FILM LIST
chew when he turns up the Ark ofthe Covenant in Nazi-infested wartime Egypt. Return to the breathless excitement ofthe Saturday morning serial with this rollercoaster ofa movie. probably better than either of its sequels. Tongue held very firmly in cheek. Edinburgh: Cannon. IThe Rainbow( 15) (Ken Russell. UK. 1989) Sammi Davis. Paul McGann. Amanda Donohoe. Glenda Jackson. 104 mins. Davis' young country lass is anxious to see something oflife. and tangles with both lusty bisexual teacher Donohoe and faithless soldier boy McGann en route to sexual awakening. An unusually polite literary adaptation from our Ken. which pales sadly in comparison to The Devils. Crimes Of Passion or Women In Lo ve. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. Central: MacRobert Arts Centre.
I The Rescuers (U) (Wolfgang Reitherman. John Lounsberry and Art Stevens. US. 1977) With the voices ofBob Newhart. Eva Gabor. Geraldine Page. 77 mins. Technically expert and sporadically enthralling cartoon adventure from the latterday Disney studios. which lacksthe inventiveness and lustre of the man himself‘s work. The story concerns two members ofthe Mouse Rescue Aid Society. who. with the help of Orville the albatross. set out to save an orphan girl from the wicked Medusa's home in a Louisiana swamp. Glasgow: Cannon Clarkston Road. Cannon The Forge. Cannon Sauchiehall Street. Grosvenor. Edinburgh: Cannon. Central: Cannon. Strathclyde: Cannon. UCl Clydebank. UCl East Kilbride.
I Romero (15) a? (John Duigan. US. 1989) Raul Julia. Richard Jordan. Ana Alicia. 106 mins. See Review. Glasgow: GF'T.
I Rumble Fish (18) (Francis Ford Coppola. US. 1983) Mickey Rourke. Dennis Hopper. Matt Dillon. 94 mins. Electrifying expressionist visuals grace this rites of passage parable'about the need to forge one‘s own identity and the alienation it can bring. Intense and stylish. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Santa Sangre ( 18) a (Alejandro Jodorowsky. Italy ’Mexico. 1989) Axel Jodorowsky. BlanCa Guerra. Guy Stockwell. 118 mins. See feature. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Sea 01 Love ( 18) (Harold Becker. US. 1989) Al Pacino. Ellen Barkin.John Goodman, Michael Rooker. 118mins. Pacino. a homicide detective in search ofa murderer whose crimes seem to be connected with the personal ads. sets tip a date with single mother Barkin. and. although attracted to her. begins to suspect that she is the killer. The plot may be on the creaky side. but the performances from both leads are spot-on. the dialogue and the sex scenes are remarkably realistic. However. the film is more likely to be remembered for its humour than for its tension. Glasgow: Cannon Sauchiehall Street.
I Sex. Lies and Videotape ( 15) (Steven Soderbergh. US. 1989) Andie McDowell. Laura San Giacomo. James Spader. Peter Gallagher. 101 mins. The sex: John (Gallagher) is conducting a steamy affair with his sister-in-law Cynthia (San Giacomo). The lies: they neglect to tell his wife. Anne (McDowell ). The videotape: John‘s buddy Graham (Spader) gets his kicks by filming women's sexual confessions. 26-year-old Soderbergh‘s first feature is a strikingly assured. funny and thoughtful piece of work. forcing us to examine our own attitudes toward sex. and won the Palme d'Or at Cannes. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Shadow Makers (PG) fr (RolandJoffe. US. 1989) Paul Newman. Dwight Schultz. John Cusaek. Laura Dem. 127 mins. See feature. Glasgow: Cannon Sauchiehall Street. Strathclyde: UCI Clydebank. UCl East Kilbride.
I Shag ( 15) (Zelda Barron. UK. 1988) Bridget Fonda. Phoebe Cates. Annabeth Gish. 100mins. South Carolina. 1963. Four girls just out of high school face a
18The List 6— 19 April 1990
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1989) Raul Julia, Richard Jordan, Ana Alicia. 106 mins. 11 would be difficult to make a film about the turmoil in El Salvador that didn’t arouse the viewer’s heartfelt emotions. As has been the case with films about the apartheid regime in South Africa. the heroes and villains seem so clear-cut, the extent of the carnage such that it would move even the sternest spectatorto pity. Yet, the true challenge for film-makers in all this is to create a piece that offers something more than just a conduit for our ready-made responses.
I'm not sure that Romero succeeds on that score, although criticism of such a thoroughly earnest and humane entertainment might seem a little churlish. Based on the actual events, the film traces the progress of Archbishop Oscar Romero (played by Raul Julia) as El Salvador’s political crisis forces him to lay aside the traditional neutrality of the cloth and
Romano
Romero15)e(John0uigan,US, ‘ i
speak out openly against the military authorities' death squads. In so doing, he becomes the’moral leader of an entire nation of oppressed people, and for his pains was assassinated in his San Salvador cathedral in 1980 while saying mass.
It comes as no surprise that this honest, sober, decent and truthful offering was in fact the brainchild of producer-prelate Father Elwood Kleiser. but the aura of do-gooding that surrounds Raul Julia’s monolithic performance and the film’s scenes of mild brutality gives it something of the self-righteousness of a Disease-of-The-Week TV movie. This lumbering approach means that the film suffers in comparison with Oliver Stone's Salvador (which also includes the scene of Archbishop Romero‘s murder), but then that movie had a scummy journalist as its protagonist rather than a saintly priest. I know which character I found easier to identify with. (TrevorJohnston)
future in college or marriage. but not before ‘the best weekend ofthcir lives'. a jaunt to the Sun Fun Festival. where the itinerary includes boys. booze. the beach. a beauty pageant. and the grand Shagging competition (not what it sounds like — the Shag was a dance craze). A film so light-hearted and uncynieal it might have been made in 1963. but there‘s still a knowing edge to this entertainingtale. Glasgow: GFT.
I Shirley Valentine (15) (Lewis Gilbert. UK. 1989) Pauline Collins. Bernard Hill. Tom Conti. 110 mins. Gilbert's screen version of the celebrated Willy Russell play. now expanded from a monologue to include Hill as the insensitive hubby and Conti as the Greek bit of stuffShirley meets on a Mediterranean holiday that turns into a voyage ofself—(re)discovery. Collins is outstanding in the title role of frustrated Liverpudlian housewife. Glasgow: Cannon The Forge. Edinburgh: Dominion. Central: Cannon. Strathclyde: Cannon. Odeon Ayr. L’Cl Clydebank. UCl East Kilbride.
I Shivers (18) (David Cronenberg. Canada. 1975) Paul Hampton. Joe Silver. Lynn Lowry. 87 mins. Strange parasites get into the bloodstream of residents in a hi-rise apartment block and turn them into sexually voracious fiends. Cronenberg's first major feature more than justifies the tag ‘King of Visceral Horror': a particularly graphic stomach eruption reminds you how the US distributors arrived at the alternative title They Came From Within. Gag me with a spoon. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Sillh8f(15) (Howard Zieff. US. 1972) James Caan. Sally Kellerman. Peter Boyle. 96 mins. Small-time ear thiefCaan goes on the road trailing a hot caravan. picking up dingbat Kellerman and the frazzled Peter Boyle en route to an embezzled fortune in this cool. absurd hybrid of road movie. robbery caper and offbeat comedy. Desperately undervalued. it's just a shame that Zieff‘s subsequent efforts (including The Dream Team) have failed to reach these heights. Glasgow: Grosvenor.
I Society(18) «a (Brian Yuzna.17$.1989) Billy Warlock. Patrice Jennings. Devin DeVasquez. 102 mins. See feature. Glasgow: Cannon The Forge. Strathclyde: L'Cl East Kilbride.
I Splendor(PG) (Ettore Scola. Italy'France. 1988) Marcello Mastroianni. Massimo Troisi. Marina Vlady. 99 mins. As the small. rural Splendor cinema is due for redevelopment. Scola traces the story of its various patrons and of the movies shown there over the years. contrasting the decline of the movie-going spectacle with the manager ( Mastroianni )‘s equally turbulent life and relationships. ()bvious similarities with Tornatore‘s Cinema Paradiso abound. but the film's more historical tone also allows for echoes of Wendcrs' Kings of The Road and Bogdanovich's The Last Picture Show. How many of the numerous movie extracts can you spot'.’ Glasgow: GFI'.
I Star Trek 5: the Final Frontier( PG) (William Shatner. US. 1989) William Shatner. Leonard Nimoy. DeForest Kelley. James Doohan. 107 mins. 1n
which James Tiberius Kirk makes his 7 directorial debut. ()n the plus side most of the characters are as well written and credible as they were in the television series. albeit with rather more grey hairs. But the plot turns out to be the normal formula hokum. Strathclyde: WMR Film Centre. I Steel Magnolias ( PG) (Herbert Ross. US. 1989) Shirley Macl-aine. Dolly Parton. Sally Field. ()lympia Dukakis. Julia Roberts. 117 mins. The downhorne tale of a bevy of southern belles who support each other through a combination of hugs and wisecracks. Robert Harling‘s stage play. written as a testimony to the courageous womenfolk of his home-town. wcnds its wecpy way onto the big-screen. Loads of local colour and tragedy but you can‘t help feeling that you've been emotionally tnanipulatcd by a bunch of cindy dolls. Glasgow: Cannon The Forge. ()deon. Edinburgh: ()deon. Strathclyde: UCl East Kilbride. I Strapless ( 15) (David Hare. UK. 1989) Blair Brown. Bruno Ganz. Bridget Fonda. 97 mins. See Review. Glasgow: Salon. Edinburgh: Cameo. IThe SummerolAviya (PG) 1‘: (EliCohcn. lsracl. 1989) Kaipo Cohen. Gila Almagar. 100mins. This moving film. detailingthe post-holocaust effects on the a young Polish girl who‘s returned to an Israeli survival camp. depicts the ‘holiday‘ she and her adaptable mother experience during the summer of 195 l . and usesthe surrounding events to build up a picture of their relationship. Rich and uplifting character study: one of the very few lsracli movies to gain British distribution. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I SummerVacatlon 1999 ( 15) «:1 (Shusuke Kaneko. Japan. 1988) Four youths spend the summer of 1999 together in their now deserted boarding school. where an intense but unrequited love affair results in an apparently successful suicide attempt. A few weeks later. however. a new boy turns up who looks identical to their dead pal. creating a new mystery over his disappearance and awakening destructive passions once more. Set in an oddly timeless future. the film's dreamlike quality is made even more disarming by the bizarre sexual reversal in the casting. the boys all being played by teenage girls. A provocative and imaginative effort that deserves a wide audience. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Tango And Cash ( 15) (Andrei Konchalovsky. LS. 1989) Sylvester Stallone. Kurt Russell. Teri Hatcher. Jack Palance. 104 mins. Awkward. awful and yet strangely enjoyable. Stallone and Russell are a pair of muscular. wise-cracking. tough cops who are framed by the local meglomaniac. 1n the first half of the movie they get landed in a comically unpleasant jail while the second halfgets them into a confrontation involving earth moving trucks and an entire arsenal of weaponry. Mindless escapism of the kind that a couple of five year olds might indulge. though this has less imagination and more props. Glasgow: Cannon Clarkston Road. Cannon The Forge. Cannon Sauchiehall Street. Edinburgh: Cannon. Central: Cannon. Strathclyde: Cannon. ()deon Hamilton. L'Cl C1ydebank.17(‘1liastKiIbride. I Taxi Driver( 18) ( Martin Scorsese. US. 1976) Robert De Niro. (‘y bill Shepherd. Jodie Foster. 114 mins. An alienatedtaxi driver in New York is so repelled bythc squalor and the moral decay around him that he is driven to terrible violence. One ofthe key films of the Seventies with the Scorsese-De Niro partnership at its peak. Glasgow: Grosvenor. Strathclyde: UCl East Kilbride. I The 1000 Eyes of Dr Mabuse ( PG) (Fritz Lang. W. Germany France. 1960) Dawn Addams. Peter Van liyck. Gert Frobe. 103 mins. Lang's last film is more ofan update than a sequel to his earlier silent [)r.1,(1’)ll.8'(’. The Gambler. Here. a police detective investigates criminal activities