FILM LIST
Colors (18) ‘5‘: (Dennis Hopper, US, 1988) Robert Duvall, Sean Penn, Maria Conchita Alonso. Randy Brooks. 121 mins. From the hippy odyssey of Easy Riderto the post-punk nihilism of Out Of The Blue, there seems a connecting line through Dennis Hopper‘s directorial career in his relentless cataloguing of alienated youth culture. This most recent picture sees him turning his attention to the violent drug-tilled lifestyle led by L.A.'s ethnic street gangs and the vain efforts at policing the bullet-riddled hell of the city‘s urban sprawl.
Initially scripted as a formulaic buddy cop movie, Hopperallegedly relocated the production to Los Angeles in order to key in on the latest phenomenon in the gangs' continuing conflict, the drive-by shooting. The contrasting efforts of experienced law enforcement officer Duvall and rookie Penn as they attempt to bring to justice the perpetrators of one such massacre lead us into a chronicle of growing mutual respect between the two men. As they undertake a repetitive round of petty questionings and meetings with gang members, sorting out the Crips and the Bloods with their separate denominational colours, the aggressive bluster ot the professional young man determined ‘not to be fucked by these assholes‘ soon gives
especially coming from the arch realist maker ol lr'r’i’ ()fll'rmrli’ll (lugs. with many passing pleasures in the local colour and a tantalising sense of enigma which lingers long after the final credits. lzdinburgh: Filmhousc
I The Mother Of Kings( 15 i (Janusz Zaorski. Poland. 1982) 82 mins. Winnerof the 1%"? ( iolden Lion at the (idansk Film Festival. this stark monochrome family drama had previously been shelved because of questioning attitudes towards the Polish political system. (ilasgow: (il’l'.
I The Name of the Rose ( IS) ( Jean-Jacques Annaud. \V. (iermany France Italy. 198M Sean Connery. I". Murray Abraham. Christian Slater. 131mins. Mary ellotis medieval mystery with the masterful Connery as a Sherlock Holmes-like sleuth on the trail ofa murderer in the monastery. lidinburgh: Filmliouse
I No End ( Is'ryztof Kicslowski. Poland. 1984 ) Jerzy Radziwilowicz. (irazyna S/apolowska. 107 mins. A young lawyer announces that he has recently died from some unspecified cause. and throughout the rest of the film he watches his wife‘s attempts to come to terms with his death. and follows the progress of the case he had been working on. defending Martial Law detainees.
Imaginative blend of the supernatural with domestic observation. and based around a core of political dissent. (ilasgow: (il’l‘.
I Mask (Peter Bogdanovich. CS. 1985) Cher. Sam Elliott. Eric Stoltz. 12(lmins. Tear-jerking drama based on the true story of Rocky Dennis. a plucky teenager whose face has been horribly disfigured by a rare disease. Cher excels as hisbiker mother trying to cope with herown emotional traumas. Iidinburgh: (.‘ameo. I Midnight Run ( 157i Martin Brest. US. 1988) Robert De Niro.Char1cs Grodin. Yaphet Kotto. John Ashton. 122 mins. De Niro is charming and surprisingly straightforward as an honest ex-cop
way to an understanding of his superior's softly softly approach of give-and-take, which appears to attract less resentment and thus more positive results from the street.
However, if the title denotes the internecine conflict between the gangs, it possibly also suggests a yawning communication gap between the society‘s various ethnic groups, and indeed the film has attracted some criticism for the manner in which it pits heroic white cops against vicious black gangs. However, while the policemen each tail in their attempts to forge a
turned bounty hunter. crossing the country to bring crooked accountant (irodin back form New York to LA. so that he can face charges ofembezzling Mafia money.
Superior Hollywood entertainment. very capany served up and performed. (ilasgow: Cannon Sauchiehall Street. Edinburgh: Dominion. Strathclyde: ()deon Ayr.
I Moonstruck ( I’( i) (Norman Jewison. US. 1987) Cher. Nicolas Cage. ()lympia Dukakis. lflflmins. 'l‘horoughly winning romantic comedy with Cher on ()scar-winning form as a dowdy young widow who accepts a proposal ofmarraige from a man she does not love in return for a safe and secure future. Asked to clear up some bad blood with his young brother it is love at first sight when they meet : she undergoesa Cinderella-like transformation Edinburgh: Cameo. Strathclyde: AMC Clydebank If).
I Nico ( 18) (Andrew Davis. US. 1988) Steven Seagal. Pam (irier. Henry Silva. 9‘) mins. In Vietnam he saw a CIA torturer inject a prisoner with drugs toextract information. now in 1988 Chicago NiCo (Seagal) and his black partner Jax (Pam (irier) could be on the verge of discovering that the CIA are controlling the city‘s drug trade in order to finance a right-wing invasion of Nicaragua. lfthey live to tell the tale. that is.
Familiar slam-bang action. but presented with some panache by ex-bodyguard Seagal and the narrative displays more political nous than we have any right to expect in an actioner likethis. Glasgow: Cannon Sauchiehall Street. Edinburgh: Cannon.
I November Moon ( 18) (Alexandra Von (irotte. W. (iermany. 1984) 107mins. Ambitious wartime drama on a low budget. with forthright Jewish political cartoonist November falling for her boyfriends sister. and the pair somehow surviving through Nazi persecution and German collaboration. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
COLORS
bridging relationship with a character from a Chicano background, the street warfare carries on and a Hopperlilm not for the first time climaxes with a dead body on the floor, we are provided with a well-documented vision of social fragmentation that offers no way out from the unending cycle of narcotics deals and gunfire. It may sometimes feel like a hard-core episode of Hill Street Blues, butthe grinding pace and fatalistic prognosis make for uncomfortable, authentic viewing. (TrevorJohnston)
I No Way Out ( 15) ( Roger Donaldson. CS. 1987) Kevin Costner. Sean Young. (ierie Ilackman. 11-1 mins. Resourceful naval hero Costner. now a liaison officer between Secretary of Defense llackrnan and the CIA. is asked to lead an investigation into the murder ofa Washington socialite. However. he knows that Ilackman was the accidental killer and that the finger ofsuspicion isbeing falsely pointed towards another man who shared the girl‘sbed. namely himself . . . Beautifully paced conspiracy yarn with
fine performances all round. Highly recommended. Strathclyde: ()deon Ayr. I Ossessione ( l’(i ) ( Luchino \‘iseonn, Italy. 19-12) Massimo(iirotti. Clara Calamai. 135 mins. A wanderer fallsfor the wife of an innkeeper. and together they murder the husband. before chance takes a hand to shape their fate. Powerful unofficial version ofJames M. Cain's lllt' l’uslmmi Always Rings I'wii‘e. done with a good deal of confidence by a milth film-maker in his first feature lidinburuh: Filmhouse.
I Pee Wee’s Big Adventure ( l’( ‘i ) (Tim Burton. L'S. 1985) Pee Wee Herman. Elizabeth Daily. Mark Ilolton. Ullmins. When his worst enemy steals his beautiful red bicycle. Pee Wee Herman crosses America in search of the coveted machine. and ends up having a movie made about his life! Terrific cartooniin stuff. with sight gags galore and the Pee Wee Herman character himself a wonderful evercise in the cruel humour of a loveable brat. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I The Perverse Comedies of George Kuchar While Rtiss Meyer and John Waters remain the most widely recognised icons oftrash cinema. the BFI has put together two programmes of short films by the New Yorker George Kuchar. who as yet has received scant attention on these shores. Entitled Hold Me While I'm Naked the season offers us a glimpse at the determinedly low budget comic unis erse this weird talent constructs from the flotsam and jetsam of America's
consumer culture. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Poltergeist lll ( 15) (Gary Sherman. US. 1988) 1 leather O’Rourke. Tom Skerritt. Nancy Allen. 95 mins. The restless spirits from the other side are still after the soul of blonde poppet O'Rourke. now living with relatives in a high-tech apartment block.
Almost (but not quite) absurdly awful enough to be funny. this is an unnecessary helping of horror tripe in a schlock sauce. Strathclyde: ()deon Hamilton.
I Planes, Trains and Automobiles( 15) (John Hughes. [38. 1987) Steve Martin. John Candy. Laila Robbins. ()2 mins.
Predictable and sentimental Odd Couple on the road which is genuinely funny thanks to the script and the well-played clash of personalities between the two stars. (ilasgow: (il’l‘.
I Radio Days ( PG) (woody Allen. L's. 1%‘71 Mia Farrow. Seth (ireen. Diane Keaton. 8‘) mins. Amiably laidback family recollectionsof the early Forties and the golden age of the wireless. Potpourri of modest charm held together by an armful of reliable performances from old lagsand the Usual flashes of wit and wisdom. A pleasant time filler for both directorand audience. Fdinburgh: Fdinburgh l7niversity Film Society.
I The Return 01 The Jedi ( P( i ) ( Richard .‘ylarquand. CS. 1983) Mark Hamill. Carrie Fisher. Harrison Ford. 133 mins. The final chapter in the Star ll"urschaplcr sees Luke Skywalker learn the sccretsof his family tree. before settling down for a final set-to between (iood and Iivil. lixpansive special effects make this splendid entertainment. lidinburgh: Cameo. '
I The Rocky Horror Picture Show ( IS ) Jim Sharman. L'K. 1975111111 Curry. Susan Sarandon. 100 mins. Appealingly perverse cult musical horror spoof. (ilasgow: (irosvcnor.
I Roxanne (PG) (Fred Schepisi. LS. 1987) Steve Martin. Daryl Hannah. Shelley Duvall. lfl7mins. \Vitty.tcnder and charming reworking of ( yrrmu rle Bergerac deploying a range of comedy techniques as fire chief Martin of the enormous proboscis copes with life and lovestruck romance. (ilasgow: (ii-'1'.
I Saigon ( 18) (Christopher Ct’owc. CS. 1988) Willem Dafoe. (iregory I lines. Fred Ward. 101 mins. 'l‘woarmy('.l.l). detectives searching for the murder ofa prostitute in 1968 Saigon find themselves running into corruption amongst the military top brass.
A Vietnam movie not about Vietnam. instead it‘s a rather sluggish and predictable manhunt effort. (ilasgow: Cannon Clarkston Road.
I Sarraounia ( 15) (Med 1 londo. France. 1986) Al Keita. Jean-Roger Milo. Feodor Atkine. 121 mins. Sarraounia isthe Queen of the Auras. trained since childhood in the arts of herbalism and war. Her stronghold of Lugu comes under increasing attack both from the advancing French colonialists but also internally from the [imir of Sokoto.
Highly praised African epic exploring a multiplicity of issues arising from colonialism. the protection of indigenous cultures. the role of women. ritual and storytelling in society. (ilasgow: (ii-'1'.
I The Scarlet Empress ( PG) (Josef \‘on Sternberg. L'S. 193-1) Marlene Dietrich. Sam Jaffe. John Lodge. 10‘) mins. The love life ofCatherine the great according to \"on Sternber and Dietrich. which as usual means a slender narrative. beautiful photography lingering over the sta's finer honed cheekbones. and an air ofstraining for degeneracy which really does seem rather quaint these days. Edinburgh: [Edinburgh L'niversity Film Society.
I Sign O The Times ( 15) (Prince. L'S. 1987) Prince. Sheila Ii. Sheena [iaston 85 mins. Capturing one of today's most extravagantly talented pop composers live in action in Rotterdam. this is a superior concert movie because Prince's stage
‘12 The List 11— 24 November 1988