l‘lLalVl 1.410 1
expatriate playwright Charlie Tynan (Sheen) returns from the States to Irelanc on the death of his father (IIughes).and finds himself reliving the past with his da. his ma. his own younger selfand the inscrutable old codger Mr Drumm (Hickey). his first employer and mentor. Though he argues almost incessantly with irrepressible old man Tynan. they eventually arrive at a touching reconciliation.
This is a quirky and episodic movie with touches ofdistinctly Irish humour and a real flavour ofthe Emerald Islc'slush countryside. Ilughes is wonderfully lovable and ignorant; though the Sheen character is remote and a little hard to identify with. At timesirritatingly' disjointed. the film nonetheless conveys something of the nature of nostalgia in a way which is both accurate and entertaining. (ilasgow: (irosvenor.
I Dangerous Liaisons ( 15) (Stephen Frears. US. 1988) (ilenn (‘lose..lohn Malkovich. Michelle I’feiffer. Keanu Reeves. Ill) mins. (‘hristopher I Iampton adapts his stage version of(‘hoderlos dc Laclos' novel for the screen. with Americans (‘lose and Malkovich starring as the central pairing of Madame de Tourvel and the \'icomtc de Valmont. twe treacherous 18th century aristocrats weaving a web oferotic duplicity around one another. British director Stephen Frears makes a notable I Iollywood debut by guiding his east through a difficult set of narrative pirouettes. and the crisp dialogue is handled with 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': (‘annon ('Iarks‘ton Road. (‘cntral: Cannon.
I Dead-Bang ( 15) (John I-‘rankenheinier. US. 1088) Don Johnson. William Forsythe. Penelope Ann Miller. 05 mins. LA cop Joe Beck (Johnson) lives a seedy existence in the most tawdry of surroundings while his wife proceeds with a divorce suit. Assigned to find the murderer ofa fellow law enforcement officer. he discovers the dead man's connections with an organisation ofwhite supremacists. and his professional and personal limits are soon to be tested. Suggested by the experiences of real-life detective Jerry Beck. the film somehow manages to reek of mid-seventies television. though the political elements are very much of a piece with director Frankenhcimcr's impeccably liberal credentials. (ilasgow: (‘annon The Forge. (‘annon Sauchiehall Street. lidinburgh: ('annon.
I La Dentelliere(15)((‘lauderreita. France. 1977) Isabelle Iluppert. Yves Beneyton. Florence (iiorgetti. ltl7mins. lluppcrt is a reticent young I’arisien hairdresser who has an affair with a univeristy student whilst on holiday in Normandy. Love amidst the sand-dunes turns to tension and aggravation in the city and Iluppert soon hits rock-bottom. A detached. finely detailed but uneven study of amourous mismatching which doesn't go out of its way to challenge female role stereotyping as more recent French films have. despite the loading of the story in IIuppert‘s favour. Iidinburgh: French Institute.
I Distant Voices. Still Livesi 15 i (Terence Davies. 13K. 1988) Freda Dowie. l’ete Postlethwaite. Angela Walsh. Dean Williams. 85 mins. Liverpool. the late Forties and early Fifties. a working class household persevere through domestic violence. death and marriage. Brilliantly made tribute to his family’s experience. and a requiem for a way of life now passed by one of the most gifted cinematic artists this country now possesses. Highly recommended. Iidinburgh: Cameo.
I La Dolce Vita ( IS) (Frederico Fellini. Italy France. l‘)ti(l) Marcello .‘vlastroianni. Anita Ekberg. Anouk Aimee. l73mins.
Warlock (15) (Steve Miner, 08,1988) Julian Sands, Lori Singer, Richard E. Grant. 102 mins. When God created the Universe, He was known by a name now lost to us, mercifully, because if it is ever uttered backwards, it will unravel all of Creation. But a 17fh Century warlock travels to modern day California to piece together the dreaded devil’s bible, ‘The Dark Grimoire‘, so that he can proclaim this lost name.
Fear not: witchfinder Giles Redferne follows in pursuit, dragging the meagre plot behind him. Warlock may tread
WARLOCK
similar ground to Highlanderand The Terminator but it lacks style and drive. Clumsy dialogue and fame direction scarcely echo the scale of the impending catastrophe. Richard E. Grant, highly acclaimed in Withnail and I, plays Redferne but seems too weighed down by rabbit furs and bizarre accents to perform more than adequately.
Julian Sands attempts to shake off the dashing romantic image he has fostered in A Room With A View by taking on the role of the warlock. He claims it was a chance to play a thoroughly evil character. but has little opportunity to savour the part. And poor Lori Singer. She plays Kassandra (with-a-K), who reluctantly becomes involved in the witch hunt. She has the misfortune to struggle with make-up that ages her forty years. as well as dealing with a plot that refuses to yield to logic.
Director. Steve Miner, regards Warlock as touching, funny, and scarey. Not words that immediately leap to my lips. Butthen, he takes the blame for directing Friday the 13th, parts If and III. This won‘t win him new fans. True, we are spared gore-splattered special effects but we are also deprived of atmosphere and tension. This film did not have me under its spell. One word of warning: if you want to fly, be prepared to abandon your low fat diet. (Paul Smith)
Paparazzi journo-typc .‘vfastr'oianni mixes with the beautiful people of rich Roman society and is arnbiv alently shocked and fascinated by the vigour of their excessive decadence. Iivcrvthirig you ever wanted from a Fellini movie black humour. grotesque sexuality. inspircdvisual imagination and the wonderful Marcello. See it. Iidinburgh: (‘ameo
I Doss House (t'iilolm Baxter. t'fs‘. W33). 4(imins. Baxter spent the I‘Dtisin variety and theatre management but leapt to public notice with his first feature. a startlingly raw depiction of alondon lodging house written by I lerbcrt Ay res. .‘yftisical hall-sly le pathos abounds but Baxter's treatment is far from sentimental. aided by a cast made up almost entirely of unknowns. ( ilasgovv: (if-'I‘.
I Drowning By Numbers ( ls) ( I’elef (ircenaway'. I'K. WSS) .loan l’low right. Bernard Ilill. .loely Richardson. llSmins. In a narrative as straightforward and complicated as the title. three generations of women. all of them called ( 'issie (‘olpitts. dispose of their husbands in a series of aquatic murders. w liilst the numbers 1 to 1le [III] through the film in the backgrounds. Full of the Usual ravishing visual symmetries and ahighly dev eloped sense of the incongruous. (ireenaw ay 's latest sports a number of highly polished and sympathetic performances. that along with the enjoyable pastime of number spotting. makes this current effort his most accessible and pleasurable to date. Izdinburgh: I‘ilmhouse.
I Dumbo ( I' ) (Ben Shari-stcen. I 'S. Ill-ll ) 64 mins. The rest of the circusanimals make fun of the little elephant with the huge cars. but he discov eis they liav e a rise after all. ('lassic Disney animated feature. timelessentertainment. Strathclyde: ()deon Ay'r.
I A Fish Called Wanda l 15 l l ( ‘hzirIc-s
('richton. l‘ls'. l‘fSS‘) .Iohn (‘lec-se..laiiiie I.ee(‘urtis. Kevin Kline. Michael l’alin. 'l'orii(icoi'geson. lllH mins. Stufly I'.lll.lll\ll lawyer Archie leach ((‘Icese ) gets unwittingly iriyolv ed with a gaiigof diamond tliiev es. including brash Amer ican Is'lme and stamiiicriiig animal lover l’alin. because he has access to information that will help them lay their hands on the swag (ilariior'ous Wanda (.larmc l.ce ( 'urtrs) steps in to ’omance him into talking. but love is to rear its head. Remarkably effective comedy . with the absurdly black humour of the I’y thon generation given a narrative control and sense of timing that only a veterans steady ‘Iiand could prov ide And it makesa wonderful romantic lead out of the rather unlikely .\lr ( ~leesc. (ilasgow ; ( 'armon Sauchiehall Street l-diiiburgh. (‘annorr Central: ('aledoriiari. ( aiirioii Str'athclyde: ( ’annori.l a Scala. I Fletch Lives ( l’( i l r Michael Richie. t '8. NS”) ( ~heyy (base. l’atr icia Is'alembei. (‘leayon little. Ilal llolbrook.Julianne Phillips 95 mins. I'letch the would-be investigative louriialist inherits an Sflacre Southern l’lantation from an ey-aunt I low ev er life as a Southern gentleman is not quite w hat he had hoped for 'I he estate It [fit lls out. lllalseslllc liales~ .\lotel look like the palace of Versailles and.as with most old houses in the mov res. there are some strange goings on \\ hen the lov ely local law y er is murdered ( ‘hevy takes up the chase w ith his risual gamut of gags and guises. Str‘athclyde: .-\.\l(' (‘lydebank Ill. ( )deon .»\y r . ( )deon Ilantrlton I FDDI For Lover l5 l t Robert .\ltmari. I S. I‘LSS ) Sam Shepard. Kim Basinch . I lar ry Dean Stanton. Dennis ()iraid I’laywirght Shepard takes a central role in thisv ersiori of his L'tiolly detached stage play \\ ltlcll looks. like much of his work. at the souringol the .-\riiericari Dream. 'I he scenario is an intense. psychological one.
following two ex-love rs who find themselves inextricably and destructively bound together. Despite the strong cast. with the inimitable Stanton more than earning his keep in yet anothersupporting role. Altman‘s inventive direction doesn't quite manage the conversion from stage to screen. Iidinburgh: (‘amco
I For Dueen And Country ( 15) (Martin Stellman. I'K I'S. W88) Den/.cl Washington. Dorian Ilealy. Amanda Rcdrnan. (ieorge Baker. liltimins. Returning home after active service in Northern Ireland and the Falklands war. black soldier Reuben (Washington) finds that contemporary urban Britain is hardly the land fit for heroes that he expected.
I 'nablc to find employment but wary of getting involved in petty crime. he also faces riiuch racist abuse. but the withdrawal of his British citizenship due to changes in the nationality legislation isthe final straw that drives his angertowards violent action. Ambitiousblendol hard-hitting social realism with the mythic excitements of a I lollyvvood western that doesn't quite come off. (ilasgow: (irosvenor. Iidinburgh: I-‘ilmhouse.
I The Glory Guys ( l’( i ) ( Arnold I.av'cn.
I'S. WM) 'I‘om 'l‘r‘yon. Ilar've l’resnell. .lames ( 'aaii. Slim l’ickens. Ill mins. Slow moving ( ~av alry western involving alov'e triangle. Screenplay by Sam I’eckinpah. I€tliiilitii'gli: lidinburgh Film ( iiiild.
I The Hallelujah Trial (I’( i ) (.lohn Sturges. IS. 1005) Burt Lancaster. l.cc Rernick. .lirii Iliitton. Donald l’lcasaricc. .lolm Delirier. lofi miii. Rcriiick is in fine form as the fiery no-rionsensc temperance leader determined to stop a large consignment of the demon drink reaching thirsty Denver miners. .-\miable but ov erlong western satire that may well leave one w ishinga drop of the hard stuff was on hand. Izdiiiburgh: Iidinburgh Film ( iuild.
I Hellbound: Hellraiser Hi Is) ('1 ony Raridel. l’ls'. l‘lb’b') Ashley Laurence. Kenneth ( ‘ranham. ( 'laire I Iiggins. 93 mins. After the eventsof Ht’f/I'rlfvt‘l' KlTsly (laurcncc ) rs detained in Dr ( ‘hannard's psychiatric hospital. but hell is soon unleashed once more and as the ( ‘cnobites and the now skinless .lulia f I Iigginsl return to prey on our heroine Ilowev er. she is under just as rimcli threat from the good doctor who suddenly finds hismost sadistic fantasies are coiiiingtrue. Redundant sequel that never r'ecaptur'es the ver \ e of the original because it fails to develop the ehar'actcrsor frrid much more for them todo. ‘l‘he result is apoorly directed effort that for all the bloodspilt. remains tedious m the e\lrerne. ( ilasgow: ('annon ( 'lai kstori Road. ( ‘aimori 'I he I'orge. ( )deon. Itdiribuigh: ( )deon. (ential: ( 'annon. Stiathclyde. .-\.\l(~ (‘lydebank Ill. ( )deon .'\y l . ( )deon llamrltoii. Is'elbur nc. ( ‘aiinoii,
I Her Allbl l I’( i ) ( lil‘llt‘e Beieslor'd. I IS. I‘ISS) lom Selleck. I’aulina l’oi'r/kova.
\\ illiam I).llllL‘I\. US mins. Selleck playsa shy but successful detective thriller writer I’hilrp Blackwood w ho's been stuck for inspiration since his w ile left him andso goesoiit into the naked city in search of a story .v\nd he finds it iii the shape of \ma fl’ori/kov a i. an enigmatic foreign beauty currently on a murder charge. but for
w hour the smitten Blackwood is prepared toollei an alibi by fabricating detailsof a relationship between the pair . a mov e
w lirch is oiilv to place his life iii per il l’iedictablewriter detectiveshenanigans. I but Selleck handles it all rather painlessly (ilasgow ( aririori Sauchiehall Street Stiathclyde..»\\I(‘(.Iydel\.il1kIll i I Highlanderr l5) t I Is. l‘leH'hrrstopher r lainbert. Beatie I'tIIlL'\ . Sean ( 'oiiiieiv ll 1 mins .\ handful of immortalsbattle through the centuries to win a mythical [‘ll/L‘. A curious iiiistuie of romance in
Ibtli century heather aridcar chasesin present day New \ oi k. the film isan l rnelcgant . often ludicrous. but cnioyablv daffy fantasy adventure I arirbert seems l more at home with the coiitcrnporar v
'l‘he I.ist lb I‘llune l‘fh") 23