St. Louis Post-Dispatch from St. Louis, Missouri • Page 30

8C SXLDU15 PDST-DiSPATCH Mnnips Review 'The Mean Season' Canadian director Phillip Borsos' movie "The Grey Fox" was a grimly romantic masterpiece, one of the best Westerns in recent years. His American debut, "The Mean Season," is hardly on that level but it is a pretty good thriller that, like The Grey Fox," shows that Borsos has a fine eye for detail. "The Mean Season" is based on "In the Heat of Summer" by Miami Herald reporter John Katzenbach. It is the story of a burned-out crime reporter who gets a long-term Jolt of adrenaline when a serial killer begins calling him on the phone. The newspaper segments were shot at the Herald and It is not Just the location that gives the sense of reality to the scenes in the city room.

There are lots of authentic touches, including a wonderful little interplay between the crime reporter (Kurt Russell) and a woman who sits at the next desk. The first call from the killer comes and Russell is across the room talking to an editor. The woman reporter answers Russell's phone and, apparently on her way somewhere, Kurt Russell and Mariel Hemingway in "The Mean Season." series focusing on historic buildings and family environments will be shown at 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and 1:30 p.m. Thursdays at the library, 6424 Scanlan Avenue.

This week (Feb. 20-21: "Homefirtt," follows a homemaker-heaith-care-service worker to her assignments. Also shown: "The Governor1! Mention. A film tour of the Missouri Governor's Mansion. Free.

Information: 241-2288. CARONDELET BRANCH LIBRARY A feature film festival is being held at 1:30 p.m. Thursdays through Feb. 28 at the library. 6800 Michigan Avenue.

This week (Feb. 21): "Bom Free." The true story of Joy and George Adamson and the lion cub they adopt. Information: 24 1 -2288. UMSL Films are shown at 7:30 and 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays in Room 101, Stadler Hall, University of Missouri-St.

Louis, 8001 Natural Bridge Road. General admission: $1.50. This week (Feb. 15-23): "Richard Pryor Here and Now," Feb. 15-16; "Body Double," Feb.

22-23. Information: 553-5536. LINDENWOOD COLLEGE The Spring Film Series will be shown at 7:30 p.m. on the dates indicated in Young Auditorium on the campus in St. Charles.

Free to Lindenwood students, $1 for others. This week: Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman in "All the President'! Men," Feb. 16; Jane Fonda and Jack Lemmon in "The China Syndrome," Feb. 24. Information: 946-6912.

SHAW'S GARDEN A series of "Nova" science films will be shown at 1:30 and 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Feb. 26 in the Sboenberg Auditorium, Ridgway Center, 4344 Shaw Boulevard. This week (Feb. 19): "Notes of a Biology Watcher A Film with Lewia Thomat." Biologist and award-winning author Lewis Thomas shows how we are all much more individual than we might think by explaining that all our cells are inhabited by the remnants of ancient organisms that took up residence millions of years ago.

Free. 577-5124. HAZELWOOO FAMILY FLICKS "Willie Wonka" will be shown at 7 p.m. Feb. 22 at the Hazelwood Community Center.

1186 Teson Road. Free, but registration required. Information: 731-0980. ALCOHOLISM FILM SERIES The St. Louis Area National Council on Alcoholism (NCA) holds a weekly alcoholism film series from to 9 p.m.

Mondays at the NCA office, 7430 Forsyth Boulevard. This week (Feb. 18): No film, closed for holiday. Next Week (Feb. 25): "Until I Get Caught" and "The Last Prom." A discussion period will follow.

Free. Information: 721-7225. AVIATION SAFETY FILMS Free Federal Aviation Administration safety films at 7 p.m. Sundays through May 19 at the Parks facility, Spirit of St Louis Airport. 532-9131.

mentions to Russell In passing that he has a call "Tell him I'll call him back," he says, impatiently. "I'm not your secretary," she snaps, and strides away. As the tale progresses, it becomes apparent that the killer is Intending to commit five murders. He begins calling Russell at home, and on one occasion the phone is answered by Russell's girlfriend, Mariel Hemingway. She is the focus of a rather weak and Inconsequential subplot she is pressing Russell to escape the filth of Miami and the crime beat and go off with her to Colorado to run a small-town newspaper.

Somewhere along the way, the pace of the movie slows considerably, and somehow it seems longer than it is, perhaps because there Is too much redundant dialogue debating the ethics of Russell's becoming so involved in getting a good story that he loses sight of the fact that he is dealing with a man who is killing innocent people. The debate finally becomes kind of silly, because Russell is by no means trying to keep the guy from getting caught Also, after a rather nice semi-climactic plot twist there is a scene that is very hard to believe. Russell and the killer (Richard Jordan) engage in a bloody life-and-death struggle with Hemingway cowering and screaming to one side. And yet Hemingway, tall to begin with, is sporting her "Personal Best" body and looks as if she could pick both men up and hurl them through the window. Frankly, Mariel Hemingway, a good actress, is just not convincing as a scared little girl.

But on the whole, The Mean Season" is a solid adventure film. It is Just that one wishes, considering the excellent cast and the director, that it were better. (Running time: 1 hour, 48 minutes. Rating: language, violence. At the Clarkson, Cypress, Eureka, Halls Ferry, Kenrick, Ronnie's.) Harper Barnes Review From Page i JAMESTOWN CINEMA Jamestown Road and Highway 67, 741-6119.

1: Turk 162 II: Vision Quest. KENRICK 8 CINE 7505 Watson Road. 962-4505. Beverty Hills Cop. II: Mean Season.

Ill: Heaven Help Us. IV: Mrs. Soffel. Fast Forward. VI: Places in the Heart.

The Natural (Separate admission). Vll: The Breakfast Club. VIII; Fantasia. -KIRKWOOO RKO 338 South Kirkwood Road. 822-0700.

Starman. LEMAY 318 Lemay Ferry Road. 631-1922. City Heat. Friday and Saturday Late Show and Sunday Matinee: The Three Stooges.

MANCHESTER RKO Highway 141 and Manchester. 391-6633. City Heat. II: Starman. MARK TWAIN 4532 S.

Lindbergh. 849-1 700. The Falcon and the Snowman. MINER'S 202 W. Mam, Collinsvilie, 344-0026.

Johnny Dangerously. Saturday Children Series: The Muppets Take Mahnattan. NAMEOKI TWIN Nameoki Shopping Center. Granite City. 877-6630.

Beverly Hills Cop. Saturday Children Series: Star Trek III II: Fast Forward. NORTHLAND CINEMA Northland Shopping Center, W. Florissant Avenue and Lucas and Hunt Road. 383-3366.

Beverly Hills Cop. II: Fast Forward. NORTHWEST PLAZA CINEMA Northwest Plaza Shopping Center, St. Charles Rock Road at Lindbergh, 739-2010. 1: Mischief.

II: Vision Quest. Ill: The Breakfast Club. IV: Beverly Hills Cop. PADOOCK CINEMA RKO 6845 Parker Road. 355-0414.

1: City Heat. II: Starman. PETITE IV CINEMA 1-70 and Illinois Route 1 57, Collinsvilie. (61 8) 344-1 708. Vision Quest.

II: The Falcon and the Snowman. Ill: Mean Season. IV: Mischief. PLAZA TWIN CINE Nova Shopping Center, Camp Jackson Road. Cahokia.

(618) 332-1274. Flamingo Kid. Saturday Children's Matinee: The Last Starfighler. II: City Heat. RITZ 3147 South Grand, 772-9572.

1: The Terminator. II: City Heat. ($1 admission). RITZ B.A.C. Downtown Belleville, (618) 233-3536.

1: Turk 182. II: The Falcon and the Snowman. Ill: Mean Season. RONNIE'S 8 5280 Lindbergh, 843-5335. Beverly Hills Cop.

II: Mean Season. Ill: Tuff Turf. IV: Heaven Help Us. Passage to India. VI: Witness.

Vll: Fast Forward. VIII: The Breakfast Club. ST. ANDREW'S CINE St. Charles.

947-1 1 33. The Terminator. ($1 admission). SHADY OAK 7630 Forsyth, 727-2319. Witness.

SOUTH CITY RKO 4491 Lemay Ferry Road, 892-0600. 1: Turk 182. Friday and Saturday Late Show: The Man Who Fell to Earth. Saturday. Sunday and Monday Matinee: Here Come the Littles.

II: The Cotton Club. Friday and Saturday Late Show: Monte Python and the Holy Grail. SOUTH COUNTY CINEMA South County Shopping Center, Lemay Ferry and Lindbergh, 487-4600. Mischief. II: Vision Quest.

STAR CINEMA 1917 State Street. Granite City, 451-1717. City Heat. ($1 admission). SUNSET HILLS CINEMA Lindbergh and Highway 66, 966-4800.

1: Turk 182. II: Micki Maude. Ill: The Killing Fields. IV: AfT13d6US TIVOLI 6350 Delmar, 725-0220. Feb.

15-16: Metropolis. Feb. 17-19: Once Upon a Time in the West. Feb. 20-21: Les Comperes; Bread and Chocolate.

Feb. 22-23: The Birds; Torn Curtain. Feb. 24-25: Vertigo; Family Plot. TWIN CITY 400 South Truman Boulevard, Crystal City, 937-9663.

1: Fast Forward. II: Mischief. VARSITY 661 0 Delmar Blvd. 725-01 1 0. The Brother From Another Planet.

Friday and Saturday Late Show: Rocky Horror Picture Show. VILLAGE RKO Village Square Shopping Center, Lindbergh and I-270, 895-1050. 1: The Killing Fields. Friday and Saturday Late Show: The Man Who Fell to Earth. II: Turk 182.

Friday and Saturday Late Show: Monte Python and the Holy Grail. Saturday, Sunday and Monday Matinee: Here Come the Littles. Ill: A Soldier's Story. Friday and Saturday Late Show: Eraser Head. WESTPORT CINE 1-270 and Page, 878-8660.

1: Fantasia. II: Passage to India. WOODS MILL RKO Highway 40 and Woods Mill Road, 434-5005. Vision Quest. Friday and Saturday Late Show: The Man Who Fell to Earth.

II: Mischief. Friday and Saturday Late Show: Ladies and Gentlemen, The Rolling Stones. firemen are supposed to leave firefighting up to their on-duty colleagues, and to boot he had been drinking. Hutton tries to argue his brother's cause to the Mayor during a press conference but the Mayor berates him in front of the television cameras, and if you believe a supposedly savvy politican would do something that stupid, you must live in St. Louis.

So Hutton launches a campaign to embarrass the Mayor. Every place Culp shows up to make a re-election speech, huge signs appear insulting the Mayor. Appended to the insults is the signature "Turk 182" the disabled brother's nickname and badge number. Hutton's signs get more and more ambitious, showing up at one point on the scoreboard during a Giants football game. There is very little Indication of how Hutton manages to pull these stunts off, but, fans of the movie will say, "Never Mind." Naturally, everything ends triumphantly.

Perhaps another reason "Turk 182!" is fairly likeable is that it is not mean-spirited, unlike director Bob Clark's big hit, "Porky's," a truly slimy piece of work. And there are some fairly funny bits of satire involving government and union bureaucracy. "Turk!" is the kind of cheerful, harmless, totally implausible movie that goes Just fine with a six pack or two on a Saturday evening, but will bear up under very little scrutiny. (Running time: 1 hour, 38 minutes. Rating: PG-ll At the Chesterfield, Jamestown, RKO Crestwood, RKO Esquire, RKO South City, RKO Village, Sunset).

Harper Barnes 'Turk "Turk 182!" is one of those schmaltzy, totally unbelievable "little man against the system" movies that you hate yourself for sort of liking. One reason the movie partly overcomes enough plot holes for the entire PGA tour is that the people are likable: Robert Urich as a off-duty fireman who was disabled rescuing a baby from a burning building; Timothy Hutton as the fireman's kid brother; Kim Cattrall as a social worker who falls for Hutton. Even Robert Culp, as a presumably corrupt mayor, never seems really evil. That role is reserved for Peter Boyle as the head, of the mayor's security force, and it is fun hating Peter Boyle. The story is that Urich is denied his disability pension because off-duty MumMumujHm ii iBBBMMiuMimiBW i Mm.

mmmmmmmmmmmmimmmmmmti mine i ii.in Film Series NsX Share the spirit Share the refreshment i- -wMmlH SSf risi Warning: The Surgeon General Has Determined I That Cigarette Smoking Is Dangerous to Your Health. -J ST. LOUIS ART MUSEUM- All film series are shown in the museum auditorium in Forest park. Admission $2, Museum Friends unless otherwise noted. Friday Film Theater The current Friday series is called "Richard Burton: Actor." Showings are at 1 :30, 7 and 9:1 5 p.m.

This week (Feb. 15): "Under Milk Wood." (1971) Dylan Thomas' memorable radio play is a portrait of life in the Welsh village of Llareggub, as seen through the poet's eye. With Elizabeth Taylor, Peter O'Toole and Glynis Johns. Special Saturday Show: Another Burton film will be shown at 7 and 9:15 p.m. Feb.

16. "Equut." (1977) Burton stars as a middle-aged psychiatrist who tries to find out why a 1 7-year-old boy blinded six horses. With Peter Firth, Colin Blakely and Joan Plowright. Information: 721-0067. WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY The Filmboard Series is in the Brown Hall Auditorium at the times indicated.

Admission: $2, double feature $3. This week (Feb. 15-24): "The Godfather," at 8:30 p.m. Feb. 15-16 and 2 p.m.

Feb. 17; "The Gauntlet," at midnight Feb. 15-16; "The King of Prussia," at 7 p.m. Feb. 17; "Mr.

Deeds Goes to Town," at 7 and 9:15 p.m. Feb. 18-19; "Sevan Samurai," at 7 and 9:45 p.m. Feb. 20-21; "Splath," at 7:30 and 9:45 p.m.

Feb. 22-23 and 2 p.m. Feb. 24; "Jawt," at midnight Feb. 22-23 and 4:15 p.m.

Feb. 24; "Fail Safe," at 7 p.m. Feb. 24. Information: 653-5148.

WEBSTER UNIVERSITY All films in the Winifred Moore Auditorium, 470 East Lockwood Avenue, Tickets: $2 unless otherwise noted, children and senior citizens $1.50. This week (Feb. 15-24): "The Dresaer," at 7, 9:30 p.m. and midnight Feb. 1 5, and 7 and 9:30 p.m.

Feb. 16; "The Muppets Take Manhattan," at noon, 2, 4 p.m. and midnight Feb. 16; "Death by Hanging," at 7 and 9:15 p.m. Feb.

19; "Twelve Angry Men," at 7 and 9 p.m. Feb. 21 "Burden of Dreamt," shown at 7 p.m. Feb. 22; "Robin Hood," at noon, 2 and 4 p.m.

Feb. 23; "Burden of Dreamt," at 7 p.m. Feb. 23; "Fitzcarraldo," at 8 45 p.m. Feb.

23; "Woyceik," at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 24. Information: 968-7487 or 968-6924. MID-COUNTY BRANCH LIBRARY Films about outstanding women shown at noon Tuesdays at the library, 7821 Maryland Avenue, Clayton.

This week (Feb. 19): "Marie Curie: A Love Story." The life of the Nobel Prize-winning chemist. Also shown: "Never Give Up Imogen Cunningham." A visit with a 92-year-old photographer. Free. Information: 721-3008.

MACHACEK BRANCH LIBRARY A film.