September *'2 (Orion) Rated M

TO PARAPHRASE Woody
Allen, a movie is like a
shark; it has to keep moving
or it dies. What we have
here is a dead shark.

Mia Farrow is the centre of a
turbulent weekend at the end of
August. Five others flit around the
rooms of her summer cottage
where she has been recuperating
from a serious illness.

Her mother, played by Elaine
Stritch, is a bossy, impulsive ac-
tress who has arrived with her lat-
est love, a cynical physicist (Jack
Warden). The tension between
mother and daughter is fierce, due
to a violent incident a couple of
decades earlier. 11 seems Mia shot
her stepfather, a wife-beating thug,
and the trauma has never left the
fragile woman.

Her instability is not helped by
the man she loves. Sam Waterston
is a faiied writer who is deeply in
lust with Mia’s visiting friend,
Diane Wiest. To her credit, Diane
at least feels guilty about betraying
her best friend as well as her hus-
band by encouraging the writer’s
feelings.

Finally, dragging up the rear, is
dog-loyal neighbor Denholm Elliot

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22 ~ Friday, August 12, 1988 - North Shore News

- Excellent
*** . Very Good
**  — Average
* Poor

who has fallen in love with Mia
while he nursed her through the
summer.

Substituting pretentious talk for
one-liners, Woody Allen has
created a very stagey and dull
movie. The characters are cither
whining or pining and, at the end,
not one of them has changed,
which is ironic since they are all
supposed to be starting fresh,
come September. The pace is
lethargic and monotonous. Even
the color is reduced to an unvary-
ing tint.

TIM
BELL

film reviewer

Strangely, Woody must have felt
compelled to tell his story. When
his original cast was unavailable
for some reshooting a few months
after he had completed principal
photography, he hired a new cast
and refilmed the entire script. But
it’s still 82 minutes of dead shark.

Fortunately, Woody has had far
more hits than misses in his dozen
and a half films, all of which are
available on video. Here's the top
five.

Sleeper *** 42 (CBS/Fox)

A hilarious peek into the future
as Allen wakes up 300 years hence
from an unexpected cryogenic deep
freeze. There’s much slapstick and
political jabs as he attempts to win
Diane Keaton and topple the ty-
rannical government. A bouncy
ragtime score makes this one of the
best ‘‘early, funny”? films.

Love and Death ***!4 (CBS/Fox)
Woody is the cowardly Boris,
who finds himself first a war hero

and then a fumbling participant ia

a plot to assassinate Napoleon.
This one has the most one-liners o
his films and is a wild mixture of
Bob Hope, Marx Brothers and
Tolstoy.

Annie Hall **** (CBS/Fox)

The break-through film that
won best picture and remains his
most popular examination of love
and relationships. It was also the

first attempt at tackling something

more than just a series of gags
combining warmth and wit.
Arguably he may have made his
best picture in the process.
Manhattan **** (MGM/UA)

A personal valentine to his
favorite city, Allen shares some
clever insights into the Yuppie
lifestyle before it had a name.
Sweeping Gershwin music and
black and white photography cap-
ture the bittersweet romance
perfectly.

Purple Rose of Cairo *** 2
(Vestron)

Mia Farrow’s dreams come (rue
when a character from a B-movie
steps off the screen and into her
life. Woody’s brilliant concept of
mixing fiction with depression-era
reality offers comedy laced with
poignancy.

48 wake we eee ae ey eT Pe eae
ea & Feagy CRF SIIES
WEST VANCOUVER aeo
choreographer Anna Wyman's
dancers will be performing at An afternoon of Alan
various locations around Van- Ayckbourn comedy comes to Cates

couver in the Summerdance Series
Aug. 15 to 28,

Three free 30-minute shows will
be performed each day at Robson
Square plaza Aug. 15 to 19 and at
Granville Island's courtyard Aug.
20, 21 and 24 to 28.

Wyman’s signature piece Dance
Is...This...And This returns to the
stage for the Summerdance Series,
as will pieces by choreographer
Bengt Jorgen.

As well, audiences will have a
chance to preview Wyman'’s Expo

f 88 repertoire at a premiere Aug. 17
at the West Vancouver Seniors’
Activity Centre.

Curtain is 7 p.m. For more
details on the Expo preview call
926-4375.

ess
Waterfront Park events this
weekend include A Day in

Scotland Aug. 14 from 1] a.m. to
5 p.m. with highland dancing, |
Scottish choral singing and sports.

Sponsored by the Kiwanis Club
of North Vancouver, the day of
Scottish fun features groups such
as the Scottish Folk Singers and
the Scouish Bluebells,

Sharing Waterfront Park with
the Scottish festivities is the Lotus
Car Club of B.C.’s annual exhib-
ition featuring various models of
the British sports car.

The Salvation Army church ser-
vice runs Aug. 14 from 7 p.m. to 8
p.m.

On Aug. 13, a theatrical church
event featuring the heavy metal of
the group Metal Monks runs at the
North Vancouver park stage star-
ting at 2p.m.

Park this weekend.

Courtesy of the North Shore’s
Act I Scene I theatre company,
shows include Between Mouthfuls,
Drinking Companions and Mother
Figure Aug. 14 at 2 p.m..

Directed by group founder
James Doyle, the offerings star,
among others, local performers
Noni Donnelly, David Parent, Jar-
red Blancard and Don Virstuk.

Audience members are invited to

bring a family picnic. Info: 985- B;
2932.
‘i 8 @
Entertainment
Friday and Saturday Nights '

This Weekend 5 |
Gene Garcia

& the Midnighters ; i

(Rhythm & Blues)

The Bistro at

fomiul  § }

157 Chadwick Court
North Voncouver
(Seabus Terminal)

987-4610

MONDAY to SATURD.

MATINEE 2

8 Rear Bales

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Now |
_ PLAYING!

On Until September 10, 1988
QUEEN ELIZABETH THEATRE

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27.508 Nate S48 Student Sertor discount
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Tickets: all VICCCBO outlets.

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an SATURDAY MATENEES 2 pm ¢ Orchestra
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Wednesday Matinee