FILM
experience of the ordinary infantryman on combat duty around the turn of 1967-8. Private Sheen is a university dropout. who finds his ideals crushed by survival instinct in the sweat. blood and fear of battle. A highly uncomfortable and well crafted experience. which remains a landmark in grimy authenticity in an over-subscribed genre. I Presumed Innocent ( 15) (Alan J. Pakula. US, 1990) Harrison Ford. Greta Scacchi, Bonnie Bedelia. Brian Dennehy. Raul Julia. Paul Winfield. 126 mins. Courtroom drama with Harrison Ford as the upright state prosecutor accused of the murder of his colleague. Greta Saatchi. with whom he was having an affair. Raul Julia shines as the brilliant defence lawyer determined to get him off. Ex-lawyer Scott Turow's best seller gets the prestige big-screen treatment from veteran director AlanJ Pakula who returns to the themes ofhis 705’ movies The Parallax View and All The President's Men. in this thoughtful vision of corruption running through America's corridors ofpower. Glasgow: Cannon Sauchiehall Street. I Purple Rain (15) (Albert Magnoli. US. 1984) Prince. Apollonia Kotcro. 111 mins. Thinly-disguised Oscar-winning autobiographical drama on the life and hard times of His Purpleness. The musicis all. Strathclyde: UCl East Kilbride. I Rashomon (Akira Kurosawa. Japan. 1951)Toshio Mifune. Machiko Kyo. Masayuki Mori. 88 mins. Responsible for introducing Japanese cinema to the world market, this extraordinary film recounts four people‘s versions of a violent incident involving a nobleman and a bandit. Edinburgh University Film Society. I The Reflecting Skin ( 15) (Philip Ridley, UK. 1990) Jeremy Cooper. Lindsay Duncan. Viggo Mortensen. Sheila Moore. Duncan Fraser. 91 mins. In a remote Canadian farming community. 8-year old Seth (Cooper) decides that a harmless but desperately lonely widow (Duncan) is a vampire. His two buddies are mysteriously murdered. his father‘s response is appalling. and his brother returns from Bikini Atoll with nuclear sickness. The ending could be described as tragic ifthcre were any catharsis. but instead this is a nastily unresolved catalogue of pain. heralding Seth's unhappy and premature arrival into adulthood. The photography and acting are fine. but there‘s no light at the end of the tunnel. Comparisons with Lynch are . unfortunately. inevitable. Central: MacRobert Arts Centre. I Repossessed (15) (Bob Logan. US. 1990) Linda Blair. Leslie Nielsen. Ned Beatty. Lana Schwab. 85 mins. Ms Blair made her name by vomiting copious green ectoplasm. rotating her head and growling Obscenities in the voice of Satan. Now she returns in a silly send-up of The Exorcist which. despite the inclusion of a few nods to devotees of that still-popular barrel of fun. and a televised exorcism-athon.sets the sights of its humour far too low and leaves the intelligent moviegoer fcclinga bit cheated. Strathclyde: UCl Clydebank, I The Return 01 The Jedi (PG) (Richard Marquand, US. 1983) Mark Hamill. Carrie Fisher. Harrison Ford. 133 mins. The third chapter in the Star Wars saga sees Luke Skywalker learn the secrets of his family tree. before getting stuck in to a final shindig between Good and Evil. Expansive and expensive special effects make this splendid entertainment. Strathclyde: Paisley Arts Centre. I Reversal of Fortune ( 15) Glenn Close. Jeremy Irons. Ron Silver. Uta Hagen. 111 mins. See review. Glasgow: Cannon The Forge. Odeon. Edinburgh: Odeon. UCI. I The Rocky Honor Picture Show ( 18) (Jim Sharman. UK. 1975) Tim Curry. Susan Sarandon. Barry Bostwick. Meat Loaf. 100 mins. The cult film to end all others. this rock spoof on old horror movies has created a breed of Rocky Horror crazies. and packs them in at late shows
Reversal of Fortune (15) (Barbet Schroder, US, 1990) Jeremy irons, Ron Silver, Glenn Close. 111 mins. ‘lt's true that I took up to 24 laxatives daily.’ Glenn Close Is in a confessional mood, but unfortunately she’s also in a coma and stays that way for most of this film. As a fabulously rich heiress, she’s quite possibly the victim of a murder attempt and, as her husband Claus Von Bulow, Jeremy Irons could well be the guilty party. He’s been convicted of the crime. but a reversal of that decision is possible through the process of an appeal masterminded by Harvard Law School professor Alan Dershowitz (Ron Silver).
Based on the famous case of a few years back and adapted from Dershowitz’s book, this is an insufferable film which takes a long and convoluted road to nowhere. Because it is a true story, the matter of Von Bulow’s guilt has to stay on the right side of the libel laws, which means that the film can do nothing except work up a contrast between the self-made Jewish family man and the arrogant, vaguely anti-Semitic European aristocrat he finds himself drawn into defending. We're supposed
to like the former because he periodically talks about another of his cases involving three black kids and we’re supposed to be intrigued by the latter because he leads a luxurious life and speaks like Edward Fox crossed with the Duke of Edinburgh. Irons’ arch, highly stylised performance is always amusing. but Silver‘s Dershowitz is just so much hot air: a supposedly ordinary guy who charges $300 an hour and spends most of the film being admired by his fan club of student assistants, he belongs in a daytime TV show, not a movie.
After half an hour, in the first of many flashbacks, Close finally manages to get out of her hospital bed to indulge in some showy misery and throughout her intrigued voice-over attempts to transform the drama into a kind of smart celluloid boardgame, but it’s a losing battle all the way. Watch this just to hear Irons' daft accent and, in' . the big bedroom scene, admire his woolly hat and earplugs by all means, but don't except to be entertained. (Tom Tunney)
From Fri 18 Jan. Glasgow: Cannon, The Forge, Odeon. Edinburgh: Odeon. UCI.
everywhere. The film has its moments. and Curry is splendidly camp as the bisexual Frank N. Furter. Edinburgh: Odeon. Edinburgh University Film Society.
I The Rookie ( 15) (Clint Eastwood. US. 199(1) Clint Eastwood. Charlie Sheen. Raul Julia, Sonia Braga. 107 mins. Glasgow: Cannon The Forge. Cannon Sauchiehall Street. Grosvenor. Edinburgh: Cannon. UCI. Central: Cannon. Strathclyde: Cannon. UCl Clydebank, UCl East Kilbride.
I She Wore A Yellow Ribbon (U) (John Ford. US. 1949) John Wayne. Joanne Dru. John Agar. Ben Johnson. 103 mins. The second in Ford‘s trilogy ofcavalry Westerns centres on Wayne's retirement from military service following Custer‘s Last Stand. While not as gripping as Fort Apache or Rio Grande. it has a mellow elegance and a visual brilliance which won cinematographer Winton Hoch an Oscar. Edinburgh: Film Guild.
I The Sheltering Sky ( 18) (Bernardo Bertolucci. UK/ltaly. 1990) Debra Winger. John Malkovich. Campbell Scott . Jill Bennett. 138 mins. See feature. Glasgow: Odeon. Edinburgh: Odeon.
UCI. Strathclyde: UCl Clydebank.
I Shock Treatment ( 15) (Jim Sharman. UK. 1981 ) Cliff Dc Young.Jcssica llarpcr. Patricia Quinn. Richard O‘Brien. Ruby Wax. Barry llumphrics. Rik
l
"- - . .‘:':"""'~’.'rv'.' " V" J”: N .- 'A Iv vim“ " IV)“: 2. »: l 3‘. f $.-\'.- 32.7., ~,.- ’ .1 ... x. A ._ ‘_ n ,.-_. ’ a. g, H Jemima ‘8‘ iv“ J ’2‘, I. .N‘ v... 9,: _.... pig.
x ' I j” 7““: - ‘ ' A
‘QJA ~i A 3‘... ~ 21., .
Speclalising in: Afghan rugs, kilims and cushions,
plus ceramic ware from Moorish Spain, jewellery and embroidery from around the world
Mayall. 94 mins. Long before he entered The Crystal Maze O‘Brien enjoyed a modicum of success with a rock‘n‘roll goth schlock. spoof cult entertainment called The Rocky Horror Show. Unfortunately someone persuaded him that it would be a good idea to repeat the formula. This is the result. and for all the superficial sheen and merriness it‘s something ofan anachronistic mistake. Get out of there quickly the doors are closing! Glasgow: Grovesnor. I Silent Scream (18) (David Hayman. UK. 1990) lain Glen. Anne Kirsten.Tom Watson. John Murtagh. 86 mins. Based on the writings of Barlinnie Special Unit inmate and convicted murderer. Larry Winters. David Hayman‘s impressive feature debut as director is an audacious and passionate attempt to get inside the head of a very complex individual. With an electric. award-winning performance by lain Glen at its core. the film'sformal clan and unfussy emotional poignancy demonstrate that huge financial resources are no substitute for a clear conception of the material at hand and the artistry to know how to best present it. A massive boost for film production in Scotland. Central: MacRobert Arts Centre. I Some Like it Hot (PG) (Billy Wilder. US. 1959) Tony Curtis. Jack Lemmon. Marilyn Monroe. 120 mins. 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 a11~female band. Brilliant. brittle. crackerjack farce with all concerned at a peak in their careers. Edinburgh: Cameo. I Star Wars (PG) (Gorge Lucas. US, 1977) Mark Hamill. Carrie Fisher. Harrison Ford. Alec Guinness. 121 mins. A long time ago in a galaxy far away.a band of young heroes fight to rescue a princess and save her planet from destruction. Hugely influential and successful space epic: a modern fairytale with laser swords. Strathclyde: Paisley Ants Centre. I Stop Making Sense (PG) (Jonathan Dcmmc. US. 1984)Talkinglleads. 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 University Film Society. I A Strange Place To Meet ( 15) (Francois Dupcyron. France. 1988) Catherine Dcneuve. Gerard Dcpardieu. Nathalie Cardone. 97 mins. Debut director Dupcryon‘s film has a certain appealing quirkiness. A man pulls into a lay-by. throws his wife from a vehicle and speeds off. In the adjacent cafe Dcneuve.certain that hubby will repent and return. remains and here she meets the lay-by's other resident. Dcpardieu. a doctor hiding from life. The two bring a genuine credibility to their rather odd roles in this emotionally intense yet curiously distanced movie.
Monday - Saturday 10am - 5pm 42/43 Royal Park Terrace, Edlnburgh Tel. 031-652 1962
The List 11— 24January 199127