FILM LIST
INDEX
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. Edge-of—the-seat suspense thriller with a strong cast and ghastly special effects. Glasgow: GFT. I Allen: (18) (James Cameron, US, 1986) Sigourney Weaver. Michael Biehn. 137 mins. Revived from a 57-year snooze in deep space. Warrant Officer Weaver is eajoled 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. Glasgow: Off. I All Dogs Go to Heaven (U) (Don Bluth. US, 1989) With the voices ofBurt Reynolds, Loni Anderson and Dom DeLuisc. 84 mins. 1n Bluth’slatest animated feature. likeable Alsatian Charlie Barkin is killed by his partner in small-time crime, but manages to trick his way out of the Afterlife to face earthbound adventure with cute orphan Anne-Marie as he seeks revenge on his double-crossing ' buddy. Occasionally sloppy animation is more than made up for by the inventive story-line and an allusivc sense ofhumour that should even have adults suppressing the odd guffaw. Glasgow: Cannon The Forge, Odeon. Edinburgh: Odeon. Strathclyde: Odeon Ayr. UCl Clydebank. UCI East Kilbride. I Always (PG) (Steven Spielberg. US. 1989) Richard Dreyfuss. Holly Hunter. John Goodman. 120 mins. Airborne fire-fighter Dreyfuss‘ deepening relationship with feisty co-worker Hunter faces a slight hitch when he's killed in action, trying to save best mate Goodman. Thanks however to guardian angel Audrey Hepburn, his soul returns to Earth, only to face anguish as his ex-lover falls into the arms of hunk Brad Johnson. An absorbing mix of old fashioned sentiment and state-of-the-art special effects, Spielberg‘s reworking of 1943‘s Spencer Tracy actioner A Guy NamedJoe pays tribute to the wholesome Hollywood warmth of half a century ago. but his attempts at conveying an adult love affair remain uncomfortably adolescent. Central: Caledonian. I ApartmentZero (15) (Martin Donovan. UK. 1988) Colin Firth. Hart Bochner. Dora Bryan. 125 mins. Bizarre. modest British effort set in Buenos Aires. which centres around arthouse cinema-owner Firth and his enigmatic but attractive lodgcr Bochner. who may well charm the neighbours in the apartment block is also a man with a decidedly murky past. Would-be intense thriller-cum-sexual melodrama is crammed with expressionist flourish but remains a film ofambition rather than accomplishment. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Apocalypse Now (18) (Francis Coppola. US. 1980) Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando. Robert Duvall, Dennis Hopper. 153 mins. Vietnam as The Ultimate Trip. We follow US Army assassin Sheen downriver and deeper into the Heart ofDarkness ruled over by Brando‘s mad Colonel Kurtz. Alternately pretentious and visually overpowering (the Valkyries helicopter attack, for example). its grandiloquent folly somehow pierces right to the bone of the conflict. Edinburgh: Cameo. I Back to the Future (PG) (Robert Zemeckis. US, 1985) Michael J. Fox. Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover. 116 mins. Deservedly popular time-travelling
20 The List 1—14June 1990
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The recent and quite understandable fuss made in these pages (and many others) over the most recent flowering olAustraIia’s cinematic talent, namely Jane Campion’s Sweetie and Ann Turner‘s Celia, has returned our attention to the country's film-makers after several years during which we saw relatively few Antipodean offerings. The first great wave of the 703 produced a remarkable host of directors, now-familiar names like Peter Weir (Picnic At Hanging Rock), Bruce Beresford (The Getting Of Wisdom), Fred Schepisi (The Chant of Jimmy Blacksmith) and Gillian Armstrong (My Brilliant Career), at last establishing the Australian cinema on the world stage. However as the turn of the 80s came round, all of the above left for greener American pastures in the hope of establishing themselves on the Hollywood scene.
The aforementioned quartet (and one should by rights add George ‘Mad Max’ Miller to the list) have subsequently met with variable success plying their trade for the studios, but at home their departure left the native film industry looking more than a little depleted. In the interim, government and federal support for film production has continued apace, with the film schools and independent sector offering opportunities for a number of innovative young film-makers to cut their directorial teeth.
Jane Campion’s award-winning early
LILE WIZARDS FROM 02
T cey Mottatt's Nice Coloured Girls
work has already been showcased at international festivals (in Cannes and here in Edinburgh), butwith the success of Sweetie it demands, and deserves to be revived tor, a significantly wider audience. Thankfully, the British Film Institute have done the necessary and Campion’s collected shorts form just one of three programmes in a worthwhile season engagineg entitled Little Wizards From Oz that tours to Glasgow and Edinburgh this month. There’s a free brochure available from both the GFT and Filmhouse that details the selections, and all three programmes come recommended. If you haven’t yet caught up with Campion classics like Passionless Moments and Peel, you’re in for a treat, while the material financed by the Women’s Film Fund (notably Tracey Moftatt’s striking Aboriginal docu-drama Nice Coloured Girls) and Luigi Acquisto’s Jarmusch-intluenced slant on the immigrant lifestyle offer cumulative evidence that talk of a second Australian wave is hardly idle speculation. (TrevorJohnston) From Mon 4 June onwards: Glasgow Film Theatre. From Wed 6 June onwards: Edinburgh Filmhouse. See Film Listings lorlull details.
4 June. Glasgow: GFT. June 5, 6 and 15, 16. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
fantasy adventure with street-smart 80$ teenager whisked back in time for a little chicanery with his future parents. Strathclyde: Odeon Ayr.
I Back To The Future Part 2 (PG) (Robert Zemeckis. US. 1989) Michael]. Fox, Christopher Lloyd. Thomas F. Wilson. 108 mins. Finishing with a big tease sequence of highlights for the mid-1990 scheduled 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. 87'}? moves so fast from one set-piece to the next that there‘s no time to reflect on the basic ridiculousness ofthe plot. Strathclyde: Odeon Ayr.
I Battle Beyond the Stars (Jimmy Murakami. US. 1980). 104 mins. Asmall planet calls in the hired nasties to help ward off the attentions of an unpleasant neighbour. Sci-fi parody of the grand western manner of The Magmfieeaneven, written by John Marewan Sayles. Central: Allanpark Stirling.
I Batman (Tim Burton. US. 1989)Jack Nicholson, Michael Keaton. Kim Bassinger. 120 mins. In which Burton
achieves the impossible by creatinga fl product which lives up to possibly the biggest hype job this century. Nicholson is on top form: psychotic. witty and zanier than ever: but the real triumph is Keaton‘s. With less screen time than the Great Upstagcr. 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. Glasgow: GFT. I Beetleiuice ( 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 Betelgeuse (pronounced ‘BeetIe-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. Glasgow: Grosvenor. I Camille (PG) (George Cukor, US. 1936) Greta Garbo. Robert Taylor. Lionel Barrymore, 108 mins. A dying courtesan falls in love with a young man who returns her affections only for her to die in his arms. Based on Alexandre Dumas‘ novel. Camille has Garbo in her most popular role. Her unique magic charm. Cukor's sharp direction and atmospheric settings transform this predictable love-tragedy into a classic. The finale shows just how much ofthe film‘s success relied on Garbo‘s enigmatic presence and image. Glasgow: GFT. I Casablanca (PG) (Michael Curtiz. US. 1942) Humphrey Bogart. Ingrid Bergman. Dooley Wilson. 102 mins. You must rememberthis. . . Bogart being impossibly noble. Bergman torn between two lovers. Claude Rains playing both ends against the middle. devious Nazis. a fogbound airport. a piano-player tinkling that tune . . . A wonderful hill ofbeans. Strathclyde: UCI East Kilbride. I Chinatown (Roman Polanski. US. 1974) Jack Nicholson. Faye Dunaway. John Huston. 131 mins. Private eye Jake Gittes takes on a routine casein 1937 LA and ends up uncovering more than he bargained for. Splendid conspiracy thriller with a handsome period look and aquite superlative cast. Despite rumours spread by Nicholson and Polanski. though. the nose-slitting scene was faked. Glasgow: GFT. I Danny The Champion OIThe World ( U) (Gavin Millar. UK, 1989) Jeremy Irons. Robbie Coltrane. Cyril Cusack. Samuel Irons. 97 mins. Roald Dahl's tale ofa corrupt property baron and pheasant-slayer (Coltrane) given his come-uppance by resourceful nine-year old Danny becomes a family movie in more ways than one. Millar. whose past work includes Dennis Potter's disturbing Lewis Carroll piece [)reamchild. has gone for wholesome entertainment this time. and cast father and son as father and son in the central roles. with young Sam's grandpa Cusack as the avuncular Doc Spencer. Charming and warmhearted. with enough subtlety to keep the grown-ups amused. Edinburgh filmhouse. I Dead Poets Society (PG) (Peter Weir. US. 1989) Robin Williams. Robert Sean Leonard. Ethan Hawke. 129 mins. In a 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 (along with booze and girls) further. Though Williams is on good form. the film focuses mainly on the boys' emotional development and crises. and on the