l

! and Stern) who threaten to iny'ade his peaceful hay'en. Jolly. ifsadistic. scare-comedy antics produced by teenflick veteran John Hughes. (ilasgow ()deon. Edinburgh:()deon.l'(‘1.Strathclyde: ()deon Ayr. l'Cl Clydebank. C(‘l liast Kilbride.

I Honey I Shrunk The Kidsil'nloe Johnston. CS. 1989) Rick Moranis. Matt Frew'er. Thomas Brown. Amy ()‘Neill. Robert ()liy‘eri. Jared Rushton. 92 mins. llaplessfatherand would-be inyentor (Moranis) does just w fiat the title suggests. The kids find themser es cut

down to size (a quarter of an inch l and swept out with the trash. .lillelf mission: to escape from the garbage bag and somehow attract their father‘s attention to their height problem. Well. we might think its old fiat but Walt l)isnae. Showing with the excellent new Roger Rubbushort. [UNI/Ill I’rouli/e Strathclyde: l’aisley ArtsCentre.

IThe Hot Spot l 18) ( Dennis l loppci . l 'S. 199“) Don Johnson. Virginia .‘yladsen. Jennifer Connelly‘, 131) mins. Hoppers homage toil/m IlUlr is set in small-tow n Texas. where Johnson‘s amoral drifter sweet-talkshis way intoa job as acar salesman. and soon finds himself torn between two women. one of w born

FILM

happens to be married to his employer. .v\s

tensions begin to rise. it transpires that cy'eryone fias a few secrets they 'd rather not share. Suspeiiseful and astute. lidinburgh: Cameo.

I I HiredAContraclKilleri 15)i.-\ki Kaurisniaki. Sweden l‘inland. 199ll) Jean—Pierre 1.eaud. Margi Clarke. Kenneth Colley. Joe Strummer. Nicky ’lesco. Ht) mins. Sec reyiew. ladiiiburgh: l‘illnhotlse.

I Irma La Douce ( l’( i ) i Billy wilder . t 's‘. 1963 ) Jack 1.emmon. Shirley .‘y’lacl .aiiie. l.ou Jacobi. Bruce Yarnell, 14" mins. Once a charming stage musical. Wilder‘s filrii dispenses with the songs and becomes an oy'erlong comedy set among the classy brothels of Paris. Both stars bring their enstomary charisma to play on the saucy tale of a policeman falling for a pretty prostitute. but neither can rescue the movie from its sluggish pace. lidinburgh: Cameo.

IJean De Floretteil’o ) (Claude Berri. France. 19%) (ierard l)epardieu. ers .‘ylontand. Daniel Auteuil. 131 mins. l’roy'ence. during the 19211s. Dcpardictfs indomitable hunchback struggles against impossible odds to make a success of his inherited farmland. unaware that his neighbours are plotting to drive him from his land. Beautifully photographed. with flawless performances. this is a tow ering tribute to the highest aspirations of french storytelling. A BAI’I'A w inner for the film ofthe year. lidinburgh: liilmhouse. I Jesus Of Montreal i is) ( Denys Arcand. Canada. 1989) 1.othaire Bluteau. Catherine Wilkening. .1ohaiine-.\farie Tremblay. Robert 1.epage. 1211 mins. lliredto reyamp a Catholic passion play. M. Bluteau enlists four actorslrom

lHiredAContract Killer(15) (Aki Kaurismaki. Sweden/Finland. 1990) Jean-Pierre Leaud. Margi Clarke. Kenneth Colley. Nicky Tesco. 80 mins. Thefifth ofthe highly individual Finn‘s filmsto be released inthe UKinsidethe last couple of years. I Hired A Contract Killerarrives atthe pointwhere the Kaurismaki cultfollowing has risento Jonathan Ross-TV-profile-type proportions. Thus it‘s reallyrather convenientthatthe melancholy witof this exercise in deadpan cool happens to be one of his most approachable offeringstodate.

In a dour and grimy London. Truffaut regular Jean-Pierre Leaud brings his customary nervyfragility and comic understatement to the central role of lonelyclerkHenri Boulanger. a stranger in a strange land whose humdrum existence is shattered bythe news that government cutbacks have torcedthe loss ofhisjob attertitteen years service in HerMajesty‘s Waterworks. Distraught. he bungles several suicide attempts before seeking professional help inthe shape of Kenneth Colley‘s wonderfully lugubrious hitman, but matters are complicated before the deed can be done whenthe Frenchmantalls in love with Margi Clarke‘s cheery flower-seller and discovers a new reason for living. Attempting to get out

| HIRED A CONTRACT KILLER 4..,;.-‘.

ofthe contracton himself. the unfortunate Henri is implicated in a jewel robbery. and events look setto take a turn for the worse until he finds refuge with host Serge Reggiani in Vic‘s French Hamburgers. a greasy spoon cunningly situated inthe middle ofHampstead Cemetery.

As in his other films. the casual appearance ofthisself-consciously shambling affairis infacthighly deceptive. It looks slung togetherat a moment's notice yet there‘s an artful sense ofwashed—outcolourand crisp composition atwork. whilethe dialogue and performances are trimmed down to the bare minimum of expressionthat's indicative ofthe Kaurismaki worldview. Like the protagonists ofthe earlierAriel or Match Factory Girl. here are characters moving in a barren social landscape. persevering through a life that offers only the meagrest scraps of hope or happiness. True. it‘s played with a sort ofzombie absurditythatmakes Iaughterthe easiest response. but beneath the chuckles Kaurismaki offers an underlyingtone otpenetrating sadness and compassion. lfyou haven’t caughtup with him yet. now's the time to do so. (TrevorJohnston)

Edinburgh Filmhouse Thurs 4—Sat 6 April.

L

LAMB PASANDA Teaser 3 9:25 3‘ a“: "‘a’ "aim: w t“ .; CC? _ ‘, w ‘.' we." a" : >-. ~ . BADAfv‘iGCSHT Tender L 9025 c' lamb -..-»;: w ga' 7 22+" 1")!" " .1 " ~v: ,' ‘.' VlRCH BHUNA A reta'v; "‘0 s: sass ; :q". r. 1" 311,1: .’ vs DUNJABIM‘URGHN‘ASALLA9 :set‘.cteswf"sw~~:1;e;;>-' .: .. i. . ., _. Open noon—2.30pm and 5.30pm-midnlght 1293 Rose Street Precinct, Edinburgh (opp Kenilworth Bar) Telephone: 031 226 286N225 36-19

20 The List 22 March 4 April 1991

7 u “7 dis eise sources. casts himself aslesus. and sets to work on a stunnineg radical y ersion of his ow n. Naturally. life begins toimitate art. but don't expectanything else predictable. because .-\rcaiid's follow -up to Dec/inc ()t l'liexlmericun [nu/we is chocktul of twists. surprisesand incisisc satire. l‘inely acted. elegantly filmed and always intriguing. lidinburgh: llroughton l'ilm Society.

IJetsons: The Movieil‘)iw'illiamllanna ck .loseph llarbera. CS. 1991 1 With the

\ oices of (ieorge ( )'l laiilon. Mel Blanc. l’cnny Singleton. littauy . l’alric /immerman. 53 mins. America‘s

fay ourite family of the future (it says here). as animated by the celebratedduo. moye to a new home in outer space when (ieoi ge .lctsou gets promotion at Spacely Sprockets. His new )ob is leopardised by a sabotage campaign. how cy er. which leads to .i sliuggle bch eeii the astral green inoyeiiient and the technocrats from the stratosphere ( ilasgow: Cannon lhe

l'oi gc. ( 'aiinoii Sauchiehall Street. l-diiibuigh: Cannon. CCl. Strathclyde: l'ClClydebaiik.1C1liastKilbride.

I JU DOU I. 15 l l [hang \‘iinou.

China lapaii. 199(1) ( iong l.i. l.i \Vel. l.i Raw 1 iaii. 95 iiiiiis. See ieyiew . ( ilasgow: (ill

I Kindergarten Cop l l.‘ l ( Is an Reitnian. CS.19911).-\iiioldSchwai/cneggcl‘. l’enelope -\nn \fillei . l’a'uela Reed. Richard lysoii llliiiiiis. 'lhe large fellow is ilie polis iii tillesllilll. lakiiig up the reins in a nursery class when he goesundercover to track down the wife and child of a murder suspect i_‘\l\ll)ll.lli\ e nnshinasliot genie-blending. tainin comedy spliced clumsily with

Not \tllllll sly tlii illci . and a spot of child

1 his is a slea/y .

ibuse thrown ll‘. for cheap pathos aiida

\ eneei of social coiicein. Since In His.

w ey e know ii .-\i iiold has a sense of humour. but can he play the new man'.’ ( )n this ey idcuce. no Cilasgow Cannon ’1 he l‘ttlg'L‘. Cannon Sauchiehall Street. l'dinburgh; 1 '( '1 Central: Regal. \tiathclyde: \lotheiwell 'l'heatre. C(‘l

f lydebaiik. 1’( 'I last ls'ilbiide. \VMR l-ilmCentre

I King Ralph l 13 l 1 Day id 8. Ward. CS. 1991ilohii(ioodnian.l’eter()"loole. .loliii 1 lurt. Camille ( 'oduri. .lllllllll

(iloy er. 9o mins. When the entire Royal

1 aiiiily is unluckily wiped out. 1.;is \‘cgas pianist Ralph .lones i ( ioodmaii ) becomes heir to the throne of Britain, In the struggle lo lltllllsl it) his eley aletl lifestyle. King Ralphoffendsothermonarchs. disrupts British industry . delights the tabloid press and falls in loy e w ith a commoner. But complications arise when l.oi d ( ilayes ( l lurt ) begins plotting his downfall. l'iirey ei'eiitial comedy with an eu)oy ably robust central performance. a pinch of satire on the British ‘Royals‘ cult. and a good few laughs. (ilasgow Cannon the forge. Cannon Sauehiehall Street. Izdinbuigh: Cannon. l'( '1. Central: Cannon. \‘trathclyde: Cannon. 1'( ’l liast Kilbiide.

For all your LPs, CDs, tapes and concert tickets

91 South Bridge Edinburgh

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