FILM
comedy with delusions of social relevance.
though the sharp jokes cut through the slackness of the sentiments. Glasgow: Odcon.
I Sea Of Love (18) (Harold Becker. US. 1989) Al Pacino. Ellen Barkin. John Goodman. Michael Rooker. 118 mins. Pacino. a homicide detective in search ofa murderer whose crimes seem to be connected with the personal ads. sets up a date with single mother Barkin. and. although attracted to her. begins to suspect that she is the killer. The plot may be on the creaky side. but the
performances from both leads are spot-on.
the dialogue and the sex scenes are remarkably realistic. However. the film is more liker to be remembered for its humour than for its tension. Edinburgh: Cameo. I sex. lies and videotape ( 15) (Steven Soderbergh. US. 1989) Andie McDowell. Laura San Giacomo. James Spader. Peter Gallagher. 101 mins. The sex: John (Gallagher) is conducting a steamy affair with his sister-in-law Cynthia (San Giacomo). The lies: they neglect to tell his wife. Anne (McDowell). The videotape: John’s buddy Graham (Spader) gets his kicks by filming women's sexual confessions. 26-year-old Soderbergh‘s first feature is a strikingly assured. funny and thoughtful piece of work. forcing us to examine our own attitudes toward sex. and won the Palme d‘Or at Cannes. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I She-Devil (15) (Susan Seidelman. US. 1989) Meryl Streep. Roseanne Barr. Ed Begley Jr. 99 mins. TV comedy star Barr makes her screen debut in Seidelman's heavily criticised version of The Life and Loves ofa She Devil. When her husband (a marvellously slimy Beglcy) falls for romantic novelist Mary Fisher (Streep making Miss Piggy seem a model of thespian restraint). the dispossessed spouse decides to enact a ficndishly cunning revenge. The macabre feel ofthe original has been ditched in favour ofa stylised slapstick farce. but the film still leaves you rooting for the world's next housewife superstar. Strathclydc: UCI East Kilbride. I Shirley Valentine (15) (Lewis Gilbert. UK. 1989) Pauline Collins. Bernard Hill. Tom Conti. 110 mins. Gilbert's screen version of the celebrated Willy Russell play. now expanded from a monologue to include Hill as the insensitive hubby and Conti as the Greek bit of stuffShirlcy meets on a Mediterranean holiday that turns into a voyage ofself-(re)discovery. Collins is outstanding in the title role of frustrated Liverpudlian housewife. Glasgow: Cannon Sauchiehall Street. I A Short Film About Love (18) (Krzysztof Kieslowski. Poland. 1988) Grazyna Szapolowska. Olaf Lubaszenko. Stefania lwinska. 87 mins. The second offering to be developed as a feature film from Kieslowski‘s television Dekalog (Ten Commandments) is every bit as impressive as the European Film Award-winningA Short Film About Killing. Here. teenage postal clerk Tomek falls obsessively in love with the enigmatic and attractive artist Magda on whom be routinely spies in her apartment. Eventually. he plucks up the courage to approach her. but his notions of love are soon to be dispelled by an experience that is to alter both their feelings. Concentrated and probing investigation of the nature ofour affections by one of the most morally aware film-makers currently working in Europe. Glasgow: OFT. I Ski Patrol (PG) (Richard Corell. US. 1989) Ray Walston. Roger Rose. Martin Mull. 91) mins. Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the cinema again. he's back! Yes. producer Paul Maslansky. the man who brought you all five ofthe miserably mirthless Police Academy movies. returns with his latest er. brainchild. This big-budget comedy caper
1
has dashing ski instructor Roger Rose
22The List is - 28June 1991)”
ATALE
R ’ .
A Tale of Springtime (U) (Eric Rohmer, France, 1990) Anne Teyssedre, Hugues Ouester, Florence Darel. Eloise Bennett. Sophie Robin. 112 mins. Subtitled. One of Eric Rohmer’s special skills is to bring his characters so close to the people who play them that you can't see the dividing line. Perversely. the more artificial and game-like his fictions are, the more they create their slightly stllted Illusion of real confused, lovelorn walls and meddlers. In fact, usually the more appealing they are the less you'd want to meet them yourself. Like Delphine in ‘The Green Hay'. boring everyone rlgld with her explanations of why she's a vegetarian. Rohmer's characters aren't Mike Leigh awful, they just make
you feel uncomfortable. because it's like having your own friends embarrassing themselves in public. The downside of this, of course, is that It leaves the films open to a subjective element- if you don't warm to the characters, the points lost. That’s one reason for not liking the first of Rohmer's new ‘Four Seasons’ series so much. His heroines are the usual complementary pair: down-to-earth. intellectual, but unsettled Jeanne (Teyssedre). and apparently scatty but really calculating free spirit Natasha (Darel), who meet at a party when Jeanne’s ilat's been annexed by a pushy friend. The two hit it off, Jeanne stays at the flat of Natasha’s father Igor (Duester), and soon the three of them, and lgor's girlfriend, are all set for 3
OF SPRINGTIME __
country weekend of Rohmerian high discomfort, with a side option on matchmaking.
‘A Tale of Springtime' (which unfortunately sounds a lot more trees-and-flowers mawkish in English) is disappointing partly because it's so familiar, and so cleanly executed, that afterthe spark of Rohmer's lastfew ‘Comedies and Proverbs’. it seems almost a return to base. And because it concentrates so much on the characters themselves, rather on their social setting, it loses out on thatwhole strain of “how we live today' comedy that worked so brilliantly in ‘My Girlfriend's Boyfriend'. They’re not really such Interesting characters. either: Darel is one of those irritating bucolic hippie types that Hohmer has an inexplicable predilection for, and Quester, as a sensitive but emotionally inept version ofthe ‘older man’ model. is such a lugubrlous stiff from the minute he walks in, that you can't understand why Jeanne doesn‘t mistake him for the local morticial paying a house call. There‘s a definite sense of retreading ground here, and the overall prettiness, not to mention a creeping sense of cultural snobbery. makes this the Rohmer film that people who don’t like Rohmer films warned you about. But, of course, Bohmerphlles will have to see it, if only to collect the set. (Jonathan Romney)
Sun 17--Sat 23. Edinburgh: Fllmhouse.
battling against nasty property developer Ray Walston who‘s seeking to change the local resort beyond recognition. Expect the same bland of juvenile slapstick and cxasperating smuttiness as before. Strathclydc: Odeon Ayr. WMR Film Centre.
I Stanley & Iris ( l5) (Martin Ritt. 135. 1989) Robert De Niro. Jane Fonda. Swoosie Kurtz. 105 mins. See review. Glasgow: Cannon The Forge. Cannon Sauchiehall Street. Edinburgh: Cannon. I Steel Magnolias (PG) (Herbert Ross. US. 1989) Shirley Maclainc. Dolly Parton. Sally Field. ()lyrnpia Dukakis. Julia Roberts. 117 mins. The downhome tale of a bevy ofsouthern belles who support each other through a combination of hugs and wisecracks. Robert T larling's stage play. written as a testimony tothe courageous womenfolk of his home-town. wends its weepy way onto the big—screen. loads of local colour and tragedy but you can't help feeling that you've been
emotionally manipulated by a bunch of Cindy dolls. Strathclydc: L'Cl ('lydebank. WMR Film Centre.
I Silt ( 15) (Fernando Solanas. Argentina. 1988) Sus l’ecoraro. Miguel Angel Sola. Philippe Leotard. 119 mins. At longlast getting a British release. Solanas‘ winner ofthe 1988 Best Director award at ( 'annes is set in Argentina after the collapse ofthe military junta. and follows one released prisoner's efforts to be reunited with his wife and reconciled to the haunting memories of the past. (ilztsgow : (ii-'1 IATale OfSpringtime(i’(i)(lirie Rohmer. I’rance. 1991)) Anne 'l'ey ssedrc. FIUTCT‘ICCDZUCl.ll11g11C\()11L'\fCi'. 112 mins. Sec 1C\ iew. I‘dinbuigh: lilmliouse. I Tamp0p0(18)(.lu7oltami..lapan.198m Tsutomo Yamazaki. Nobuko .‘yliyamoto ll.1 mitts. Splendid comedy in which the renovation of a run-dow n noodle parlour becomes an epic. Western-sly 1e adventure in the manner of llit'.’ilr1ertifir entSeteri. Along the way there are various \lx'llslill
the Japanese attitude to food and culinm etiquette. as well as a truly sexy scene imon ing an egg yolk. For sustained comic impetus this is a splendid effort. heartily recommended to anyone who enjoys food. or sex. or both. (ilasgow : (ii-‘1‘. I The Terminator( 18) (James ( ‘ameron. US. 1984) Arnold Schwarzenegger. Michael liichn. Linda llatnilton. 1117 mins. ln 21129 machines have all but conquered the planet but a saviour isat hand in the form of a new human leader. The machines respond by sending Schwarzeneggcr's cyborg back in time to 1984 on a mission to kill the futurelcader's mother. lnycntivc.cxcitingly-paced science-fiction ads enture with a notable performance from Arnie in hisfirst villairiotis role. l5dinbnrgh: ('ameo. I ThatSinlting Feeling ( l’tiimill l’otsyth, l'lx'. 19“?) Robert liuchanandohn Hughes. .lztnettc Rankin. 89 mins. l"orsyth's debut feature. remarkable for the paucity of the resources at his disposal. uses a cast from the (ilasgoyv Youth Theatre to tell the story ofunemployed youth driven by boredom into an audacious robbery of kitchen sinks. The easy -goingperformances and spritely' wit still catch the attention. and were an earlv indicationofl‘oisyth'souiikygenius. - Edinburgh: l'ilnihouse. I Time Of The Leopard ( 15 ) (Ztll'ily'kti \'elimirovic. \lo'zambiquc Yugoslavia. 1987 ) (ill mins. Set amidst Mozambique‘s colonial conflict ofthe early 197115. at a time when the military might ofth Portuguese is already looking exhausted. this Yugoslavian eo-production looksat the occupying army's attempts totrack down one of the northern province's most daring guerilla leaders l‘dlllll‘lllfllli Fllmhouse. I The Tin Drum [lie Blt'tlitmnimel(18) (Volker Schlondorff, Vi .(icrmany. 1979) David Bennent. .‘yiario Adorf. Charles Aznavour. 141 mins Compellingscrecn version of the Gunter Grass novel about a young boy who refuses to grow tip asthc Nazis rise topower in Germany. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I Tom Horn ( 15) (William Wiard. US. 19811) Steve McQueen. Linda Evans. Richard Farnsv arth. 9" mins. Already dying ofcanccr. McQueen gave what might be his l‘illlsl affecting performance as real—life legendary cowbovlom Horn. a maverick ganslinger hired to w age war on Wyoming cattle rustlers but then charged with murder when it became politically expedient todo so. In a prodtictitm beset by problems (original director .lames \Villiam Guercio of Electra (flit/e In Blue fame was replaced during shooting. and 'I homas McGuane's screenplay was largely rewritten). it's .‘yle()ueen'selegiac hero who holdsthe end result together and salvages moments of real power from the abiding sense of what might l"1'~c been l-dirtbargh: Filmhouse. I Treasure island 1 Pt; i ( Fraser 1 leston. 1'5 l'ls'.19911)(‘harltonHeston.Christian Bale.(’hristopher I.ee. 133 mins. Well. shiver me timbers if it ain‘t (‘ap'n Heston pcre with only one leg and a parrot hamniing away in this new \cision ofthe Robert l.ouis Stevenson tale. And blow me if it ain't that \las’ter Bale from limprrt’ of [he Sun in the role of lim lad. More than that w e dai en‘t say. except toadd that our critical black spot is on its wayto w ritcr producer director l lesion fils. care of the Admiral lienl‘ow sushi bar, Burbank. (ilasgow; ('annon The Forge. (‘annon Sauchiehall Street. fidinburgh: Cannon.Strathclydc:1'('l('lydcbank. 1'(‘l liast Kilbride. I 20012 A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick. 1 [KSl'K.19M)Kcirliullealiary Lockwood. l-ll mins. (‘elebratcd y isionary epic about the history and future of the human race. superbly crafted and tlllccictl by Kubrick. It nee-asthcbis screen to do real lusticc to the famous sequenceson the development of tnan and