FILM LIST
INDEX
I The Abyss ( 15) it (James Cameron. US. 1989) Ed Harris. Michael Biehn. Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. 140 mins. See Film Preview feature. Glasgow: Cannon Clarkston Road. Cannon The Forge. Odcon. Salon. Edinburgh: Dominion. Odeon. Central: Allanpark. Cannon. Strathclyde: Cannon. Kelburne. La Scala. Odcon Ayr. Odcon Hamilton. UCI Clydebank 10. WMR Film Centre. I The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (PG) (Terry Gilliam. US. 1988)John Neville. Sarah Polley. Eric Idle. Robin Williams. 126 mins. Gilliam‘s fabulously expensive 18th century fantasia begins in a city under siege from the Turks where the populace are being entertained by a theatrical extravaganza based on the tall tales of Baron Munchausen. whereupon the lad himself appears to give a first-hand account of his adventures and save the day. Gilliam's extravagant visual sensibility guides this occasionally misfiring maniac epic through its sticky patches. but there is so much to look atand enough genuine laughs that his relentless campaign against mediocre convention is more than justified. Edinburgh: Cameo. IAlice (15) (Jan Svankmajer. Switzerland. 1988) 84 mins. Radical new version of the Lewis Carroll classic by brilliant Czech filmmakerJan Svankmajer. which has the protagonist as the only live action character making her way through an adventure in a harsh dreamscape vividly conveyed through puppet animation and trick photography. Far from the Disney cartoon. the atmosphere here is derived from the cruel world of childlike fantasies. a tone whose dark perversity will be familiar to those who have sampled any of the Alchemists of The Surreal series ofprogrammes. Recommended viewing. but definitely not for young children. Edinburgh University Film Society. I Allen(18) (Ridley Scott. US. 1979) Sigourney Weaver. Ian Holm. John Hurt. 116 mins. Agatha Christie in outer space as a freighter lands on a mysterious planet and is ingeniously invaded by a ravenous intruder which proceeds to chomp its way through the cast list. Edinburgh: Cameo. I Aliens (18) (James Cameron. US. 1986) Sigourney Weaver. Michael Biehn. 137 mins. Revived from a 57-year snooze in deep space. Warrant Officer Weaver is cajoled into joining a marine rescue mission to the planet that is home forthe original alien beastie. Unrelentingly paced with a terrifically gutsy performance from Weaver. this nerve-shredding sequel not only matches its predecessor but cannily surpasses it. An Oscar winner for special effects. Edinburgh: Cameo. I An American Tail (U) (Don Bluth. US. 1986) With the voices of Dom DeLuise. Madelaine Kahn. Christopher Plummer. 80 mins. The late 19th century. The Mousekewitz family make their way from trouble-torn Russia to a new life in America. but they find the streets ofNew York are not all paved with gold. A wealth of background detail displays Bluth‘s admirably painstaking approach to animation. but the foreground narrative. often agreeably perilous. does occasionally reek of sentimentality. Strathclyde: Odeon Ayr. I Another Woman ( PG) (Woody Allen. US. 1988) Gena Rowlands. Mia Farrow. lan Holm. Gene liackman. 81 mins. Woody Allen continues in the serious vein of his last picture September with another probing exploration ofemotional and familial relationships. llere successful scholar Rowlands is forced to confront the
emotional vacuum of her life when she hears the revelations ofanother woman (Farrow) unburdening her anxieties in the psychiatrist's office next door. Glasgow: Grosvenor.
I Ashik Kerib (PG) (Sergei Paradjanov, USSR. 1988) 78 mins. An Armenian minstrel seeks love and recognition in this
elegantly mounted. richly visual narrative.
which is altogether less solemn than Paradjanov‘s usually fascinating but bewildering style. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Asterix and The Big Fight (U) (Goscinny and Uderzo. France. 1989) Asterix celebrates his thirtieth anniversary with this new animated feature where he and his band of plucky Gallic mates take on the might of the Roman army. A host of British voices on the soundtrack include Bill ()ddie. Michael Elphick and Andrew Sachs. Glasgow: Odcon.
I Batman (Tim Burton. US. 1989)Jack Nicholson. Michael Keaton. Kim Bassinger. 130 mins. In which Burton achieves the impossible by creating a product which lives up to possibly the biggest hype job this century. Nicholsonis on top form: psychotic. witty and zany like you‘ve never seen him before: but the real triumph is Keaton‘s. With less screen time than the Great Upstager. he producesa performance of unforgettable subtlety and power. which gives a new credibility to the
Bruce Wayne/Batman character. while remaining true to the comic strip. With eerie angular design by Anton Furst. a terrific score by Danny Elfman. asuitany wacky script and a strong supporting cast. Strathclyde: UCI Clydebank It).
I The Bear (PG) (Jean-Jacques Annaud.
France. 1988) Bart. Douce. Jack Wallace.
Tcheky Karyo. 98 mins. Simple. unsentimental narrative follows the experiences of two bears. a big adult kodiak and a young orphan cub. as they are pursued by two hunters. Cleverly filmed to capture the bears acting naturally. this insight into their point of
view makes a moving plea for the integrity
ofall animals and is highly entertainingas it goes about it. Glasgow: ()deon. Edinburgh: Dominion. ()deon. Strathclyde: Odcon Ayr.
IThe Big Easy ( 18) (Jim McBride. US. 1987) Dennis Quaid. Ellen Barkin. Ned Be'atty. 101 mins. Pretty. smart and sexy cop thriller set in a sweaty. atmospheric New Orleans where local lieutenant Quaid tries to clear up a series ofgangland murders. all the while falling in love with Barkin's attorney. in town to investigate
police corruption. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Black Square (PG) (losif Pasternak. USSR. 1988) 60 mins. British premiere of a documentary survey through 20th-century Soviet uvunrganfe art that
DEAD CALM
Dead Calm (15) (Philip Noyce, 1988, Australia) Sam Neill, Nicole Kidman, Billy Zane. 96 mins. Trying to recover from the death of their child, John and Rae Ingram (Neill and Kidman) take their yacht on a cruise in the waters inside the Great Barrier Reef. They sight a mysterious black schooner, and a newcomer, Nughle (Zane), rows aboard claiming to be the only survivor of an epidemic of food poisoning that has killed his shipmates. However, Hughie is an obvious psycho and, when John investigates the sinking schooner he finds a batch of murdered people, whereupon Hughie takes command of the Ingram yacht and steams off, kidnapping Rae, and leaving John to struggle with the elements. Rae, a resourceful young lady, tries to get on the right side of the madman, but also calls upon such useful shipboard items as the shotgun, the speargun and the distress flares to survive.
‘Dead Calm' -three characters and two boats — is the sort of story the cinema is all about. It has an unnecessary dry land prologue, but is mainly a canny mix of on-ship
claustrophobia and the wide open seascapes. Billy Zane's villain is a complete fruitcake you wouldn't trust for a minute, but he serves as an interesting and unsettling menace, while Neill and Kidman are marvellous in their physically and emotionally demanding roles as they emerge from their grief and decide to survive at any cost. There’s also a dog, whose treachery is infuriating and who comes to a satisfyineg nasty end.
Produced by George Miller of ‘Mad Max' fame, and directed by Aussie new waver Noyce (‘Newsfront‘, ‘Heatwave’), this is based on a novel that Orson Welles once tried to film. One would like to see his version — called ‘The Deep’, with Laurence Harvey and Jeanne Moreau — unearthed from the vaults, but until then this is a first-rate suspense picture, which works even until the regulation last-minute back-trom-the-dead kick in the teeth. (Kim Newman)
From Fri 3 Nov: Glasgow: Cannon The
Forge, Cannon Sauchiehall Street. Central: Cannon.
stretches from the fruitful post-revolutionary years right up until the revival of artistic expression in today‘s Glasnost. As part of the New Beginnings season. writer ()lga Sviblova will be present after the screening. Glasgow: GF'I‘.
I Blue Velvet( 18) (David Lynch. US. I986) Kyle .‘ylaclachlan. Dennis l lopper. Isabella Rossellini. 1le mins. Lumberton. Middle America. Would-be boy detective Jeffrey Beaumont finds a severed earon some waste ground and when the police shoo him away he decides to dosome investigating of his own. A singular fusion of the cosy and the terrifying which blends kitsch and nightmare. B-movie detection and brutal sexual perversion to deconstruct our complacent vision ofwhat passes for normal society. This is filmmaking of remarkable imagination and skill that places its director in the front rank of contemporary American cinema. (ilasgow: (irosvenor.
I Camille Claudel (PU) (Bruno Nuytten. France. 1988) Isabelle Adjani. Gerard Depardieu. Laurent (irevil. I75 mins. Despite its slightly forbiddinglength.this account of the troubled and eventually tragic life of French sculptress Camille Claudel ( Adjani). and her relationship as both pupil and lover with Auguste Rodin (Depardieu) boasts a feast ofmemorable images and goes to prove that France's biggest stars are also two of her best actors. Central: MacRobert Arts Centre. I Cat People ( l8) ( Paul Schrader. US. 1982) Nastassja Kinski. Malcolm McDowell. John I leard. 118 mins. Visceral. obsessive and occasionally rather stylish remake of the Val Lewton classic. with Kinski and McDowell brother and sister from an ancient caste who turn into felines when sexually aroused. Edinburgh University Film Society.
I Citizen Kane (PG) (()rson Welles. US. 1941 ) ()rson Welles. Joseph (‘otten. Agnes Moorchead. l 19mins. Stunnineg successful biographical mosaic centring on a l learst-likc media tycoon. Welles' first film remains scintillating viewing for its sheer technical verve. narrative confidence and spellbinding performances. The best film ever made'.’ Who's arguing. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I The Company Of Wolves ( 18) (Neil Jordan. UK. 1984) Angela Lansbury. David Warner. Graham Crowden. Brian Glover. 95 mitts. Sensual and gory cinematic realisation of Angela Carter's sexually charged parables of puberty and werewolf-phobia. Explicit special effects are not. however. the best vehicle forthe implicit undercurrents in Carter‘s fiction. Edinburgh University Film Society.
I Dead Calm ( 15) s“: (Philip Noyce. Australia. 1989) Sam Neill. Nicole Kidtnan. Billy Zane. 96 mins. See review. Glasgow: Cannon The Forge. Cannon Sauchiehall Street. Central: Cannon.
I Dead Poets Society ( l’( i) (Peter Weir. US. 1989) Robin Williams. Robert Sean Leonard. Ethan llawke. 129 mins. lna staid private boys' school in fifties New England. an unconventional teacher (Williams) interests his charges in literature and philosophy to such an extent that they form a secret club to investigate them further. Though Williams is on good form and turns in a richlyzany performance. the film focuses mainly on the boys' emotional development and crises. and on the mystery and beauty surrounding their midnight meetings. A sensitive and tense study of the conflict between passion and authority. Glasgow: Cannon The Forge. ()deon. Grosvenor. lidinburgh: Dominion. ()deon. Strathclyde: ()deon Ayr. ()deon llamilton. L'Cl Clydebank ll).
I Diva ( 15) (Jean-Jacques Beineix. France. 1981 ) Frederic Andrei. Roland Bertin. Richard Bohringer. l 17 mins. The twisted fate of two tapes. one an illegal recording of an American opera star. the other exposing a crime ring. is the central
16 The List 27 October - 9 November 1989
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