FILM LIST
cinemascopc has mongrel Tramp helping pedigree pooch Lady out of a sticky situation and falling in lurve along the way. Richly drawn with hummable tunes and endearing characterisations. this is the classic Disney mix as before. Lovely spaghetti-eating sequence. Edinburgh: Dominion. I The Last Detail ( l8) ( Hal Ashby. US. I973) Jack Nicholson. Otis Young. Randy Ouaid. I04 mins.Two hardened naval petty officers escort a young recruit charged with theft across country to jail. Perceptive and profanity-filled screenplay by Robert (Chinatown) Towne powers a magnificent outing by Nicholson that lies at the heart ofthis downbeat melodrama. Edinburgh: Cameo I Last Tango in Paris ( 18) (Bernardo Bertolucci. France/Italy. I973) Marlon Brando. Maria Schneider. I30 mins. A young Parisienne meets a middle-aged man with whom she develops an increasingly violent and purely sexual relationship. ()ne of the key films ofits decade. Bertolucci’s powerful drama is a meditation on the expression and communication of personal identity through intense sexual contact. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Law Of Desire ( l8) (Pedro Almodovar. Spain. 10] mins) Eusebio Ponccla. Carmen Maura. Antonio Baderas. IOI mins. Notorious film-maker Pablo moves through a decadent lifestyle ofsensual pleasure. his only real concern for his younger brother now transsexual sister. However. when he falls for government minister‘s son Antonio. a nightmare of manipulation and deceit is to follow. Flamboyant Spanish iconoclast Almododvar has been acclaimed a major new European talent. and while this exaggerated sexual farrago is interesting as a sort ofoverheated melodrama. the lack of narrative control near the end does let the film down. Still. asingular talent to watch. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Lawrence 01 Arabia (PG) ( David Lean. UK. 1962) Peter O'Toole. Alec Guincss. Jack Hawkins. ()mar Sharif. 222 mins. Lean's mammoth desert epic is at last restored to its director's original cut and back on the big screen where film-making on this scale belongs. O'Toole's debut as engimatic adventurer still impresses. but apart from the majestic action sequences. it‘s the disturbing sense ofclinical and cold-blooded violence hanging over the highly literate characterisation that today seems especially striking. Edinburgh: Odeon. I Mac and Me (U) ‘3? (Stewart Raffill. US. I988) Christine Ebersolc. Jonathan Ward. Tina Caspary. I00mins. Mut'is in fact an acronym for Mysterious A lien Creature in this kiddics' adventure that follows the cute little extraterrestrial‘searthbound encounters with a gang of four young chums. And yes. it does sound a lot like Spielberg‘s Ii'l'. Glasgow: Cannon Clarkston Road. Cannon The Forge. Odeon. Edinburgh: Odeon. Central: Allanpark.Caledonian. Cannon. Regal. Strathclyde: AMC Clydebank I0. Cannon. Kelburne. La Scala. Odeon Ayr. Odeon Hamilton. WM R Film Centre. I Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdomet 15) (George Miller & George ()gilvie. Australia. I985) Mel Gibson.Tina Turner. 107 mins. Max is hailed as the new Messiah by a group ofchildren and faces the challenge of Tina's queen of Bartertown in this overblown disappointment. Glasgow: Grosvenor. I Manon Des Sources (PG) (Claude Berri. France/Italy. I986) Yves montand. Daniel Auteuil. Emmanuelle Beart. I14 mins. Ten years after the demise ofJean De Florette. the Soubeyrans now run a prosperous carnation farm. However. Jean‘s daughter has now grown into an alluring young woman and. through the twists of unpredictable fate. is able to wreak her revenge. Steering this epic rural
INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE
Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade (PG) as (Steven Spielberg, US, 1989) Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Alison Doody, Denholm Elliot. 127 mins. In case you hadn’t heard, Indy is back in action, this time with his old man (Connery) in low. This (so they tell us) is the last instalment of his adventures, and therefore concerns the Ultimate Guest—the hunt for the Holy Grail.
The ever-nasty Nazis are naturally after it as well, and follow hot on Indy’s heels, which oi course necessitates the kind of oh-what-the-hell violence we’ve come to expect from the archaeological adventurer. The obligatorytotal immersion in snakes puts In an early appearance (during a prologue in which the earnest, youthful Jones is played by River Phoenix) and guess what—there’s a spot of The Other, in the shape of delectany devious Doody. Together, our heroes escape the inescapable, achieve the unachievable and generally affirm
Truth, Justice and The American Dream.
Okay, so I’m being cynical. The Last Crusade is (not a bit surprisingly) a very well made movie, with stunning design and photography, spectacular effects, a racy script and some great performances. But the fact is we’ve seen most of it before. Connery is of course a major bonus, turning in a warm, witty and touching performance as Dr Henry Jones, but the scrapes and iapes are all getting just a wee bit tired.
Hollywood trends dating back well over a decade prove that predictability is a positive advantage in the box office (witness for example the imminent
saga towards the realms of Greek tragedy. Manon is a full and satisfying second half that explores the suffering ofthe guilty as they pay a crippling penance for man‘s
greed and envy. The production values are
as high as ever and Auteuil assumes Depardieu's mantle as the human soul of this episode is his tragi-comic development from glaikit idiot to broken-hearted suitor. Glasgow: GFI'. I Married To The Mob ( 15) (Jonathan Demme. US. I988) Michelle Pfeiffer. Dean Stockwcll. Matthew Modine. I04 mins. Mafia wife Angela De Marco (Pfeiffer) finds herselfa widow after her
hubby slips into the jacuzzi with Tony ‘The
Tiger’ Russo (Stockwell)'s best girl. Escaping to a new neighbourhood. she hopes to start afresh. but one kill ain't enough for this tiger. who follows her in pursuit of a bit more meat. When FBI agent Mike Downey (Modine) finds himselfon the case. things hot up. . .or rather don‘t. because despite the quirky hallmarksof Demme‘soff-the-wall irony. so successful in Something Wild and Stop Making Sense. the plot is predictable and slow. and the actors seem dragged down with it. Glasgow: Odeon. Edinburgh: Odeon.
I Matewan ( IS) (John Sayles. US. I987) Chris Cooper. Will Oldham. James Earl Jones. 130 mins. The coalfields of West Virginia. I920. The entire town of Matewan is owned by the mining company. which employs its men in conditions harsh enough to promote a walk-out by the immigrant workers. While the bosses try to bring in cheap labour to break the strike. a union organiser's arrival is to provoke both sides into violent conflict. Sayles modestly-budgeted
release of Police Academy 6 . . .) but I think we could have expected a few more coups this time round from Spielberg, Ford and co.
Perhaps more worrying is the quasi-Christian morallsing which accompanies a plot held together by brutal action sequences. The implication of the final scenes is that it’s Jones’ piety which saves the day, and that’s really a bit much for a character whose charm is largely to do with rough, tough irreverence.
I’m not trying to put anyone off this movie. Like its predecessors, it’s a grand romp and a lot of fun. But its moral stance is a bit uneasy, and I think two Indiana Jones films were probably enough. (Andrew Burnet)
From Fri 30: Glasgow: Cannon Clarkston Road, Cannon The Forge, Cannon Sauchiehall Street, Salon. Edinburgh: Cannon. Central: Allanpark, Caledonian, Cannon. Strathclyde: AMC Clydebank 10, Cannon, Kelburne, La Scala, Odeon Ayr, Odeon Hamilton, WMB Film Centre.
account ofone of the key moments in American labour history has an extraordinary feeling ofauthenticity derived from fine performances. splendid photography and a precise eye for detail. A tad overlong perhaps. but arousing. humane and worthwhile piece ofwork. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence ( 15) (Nagisa ()shima. GB. 1982) David Bowie. Ryuichi Sakamoto. Tom Conti. 124 mins. The sexually charged hatred between prisoner (Bowie) and commandant (Sakamoto) in a I942 prisoner-of-war camp in Java is the main string tothis lengthy character study. which is atmospheric. but not as original as it attempts to be. Bowie is pretty good by his standards. which is not saying a lot. Since this screening is designed for Bowiephiles in Livingston for The Gig. the standard of acting will not be a major concern.
Also showing on this bill is Janing For Blue Jean. an extended promo for the single of that name. in which Bowie plays an arty. isolated pop star and his hero-worshipping fan. Anyone for self-indulgence? Central: Caledonian.
I Mississippi Burning ( 18) (Alan Parker US. I988) Willem Dafoe. Gene Hackman. Frances McDormand. Brad Dourif. I27 mins. The director stirred up a hornet‘ s nest of controversy as well as gaining seven Oscar nominations. with this study of racial hatred in the deepsoutl of America. The major criticism stemmed from the film‘s concentration on the two white FBI agents. However despite its mainstream commercial context it remains a powerful thriller full ofgood intentions and not too many film-makers working in such a context would be
HOME TREET-TOLLCROSS -TEI..O3I 228 4I4l
Friday 30 June for 7 days
WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT? (PG) 3.00pm daily Continuous performances of THE NAKED GUN (15)
5.00 & 9.00pm
A FISH CALLED WANDA (15) 7.00pm
From Friday7July Spike Lee’s DO THE RIGHT THING (18)
1.30 (not Sun), 4.00, 6.30, 9pm
I Late Nights
at 11.15pm.
Fri 30: EASY RIDER (18) &
THE LAST DETAIL (18)
Sat 1 : THE EXORCIST I & II (18) Fri7: BLUE VELVET(18) & ERASERHEAD (18)
Sate: THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK (18) & BEETLEJUICE (18)
O Matinees
Sun 9 at 1.30pm: GORILLAS IN THE MIST (15)
Scotsman: Cameo Lecture David Hare’s
PARIS BY NIGHT (15) starring Charlotte Rampling, Michael Gambon, Robert Hardy, Iain Glen, on Monday 10 July at 8.00pm
Followed by a discussion with Director/Playwright David Hare. Chaired by Sheena McDonald. Tickets £3.50 on sale now. Advance bookings tel: (031 ) 228 4141.
‘Sty/ish, moody and sensational ' BLITZ ‘Magnifique’ SUN
The List 30June — 13 July 198917