FILM
INDEX
I AirAmerica (15) (Roger Spottiswoode. US. 1990) Mel Gibson. Robert Downey Jr. Nancy Travis. Ken Jenkins. 112 mins. Modestly entertaining comedy thriller set in neighbouring Laos during the Vietnam war. Gibson and Downey star as maverick pilots signed up to Air America. a corrupt and covert drug/gun-running business under the ClA's discreet auspices. who are forced to think for themselves to save their skins when the organisation sets them up as scapegoats. Engagingly light and unpretentious action fare. Glasgow: Cannon The Forge. Odeon. Edinburgh: Odeon. UCI. Strathclyde: Cannon. UCl Clydebank. UCl East Kilbride. I All About Eve (PG) (Joseph L. Mankicwicz. US. 1950) Bette Davis. Anne Baxter. George Sanders. Marilyn Monroe. 138 mins. Davis and Baxterare on top form in this tale ofback-stage back-biting and conniving and a young Marilyn makes a big entrance in a small part. A witty and intelligent film. Edinburgh University Film Society. I Almost An Angel (PG) (John Cornell. US. 1990) Paul Hogan. Elias Koteas. Linda Kozlowski. Doreen Lang. 105 mins. On committing one good deed and subsequently waking up in hospital. small-time thiefTerry Deans (Hogie) reckons he must have died and returned as an angel. and duly sets about the good work. Reverting to the soft-centred rogue formula which served Crocodile Dundee so well. not to mention a prettysimilar bunch ofjokes. Hogan has somehow contrived to sustain the freshness. and comes up with another heartily enjoyable romp. Glasgow: Cannon Sauchiehall Street. Edinburgh: UCI. Strathclyde: UCl Clydebank. I An Angel At My Table (PG) (Jane Campion. New Zealand. 1990) Kerry Fox. Alexia Keogh. Karen Fergussson. 158 mins. Campion‘s follow-up to her remarkable debut Sweetie is a lengthy treatment of her compatriot Janet Frame's autobiographical trilogy of novels. originally made for television. Following Frame‘s life from awkward childhood and teenage years. through university (where she was diagnosed as schizophrenic) and bohemian travels in Europe. to her adult achievements as a writer. the film offersa more subtle depiction of mental illness than Sweetie. and is superbly conceived and acted throughout. Central: MacRobert Arts Centre. 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. Glasgow: GFT. 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 ofCanaima. not least through the surgery of arachnaphobic Dr Jennings (Daniels). Produced by Steven Spielberg and billed as a ‘thrillomedy‘. this feast of humorous horrors is guaranteed to appeal to sick-minded punters who enjoy either nightmares or close contact with our eight-legged friends. Glasgow: Cannon The Forge. Odeon. Edinburgh: Dominion. Odeon. UCI. Central: Cannon. Strathclyde:
Odeon Ayr. Odeon Hamilton. UCl Clydebank. UCl East Kilbride. IAria(18) (Various. UK. 1987) 98mins. Ten sequences by different major directors (including Roeg. Russell. Altman. Temple. and Godard. although Charles Sturridge‘s contribution is perhaps the best) each based on operatic arias. A self-indulgent and wildly mixed bag is inevitable. but the film is occasionally excellent. and the music is always impressive. Edinburgh University Film Society.
I Barry Lyndon ( 15) (Stanley Kubrick. UK. 1975) Ryan O‘Neal. Marisa Berenson. Patrick Magee. 184 mins. Kubrick‘s sumptuous recreation of Thackeray's shaggy dog tale follows O‘Neal‘s gentleman of fortune through 18th century Ireland. An extraordinary attention to detail and a visual style that effectively reproduces the look of contemporary paintings are the major points of interest. easily outweighingthe meandering narrative thread. but this isa gorgeous lilm all the same. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Basket Case 2 ( 18) (Frank chelotter. US. 1990) Kevin Van Hentenryck. Annie Ross. Kathryn Meisle. 90 mins. In this follow-up to Henelotter‘s cult classic original the introverted protagonist Duane (Hentenryck) and his hideously deformed Siamese twin brother Belial (Basket Case himself) are taken in by a kindly spinster (Scots singer Annie Ross. would you believe?). who shelters a whole family of so-called ‘special individuals'. In the freak community. Duane forms a relationship with the grand-daughter of the house. while Belial finds an equally distorted mate too. but as the twins plan the big separation the interest ofan unscrupulous tabloid journalist causes great consternation amidst the coterie of misshapen creatures. Strathclyde: UCl East Kilbride.
I Batman ( 12) (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. Glasgow: Grosvenor.
I Betsy's Wedding (PG) (Alan Alda. US. 1990) Alan Alda. Molly Ringwald. Madeleine Kahn. Ally Sheedy. Burt Young. 96 mins. The marriage plans of Eddie (Alda)‘s daughter Betsy (Ringwald) take on a significance similar to the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand. plunging two quirkily mismatched families into a social war. which Aida — as writer. director and actor — exploits to entertaining and gently satirical effect. Yes. the wedding comedy movie’s been done before. and probably better. but the wisecracks work and the well-observed New York stereotypes are charmingly portrayed. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I The Big Picture (15) (Christopher Guest. US. 1990) Kevin Bacon. Emily Longstreth. J.T. Walsh. JenniferJason Leigh. Michael McKean. 100 mins. Glossy but fairly honest portrayal of the pitfalls and compromises of the Hollywood Dream. as tyro director Bacon graduates from film school with honours and finds success and all that goes with it offered to him on a plate. Naturally. he takesa nosedive. but somewhere in his heart is a phoenix-like determination . . .Fine performances all round. and a welcome reunion of Spinal Tap collaborators Guest
(who also wrote the screenplay) and McKean. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Bird (15) (Clint Eastwood. US.1988) Forrest Whitaker. Diane Venora. Samuel E. Wright. Michael Zelinker. 161 mins. Eastwood‘s labour of love is a moving attempt to portray some ofthe complexities ofCharlie ‘Yardbird‘ Parker. whose improvisational developments on the alto saxophone mark him down as one ofthe century‘s most significant musical presences. A skilled patchwork narrative. an excellent cast (among whom Forrest Whitaker stands out in the title role). and an evocative vision ofthe jazz underworld from cameraman Jack N. Green combine to create a sombre. engrossing and excellent biography. Glasgow: GFT.
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-smugglin g cops he turned in a few years back and llawn as the old girlfriend about to blow his cover. Less-than-enthralling chase flick will probably pass a couple of hours lithe alternative is having your toenails pulled out. Edinburgh: Dominion.
I Blood Oath (15) (Stephen Wallace. Australia. 1990) Bryan Brown. Jason Donovan. 105 mins. Brown plays an Australian officer seeking conviction for Japanese war criminals in the sweltering heat ofthe lndonesian jungle in 1945. Competent. gripping and sweaty courtroom drama from the director of The Boy Who Had Everything and the caustic prison drama Stir. Central: MacRobert Arts Centre.
I Blue Velvet (18) (David Lynch. US. 1986) Kyle MacLachlan. Dennis Hopper. Isabella Rossellini. 120 mins. ln small-town Middle America. would-be boy detective MacLachlan finds a severed car on some waste ground. When the police shoo him away he decides to do some investigating of his own. A singular fusion of the cosy and the terrifying which blends kitsch and nightmare. B-movie detection and brutal sex to deconstruct our complacent vision of normal society. This is film-making of remarkable imagination and skill. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Born On The Fourth Of July ( 18) (Oliver Stone. US. 1989) Tom Cruise. Willem Dafoc. Raymond J. Barry. Kyra Sedgwick. 144 mins. Stone's Oscar-winning second trip to ‘Nam features Cruise as disabled veteran Ron Kovic. in a biographical depiction of ambition. disillusionment and national betrayal. as the lad grows up. joins up. gets wounded and finds his country doesn‘t want to know him anymore. Kovic's plight is rendered symbolic of state-of-the—nation dismay. and Cruise brings an unprecendented degree of integrity to the part. giving easily his best performance to date. Stone’s usual lack of subtlety is offset here by Kovic‘s own involvement in making the movie. Glasgow: GFT.
I The Brave Little Toaster (U) (Jerry Rees. US. 1990) 94 mins. Fun animated adventure as a group ofplucky electrical appliances go off in search of their master who‘s moved to the big city. Yet for Toaster. Lampy the lamp. Kirby the vaccuum cleaner and Blankey the electric blanket there are many dangers to be face along the way. Central: MacRobert Arts Centre.
I Breaktast At Tiltany'st 15) (Blake Edwards. US. 1961) Audrey Hepburn. George Peppard. Patricia Neal. Buddy Ebsen. Mickey Rooney. 115 mins. Truman Capote cleaned up for a respectable audience. in this enjoyably light but rather empty-headed romantic tangle set among the skyscrapers of Manhattan. Edinburgh University Film Society.
I Breaking In (15) (Bill Forsyth. US. 1989) Burt Reynolds. Casey Sicmaszko. 94
I HAVANA (15)
The latest offering from Sydney (Out of Africa) Pollack stars Robert Redford as a high-stakes gambler in pro-revolution Cuba who tallsforan anti-govemment rebel (Lena Olin). See review. Cannons Glasgow and Edinburgh. UCisfrom Fri 25 Jan.
I KINDERGARTEN COP (12) Macho man Arnold Schwarzenegger gets cute playing an undercovercop posing as a nursery school teacher; after a few days in the classroom he's pining for the relative safety ofthe mean streets. See feature and review. Wide release from Fri 1 Feb.
I A MAN ESCAPED (U)
I This re~released 1956
l classic from French director
} Robert Bresson is a
pared-down, no-lriils
l psychologicaithriller
; featuring a captured Resistance tighter figuring
i out how to escape using just the objects in his cell. Edinburgh Fllmhouse Fri t—Sun 3 Feb.
1
I MANIAC COP 2 (18) The undead policeman is back on the street. merrily maiming and murdering wherever he goes. Not for the squeamish. UCls from Fri 25 Jan.
I NARROW MARGIN (15) High-tension cat-and-mouse action stoning Gene Hackman and Anne Archer as an attorney and his reluctant witness as they flee from the mob she’s supposed to testify against. See review. Cannons Edinburgh and Glasgow. UCls from Fri 25 Jan.
I ROCKY V (PC)
Stallone with a softer edge. as the one-time champ falls on hard times but struggles back to the top with the help of a young protegee (Tommy Morrison). Stailone’s son Sage makes his debut as Rocky Jr. See feature and review. Wide release from Fri 25 Jan.
The List 25 January — 7 February 1991 19