Forrest Whitaker, Tung Thanh Tran. 121 mins. At last getting the specially tailored role his comic talent deserves. Williams gives a dazzling performance as the iconoclastic armed forces radio disc jockey Adrian Cronauer, assigned to 1965 Saigon. His morning show, with its healthy doses of soul music and irreverent humour, explodes the authorities‘ notions of broadcasting, but makes him a hero among the troops. A worthy success, though the film's attempts to examine the clash of cultures and the escalation of conflict fall a little flat. Glasgow: Grosvenor.
I Harlem Nights (15) e (Eddie Murphy, US, 1989) Eddie Murphy, Richard Pryor, Michael Lerner. 116 mins. Written, produced, directed by and starring Eddie Murphy, this light comedy about the owners (Murphy and Pryor) ofClub Sugar Ray, 1938 New York‘s most popular after-hours joint, and their efforts to dissuade notorious gangster Bugsy Calhoune (Lerner) from cutting himself a slice of their action, fared relatively poorly at the US box office. Furthermore, the reviews for the movie were so vicious that the UK distributors have decided to cut their losses and not screen the film forthe British press at all. Has the world's most popular entertainer over-reached himself? Only the audience can decide. Glasgow: Cannon The Forge, Cannon Sauchiehall Street, Grosvenor. Edinburgh: Cannon. Central: Allanpark. Cannon. Strathclyde: Cannon, Kelburne. Odeon Ayr, Odeon Hamilton. UCI Clydebank, UCI East Kilbride, WMR Film Centre.
I Honey I Shrunk The Kids (U) (Joe Johnston, US, 1989) Rick Moranis, Matt Frewer, Thomas Brown. Amy O‘Neill, Robert Oliven', Jared Rushton. 92 mins. Hapless father and would-be inventor (Moranis) does just what the title suggests. The kids find themselves cut down to size (a quarter of an inch) and swept out with the trash. Their mission: to escape from the garbage bag and somehow attract their father‘s attention to their height problem. Well, we might think it‘s old hat but Walt Disnae. Showing with the excellent new Roger Rabbitshort. Tummy Trouble. Central: Allanpark, Caledonian. Strathclyde: Odeon Ayr, UCI Clydebank.
I The Hunt for Red October (PG) (John McTiernan, US, 1990) Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Sam Neill. 136 mins. Connery is Captain Markus Ramius, a top Ruskie in charge of their latest piece oftop hardware. On the maiden test voyage of the eponymous sub. he sneaks off course toward the US. Not surprisingly his superiors suspect trouble, as do the Americans. Only one man believes his intentions are honourable. But can CIA agent Baldwin make contact with the rebel sub before WWIII breaks out? A mixture of high production values, outstanding special effects. pointless snippets of Russian dialogue and charming lead
’ alt/«filal'II 7": 33/ ml; 3 F
A La Carte after 6pm Steaks a la Blah Blah!
Ranging from £6.60 to £13.80
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. 34The List 18—31 May 1990
FILM LIST
NUNS ON THE RUN
Nuns on the Run (Jonathan Lynn, US, 1990) Eric Idle, Robbie Coltrane, Janet Suzman, Camille Coduri. 95 mins. The fundamental problem with “Nuns on the Run' Is that It is exactly what its title suggests it will be and nothing more. Eric Idle and Robbie Coltrane are two small-time crooks who decide to combine bowing out oi crime with a last big score. Their attempted theit oi a briefcase iull oi money goes wrong and they end up running into the nearest open door-which turns out to be the entrance to a convent. And so they dress up in religious drag, become the life and soul ol the Order and generally engage in a lot oi predictable
activities, most oi which would hardly pass muster in a ‘Carry On' iilm. Coltrane coaches some student teachers at basketball and pulls a very harassed lace in the girls’ showers,
Idle takes on a coniession (‘You’re abolutely absoluted, ’), they both wear bras over their men’s clothes, ask Ior razors at the chemist, get chased by the bad guys, hang irom a drain-pipe in mid-air and generally exasperate each
other. Also, Idle manages to fall in love, a situation which is, very embarrassingly, played straight. With gags that are about as subtle as Coltrane’s paunch and chemistry between the two leads sadly lacking, this just coasts along Irom one tired , Iorced situation to the next. As ior comparisons with ‘Some Like It Hot' and the Ealing comedies, the presence oi Doris Hare (Mum irom ‘On The Buses') is a more telling pointerto the iilm’s quality. Nuns on the Run has made a lot of money in the States and (to look at the poster) many critics and celebrities who must know better have said how much they loved it. That only makes the overall tedium ol the exercise that much more surprising. Bless them Father Ior they have sinned,
' it's been 95 minutes and I hardly
laughed at all. (Tom Tunney)
Preview Sun 20. Edinburgh: Odeon. From Fri 25. Glasgow: Odeon. Edinburgh: Odeon. Strathclyde: UCI Clydebank, UCI East Kilbride.
actors combine to make it a satisfying voyage into escapist entertainment. Nevertheless. it all smacks ofa strangely dated anti-Russian attitude. Glasgow: Cannon Sauchiehall Street. Cannon The Forge. Edinburgh: Cannon. Dominion. Strathclyde: UCI Clydebank. UCI East Kilbride.
I I’m Gonna Git You Sucka ( 15) (Keenan Ivory Wayans. US. I988) Keenan Ivory Wayans. Isaac Hayes. Jim Brown. 89 mins. In this zippy spoof of the Seventies blaxploitation cycle. writer/director/star Wayans returns home from the army only to find the ghetto hooked on gold chains and his own brother a recent o.g. (over-golding) victim. Reuniting former tough guys and blaxploitation icons Brown and Hayes. he decides to go after the white Mr Big who controls the market.cnlisting the help of superpimp Antonio Fargas (aka the one and only Huggy Bear) along the way. Wayans hits several right notes of absurdity in this send-up ofan already ridiculous genre. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Internal Altair: ( 18) (Mike Figgis, US. 1990) Richard Gere, Andy Garcia. Nancy Travis. 105 mins. In the wake of his stylish homegrown debut Stormy Monday. British director Mike Figgis makes his Hollywood debut with this stylish thriller. Garcia is a quietly efficient cop working for the Internal Affairs Dept. ofthe [A police. who comes across damning evidence that respected street cop Gere is
in fact up to his neck in corrupt activities. and before long the two are at loggcrheads in a clash that is to get increasingly personal. Predictable but very flashy cop fare with remarkably intense performances from the two central protagonists. Glasgow: Cannon Sauchiehall Street. Cannon The Forge. Edinburgh: Cannon. Strathclyde: UCI Clydebank. UCI East Kilbride.
I Jesus 0i Montreal ( l8) (Denys Arcand. Canada. 1989) Lothaire Bluteau. Catherine Wilkening. Johanne-Marie Tremblay. 120 mins. Hired to revampa Catholic passion play. M. Bluteau enlists four actors from diverse sources. casts himself as Jesus. and sets to work on a stunningly radical version of his own. Naturally. life begins to imitate art, but don‘t expect anything else predictable. because Arcand‘s follow-up to Decline ()f The American Empire is chockful of twists. surprises and incisive satire. Finely acted. elegantly filmed and always intriguing. Glasgow: GFT.
I Johnny Handsome (15) (Walter Hill. US. 1990) Mickey Rourke. Ellen Barkin. Lance Henriksen. Morgan Freeman. 94 mins. So-called because his facial deformations make him look rather unfortunately like the Elephant Man. Johnny ‘Handsome‘ Sedley is a small-time crook whose closest friend is killed by other members of the gang during an unsuccessful heist. Upon his later release
from jail, Johnny undertakes the services of Forrest Whitaker‘s plastic surgeon and emerges a new man in the shape ofMickey Rourke. While falling in love for the first time with Elizabeth McGovern, his task at hand is to track down and kill nasties Barkin and Henriksen who dispatched his buddy. As you might guess from the synopsis, take away the twist of the malformed protagonist and you have a rather formulaic revenge flick. but director Hill makes good use of the New Orleans locations and has never forgotten how to put a good action scene together. Glasgow: Cannon Sauchiehall Street. Edinburgh: Cameo. Strathclyde: UCI Clydebank, UCI East Kilbride.
I Jumpln' Jack Flash (15) (Penny Marshall. US, 1986) Whoopi Goldberg. Stephen Collins, John Wood. 105 mins. Whoopi Goldberg's hip computer operator finds her daily rountine interrupted when the codename Jumpin‘ Jack Flash pops up on her VDU screen. and before too long she’s up to her neck in international intrigue as she tries to help a British agent out of a tight spot in eastern Europe. Watchable vehicle for a performer whose special gifts have often seemed ill-at-ease on the cinema screen, though even here the boys‘ own plotting has to slow down now and again to allow Whoopi her stand-up setpieces. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I King 01 The Wind (U) (Peter Duffell. UK, 1990) Navin Chowdry, Jenny Agutter, Frank Finlay. 104 mins. Tunis 1727, and mute stablegroom Agba (Chowdry) finds himself and his beloved Arab steed Sham part ofa deal that whisks them first ofall to France and the courtof King Louis XV, and thence onwards to England, where horse trainer Edward Coke (Frank Finlay) plans to race the stallion and his daughter Hannah (Jenny Agutter) helps the groom learn to read and write. Occasionally a bit too gushy for its own good. the film is crammed full of performances by respected English thesps (Richard Harris and Glenda Jackson pop up as George II and Queen Caroline). which help it glide along quite smoothly. Edifying fare for younger children who haven’t yet discovered the delights of Robocop or Freddy Krueger. Glasgow: Odeon. Edinburgh: Odeon.
I The Krays (18) (Peter Medak. UK. 1990) Billie Whitelaw, Gary Kemp, Martin Kemp. 119 mins. The long planned biopic ofthe terrible twins: Ronnie and Reggie. comes crashing onto the screen. Director Medak opts to imbue their lives with the mythic qualities ofa fairytale and thereby ignores most of the grisly details oftheir reign of fear. Whether or not you believe that their sordid tale deserves such treatment. the Spandau siblings do turn in a passable impersonation, despite their love of gazing moodin at the camera. Glasgow: Cannon The Forge, Odeon. Edinburgh: Odeon. Strathclyde: Kelburne. UCI Clydebank, UCI East Kilbride. WMR Film Centre.
I Last Exit To Brooklyn ( 18) (Ulrich Edel, W.Germany. 1989) Stephen Lang, Jennifer Jason Leigh. Burt Young. 104 mins. Brutal. graphic and dynamic study of the steamy. scamy side of life in the dockland area of Brooklyn duringthe Fifties. Hubert Selby‘s once banned novel has made it to the screen more or less intact in a narrative strung togetherfrom his series of vignettes. A painful dissection. not for the faint-hearted. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Leviathan ( 18) it (George Pan Cosmatos. US. 1989) Peter Weller. Richard Crenna. Amanda Pays. 98 mins. This latest entry in the post-A byss school of underwater sci-fi actually manages to take most of its inspiration from Ridley Scott‘s Alien. On a deep-sea mining mission the wreck of a mysterious Soviet vessel. the Leviathan. is discovered, but contact with the unexplained contents of her safe is to unleash a monstrous genetic mutation which picks off the mining crew