Mon, Sep 7, 1987
Barry Norman returns to cast a critical eye over the latest cinema releases. Full Metal Jacket (1987) - Stanley Kubrick takes Vietnam as the subject for his latest film. He is renowned for his eye for meticulous detail, but actually shot the entire film in London and the Norfolk countryside. Outrageous Fortune (1987) - Bette Midler and Shelley Long star as a couple of struggling actresses romantically involved with the same man. This crazy comedy involves deadly toxins, the CIA and the KGB. Hope and Glory (1987) - John Boorman wrote and directed this affectionate tale of his own childhood in London during the blitz. Plus a brief round-up of the summer's films.
Mon, Sep 14, 1987
Barry Norman presents his personal review of the week's cinema releases. The Untouchables (1987): Al Capone (Robert De Niro) reigns supreme in Chicago. The time is 1931 - one of prohibition, gang wars and crime syndicates. One man, Eliot Ness (Kevin Costner), is determined to stop Capone. Sean Connery is his first recruit, Brian De Palma directs. Angel Heart (1987): British director Alan Parker talks to Film 87 on the set during the filming of his latest controversial work, which stars Mickey Rourke and Robert De Niro.
Mon, Sep 21, 1987
Barry Norman presents his personal review of the week's cinema releases. La Bamba (1987) charts the tragically short life of rock 'n' roll legend Ritchie Valens. In eight short months he made three top ten records, including La Bamba, recently No 1 in the British charts. Extreme Prejudice (1987) - Nick Nolte portrays a Texas Ranger, and Powers Boothe plays a drug baron. Former childhood friends, they're now on opposite sides of the law. And from New York, Tom Brook reports on the phenomenal success of Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), the hit film in America this summer, and talks to its star, Eddie Murphy.
Mon, Sep 28, 1987
Barry Norman presents his personal review of the week's cinema releases. Angel Heart (1987), written and directed by Alan Parker. Mickey Rourke plays a seedy private detective in a powerful thriller set in New York and New Orleans. Controversy surrounded the film when it was X-rated in America. Parker cut ten seconds to please the American censor. John Huston, the veteran film director, famous for such films as The African Queen and The Maltese Falcon died last month. From the set of Mr. North (1988), a film in which he was to have appeared, Film 87 spoke to his daughter, Anjelica Huston, Robert Mitchum and Lauren Bacall about both the film and John Huston himself.
Mon, Oct 5, 1987
Barry Norman presents his personal review of the week's cinema releases. Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) - Eddie Murphy is back as the young Detroit policeman who has his own unique way of solving crimes. In this sequel, Murphy is back on the glamorous West Coast beat, tracking down drug-pushers and illegal arms dealers. The film has been one of the runaway successes in America this summer. River's Edge (1986) documents the feelings of today's teenagers who are at the crossroads in their lives, a time of decisions affecting their futures, and remaining loyal to old friends. Dennis Hopper portrays an ex-biker, and Crispin Glover the gang leader intent on protecting his best friend.
Mon, Oct 12, 1987
The Belly of an Architect (1987) is directed by Peter Greenaway, who has established a reputation for his unique style of film-making, paying particular attention to the composition of the image. This is his most commercial film to date and stars Brian Dennehy as the architect who travels to Italy to set up an exhibition. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), originally released in 1937, was the first animated feature ever made. Now Walt Disney's evergreen film is being reissued to mark its 50th anniversary. Beyond Therapy (1987): Glenda Jackson and Tom Conti are psychiatrists whose respective clients are Jeff Goldblum and Julie Hagerty destined to meet through an ad in a personal column. Robert Altman directs.
Mon, Oct 19, 1987
The Witches of Eastwick (1987) is a black comedy which tells of the bizarre effect one man has on three women in a small American town. Jack Nicholson is the mysterious stranger, and Cher, Susan Sarandon and Michelle Pfeiffer are the ladies who conjure up their ideal man. Eat the Rich (1987) comes from the Comic Strip team. Set in an imaginary London of the present, stuntman Nosher Powell is given the starring role of Home Secretary, whose debauched lifestyle and extremist views have an unnerving effect on his associates. Who's That Girl (1987) - Madonna's latest comedy. After serving a four-year prison sentence for a crime she didn't commit, Madonna is determined to find the guilty party and exact her revenge. Griffin Dunne becomes her unwitting accomplice.
Mon, Oct 26, 1987
Barry Norman presents his personal review of the week's cinema releases. Aria (1987) gives opera the pop video treatment. Ten of the most innovative directors including Jean-Luc Godard, Ken Russell and Robert Altman, illustrate their chosen arias, with some surprising results. Richard Attenborough is in the studio to discuss his latest film Cry Freedom (1987), the story of Steve Biko, the South African freedom fighter, and Donald Woods, the journalist who uncovered the truth about his death in police custody.
Mon, Nov 2, 1987
Roxanne (1987) is a comedy starring the underrated Steve Martin, who plays a fire chief with an unfortunately large nose. He expresses his love for Daryl Hannah in letters which she believes are written by a more handsome man. Maurice (1987) is the latest production from Merchant Ivory, who once again turn to E. M. Forster for inspiration. James Wilby, Hugh Grant and Rupert Graves play out the complex stages of Forster's own homosexual awakening. Speriamo che sia femmina (1986) is a charming family drama set in a large and dilapidated Italian country house. A strong cast is headed by Liv Ullmann, Philippe Noiret and Catherine Deneuve.
Mon, Nov 9, 1987
The 31st London Film Festival runs from 11-29 November. Tonight, by way of a preview to the event, Barry looks at Sammy and Rosie Get Laid (1987), written by Hanif Kureishi and directed by Stephen Frears; No Way Out (1987), a tense thriller, starring Kevin Costner and Gene Hackman; and Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925), the 1925 version, which is to be shown complete with original tints and technicolor sequences.
Mon, Nov 16, 1987
Surrender (1987): Michael Caine is a successful author sued by a series of wives and lovers. Sally Field is the first woman he meets more interested in the man than his money. A Month in the Country (1987) follows the fortunes of two young men who have been scarred by the trenches of the First World War. Kenneth Branagh and Colin Firth travel to Yorkshire to excavate the past and reclaim their shattered personalities.
Mon, Nov 23, 1987
Presented by Barry Norman Cry Freedom (1987) - Richard Attenborough 's moving tribute to black activist Steve Biko (Denzel Washington) and reporter Donald Woods (Kevin Kline). Innerspace (1987) takes miniaturisation effects to new limits in this comedy starring Dennis Quaid and Martin Short. The Kitchen Toto (1987), a first feature by Harry Hook, is set in Kenya in 1949 at the time of the struggle for independence.
Mon, Nov 30, 1987
Barry Norman presents his personal review of the week's cinema releases. Wish You Were Here (1987) is the story of the sexual awakening of a young girl in a 1950s coastal resort. Newcomer Emily Lloyd was, at 16, the sensation of this year's Cannes Film Festival. Housekeeping (1987) - Scottish director Bill Forsyth (Gregory's Girl) makes his first Hollywood film in which two orphans are raised by an eccentric aunt, Christine Lahti; and Film 87 takes a trip with people who regularly visit cinemas but not always to see films. Plus Alec Guinness visits the studio to discuss his career and upcoming release Little Dorrit (1987).
Tue, Dec 8, 1987
Barry Norman presents his personal review of the week's cinema releases. The Dead (1987) is the last film from director John Huston, who died in August. Based on a short story by James Joyce , the film stars the director's daughter Anjelica Huston. Harry and the Hendersons (1987) is a comedy starring John Lithgow and Don Ameche, whose hunt for the bizarre 'Bigfoot' turns into a quest for its preservation. Little Dorrit (1987) is an epic adaptation of the Dickens novel, featuring the cream of British acting talent, notably Alec Guinness, Derek Jacobi and Joan Greenwood.
Mon, Dec 14, 1987
Masters of the Universe (1987) is a fantasy adventure on the classic theme of good versus evil. The film is based on a cartoon series, which in turn is based on a toy. Phil Collins deserts his drum kit to team up with Julie Walters in Buster (1988), based on the life of Great Train Robber, Buster Edwards. Film 87 spent a day on the location.
Wed, Dec 30, 1987
Barry Norman has seen almost 200 films this year for Film 87 and, amazingly, he's survived the experience. As always, the films catered for a wide taste (or lack of ...) - the comedy of Steve Martin, the violence of Lethal Weapon (1987), the romance of 84 Charing Cross Road (1987) and the nostalgia of Hope and Glory (1987). Will any of these feature in Barry's final choice? Will you agree with his selection? Watch the final take of Film 87, as the cameras prepare to roll for Film 88.
Tue, Jan 12, 1988
Fatal Attraction (1987) - the box office smash in America. Michael Douglas's extramarital affair with Glenn Close is the start of a nightmare relationship. No Way Out (1987), Kevin Costner (The Untouchables) and Gene Hackman share the same girlfriend in a story about an elaborate CIA cover-up. The Glass Menagerie (1987) is directed by Paul Newman, whose decision to film Tennessee Williams's play came after seeing his wife Joanne Woodward and Karen Allen in a stage version.
Tue, Feb 2, 1988
White Mischief (1987) is set in the 1940s in Happy Valley in Kenya, where a group of debauched upper-class expatriates while away the Second World War. Charles Dance, Greta Scacchi and Joss Ackland star in this story of love and murder. RoboCop (1987) - it's the near future, and the crime rate is soaring in America. The ultimate law enforcement machine is put into action to control the situation.
Tue, Feb 9, 1988
Barry Norman presents his personal review of the week's cinema releases. Nuts (1987) - Barbra Streisand is being tipped for an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of an upper-crust New Yorker turned prostitute. Richard Dreyfuss is her lawyer, trying to prove her mental competence to stand trial for the manslaughter of one of her clients. Withnail & I (1987) - A black comedy starring Paul McGann and Richard E. Grant as a pair of out-of-work debauched actors who dream of stardom. It is directed by Bruce Robinson who wrote The Killing Fields.
Top-rated
Tue, Mar 15, 1988
Barry Norman presents his personal review of the week's cinema releases. Baby Boom (1987) - Diane Keaton plays a high-flying executive who finds herself landed with a young baby. How she copes with her charge, her job, her colleagues and her boyfriend are the subject of this comedy. Baby Boom is one of a clutch of films to emerge from Hollywood at the moment and Tom Brook reports on the reasons for this infant outbreak. Director BRUCE THOMPSON Producer JANE LUSH.
Tue, Mar 29, 1988
Sir David Lean was 80 this week. He's one of Britain's most distinguished film directors. His credits include Brief Encounter (1945), Great Expectations (1946), The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), Doctor Zhivago (1965), Ryan's Daughter (1970) and, most recently, A Passage to India (1984). His films have accumulated countless awards and nominations. 'I like telling stories: it may be out of fashion at the moment in some circles, but it has been with us since we lived in caves.' Indeed David Puttnam called him 'the greatest storyteller on film'. Lean is renowned both for his attention to detail and the epic scale of his films. 'I like working for big screen and big cinemas, not tiny art houses.' Barry Norman interviews Sir David Lean about a life of film-making. It includes extracts from his films, and archive footage of him at work.
Top-rated
Tue, Apr 5, 1988
Barry Norman presents his personal review of the week's cinema releases. Broadcast News (1987) - this is set in the cut-throat world of TV news. The rivalry, loves and problems of a group of fiercely ambitious newsgatherers provide the focus for this film. It is heavily tipped for the honours at next week's Oscar ceremony, including Best ' Actor for William Hurt. Three Men and a Baby (1987) - Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg and Ted Danson are carefree bachelors sharing a flat when a baby comes into their lives and creates havoc with their wayward lifestyle. Bette Davis is 80 this week. Film 88 looks back at the career of one of Hollywood's legends.
Mon, May 2, 1988
Bright Lights, Big City. Barry Norman reports from New York where film production is enjoying massive expansion, and now rivals the output of Hollywood. Woody Allen and James Ivory are just two of the directors shooting movies here, taking advantage of the perks the city offers to film makers. And Emily Lloyd, star of Wish You Were Here, is shooting her first American picture, Cookie (1989). Barry Norman visits these and other famous movie locations in the city, and offers sneak previews of the current hits in New York - Bright Lights, Big City (1988), starring Michael J. Fox, and Colors (1988) with Sean Penn and Robert Duvall.
Mon, May 16, 1988
Barry Norman presents his personal review of the week's cinema releases. Ironweed (1987): Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep were both nominated for Oscars for their portrayal of two down-and-outs in America at the time of the Depression. Siesta (1987): An off-beat erotic thriller which stars Ellen Barkin, Gabriel Byrne, Jodie Foster and Grace Jones. Tom Brook reports from the New York location of The House on Carroll Street (1988), which stars Kelly (Top Gun) McGillis and is directed by Peter Yates.
Mon, Jun 13, 1988
Barry Norman presents his personal review of the week's cinema releases. Crocodile Dundee II (1988) Paul Hogan and Linda Kozlowski star again in the sequel to the enormously successful tale of the Australian adventurer. A Handful of Dust (1988) An adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's novel of marital betrayal with James Wilby, Anjelica Huston and Alec Guinness. It was directed by Charles Sturridge, who was also responsible for Brideshead Revisited. In the last programme of this series, a look ahead at the films opening over the summer, both here and in America, which include Eddie Murphy in Coming to America (1988), Robert Redford's The Milagro Beanfield War (1988) and Rambo III (1988). Woody Allen talks about his latest movie, September (1987), which opens in July.