FILM LIST
highlights. but the signs are there ofa certain running out of creative steam. Glasgow: Cannon The Forge. ()deon. Grosvenor. Edinburgh: ()deon. Central: Allanpark. Caledonian. Strathclyde: AMCClydebank 1(1. Kelburne. ()deon Ayr. ()deon llamilton. WMR Film Centre.
I The Land Belore Time (L') 11‘: (Don Bluth. CS. 1989) 86mins. Latest animated feature from Disney graduate Bluth follows the fortune oforphaned Brontosaurus Littlefoot. who loses his mum to the claws ofa nasty ’I‘yrannosaurus Rex befroe learning up with a gang of similarly parentless wee dinos to undertake the hazardousjourney across country to the safety of the Great Valley. Classically drawn and chockful of edifying moral lessons. this is solid entertainment perfectly tailored to the demands of its target audience ofvery young children. Glasgow: Cannon Clarkston Road. Cannon The Forge. Cannon Sauchiehall Street. Edinburgh: Cannon. Central: Caledonian. Cannon. Strathclyde: AMC Clydebank ll). Cannon.
I Lenny— Live and Unleashed (15):? (Andy l larrics. CK. 1989) Lenny l lenry. Robbie Coltrane. Jeff Beck. 9-1 mins. Filmed at the llackney Empire in frontof a packed and adoring audience. Lenny llcnry's concert movie is probably more consistent than we had a right toexpect. Although there are the usual appearances from the characters made famous by the TV show. where the material comes alive is in the extended monologues that allow our Len to tip the rudeness’real life factor a few notches more than on the box. There‘s a remarkable Steve Allen impression. Robbie as a cab driver. and .leff Beck with a spot of blues picking. A fair night otlt. Glasgow: ()deon. Edinburgh: ()deon. Strathclyde: AMC Clydebank H).
I Licence To Kill ( 15) (John Glen. UK. 1989) Timothy Dalton. Carey Lowell. Talisa Soto. Robert Davi. 133 mins. The latest Bond flick hasTimbo Dalton once more attempting to act himselfback into the shoes of vintage Connery and a straightforward though rather
low -powe red narrative drive that involves the credible machinations of nasty South American drug dealer Sanchez ( Robert Davi l. As for the lasses. there's ‘Plain Old Bimbo‘ bimbo Soto. the Latin playthingof both men. or there's ‘Woman ofthe Eightics' bimbo Carey Lowell. \vho’s allow ed to have a brain and be feisty“. sometimes both at once. In other words. the same old routine. only with more gratuitous sadism and an eye-catching truck chase. Glasgow: Cannon The Forge. ()deon. Grosvenor. Edinburgh: ()deon. Central: Allanpark. Cannon. Strathclyde: AMC Clydebank ll). Cannon. Kelburne. La Scala. ()deon Ayr. ()deon l lamilton. I Mac and Me ( l' ) (Stewart Raffill. US. 1988) Christine Ebersole. Jonathan Ward. Tina Caspary. lllll mins. .llacis in factan acronym for .llysterious A lien Creature in this kiddies‘ adventure that follow-sthe cute little extraterrestrial's earthbound encounters with a gang of four young chums. And yes. it does sound a lot like Spielberg‘s Ii'l'. Glasgow: Cannon The Forge. ()deon. Edinburgh: ()deon. Strathclyde: A MC Clydebank 1(l. ()deon Ay r.
I The Manchurian Candidate ( 15 ) (John l-‘rankenheimcr. LS. 1962) Frank Sinatra. Laurence llarvey. Angela Lansbury. .lanct Leigh. 126 mins. 1n hismost
cony incing screen role. Laurence l larvey plays a Korean war hero who hasactually been brainw ashcd by the communists. and on his return to America becomes a mere pawn in a sinister mission they have planned for him. Army intelligenceofficcr Sinatra is out to stop him while the maniacal matriarch Lansbury hovers threatenineg in the background throughout.
Brilliant political satire-cum-thriller. with a cast in great form and astaggeringly inventive plot clearly and grippingly unravelled. lt damn well works and surprises in a way that so few films do anymore. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Mephisto ( 15) ( lstvan Szabo. l lungary. 1981)Klaus Maria Brandauer. Ildiko Bansagi. Krystyna Janda. 144 mins. llogen. one of pre-war Germany‘s most famous actors. especially feted for his interpretation of Mephistophcles. sells out his left-wing principles in his greed for success and influenece once the Nazistake power. Gripping study of ambition and betrayal with Brandauer simply colossal in the central role. Winner of Best Foreign Film ()scar. Glasgow: Gl’l'. . I Midnight Run ( 15) (Martin Brest. ES. 1988) Robert dc Niro. Charles Grodin. Yaphet Kotto. John Ashton. 122 mins. De Niro is charming andsurprisingly straightforward as an honest cx-cop turned bounty hunter. crossing the country to bring crooked accountant Grodin back from New York to Los Angelcs. so that he can face chargesof embezzling 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. Focussing on the growing friendship between the two leads as they become reliant on each other in their efforts to escape their pursucrs. this is an amiable buddy movie that's also a consistently unpredictable road movie that just happens to be a quite smart cop movie. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Mississippi Burning( 18) (Alan Parker US. 1988) Willem Dafoe. Gene llaekman. Frances Mcl.)ormand. Brad Dourif. 127 mins. The director stirred up a hornet's nest of Controversy as well as gaining seven ()scar nominations. with this study of racial hatred in the deep South of America. The major criticism stemmed from the film‘s concentration on the two white FBI agents. However
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despite its mainstream commercial context it remains a powerful thriller full of good intentions and not too many film-makers working in such a context would be prepared even to try and bring such a flammable subject to the screen. Glasgow: ()deon. Strathclyde: AMC Clydebank If).
I The Naked Gun ( 15) (David Zucker. LS. 1988) Leslie Nielsen. Priscilla Presley. Ricardo Montalban. 85 mins. Nielsen gets a crack at a leading comic role as Frank Drebin. a disaster prone LA cop assigned to find the men who shot his colleague in a drugs bust. and protect our dear Queen at the same time. while also finding room for romance with secretary l’resleyfl‘he makers of Airplane here operate on a similar principle: keep it fast. keep it marvellously dumb. and the comic dividends will eventually flow. Watchout for a great beaver gag and comedy cameos from Arafat. Gaddafi. Gorbachev and the Queen. Where else would you get all these
elements in the same movie'.’ Glasgow: Cannon Sauchiehall Street. I Paris By Night ( 15) (David Hare. UK. 1988) Charlotte Rampling. Michael Gambon. lain Glen. 104 mins. In the French Capital for a round of haggling with the French farming lobby Miss Rampling embarks on a recklessly dangerous liaison with young entrepreneur lain Glen and is brutally callous in dispensing with a former business colleague whom she believes to be intent on blackmail. The combination of passion and murder reveal the chinks of vulnerability in her seemingly implacable armour and her descent intodamnation begins.
llare's approach with a range ofclose tips in the manner of Dreycrand pause-heavy dialogue (he seems uneasy writing the bread and butter dialogue to move the plot along) renders the whole enterprise mannered and stilted. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Patty Hearst ( 18) (Paul Schrader. US. 1988) Natasha Richardson. William Forsythe. Ving Rhames. Frances Fisher. 108 mins. Schrader probes the life storyof little~rich-girl-turncd-urban-gucrilla llearst with characteristic intensity. offering few answers and leaving many questions open. llearst's own account may arouse some doubts in terms ofcredibility'. but Schrader's approach to herabduction and confinement in a cupboard during the first part of the film leaves no doubts asto his cinematic skill and psychological insight. Glasgow: GET.
I Pelle The Conqueror( 15) (Billie August. Denmark. 1988) Max \'on Sydow. Pelle llvengaard. Erik Paaske. 151) mins. See panel. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Police Academy 6: City Under Siege ( PG) (Paul Bonerz. US. 1989) George Gaines. G.W. Bailey. Matt McCoy. 9() mins. The laff—a-minute boys in blue take on a crime ring in this latest instalment ofthe series that explores new depths in infantile comedy. They stopped showing these to the press ages ago. So there is a Godafter all. Glasgow: Cannon The Forge. Cannon Sauchiehall Street. Edinburgh: Cannon. Central: Cannon. Strathclyde: AMC Clydebank ll). Cannon. ()deon Ayr. WM R Film Centre.
I Repo Man ( 18) (Alex Cox. [38. 1984) Harry Dean Stanton. Emilio Estevez. \"onetta McGee. 93 mins. Cult fave. blended social satire and offhand sci-fi. as naive punk Estevez gets a job repossessing cars and old hand 1 larry Dean shows him the ropes. Great stuff. only it makesyou wonder whatever happened to Alex Cox'.’ Edinburgh: Cameo.
I River's Edge ( 18) (Tim llunter. LS. 1986) Crispin Glover. Keanu Reeves. Dennis l loppcr. 99mins. A motiveless murder is the catalyst for a moral crisis among a group of teenage buddies.Challengingexploration of alienated youth and their attemptsto forge a value system in a society of numbing moral blankness. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Romancing The Stone (PU ) ( Robert Zemeckis. CS. 1984) Michael Douglas. Kathleen Turner. Danny De\'ito. 105 mins. Retiring novelist Turner is pitched into real high adventure in the junglesof South Americain this appealing eascapist fare. at film which set the careersof Douglas and DeVito well and truly on the way. Glasgow: Cannon Clarkston Road.
I Running On Empty ( 15) c: (Sidney Lumct. CS. 1989) River Phoenix.Judd llirsch. Christine Lahti. l 17mins. See panel. Glasgow: Cannon Sauchiehall Street. Strathclyde: AMC Clydebank 11). I Scandal ( l8) ( Michael Caton-Jones. CK. 1989) John lltlrt.Joanne \V'halley-Kilmer. Ian McKellen. Bridget Fonda. 114 mins. Stylish and involving
treatment of the 1963 l’rofumo affair. which looks at the the tangled love life of Christine Keeler (\‘y'lialley'~Kilmer) who numbers War Minister John Profumo (McKellen) and Russian agent Eugene lvanov (Jerocn Krabbc) among her sexual partners. and exposes the establishment's hypocritical treatment of her mentor Stephen Ward (llurt) when the scandal broke. Assured debut for young Scots director Caton-Jones combines story-telling poise and emotional punch with a knowing sexuality of flip entertainment value. John Hurt is extremely sympathetic in thisoutstanding British film. Central: MacRobert Arts Centre. I Shame ( 15) (Steve .lodrcll. Australia. 1987) Deborra Lee Furness. Tony Barry. Simone Buchanan. 92 mins. Asta (Furness) is an independent barrister and a biker. whose motorcycle breaks down while she is travelling through the outback. She finds herself in a small town where a conspiracy of silence is covering up the gang-rape of a young girl. Asta takes on her case and becomes locked in a battle with the sheriff and the whole ofthe town‘s male community for recognition of the crime. Powerful companion piece to The Accused which manages to create a brooding atmosphere of male threat without resorting to explicit detail. Glasgow: GET. I She's Gotta Have It( 18) (Spike Lee. [18. 1986) Tracy Camilla Johns. Redmond llicks. Spike Lee. 85 mins. Spirited. sympathetic comedy of sexual manners. with a snappy script and a fluid technique that marked an auspicious debut for its young. gifted and black writer director star. Edinburgh:Cameo. I Shoot The Pianist ( 15) (Francois Truffaut. France. 196(1) Charles Aznavour. Marie Dubois. Nicole Berger. 80 mins. Ex-conccrt pianist Aznavour. now working seedy Parisian bars. gets involved with vengeful gangsters when he tries to help his two petty-crook brothers escape from the heat. .Vouvelle l'ague adaptation of David Goodis concentrates more on a breezy camera style than the despondency of the original source. Glasgow: GEI'. I Siesta ( 18) (Mary Lambert. LS. 1987) Ellen Barkin. Gabriel Byrnc. Jodie Foster. Julian Sands. Grace Jones. 97 mins. Absolutely diabolical l'arrago has female stuntwoman Barkin waking tip beside a Spanish airport and spending the rest of the movie meandering around sunny locations and a wasted (In what sense." >— lirl) stellar cast trying toestablish how she got there. You'll probably wish she hadn't bothered. A glossy. pretentious dog of a movie. And yes. Siesta is Spanish for a short nap. Funny that. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Skin Deep ( 18) (Blake Edwards. ES. 1989) John Ritter. Alyson Reed. Vincent Gardenia. llll mins. Ritterstars as ariclt. alcoholic l lollyw-ood writer facing a wealth of personal problems. His wife has finally tired of his constant drinking and skirt-chasing. and so he ponders his inability to sustain a long term relationship.Typical Edwards' mixof knockabout farce and male-menopausal winching. but we care very little about the central character and the big comic set-piece involving luminous condoms has to mark a new low in tack from a supposedly respected filmmaker. Glasgow: Cannon The Forge. I La Strada ( 15) (Frederico Fellini. Italy. 1954) Guilietta Masina. Anthony Quinn. Richard Basehart. 1 15 mins. Fellini‘s wife Masina is unforgettable asa simple-minded girl in love with larger-than-lilc circus strongman Zatnpano ( Anthony Quinn). who dies ofa broken heart when he kills the gentle tightrope walker ( Basehart) that had befriended her. Painful story olloneliness and isolation whose vividly seedy small-town backgrounds never allow
16 The List 28 July — 11) August 1989