FILM LIST
producer Max Bialystock. who ropes in timid accountant Wilder for a crazy scheme to over-finance a surefire flop and make off with the money. They come up with Springtime For Hitler. and Brooks comes up with an all-time comedy classic. Glasgow: Grosvenor.
I The Punisher( 18) (Mark Goldblett. US. 1990) Dolph Lundgren. Jeroen Krabbe. Louis gossctt Jnr. Kim Miyori. 90mins. Humourless cross between Marl Mar and Death Wish has Lundgren as hero-cop-turncd-mental-after-the- murder-ohhis-family. Frank Castle. playing vigalante against the Haitian and Japanese mafias. Macho nonsense. Glasgow: Cannon The Forge. Strathclydc: UCI East Kilbride.
I Purple Rain ( 15) (Albert Magnoli. US. 1984) Prince. Apollonia Kotero. 111 mins. Thinly-disguised Oscar-winning autobiographical drama on the life and hard times of His Purpleness. The music is all. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I The Rescuers (U) (Wolfgang Reitherman. John Lounsbcrry and Art Stevens. US. 1977) With the voices of Bob Newhart. Eva Gabor. Geraldine Page. 77 mins. Technically expert and sporadically enthralling cartoon adventure from the latterday Disney studios. which lacks the inventiveness and lustre ofthe 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. Strathclydc: Odeon Hamilton.
I Robocop (18) (Paul Verhoeven. US. 1987) Peter Weller. Nancy Allen. Ronny Cox. 103 mins.S1iekand stomach-churningly violent futuristic thriller blending elements of Dirty Harry. Frankenstein and The Sir Million Dollar Man. When diligent policeman Weller is shot to pieces by vicious hoods. his remains are mechanically reconstructed into a hi-tech law enforcement officer. but the human desire for revenge still beats beneath his mechanical exterior. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Roger and Me ( 15) (Michael Moore. US. 1989) Michael Moore. Roger Smith. 90 mins. Alternately hilarious and saddening portrait of the disastrous effects of widespread unemployment on Moore‘s home town of Flint. Montana. A former journalist. Moore sold his house and auctioned its contents to make this movie. An unexpected hit in the States this docu-comedy follows the trail of his camera as he gleans comments from all manner of folk and sets off in search of Roger Smith. the head of General Motors. who closed down their Flint factory with the loss of30.000 jobs. Glasgow: (EFT,
I Romancing The Stone (PG) ( Robert Zemeckis. US. 1984) Michael Douglas. Kathleen Turner. Danny 1)eVito. 105 mins. Retiring novelist Turner is pitched into real high adventure in the junglesof South America in this appealing escapist fare. which made a star offormer producer Douglas. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Rouge (15) (Stanley Kwain. Hong Kong. 1987) Anita Mui. 93. mins. A Chinese ghost story that leaps between the 30s and present day Hong Kong. Two lovers fulfill their pact to meet again 50 years after their deaths in Hell. thus showing that Kwain can‘t think much of Hong Kong. Stylish love story with a great performance by Mel. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Rude Awakening ( 15) (Aaron Russo/David Greenwalt. US. 1989) Cheech Marin. Eric Roberts. Robert Carradine. 100 mins. See review. Glasgow: Odeon. Edinburgh: Odeon.
I Scarface (18) (Brian De Palma. US. 1983) Al Pacino. Steven Bauer. Michelle Pfeiffer. 169 mins. Cuban emigrant Pacino builds a vast Miami crime empire on foundations of cocaine. but his life is
destroyed when he loses control of his own indulgence. Overbearing moralising
. dominates this sweeping gangster saga.
with stylish violent highlights the De Palma trademark as ever. Strathclydc: Odeon Ayr.
I sex. lies and videotape ( 15) (Steven
3 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 tellhis ‘ wife. Anne (McDowell). The videotape:
3 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. Central: MacRobert Arts Centre.
I She Devil ( 15) (Susan Seidelman. US. 1989) Meryl Streep. Roseanne Barr. Ed Begley Jr. 99 mins. TV comedy star Barr makes her screen debut as Ruth Pratchett in Seidelman‘s heavily criticised version of The Life and Loves ofa She Devil. Dumpy
‘ Ruth‘s husband (a marvelloust slimy
Begley) falls for romantic novelist Mary Fisher (Streep making Miss Piggy seem a model of thespian restraint). an event that causes the dispossessed spouse to enact a fiendisth cunning revenge. The macabre feel of the original has been ditched in favour of a highly stylised slapstick farce. but despite this unexpected change the film still leaves you rooting for the world's next housewife superstar. Glasgow: Odeon. Edinburgh: Odeon. Strathclydc: UCI East Kilbride.
I The Shining ( 18) (Stanley Kubrick. US. 1980) Jack Nicholson. Shelly Duvall. Philip Stone. 146 mins. Kubrick‘s overwrought. overlong horror film dispenses with much of the psychic apparatus of Stephen King‘s novel to concentrate on the deeper horror ofa family turning in on itself. Nicholson. with all the stops out. is bug-eyed and demonic as the writer cracking up violently in an isolated hotel. and the final scenes are. literally. chilling. Glasgow: GF’T‘.
I Ski Patrol (PG) ( Richard (‘orell. US. 1989) Ray Walston. Roger Rose. Martin Mull. 90mins. Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the cinema again. he‘s back! Yes. producer Paul Maslansky. the man who brought you all five ofthe miserably mirthless Police Academy movies. returns with his latest er. brainchild. This big-budget comedy caper has dashing ski instructor Roger Rose battling against nasty property developer Ray Walston who's seeking to change the local resort beyond recognition. Expect the same bland of juvenile slapstick and exasperating smuttiness as be fore. Strathclydc: Odeon Ayr. L’Cl Clydebank. UCl East Kilbride.
I Stop Making Sense (PG) (Jonathan Demmc. US. 1984)Talking Heads. 88 mins. Dynamic concert movie with David Byrne and Co‘s arresting live show brought to the screen intact by Jonathan Dcmme‘s fluid camerawork. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Summer Vacation 1999 (15) (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‘sdreamlike
. 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. Glasgow: GFT. I Superman (PG) (Richard Lester. US. 198(1) Christopher Reeve. Marlon
Brando. Mrgot Kidder. Gene Hackman. Susannah York. 142 mins. Patchily realised film version of the famous all-American super-hero. Spawner oftoo many sequels. Strathclydc: UCI East Kilbride.
I Sur ( 15) (Fernando Solanas. Argentina. 1988) Sus Pecoraro. Miguel Angel Sola. Philippe Leotard. 119 mins. A film that had to wait a long time before being released over here. Solanas' winner ofthe 1988 Best Director award at Cannes is set in Argentina after the collapse ofthe militaryjunia. and follows one released prisoner‘s efforts to be reunited with his wife and reconciled to the haunting memories of the past. Glasgow: OFT.
I The Terminator ( 18) (James Cameron. US. 1984) Arnold Schwarzenegger. Michael Biehn. Linda Hamilton. 107 mins. In 2029 machines have all but conquered the planet but a saviour is at hand in the form of a new human leader. The machines respond by sending Schwarzenegger's cyborg back in time to 1984 on a mission to kill the future leader‘s mother. Inventive. excitingly-paced science-fiction adventure with a notable performance from Arnie in his first villainous role. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Tess (PG) (Roman Polanski. UK/France.1979)Nastassja Kinski. Peter Firth. Leigh Lawson. 170mins. Sumptuous adaptation ofThomas Hardy's tragic story of ill-fated love set in Victorian England where social circumstances conspire with unforsecable misfortunes to break the spirit ofan innocent heroine. Handsome. evocative and absorbing. with a marvellous performance from Ms Kinski. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Trop Belle Pour T01 (18) (Bertrand Blier. France. 1989) Gerard Depardieu.Josiane Balasko. Carole Bouquet. 91 mins. Massive French hit offers a characteristic twist on the old eternal threesome scenario. Dcpardieu plays the succesful owner of a car showroom. envied by all for his beautiful wife (Bouquet). who fallsin love with his dumpy secretary (Balasko). A film ofcommendablc openness about the needs of the senses and men'sfacility for emotional expression. its true achievement is how it turns the stuffof farce into an intense hybrid ofwistful comedy and romantic passion. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I True Stories (PG) (David Byrne. US. 1986) David Byrne. Spalding Gray. John Goodman. 88 mins. Writer/director/star and Talking Heads frontman Byrne is our guide to the mythical small town ofVirgil. Texas. where we are introduced to the various charming and idiosyncratic inhabitants. A lightly humorous. endearing mosaic of non-narrative fiction that some may find a little too precious for itsown good. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Venus Peter( 12) (Ian Sellar. t’K. 1989) Ray McAnally. Gordon R. Strachan. David Hayman. 92 mins. Affecting adaptation shot on ()rkney of Scots writer Christopher Rush‘s impressionistic A Twelvemomh And/1 Day. set in a fishing village in the 1950s. One ochAnally‘s last roles casts him beautifully as the sympathetic grandfather of Peter. played by nine-year-old Strachan (who is not to be confused with the diminutive Scottish midfield genius) in this moving study ofa dying community seen through the eyes of a young boy. Glasgow: GET.
I When Harry Met Sally ( 15) (Rob Reiner. US. 1989) Billy Crystal. Meg Ryan. Carrie Fisher. 95 mins. Thoughtful sex comedy has Crystal (1 larry). Ryan (Sally) and Reiner on top form. with highly entertaining results. Nora Ephron‘s witty screenplay intelligently ponders the possibility of male/female friendship with or without romance. and guess which side wins. . .Annie Hall for the late 1980s.with now-famous faked orgasm. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I We're No Angels ( 15) (Neil Jordan. US. 1989) Robert De Niro. Sean Penn. Ray
McAnally. 107 mins. See Feature. Glasgow: Cannon Sauchiehall Street. Edinburgh: Odeon. Strathclydc: UCl Clydebank. I Where the Heart Is ( 15) (John Boorman. US. 1990) Dabney Coleman. Uma Thurman, Joanna Cassidy. Crispin Glover. Suzy Amis. 107 mins. Boorman who co-scripted with his daughterTelsche. stays on similar ground to Hope and Glory with this family orientated film — only it'sa comedy and set in the present. ‘lt‘s about young people growing up in today‘s society and not knowing what to do with themselves.‘ To be reviewed next issue. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Will (15) (Michael Tuchner. UK. 1989) Mel Smith. Griff Rhstones. Diana Quick. 93 mins. The quest for a suitable film vehicle for the undisputed talents of the podgy one and his pal now seems tobe at an end. In this competent adaptation of Tom Sharpe's novel Jones is the lecturer suspected by bumbling copper Smith of murdering his wife. Produced by Brian Eastman. who made Sharpe‘s Porterhouse Blue for television. the film keepsthe tackier aspects of the plot in check. but allows the pair‘s wry verbal humour to shine through. Central: MacRobert Arts Centre. I The Witches (PG) (Nicholas Roeg. US. 1990) Anjclica Huston. Mai Zetterling, Rowan Atkinson. 92 mins. Nine year-old Luke is warned by his Norwegian granny about the everpresent threat posed by the existence of witches. which isn't much help actually because within the next half hour he stumbles on their annual convention in a small English hotel and gets himself changed into a mouse for his pains. A pleasing adaption of Roald Dahl's children's story has director Roeg (in unusually straightforward manner) creating a superior kids movie that has you rooting for the mice all the way. Lotsof fun. Glasgow: Cannon The Forge. Cannon Sauchiehall Street. Edinburgh: Cannon. Strathclydc: UCl Clydebank. UCl East Kilbride. I The Witches olEastwlclt (18) (George Miller. US. 1987) Jack Nicholson. Cher. Susan Sarandon. 118 mins. Suffocatingin the prim tranquility of a small town in New England. three single women set their collective sights on conjuring up the perfect Mr Right. Next morninga mysterious stranger suddenly appears, as if in answer to their prayers. and beginsto charm the pants offthem. But the ripe. randy and rakish Daryl van Horne isthe devil in disguise. and there is a price to pay for their pleasure. A joyous. diabolical romp. with Nicholson having the time of his life. Glasgow: GFT. I A World Apart (15) (Chris Menges. UK. 1988) Barbara Hershey. Jodhi May. Linda Mvusi. David Suchet. 112 mins. Based on the experiences of screenwriter Shawn Slovo's teenage years in the South Africa of the early Sixties. the film followsthe arrest of her political activist mother and the tensions this causes in their relationship. However. the young girl's growing awareness of the injustices of apartheid leads her to some sense of solidarity with her mum. Brilliantly acted treatment of the evils of the Johannesburg regime. which never opts for preachiness but offers an honest complexity that makes it all the more engrossing. Central: MacRobert Arts Centre. I Yaaba (PG) (ldrissa Ouedraogo. Burkina Faso. 1989) Fatimata Sanga. Noufou Ouedraogo. Roukietou Barry. 90 mins. Yaaba is a lonely old woman who has been rejected by the villagers ofthe small desert community. but young Bila. a boy who treats the local scrub as his own adventure playground. is soon to break through the aura of mystery and suspicnon that surrounds her. Inventive African feature whose narrative charm has won a wide international reputation and audience. Recommended. Glasgow: GFT.
24 The List 1 — 14 June 1990