Important Announcement
PubHTML5 Scheduled Server Maintenance on (GMT) Sunday, June 26th, 2:00 am - 8:00 am.
PubHTML5 site will be inoperative during the times indicated!

Home Explore VOLUME 25 - NUMBER 01 JANUARY-FEBRUARY 1989

VOLUME 25 - NUMBER 01 JANUARY-FEBRUARY 1989

Published by ckrute, 2020-03-26 14:27:21

Description: VOLUME 25 - NUMBER 01 JANUARY-FEBRUARY 1989

Search

Read the Text Version

but now she's making do with monkeys negotiated arms sales to liberate her THE STUFF THAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF in Gorillas in the Mist. We foresee beloved Nicaraguan contra lover- \"THE MALTESE FALCON\" Weaver in a film entitled Planet of the rather successfully for him, not so for Apes and the Fly, opposite Jeff Gold- her. Cast here are, coincidentally, ~ blum, who has played aliens-and we Sandra Bernhard and Raul Julia, to The Ultimate Conversation don't mean from Pinsk-from the Peo- enhance foreign sales. Raul visits her in Piece. This collectors pLe reporter in Larry Kasdan's The Big jail wearing fun gender-bender dis- sculpture is 10\" H. cast in Chill to the bug in David Cronen berg's guises, bringing news of the armed glossy lead black remake of The FLy to a space bum in struggle, staggering without her toward hydrocal. $45.00 PPD or Earth GirLs are Easy. Can this be more its tragic, arms-less death . To keep it Collectors Edition Bronze appalling than the tough-talking Debra peppery, Lou Diamond Phillips $250.00 PPD. 2 to 4 Winger, who fell for a real 'other,' a launches a La-Bamb-Aid Benefit for Wk. Del. Satisfaction white supremacist/fascist farmer in the Sandinistas and is ready to report Guaranteed Ck., Mo. to. Costa-Gavras' Betrayed. Raul to immigration authorities. ~ David Cronen berg is the keenest Will Olive marry Raul? \"I would index to the male dark side driving a have given my life for your freedom,\" CLIFTON J. SHEELY CO. wedgie between love and eros. His the caged Bernhard sings, \"but not my career in sci-fi sex led to Dead Ringers, career. Go home. We cannot breed a PO 2569 Mercerville , NJ 08619 in which twin gyno-guerrilla doctors new generation of counter-revolution- (played by Jeremy Irons) love not the aries until tax hikes. \" \"My darling, \" .~w woman who wants a baby but the tools counters Raul , \"George Bush, too, has of their imagination. As he cuts closer little brown ones. I will wait for you and budget to the bone, Cronenberg delves into the so will politics .\" Clinging to the bars of features narcissism given free reign under her cell, Bernhard wails, \"Yes, my Reagan . Cronen berg is now about to heroic honcho, without you, [' m noth- • Shorts serve up Naked Lunch by William Bur- ing!\" Fade out and trust in the sequel, roughs. The extremes are finally as we do in God. • Documentaries beginning to look alike. P ace, Sandra, but think about it. 35mm, It used to take something pretty Will film 's post-modern men and 16mm/ Super 16, heady-Hedy Lamarr in the altogether, women meet not just,a mate but their lighting Rita Hayworth in any thing, Julie Chris- match ? Equality, after all, is the key to tie in Darling, Kathleen Turner in Body the dizzying, inspiring, memorable and Heat-to heat up the talk at the water- love in BuLL Durham , Body Heat , and sound cooler. We've gone from broken strands even Mike Leigh's High Hopes. What packages of pearls and leggy blondes to insects, was The Last Temptation of Christ all aliens, down to Jessica-the Bacall of about if not a vision of how great it competitive interspecial cartoon sex in Who Framed would be to turn His back on 'twelve rates Roger Rabbit? Even when a leggy men out' for women who would bring blonde, Daryl Hannah, is available, him down to size? 212/925-97?J they scale her down to an unholy mack- erel in SpLash; or in Kim Basinger's The French, you say? Peut-etre . It is MOVIE case, drop her in as a cheerleader from in Stephen Frears' adaptation of STAR Mars in My Stepmother Is anAlien . Choderlos De Laclos' novel, Les Liai- PHOTOS sons Dangereuses (somewhat igno- The weirdest by far is the open- miniously retitled Dangerous Liaisons One of the world's largest collections of film mindedness (sic) with which we treat for lovers of English), that the fusion personality photographs, with emphasis on homosexual love onscreen. In We Think between men 's love of war and women's rare candids and European material. Send a the WorLd of You, Alan Bates learns to of love is made perfect. \"War,\" S.A.S.E. with want-list to: live without Gary Oldman and to love declares Glenn Close on her peer John the boy's Lassie instead. She's female, Malkovich, in grand climax: The only Milton T . Moore, Jr. silky blonde, and whimpers. Next people you can afford to love are those Dept. Fe she'll be running up bills at Bloomies. you trust to fight fiercely in a fair In Harvey Fierstein's Torch Song TriL· match; with all others, all's fair. P.O. Box 140280 ogy, anyway, the traditional fight bet- Dallas, Texas 75214-0280 ween parents and children over There's not a bigger kick than loving inappropriate mates-blacks, Jews, someone worthy of your love , and this is shiksas, Yankees, Hawaiians, liberals, not Adam's Rib nonsense-Cher, after Pocahontas-has at last been extended all, sacrificed two! Yet the thrill and to drag queens . But is this progress or danger of passion that tells women, or just evolution? men , \"Go ahead, love too much\" also sends the boxoffice soaring. In Sandra-scope, the scenario of future perfect love leads to a movie So if the future takes its cue from 9 1/2 we'll call Latin But lLLegaL. This heavy- Weeks, The Big Easy, Dirty Dancing, breathing weepie features all-American and FataL Attraction, that old bromide Olive, for whom the White House has will ring true: It ain't love if it ain'tfou. 49

This Decadein RevielV Backside to the Future by Jack Barth captained my high-school team), I'm happy to relate, have not completely deserted me. Joanou , whose first feature, ~ we near the end of yet another decade of com- the underrated Three 0' clock High, demonstrated his aston- menting on film , we look back with fond memories ishing visual sense, pops one in from 15 feet. Swish. ver years past and savor the sweet wine of a job well done . Our Oscar predictions didn't always hit the mark, but June 1993: From ''Ach, Dat Crazy Abe, \" by Dan Yakir. at least we tried-One year, subscribers even received the When he captured the assassination of our nation's leader issue prior to awards night. We may have taken a few on 8mm film, he did it by dumb luck. Thirty years later, for punches to our midsections, such as the furor over Pointy his second debut, he's using a state-of-the-art 70mm Nip- Heads Debate Kiddie Porn (April '90), .. .And One of Them poGlide-Abraham Zapruder's not leaving things to chance Is Fish (February '92), or Shtup In The Name of Love (June this time. \"In Dallas, there was no second take,\" read the '94). But we've always prided ourselves on our writing, crew jackets of this efficiency-minded shoot; the set, how- editing, and prooofreding, which $$$$$$@@@@@@@ ever, of Zapruder's latest film, Look How Skinny I Was, offers meandering think pieces crammed with misused polysyll- at least a few more amenities than did Dealey Plaza on that ables . Scan these selections from the decade past-the Film fateful November day. \"Like doughnuts , \" jokes the Comment Kollection . sprightly director, pointing to a table of sweet rolls. \"Go ahead, have some.\" December 1990:From British Journal, \"Blighty Gets The Zapruder acts the gentle patriarch , but he can play hard- Sack, \" by Ian Michaels. ball with the best of them. When the Bork Commission reopened the investigation into the Kennedy assassination America's top male action star sack dances once again into last year, they thought they could simply subpoena the our hearts in his forthcoming release, Hut One, Hut Two, Zapruder film----{;onsidered the strongest piece of evidence Die! Mark Gastineau , in an attempt to thaw out reserved on the tragedy. But Zapruder balked: If the government Britfolk, demonstrated for an assembled brigade of Fleet wanted his movie, they'd have to finance another one-a $20 Streeters the trademark (literally-it's registered with the million epic about his wartime experiences. National British patent office) celebration he performs in his films Endowment funds were allocated, and Zapruder relin- after toppling evildoers. quished the footage. \"One more thing,\" he says with a wink. \"I don' t gotta pay taxes no more.\" But the story doesn't end there. Trendy British youth , ever eager to adopt violent and quirky behavio(s, has made October 1994: From \"Zanussi What I See?\" an exclusive the former NFL standout into something of a cultural avatar. interview with superstar director KrzysztoJ Zanusssi , by A hit pop song, \"Sack Me,\" exhorts dancers to grab their Marc Tannenbaum. partners , throw them to the ground , and rejoice in a trium- phant jig: Its success has led to a burgeoning industry for His glorious examinations of the human spirit are tran- \"Sack Me\" merchandise, as well as an anti-social new craze. scendent moviemaking, but has Krzysztof Zanussi got a \"Sacking,\" or dumping a total stranger into a puddle, has glass jaw? become all the rage on this rainy isle, where \"getting the sack,\" or losing one's job, is no laughing matter. ... In Round 4, I come out swinging and immediately land an uppercut to his mandible. WHOMPI He hits the canvas June 1991: From \"loanou What I Think ?\" an exclusive as hard as the American falls for the Polish woman in his interview with superstar director Phil loanou by Marc Tannenbaum. I fake to his left and cut right-he's fooled. I spin around him and deftly lay the ball up over the rim. It's 9-7 , I'm ahead , but the rangy six-foot director is giving it all he's got, much like he must have done on the set of his latest film. This was a good idea, he says, conducting the interview during a one-on-one basketball game. My rusting skills (I 50

haunting masterwork A Year of the Quiet Sun . But, showing February 1997: From \" Oscar Predictions\" . the resilience that has allowed him to pursue his muse Will Marvin Hamlisch have the last lau gh ? The age less despite uncertain political situations in his Polish homeland , maestro , recently deported by the new ad mini stration , has he bounces up on the eight count. I take it right to him , the inside track on an Oscar for his song \" Ha! H a! She's smashing him with a combination of blows that would fell an Mine!\" from Blake Edwards's Neil Simon's River Phoenix in ox. A gash opens on his forehead , and we are engulfed in Manhattan Malady. Hamlisch , interviewed from hi s hut in blood . Behind a camera, the classy director is without peer; Port-au-Prince , Haiti , expressed hope for the statuette and in the ring , however, he has met his match. anger at the new Quayle/Garvey administration for send ing him fleeing for his life just one day after the inauguration . June 1995: From \"Still On The Line, \" by Samson \"What did I do ?\" asks Hamlisch. \" I write the songs , th at's , Jacobson. all. \" Gastineau. The name means only one thing, right? A big Apparently Vice-President Steve Garvey has identified , guy tossing baddies in the dirt and celebrating in a giddy Hamlisch as the kingpin of a band of Japanese subvers ives Watusi. Well, that was then , this is now. Superstar Mark that includes Hall of Fame pitcher Don Sutton and dozens of Gastineau, this yea r's recipient of the Michael Ovitz sportswriters. Hamlisch 's wife , the former Mrs. Cindy Gar- Humanitarianism Award, is making his first \" message vey, will attend the awards ceremonies ~n his stead. Sutton , picture. \" who once engaged in a well-publicized Dod ger clubhouse \"'Wichita Lineman' was one of my favorite songs when I brouhah a with the muscular first-base man-turned-v.p.- was growing up,\" says the strongman star. \"You've got this who has himself consistently been rejected by voters for the guy, and he's this lineman , see? Well, I was a lineman , too . I Hall of Fame-wryly stated, \"O n the whole, I'd rather be in can relate ,\" he says, perhaps jokingly. Yokohama. \" John G. Avildsen's Glen Campbell's Mark Gastineau is April 1998 : From Journal , Honolulu Film Festival , Wichita Lineman will be the first non-sequel film in years for \"Japanning For Gold, \" by Mary Richards . director Avildsen. \"The project appealed to me ,\" he says, \"because it had a guy with an unusual occupation: How The United States may have nationali ze d all their Ameri- many movie heroes have ever worked for the power com- can investments, but the plucky Japanese are fighting back pan y? [Richard Dreyfuss did in Close Encounters , we with a spate of delightful, virulently anti-American new smugly note.] So when he wins the big pole-climbing productions. The films will not be shown in any of the 49 contest at the end , it's a real human moment.\" states , but this reporter, trave ling under a Canadian pass- port, was able to catch many of them at the late st Honolulu Film Festival, the first under the former state 's new regime, This was a good idea, commanded by puppet governor Jim Nabors. Huntin g For Quayle is an allegory about a group of he says, conducting Japanese hunters who are determined to kill a bald eagle the interview during that's been swoop ing down and snatching their possessions. a one-on-one Shouldn't it be called Huntin g For Eagle, the n? \"Bad translation , I guess,\" muttered festival director Don Sutton- basketball game. san, inspectin g the maple-leaf hologra m on my passport. A rousing highlight of the Technicians Fortnight on thi s enchanted chain of isles, recentl y claimed by our Japanese hosts without a shot being fired , was Robot Assassin, a chilling, lOO-percent computer-generated suspenser about a sophisticated contrap tion that slaughters the dopey leaders of an unspecified world power. June 1996: \"Brain Versus Braun ,\" an exclusive interview June 1999: From ''A rma-get-it- on!'' by #349-38 -8934 . with superstar actress Hanna Schygulla by Nfarc Movie production is swinging into hi gh gea r aga in after Tannenbaum . the tragic missile showdown between our nation and Japan. Six months of underground li ving have led to a dreadful In The Marriage of Maria Braun , she played a woman in post-war Germany who was determined to achieve her shortage of product, and the Hollywood Studio is scrambling goals. But how will the alluring grande dame of international to put pictures in its theaters as soon as poss ible . cinema fare in a cage match against a virile young journalist? Many of our favorite stars have been fried to a crisp, so ... In a surprising turnabout, the emotive star of countless talent scouts are out searching for a fresh crop of non- European classics had me in a painful scissors grip and was irradiated , Japanese-speaking newcomers. Only a handful squeezing the life out of me. With my last breath, I twirled of English-language film s will be made under the new and flung a desperate elbow at her temple. Her death clamp agreement between Jeffrey Katzenberg, president of the relaxed , and I clawed at her lovely moon-shaped face .. .. Hollywood Studio, and Don Sutton-san , cultural director of the Occupying Forces. Says Katzenberg, who didn ' t let the nuclear holocaust impede his busy schedule (he switched over to HAM radio when the phones went down), \"Now, more than ever, people need to be entertained. Our films are going to stress family values: reverence for one's ancestors, personal discipline in the samurai tradition, and lots of kung fu fi ghting.\" ~ 51

GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN (but modern women gotta get hurt) Jodie Foster in The Accused Amy Irving in sing Delancey Diane Keaton in The Good Mother Dukakis' favorite movie: The Seduction ofJoe Tynan WHY THE REPUBLICANS WON Dan Quayle's favorite movie: The Candidate AND THEY STILL LOVE WASN'T SHE SWEET? Molly Ringwald in JERRY LEWIS GOOD NIGHT, VIETNAM The Big Blue has been a huge hit OffLimits Bat 21 For Keeps? and Fresh Horses • _ _I..n_Fra.n~c~e~Clo~r~m,o~re~ht~a~n'~sIJll!hlx~m~o~n~Dt~isst~a~n~t~T~h~u~n_de_r _• WHATEVER HAPPENED TO SATURDAY NIGHT? (Chapter IX: SNL graduates on screen) BUT THEY'RE REALLY MIRAMAX Dan Aykroyd: Couch Trip, Great Outdoors Chevy Chase: Funny Farm Rocket Gibraltar White Mischief Bill Murray: Scrooged Eddie Murphy: Raw, Coming to America Stars and Bars ZellyandMe Joe Piscopo: muscle-bound Miller Lite ads A Time ofDestiny ~ John Belushi: Wired THEY THINK THEY'RE WARNERS, BUT THEY'RE REALLY CINECOM Bird Dangerous Liaisons Clards Heart A Cry in the Dark Valeria Golino: Stealing Home Running on Empty wi th Pee-Wee Herman THEY THINK THEY'RE CINECOM, in Big Top Pee- Wee BUT THEY'RE REALLY CANNON with Tom Cruise The Deceivers Miles from Home in Rain Man Julia and Julia YONDA LIES DA YONDA LIES DA FOR THIS AWARD KINGDOM OF MY FADDA CHATEAU OF I WOULD ... Willem Dafoe in MY COUSIN John Malkovich in LIKE TO THANK MAX FACTOR The Last Temptation ofChrist Dangerous Liaisons Shirley MacLaine in Madame Sousatzka Best Films Jay Scott Richard Corliss Anne Thompson (al phabetically) (preferentially: ) (preferentially: ) of1988- The Accidental Tourist The Singing Detective Bo)ifriends and Girlfriends Wings ofDesire A Cry in the Dark Critic's Pick Bird The Last Temptation ofChrist Women on the Verge .. . Bull Durham Pelle the Conqueror Who Framed Roger Rabbit S2 Dead Ringers Tucker Wings ofDesire Hotel Terminus Bettlejuice A World Apart Little Dorrit Monkey Shines Dangerous Liaisons Tequila Sunrise Dangerous Liaisons Dead Ringers The Thin Blue Line Biloxi Blues White of the Eye Tucker Oliver & Company (audio only) The Thin Blue Line Women on the Verge ...

-------------------REMAKES----------------- 1988's BIGGEST (inspired by:) FEMALE (1988 U.S. version:) B.O.STAR ALL Aboia Eve Working Girl Jessica Rabbit in OLd Acquaintance Beaches Who Framed The Dark Mirror Roger Rabbit? Dead Ringers You Ought to Be in Pictures Who Framed Roger Rabbit The Terror ofTiny Town Willow Dominic and Eugene Rain Man London's Museum of the American Museum of the Moving Image Moving Image 1988's NO.1 CONSPIRACY THEORY Z(ionist) O(ccupation) G(overnment) Betrayed TaLk Radio BEST ARGUMENT FOR PERESTROIKA boxoffice tailspin ofRambo III DAYS OF WHINE AND NEUROSES Bright Lights, Big City Clean and Sober INTRODUCING...THE 1988 EDSEL! Tucker : The Man and His Dream WHY DIDN'T AMERICA LISTEN? October 28: John Carpenter's They Live is re leased. November 8: Voters elect Republican ticket. It reveals that top officials in the Reagan December 4: In Washington, D. C., George Bush attends his administration are evil extrater- first movie premiere as president-elect: My Stepmother Is an restrials and warns against their return Lien. -S.H. & R.c. to office. The film's ad reads: \"You watch them on TV. You may vote for one this fall. You think they're people just like you But you're wrong. Dead wrong.\" STALE HORSES Dangerous Liaisons Sam Shepard's Far North Dead Ringers Richard T. Jameson Who Framed Roger Rabbit (tied for fi rst:) Wings ofDesire The Singing Detective Dead Ringers Hotel Terminus (then al phabetically:) Distant Voices, StilL Lives A Cry in the Dark Gorillas in the Mist Women on the Verge... The Last Temptation of Christ Monkey Shines LittLe Dorrit The Singing Detective The Moderns The Moderns 36 FiLLette Tanner' 88: The Dark Horse Women on the Verge . .. Opening Night The Thin Blue Line A WorLd Apart Who Framed Roger Rabbit Drowning by Numbers A World Apart Bagdad Cafe Saalam Bombay.' Comml·ssar The Sound and the Fury

The 1988 Movie Revue, II: Faces of'88 tomorrow. by Lawrence O'Toole What the hell. Here are ten new T ime was when a Hollywood mugs that may soon be dangling from newcomer used to be \"pre- sented\" by a studio, then care- the firmament: fully groomed for more important roles until he or she was ready to reach the Jason Beghe. He had his troubles pinnacle so long sought after: stardom. Nowadays the only grooming at stu- with Ella, the Primate from Hell , in dios is with a stylist's efforts. Profes- sionally, the newcomer's on his own. George Romero's scare-the-shit-out-of- And unless he has an aggressive press agent, he's going to get nowhere fast- Today you have to have extraordinary ya Monkey Shines. With . his pleasing or worse, be hurled into instant \"star- judgment, not to mention terrific tal- dom ,\" taking on roles entirely inap- ent, to stay fresh to proceed in this era but not pushy all-American features, propriate and beyo nd his tender of disposable, incipient stardom. The combination is rare but not non-exis- Beghe took his role as the paraplegic abilities a la Andrew McCarthy, Judd tent. Look at Martha Plimpton, who has been around for a few yea rs , and athlete at the mercy of one mean mon- Nelson , Emilio Estevez, Oemi Moore , who in four movies this yea r (Shy Peo- Anthony Michael H all , or Rob Lowe . pLe , the unjustly neglected Stars and key seriously. This kind of role is mined Bars , Running on Empty, and even Another Woman) remains as fresh , and for mugging but Beghe neatly side- as wonderfully angular, as she started out. Or River Phoenix, who, Jimmy stepped every pitfall. Reardon notwithstanding, fulfilled the promise of Stand By Me in Running on Beth Broderick. If you blinked you Empty. might have missed this russet-haired Yet one approaches pointing out new faces ofthese current yea rs with a touch beauty with the honeycomb voice in of trepidation: What might appear fresh today can become quickly rancid SteaLing Home. As the older woman who seduces the kid with the goaded gonads at the beach that summer (Jon- athan Silverman, this time around), Broderick turned a thankless part into something real and, yeah, sexy, too . More, please. Amanda Donohue. The snake lad y in Ken Russell's retake of Cobra Woman, Lair of the White Oon-

ohue slinks about with campy assur- Roddy Piper. I'm always impressed bedecked , uncontrollably jealous wife ance, providing an aspy sibilance for the by a man whose neck circumference is in Married to the Mob , Ruehl went over occasion. And, when asked if she has larger than my thigh. A wrestler the top to deli ver the year's funniest any children, she also gets to deliver (\"Rowdy Rodd y\" he was called), Piper performance. the yea r's best line: \" Only when I can't proved in John Carpenter's extrava- find any men.\" gantly silly alien-takeover pic , They Michael Wincott. Wincott· stole Live , that he hails from the no-strain- Talk Radio as Kent, the zonked-out Jodhi May. Luminous would be the no-gain school of dramatic arts. It hero-worshiper whom Eric Bogosian word to describe May's performance in doesn't have a lot to do with acting but makes the mistake of invitin g on hi s A World Apart if it wasn't so overused a great deal to do with movie presence. radio show. The character's an alumnus by the current critical establishment Ifwe must have Rambos and bimbos in of River's Edge , and nobod y's had an (long in vogue, replacing the heinous our culture, I'll take this Viking over edge like this since, well, Crispin \"riveting\"). Natural and unaffected , the rest of them any day. Glover. It takes quite a bit of talent to she has, as the young girl who is made make stupidity so terrifying. to feel abandoned by her mother's polit- CCH Pounder. This woman spent ical zealousness, that marvelous, hard- every moment of her performance in Delphine Zentout. In Catherine to-come-by quality of simply and Bagdad Cafe looking like she just got Breillat's unapologetic 36 Fille({e, the merely being on the screen. up out of bed-which spoke volumes zaftig Zentout played a teenage cock- philosophicall y. She played the sus- teaser-a Rubenesque Lolita-w ho Chris Menges. A face behind the picious , unwilling owner of a hash- becomes involved with an older man. camera and certainly the directorial house-cum-motel in some armpit of the Zentout brought all the girl's unruly debut of the year. A superb cine- feelings brazenly to the surface. With- matographer (The Killing Fields, Local Mojave Desert, who is eventually Hero, The Mission), Menges' direction moved to consider the plight of a rather out apology as well. ® of A World Apart is remarkable in that large German tourist (Marianne Sage- he, not surprisingly, uses lighting and brecht) emotionally holed up in one of an image's composition to express emo- her cabins. Pounder might have deve l- tion. The movie was the most expres- oped a case of Clara's Heart disease , sively pictorial of the year. Think of but it was the script's, not her, fault. Jodhi May in the hallway of her home , tentatively approaching Barbara Her- Mercedes Ruehl. You 've probably shey's study through the hallway's dif- been jostled (if you' re lucky) or run fuse shadows, which express her over by this woman in Bloomingdale's ambivalent emotions toward her mother on Saturdays, and she usually gives you before we actually see them register on a look of utter contempt for barring her her face. progress to Nirvana, which, at only $2,899.95, is a bargain. As Connie , Menges avoided being gratuitously Mafia don Dean Stockwell's bauble- concerned about apartheid; he assumed, quite rightly, that the subject speaks for itself to any intelligent ear. He was, first and foremost , making a film.

The 1988 Movie Revue, III: a-Bees Oscar Likelies ofthe Field by Anne Thompson emy members and Hollywood publi- cists-not to mention Oscar P laying the Oscar nominations handicappers-a lot tougher this year. game is like trying to solve a There are too many pretenders and too mystery, using established few genuine contenders. After all, not rules, whose solution will not be even Gregory Peck has time to see unveiled until February 15. Based on everything. If a film isn't \"don't miss,\" educated guesswork, good players may then it's \"don't bother.\" be able to predict the eventual nomi- nees in the major categories. But as of T he Best Picture race is a happy mid-December, sure shots are elusive. muddle this year. Hollywood is Front-runners usually don' t emerge churning out adult dramas as if it actu- until January, when the hype has cooled ally believed that quality sells. Middle- on the holiday releases. That's when the brow literary adaptations are especially c1ass-A Christmas films find out if they in vogue. At year's end Warner Bros. have enough of a shelf life to settle in released, and is now promoting for among Oscar contenders from the Academy consideration, films based on spring and summer. an acclaimed novel (The Accidental Tourist), a non-fiction tale of media These are the films that, during the prejudice (A Cry in the Dark), and a pre-nomination season, turn such typi- play first produced by the Royal Shake- cal Academy members as Gregory speare Company (Dangerous Liai- Peck, 72, and Joan Fontaine, 71, into sons). The studio also has Oscar eyes habitues of screening rooms. But for a slew of upscale flops, including which films do they see? The ones that Bird, Clara's Heart, Clean and Sober, the trade ads, the ten-best lists , the Running on Empty, and Stand and Golden Globes, the newspapers, the Deliver (plus two sleeper hits, Crossing TV shows, and word-of-mouth tell them Delancey and Beetlejuice). And this is to see. \"The Academy looks for guid- just one studio. a'nce,\" says Oscar watcher Lloyd Leipzig. Often the 4,000 members In Hollywood, economics and artis- look for clues from the critics' awards. tic ego collide in bizarre fashion. It's Whenever a film comes close to sweep- surely strange these days. Virtually ing a group's awards categories-as, say, every company is covering its Academy Broadcast News did in the 1987 New bets by making films that have little York film critics' voting-it is guaran- chance of breaking even unless they teed a spot in the Academy's top five. cop Oscar citations. Which means, of course, that there are way too many That's not much help this time. The worthy little films for the five slots. Los Angeles film critics selected the Gresham's law is overturned: The good six-hour epic Little Dorrit, which drives out the good. The intense com- instantly rated the film must-see status petition hurts the likes of A Cry in the on the Bel Air circuit but clinches no Dark and Tucker-eritical hits but box- important nomination. The National office bummers. The advantage goes to Board of Review cited Mississippi dour Christmas weepies on the order of Burning. And the influential New Rain Man and The Accidental Tourist, Yorkers, who might have expected to go whose corfrme\"rcial don w-iJ.l :-not' be for Mississippi's muckraking or the buddy-film humanism of Rain M Iy determined until after th~ Acad- instead cited The Accidental Tourist voters' deadline and thus won't best picture. To foment further confu- sion, the Gothamites gave no film more carry the telltale odor of flop sweat. than a single award. Rain Man may not deliver catharsis, All of which makes the task of Acad- and nobody even dies, but this saga of love, loss, and family could still win the 56 @NAMPAS

LONE EAGLE PUBLISHING Professional Film Books for Film Professionals ANNUAL DIRECTORIES - available May 1988 \"FILM DIRECTORS: A Complete Guide is the best and most up-to- * Film Directors: A Complete Guide 1988 .. $49.95 date reference work on directors I * Film Writers Guide 1988 ............................. $24.95 have yet seen...INVALUABLE\" * Film Producers, Studios & -SCREEN * Agents Guide 1988 ..... \" ............................. $19.95 INTERNATIONAL Cinematographers, Production Designers, Costume Designers & Film Editors Guide 1988 .. \" .. \" ...................... $24.95 BEST SELLERS TECHNICAL BOOKS by Michael Wiese by Ralph Singleton * Independent Film/ * Film Scheduling .............. $16.95 * Film Scheduling/Film Videomakers * Budgeting Workbook .. .. . S15.95 * Guide ....... \" ... ........ .. . $16.95 Movie Production & Budget Film & Video * Forms... lnstantly! .. .. .. ...... . $15.95 * Budgets ... .. ................ S16.95 Filmmakers' Dictionary ... S12.95 Home Video: Producing for the Home Market .... $16.95 INVALUABLE NEW ACTING HANDBOOK Used in colleges and universities * Screen Acting: How to Succeed in Motion Pictures and Television .. .. ........ .. .. . $12.95 ------------------------ QTY BOOK PRICE CA. TAX TOTAL FILM DIRECTORS 88 $49.95 3,25 $_ _ FILM WRITERS 88 $24,95 1.62 $_ _ PRODUCERS/STUDIOS/AGENTS 88 $19.95 1.30 $_ _ LONE EAGLE PUBLISHING CINEMATOGRAPHERS 88, etc . $24.95 1.62 $_ _ 9903 Santa Monica BI. Film Sched. $16.95 1.10 $_ _ Beverly Hills, CA 90212 213/471-8066 Workbook $15.95 1.04 $_ _ SHIP BOOKS TO; Forms Book $15.95 1.04 $_ _ Name Address---------- Dictionary $12.95 .85 $_ _ City/State/Zlp _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Screen Acting $12.95 .85 $_ _ Telephone _ _-=-:-_ _:-:-=-_ __ Indle Prod. Gd. $16.95 1.10 $_ _ Payment Is by _Ck _MC _Visa Card No FilmVld Budgets $16.95 1.10 $_ _ Exp. D a t e - - - - - - - - - - Home Video $16.95 1. 10 $_ _ Signature_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ ·SHIPPING CHARGES: $==SUBTOTAL $ S5.5O for first DIRECTORY, S3.OO each add'I DIRECTORY; S2.50/flrst book, ADD IN SHIPPING· $ - - Sl .5O/odd·1for all other books. TOTAL ORDER Call 213/471-8066 Prices Subject To Without Notice for faster service FC:89 57

Terms of Endearment slot, and its two director Alan Parker, have won Oscar tad too sexily European for some tastes. stars-Oscar perennial Dustin Hoffman nominations in the past. What they lack Kaufman and his slick crew will proba- and B.O. heartthrob Tom Cruise- is marquee lure. Mississippi Burning bl y grab some technical scrolls. should grab beaucoup votes. Director could wind up, not as a late-Ei ghties In Barry Levin son is getting credit for the Heat of the Night, but like The Gorillas in the Mist could fill the Out pulling off a project that had frustrated Mission, a grudgingly respected non- ofAfrica niche for a grand romantic epic such top talent as Sydney Pollack and hit. Orion , the film 's distributor, figures shot on location with exotic animals. Steven Spielberg (though it's said Mississippi is sure of a nomination. Yet Academy club member Michael Apted Spielberg passed on Rain Man when he there's a small shadow on the studio's got a gu tsy performance ou t of finall y realized that \"I've made this hopes . When the New York film critics Sigourney Weaver to embroider the picture already. It was called E.T. \"). had a slot to fill for a liberal drama set in fi 1m's save-an-endangered-species L aw rence Kasdan's The Accidental the Sixties about white people standing sampler. By voting time, Gorillas may Tourist is in the tradition of The World up for oppressed bl acks, they picked have succumbed to fresher competi- According to Garp-a faithful adapta- the South African drama A World tion. But it is the likeliest nominee tion of a best-selling novel about a man Apart. among the autumn's quartet of ambi-, coping with the senseless death of his tious films about abused women. A Cry son. A Hollywood insider, Kasdan is 1988 brou g ht two hi gh-rent films in the Dark: No Meryl Streep movie has respected ; William Hurt is a frequent about sex, politics, and corruption. Will won a best-film nomination since she Oscar suspect; the cast and crew did the Academy go for both of them? Or played Isak Dinesen. The Accused: Did just fine. On the down-side , the film is either? Dangerous Liaisons wins Oscar it explore the rape issue or exploit it? less moving than wryly observed, and it maven Lawrence O'Toole's \"wig con- The Good Mother: Touched a private lacks the topicality of a Broadcast News tender\" award. Oscar perennial Glenn organ but not a public nerve. or the headline-hogging of a Platoon . Close may be a shoo-in for a nomina- tion , but the odds for Stephen Frears' T here is usually room for one or two That's not the problem with Missis- drama could have been enhanced by a adult comedies (last yea r both sippi Burning, which is awash in raves major star in the John lalkovich role. Broadcast News and Moonstruck won from the right people (like Tim e's Rich- Another liability : Liaisons is regarded nomination s), but three? Who Framed ard Schickel and Vincent Canby of Th e as an icy treatment of a hot subject. Roger Rabbit was the year's most popu- New York Times) and lots of helpful ink Philip Kaufman 's The Unbearable lar movie and a bank-breaking payoff (on magazine covers and op-ed pages). Lightness of Being merited critics' on a huge Disney gamble: $40 million It helps, toO , that stars Gene Hackman indulgences early in the yea r, but it budget, $150 million domestic gross. and Willem Dafoe, as well as A-list went soft at the wickets and may be a \" Like Star Wars ,\" says L.A. Style's BEST PICTURE Sure shots: The Accidental Tourist Big Dangerous Liaisons Mississippi Burning Rain Man Long shots: IJird Gorillas in the Mist The Unbearable Lightness ofBeing Who Framed Roger Rabbit Working Girl BEST DIRECTOR BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY Sure shots: Clint Eastwood, Bird Sure shots: Long shots: Stephen Frears, Dangerous Liaisons Kevin Wade, Working Girl Robert Towne, Tequila Sunrise Lawrence Kasdan, The Accidental John Cleese and Charles Crichton, Pedro Almod6var, Women on the Tourist Barry Levinson , Rain Man A Fish Called Wanda Verge ... Alan Parker, Mississippi Burning Long shots: Naomi Foner, Running on Empty Chris Gerolmo, Mississippi Burning Pedro Almod6var, Women on the Verge Ron Shelton, Bull Durham Jon Bradshaw, The Moderns ofa Nervous Breakdown Mike Nichols, Working Girl Ronald Bass and Barry Morrow, David Mamet and Shel Silverstein , Penny Marshall, Big Philip Kaufman, The Unbearable Rain Man Things Change Lightness ofBeing Robert Zemeckis , Who Framed Roger Rabbit

TWENTY-SIXTH NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL This year's New York Film Festival poster is a I enclose $ for _ _ _ _ _ _ 26th New York bold graphic statement from the well-known Film Festival posters. designer, Milton Glaser. Silkscreened in five SI GNED UNSIGNED colors, Glaser's design harks back to the Art Deco era. Name The poster measures 30I x45\", and is silk- Address screened on high-quality stock. It is suitable for framing. The signed, limited edition is $75; City/ StatelZ ip an unsigned limited edition poster $35. Price includes postage and handling. Daytim e Phone Please allow 6 weeks for delivery. Offer good in US only. Mail check or money order payable to : Film Society 01 Lincoln Center, 140 West 65th St. , New York , NY 10023. You may use postage-paid envelope in this magazine .

Gregg Kilday, \"it has to be in there.\" ibility, and directed by Penny Mar- another jazz drama that Warners made But Roger Rabbit may be deemed a shall, who could become the first at Eastwood's suggestion. Critics could \"merely\"-merelya megahit, merely a American woman to be nominated for a help here. Forest Whitaker won acting triumph of technique, merely light directing Oscar. But because it was the honors at Cannes, while Diane Venora hearted summer entertainment. Direc- fourth release in a year to use the body- was cited by the New York film critics tor Robert Zemeckis may have to be switch concept, Big is perceived as as best supporting actress. But the big- content with fat royalty checks instead lacking originality. \"It's just another gest asset is its director, who placed of Oscar nominations, at least until the funny movie,\" says Leipzig. second in the New York voting and yuppies take over the retirement home. whose magnum force of peFsonality As Leipzig cautions, \"Don't forget the Working Girl is the Christmas Big. should convince Academy members age of the Academy mem bers. \" Its plot is plenty familiar (cf The Secret that attention must be paid. \"Eastwood Finally, co-producer Steven Spielberg of My Success), it was crafted by one of is so well liked that he could get a should be well-rehearsed by now in the America's top comedy minds (Mike director nomination,\" says press agent Academy's skepticism toward his car- Nichols), and it boasts an endearing, Edward Margulies, \"even if the picture toony superhi ts. \"H istorically,\" says star-making performance by a young doesn't.\" Clint's foray into a defiantly Paramount motion picture group presi- old pro (Melanie Griffith). So is it more anti-commercial genre certainly has the dent Barry London, \"the more com- than a good commercial comedy? Yes, news value of novelty: Dirty Harry mercial the movie, the less of a chance exclaims marketing exec Jack Brodsky: makes arty Bird. it has. \" \"It's absolutely one of the five nomi- nated movies. Nichols turns it into a Eastwood and his countrymen may The much-loved summer picture class act.\" In a less competitive year, need to mount a BUY AMERICAN cam- Big has everything Roger Rabbit lacks the sleeper hit Bull Durham might have paign to win a director's nomination. in heart, plus a hey-I'm-finally-a-star had a shot. Not this time: Writer-direc- Last year all five finalists in that cate- performance from Tom Hanks, the tor Ron Shelton will have to settle for a gory were foreign-born. An indepen- clear front-runner for best actor. \"Like screenplay Oscar. dent lot, the directors chose the Swede Moonstruck, Big is a little picture , Lasse Hallstrom (My Life as a Dog) which makes it everybody's picture,\" In Hollywood there is a fine line over such native brand names as Steven says 20th Century-Fox distribution between selling out and not selling Spielberg, James L. Brooks, and John president Thomas Sherak (who must enough. Somebody has to want to see Huston. So, warns Kilday, \"don't rule hope so-it's his little picture). Big is your picture. Bird, Clint Eastwood's out Pedro Almodovar.\" This time, the produced by Oscar favorite James L. bio-pic of Charlie Parker, did doo-doo potential nominees include three Brits: Brooks, which lends it added cred- at the B.O.; indeed, it cadged less than Apted, Frears, and Parker. \"These Bertrand Tavernier's Round Midnight, BEST ACTOR BEST ACTRESS Sure shots: Sure shots: Tom Hanks, Big Glenn Close, Dangerous Liaisons Dustin Hoffman, Rain Man Jodie Foster, The Accused Gene Hackman, Mississippi Burning Shirley MacLaine, Madame Sousatzka Edward James Olmos, Stand and Meryl Streep, A Cry in the Dark Sigourney Weaver, Gorillas in the Mist Deliver Forest Whitaker, Bird Long shots: Long shots: Jeff Bridges, Tucker Melanie Griffith, Working Girl Tom Cruise, Rain Man Barbara Hershey, A World Apart William Hurt, The Accidental Tourist Christine Lahti, Running on Empty Jeremy Irons, Dead Ringers Bette Midler, Beaches Max von Sydow, Pelle the Conquerer Susan Sarandon, Bull Durham 60

THE MOST IMPORTANT PUBLISH- The Motion Picture Guide ,. de- Over 53,000 movies ING EVENT OF THE CENTURY FOR scribes and reviews virtually every covered in depth REAL MOVIE LOVERS. English-language feature film ever made ••• plus thousands of foreign The Motion Picture Guide offers films ••• with remarkably complete individual film critiques ••• plot casts and credits. synopses ••• fascinating back- ground material ••• extensive cast Roger Ebert says, \" ••• The Motion listings including the role played by Picture Guide is a marvelously enter- each actor ••• complete production taining 'read' for anyone who loves credits ••• videocassette availability movies • •• the most complete ency- ••• and much more. clopedia of film ever published, 'a de- finitive reference work'.\" And from And your Guide will always be up Anthony Perkins, \"•••A glimpse into to date because a Supplement is pub- one of these volumes and you're lished annually, covering all the films hooked for the evening! \" of the previous year. What \" Gone With the Wind \" is to epics •••what \" Singin' in the Rain\" is to musicals••• what \"Casablanca\" is to love stories ••• what \" Citizen Kane\" is to cinema technique ••• that' s what The Motion Picture Guide is to film reference works! Call toll-free or send the coupon today and find out how you can add the Guide to your home library. PLUS ••• Call toll-free for readers of this maga- 1-800-541-5701 zine, a special opportunity to re- ceive the 1986 annual supplement to To receive free information The Motion Picture Guide, about The Motion Picture Guide, or mail this coupon today. absolutely FREE! ---~~~---------------------------I CineBooks, Inc., Dept. FC019 990 Grove St., P.O. Box 1407 Evanston, IL 60204 Yes! Please send me a brochure illustrating and describing The Motion Picture Guide;\" sample pages, and a movie quiz. Also let me know how I can obtain the 1986 annual supplement to the Guide absolutely FREE. I I Print Name I I I Address I I © CineBooks, Inc. IL __C_it_y _______________S_ta_te________Zi_p ________ ..J

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR guys know how to make big, broad AUDIENCES. Leipzig reminds us that canvases that move you,\" says Bruce the actors often nominate a foreign Sure shots: favorite like Marcello Mastroianni. Alec Guinness, Little Dorrit Feldman of the Clein + Feldman This year's candidate? Max von Sydow Michael Keaton, Beetlejuice in Pelle the Conqueror. Martin Landau, Tucker flackery. Tim Robbins, Bull Durham \"B est Actress,\" says Warner Bros. Dean Stockwell, Married to the Mob I n the acting categories, publicity publicity chief Rob Friedman, Long shots: and popularity areal!. Sally Kirkland \"is the toughest category.\" There are Matthew Broderick, Torch Song Trilog y really did get nominated last yea r by more viable candidates than available Kevin Kline , A Fish Called Wanda party-hopping and buying ads and slots. The shoo-ins include Jodie Fos- Liam Neeson, The Good Mother making telephone calls. Did all those ter's sexy rape victim in The Accused; River Phoenix, Running on Empty actors really see Anna? No, and neither Glenn Close's Machiavellian manipula- did everyone who voted the yea r before tor in Dangerous Liaisons; and the BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS for James Woods see Salvador. But the inevitable Meryl Streep, this time with members admired him, saw and an Australian accent. She got the New Sure shots: admired Oliver Stone's other film of York critics' vote and earned it, too. Reizl Bozyk, Crossing Delancey that year (Platoon), believed the critics, Probables include Sigourney Weaver's Barbara Hershey, The Last Temptation and voted Woods a best-actor nomina- gorilla-my-dreams role and Shirley tion. Further, the Academy's huge con- MacLaine's stylized Madame ofChrist tingent of actors are often \"at liberty.\" Sousatzka . All five have won or have Frances McDormand, Mississippi They have the time to see prospective been nominated before. Oscar pictures and the inclination to Burning vote for hard-luck heroines (Kirkland) Will Barbara Hershey get the chance Sigourney Weaver, Working GirL and hard-headed heroes (Woods). to plant her new lips on an Oscar stat- Diane Venora, Bird uette ? She had four meaty roles among Long shots: And while we're alliterating H's, last yea r's releases , including Mary Anne Bancroft, Torch Song TriLogy consider this: The Academy acting Magdalene in The Last Temptation of Geena Davis , The Accidental Tourist branch could, just might, nominate fi ve Christ and a Cajun spitfire in Shy Peo- Jodhi May, A WorLd Apart actors whose surnames begin with that ple, for which she was awarded the 1987 Mercedes Ruehl , Married to the Mob letter. Will it be Hoffman , Hackman , Best Actress award at Cannes. In '88 Michelle Pfeiffer, Dangerous Liaisons Hanks, Hurt, and Hoskins ? Hoffman she shared the same prize with her and Hurt both win points for degree of World Apart co-star Jodhi May. The BEST ADAPTED difficulty and ostentatious restraint as, Academy is ripe to give Hershey a nod, SCREENPLAY respecti ve ly, an autistic savant (Rain but Atlantic Releasing wasn't able to Man) and an emotionally devastated give A World Apart more than a limited Sure shots: father (The Accidental Tourist). Hack- run. Disney has been touting Hershey Frank Galati and Lawrence Kasdan, man and H anks made more than one and Bette Midler in the post-feminist movie last year, but H ackman will be soaper Beaches, but Midler wipes Her- The AccidentaL Tourist nominated for Mississippi Burning , his shey off the screen-and the movie Christopher Hampton, Dangerous most serious effort, while Hanks' pretty much erases Midler from the revealing of his dark side in Punchline Oscar slate. Liaisons will ensure his nomination for the com- Phil Kaufman and Jean-Claude Carri- edy Big. Bob Hoskins (Who Framed With enough momentum, only Roger Rabbit) is likely to be beat by Working Girl's new star Melanie ere, The Unbearable Lightness minority candidates Whitaker (\"the Griffith seems capable of dislodging ofBeing Dexter Gordon nom ination,\" says one of the top five . But which one? Not Joel Oliansky, Bird Brodsky) and Stand and D e liver's Streep: She is always taken seriously Shawn Siovo, A World Apart Edward James Olmos, who are sure when she talks funny. Not MacLaine: Long shots: shots. Why? Because everyone says so. She knew what she was doing when she Eric Bogosian and Oliver Stone, aged herself into a 60ish floozy. Not Talk Radio Dark horses include two likable, Foster: In her comeback movie she has Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Madame respected actors who can't buy a hit: an accent, is raped and beaten, and Sousatzka Jeff Bridges in Tucker and Dennis emotes like crazy. The Academy may Anna Hamilton Phelan, Gorillas in the Quaid in Everybody's All-American. believe it owes Close for her loss to Mist Jeremy Irons , who got the New York Cher last yea r. Only the amazin' ama- Jeffrey Price and Peter S. Seaman, prize for Dead Ringers , will have to zon Weaver, a New Yorker who isn' t Roger Rabbit reconcile two antagonistic cults: the Meryl Streep , seems remotely Fred Schepisi and Robert Caswell, snobs who love his British accent and vulnerable. A Cry in the Dark his tony resume, and the pop-culture fans of director David Cronenberg. P lay against type and win an Oscar Don Ameche (Things Change) has sen- nomination. That is the prescrip- timent going for him ; Kevin Costner tion for most likely best supporting (BuLL Durham) has sex. How about actor Martin Landau, the ghost of Mis- Woods? He plays a cocaine freak in The sion Impossible , who \"daringly\" gets to Boost, which should carry the warning: MAY BE TOO INTENSE FOR ACADEMY 62

look old and cry-and do both convin- NOW SHOWING••• cingly-in Tucker. Michael Keaton got points but no profits playing a cokaholic King Vidor, Critical Invisible in Clean and Sober; for his inventive American Cinema Storytellers mugging in Beetlejuice he'll earn big bucks and a spot in the supporting actor by Raymond Interviews with Voice-Over Nar- finals. Kevin Kline segues from Hamlet ration in American off-Broadway to breakneck farce in A Durgnat and Independent Fiction Film Fish Called Wanda; he has a chance. by Sarah Kozloff Dean Stockwell takes a vacation from Scott Simmon Filmmakers playing psychopaths to get laughs in Voice-over narration, Married to the Mob, and his New York \"(Vidor) emerges as a by Scott while often ignored or critics' award could certify his come- MacDonald attacked by critics back. \"He's this year's Dennis Hop- complicated person and filmmakers, has per,\" says Alive marketing president whose work reflected MacDonald provides been an integral part of Rafe Blasi. Forty years ago , when the conflicting issues a collection of in- American movies. Koz- Stockwell was a child star in movies like and emotions he con- depth interviews with loff remedies this neg- The Mighty McGurk, Alec Guinness fronted .. .. a compre- lect by refuting assump- was playing Herbert Pocket and Fagin hensively researched , some of the most ac- tions about the voice- for David Lean. New he's come back, well-planned , and complished \"critical\" over technique. to Dickens, in Little Dorrit. The Acad- well-written work that filmmakers. The inter- $24 .95 emy will make room for Sir Alec, a winner at the L.A. critics' powwow. helps to fill the void of views demonstrate Third World information on this im- the sophistication of Film Making Who gets the youth vote? The portant director.\" their thinking about and the National Board of Review spotlighted film and serve as an teen swoon River Phoenix for Running --Library Journal accessible introduc- West on Empty. Bull Durham's Tim Robbins tion to this important got good reviews (and Susan Sarandon $32 .50 by Roy Armes pregnant). The Good Mother's Liam Neeson, who also shone in Eastwood's Acting in area of indepen- \"For years no single Dirty Harry film The Dead Pool, is dent cinema. book has been able perceived as another fresh talent. The to serve as a general perpetually young Matthew Broderick the Cinema $45.00 cloth , introduction to 3rd may get a medal, if not a nomination, $14.95 paperback World Cinema . then for taking on the role of Harvey Armes's steps into this Fierstein's lover in Torch Song Trilogy. by James void. A comprehen- sive study.. .from the The odds are good that several lead- Naremore Backstory viewpoint of a sym- ing ladies will be nominated for their \"To be read with handy pathetic but not un- supporting work this year. Check out VCR and cassettes Interviews with critical observer, the Sigourney Weaver, for her super-bitch book ambitiously boss in Working Girl; rVlichelle Pfeiffer, stacked at your side .... Screenwriters covers a wide geo- for going art house (art chateau , really) graphical-political in Dangerous Liaisons; Geena Davis, (Readers) will enjoy his of Hollywood's area. \"--Cineaste for her kooky dog trainer in The Acci- rich anatomizations of $49.95 cloth, dental Tourist; and Barbara Hershey in Lillian Gish's expertise in Golden Age $1?95 paperback Last Temptation. Diane Venora, who True Heart Susie, Charlie Edited by plays Charlie Parker's wife in Bird, At bookstores or order seems a cert: She won the New York Chaplin 's in The Gold Pat McGilliQan toll-free 800/ 822-6657 . vote by the greatest margin in any cate- Rush... Marlon Brando's New in paperoack- Visa & MasterCard only. gory. Frances McDormand of Missis- in On the Waterfront, $12 .95 paperback sippi Burning could be this year's young actress on the rise. and Cary Grant's in Three actresses are competing for North by Northwest, all John Ford what Kilday calls \"the yiddishe mama\" of them marvelously slot: genuine article Reizl Bozyk, the alive under Naremore's The Man and lovable bubbe in Crossing Delancey; psychoscope, which His Work passing-for-Jewish Anne Bancroft, in picks up practically cel- by Tag Gallagher Torch Song Trilogy; and Lainie Kazan, lular impressions of the Bette Midler's mom in Beaches. If actor's motives.\" New in paperback-- there were a citation for a \"mamma $14.95 paperback mia\" role, Mercedes Ruehl would win --Kirkus Reviews hands down-or considering her comic $24.95 intensity as Stockwell's pistol-packing wife in Married to the Mob, hands up. ;'4<:_,~, University of California Press Berkeley 94720 63

by Richard Corliss BARRY CHAt\\lPLAI : This country- where culture means pornography and slasher films , where ethics means pay- offs , graft, and insider trading, where integrity means lying, whoring. and intoxication-this country is in deep trouble, people! And somebody better do something about it! -Eric Bogosian in Talk Radio T he ads for Oliver Stone's film of Eric Bogosian's Talk Radio say that the late-night call-in show is \"the last neighborhood in America.\" They must mean a long-gone urban neighborhood-the one in Rear Win- dow, maybe , or Molly Goldberg's- where hefty moms in print dresses shouted down to their kids to act nice, and a domestic dispute would provoke a chorus of catcalls, where yentas dished dirt while hanging out the wash, and old men on the stoop parsed the world's follies , and a sullen man nobody knew very well might have just bludgeoned his wife and planted her in the garden. The ads tell you that Barry Cham- plain 's telephone console at Dallas radio station KGAB is a party line for national anxieties, a stethoscope to the heart of a country that's mad as hell and ain ' t gonna take it any more. This talk-show host isn ' t the lunatic Savanarola from Network; he's the unseen voice of Jehovah , calling sinners to judgment, announcing an American Armageddon. But first, a word from our sponsor. Whose America is it, anyway? Who are the pulse-takers and mind-setters these days? Who clocks the Zeitgeist? Is it really the Barry Champlains-the apocalyptic big mouths like rvlorton Downey, Al Sharpton, Lyndon LaRouche, Bob Grant, Howard Stern, Sam Kinison , Bob Goldthwait, i\\lega- deth? They spell doom in four-letter words, spray-painted in blood on the wall that every ordinary Joe has his back against. They are as hot as the oil Ed Koch wants to dip chi ld abusers in. They must scream like psychotic bag ladies to be heard in the old neighbor-

hood ; the ir rasping vo ices are so loud $19.95 each* $24.95 each* because they be lieve the mselves pow- e rless. In Pe ter Watkins' Punishm ent ALFRED HITCHCOCK THE BREAKFAST CLUB Park (a n exe mpl ary parable fro m the THE DEER HUNTER Vie tnam years), an offi cer of the es tab- THE BIRDS DUNE li shme nt as ks a proteste r why hi s lan- FRENZY E.T. guage is so vicious. You ca n have me killed , the radi ca l answers; \"All I ca n do MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER is ca ll you a dirty name .\" The tyrants PSYCHO MASK ROPE have cli ppe d his vas defe re ns but not MISSING hi s voca l cords. So he will wa il like the REAR WINDOW REPOMAN e unuchs in The Last Emperor. T he re is TROUBLE WITH HARRY SCARFACE stre ngth in imp ote nce, if it's loud SHENANDOAH e nough. VERTIGO SIXTEEN CANDLES STREETS OF FIRE Barry C hampl ain is foud , too, but he CLASSIC HORROR TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD still has hi s cojones. He speaks up fo r the und e rclass, the unloved , the voice- BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN $29.95 each* less-until they call in . The n he slaps DRACULA (1931) th em dow n as bi go ts, d o pe rs, a nd ANAMERICAN TAIL retard s. \" Hit me with your bes t shot,\" FRANKENSTEIN (1931) BACK TO THE FUTURE he challe nges his audi e nce . But Barry THE MUMMY THE BANK DICK PHANTON OF THE OPERA (1943) OESTRY RIDES AGAIN WOLFMAN DOUBLE INDEMNITY THE GREAT MCGINTY FAVORITES THE INVISIBLE MAN AMERICAN GRAFFITI THE JACK BENNY SHOW ANAl MAL HOUSE CAT PEOPLE KING OF JAZZ THE LADY EVE THE EIGER SANCTION LIVES OF A BENGAL LANCER GLENN MILLER STORY OUT OF AFRICA RUGGLES OF RED GAP GOING MY WAY SHE DONE HIM WRONG HOLIDAY INN SORROWFUL JONES JAWS SHADOW OF A DOUBT TOUCH OF EVIL THE MONEY PIT WRITIEN ON THE WIND PLAY MISTY FOR ME ·PLUS SHIPPING AND HANDLING. THE THING TOBRUK TO HELL AND BACK WAR WAGON J-MCA!.. [ HOME VlDE<5 OUR NEW CATALOG IS HERE - ONLY $4.95 CONTAINS LISTINGS FOR OVER 10,000 MOVIES AVAILABLE NOW WE'RE JUST A PHONE CALL AWAY: 1-800-533-4557 WE ACCEPTVISA-MASTERCARD-AMERICAN EXPRESS-PERSONAL CHECKS SENSES THE HOME ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY SATISFACTION 11941 REISTERSTOWN ROAD MONEY BACK SUITE 800 BALTIMORE, MD 21136 GUARANTEED OR YOUR 65

Barry Champlain (Eric Bogosian) in Talk Radio. Barry is loud, but he T hey sca n news papers and magazines still has his cojones. He fo r new horror stories th at will fit a few is play ing fo r rim shots; he needs hi s more pieces into the ir jigsaw conspiracy heck le rs so he ca n zin g them \\v ith hi s speaks up for the theo ri es. Like Barry, they know so ni m ble scorn . And hi s ca lle rs needn 't underclass, the much . But do they know that they' re be hos tile to agitate hi s sp lee n . If anach roni sms? they' re d ithe rin g, he 's withe ring: \" How unloved, the do you di al a phone wi th a straitj acke t voiceless-until they The w hole notion of fee lin g too on?\" If they s nu ggle up, he p ushes call in. Then he slaps much is so Sixties. Wa ke up, peo ple ! the m away: \"Noth ing more boring tha n them down as bigots, You've bee n livi ng for 20 years in the peo ple who love you. \" To the world 's dopers , and retards. Porrosa ns from Woodstock. You' re the prob le ms, he has the solution: boric home less harangue rs whom the rest of ac id . It's in hi s vo ice, toxic and clea ns- pitche d to apoca lyptic paranoia, is fun us treat as tawdry di stractions or street ing. It's not ,v hat he says, it's the way he to visit in the checkout line, but not theate r. obody ca res any more . Don' t says it. F irst he croons condole nce like many people wa nt to live the re . For you reali ze that the E ighties attitud e is an easy- li ste nin g DJ ; the n he is the ris k mos t, the late -night vo ice they wa nt to to know it all and fee l nothing? H aven ' t jockey, sp itting out lun ge rs of invec- hea r is Dav id L e tte rm an's. you watche d Letterm an? Didn ' t you ti ve. H e's got the ranklin g ass urance of pay atte ntion to the 1988 pres ide nti al a kid who has won every street fi ght T he country is strange ly schi zo id ca mpaign? because he 's neve r met any bull y with these days, torn between hys te ri a and fi sts more pun ishin g th an hi s ow n w it. cy ni cism , be twee n the peo ple w ho I t is the hallm ark of an empire In sc rea m in the night and the peo ple who decline th at it takes nothing seri- Barry may think of him self as a fea r- snicke r. O ne of Barry's li ste ne rs says; ously, including its decline . We already less surfe r in the big curl of the air- \"We' re the kind of people , we feel too know th at the de utschm ark could soon waves , but his boss sees him as fillin g a much.\" Life for the m is a ceaseless reach parity with the dollar, th at the time slot: \"You hang up on peo ple . Exce drin hea d ac he , inten sifi e d by Japanese are the titans of the computer T hat's your job .\" Barry's li ste ne rs ca n' t eac h new atroc ity, inju sti ce, or fad . age, th at the E uropea ns make the hang up on hi m, but they ca n turn hi m cl othes we wa nt to wear, th at we' re off. And th at is the danger face d by running up a zillion-doll ar tab for our guys who te ll yo u-a ll ni g ht , eve ry childre n to pay, that we 've become fat, ni ght- th at th e sky is fa ll ing throu gh a lazy, and jade d-eouch potatoes to the corrode d ozone layer. Afte r a while it exciting show the Soviets and As ians ge ts borin g. W ho ca n sho ut , or be are puttin g on. Our big military tri- shouted at, foreve r? T he Ame ri ca por- trayed in ta bl o id wee kl y hea dlines, 66

umphs were over the Grenadan infan- Syracuse University's try and Gaddafi's adopted daughter. Division of International Programs Abroad Our most imposing athletic victories came at the expense of the Free World's presents also-rans at Los Angeles in 1984. They should have called those games the Major British Special Olympics. Directors We know all this, the way a smoker May 29 - June 30 knows he's getting brown teeth and black lung. We just don ' t want to be A five-week program for undergraduate and graduate reminded of it. Go on, ask a Detroit students providing both an overview and an in-depth autoworker which he' d prefer: making crappy fuel-swillers the American way, analysis of the British film industry and several of or safe, efficient cars under the Japa- its most prominent directors. nese system. Bet his answer is all- Americ·an. Don't ask him to work hard Syracuse University just to make a better product. Don ' t ask Division of International Programs Abroad him to worry that the American Cen- tury lasted only a generation. 119 Euclid Avenue - Dept. Fe But somebody should be worried- Syracuse, NY 13244-4170 even an ambitious politician. At the beginning of the 1988 campaign there 315~3-9420/9421 were twelve men lusting for a major- party nomination. You'd think that one Seastrom-Murnau-Von Sternberg of them would have taken Barry's tack Lon Chaney! Garbo! Laurel & Hardy! and delivered a stump speech sure to rouse the rabble: \"This country is in Although some of their most famous filins are lost-perhaps for all deep trouble , people! We' re at war, only time--Magichnage Filmbooks is proud to offe r the Ackerman you don't know it! Pearl Harbor Day Archives Series, with complete shooting scripts, pressbooks, was last October 19, when the stock production backgrowld, rare original nitrate photos market crashed. That was the signal , reconstruct-in..\"\",, the classic photoplays in book form. THENHOUTNRCEHDBAAMCEKOF however scrambled, that we can' t keep our own house in order. We're in debt to Together in the people we conquered 40 yea rs ago. I volume They're playing the game better, and we made up the rules. We' re not the London After Midnight A Blind Barga in best any more; we don ' t make the best; $29.95, plus 2.50 We just buy the best. And soon we won't 535.00, plus $2.50 shipping & hanrlling shipping & be able to afford it, because the fat cats on the Pacific Rim will have bought as hanrlling $4\\1.95, plu s :~.50 much of us as they want and close out shipping & handling our overdue loans. So get ready to tighten your belts for a better America , ORDER BY DIRECT MAIL WHILE SUPPLIES LAST because we have to go to war against a new Yellow Peril. If you don't want American Express, Optima Ca ll 609-266-6500 Available in '1YC at the Mu e um of Mod e rn Art them to be number one, then you'd better elect somebody to do something Visa, MasterCa rri CaU 607-797-4872 In H oll ywood at Larry Erlmoncl s Booksto re about it. And, people of Iowa and New Hampshire, that somebody is me.\" SEND CHECKS OR MONEY ORDER TO: Advertisers scare people into buying MAGICIMAGE FILMBOOKS P .O . Box l28 , Briga ntine, NJ 08203 their products. But could a national politician? Could anyone get elected Distributed to your favorite hookstore hy Samuel French Trade, lnc. taking the hard sell to hell ? Well, George Bush did and in ways that only Letterman , perhaps, could appreciate. The picture of Bush in the first 30 years of his public life probably por- trayed him accurately: as one of Monty P y thon 's upper-class twits. You wouldn't choose him to be captain of the polo team, much less president of a once-major country. Even in the Republican hagiography, Bush came up short: He was Ike without the war-hero 67

cozy up to the U.S.S. R. and talk seriously America was tired of heari ng abou t-the about arms control. The Duke was no blacks , the poor, the Frostbelt factory Gorby, who might have been elected workers-Dukakis was seen as the nag- president if he had taken out American ging conscience to an America that citizenship, and whose December visit wanted to keep bopping till it dropped. to Manhattan was welcomed by a salu- He was the bad-news messenger, a tation-in Russian-on the front page of gloomy-Gus Dan Rather, and Lloyd the right-wing New York Post. Still, Bentsen was David Brinkley. Dukakis was an able administrator; several of his Republican peers had And Bush was Letterman , and said he was the country's best governor. Quayle was Pat Sajak. The Democrats And as he proved at the Democratic read the news while the Republicans convention in July, he could deliver a did stand-up comedy-upper-dog slurs, coherent, compelling speech. He had a in the tone popularized by National gravity that stopped just this side of Lampoon and perfected by Spy . For machismo. He was-in voice and dic- once, a politician was making jokes tion, in that steely gaze and smile-an about an opponent before Letterman anchorman. and Johnny Carson did . And his attacks were hardl y more serious. Let's see, I L ast year in these pages I wrote that think I got this right: the ACLU sprang Americans don' t want a president, Willie Horton so that he and Kitty they want an anchorman-someone to announce and interpret policy, someone Dukakis could set fire to the American they could stand to watch every night flag by throwing it into Boston Harbor. for four yea rs. The 1988 campaign As a result, the Duke suffered severe proved I was wrong. Americans don ' t depre ss ion and dropped a Stealth bomber on abortionists reciting the Dukakis was Dan Pledge of Allegiance. Rather, Bentsen was It didn ' t matter whether you believed or cared about Bush's charges; David Brinkley, Bush they were just, you know, headlines. was David Letterman, The strategy was brilliant. Bush could appeal simultaneously to the people and Quayle who believed in conspiracy theories and fruit salad, Gerald Ford without the was Pat Sajak. geniality, Reaga n without the affable charisma. (That's why the guy picked want an anchorman, they want a talk- Dan Quayle-Bush 's Bush-as his run- show host-someone to place policy in nin g mate. He needed someone to be ironic perspecti ve, someone who to him what he' d been to so many more makes jokes, however preposterous, powerful men : his caddie.) and who can be joked about. Bush fit this role superbly. He mocked Dukakis' Bush's handlers knew that nobody Snoopy impression as a tank driver by would vote for this Yalie Bertie Wooster. running the footage in Republican He could be elected only if people were commercials. He made capital of his persuaded to vote against his oppo- own bumble-tongued rhetorical style nent. Hi s tools would be familiar to by hedging on the numbers of debates. showbiz scholars but unprecedented in Why? Because, he admitted disin- national politics: concept humor and genuously, he was no good at it. If attack comedy. But to accomplish that, Dukakis was making competence, Bush , darin gly, had to change person- Bush would boast of his own alities . The wimp would become a incompetence. bull y. In the Age of Facetiousness, it was The problem was that his opponent, Dukakis' rotten luck to be the last Michael Dukakis, was so wan that serious man in America . He looked too nobody could heat him. And he didn't Greek, but he didn't dance like Zorba. have Iran-contra and Noriega in his And the media took this as a character resume. And he didn' t whine. And his flaw. What other presidential candidate wife didn't look like his mother. And he has been quizzed repeatedly by the hadn 't played gofer to his bosses for the press on why he doesn't lighten up? As past 15 yea rs. And he knew when Pearl a reluctant spokesman for the have-nots Harbor Day was (not October 19, maybe, but for sure not September 7). Besides , it was hard to pin a soft-on- Communism tag on Dukakis when Gorbachev's glasnost had virtually forced the Reagan administration to 68

the people who gossiped about them. NOSTALGIC SCI-FI & And Dukakis' strategy was blinkered. HORROR ON VIDEO! Imagine: The one thing he couldn't take seriously enough to counterpunch A nightmare of terror was a slur on his patriotism. Here was a politician who went broke overestimat- in the INCREDIBLE ing the intelligence of the American center of voter. the earth! PETRIFIED . Remember that Letterman emerged from the Post-Funny school of comedy WORLD ,'\" in the late Seventies. Albert Brooks J impersonated a mime who had to explain his moves. Andy Kaufman r newest catalog is 48 iiniste..- Cinema ~® wrestled women and led audiences in pages (8V2\"x 11\"), illustrated the Mighty Mouse song. Art Metrano , with over 300 photos & ac· With over 600 shock filled titles available, in his emcee cheap tux, sang Fine and companing text. 100 photos Sinister Cinema is truly the leading source for Dandy-or, rather, \"Da da da da, da da in full color, including front & your favorite sci fi and horror oldies on video. da da da\"-for what seemed like hours. back covers! Mailed with out· Just send $2.00 for our eye popping catalogue, Steve Martin made balloon animals and side protective wrapper on or receive it free when you order any of the acted like a DEKE asshole (the Quayle receipt of $7.00 U.S. funds following films at the reduced price of .... prototype). for each copy. Our location, a gallery at 1932·FC Polk St. $14.95~~~E It was knowing, inside, structuralist (near corner of Pacific Ave.), concept comedy. Audiences were San FranciSCO, CA is open 1. The Incredible Petrified World 1957 Mondays through Saturdays 2. The Unearthly 1957 Dukakis wasn't nearly 11 AM to 6 PM Pacific time 3. Love From A Stranger 1937 4. F P. 1 Doesn 't Answer 1932 as pallid as Bush. He ~ 5. Castle Of Blood 1964 1932·FC POLK STREET 6. Loves of Hercules 1959 didn't have Iran-contra SAN FRANCISCO, 7. Brain From Planet Arous 1957 CA 94109 and Noriega in his Please add $2.05 per title for packaging , handling , and postage. Specify VHS or Beta. California residents please resume. He didn't add 61/2% sales tax . Sorry, not available in PAL. Make checks or money orders payable to: whine. And his wife Sinister Cinema didn't look like his P.O . Box 777 , dept. FC Pacifica , CA. 94044 mother. Ouestions ??? Call us at 415-359-3292 forced to ask themselves: Wait a min- ute , is this guy supposed to be funny? Avery special invitation So their laughs were more nervous than hearty, until they got the gag and real- to the house that Walt built ized that, in show business, anyone that bad has to be good. And so it was with -with more than 500 illustrations. 100 in full Disney color Bush . Anyone that nasty had to be sweet. Which Bush tried to demon- The latest in Crown Publishers' features and shorts. profiles of strate after the election, turning as kind spectacular series of Hollywood- the Disney broth('rs. interviews and gentle as Don Rickles in his I-Iove- studio books. The Disney Studio with many of their employees. in- you phase. Story features a history of the depth examinations of classic studio and the Disney empire. Disney films . the new creativity at Letterman traffics in gossip and fabulous filmography of 1.300 Disney today. and much more. innuendo, too. A few years ago he asked his studio audience to vote for ---~ 'fl STUDIOTHE their favorite rumor and for the home ~ r~''U / y'~(--~.!:)rJ,\\' -:;5 fi audience to spread it. One story was ) STORY that Dan Rather and Peter Jennings had ~ .-/' f /'\"J' secretly flown to South America to be :/ married. Another was that every celeb- by Richard~Holliss and J Brian Sibley rity who appeared on the corner flap of People had slept with Time Inc. editor- CROWN PUBLISHERS. Inc. Dept. 568 in-chief Henry Anatole Grunwald- 34 Engelhard Ave .. Avenel. N.J . 07001 \"not because they have to, but because they want to.\" Are these rumors too Please send me THE DISNEY STUDIO STORY I enclose $40.00 plus $2.50 for packaging , shipping , and guaranteed delivery. lO·day money-back guarantee . D Enclosed is my check /money order OR charge my D VISA D MasterCard D Amex _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Exp . Date _ _ __ Signature _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Name _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___ Address _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ City _ _ _ _ _ State _ _ _ Zip _ __ N.Y. and N.) residents , add sales tax. 69

WOMEN ludicrous to be true? Anything could be cigarettes whi le inveighing against the true, and frequently is. It wasn't Let- dangers of nicotine and, while recount- on the verge of terman who dreamed up the arms-to- ing a (fancifu l?) trip to a Nazi concen- the-Ayatollah story. tration camp, he fondles a coffee cup a NERVOUS instead of, as he informs his listeners, The point is, it doesn ' t have to be the Star of David. But by the end, his BREAKDOWN true to be entertainment. Did Reagan radio nightclub has caught on , too. A and Bush cut a deal with Iran in 1980 to coke-brained fan named Kent tunes in Even if you didrit make it to detain the Tehran embassy hostages because \"it's just a show... just one big New York for the Film until after the election? Did Bush have a rock video.\" Then, as Kent is hurried Festival this fall, you can be long-term affair with his assistant, Jen- out of the studio, he pulls a-gun? no- part of it with a T-shirt from nifer Fitzgerald? Did Quayle pay some- camera and snaps Barry's picture. the opening night film, one to take his bar exam? Most voters probably heard these stories during the Barry may, must believe in some- Women On The Verge OfA endless, turgid campaign. Maybe they thing, but for his audience, style is all Nervous Breakdown. believed them. Bush still won 54 per- he has. He is like Jack Tanner, the cent of the popular vote. It was a man- ardent socialist in Shaw's Man and date for the status quo , all right, but in Superman, who is interrupted in one of style, not politics . The electorate his sermons by a woman who calls him a merely ratified its anomie and brute . \"Neve r mind her, dear,\" says his complacency. Silkscreened in 6 colors, the T wo.weeks after the election, Amer- shirts are 100% pre-shrunk ica celebrated the 25th anniver- cotton. Available in sizes M, sary of John Kennedy's assassination L, X-L, the shirts cost $15 with the familiar speeches and docu- including postage and mentaries. No one who wasn't sentient handling. then can know what it is like for this country to feel shock. Certain ly the WO media did. Newscasters were numb, ., ~;~;\"'.-~' . vamping pathetically. But five yea rs . ;.-, ( . later, with the Martin Luther King and .... Robert Kenned y murders, the anchor- - men were already fitting their grief into the format. And in this decade-when on tlle Reagan gets shot as if only to prove he's uNERVO immortal , when the Challenger and BREAKD Chernobyl tragedies provoke dozens of adored Ann, caressing his arm. \"Go on jokes within hours-a man loses his talking. \" Jack explodes: \"Talking!\" afi/m fJy ALMODOVAR fight for the presidency at least partly And the play ends. In Edwardian En- because he 's too serious for the job. gland, Jack's firmest beliefs were just I enclose $ _ for _ T-shirts at $15 each . words. In the fuck-you-very-much The film Talk Radio tries to bring Eighties , Barry's rants are so much filler M _ _ _ _ L _ _ _ _ X-L _ _ __ that horror back into public life, to zap between pizza-store commercials and the body politic not with a joy buzzer the long, d ream less sleep of the Ameri- Name _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ but with electroshock. Stone and Bogo- can soul. sian, who wrote the screenplay, moved Address _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ the show's setting from Cleveland to Words meant someth in g in 1963; Dallas and purchased Stephen Singu- Lenny Bruce was convicted for using City/State/ Zip _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ lar's book on Alan Berg, the Denver them. That year, actions had conse- talk-show host murdered by irate lis- quences , too. How long ago that Daytime Phone _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ teners of the right-wing-bananas per- seems. It is the final irony in this era of suasion. Basically, Stone bought the free speech-an irony George Bush Please mail coupon with check or money rights to an assassination and gave him- exploited in the campaign and must order payable to The Film Society of self a big finish. \"Hit me with your best learn ro live with in his presidency. Lincoln Center, 140 West 65th Street. NY shot.\" OK: bang! But this is to miss the You' re on the air, George. Go on talk- NY 10023. You may use the postage-paid point of both the current American ing. And you can say anything, because envelope in magazine. Allow 6 weeks for mood and Bogosian's original off-Broad- there 's nobody left to care. ~ delivery. way play. Gone are the days when we reacted so strongly to our hottest heroes and villains that we wanted to kill them . Indeed , said Bogosian's play, that was Barry's problem. His jer- emiads, designed to cauterize, are so much infotainment. Barry already knows this. He smokes

elevision The Green River Killer by Amy Taubin T abloid TV was taken to new Manhunt: 19th century freakshow done hi-tech. lengths, if not depths , by Man- hunt.. .Live! A Chance to End on capital punishment (one of the items recons truction of the head of one of the the Nightmare, a two-hour \"event\" host- on the show's barel y concealed hidden victim s, running her fingers through its ed by Patrick Duffy (Bobby Ewing on agenda): The vote was 25,000 for and hair. At one point the camera moved in Dallas). Produced for syndication by 523 against. for an interview, and the sculptor told us LBS Communications, Los Angeles, about the \"artistic element\" involved and broadcast nationwide December 7, Arranged around the periphery of in selecting a wig for her recreation (the 1988 , the subject of thi s electronic the studio were various sidebar corpse having been found badly theme park or freak-and-medicine exhibits: photographs of the victims, decomposed and hairless). \" Her teeth show was the Green River Killer, a maps, and graphs. An eerily smiling look so lifelike, \" Adrienne exclaimed serial killer who may have murdered as woman (someone clearly in love with many as 48 woman-mostly prostitutes her work) hovered over the plaster cast and runaways-in the Seattle area since 1982. The basic form of the show was a telethon- National Enquirer journalism gone interactive. Duffy and his 'co- anchor', a panic-eyed woman referred to only as 'Adrienne' presided over a studio crammed with desks, phones, and computer terminals. A staffof some two dozen volunteers (among them members of Crime Stoppers and the Seattle Police Department's Green River Task Force) wearing either suits and ties or shoulder holsters strapped conspicuously over shirtsleeves, manned the phone lines. Viewers with leads as to the identity of the killer were urged to call an 800 number. \"The weapon,\" said Duffy, pointing the recei ve r at the camera, \"is in your hands. \" A reward of up to $150,000 was offered to anyone with information leading to arrest or conviction of a per- son responsible for three or more of the Green River killings. By the midway point, 2,500 calls had been received. At regular intervals Adrienne gave us an update on the responses , concernedly reading from a stack of cards clutched in her hand: \"From North Carolina, the name of a suspect who killed his wife and several others. The caller seemed very sure.... \" \"From New York, the name of a suspect who killed a girl and dumped the body in the river, now living in Seattle and a Vietnam vet. The caller was a family member. .. .\" More than 25,000 people responded to a poll 71

FILM COMMENT Classics Vol. 4, No. 4 Iiliii Vol. 17, No.2 Vol. 19, No.1 Vol. 20, No. 2 Summer 1968 1 \"\\ 1 Mar/Apr 1981 Jan/Feb 1983 Mar/Apr 1984 Film & Catholicism Jessica Lange .. GANDHI .. .Video Games Claudette Colbert Vol. 6, No.2 Vol. 14, No.6 Barbara Stanwyck Midsection Cinematographers 1970 Nov/Oec 1978 ~ilm in Sweden Italian Neo-Realism ... Vol. 17, NO. 5 Vol. 19, No. 2 Vol. 20, NO. 3 Make-up Artists ...THE WIZ SeptlOcl1981 Mar/Apr 1983 May/June 1984 Vol. 9, No.2 Meryl Streep ... Movie Music Olivier.. .Cukor. .Italian Joe Dante ... Hitchcock.. 1973 Vol. 15, No. 1 Midsection Talking Heads Newman & Benton Jan/Feb 1979 Vol. 18, No. 1 Vol. 19, No. 3 Sergio Leone Billy Wilder... Star Making Jan/Feb 1982 May/June 1983 Vol. 20, No.4 Vol. 15, No.2 REDS ... Art Ingmar Bergman .. Israeli July/Aug 1984 Vol. 9, NO.5 Mar/Apr 1979 Direction Midsection Cinema Mankiewicz Empire ... Sergio 1973 Visconti ... Forman .. Leone ... John Huston King Vidor, Part 11. .. Hitchcock Iibii Vol. 19, NO. 4 Leo McCarey July/Aug 1983 Iilm Vol. 15, No.4 Vol. 18, No. 2 Guinness and STAR WARS F ILM COMMENT July/Aug 1979 Mar/Apr 1982 MTV C () \\1 \\t E \"\\ T Robin Williams ..Television Natassja Kinski .. Divorce , '\"'''.\">~~. ~->.':;:~~ Movie Style ...(~· s\\ Vol. 16, No. 4 JI\"'--N..~ July/Aug 1980 Vol. 18, No. 4 :1; . , '.~ ~ Kubrick ... New Cinema July/Aug 1982 Vol. 16, NO. 5 ROAD WARRIORS .. \", Vol. 10, No.1 SeptlOcl1980 Producers Midsection Jan/Feb 1974 Westerns ... Roud 's Cinema: .'5,· Resnais .. .Film Noir.. . ACritical Dictionary The Forties Vol. 20, NO. 5 Vol. 16, NO.6 Vol. 18, NO.6 Vol. 19, NO. 5 SeptlOcl1984 Vol. 10, NO.5 Nov/Dec 1980 Nov/Dec 1982 SeptlOcl1983 De Palma ... Hard Boiled SeptlOcl 1974 Hollywood Glamour Goldie Hawn ... CASABLANCA Kevin Kline ... Coppola.. Hollywoood Altman ... Rivette ... Portraits ... THE STUNT Asia Midsection Gene Hackman MAN ... Sports Movies Vol. 20, NO.6 Vol. 10, NO.6 Vol. 19, NO. 6 NovlDec 1984 Nov/Oec 1974 Nov/Dec 1983 Pornography Debate ... Film Noir.. .Max Ophuls .. . Women Direct Film .. Black Films Fritz Lang THE RIGHT STUFF Vol. 13, NO. 6 Nov/Oec 19n Vol. 20, No.1 Bertolucci ... Beyond the Jan/Feb 1984 New Wave 100lh Issue .. . Cary Grant. . YENTIL

Start your collection now. • • Vol. 21 , No. 1 Vol. 22, NO. 3 Vol. 22, NO. 6 Jan/Feb 1985 May/June 1986 Nov/Oec 1986 David Lean...Truffaut Liz... Bogie ... Ratings Smalltown Psychosis .. Midsection Festivals Vol. 21 , NO. 5 Vol. 23, NO.3 Sept/Oct 1985 May/June 1987 Kurosawa ...TV 's Golden Age Schickel on Reagan.. Glasnost. .. Working Girls Vol. 21 , No. 2 Vol. 22, No. 4 Vol. 23, No.1 Mar/Apr 1985 July/Aug 1986 Jan/Feb 1987 Kathleen Turner.. .Hollywood Summer Fun Issue... Dr. PLATOON ... Colorization ... Novel Ruth ... Exploitation Films \"In Development\" Vol. 21 , NO.6 Vol. 23, No. 4 Nov/Oec 1985 Daffy Duck ... Wo men in July/Aug 1987 Fil ms Can nes at 40 ... Nestor Al mendros... Yves Montand IiJm Vol. 21 , NO. 3 Vol. 22, NO. 5 Vol. 23, No. 2 May/June 1985 c: {J ~. Sept/Oct 1986 March/April 1987 Jack Nicholson ... Fellini David Byrne... SpikeLee RAISING ARIZONA ... Alec Guinness... \"Heaven\" Vol. 21 , NO. 4 July/Aug 1985 Youth Cult Films.. Wiilliam Hurt Vol. 22, NO. 1 Vol. 23 , NO . 5 Jan/Feb 1986 Cold War... 1985 Revue ... Sept/Oct 1987 Orson Welles N.Y. Film Festival at 25 ...John Hu ston ----------------------------- FILM COMMENT CLASSICS are back! QUANTITY AMOUNT Order your back issues now... at only $3.50 each (that includes _ _ Back issues of FILM COMMENr $3.50/issue $ _ - -- postage and handling) . It's a \"reel \" steal. _ _ Index Sets at $3 .50/set $ _- - - _ _ Buy-A-Bunch $ _- -- Please send thefollowing issues (identify month and year) : _ _ _ _ __ 4 issues for $12.00, $2.50/additional issue $ _ -- - TOTAL If any of the issues I have ordered are no longer available, please send me one of NAME_ _ _ __ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ ___ these two alternatives : ADDRESS _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ or CITY _ _ _ _ __ __ _ STATE_ _ ZI P_ _ _ _ __ TheIndex Setsfor FILMCOMMENT. Volumes 1-22, listing every articleeve r pu blished in FILMCOMMENT, are available for $3 .50/set. Mail with check or money order to : FILM COMMENT CLASSICS 140 West 65th Street New York, NY 10023

ORIGINAL AUTOGRAPHED as the Mme. Tussaud-like head rotated violence hot [ditto red].... \" CELEBRITY PHOTOS 180 degrees to face the camera. \"These ''An interview with a convicted serial Hollywood legends, superstars. Quality collection, authenticity guaranteed. are her teeth,\" the artist concurred, killer, \" Edmund Emil Kemper, Brochure: L&M Gross genially flashing her own pearly claimed that he was goaded to kill by 2675 Hewlett Ave Dept F Merrick, New York 11566 whites. violent images in books and movies. \"Genuine severed heads ,\" he remi- nisces. Kemper's testimony not only STAR PHOTOS· MOVIE POSTERS· MAGAZINES \"Her teeth look so scores points for the anti-porn brigade, lifelike,\" Adrienne it renders Manhunt's prurience lily exclaimed as the head white by suggesting that there is a far more lurid program playing on some- one else's VCR. ~~ ....-~ FREE CATALOG rotated to face the Among the other choice moments were trips to the ragdoll-strewn bed- .IERR , . (~HI,I.\\'6\";R·.\" \" il,I.Il.\\.,... _.\\JIll :\\1I1\\·11l.\\I.\\TMII ,U . STlnIKIn<·. camera. \"Those are room of a victim ; a ride in a police car, her teeth,\" the artist which allowed us to participate, from . .n'i>~ )ll'll\\JIf 242 W. 14th Street the detective's POV in the collar of a ~ \" RfUl New York. N.Y. 10011 concurred, genially supposedly real , and seemingly fright- 12121 989-0869 ened, john; and the testimony of a OPEN EVUY DAY I :DO-8:00,m anWUN 81h AND 7th AVENUE IND. SUBWAY W. I4lh STIIEET STOP flashing her own survivor of an attack \" by someone who may have been the Green River Killer. \" pearly whites. Her face digitized to avoid recognition, \"Christina's\" murmured responses to questions posed by a psychiatrist were Pin-Ups • Ponrails • Posters • Physique primarily cues for nightmarish reenact- Poses • Pressbooks • Western • Horror • Science Fiction • Musicals • Color Photos • ment c1ose-ups- a blood y hand caught 80 Years of Scenes From Motion Pictures M anhunt's jigsaw-puzzle logo in mid-swing, clothes ripped open , Ru sh $1.00 FOR OUR ILLUSTRATED b~OCH URE referred not only to the process of etC.-ail the more disturbing for their police detection, which was the pro- extreme brevity. 134 WEST 18th STREET, DEPT. Fe NEW YORK, N.Y. 10011 gram's primary fetish , but also to orga- (212) 620-8160-61 Anization of its extensive time frame. A lthough Manhunt's verbal dis- course was strictly at Enquirer welter of prerecorded bits and pieces were arranged around the live-on-cam- level , its seamless editing of actuality era interactive center. Notable among and reenactment was mind-bogglingly these were: sophisticated as was its manipulation of \"A chance to meet a real pimp and POV identificatory techniques. The his prostitute. \" The pimp who was viewer was alternately placed in the never seen with the prostitute in a twO- position of the guilty criminal and the shot, sweet-talked an absent woman heroic vigilante, sometimes in the off-screen left. The rationale for includ- course of a single speech. Looking ing him on the program was that pimps directly into the camera (i.e., straight seduce innocent girls into the Life, into our eyes) various detectives warned thereby setting them up as prey for the the killer that they knew he was watch- Green River Killer. The pimp was ing, pleaded with him to turn himself black; serial killers are known to be in before (and this without the slightest exclusively white males. The pimp's change of eye focus) \"someone who is presence therefore served to 'racially also out there watching leads us to balance' the ascription of guilt. you.\" Staring down the camera, Duffy \"Delving into the criminal mind ,\" wrapped up the proceedings with a CANYON CINEMA Manhunt used video technology to baleful \"Whoever you are , wherever Catalog #6 dress up 19th-century concepts, pseu- you are , there is no hiding. The largest The complete catalog of films available from doscientific language, and entertain- task force in history is after you-the Canyon Cinema, this publication contains descriptions for thousands of unique films: ments such as waxwork museums and American people , and they' ll catch you Animation. Documentary, Experimental/Art Films, Erotic, Narrative. and Classic Shorts by freak shows that produce the incredible and convict you .\" the Foremost Artists in Cinema from a mix of fact and fiction. We were Manhunt .. .Live!'s narrative tech- To obtain this 3QO.page, fully illustrated catalog, send name and address to: shown a series of pulsating red-and- niques , far more varied and ingenious CANYON CINEMA blue blobs with graphlike lines super- than those of Fox Network's popular A 2325 Third St. #338 San Francisco, CA 94107 imposed over them . \"These images,\" Current Affair or America' s Most (415) 626-2255 explained Duffy, \"probe through the Wanted , nevertheless proved insuffi- $13 donation requested skull to the emotional c~nter of the cient to the program's public-spirited brain. The red shows feeling; the blue purpose. It's a week after the air date, an emotional void . In the criminal and \"America's most vicious serial mind, the switches for tenderness are killer\" still remains at large. cold [lots of blue pulsation], but for 74

Puttnam in Their Place by Gregg Kilday es t s . Publi c l y, th o u g h , he i s down Stark's pe t proj ect , Sweet Libby- und aunted , and , predictabl y, hi s first though it's D e bra Winger, who bolts I flife were like the sc ript for a D avid few fiery publi c pronounce me nts out- from the pi c ture two wee ks be fore Puttnam movie, the sce nario would rage the town establishme nt. Influe n- shooting is to begin , who takes the h ave go ne somethin g like thi s: tial powe r bro kers-prod ucer Ray bl ame- but to compe nsate okays film- In 1986 th e Coca -Co la Co mp a n y Stark, age nt M ike O vitz, the Ishtar ing of Tony Scott's Revenge. Ba~. 1 on announces th at it is importin g c ru- comedy tea m of Warre n Beatty and th e Jim H a rri so n nove ll a, Revenge sadin g British film producer D av id Dustin Hoffm an-all dee ply offe nded , proves a hit with both audi e nces and Puttn a m to c le a n house as th e decl are war. criti cs, pl ac in g Stark in conte ntion for a new chairm an of Columbi a Pi ctures . bes t-pi c ture O sca r, whi ch he w in s, Puttnam's pals are stunned- they know But th e n Puttnam , aft e r a soul- laudin g Puttn a m fro m th e podium how much Puttn am detes ts the back- sea rchin g midni ght wa lk on the beach (re me mbe r, thi s is a daydream ) by say- scratchin g cronyism that ch aracteri zes at Ma libu , d ec id es to temp e r hi s in g, \"We all have lea rned from D avid , Holl ywood at its worst. Puttn am him- approac h. In stead of stagin g a revolu- and Dav id has learned from us.\" self harbors secret doubts: He knows tion , he will in sti gate changes from th at part of him is doin g it onl y fOf the within . He cancels seve ral speakin g Stark ca n' t praise Puttn am enough. $3 million. And he questions his ability appearances. Through e mi ssa ries, he Columbia's mix of highbrow message to do battle with so many vested inter- offers Beatty the use of hi s film edi tor pi ctures and ca refully crafte d midbrow Jim C lark , and much to hi s surprise, e nte rtainme nts have pushe d the studio Beatty accepts. E ven with the las t- into th ird pl ace in th e H oll ywo od minute tailoring, Ishtar proves a flop, caucus race, just below Di sney and but both Beatty and Hoffm an are grate- Paramount. And so when word reac hes ful for the congratulatory ad on beh alf Stark th at Co ke is considerin g reducin g of the movie th at Puttn am run s in the its inves tme nt in both Columbia and trades on the day of its opening. Tri-Star, he pl ants the idea with Coke boa rd membe r Herbert Alle n th at Putt- Puttnam next arranges a wee kend nam be put in charge of the new com- retreat with C reative Arti sts' Agency's pany to be spun off. With hi s original O vitz. The two emerge de eply im- three -ye a r contrac t about to ex pire , pressed with each other: Puttnam Puttn am is te mpte d by Coke's subse- ag rees to g ree nli ght Ghostbu sters /I que nt offe r. But after another wa lk on after hammering out an innovative con- the be ac h , he reluctantl y declines . tract in which Ovitz's clie nts agree to Nevertheless the grateful Co ke over- defe r up-front salaries in exchange for a seers see to it th at Puttn am return s to larger piece of the gross . Puttnam also Britain with hi s ow n production com- conced es th at O vitz's client , D an pany, fund ed by Coca-Cola. Aykroyd , may just be right and th at Cyndi Laupe r is all wron g for Vib es, so much for what might have bee n. approving the audition of CM's Rebecca Or life, as it is lived in H ollywood , de Mornay in stead. isn't at all like the sc ript for a D avid Puttn am mov ie . Puttnam 's qui xoti c Fina ll y, after much hagg lin g w ith and aborti ve te nure in Hollywood-he Stark , who, of course , secretl y loves arri ved in the fa ll of '86 to head Colum- turmoil , Puttnam reluc ta ntl y shuts bi a and was dri ve n out just a yea r later- pl ayed more like an absurdi st come dy \\/ of errors. It lacke d any sort of cath artic e nding. But Te rry Gilli am's The Adven- tures of Baron Mun chausen, the one major Puttn am leftover, scheduled for re lease thi s sprin g, will provid e some sort of coda. Foll owed with inte nse interes t in the industry trade pape rs from the mome nt of hi s arri va l, and di ssected in exten- sive-a nd so me time s co nfli c tin g- 75

detail in the glossy magazines when he out considering that it's exactly the sort Hollywood enemies. Having first made was summarily dismissed, Puttnam's of thing that a grande dame of Young's a splashy name for himself as a photo- Hollywood saga has certainly received elegant politesse might have said to graphers' agent smack in the middle of more ink than any of the films that whoever won. London's swinging Sixties, Puttnam Puttnam put into production during his didn't start out as a crusader. Remem- tenure. That hasn' t stopped British In relying so heavil y on Puttnam's bers his former client David Bailey, \"If journalist Andrew Yule from offering recollections , Yule risks ignoring the he had a fault, it was his tendency to one more retelling in his new book, Fast deeper currents operating around the pick people up and drop them.\" And if Fade: David Puttnam , Columbia Pic- innocent from abroad: Was Puttnam's he sometimes stretched the truth in tures , and the Battle for Hollywood rejection of Stark's film biography of promoting his enthusiasms, well, that (Delacorte Press, price $19.95). Libby Holman , whom Yule mistakenly was also part of the frenetic scene as well. \"To get where he did in photogra- If he had a private phy,\" recalls an associate, \"you've got to pull a few tricks , that's for sure.\" agenda, it was to Director Alan Parker, whose friendship vindicate his special with Puttnam was both long and con- tentious, ultimately concludes, \" He's brand ofboutique warm, charming, concerned, helpful, filmmaking at the and unbelievably generous, and he's cold callous, spiteful, selfish, and expense ofthe mean. I know more about him than machine-tooled anybody, and I know nothing about entertainments with him. \" which he had always Tiring of the go-go life-and sensing competed. that films offered a larger challenge- Puttnam stumbled into the movies, not A brisk, breezy read belonging to claims was a relative of Stark's, a simple without several initial missteps. His the growing genre of behind-the- matter of an iconoclastic executive first flick, Melody, flopped in England scenes Hollywood horror stories, Fast exercising his personal taste and judg- and the U.S. but then turned a runaway Fade does show signs of having been ment? \"I JUSt didn ' t like it,\" Puttnam success in Japan . His attempt to make rather hurriedly cobbled together. On tells Stark after reading the script. \" I've The Pied Piper into a flower-child fable the questionable practi'ce of re-creating seen this backstage drama half a dozen starring Donovan fizzled after director dialogue verbatim, for instance , Yule times. It's Funny Lady all over again. I Jacques Demy abandoned the original admits that he sometimes relies on a think it's out of its time.\" Or perhaps it score and screenplay. Several films single source. There's a nice little dra- was not so simple. There are those close later, Puttnam stood by helplessly as matic moment , for example, when to the project who say that Puttnam was Ken Russell plunged Lisztomania into Loretta Young , at the 1982 Academy under orders from Coke to eliminate phallic folly. And when Dustin Hoff- Awards, hesitates for a moment before Stark's expensive housekeeping deal man , a late addition to the cast of naming Puttnam's Chariots of Fire as and that his passing on Sweet Libby was Agatha, insisted that that project be best picture. \"I prayed for it to win,\" just one of several deal-breakers meant rewritten out of its original shape, even she explained to Puttnam after the cer- to drive Stark from the tent. That Coke as it was bei ng shot, Pu ttnam emony. \"That's the only reason I came later washed its hands of Puttnam and despairingl y retreated to Malta, where tonight.\" She stumbled, she explained, welcomed Stark back into the fold is he was simultaneously overseeing Mid- because she was afraid she might be just show biz. night Express. He'd learned his lesson imagining the winning title. Well , it's a the hard way: Henceforth, he 'd steer nice story, which Puttnam obviously F ast Fade can't be dismissed as just clear of established directors and box- recounted to Yule, who reprints it with- a Pu ttnam whitewash, however. office stars. Half the volume is given over to Putt- nam 's pre-Columbia rise within the Puttnam's own talent as a producer British film industry, and his long-time lies elsewhere: in developing an off- Brit pals tend to be even more damning beat piece of material (a buried news in their assessments than his new-found item, a long-forgotten bit of historical trivia); in discovering new directors (men who had labored in advertising andlor TV and were ready to pour their souls into their first chance to crack into the big-time); in selecting stars (minor- league rockers , unbankable actors, occasionally even non-professionals) who would illuminate, rather than out- shine, the all-important screenplay. When all the elements coalesced-as they did frequently for Puttnam in the Seventies as he moved from That'll Be the Day to The Duellists to his Chariots 76

triu mp h- it ma de for an admirable, That Coke later washed Ray Stark. orga nic approac h to mov ie making. And its hands ofPuttnam as ofte n as not, it was Puttn am , artfully and welcomed Stark pull ing all the strings, w ho e me rged the star himse lf. back into the fold is just show biz. Ye t, while Puttn am was ro utin e ly laud ed in Britain , he \\-vas just as regu- la rl y h umili ate d in H oll ywood. A n ea rl y foray into the heart of the dark- ness- a stint in the Seve nties as pres i- de nt of Casab lanca F ilmworks- e nd e d disp iritin gly. Puttnam fe lt uncomfort- able with the expl oitati ve success of Midn ighT Express and ineffec tu al am id the com promi ses of Foxes. And even afte r C hariot's laurels, he still had to go beggin g to fi nd fin ancing fo r hi s next film , Loca l Hero. And so whe n Pu tt- nam re turned in '86 to overh aul Colum- bi a, he was, in the simples t se nse , more of an aggrieved producer th an an e ne r- gized exec utive . If he had a pri vate agend a, it was to vind icate hi s spec ial brand of bouti q ue filmm akin g at the expense of the machine-tooled e nter- tainme nts with which he had always competed . I t was not an u nnoble goa l. Both above and be low the line , a lot of indu stry types were cheering him on. Princeton University Press The Hitchcock Romance Breaking the Glass Armor Love and Irony in Hitchcock's Films Neoformalist Film Analysis Lesley Brill Kristin Thompson Lesley Brill presents Hitchcock as a deeply Here Kristin Thompson \" defamiliarizes\" the conventional. thoughtful, and rather soft- reader with eleven different films. Neoformal- hearted filmmaker, whose movies convey an ism encourages the critic to deal with each affectionate, hopeful understanding of human film differently and to modify his or her nature and the redemptive possibilities of love. analytical assumptions continually. In an accessible study that speaks to all Hitch- Although neoformalist analysis is a rigorous, cock enthusiasts, as well as to film profession- distinctive approach, it avoids extensive spe- als, Brill discusses Hitchcock's work as a whole cialized vocabulary and esoteric concepts. and examines In detail twenty-two of the films, The book's overarching purpose, however, is from perennial favorites like North by North- to propose new ways of looking at cinema as a whole. west to neglected masterpieces like Rich and Strange. Paper: $19.95 ISBN 0-691-01453-1 ICloth: $24.95 ISBN 0-691-04D55-9 Cloth: $65.00 ISBN 0-691-06724-4 AT YOUR BOOKSTORE OR II Princeton University Press 41 WILliAM sr. • PRINCETON, NJ 08540 • (609) 451-4900 • ORDERS 800-PR5-ISBN (m-471.6) 77

But Puttnam simply lacked the politi- The Adventures of Baron Munchhausen = Ishtar? cal savvy to steer through the shark- infested waters. His impolitic cam- He'd learned his lesson paign against agents, packaging, and the hard way: He'd inflated budgets made for good copy, steer clear of and in their hearts , many knew that he established directors was right, but it was no way to win and boxoffice stars. friends or influence the powers that be . Compounding his difficulties , Putt- nam also insisted on going public with his hav ing signed on for no more than a three-yea r term . In effect, he was signaling that he hadn't entirely sold out, that hi s future didn ' t depend on the pleasu re of some corporate overseer. That sort of limited loyalty didn't play with Coke-especially once the furious complaints began rolling into Atlanta. \"David's single problem was that his private agenda became his pub- lic agenda, and that ultimately caused Coke and Herbert Allen to turn nega- tive on him ,\" Fay Vincent, the Colum- bia chairman who brought Puttnam into the company, tells Yule. \"My rec- ollection is that the difficulties related to things David said rather th an the thin gs David did.. .. I think everyone agreed with his principal points, but saying it publicl y is like announcing you' re going to land at Normandy. Costs were toO high , we were paying more mainstream commercial slate. But, then , Katzenberg and Pollock are pe0ple too much, there was too much prod ucts of the system-they know how to operate within its strictures, when to control by agents-it was a great strat- give way, when to hold the line. egy, but why talk about it?\" Puttnam chose to play the prophet, hurling jeremiads at the Philistines The irony is that the Puttnam pro- who had defiled the temple of cinema. For his trouble, he wrested temporary gram, drained of his personal invest- custody of the keys to the kingdom , but in the end he was still the unwelcome ment in public vindication, has been outsider. The films he did put into production, a decidedly mixed lot quietly put into place at several other forged under less-than-ideal circum- stances, did not bear witness to his own I studios. Disney's Jeffrey Katzenberg vision. But as is often the prophet's fate, Name________________________ I might lack Puttnam 's socially conscious the ringing words he left behind con- tinue to resonate and are sure to haunt I taste, but he has been just as adamant the town that spurned him for some AddresSi____________________ I I in controlling script development , time to come. ® whittling away at budgets, and stand- ----------------------1I ing up to the agents. Similarly, Tom I Pollock at Universal has tried to make City ------------------------ I packaging serve the studio, rather than State ___________ Zip -------- II the agencies, by devising new financial MAIL Video Yesteryear, Box C - 60 I formulas, while pursuing a release schedule that protects quirky and auda- TO: Sandy Hook, CT 06482 I cious choices by mixing them into a ----------------~



Quiz #35: Odd Couples For Q UIZ #35 , you are asked to match 1. Woody by Frank 26. Mario? No, Ida the odd couples listed below by solving 2. Luana on Lindsay 27. Yo-Yo met David a simple rebus. In each item the sur- 3. Adam on Susan 28. Adele is Jean name of the first person plus the con- 4. Pat or Mary 29. Fredric and Nancy necting word equals the su mame of the 5. Scott & Beth are Richard 30. Carlos in a Giulietta second person. Example: Prester's on 6. Roseanne is Chuck 31. E verett is Kell y Ly ndon (Johns' on = Johnson) . Mostare 7. Reginald with Regin ald 32. Shen, am I Yoshie? bona fide movie people whose names 8. Irma! Off Steven! 33. David and a Carmen can be found in such standard reference 9. Manute and Mary 34. Kenneth ? No, Antonio works as The New York Times film 10. Clara, i.e. , David 35. Ole M. bit Evelyn indexes and the French 900 auteurs 11. Jean-Louis et Paule 36. Solomon , get Debra d' aujourd' hui. A few entries (numbers 12. Richard on Jean 37. Ayn-one Salvo 6, 9, 18 , 23, 27, 38, 50) contain the 13 . Teri is on Greg 38. Eva had Ahmad names of TV celebrities, basketball 14. Peter B's child George 39. Aldo nor Hal players, cellists , Hawaiian singers, 15 . Jack wins Leslie 40. Chief Yellow's on Paul Czech authors, fictional characters, and 16. Nadia's on Kathryn 41. King, tell Alfred FBI directors. The submission with the 17. Rosemary on Rex 42. Dany as Tell y most correct answers is the winner; we 43. Maria, hammer Edmund bet nobod y gets all 50! Send your 18. Don over J Edgar 44. Jack met Hazel answers by February 5, 1989 to: FILM 45 . Marilyn! Off Vladimir! COMMENT Quiz #35 , 140 West 65th 19. Baby, by Ryo 46. Rene van Giulio Street, New York , New York 10023. 20. Elton's on Carmencita 47. Alan a/kJa Kinu yo Winners of Quiz #34 will be 21. Walter, do Katy 48. Bobby, every Dale announced next issue. 22. Nigel Ash in a Sandra 49. George , I am Warren 23. Joseph under a Milan 50. Robe rt's on Robert 24. Lam hung Eric 25. Georgia, say \"Howard\" Contributors c le Films: p.55(l). Co lumbi a: p.78. \" Mr Zhang\", etc. There are only two Jack Barth is a Fre nch philosopher. Oh Delacorte Press: p.76, 77 . Film Society of exceptions to this rule: the Chinese who wait, that's Roland Barthes. Graham Fuller Lincoln Ce nte r: p.47(2), 53(3), 56. First have western 'Christian ' names (Jac kie is a free lance film journali st based in New Run Films: p.2, 4(1,2). Island : p.54(4). Chan , Ann Hui , Allen Fong, etc) and the York . Stephen Harvey is an ass istant cura- Courtesy Jon Jost: p.42. LBS Communica- few Chinese who invert their names to meet tor of the Museum of Modern Art's Depart- ti ons: p. 71. IIIG!\\ l/u s: p.33(1). Michael western expectations (Nansun Shi). Mic- me nt of Film . Annette Insdorf, professor Levine Public Re lations Corp: p.47(1 ). Mir- hael Singer gets this right in his profile of and director of und e rgratu ate film studies at amax : p.29(1). N BC: p. 68(2). New Line : Chow Yun-Fat, but it's wrong throughout Columbia Uni ve rsity, is the author of Fran- p.9 , 10, 11 , 12,(1 ,2), 14. ewWorld : p. 28(2). the rest of the magazine-not only in the cois Truffaut , which will be re issued in an Orion: p.54(3), 55(l), 58(4), 60(3). Orly Midsection, but also in Elliot Stein's Miami upd ated ed ition by Simon & Sc hu ster in Film: p.17, 18, 20, 22 . Paramount: p. 28(l), Festival report, Harlan Jacobson's Berlin 1989 . Karen Jaehne is a ew York-based 52(1,5,8), 60(7). Courtesy Syd ney Pollack: report and Armond White's New Directors freelance write r. IndepelJd e nt filmmaker p.30. Courtesy Yvonne Rainer: p.44(1). report. \" Jon Jost's most rece nt feature , Rembrandt Co urtesy Ri c k Sc hmidt: p.43. Sovex- Lau g hin g , cOS t $ 10 ,000. L a urence portfilm: p.23. By He nry Trettin: p.75. We knew this, but in all the excitement Kardish is curator, departme nt of film , the Tri-Star: p.33(2), 34(2), 52(4). 20th Ce n- we fucked up the execution. Heartfelt apol- Museum of Modern Art . Lawrence tury-Fox: p.35, 46(2), 53(2), 58(2), 60(1). ogies to all whose monikers were mangled. O'Toole is a freelance writer who contrib- United Arti sts: ' p.58(5), 60(2). Unive rsal: utes a column on film to 7 Days. Jay Scott is p.28(4), 32 , 48(1), 51 , 53(4), 54(2), 60(10). Other name problems: film critic for the Toronto Globe and Mail. Vestron: p.54(1). Walt Disney: p.52(2), We should have noted that Lau Kar Wing, Amy Taubin writes about film and TV for 53(1). Warner Bros.: p.29(2), 31, 46(1), the director of the Chow Yun Fat film Scared Th e Village Voice. Beverly Walker is a 52(3,6), 55(3),58(1,3),60(4,5 ,6,9). Stiff, is better known Stateside as Liu Chia screenwriter and journali st based in L. A. Yung, brother to Liu Chia Liang and a Armond White writes for ew York's Paper \"MADE IN HONG KONG\" noted kung fu artiste of the Seventies . and City Sun . Anne Williamson writes CORRECTIONS Also, the director of Rouge , Kwan Kam abo ut Sov iet cultural affa irs. He r work has Pang, will be more familiar to Western festi- appeared in The Walk Street Journal. Tony Rayns points out the April issue's val hoppers as Stanley Kwan , \" new Wave\" Midsection, \"Made in Hong Kong,\" was auteur of Love Unto Waste , which was even Photocredits linguistically flawe d : mentioned elsewhere in the Midsection. Briti sh Film Institute: p.15, 16. Courtesy Sheesh! James Benning: 44(2). CBS: p.68(1). C han- \"The Chinese normall y write their To top it all off, two English names were ticleer Films: p.28(3). Cine San Ju an: p.6. names with the surname first. Hence, Tsui misspelled in the Midsection \" thank you\" C ineplex Odeon: p.52(7), 60(8), 64,66. C ir- Hark is \" MrTsui\" (not \"Mr Hark\"), Ching graph : Thanks again to Ian Buruma and Siu-Tung is \"Mr Ching\" , Zhang Yimou is Richard Meyers. 80



, A~ \" Marl~oro Marlhoro LIGHTS 100's LIGHTS \"\"\"'.OT\". ... O..... E~EO TAR r.. NICOTINE: \"\"COl1t\\t[ / © Philip Morris Inc. 1988 Kings &100's Soft: 10 mg \"tar:' 0.7 mg nicotine avoper cigarette. FTC Report Feb.'S5 - 100·s Box: 11 mg \"tar:' SURGEON GENERAL'S WARNING: Smoking O.Smg nicotine avoper cigarette by FTC method . Causes Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema, And May Complicate Pregnancy.


VOLUME 25 - NUMBER 01 JANUARY-FEBRUARY 1989

The book owner has disabled this books.

Explore Others

Like this book? You can publish your book online for free in a few minutes!
Create your own flipbook