FILM LIST
V 0PENERS>
Twas but a few days betore Christmas and Santa had come early to The List oltlce. As the stall gathered round. their cherubic little laces lit up with excitement as they discovered that the old teller in red had left them details 01 all the lilm openings and special screenings throughoutthe nextthree weeks. ‘Oh goody. goody gumdrops!’ chipped in the bespectacled Film Editor littleJohnny Johnston. “this could be my very best Christmas ever! Thankyou. Father Christmas!’ But then he always was a bit 01 an arsehole.
I ‘CROCODlLE' DUNDEE (15) Paul Hogan's box ollice smash is one at only two lilms with subtitles lorthe deal (interestingly enough the dour British larming drama ‘On The Black Hill' is the other) and that'sthe version screening here. Wonder it the Aussie lingo has been translated into English as well? Edinburgh Filmhouse Sat 30 Dec.
ITHE DELIHOUEHTS (12) Kylie hits the big screen in this adaptation oi Australian writer Crlena Rohan's respected novel 01 Fltties adolescence. starring opposite tellow poutlng blonde Charlie Schiatters in thistale of underage sex. elopement. abortion and the powerol true lurve. See leature. Wide release lrom Tues 26 Dec. I EARTH GIRLS ARE EASY (PG)Jullen Temple's loilow-up to the over-hyped and over-slagged ‘Absolute Beginners'. has Hollywood's numero uno kooky coupleJetholdblum and Geena Davis enmeshed in extraterrestrial romance amidst the cartoonish kitsch otCalilomla's Valley Girl culture. Like tubulartothe max. See review. UCI Clydebank and East Kilbride lrom Fri 22 Dec. I EAT A BOWL OF TEA (12) A return to term tordirector Wayne Wang. this intriguineg capturesa period lnthe early part 01 the century when Chinese immigrants were allowed to bring theirspouses into America lorthe lirsttlme. The story chartsthe pressure placed by tamin on a palrotnewlywedsto produce and multiply. while the title reters to a traditional Chinese method 01 ensuring tertitity. See review. Edinburgh Filmhouse trom Sun 7Jan.
I MYSTIC PIZZA (15) Setin the fishing burg ol Mystic. Connecticut. Daniel Petrie's tilm lollowsthe lortunes of tour waitresses atthe local pizza joint. comparing and contrasting their romantic liaisons and need to escape lrom the confines ol the small coastal town. See review. Cannons Sauchiehli Street and Edinburgh lrom Fri 5 Jan.
I THE RETURN OF THE SWAMP THING (12) Out in time tor Christmas. this second attempt to bring the tamed comic strip creature to the big screen (Wes Craven’s1962 'Swamp Thing‘ was barely released in Britain) is strictly klds' stull as the lormer scientist injured in his experiments rises lrom the waters once more. UCI Clydebank and East Kilbride lrom Fri 22 Dec.
I WHEN HARRY MET SALLY (15) Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan star in Rob Relner's new comedy which has already broken box ottlce records in London. The duo play twolrlends I whose chance meetings overthe years gradually burgeon into love and romance. Judged by many to be not dissimilar tothe Woody Allen otyesteryear. See teature. UCl Clydebank and East Kilbride. Glasgow Odeon and Cannon Forge. and Edinburgh Odeonlrom Tues 26 Dec.
I THE WOLVES OF WILLOUGHBY CHASE (PG) Joan Alken'sweII-loved children‘s book becomes an otten ratherscary big screen adventure with Stephanie Beecham asthe wicked vlllainess in charge otthe isolated and well-surrounded mansion to which our two young heroes are consigned. The splendid production design. bythe way, is by Derek Jarman's regular collaborator Chris Hobbs. Glasgow Grosvenor trom Fri 5Jan.
VIDEO GUIDE P74
TV FILM GUIDE P59
INDEX
I All About Eve (PG) (Joseph L Mankiewicz. US. 1950) Bette Davis. Anne Baxter. George Sanders. Marilyn Monroe. 138 mins. Davis and Baxter are on top form in this tale ofback-stage back-biting and conniving and a young Marilyn makes a big entrance in a small part. A witty and intelligent film. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Alexander Nevsky (U) (Sergei Eisenstein. USSR. 1938) Nikolai Okhlopkov. Alexander Abrikossov. Dmitri Orlov. Vassin Novikov. 112 mins. With music by Prokofiev. Eisenstein re-enacts splendidly the medieval routing of the Germans. drawing powerful comparisons with the USSR‘s contemporary threat from the Nazis. A thrilling. patriotic epic. Edinburgh: Film Guild.
I Asterlx and The Big Fight (U) (Keith lngham. UK. 1989) With the voices ofBill Oddie. Michael Elphick. Andrew Sachs. 82 mins. Asterix celebrates his thirtieth anniversary with this new animated feature in which he and his band ofplucky Gallic mates take on the might ofthe Roman army. Edinburgh: Dominion.
I Asya’s Happiness (PG) (Andrei Mikhalkov-Konchalovsky, USSR, 1967) lya Savvina, Lyubov Sokolova. Alexander Surin. 98 mins. One ofthe stream of films. from the Sixties onwards, that the now light-headed controllers of Soviet cinema have taken down from the shelves and put on international release. Set on an isolated collective farm in the Russian interior, the film focuses on the humdrum daily lives of local peasants. Konchalovsky’s powerfully evoked feeling for the people and the land leaves us in no doubt as to the harshness and dignity of their daily struggle against the elements and the collective system. Glasgow: GF'l".
I Back To The Future Part 2 (PG) (Robert Zemeckis. US. 1989) MichaelJ. Fox. Christopher Lloyd. Thomas F.Wilson. 108 mins. Finishing with a big tease sequence of highlights for the mid-1990sehedulcd Back to the Future Parr3 . this could be the longest movie trailer in Hollywood history. Once again Michael has to outfox Biff. this time zooming forwards as well as backwards in the time machine. Directed and played with terrific verve. 8'”? moves so fast from one set-piece to the next that there‘s no time to reflect on the basic ridiculousness of the plot. Glasgow: Cannon Clarkston Road. Cannon The Forge. Cannon Sauchiehall Street. Grosvcnor. Edinburgh: Cannon. Dominion. Central: Caledonian. Cannon. Strathclyde: Cannon. Kclburne. Odeon Ayr. Odeon Hamilton. La Scala. UCI Clydebank. UCI East Kilbride.
I Batman (12) (Tim Burton. US. 1989) Jack Nicholson. Michael Keaton. Kim Bassinger. 120 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 zanier than ever; but the real triumph is Keaton‘s. With less screen time than the Great Upstager. he produces a performance of memorable 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. a suitably wacky script and a strong supporting cast. Strathclyde: UCI Clydebank.
I Beetlelulce (15) (Tim Burton. US. 1988) Geena Davis. Alec Baldwin. Michael Keaton. 92 mins. Recently deceased and very charming New England couple have difficulty in adjusting to the afterlife. Not the least of their worries is the tasteless refurbishment of their old home by a nasty
New York yuppie family. and they eventually call on freelance bio-exorcist Bctelgeuse (pronounced ‘Beetle-juice’) to deal with the problem in his own inimitable fashion. A movie of exuberantly eccentric cartoonish capers. which creates its own comic cosmos where the unexpected is the norm. Great fun it all is too. Edinburgh: Cameo. I Betty Blue ( 18) (Jean-Jacques Bcineix. France. 1986) Jean Hughes Anglade. Beatrice Dalle. 120 mins. Tempestuous love gone mad as an older handyman and a free-spirited woman embark on a passionate. peripatctic fling that ends in tragedy. Filmed with a dazzlingtechniquc and an irritating emptiness by the maker of Diva. Glasgow: G171". Edinburgh: Cameo. Strathclyde: UCI Clydebank. I The Big Sleep (PG) (1 loward I lawks. 1946) Humphrey Bogart. Lauren Bacall. John Ridgely. Martha Vickers. 114 mins. Marlowe gets caught up in the peccadilloes of the Sternwood family as he tries to stop a spot of blackmail. Needless to say. the broad knows more than she lets on. Witty. sultry. atmospheric. mainstreamfilm rtoir with Bogey and Bacall doing their excellent double act. Edinburgh University Film Society. I Bird (15) (Clint Eastwood. US. 1988) Forrest Whitaker. Diane Venora. Samuel E. Wright. Micltacl Zelinker. 161 mins. Eastwood's labour of love is a moving attempt to portray some ofthe complexities of Charlie ‘Yardbird‘ Parker. whose improvisational developments on the alto saxophone mark him down as one of the century's most significant musical presences. A skilled patchwork narrative. an excellent cast (among whom Forrest Whitaker stands out in the title role).and an evocative vision of the jazz underworld from cameraman Jack N. Green combine to create a sombre. engrossing and excellent biography. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Blade Runner ( 15) (Ridley Scott. US. 1982) Harrison Ford. Rutger Hauer. Sean Young. 117 mins. A tough cop tracks down a group ofmalfunetioning androids in this gritty hi-tech retread of Raymond Chandler. executed with Scott‘s customary visual flair. and with strong performances. especially from Ford and Haucr. But try following the confusing plot first time around. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. Strathclyde: UCI East Kilbride. I Blue Velvet ( 18) (David Lynch. US. 1986) Kyle MacLachlan. Dennis Hopper. Isabella Rossellini. 12(1mins. ln small-town Middle America. would-be boy detective MacLachlan finds a severed car on some waste ground. When the police shoo him away he decides to do some investigating of his own. A singular fusion of the cosy and the terrifying which i blends kitsch and nightmare. B-movic detection and brutal sexual perversion to deconstruct our complacent vision ofwhat passes for normal society. Thisis ' film-makingofremarkableimagination and skill. Edinburgh: Cameo. ( I La Cage Aux Folles (15) (Edouard Molinaro. France. 1978) Ugo Tognazzi. Michel Serrault. Remy Laurent. 109 mins. Renato (Tognazzi) and Albin (Serrault) own the outrageous Cage Aux Folles nightclub. where the latter is the star drag act. Lovers for twenty years. they have brought up Renato's son together. but headaches arise when the lad wants to marry into a straight-laced family. and the couple try frantically to disguise his background. Actually rather old-fashioned. but intermittently hilarious homosexual farce. successful enough to spawn two highly avoidable sequels. Glasgow: GF'I‘. I La Cage Aux Folles 2 ( 15) (Edouard Molinaro. France. 1980) Michel Serrault. Ugo Tognazzi. Marcel Bozzuffi. 99 mins. Albin and Renato. still with a highercamp factor than a Scout Jamboree. get swept up in the world ofinternational espionage in this French farce. Glasgow: GFT.
14 The List 22 December 1989— 11 January 1991.1