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AMADEUS
Driector Milos Forman and author Peter Schaffer
decide to envision Mozart as a nineteenth century
equivalent of a talented but clownishly tem-
peramental pop star. The idea is refreshing, but the
execution lapses into just so many cheap laughs. Just
close your eyes and enjoy the soundtrack. At the.
Movies at Briarwood, Briarwood Mall; 769-8780.
BEVERLY HILLS COP
Eddie Murphy goes through his usual fast jiving,
smart ass routines in this moderately amusing
thriller/comedy about a streetwise Detroit cop who
goes to California to investigate a friend's murder.
The script is just a sketchy outline, existing soley for
Murphy to improvise around. Murphy's antics are
cute, even if they're strictly lowbrow. The laughs are
fast and plentiful, but lightweight, and you're always
aware of just how shabbily slapped together the
whole film is. At the Movies at Briarwood, Briar-
wood Mall; 769-8780.
THE BREAKFAST CLUB
Writer-director John Hughes (last of Sixteen Can-
dles) takes a bleak look at coming of age in modern
suburbia. The film centers on five kids, of diverse
background locked up together in the high school
library for a Saturday afternoon detention. As the
day progresses, the kids drop their guards and feel
each other out, sharing their mutual frustrations and
fears. What they don't share are their dreams
because in Hughes' dark vision of adolescence, the
kids are so numbed by parental and teacher
harassment, they've lost all innocence. This film
makes growing up to be eternal hell, all tragedy and
no joy. A curiously bitter script, fatally flawed by
melodramatic hyperbole and stereotypically stiff
characters who act tortured but are devoid of any
real feelings. This is like an amateur play, written
and put on by a high school English class that has
just finished reading a Eugene O'Neil play. Very sin-
cere, but not particularly thoughtful. At the State
Theater, 231 S. State St.; 6624264.
THE FALCON AND THE SNOWMAN
John Schlesinger's thriller-drama about two
California youths who conspire to sell CIA secrets to
the Soviets is based on a true story but it is not
presented very convincingly. Sean Penn and Timothy
Hutton play the two boys, but their mechanical per-
formances fail to bring any believable depth to their
characters. Disappointing schtick. At the Movies at
Briarwood, Briarwood Mall; 769-8780.
THE GODS MUST BE CRAZY
A marvelously imaginative comedy about an
African bushman who mistakes a Coke bottle that
falls from an airplane as a dropped trinket of the
gods, and decides to try to return it. The.laughs are
pure slapstick, but ingenius and relentless. The
newest cult classic in town and deservedly so. At the
Movies at Briarwood, Briarwood Mall; 769-8780.
HEAVEN HELP US
Yet another coming of age comedy set in the 1960's,
this one in a parochial school. Unmemorable silliness
despite the brief appearances by Donald Sutherland,
John Heard, and Wallace Shawn. At the Fox Village
Theater, 375 N. Maple; 7691300.
THE KILLING FIELDS
Sometimes powerful, but unfocused film about a
New York Times correspondent (Sam Waterson)
and his Cambodian assistant (Haing S. Ngor) who
are trapped in Cambodia during the 1975 Khmer
Rouge revolution. Director Roland Joffe directs the
individual sequences with sure hand, but the film
suffers from a poorly structured, at times cheaply
sentimental script that completely unravels by the
end. At the Ann Arbor Theater, 210 S. Fifth Ave..
THE MEAN SEASON
Phillip Borsos directed this unthrilling thriller
about a newspaper reporter (Kurt Russell) who finds
himself in the web of a psycho-killer. Not par-
ticularly suspenseful, and full of cheap thrill effects.
Also stars Marel Hemingway. At the Fox Village
Theater, 375 N. Maple; 769-1300.
MISCHIEF
Comedy about a small town boy coming of age in
the 1950's. At the Fox Village Theater; 375 N. Maple;
769-1300.
1984
Michael Radford's film adaptation of George Or-
well's bitterly dark dystopian fantasy. Unviewed at
press-time though it has garnered very favorable
reviews elsewhere. Stars John Hurt and Richard
Burton. At the Ann Arbor Theater, 210S. Fifth Ave..
PASSAGE TO INDIA
In the British ruled India of the 1920's, a young
English woman accusses a respected Indian doctor
of attempted rape. A finely crafted, often compelling
study of the darker corners of the human soul. At the
Movies at Briarwood, Briarwood Mall; 769-8780.
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listen to reason in deciding the guilt or innocence of
a man accused of murder. Also in the cast are Ed
Begley, Sr., Martin Balsam and E. G. Marshall. (Hill
Street Cinema; 1429 Hill, 7:30 p.m., 9:30 p.m.)
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THE TERMINATOR (1984)
And all this time you thought Arnold Schwar-
zeneggar was human. Here, you get to find out the
truth about the weight-lifting hulk from the hyborean
Age. He is actually a mean killing machine sent
from the far future to terminate somebody with
really extreme prejudice. And there is just no way of
really stopping him, so the poor woman had better
watch out. This thriller was one of the surprise hits of
1984, and it is now making its first repertory perfor-
mance. (Cinema 2, Cinema Guild, Ann Arbor Film
Coop; Nat. Sci. Aud., 7 p.m.,°9:30 p.m.)
JEANNE DIELMAN, 23 QUAI DU COMMERCE
1080 BRUXELLES (Chantal Ackerman, 1983)
As has been the case with three-way showings this
term, one is available for the masses, and this one is
for the art-oriented moviegoers. An Ann Arbor
Premiere, it hails from France and tells the story of
a mother who has to resort to prostitution to support
herself and her child. (Cinema Guild, Ann Arbor
Film Coop; Cinema 2; Aud. A, 8 p.m.)
AGAINST ALL ODDS (Taylor Hackford, 1984)
A rich magnate who owns a football team and a
host of other things gets upset when his girlfriend
disappears, and he sends the football team's star
player out to look for her, hoping against all odds that
he will succeed. What he does not hope for is that the
two will become attracted. The title song is conten-
ding for an Academy Award (Mediatrics; MLB 4,
7:30,9:45)
THE GRADUATE (Mike Nichols, 1967)
Dustin Hoffman is about to graduate into the real
world, and gets sidetracked by both Anne Bancroft
and her daughter. The resultant comedy is hilarious,
and it benefits greatly from the Simon and Garfunkel
music that decorates the soundtrack. Script by
Calder (Little Big Man) Willingham and Buck
(Protocol) Henry. (Michigan Theater Foundation;
Michigan Theater, 7p.m., 11 p.m.)
THE PAPER CHASE (James Bridges, 1973)
Timothy Bottoms is a first-year law student who
finds out that he is overly involved in extra-
curricular activities. One of them is the wife of one of
his Professors, played by John Houseman, and the
Prof does not take well to the competition. (Michigan
Theater Foundation; Michigan Theater, 9 p.m.)
TWELVE ANGRY MEN (Sidney Lumet, 1957)
The angry men are on a jury, and eleven of them
ORPHEUS (Jean Cocteau, 1949)
An updating of the Orpheus legend with a poet who
gets extraterrestrial broadcasts over his radio and a
devil who comes complete with black gloves. French
with subtitles. (Cinema 2; Aud. A. 7p.m.)
MAN RAY SHORTS (May Ray, 1923-29)
Four experimental shorts by the photographer will
be hown after Orpheus and 400 Blows. They are
"Retour ala Raison," "Emek Bakia," "Etoile de
Mer," and "Les Mysteres de Chateau de Des."
(Cinema 2; Aud. A)
THE FOUR HUNDRED BLOWS (Francois Truffaut,
1959)
An overseas version of the coming of age story as a
teenage son finds out the truth about life while selfish
parents seem to forget he exists. French with Sub-
titles. (Cinema 2; Aud. A, 9:15 p.m.)
THE MALTESE FALCON (John Huston, 1941)
The jewel-encrusted title bird is more trouble than
a seagull flying into a jet engine. Sam Spade, the
Dashiell Hammett private eye played here by Hum-
phrey Bogart gets caught up in intrique about a bird
that just about everyone thinks is theirs. Also with
Mary Astor, Walter Huston, and Peter Lorre. Very
good entertainment. (Alternative Action; Nat. Sci.
Aud., 7: 15 p.m.)
THE BIG SLEEP (Howard Hawks, 1946)
Some more Bogart, doing some more detective
work. This time Bogie gets teamed with Lauren
Bacall. William Faulkner was one of many people to
have a hand in making the plot. Phillip Marlowe is
the name of the gumshoe this time. (Alternative Ac-
tion; Nat. Sci. Aud., 9 p.m.)
RICHARD PRYOR LIVE IN CONCERT (Jeff
Margolis, 1979)
The very first Pryor concert film that introduced
motion picture watchers all over to Pryor's usually
hilarious comedy that is liberally laced with curse
words. This will most assuredly give you a few
laughs. (Mediatrics; MLB 4,7:30 p.m., 9 p.m.)
VERTIGO (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958)
While I am not one of this film's biggest fans (I do
not find it to be Hitchcock's best by any means) I am
willing to label it very entertaining. James Stewart
gets fascinated with a lady, and the fascination
becomes obsession. One of the film's biggest flaws is
how poor Stewart is at surveillance for an ex-
policeman. One of the best things is some very good
music by Bernard Herrmann. (Cinema Guild; MLB
3,7 p.m., 9:15 p.m.)
you are not familiar with the book, and the film ends
in the middle of the story, and I really hope no one
held their breath waiting for the sequel. Still,
probably worth seeing for the quality of the
animation. (Michigan Theater Foundation;
Michigan Theater, 1:30 p.m., 4 p.m.,7 p.m.)
CLOSELY WATCHED TRAINS (Jiri Menzel, 1966)
Join the good folks of Slavic 312 for a movie about a
train dispatcher during the German ocupation of
Czecholsovakia during World War II. Czech with
subtitles. (Ann Arbor Film Coop; Aud A. 7 p.m.,
FREE)
THE DEAD ZONE (1983)
A familiar sounding movie as a Stephen King novel
becomes a so-so horror movie starring Christopher
Walken. After an accident, he can see the future in
his dead zone, and it tells him that he has to kill a
rising politician. Go Johnny, go. (Alternative Action;
MLB 4,7 p.m., 9p.m.)
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THE PREDATORS
After a two week absence, the Near Eastern/North
African Film Series continues with a documentary
narrated by David Frost and A. Meyer that tells all
about the attempts by Britain, Russia, other Wester-
ners, and the Shahs of Qajar to plunder Iran between
the end of the Safavi dynasty and the start of the
Pahlavi one. News clips, eyewitness accounts, and
everything else you could want in a documentary.
(Cinema Guild; Aud. B, 7p.m., FREE)
ANN ARBOR 16 MILLIMETER FILM FESTIVAL
The second of the two main winter cinema events
in Ann Arbor. Like the 8 MM Festival, this consists of
large numbers of films that run the gamut of both
quality and genre. These tend to be a bit more
professional and a bit longer, so if you go to a
showing with some bad movies, there are fewer
chances of finding something wonderful to make up
for it. On the flip side, the good movies last longer
too. Three shows a day, all different, with the win-
ners to be shown on Sunday. I strongly advise being
at at least one of them. (Cinema Guild; Michigan
Theater, 7 p.m., 9 p.m., 11 p.m.)
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THE UPRISING (Peter Lillienthal, 1981)
The uprising referred to is the one in Nicaragua,
and this film looks at it by using the conversion of a
National Guardsman into a rebel as a starting point.
(Hill Street Cinema; 1429 Hill, 7p.m., 9 p.m.)
16 MM FILM FESTIVAL
The second night of competition in the big cinema
event that spawns a touring company of the winners.
Details in Tuesday's listing. (Cinema Guild;
Michigan Theater, 7 p.m., 9 p.m., 11 p.m.)
LORD OF THE RINGS (Ralph Bakshi,1978)
The animation is splendid in this adaptation of the
Tolkien trilogy, but the plot is a bit too complicated if
10 Weekend/Friday, March 8, 1985
Weekend