FILM
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. Edinburgh: Cameo. IAliens ( 18) (James Cameron. US. 1986) Sigourney Weaver. Michael Biehn. 137 mins. Revived from a 57-year snooze in deep space. Warrant Officer Weaver is cajoled 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. Edinburgh: Cameo. I Almost An Angel (PG) (John Cornell. US. 1990) Paul Hogan. Linda Kozlowski. Elias Koteas. Doreen Lang. 105 mins. See review. Glasgow: Cannon Clarkston Road, Cannon The Forge. Cannon Sauchiehall Street. Edinburgh: Cannon. UCI. Central: Cannon. Strathclyde: Cannon. Kelburne. Odeon Ayr. UCI Clydebank. UCI East Kilbride. I Alpine Fire Hohenfeuer ( 15) (Fredi M. Murer. Switzerland. 1985) Thomas Nock. Johanna Lier. Dorothea Moritz. Rolf lllig. Tilli Breidenback. 117 mins. Closely observed naturalism warps gently into surrealistic psychodrama in this superbly understated tale of an isolated farming family‘s internal tensions. High on the Alpine slopes. the deaf son begins a troubled journey through puberty. with alarming repercussions. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Amadeus (PG) (Milos Forman. US. 1984) Tom Hulce, F.Murray Abraham. 160 mins. A risible title fight for a place in posterity between a God-fearing but mediocre talent and a musical genius. Unconvincing but redeemed by strong visuals and a sumptuous soundtrack. Glasgow: GFT. IAnnle Hall (15) (Woody Allen. US. 1977) Woody Allen. Diane Keaton.Tony Roberts. 93 mins. Warm. wistful. wonderfully witty Woody discourses on love. death and life in the Big Apple in this multi-Oscar-winning autobiographical comedy-romance. Glasgow: Grosvenor. 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: Filmhouse. I Arachnophobia (PG) (Frank Marshall. US. 1990) Jeff Daniels. Julian Sands. Harley Jane Kozak. John Goodman. 110 mins. In rural retreat on the California coast. the Jennings family are unpleasantly surprised when they meet their new neighbours. a particularly venomous breed of spiders. which are to terrorise the village of Canaima. not least through the surgery of arachnaphobic Dr Jennings (Daniels). Produced by Steven Spielberg and billed as a ‘thrillomcdy'. this feast of humorous horrors is guaranteed to appeal to sick-minded punters who enjoy either nightmares or close contact with our eightolegged friends. Glasgow: Odeon. Edinburgh: Odeon, UCI. Strathclyde: Kelburne. Odeon Ayr. Odeon Hamilton. UCI
‘1 a". “ti. m).- Almost An Angei(PG) (John Cornell, US, 1990) Paul Hogan, Elias Koteas, Linda Kozlowski, Doreen Lang. 105 mins. Paul Hogan is back with the same old toothy smile and winsome blue eyes which charmed the pants off audiences in Crocodile Dundee. This time he’s Terry Dean, a proiessional thiel with a nice line in electronic wizardry who decides to turn his art to bank jobs alter a seriously long stretch in the slammer. But after pulling a nice little heist in the guise at country croonerWillie Nelson, he performs an uncharacteristically heroic good deed and winds up in hospital, where a visit from his good pal Charlton Heston, aka God, convinces him he has died and is being returned to earth, on probation, as an angel oi mercy.
Following what he believes to be the path at The Lord, Hogan ends up in the back of beyond, or ratherthe Paradise Bar, where he is belriended by Steve Gardner (Koteas), a wheelchair-bound cripple. The latter provides him with all the opportunities he needs to ‘use his gifts to help others’ at the recreation centre for latchkey kids run by Steve and his doting big sister Rose
ALMOST AN ANL
(Kozlowski).
There’s no point in changing a doliar-eaming lormula it you’re lucky enough to have one, so although Almost An Angel is not quite a re-run oi Croc Dundee, several oithe gags remain. Surprisingly, they are still funny. Hogan is still your original aiiable nail abroad in America. He still doesn’t tote a gun but manages to thwart coke dealers all the same, this time without the help of his machete. Not a great loss.
Almost An Angel otters, and delivers, humour a plenty, which will calm the worst post-Christmas iamin indigestion. Perhaps due to Hogan's ability to laugh at anyone, even people with disabilities, without making it sick. However, the two-Kleenex ending leaves more than a few crocodile tears to be shed. (Thom Dibdin)
From Wed 26 Dec. Glasgow: Cannon Clarkston Road, Cannon The Forge, Cannon Sauchiehall Street. Edinburgh: Cannon, UCI. Central: Cannon. Strathclyde: Cannon, Kelburne, Odeon Ayr. UCI Clydebank, UCI East Kilbride.
Clydebank. UCI East Kilbridc. WMR Film Centre.
I The Asphalt Jungle (PG) (John Huston. US. 1950) Sterling Hayden. Louis Calhern. Jean Hagen. Sam Jaffe. Marilyn Monroe. 112 mins. Taut and unfussy treatment of W.R. Burnett‘s crime thriller has an excellent cast of hoods falling out after their heist falls through. directed with Huston's customary aplomb. Edinburgh University Film Society.
I Betty Blue (18) (Jean-Jacques Beineix. France. 1986) Jean HughesAngladc. Beatrice Dalle. 120 mins. Tempestuous love gone mad as an older handyman and a free-spirited woman embark on a passionate. peripatetic fling that ends in tragedy. Filmed with a dazzling technique and an irritating emptiness by the maker of Diva. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Blgioot and the Hendersons (PG) (William Dear. US. 1987) John Lithgow. Melinda Dillon. Don Ameche. 111 mins. Disneyesquc family adventure in which the all-American Henderson family crash into the legendary Bigfoot and adopt the suprisingly genial beastie as a domestic pct. Predictable complications ensue. involving the neighbours and
blood-hungry hunters. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Bird On A Wire (12) (John Badham. US. 1990) Mel Gibson. Goldie Hawn. David Carradine. 107 mins. Formula film-making at its most bloated and least inventive has Gibson on the run from a couple of crooked drug-smuggling cops he turned in a few years back and Hawn as the old girlfriend about to blow his cover. Less-than-enthralling chase flick will probably pass a couple of hours ifthe alternative is having your toenails pulled out. Edinburgh: Odeon. UCI. Central: Cannon. Strathclyde: UCI Clydebank. UCI East Kilbride.
I Blood Red ( 15) (Peter Masterson. US. 1990) Eric Roberts. Giancarlo Giannini. Dennis Hopper. Julia Roberts. Burt Young. 91 mins. Vintage immigrantwine producer Giannini and his son Roberts are doing very nicely thank you until ruthless developer Hopper muscles in and makes life impossible. An appealing response to the New Age values ofthe 1990s. as corrupt 1980s-style powermonger is forced to grapple with bueolie resistance. Edinburgh: UCI Craig Park. Strathclyde: UCI Clydebank. UCI East
I DELTA FORCE "(18) Action-adventure with Chuck Harris heading a secret SAs-style mission to capture a billionaire drug baron from his South American mountain stronghold. Shootings and gassings galore. murdered pregnant women and babies; sit back and count the bodies. Glasgow Cannon The Forge, Edinburgh UCI from 4 Jan.
I FLESH GORDON 2(18) Our hero teams up withthe usual crew at busty beauties and bad punsto save the universe irom the threat at Galactic impotence. cramming in the maximum possible amount of crude innuendo in he process. UCIs lrom Fri 4 Jan.
I THE GARDEHUO) Loosely based on the Passion story, Derek Jarman's latest creation is a dense. mum-layered ‘tapestry oi moods' exploring the historical link between religion and gay oppression. See review. Edinburgh Filmhouse 9-12 Jan.
I MISTER FROST(15)
Paul Hogan maythlnk he's an angel, butJellGoldblum IS the Devil - he's murdered 24 people to prove it. Unfortunately, everyone thinks he's lust an ordinary psychopath, so he hasto pull a few more dlabolic stunts to convincethem. With Alan Oates. Kathy Barker. Odeon Glasgow. Edinburgh UCI from Fri 28 Dec.
I THREE SISTERS(12) Loosely based on Chekhov's play. though transplanting it from 19th century Russia to early 80s Italy. this isthe story at (you've guessed it) three sisters looking for answers to questions oi work, love and family liie in a small universitytown. With Greta Scacchi. Fanny Ardant. Valeria Golino. directed by Margaretha von Trotta. Edinburgh Filmhouse 27—30 Dec. 345 Jan.
The List 21 December 1990— 10January 199119