FILM LIST
exhaustive publicity the famed Dingo
Baby case generated throughout the world Schcpisi wisely avoids focusing on the now
resolved issue of whether or not Lindy Chamberlain was guilty. Instead he concentrates on the mood ofnational hysteria and prejudice that confronted the couple and led to a trial by media. The result is a stunning shameful indictment of tabloid media excesses and institutionalised injustice. lt eschews the kind ofglib melodrama that easily opens the tear ducts and opts instead for a more thought provoking work. which benefits from two solidly star performances from Streep and Neill. Central: MacRobert Arts Centre. I Danny The Champion DlThe World (11) (Gavin Millar. UK. 1989) Jeremy Irons. Robbie Coltrane. Cyril Cusack. Samuel Irons. 97 mins. Roald Dahl's story of corrupt property baron and pheasant-slayer Victor Hazell (Coltrane) given his come-uppance by resourceful nine-year old Danny becomes a family movie in more ways than one. Gavin Millar. whose past work includes Dennis Potter‘s disturbing Lewis Carroll piece Dreamchild. has gone for wholesome entertainment this time. and cast father and son as father and son in the central roles. with young Sam‘s grandpa Cusack as the avuncular Doc Spencer. Charming and warmhearted. with enough subtlety to keep the grown-ups amused. Glasgow: Cannon The Forge. Strathclyde: Odeon Ayr. I Dead Poets' Society (PG)( Peter Weir. US. 1989). Robin Williams. Robert Scan Leonard. Ethan Hawke. 128 mins. Special preview screening of emotive new film by Peter Weir. In a change of role. Robin Williams plays a popular teacher at an exclusive boys‘ school. where the growing pains for the young men trying to find their way in life can be severe indeed. Previewed in full next issue. Glasgow: Grosvenor. I Dealers (15) fi (Colin Bucksey. UK. 1989) Paul McGann. Rebecca DcMornay. Derrick O'Connor. 9() mins. See panel. I The Decline oi Western Civilisation Part ii: The Metal Years ( 18) sir (Penelope Spheeris. US. 1989) Alice Cooper. Gene Simmons. Lemmy. Ozzy Osbourne. 9() mins. Hilarious (for some) look at the wild world of metal with live sets from Aerosmith. Motorhead etc and various headbanging luminaries extolling the vices and virtues ofthe rock‘n'roll lifestyle. The end result is something akin to astraight version of Spinal Tap. because director Spheeris is obviously a fan of these social reprobates. Glasgow: Cannon The Forge. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (PU) (Frank ()1. US. 1988) Steve Martin. Michael Caine. Glenne Headly. lliimins. In this remake of Bedtime Story. which starred Niven and Brando in 1964. Caine is the sophisticated con-man. elegantly separating the rich from their wealth. and Martin plays the interloper who invades his patch in the Sud de France. The two become allies. then rivals. and finally agree to settle their differences with a con-men‘s wager. Despite the obvious skill of its stars. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels fails to stretch them or to take itselfseriously enough. and thus does not fulfil its full potential. It‘s an amusing and enjoyable. but ultimately bloodless entertainment. Glasgow: Odeon. Strathclyde: Odeon Ayr. L'Cl Clydebank 1(). I Do The Right Thing ( 18) (Spike Lee. US. 1989) Spike Lee. Danny Aiello. Ossie Davis. John Turturro. 119 mins. New York‘s deprived Bedford-Stuyvesant district on the hottest day of the summer. and racial tension escalates between Italian-American Sal (Aiello) and histwo sons. the proprietors of a popular pizzeria. and the mainly black local Community who make up the bulk of his customers. Asthc situation worsens and the option of violence looks a possibility. Sal‘s black
Dealers (15)(Colin Bucksey.UK.1989) Rebecca De Mornay. Paul McGann, Derrick O'Connor. ‘When too much isn‘t enough' is one of the captions lor Dealers. It should read ‘when only a iractlonis bearabie'. Dealers
rellects the ultimate ‘achievement’ at Thatcherite enterprising Yuppiedom in the form oi Danny Pascoe (Paul McGann), a young executive pushing his way up the system, usually by taking extraordinary risks with money, wearing great suits and being over demanding of himsell and others.
I like the idea of making a Hollywood style movie in the UK, especially il it was satire on a grand scale but Dealers made the mistake of trying to be serious— it otters no insight into how the system works. Set in the corporate jungle oi London, it is instead a combination of Wail Street without the tension, The Secret of My Success without the humour and James Bond without the action. The latter is merely replaced by Danny’s private sea plane in which he commutes between his Kent estate and the Thames. providing a few moments of interesting photography.
Pascoe‘s company suffers a major
-, (if x ‘3, linanclal setback, but instead ol leaving the repalrworit to Danny, it is instead given to a new reputable employeee lrom the States -Anne (Rebecca De Mornay) who at course has to sleep with the boss to acquire such a position. What ensues lorthe rest at the lilm is a series oi tit lortat incidents that lead Anne and Danny to loathe each other, than to love each other and finally to uncover, oh my, corporate corruption. Justice triumphs as per iormat but not beiore a law cliched lovemaking scenes and murders are out of the way.
There are sadly only two good points to Dealers. One is Derrick O'Connor as the old, out-oi-date sub-boss, whose excellent periormance walks allover the rest at the case, and is brilliant as a hoodlum, in Lethal Weapon 2, and secondly the important fact that leading this kind oi high stress liiestyle creates alchoholics, drug addicts and suicide cases. Dealers would have made a thoroughly entertaining comedy. You can’t like a lilm, however, when you hate the hero. (Dylan Matthew)
From Fri 22: Glasgow: Cannon The Forge
delivery boy Mookic (Lee) ponders how to do the right thing. Forceful exploration of the socio-economic and cultural catises behind endemic white racism. Lee's film also operates as a tightly-controlled multi-character drama. Iidinburgh: Filmhouse.
I Empire of the Sun( i’( i ) ( Steven Spielberg. US. 1987) Christian Bale. John Malkovitch. Miranda Richardson. 152 mins. 10. Ballard's bestseller through the eyes of Spielberg becomes a long. sentimental account of a young boy‘s character-building exploits during the Japanese invasion of Shanghai and his subsequent internment in a prison camp. Technically admirable but ponderously paced and wildly uneven. it lacks the emotional heart to capture the viewerand becomes just another big-screen spectacle. Glasgow: (irosvcnor.
I Everything You Always Wanted to Know AboutSex(18) (Woody Allen. L's. 1972) Woody Allen. Lynn Redgrave. Anthony Quayle. John Carradine. 87 mins. Allen‘s seven sex satires in miniature (including the famous human sperm sequence) prefigure his more sophisticated. mature work and offer some good one-liners along the way. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I The Exorcist ( 18) (William Friedkin. US. 1973) Ellen Burstyn. Max \‘on Sydow. Linda Blair. llilmins. Earnest priest Von Sydow steps in to save poor little possessed girl Blair in this hugely convincing and effective scareleast that has stood the test of time. Strathclyde: L'Cl Clydebank ll). '
I Fallada ( 15) (Roland (iraf. 1i. Germany. 1988) 1111 mins. Film biography ofthe writer 1 lans Faliada. one of the few
well-known authors to remain in (icrmany
during the Nazi period. but who resorted under strenuous pressure to heavy drug use before channeling his sense ofshame and failure into the country's first post-war anti-fascist novel. Glasgow: GET.
I The Fiance ( 15) (Gunther Rucker & Gunter Reisch. E. Germany. 198(1)Jutta Vi'achowiak. 108 mins. A resistance worker is arrested for distributing propaganda against the Third Reich. and the ten years she subsequently spends in prison include a twenty-four month stretch in solitary. Throughout this time the letters she receives from her fiance living underground on the outside help her to retain her sanity. Powerful. well-acted historical drama. Glasgow: GF'T.
I Films From Cuba Organised to tie in with the Filmhouse‘s 30th Anniversary Exhibition of Posters from the Cuban film industry. the 90 minute programme of short films includes Encounter With Nature a sort of Hispanic version of Carry on Camping which. in 13 minutes. records the growth of camping in Cuba and Prayer based on a poem by Ernesto Cardenal which tackles war. poverty and hunger as well as containing a tribute to Marilyn Monroe. in the space of9 minutes. Also showing will be Qut’nos‘copt'o a short film by Juan l’adron. creator of Vampires in Havana. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.
I The Fly 2 ( 18) (Chris Walas. US. 1989) Eric Stoitz. Daphne Zuniga. Lee
Richardson. 105 mins. Despite the advances in contraception since the original 1958 Fly. insect-man Seth Brundle (1986 model) managed to sire a son before genetically crossing himself with his duplicating machine. This at least is the tenuous pretext on which Walas (the man behind the latex mucus and copious gore in Carpenter‘s remake) buildsthis poor shadow of a sequel. Like father. like son. needless to say (is this a crossoverof late-eighties Hollywood genres'.’). and the blood-letting which results allows Walas more space than ever for his special talents.
Subtle as a vindaloo curry. intelligent as a seedless grape. and doubtless a box office winner. Glasgow: Cannon The Forge. Odeon. Grosvenor. Edinburgh: Odeon. Central: Cannon. Strathclyde: Cannon. La Scala. Odeon Ayr. Odeon Hamilton. L'Cl Clydebank 10. I Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade ( PG) (Steven Spielberg. US. 1989) Harrison Ford. Sean Connery. Alison Doody. Denholm Elliot. 127 mins. The third and supposedly final instalment ofSpielberg's bumper blockbuster series. in which the archaeological adventurer is joined by his father (Connery) for a romp through the Middle East in search of the Holy Grail. hotly pursued (as ever) by the Nazis. A rather dodgy would-be Christian morality and a more-of-the-same-ish plot are offset by strong performances from Ford and Connery and technical bravura. Glasgow: Cannon The Forge. Cannon Sauchiehall Street. Edinburgh: Dominion. Strathclyde: UCI Clydebank ll). I The Karate Kid Part 3 (PG) (John (3. Avildsen. US. 1989) Ralph Macchio. Noriyuki ‘Pat' Morita. Thomas lan Griffith. 111 mins. In thisinstalment Daniel (Macchio) and his coach Mr Miyagi (Morita) are driven apart when the young martial arts expert agrees against his mentor‘s advice to take part in another karate tournament. but the source ofthe pressure placed upon him can be traced back to unscrupulous millionaire Silver (Thomas). whose hobby seems to be turning innocent young lads to nastiness. The fight sequences. as ever. are the highlights. but the signs are there ofa certain running out of creative steam. (ilasgow: (‘annon The Forge. Odeon. Strathclyde: l.'(‘l Clydebank ill. I The Land Belore Time (1}) (Don Bluth. US. 1989) 86 mins. Latest animated feature from Disney graduate Bluth follows the fortune oforphaned Brontosaurus Littlefoot. who loses his mum to the claws of a nasty 'I‘yrannosaurus Rex befroc teaming tip with a gang ofsimilarly parentless wee dinos to undertake the hazardous journey across country to the safety of the (ireat Valley. Classically drawn and chockful of edifying moral lessons. this is solid entertainment perfectly tailored to the demands of its target audience ofvery young children. Glasgow: Cannon Clarkston Road. Strathclyde: UCl Clydebank 10. I The Last Picture Show ( Peter Bogdanovich. US. 1971 ) Jeff Bridges. Timothy Bottoms. Cybill Shepherd. 118 mins. Detailed and depressive picture of small town life in ‘50s Texas. where young and old alike make futile attempts. mainly involving sex and/or drink. to escape the tedium of everyday existence. Entertaining. if maudlin. I Last Tango in Paris ( 18) (Bernardo Bertolucci.Francc«1taly. 1973) Marlon Brando. Maria Schneider. 130 mins. A young Parisienne meets a middle-aged man with whom she develops an increasingly violent and purely sexual relationship. One of the key films ofits decade. Bertolucci's powerful drama is a meditation on the expression and communication of personal identity through intense sexual contact. Edinburgh: Cameo. I Lethal Weapon 2 ( 15) or (Richard
16 The List 15 — 28 September 1989 f