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F I R S T
R U N
AMADEUS
Driector Milos Forman and author Peter Schaffer
decide to envision Mozart as a nineteenth century
equivalent of a talented but clownishly ten -
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-
dies) 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. 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, 231S. State St.; 662-6264.
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.
GHOULIES
Crudely executed, witless Gremlins ripoff about a
young man whose dabblings in the occult unleash a
horde of mischievious little goblins. Looks like it
might be trashy fun, but the film merely retreads all
the same old horror film cliches without a single new
twist. Thoroughly dismal. At the Campus Theater,
1214 S. University; 668-6416.
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 qre
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; 769-1300.
INTO THE NIGHT
Thriller-comedy starring Jeff Goldblum, directed
by John Landis. At the State Theater, 231 S. State;
662-6264.
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 Mariel Hemingway. At the Fox Village
Theater, 375 N. Maple; 769-1300.
MISCHIEF
Comedy about a small town boy ccming 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, 210 S. 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.
STARMAN
John Carpenter's tale of an extraterrestrial
(delicately played by Jeff Bridges) who comes to
earth and falls in love with a young widow (Karen
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ANN ARBOR 16 MILLIMETER FILM FESTIVAL
The biggest week for Campus Cinema in some time
has one of the biggest events of the year. All kinds of
interesting films, from experimental and animated to
documentary, will be shown. On Sunday, winners will
takeover the Michigan Theater. It's definitely worth
your while to see a few shows. (Cinema Guild;
Michigan Theater, 7 p.m., 9 p.m., 11 p.m.)
FELLINI'S CASANOVA (Federico Fellini, 1977)
An unusual venture into the English language for
Fellini stars Donald Sutherland as a lover to end all
lovers in 18th Century Venice. (Ann Arbor Film
Coop; MLB 3, 6:45 p.m., 9:30 p.m.)
THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH (Nicholas Roeg,
1976)
David Bowie is an alien who comes to Earth in
search of water and finds the entire thing a bit over-
whelming. Buck Henry and Rip Torn are also on
hand. No one sings "This is Not America." (Cinema
2; Aud. A, 7 p.m., 9:30 p.m.)
CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF (Richard Brooks, 1958)
Paul Newman, Elizabeth Taylor, and Burl Ives are
but a few of the people who give excellent perfor-
mances in a movie about the decline of the South and
one family, in particular. Too many theatrics,
showing the film's Broadway origins, but still worth
seeing. (Alternative Action; MLB 4,7 p~m.)
THE GLASS MENAGERIE (Irving Rapper, 1950)
Some more Tennessee Williams comes to the
screen. Gertrude Lawrence, Jane Wyman, and Kirk
Douglas are part of the cast in a film that tells all
about the Wingfield clan. (Alternative Action; MLB
4, 9 p.m.)
DIAL M FOR MURDER (Alfred Hitchcock, 1954)
Ray Milland and Grace Kelly star. It is thought
that she murdered a man, but the police are not even
sure that the victim and suspect knew each other.
From .the Frederick Knott play. (Mediatrics; Nat.
Sci. Aud., 7:30 p.m,)
TO CATCH A THIEF (Alfred Hitchcock, 1955)
Grace Kelly in a Hitchcock movie once again. But
Cary Grant steals the show as a retired cat burglar
suspected of coming out of retirement, who sets out
to find out who stole his modus operandi. Not great
Hitchcock, but good enough. (Mediatrics; Nat. Sci.
Aud., 9:15p.m.)
A T US
ANN ARBOR 16 MM FILM FESTIVAL
An excess of wonderful films provide conpetition
for the main event tonight. A good evening to be
capable of astral projection. See Friday's listing for
details. (Cinema Guild; Michigan Theater, 1 p.m., 7
p.m., 9p.m.)
THE ROAD WARRIOR (George Miller, 1982)
The second movie to feature Mel Gibson, called the
sexiest man around by People, as Mad Max, a sur-
vivor of a nuclear holocaust who roams the
Australian outback looking for action. (Cinema 2;
Aud. A, 6:30 p.m., 8:20 p.m., 10:10 p.m.)
THE WHEEL OF LIFE (King-Chung Hu, Shing Li,
and Ching-Jui Pai, 1983)
Each of the directors handles one of the three in-
carnations of a pair of young lovers who have a long
path to fulfill their destiny. Chinese with subtitles.
(Free China Student Association; Hale Auditorium
- Business School, 7 p.m.)
AH FEI (Jen Wan, 1983)
Taiwan is the setting for a struggle betweeen the
values of traditional Chinese society and the more
modern variety. Chinese with subtitles. (Free China
Student Association; Hale Auditorium - Business
School, 9p.m.)
SILKWOOD (Mike Nichols, 1983)
A classic example of the docu-drama. Merv]
Streep is Karen Silkwood, a worker in a uranium
processing plant who died what many consider a
suspicious death. She gives a good performance as
do Cher and Kurt Russell, but the film as a whole is
not totally satisfying. (Alternative Action; MLB 3, 7
p.m., 9:20 p.m.)
CASABLANCA (Michael Curtiz, 1943)
If this were Jeopardy, the question would be "What
is considered by many to be their favorite movie?"
The answer is a fairly logical one, as the romance
between Humphrey bogart and Ingrid Bergman does
make for some wonderful entertainment. (Hill Street
Cinema ; 1429 Hill, 7:30 p.m., 9:30 p.m.)
PRETTY BABY (Louis Malle, 1978)
Brooke Shields made her film debut in this as the
daughter of a New Orleans prostitute who wants to
continue the family business. She falls in love with a
photographer, played by Keith Carradine. (Ann Ar-
bor Film Coop; MLB4,7 p.m.)
LOLITA (Stanley Kubrick, 1962)
The usual masterpiece by my-favorite director.
James Mason becomes obsessed with Shelley Win-
ters' daughter, and so does Peter Sellers, who puts
his abilities as a master of disguise to use in an at-
tempt to ply the lady away. From the Vladimir
Nabokov novel. (Ann Arbor Film Coop; MLB 4, 9
p.m.)
LOCAL HERO (Bill Forsyth, 1983)
Saving the best for last on this night of cinematic
excess. Burt Lancaster is the head of a big oil com-
pany and sends an underling to Scotland to buy a
town. The comedy is both gentle and hilarious. The
music by Dire Straits' Mark Knopfler is also top-
notch. Forsyth's Comfort and Joy made Byron Bull's
Best of 1984 list right here in Weekend. (Mediatrics;
Nat. Sci. Aud., 7:30 p.m., 9:30 p.m.)
I U
ANN ARBOR 16 MM FILM FESTIVAL
An evening of winners, many of which will go on to
tour the country. If you have yet to attend, be sure
you go to one of tonight's shows. Details in Friday's
listing. (Cinema Guild: Michigan Theater, 7 p.m., 9
p.m., 11 p.m.)
SHIVERS (Wojciech Marczewski,1981)
Made shortly before the all of Solidarity in Poland,
this film was repressed when martial law was in-
stituted, and only now gets its Ann Arbor Premiere.
The subject is the Stalinist era in Poland. Between
showings, the director will be on hand to take
questions. Two events in one evening. Polish with
subtitles. (Ann Arbor Film Coop; Aud. B, 7 p.m., 9:45
p.m.)
CARRY GREENHAM HOME (Beeban Kidron and
Amanda Richardson, 1983)
Make that three events in one evening. This is a
documentary about a peace camp set up along the
perimeter of a cruise missile base in England. After
the film, some of the protesters will be on hand for a
discussion. (Alternative Action and Women's
Studies; Nat. Sci. Aud., 7p.m., FREE)
DAVID (Peter Lilienthal, 1982)
The actual diary of a rabbi in Nazi Germany
during the Holocaust served as the basis for this film
about a young German Jew struggling for survival.
(Hill street Cinema; 1429 Hill, 7 p.m., 9 p.m.)
THE RETURN OF THE PINK PANTHER (Blake
Edwards, 1975)
Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau, and I really
think I ought to be able to stop there. If you want
comedy this evening, this is definitely the place to
find it. (Mediatrics; MLB 4, 7:30 p.m.)
THE PINK PANTHER STRIKES AGAIN (Blake
Edwards, 1976)
And yet some more hilarity. Sellers as Clouseau,
attempts to save the world from Chief Inspector
Dreyfuss. Worth going to for the scene of Gerald
Ford watching a football game. (Mediatrics; MLB 4,
9:30 p.m.)
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A POT WORTH A MILLION °RYO (Sadao
Yamanaka, 1935)
This entry in the Japanese Film Series sounds ah
like What's Up, Tiger Lily, but the object of a sear
here is a supposedly valuable jar, and not an e
salad recipe. (Cinema Guild; Aud. B, 7 p.m., FREE
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One of my favorite films as the director of
Amadeus takes the Broadway musical and.all the
splendid songs lurking within, adds a narrative,
some dancing choreographed by Twyla Tharp and
ends up with a crackling good movie. Treat
Williams introduces Oklahoma farm boy John
Savage to sixties radicalism and Beverly D'Angelo.
(Mediatrics; MLB 3, 7:30 p.m., 9:30 p.m.)
FACTORIES IN THE THIRD WORLD and
DEVELOPMENT WITHOUT TEARS
Everything you wanted to know about industrial
10 Weekend/Friday, March 15, 1985
Weekend/-