l nutm- Coming soon to a video
sh0p near you. it not already there . . . a quick squint at the latest vids on otterthls lortnight.
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' I HEAVEN'S GATE (18)219 mins. Michael Clmlno's horrendoust expensive. though lovingly detailed. epic received a proper panning lrom the American press on its initial release. However. his mammoth tale ol the reality ol the American dream inthe lrontler state at Wyoming in the 19th century as the local homesteaders are driven to desperation by cattle barons intent on sell-aggrandisement. remains one to be savoured. both lor the wetter ol period detail and the stunning photography. It's released on sell-through by Warner on 21 May as part ottheir Classic Western Collection. Othertltles in the series are Comes a Horseman. The Missouri Breaks. Jeremiah Johnson and The Long Riders. (Warner. £9.99).
I SEX. LIES AND
é VlDEOTAPE(18)101mins. Steven Soderbergh's
remarkablelirstleature. which won him the Palme d‘Orat Cannes lastyear. has all the assurance at an old hand atwork. His camera prisesthe lid otta steamy attairbetween Andie MacDowell's
husband. John (Peter
: Gallagher). and hersister (Laura San Giacoma). when hubby's old churn (James Spader)turns up intown with his video camera. The newcomer gets his kicks by
recording women's sexual coniessions on videotape - which eventually lorces the three sides at the triangle to lace up to theirown attitudes to sex and leads the audience to do likewise. (Virgin. rental).
’ ITHE ABYSS(15)14D mins.James‘AIiens' Cameron directs this
sea-bed drama involving an 3 estranged couple and.
80 l‘he list !‘< 1| May I‘ll)”
MEDIA LIST
FRIDAY 18
I Arena: Kino Perestroika ( BBCZ) t).3(l—1().3()pm. Perestroika has given Soviet film-makers the freedom to experiment with diverse genres and styles. But will it be possible for them to
penetrate their largely peasant audience with the intellectually demanding concepts they are trying to put forward'.’
I Public Eye: Concrete versus Countryside (BBCZ) 8—8.3(lpm. The population ofthe
UK will increase by over two million in the
next ten years. and the battle between
developersandconservationistsis . becoming fierce.
I Loads More Muck and Magic (C4) ‘).3lL-l()pm. Back for another series. tonight's environmentally-friendly gardening prog pops in to see 'I'helma
.; Barlow (Coronation Street's Mavis). a
keen organic gardener. and visits an infant school of budding young Greens.
I Beechgrove Garden Glory with Matt and Mike (BBCI ) 9.30— I()pm. ‘Ooh. Harry. two exciting gardening programmes on at the same time. What a fankle. Which one will we watch'." Yes. it‘s tough. Glaswegian Matt Smith offered to turn the communal garden of his tenement into an extravagant affair ofwhich aJapanese water garden is only one feature. In Edinburgh. meanwhile. Mike Buffin has amassed Scotland's largest collection of carnivorous plants. L'h-huh.
SATURDAY 19
I Wagon Train (C4) 11.30am—12.30pm. Continuing the trend for digging out and dusting off ancient old relics of programmes. this ‘new‘ series is a saga from the l950s which follows a wagon train of settlers heading West.
I Calitornla Ollbeat (C4) 12.30-12.55pm. Reporter Wayne Freedman claims that California is ‘not so much a state as astate of mind‘. This new series probes the foibles and follies of America's Golden State. focusing on a different theme each programme.
I Cannon and Ball's Casino (Scottish) 6.10—6.55pm. A new series of side—splitting gags (maybe a bit ofan exaggeration) with special guests Big Country. Roxette and Paul Squire.
I Kingdom at the Deep (C4) 8—9pm. Humpback whales are renowned for their gentlemanly and frivolous habits. and for the mysterious. tuneful sounds they make. From Hawaii. where they gathereach year to breed. to the frozen wastes‘ot~ Alaska. the Survival learn follows these
enormous.gracefulcreatures.
I Mahler((‘4i lllpm «12. 10am. Ken Russell. true to type. went completely doo-lally on this one. It‘s easy to sympathise with Robert l’owell'sserioUslv troubled expression as he travels through. a world of exploding log cabins attdother weirdness.
LISTINGS
IAngels and Devils (C4) 12. iii—12.45am. A profile of Ken Russell to accompany tonight's Mahler. hosted. strangely enough. by Blue Peter’s Simon Groom.
SUNDAY 20
I The Crolters' Big Decision ( BBCI) 12.30— 1 pm. On Skye and Raasay. more than 600 crofters have until the end of June to decide whether they agree with a proposal by the Scottish Secretary to transfer their land from Government ownership to a community trust in what has been described as the most important land reform since the Highland Clearances.
I One World: The World in OurHands (BBCI ) 5.40—6.25pm. Start ofa week-long global TV venture looking at the common future for our planet. Michael Buerk introduces this programme. which looks at the planet
: from the viewpoint of astronauts — their l observations and satellite pictures.
I Fragile Earth: Living with the Spill (C4) 7—8pm. As well as serious ecological consequences. the Exxon Valdez oil spill brought economic problems as inhabitants struggled to cope with the clean-up workers and their demands for facilities. the influx ofdollars. the media and tourists. all of which raised the cost of living.
I The Media Show (C4) 8—9pm. The last programmme of the currcrtt series considers Japanese media — from daily newspapers with twice the circulation of The Sun to the largest advertising agency in the world. What do the Japanese watch on their hi-tcch tellies? Do they ogle page three? More importantly. in what way does it influence modern Japan at a crucial periods in it history?
I The March (BBCI ) 8.05—9.40pm. A disastrous drought in Africa threatens the life of millions. The March is achilling dramatisation of possible real-life futures. I National Lampoon's Amimal House (C4) l()pm—12.()5am. Probably the most memorable Belushi performance and one of the slapstick landmarks of the 70s— assuming. ofcourse. your taste runs to food gags and juvenile idiocy. And ifit doesn‘t. why not?
I Movledrome: Get Carter(BBC2) 10—11.50pm. This week‘s cult movie makes good use of its Newcastle setting and stars Michael Caine as a London wide-boy who discovers his niece is involved in a blue movie racket.
MONDAY 21
I Cutting Edge: She's Done Her Bird (C4) 9L I()pm. One in three convicted women prisoners return to jail. This programme follows three over a six-month period — from the excitement surrounding the weeks prior to their release through the problems they face whilst trying to rehabilitate themselves.
I Brotherhood ol the Rose (Scottish) 9:10pm. 10.30—1I.2(lpm.('ontinuedon Wed 23 at same times. Four-part spy thriller starring Robert Mitchum. Peter Strauss. David Morse and Connie Sellecca. Saul ‘Romulus' Grisman and Chris ‘Remus' Kilmoonie are orphans raised by a top CIA agent who trainsthem to be skilled operators.
surprise. surprise. the threat at ‘something out there'. Unlortunately. he tries to cram too much into the plot (crashed nuclear sub. hurricanes and a mad marine on the loose) to the detriment oi the drama. However. the lact that itwas lilmed entirely underwater means that at least it won't sink without a trace.
(CBS/Fox. rental). \
mins. A dead couple return to their house in New England on a (aunt to haunt. only to tind a pairolyuppies have moved into theirold abode. As the tasteless redecoration at their house continues the would-be phantoms discover they are as tear-inspiring as Larry Grayson with a water-pistol. So they turn to the trouble shooter ol the atterlile: Beetleluice (Michael Keaton). Some great gags hang rather uneasily together in the ensuing struggle. Eccentric but tun. (Warner. £9.99).
I NEW YORK STORIES (15 118 mins. Alrio otlilm directors lrom New York. Martin Scorsese. Francis Coppola and Woody Allen. come up with a mixed bag ol taleslrom the Big Apple. Woody is the only oneto come up trumps with his Oedipus Wreck. a short. Jewish momma comedy in the manner ol his less sophisticated early output. The othertwo disappoint. badly. (Buena Vista. rental).
I EIGHT MEN OUT (15) 120 mins. John Sayles has a go at both the American Dream and the nation's idolisatlon otthe Grand Old Game (baseball) in this tale otthe Chicago White Sex 1919 team. who proved that even baseball homes have normal human vices when they succumbed to the otters oi the mob and chucked that year's World Series. Some line acting despite the somewhat excessive plotting. (Virgin. rental).