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NEWS photo Paul McGrath

Madness, murder come to NV

A GOTHIC thriller of madness and murder opened last week at Presentation House Theatre.
Gaslight, the classic Victoria thriller first performed in London in 1938, follows the relationship
between a woman and her “deting’’ husband who attempts to drive her to madness. The cast
includes Christy Dunlop (kneeling in foregrcund) as Mrs. Manningham, Bill MacDonald as Mr.
Manningham, Carole Higgins (back, left) and Brenda McDonald. Tickets for the play, directed by
Elie Savoie, are $10 for adults and $7 for students and seniors. Phone 986-1351 for reservations.

High Hopes *** % (Academy
House Video) Rated R

LD AGE ain't for
sissies.
Mrs, Bender (Edna

Dore) is widowed, in failing health
and neglected both by society and
her own children. Her son Cyri!
(Philip Davies) is a disillusioned
Marxist who fears raising children
in Thatcher's Britain, despite the
maiernal urgings of his optimistic
mate, Shirley (Ruth Sheen).

Her daughter, Valerie (Heather
Tobias) is a shrill, pathetic, aspiring
yuppie driven to bouts of hysteria.
And Martin (Philip Jackson), her
loutish son-in-law, equates hap-
piness with a fat wallet and a bit
on the side.

The acting by the unknown cast
is uniformly superb. Although the
events are realistically depressing
(this dysfunctional family makes
the folks in Accidental Tourist look
well adjusted), writer/director
Mike Leigh diffuses the grimness
with large helpings of humor and
compassion.

Die Hard 2: Die Harder ***
(20th Century Fox) Rated R (at
the Park & Tilford, West Van,
Granville, Oakridge, Station Sq.,
Scott 72, Coquitlam and Clear-
brook cinemas)

Pretty soon John McClane
(Bruce Willis) will be avoiding alt
public places. It seems that, every
time he enters a large gathering,
terrorists endanger his wife Holly
(Bonnie Bedelia) and force the cop
into a gruelling contest of wits and
fire power.

Two years ago it was inside an
unfinished highrise. This Christmas
finds McClane milling with the
crowd at Washington International
Airport waiting for his wife’s plane
to land when ... deja vu.

That old standby, the Latin
American drug sultan (Franco
Nero) is being extradited to the
U.S. when a deranged American
mercenary, Col. Stuart (William
Sadler) executes a daring intercep-
tion. With military precision, he
cripples the centred tower, de-
manding the drug trafficker and a
fuelled 747.

Once again, John is the right guy
in the wrong place at the wrong
time. Flying solo, our reluctant

film review

hero races against the clock to
prevent those airborne holiday
travellers, including Holly, from
dropping into the Potomac River
like snowflakes.

While this is a better film than

the original, Die Harder doesn’t
think harder. It repeats the origi-
nal'’s errors by surrounding wise-
cracking John with loud-mouthed
dolts in unlikely positions of
authority. They serve no purpose
except as obvious comic targets.

The stunt work and effects are
amazing, especially in the climatic
battle on the wing of a taxiing
jumbo jet. Despite its shortcom-
ings, if it’s brainless slam-bang ac-
tion you crave, look no further
than Die Hard 2.

NORTH SHORE VIEWS

West Van Odeon: Die Hard 2,
Ghost Dad, Back to the Future III,

ves

eo"
sRefreshments anyone?

~ Popeye Pizza 8” individual

Caesar Salad

Seafood Croissant
Mix ’n Match Pasta

565
54g
$59
$675

Pick your pasta, pick your sauce

Boston Pizza

Were not just pizza ariynore.

10678 Marine Drive
North Vancouver

984-0407

25 — Wednesday, July 25, 1990 - North Shore News

Queen of Angels is
a mind-stretching read

From page 23
seen novel, the thratlecimy stery
Quecn of Angels Warner
Random House: 420 pps

In the year 2047, human
socienes have been transtormed
by two major developments.

The first is nano-technology: the
engineering ot biological micro.
machines capable ot performing
tasks ranging trom delicate surgery
to the consteuction of entire cities
-— and self-reproduction.

The second, and perhaps morc
important, is the perfection and
universal avatlability of advanced
psychotherapy. Those who avail
themselves of this treatment are
not programmed in che Big
Brother sense but are instead
purged of ability-crippling
neuroses, tendencies to violence
and other psvcholoical toxins.

Ninety-five per cent of all crimes
can now be solved thanks to mi-
croscopic sensing machines and
other high-tech police techniques.
Indeed, crimes are relatively few,
violent crimes rare and murder
rarer still.

That’s why the mass-slaying of
eight men and women in a trendy
Los Angeles apartment shocks the
public and warrants a temporary
upgrade to full-time work tor L.A.
police detective, Mary Eng.

Queen of Angels is certainly the
more intriguing, more adroitly
handled of the two sci-fi titles
revievred this week. Bear has
taken the time to develop a logi-
cal, multi-layered plot and to in-

superb

The Adventures of Ford Fairlane.
Park Royal: Dick Tracy, Days of
Thunder, Gremlins 2.

Park & Tilford: Die Hard 2,
Rokocop 2, Back to the Future ill,
The Jetsons, Ghost Dad, Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtles, Bird on a
Wire, The Adventures of Ford
Fairlane.

Showtime Hotlines: Famous
Players 681-4255, Cineplex Odeon
687-1515. ;

LAPULSE THEATRE COMPANY
. presents 4
FAMILY SQUABSLES @ PEANUT SHELL B

a
The Anne MacDonald Hall, (Presentation House)
333 Chesterfield Ave., N.Von.
ve. Perl, dug. 2,3,4,586 Doors open 7:30 p.m.
: RESERVATIONS CALL 263-3315
Tickets $6 generol, $3 students

Passion. Sensuality
Pleasure. Sin,
Just another night in the country

VALMONT

A MILOS FORMAN FILAt

AUIS maT. HIN RULE TEU AT
OETA A Se
Bi oy
2 BARNET a ELH
aMuEnE ate oo EN BUCA
2. Buty Pera
so FRTEOUR THREES URNS
DBO Ran QB me + Onion

troduce a complex Character, the
highly unusual Erg.

Atte same time, the author has
Interwoven other commanding
themes into this tale.

As earthbound experts delve in-
to the warped psyche of a
murderous poct, Crossing new
frontiers in the human brain, other
scientists are sevking to ignite ar-
tificial intelligence in a supercom-
puter exploring a lide-beanng
planet near Alpha Centauri.

In the process, both groups pro-
vide insights into the nature of
cognitive evolution.

The result of this multifaceted,
thoughttul attention to detail is
speculative fiction at its best: ab-
sorbing, mind-stretching, enter-
taining and, above all, unsettlingly
plausible.

The Real Good
taste of Wine
and Beer ...

BERET y.

... With

|

| Less
Han 240
; ALCOHOL

Featuring:
COLD DE-ALCOHOLIZED
— BEERS by Becks,
Heineken, Milles,
Anheuser-Busch &
Guinness
— WINES from Germany,
California &
Australia

PPEPEDEPEPEDE PD EDLPRD CEA ITPEDA HO OPE PLP)

Also
COOLERS & CIDERS

1690 Robson St.
(at Bidwell)
682-6335
“OTHER WINE
BEER SHOP |

_ SAVE-ON-FOO DS,&. DRUGS VIDEO DEPARTMENT.

Video Express Ticket Reg. $14.88
Good for 10 Movie Rentals & 1 Free Movie Rental

SPECIAL °4.00

OFF
with coupon

Limit 2 Express Tickets per customer. This coupon
expires on July 28, 1990 at Park & Tilford store only

eaaaeaaeaesn
Park & Tilford Centre Only

agae2eene &
Video Dept. 983-2179