FILM
INDEX
I Accattone ( 15) (Pier Paqu Pasolini. Italy. 1961 ) Franco Citti. Franca Pasut. Roberto Scaringclla. Adriana Asti. 120 mins. Early Pasolini. set in the sleazy underworld of Rome. where Citti‘s Accattone struggles with the dilemma of poorly paid work or an easier life ofcrime. Intelligent and subtle exploration ofa world the director knew all too well. Glasgow: GET.
I The Accidental Tourist ( 15) ( Lawrence Kasdan. US. 1988) William Hurt. Geena Davis. Kathleen Turner. Amy Wright. 121 mins. llurt plays a successful writerof mollycoddling travel guides. whose placid life. scarred by the death of his youngson. is shattered when his wife (Turner) walks out. Left to his own devices. he fallsfor kooky dog trainer Davis. and finally sees that even the best prepared traveller must be ready for unexpected detours. llurt's impressive performance is at the centre of the film‘s quiet strengths and its absorbing depiction of everyday lives. Glasgow: GF'T.
I Alf America ( 15) (Roger Spottiswoode. US. 1990) Mel Gibson. Robert Downey Jnr. Nancy Travis. Ken Jenkins. 1 12mins. See review. Glasgow: Cannon Clarkston Road. Cannon The Forge. ()deon. Grosvenor. Edinburgh: Odeon. UCI. Strathclyde: ()deon Ayr. ()deon Hamilton. L'CI Clydebank. L'CI East Kilbride.
I Airplane! (PG) (Jim Abrahams. Jerry and David Zucker. US. 1980) Robert Hays. Julie IIagerty. Peter Graves. Lloyd Bridges. 87 mins. Ted Striker endeavours to overcome his problems and fly again when the pilots Rodger and [Tnder flake out on him in this hilarious spoof ofevery old cliche in every old disaster movie ever made. The laugh-a-minutc pacing keepsit flowing along and helps keep the groaning to a minimum. Glasgow; (irosvenor.
I Almost An Angel (PG ) (John Cornell. LS. 1990) Paul Ilogan. Elias Kotcas. Linda Kozlowski. Doreen Lang. 105 mins. On committing one good deed and
' subsequently waking up in hospital.
small-time thiefTerry Deans ( l Iogie) 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. IIogan has somehow contrived to sustain the freshness. and comes up with another heartily enjoyable romp. Glasgow: Cannon The Forge. Cannon Sauchiehall Street. Edinburgh: Cannon. Dominion. UCI. Central: Caledonian. Regal. Strathclyde: L'Cl Clydebank. UCI East Kilbride. I L’Amoureuse ( 15) (J. Doillon. France. 1987) Marianne Cuau. Aurelie Doazan. Catherine Bidaut. 90mins. Beginninga new season of films about youth isthis meditative romp about teenage girls spending a weekend on the Normandy coast. the naughtinesscs they commit with boys. and when the boys don‘t appear. Soundsjolly French to me . . .Glasgow: French Cine-Club. I Annie Hall (15) (Woody Allen. US. 1977) Woody Allen. Diane Keaton.Tony Roberts. 93 mins. Warm. wistful. wonderfully witty Woody discourses on love. death and life in the Big Apple inthis multi-Oscar-winning autobiographical comedy-romance. Edinburgh: Cameo. I Arachnophobla (PG) (Frank Marshall. US. 1990) Jeff Daniels. Julian Sands. HarleyJane Kozak. John Goodman. 110 mins. In rural retreat on the California coast. the Jennings familyare unpleasantly surprised when they meet their new neighbours. a particularly venomous breed of spiders. which are to terrorise the village of Canaima. not least
AIR AMERICA
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Air America (15) (Roger Spottiswoode, US, 1990) Mel Gibson, Robert Downey Jnr, Nancy Travis. 112 mins. Just when you thought the spate of Vietnam- related topics had subsided, along comes this rambling, messy mini-epic. Set in neighbouring Laos during the Vietnamese conflict, the film sees director Roger Spottiswoode, veteran of acclaimed war drama Under Fire and less well-received action fare like Deadly Pursuit, combining a panache for light relief with the contrast of human suffering on a significant scale. The result is a modestly entertaining comedy thriller.
Hot Stateside comic property Downey Jnr features as Billy, a maverick pilot for a US radio station‘s ‘eye in the sky' traffic watch. After an on-air fracas with a foul-mouthed truck driver, he loses his flying licence and is thus out of a job. Lo! along comes an anonymous government official, who signs him up with AirAmerica, a 'civilian’ airline based in Laos.
Naturally, he soon finds himself in the middle of an action adventure movie, co-starring with Mel Gibson's Gene, an equally reckless airman; naturally, Air America is a covert CIA drug and gun-running operation in aid
of the war effort, and before long the youngster finds lrontline action and widespread corruption part and parcel of his everyday existence. However, when a high-powered American Senator arrives on a fact-finding mission, our none-too-heroic twosome get set up as scapegoats to help the US save face and, with several private armies hot on theirtail, the plotting goes into overdrive when the pair are at last forced to think for themselves.
Predictable, cliched and unpretentious, AirAmerica’s string of competent gags and Downey’s charismatic presence help pass the time agreeably enough. Essentially, it’s a road movie with wings. There’s a lot of flying around and a constant 60s rock soundtrack, while a splendid opening sequence and a well-staged crash-landing provide mayhem highlights. Light in the extreme but enjoyable nonetheless. (Dylan Matthew)
From Fri 11 Jan. Glasgow: Cannon, Clarkston Road, Cannon, The Forge, Odeon, Grosvenor. Edinburgh: Odeon, UCI. Strathclyde: Odeon Ayr, Odeon Hamilton, UCI Clydebank, UCI East Kilbride.
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 Clarkston Road. Cannon The Forge. Odeon. Salon. Edinburgh: Odeon. UCI. Central: Allanpark. Caledonian. Cannon. Strathclyde: Cannon. Kelburne. Odeon Ayr. Odeon Hamilton. La Scala. UCI Clydebank. UCI East Kilbride. WMR Film Centre. I Barbarella (18) (Roger Vadim. Italy/France. 1967) Jane Fonda. John Philip Law. David Ilemmings. 98 mins. In the year 40.000 AD. sex kitten Fonda travels to the planet Sorgo to divest herself of much futuristic clothing. fall in love with Law‘s angel and tussle with Ilemmings' mad scientist character Duran Duran (yes. fact fans. it is he). Dated Vadim romp ofinterest mostly to kitsch aficionados or horny twelve year-olds. Edinburgh: Cameo. 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. Edinburgh: Cameo.
I Betty Blue ( 18) (Jean-Jacques Beincix. France. 1986) Jean Hughes Angladc. Beatrice Dalle. 120 mins. Tempestuous love gone mad as an older handyman and a free-spirited woman embark on a passionate. peripatetic fling that ends in tragedy. Filmed with a dazzling technique and an irritating emptiness by the maker of Diva. Glasgow: GFT.
I The Big Easy (18) (Jim McBride. US. 1987) Dennis Quaid. Ellen Barkin. Ned
I THE ICICLE THIEF(PG) Witty Italian satire/farce aboutthe uneasy relationship between ‘serious‘ films and commercial TV. in which characters from a gritty neo-realist movie escape into the studio. constantly interrupting adverts and Vice versa. with the director eventually breaking into the film (dead post-modernist stuff. this) to try and salvage his art. Edinburgh Filmhouse Wed 16—Sat 19. I THE MAHABHABATMU) Screen version of Peter Brook’s adaptation of the ancient Indian epic. which translates as “the great story of mankind“. Gods. demi-gods. individuals and dynasties fight it out in the stories which remain atthe basis of lndian culture today. Edinburgh Filmhouse Thurs 24—Sat 26. I THE SHELTEBING SKY(18)
Visually sumptuous Bertolucci adaptation of the novel by Paul Bowles starring Debra Winger
and John Malkovich
as the melancholy American couple wandering around North Africa in search of a meaning totheir relationship and to life in general. Stunning photography. existential angst and sex beneath the desert sun in a sure-fire Dscarcontender. See feature. Odeons Glasgow and Edinburgh. UCls from Fri 18 Jan.
I BEVERSAL 0F FDRTUNEUS) Dramatisation ofthe famous high-society murder trial of Claus von Bulow (Jeremy Irons) accused of attempting to kill his wife Sunny (Glenn Close) by injecting her with insulin. He was eventually acquitted on appeal, thanks to the efforts of legal eagle Alan Dershowitz (Bon Silver) on whose book the film is based. See review. Odeons 1 Glasgow and Edinburgh. Cannon Parkhead. UCls from Fri 18Jan.
I THE BO0KlE(15)
Take a well-tested formula, add a generous portion of Clint Eastwood (he both stars and directs) and season lightly with spectacular stunt-work fora rellable box-office recipe. A cop-buddy movie, with Eastwood as (surprise surprise) a hard-nosed. tacifum, veteran detective teaching his new. wet-behind-the-ears partner (Charlie Sheen) the law of the mean streets. Cannons Glasgow and Edinburgh, UCls from Fri 18.
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The List 11—24January 199123