FILM
INDEX
I All Dogs Go to Heaven (U) (Don Bluth. US, 1989) With the voices of Burt Reynolds. Loni Anderson and Dom DeLuise. 84 mins. 1n Bluth‘slatest animated feature. likeable Alsatian Charlie Barkin is killed by his partnerin 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 allusive sense ofhumour that should even have adults suppressing the odd guffaw. Glasgow: Cannon The Forge. Strathclydc: Odeon Ayr.
I Altered State: (18) (Ken Russell. US. 1980) William Hurt. Blair Brown, Bob Balaban. 102 mins. Hurt made his film debut in this conflict-ridden production from a disowned Paddy Chayefsky script about an inquisitive scientist dabbling in things best left alone. An interesting jumble of mind-bending special effects and ludicrous narrative developments as Hurt regresses to an ape-like state under the influence of his dangerously self-destructive experiments. Quite conventional by Russell‘s standards. Strathclydc: 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 hisex-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: MacRobert Arts Centre.
I Balm: The Movie (U) (Alan Bunce, Canada/France, 1990) With the voices of Gordon Pinsent, Elizabeth Hanna, Sarah Polley. 70 mins. Jean dc Brunhoff‘s lovable elephant graces the screen in animated form for the first time as the long-running children‘s favourite is called into action to save Elephantland from the clutches of Lord Rataxes and his Rhino Hordes. Undemanding and Iikeable children‘s fare for the school holidays. Glasgow: Cannon The Forge, Odeon. Edinburgh: Odeon. UCI Craig Park. Strathclydc: Cannon. Odeon Hamilton, UCI Clydebank, UCI East Kilbride.
I Back to the Future (PG) (Robert Zemeckis, US, 1985) Michael J. Fox, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover. 116 mins. Deservedly popular time-travelling fantasy adventure with street-smart 80$ teenager whisked back in time for a little chicanery with his future parents. Edinburgh: Cannon. Central: MacRobert Arts Centre.
I Back To The Future Part 2 (PG) (Robert Zemeckis, US, 1989) Michael J. 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 Part3. 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. BTF? moves so fast from one set-piece to the next that there‘s no time to reflect on the basic ridiculousness ofthe plot. Edinburgh: Cannon. Central: MacRobert Arts Centre.
Back to the Future Part III (Robert Zemeckis, 1990, US) Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Mary Steenburgen, Thomas F. Wilson, Lea Thompson, Dub Taylor. 119 mins. The pay-off to the big tease ending of Part II, this, apparently final, episode of the series never lives up to the possibilities promised there. Part II concluded with the 1955 Hill Valley world once more put to rights but with Doc (Lloyd) transported back in the Wild West of 1885 after his DeLorean was struck by lightning. Courtesy of Western Union, Marty (Fox) is handed a 70 year-old letter from Dec detailing the hidden whereabouts oi the car and providing instructions for the 1955 Doc to repair it. So far, so good, and cue Part III, except that one of the first things Marty notices this time round is a gravestone telling him that Doc was shot in the back by an outlaw only a few days after his arrival on the Frontier. Straightening things out can only mean a trip back into Cowboyland for Marty and a confrontation with ‘Mad Dog' Tannen (Wilson) . . .
Shifting between 1955, 1985 and 2015, Part II of the McFlytime-shift saga was happily overloaded with fast-talking plot and high-energy special effects. Sticking doggedly to 1885 for almost its entire running time, 19th Century Fox often seems as immobile and broken down as Doc’s car. The Cavalry and Indians make only one fleeting appearance, and such Western staples as extended gunplay and wilful lawbreaking are also sadly lacking. Instead, what story there is focuses on Dec falling in love with the town’s new schoolmarm (Steenburgen)
BACK TO THE FUTURE PART III
and the two time-travellers' efforts to get their conked-out car up to an escape velocity of 88mph. An overspeeding steam engine hurtling towards a ravine finally provides a big dose of visual pyrotechnics but, until then, the movie mostly functions as a gentle and not very compelling spoof. McFly hits the old West in a tasteless pink shirt, adopts the alias ‘Clint Eastwood’, and practises his gunplay in front of a mirror while reciting those momentous lines, ‘You talkin’ to me?’ and ‘Come on, make my day!’ He also gets to meet his great-grandparents (awful Irish accents from Fox in whiskers, and Thompson), turns a tin plate into a frisbee-iike weapon and eventually (‘Nobody calls me yellow!') gets to do what all Western heroes have to do. Meanwhile, Doe and his new girl discuss Jules Verne and get very misty-eyed while time ticks ever nearer to a date with that fateful tombstone.
Back To The Future Part 111 isn't quite a bad film, but, as with almost every other sequel of a sequel, there‘s an overall slackness and warmed-over feel which prevents it from lifting off in the spectacular way it should. In almost every sense, we’ve been here before. (Tom Tunney)
From Fri 13. Glasgow: Cannon The Forge, Cannon Sauchiehall Street, Salon. Edinburgh: Cannon, Dominion, UCI Craig Park. Central: Allanpark, Cannon. Strathclyde: Cannon, Kelburne, Odeon Ayr. Odeon Hamilton, La Scala, UCI Clydebank, UCI East Kilbride, WMR.
I Back To The Future Part 3 (PG) (Robert Zcmcckis. US. 1990) Michael J. Fox. Christopher Lloyd. Mary Steenburgen. 119 mins. See review. Glasgow: Cannon Clarkston Road. Cannon The Forge. Cannon Sauchiehall Street. Grosvenor. Edinburgh: Cannon. Dominion. UCI Craig Park. Central: Allanpark. Caledonian. Cannon. Strathclydc: Cannon, Kelburne, ()deon Ayr. Odeon Hamilton. La Scala,U(‘1(.‘lydebank.11(‘l East Kilbride, WMR Film Centre.
I Berry Lyndon ( 15) (Stanley Kubrick. UK. 1975) Ryan O’Neal. Marisa Berenson. Patrick Magce. 184 mins. Kubrick's sumptuous recreation of
Thackeray's shaggy dog tale follows O'Ncal‘s gentleman offortune through 18th century lreland. An extraordinary attention to detail and a visual style that effectively reproduces the look of contemporary paintings are the major points ofinterest. easily outweighingthe meandering narrative thread. but this isa gorgeous film all the same. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Batman (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. 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 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. Edinburgh: Cameo. Strathclydc: Kelburne. Odeon Ayr. I The Bear (PG) (Jean-Jacques Annaud, France. 1988) Bart, Douce, Jack Wallace. Tcheky Karyo. 98 mins. Simple. unsentimental narrative follows the experiences of two bears. a bigadult kodiak and a young orphan cub, asthey are pursued by two hunters. Cleverly filmed to capture the bears acting naturally. this insightful record oftheir point of view makes a moving plea for the decent treatment of all animals and is highly entertaining as it goes about it. Glasgow: GFT. I The Big Sleep (PG) (Howard Hawks. US. 1946) Humphrey Bogart. Lauren Bacall. John Ridgcly. 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 noir with Bogey and Bacall doing their excellent double act. Strathclydc: UCI East Kilbride. I Blind Fury ( 18) (Philip Noyce. US. 1990) Rutger Hauer, Terry O‘Quinn, Brandon Call. 87 mins. See review. Glasgow: Cannon The Forge. Edinburgh: UCI Craig Park. Strathclydc: UCI Clydebank. UCl East Kilbride. I Captain Johnno (U) This children‘s movie from Australia examines the experiences of a 12 year-old deafboy. Captain Johnno, made the object oftaunts and cruelty by the locals in the fishing village where he lives. and follows his friendship with a newly arrived Italian immigrant and fellow outcast. Central: MacRobert Arts Centre. I Cat Chaser ( 18) (Abel Ferrara. US. 1989) Peter Weller. Kelly McGillis. Thomas Milian. 102 mins. Elmore Leonard‘s twisting and turning thriller makes it to the big screen in a version he co-scripted. Unlike some previous attempts to film his skilfully crafted crime novels. this one makes the transition with some credibility. Weller falls forfemme fatale McGillis and undertakes complex manoeuvresto win her. A strange voice-over helps hold the plot together. as does the score by jazz composer Chick Corea. Glasgow: GFT. I Celia (18) (Anne Turner. Australia. 1989) Rebecca Smart. Nicholas Eadie. Maryanne Fahey. 103 mins. Set in the 1950s in Australian suburbia. Turner's excellent debut feature (similar in spirit to My Life as a Dog) follows the bitter rites of passage of nine-year-old Celia from the death of relatives and pets to doling out cruelty and violence on ‘Communist' neighbours. A unique blend ofchildhood paranoia and political nous. Glasgow: GF'T. I Cinema Paradiso (PG) (Giuseppe Tornatore. Italy/France.l988) Phillipe Noiret. Jacques Perrin. Salvatore Cascio. 123 mins. Tornatore‘s vision ofhis movie-mad Childhood is a wonderful love letter to the cinema itself. Told largely in flashback. it traces the young Salvatore's infatuation with his village cinema. and his growing friendship with its projectionist (played to perfection by Noiret). Essentially. it‘s Tornatore’s lament for the joyous movie-going experience ofhis youth and a recognition of the price we pay for our maturity. 1990 Oscar winner for Best Foreign Film. Glasgow1GFT. I The Cook. The Thief, His Wife and liar Lover(l8) (Peter Greenaway. UK, 1989) Richard Bohringer. Michael Gambon,
18 The List 13— 26July 1990