FILM
situations and deadpan wit. This second feature from the Brothers ( lilumlSirnple) Coen is a joy. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. Edinburgh L'niversity Film Society. I Richard III ( PG) (Laurence ()livier. 17K. 1955) Laurence ()liy ier. John Gielgud. Claire Bloom. Ralph Richardson. 161 mins. ()livier's third Shakespearean adaptation as w ritcr director highlights his highly-regarded central performance but is rather less interesting than both Henry 1' and Ham/e! as a piece ofcinema. Edinburgh: Film Guild. I Road House ( l8) ( Rowdy l lerrington. CS. 1989) Patrick Swayze. Ben Gazzara. Kelly Lynch. 114 mins. Swayze moves from Dirry Dancing to dirty dunting when he becomes bouncer-in-chief at the savage Double Deuce nightclub. l7tterly cxecrable macho nonsense. but lull of satisfying cheap thrills if you take it in the right spirit. Edinburgh: Cameo. I Robocop ( 18) (Paul Verhoeven. (TS. 1987) Peter Weller. Nancy Allen. Ronny Cox. 1113 mins. Slick and stomach-churningly violent futuristic thriller blending elements of Dirty Harry. Frankenstein and The Sit .llflliun Dollar Man. When diligent policeman Weller is shot to pieces by vicious hoods. his remains are mechanicallyreconstructed into a hi-tech law enforcement officer. but the human desire for rey enge still beats beneath his mechanical exterior. Edinburgh: l'Cl. I Roger and Me ( 15) (Michael Moore. t 'S. 1989) Michael Moore. Roger Smith. 9(1 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 Statesthis 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 Hint factory with the loss of 30,000 jobs. Central: MacRobert Arts Centre. I Romuald and Juliette (Coline Serreau. France. 1989) Daniel Auteuil. Firmine Richard. 1 18 mins. Winning serio-comic love story in which ha rd-nosed business exec falls for his black cleaning lady Richard and as their affair breaks down both class and racial barriers. her shrewd insight into the absurdity .ilcorporate power-broking helps him to discoy era new set of more worthwhile values. Followingon from her huge French hit Trois Horn/nay: [5! l ln ( iouffin (successfully Americanised as Three Men And/4 Baby) Serreau comes up with another insightful and funny examination of the way we live now. though it doesbear a highly coincidental resemblance to the outline of Pretty Woman! Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Rumble Fish ( 18) (Francis Ford Coppola. US. 1983) Mickey Rourke. Dennis Hopper. Matt Dillon. 94mins. 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: Filmhouse. I sex, lies and videotape ( 15) (Steven Soderbergh. US. 1989) Andie McDowell. Laura San Giacomo. James Spader. Peter Gallagher. 1(11 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'()r at Cannes. Edinburgh University Film Society. I The Sleep 01 Reason ( 15) (Ula Stockl. W.Germany. 1984) 82 mins. A woman
gynaecologist runs into marital problems when she challenges her husband's pharmaceutical firm over its production of the Pill. A tense and nightmarish scenario which reaches an unpleasant and gripping climax. Edinburgh: Film Guild.
I Smooth Talk ( 15) (Joyce Chopra. (IS. 1985) Laura Dern. Mary Kay Place.Treat Williams. 91 mins. Chopra‘s adaptation of a short story by Joyce Carol ()ates hasa young Laura Dern as a California teenon the edge of womanhood. her daily round ofcruising the local mall with her cronies and arguing with her parents is suddenly disrupted by the appearance of handsome wolfin a sportscar. Treat Williams. Yet.as she possibly submits to his adult advances might he just be a product of her overheating hormonal imagination? Glasgow: (ii’l‘.
I Some Like It Hot (PG 1 (Billy Wilder. CS. 1959)'1'ony Ctirtis. Jack Lemmon. Marilyn Monroe. 12(1mins. Two impecunious male musicians inadvertently witness the St Valentine‘s Day Massacre and take refuge in Florida with Sweet Sue and her Society Syncopators. an all-female band. Brilliant. brittle. crackerjack farce with all concerned at a peak in their careers. Edinburgh l'niversity Film Society.
I Spaced Invaders ( P0 1 (Patrick Read Johnson. L'S. 199(1) Douglas Barr. Royal Dano. Ariana Richards. 9(1 mins. ()n the 5(1th anniversary of ()rson Welles' original
War ()f The Worlds: radio broadcast a gang .
ol cuddly aliens land on Earth to begin their quest for world domination from the unlikely base of Big Bean. Illinois. ()nly the intervention of Sheriff Barr and curmudgeonly farmer Royal Danocan save the planet from Lieutenant Blaznee (a fashionable ‘Jack Nicholson in space" it says here) and his pumpkin-headed mob ofextraterrestrials. Glasgow: Cannon'l'hc Forge. Strathclyde: L'Cl East Kilbride. I Steel Magnolias (PG) (llerbert Ross. CS. 1989) Shirley Mac1.aine. Dolly Parton. Sally Field. ()1ympiaDukakis. Julia Roberts. 117 mins. The downhome tale of a bevy of southern belles who support each other through a combination of hugs and wisecracks. Robert llarling's stage play. written as a testimony to the Courageous womenfolk of his home-town. wends its weepy way onto the big-screen. Loads of local colour and tragedy but you can‘t help feeling that you've been emotionally manipulated by a bunch of cindy dolls. Strathclyde: WM R Film Centre.
I Stellar 15) (John Erman. L'S. 199(1) Bette Midler. Trini Alvarado. John Goodman. Stephen Collins. 114 mins. In this re make of a veteran 1 lollywood sudser. Middler hams vigorously as the poor btit plucky mum trying to bring up teenage daughter Alvarado. whose visits with rich father Dr Collins make her ever more eager to leave the modest surroundings that Bette's meagre livingas a part-time barmaid can afford. As the film works up to a mother's ultimate sacrifice for her offspring. the viewer's tear ducts may find themselves working overtime but whether they're gaspsof emotion or gales of laughter will pobably be a matter of personal taste. Strathclyde: UCl Clydebank. LfCl East Kilbride.
I Total Recall ( 18) (Paul \"erhoeven. L'S. 199(1) Arnold Schwarzenegger. Sharon Stone. Michael lronside. 1(19 mins. 1n \"erhoeven‘s hugely expensive rollercoaster of violence Arnie plays an ordinary construction worker whose trip to vacational fantasy implant service Rekall Incorporated is to pitch him intoan unpredictable netherworld of murderous assassins and femmes fatales before unleashing the full truth about his nightmares of life on Mars. The crazy Dutchman‘s Martian chronicle. teeming with sicko incident. is powered along by bursts of gec-ain't-this-fun-brutality but scores points for the playful ingenuity of the plotting. and Arnie looks like he's
enjoying himself. Glasgow: Odeon. Edinburgh: L'Cl. Strathclyde: UCl Clydebank.L'C1 East Kilbride.
I Treasure Island (PG) (Fraser 1 leston. US LJK. 199(1) Charlton Heston. Christian Bale. Christopher Lee. 133 mins. Well. shiver me timbers if it ain't Cap’n Heston pere with only one leg and a parrot hamming away in this new version of the Robert Louis Stevenson tale. And blow me if it ain't that Master Bale from Empire of The Sun in the role of Jim lad. More than that we daren't say. except toadd that our critical black spot is on its way to writer producer director 1 leston fils. care of the Admiral Benbow sushi bar. Burbank. Strathclyde: (‘)deon Hamilton. I Trop Belle Pour Toi! 'I'uu Iii-alarm! For You.’( 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. Depardieu plays the succesful owner of a car
show room. envied by all for hisbeautiful wife (Bouquet). who falls in love with his dumpy secretary ( Balasko). A film of commendable openness about the needs of the senses and men's facility for emotional expression. its true achievement is how it turns the stuffof farce into an intense hybrid ofwistful comedy and romantic passion. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. Edinburgh (Tniversity' Film Society.
I The Twelve Tasks of Asterix (t ' i ( Rene Goscinny «5; Alberto L'derzo. France. 1975) English version with the voicesof George Baker. Sean Barrett. John Ringham. Barbara Mitchell. 82 mins. Further animated adventures ofthe plucky little Gallic warrior. who undertakes a dozen llerculean labours imposed by Caesar. aided. as always. by Getafix‘smagie potions. Enjoyable sequence in the Madhouse of Bureaucracy. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I The Unbearable Lightness of Being ( 18) (Philip Kaufman. LS. 1987) Daniel Day-Lewis. Juliette Binoche. Lena ()lin. 167 mins. Ambitious adaptation of Milan Kundera's complex novel about a womanising Czech brain surgeon who falls in love for the first time with adoe-like small-town beauty. Abandoning his
freew heeling existence. he embraces commitment at the time of the Russian invasion of 1968. A dawdling and rather austere narrative is giy en some spice and interest by an overwhelming eroticism. a beautifully judged evocation of Prague and gorgeous photography. ()therwise vastly overlong and uninvolving. Edinburgh: Cameo.
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. . ..»1nnr'ellall for the late 198(1s.with now-famous faked orgasm. Edinburgh L'niversity Film Society.
I White Hunter. Black Heart ( PG ) (Clint Eastwood. US. 199(1) Clint Eastwood.Jeff Fahey'. George Dzundza. 112 mins. Adapted from writer Peter Viertel's fictional chronicle of his experiences with obsessive and occasionally irresponsible director John Huston while preparing The African Queen on location in what's now Zimbabwe. Eastwood's latest sterling effort as director is not so much an arid exercise in cinephile archaeology as an indulgently affectionate picture ofthe old-style filmmaker adventurer at play. sleeves rolled up in a l leminingwayesque struggle against the oncoming barrage of experience. As actor. however. Clint turns in what's arguably his best performance. a take on the lluston drawl that’s not quite an impersonation but definitely does step outside the star's usual
role. Edinburgh: Dominion.
I Wild At Heart ( 18) (David Lynch. US. 199(1) Nicholas Cage. Laura Dern. Diane Ladd. Willem Dafoe. 127 mins. Lynch's much-hyped Cannes prize-winner turns out to be weird and wondrous in itsown way. if not quite as cohesive as the earlier Blue Velvet. Cage and Dern are the energetic young lovers on the run. pursued by ultrastrange hitman Dafoe on a sometimes comic. sometimesdisturbing. trail towards the ultimate rendezvous with Elvis and the Wizard of()z. Aside from on ingly detailing the pernicious influence of pop kitsch upon our very consciousness however. the movie isn‘t really about anything. even if it is a helluva trip. Glasgow: Salon. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Wild Orchid (Zalman King. L’S. 199(1) Mickey Rourke. Carrie ()tis. Jacqueline Bisset. 112 mins. More ofthe same from Zalman King. the man whose previous offerings have created their own subgenre of pretentious. irritating. sofcore humbug or PlSl l as we in the trade call it. Thistime it's vacuous young innocent ()tis. who is inducted into a whole new world of simulated sensuality by pervs of the week Bisset and Rourke when she goes toclose on a property deal in world larnbada capital Rio de Janeiro. Glasgow: Cannon Sauchiehall Street. Edinburgh: UCI. Strathclyde: l'Cl Clydebank.
I Windprints ( 15) (David Wicht. UK. 1989) John Hurt. Sean Bean. Marius Weyers. 99mins. Shot on suitably bleak locations in Namibia. first time director W’icht‘s film has an Afrikaaner cameraman (Bean) and cynical British journalist ( l lurt ) on the trail offearsome and elusive black renegade named Nhadiep ( Lesley Fong) who has been responsible for the murders of a number of black labourers in a remote community. Worthwhile anti-apartheid drama pitching liberal and not-so-liberal whites against a brutal black protagonist ofnear-elemcntal violence and rage. Glasgow: GFT.
I The Witches (PG) (Nicholas Roeg. US. 199(1) Anjelica l luston. 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 Clarkston Road. Strathclyde: ()deon Ay'r.
I The Wolves of Willoughby Chase ( PG) (Stuart ()rme. UK. 1989) Stephanie Beacham. Mel Smith. Geraldine James. 93mins. Based on the eponymous book by Joan Aitken the film is set in a wolf-infested Victorian Britain. Beacham is the villainess in charge of the mansion to which the young heroes are sent. A rather scarey' adaptation is brightened considerably by superb production design by Derek Jarman's regular chum and collaborator Chris 1 lobbs. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
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The List 28 September— 11 ()ctober 199(129