliam. US. 1988)John Neville. Sarah Polley . Eric Idle. Robin Williams. 126 mins. (iilliani‘sfabulously expensive 18th century fantasia begins in a city under siege from the '1 urks where the populace are being entertained by a theatrical extravaganza based on the tall talesof Baron Munchausen. whereupon the lad himself appears to give a first-hand account of his adventures and save the day.
(iilliam's extravagant v isual sensibility guides thisoccasionally misfiringmanic epic through its sticky patches. but there is so much to look at and enough genuine laughs that his relentless campaign against mediocre convention is more than justified. (ilasgow: ()deon. Edinburgh: ()deon. Strathclyde: AMC Clydebank 111. La Seala.
I Alexander Nevsky ( t ' ) (Sergei Eisenstein. l'SSR. 193M Nikolai ()khlopkov. Alexander Abrikossov. Dmitri ()rlov. \‘assily Nov'ikoy. 112 mins. To music by Prokofiev. Eisenstein re-enactssplendidly Russia'smedieval routing of the (iermans. drawing powerful comparisons with the l'SSR's contemporary threat from the Nazis. A thrilling. patrioticcpic. Edinburgh: l-‘ilmhouse. I Anne Trister( 18) (Lea Pool. Canada. 1986) Alban (iuhile. Hughes ()uester. Louise Marleau. 115 mins. A young woman painter in shock after the death of her father leaves her long-time lover and moves to new surroundings in Quebec. There she feels isolated. but friendship with an older woman psychologist and renewed dedication to her work seetn to set her on the road to recovery. Studied exercise in angst. (ilasgow : (51’1‘. I Au Clair De La Lune ( l5 ) (Andre Forcier. Canada. 1983) Wry. surreal fantasy about an albino v agrant. apparently from outer space. who helps his fellow down-and-outs to victory in the local bowling championship. Engaging low-budget fare from Quebec. See also Mayfest diary and panel. (ilasgow:(i1"l'. I Badlandst 18) ('1 ercnce Malick. CS. 1973 ) Martin Sheen. Sissy Spacek. 94 mins. A young girl and her garbage collector boyfriend leave a trail of murder across the American Midwest. Literate. beautifully judged and impressively performed study of small town torpor and youthfulrebellion.(ilasgow;(i1’l'. I Bagdad Call] (P(i) (Percy Adlon. [IS W. (iermany. 1988) Marianne Sagebrecht. (CCH. Pounder. Jack Palance. 1118 mins. The wonderful Sagebrecht stars as a redoubtable (ierman lady who leaves her husband in the middle of the desert and soon settles down with the folks at a
38‘I‘he List 31 April -1 May 1989
TNDEX
— THE SEHPENT AND THE RAINBOW
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The Serpent and the Rainbow (18) (Wes Craven, US, 1988) Bill Pullman, Cathy Tyson, Zakes Mokae. 98 mins. Having unleashed the ultra-successful and seemingly interminable Nightmare On Elm Street series (number four is coming your way soon, folks), writer and director Wes Craven is clearly taking a shot at a more sophisticated market with this rather shambling effort. The Serpent is set in pre-revolutionary Haiti, and is based on the book of the same name by anthropologist Wade Davis.
The subject is Haiti's mysterious voodoo culture, and in fairness, the film does attempt to suggest that the voodoo culture has positive as well as purely nasty implications. Dennis Alan (Pullman) is an anthropologist who encounters a terrifying evil presence in the Amazon basin; on his return, he learns that a man who had been pronounced dead and was buried has turned up alive in Haiti. A giant
nearby rundown motel. where proprietress Pounder has also recently lost a spouse. Before long. the two women re-invent themselves through their friendship. and transform the place into the bargain.
Director Adlon displays a warm and rather charming sympathy with the all-too-human quirks of his oddball but convincing characters. and so manages to shape a quite beguiling tale from the most basicof materials. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Barfly ( 18) ( Barbet Schroeder . US. 1987) Mickey Rourke. l"aye1)unavvay . Alice Ktige. 99mins. Bar-room bum Rourke finds artistic inspiration in the demon drink. but his discovery by a prestigious literary magazine and the temptations of wealth it offers is to threaten his relationship with fellow alcoholic Dunaway.
Calculating exercise in existentialism based on the autobiographical writingsof cult author Charles Bukowski. here energetically impersonaled by agame Mickey Rourke. (ilasgow : (ii-'1.
I Betty Blue ( 18) (Jean-Jacques Beineix. France. 1986) Jean Hughes Anglade. Beatrice Dalle 121) mins. 'l'cmpestuous love gone mad as an older handyman and a free-spirited woman embark on a passionate. peripaletic fling that ends in tragedy: Filmed with a dazzling technique and an irritating emptiness by the maker of Diva. Glasgow: (jl’l‘.
I The Big Easy ( 18) (Jim McBride. US. 1987) Dennis Ouaid. Ellen Barkin. Ned Beatty. 101 mins. Pretty smart and sexv cop thriller set in a sweaty. atmospheric
.' 4 'e a“. . , pharmaceutical company want the miracle drug which is turning people into zombies, and Alan sets out to get it, onlyto find himself immersed in a mysterious world of magic and terror.
On arrival, he feels the same evil presence hanging over Papa Doc Duvalier's Haiti, in the person of the local chief of the Ton Ton Macoute, the dictator‘s police, a powerful voodoo priest with a vested interest in making sure he fails. His allies include a local doctor, Marielle (Cathy Tyson), and Lucien Celine, a benevolent voodoo priest. The action proceeds along predictable lines, and in the end it is impossible to avoid the conclusion that the film falls between two stools. The anthropological intent largely gets lost in the gore and special effects, but there is not nearly enough splattering blood and decomposing corpses to satisfy the Nightmare crowd either. (Kenny Mathieson)
New Orleans where local lieutenant ()uaid tries to clear up a series of gangland murders. all the while falling in love with Barkin's attorney. in town to investigate police corruption. Edinburgh: Cameo. I Bigfoot and the Hendersons ( P( i) (\Villiani Dear. US. 1987) John Lithgow. Melinda Dillon. Don Anieche. 111 mins Disncyesque family adventure in which the all-American Henderson family crash into the legendary Bigfoot and adopt the suprisingly genial beastie as a domestic pet with predictable complications from the neighbours and blood-hungry hunters. Strathclyde: WMR Film Centre. I Breathless A Buui De Souffld 15) (Jean-Luc Godard. France. 1959) JeanoPaul Belmondo. Jean Seberg. 90 mins. A chic Parisian petty criminal (Belmondo) and his American ex-patriate girlfriend (Seberg) drift through a world of stolen cars and aimless romance inexorably towards a downbeat finale. (iodard's debut feature provoked quite a stir in its day for the carefree arrogance with which it ignored the conventionsof filmic grammar . but today it stands asa casual love letter to the American B-movie crime picture. brimming with the kind of ctneniatic freshness and charisma that the director seemed to lose during his later Marxist period. And the two starsare well iconic. Edinburgh; Edinburgh University Film Society. I Broadcast News ( 15) (James 1.. Brooks. US. 1987) William Hurt. Holly Hunter. Albert Brooks. 132 mins. Hurt is‘l‘om (irunick. a blandly charismatic presenter whose face is his fortune. Brooks is Aaron
Altman. a hard-edged newshound who still retains a belief in the paramouncy ofa story's content rather than its presentation. Hunter is the work-obsessed Jane Craig. a high-flying producer torn between her respect for Aaron and her lust for'l'om.
Highly entertaining romantic comedy set against a convincingly evoked milieu of television network news production and a generation of achievers whose private and professional worlds acknowledge no boundaries. Fast-paced. farcical. brilliantly acted with a sly cameo from Jack Nicholson as a revered network anchorman. Probably the best mainstream American comedy you'll see this year. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Film Society.
I The Brood ( 18) (David Cronenbcrg. Canada. 1979) Samantha Eggar. ()liver Reed. 91 mins. Eggar's matcrnalinstincts run wild as she devours her won afterbirth and deposits dozens of midget clones in the world who turn very nasty ifshe’s upset. Pretty unstomachable horror but. according to the director. it‘s ‘my version of Kramer vs Kramer'. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Carmen (PG) (Peter Brook. Fr/UK. 1983)He1ene Delavault. 85 mins. Based on Brook‘s own highly acclaimed production now visiting (ilasgow. this is a pared down version of Bizet shot in claustrophobic settings to an intimate effect that subverts the usual expansive cinematic approach to the medium. Edinburgh: French Institute.
I Critters 2: The Main Course ( 15) ( Mick (iarris, US. 1988) Scott (irimes. Lianne Curtis. Don ()pper. 87 mins. Before they chomped up a nice Midwestern town in the last movie. the voracious little balls of fur from outer space had the sense to lay some eggs. so now the sequel offers their spawn the chance to do it all over again. Needless to say. the intergalactic bounty hunters pretty soon get on the case. Enjoyably trashy schlock. played for laughs as a tackier. less self-satisfied version of Gremlins. Strathclyde: AMCClydebank 111.
I DADADADADADADADA( 15) Four programmes of short films trace the cinema's contribution to the anarchic artistic movement that flourished thoughout the major capitals of Europe after World War One. Works by names as diverse as Hans Richter. Rene Clairand ('haplin will be represented. while a major part of the season attempts to show how the spirit ofdada continues to influence avant-garde film-makers in recent decades. with pieces by David Lynch. Bruce Conner and Lydia l.uch on display. The British Film Institute have prepared a free broadshect. Edinburgh; Filmhousc. I Dangerous Liaisons ( 15) (Stephen Frears. L'S. 1988) (ilenn ('lose. John Malkov ich. Michelle Pfeiffer. Keanu Reeves. 12(1mins. ChristopherHampton adapts his stage version of ( ‘hoderlos dc l.aclos‘ novel for the screen. with Americans Close and Malkovich starring as the central pairing of Madame de 'liourvel and the Vicomte de Valmont. two treacherous 18th century aristocrats weaving a web of erotic duplicity around one another.
British director Stephen l-‘rears makes a notable Hollywood debut by guiding his east through a difficult set of narrative pirouettes. and the crisp dialogue is handled w ith a certain asperity. Yet for all the pent-up emotion on screen. little fervour seeps through to the audience and the result is a rather cold and calculating piece of work. (ilasgow: Salon. Edinburgh: Cannon.
I The Dead Pool ( 18) '3: (Buddy Van Horn. IS. 1988) Clint Eastwood. Liam Neeson. Patricia Clarkson. Fifth in the Dirty Harry series has Clint as tough eop Harry Callahan investigating a series ofbrutal murders. All the victims' names appearon a list made for fun by eccentric slasher