The Birmingham Post from Birmingham, West Midlands, England • 12

12 FRIDAY February 21 1992 The Birmingham Post ON CINEMA Cannon Cinema Quinton 021 422 2562 1 Matinees Snow While and The Seven Dwarfs (U) Eve-nmgs JFK (15) 2 My Girl (PG) 3 Father Ot The Bnde (PG) 4 Star Trek VI (PG) Cannon Cinema Redditch 0527 62572 1 Snow While And The Seven Dwarfs (U) nightly shows ol Double Impact (18) 2 My Girl (PG) 3 Star Trek VI (PG) Sat Sun Matinees The Rocketeer (PG) Special Preview Sun only The Last Boy Scout (18) Capttol Ward End 02 1 327 0528 1 Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs (U) 2: Star Trek VI (PG) 3 Matinees The Addams Family (PG) Evenings Double Impact (18) Kings West Bromwich 021 553 0192 Adverts And Trailers (U) Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (U) My Girl (PG) Star Trek VI (PG) Father ot the Bride (PG) Sun Only The Last Boy Scout (18) Odeon New Street 042 695 5103 Freddy's Dead (18) JFK (15) Bill A Teds Bogus Journey (PG) Double Impact (18) The Addams Family (PG) The Exorcist (18) My Girl (PG) Star Trek VI (PG) Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs (U) Problem Child II (PG) Terminator II (15) Father of the Bride (PG) Frankie And Johnny (15) Highlander (15) Special Previews Sun 23 Feb The Prince Of Tides (15) and The Last Boy Scout (18) Tivoli Station Street 021 843 1556 1: Home Alone (PG) The Pleasure Principle (18) 2 18 Tear Old Schoolgirls (18) Come Make Love With Me (18) Midland Arts Centra 021 440 3838 Flirting (12) Fri Sun 3 30pm 8pm Sat 6pm Prospero Books (15) Fri Sun 6pm Sat 8 30pm Edward Scissorhands (PG) Mon Wed 6pm Tue 8 30pm Shattered (15) Mon Wed 8 30pmTue 8pm The World Ot Hans Christian Anderson (U) Mon 2pm Charlotte's Web (U) Tue Wed 2pm Fantasia (U) Thur 6pm An Enchanted April (U) Thur 8 30pm Triangle 021 359 3979 Thelma A Louise (15) Fri Sat 3pm 11 15pm Sun 3pm Mississippi Mas ala (15) Fri-Sun 6 30pm 8 45pm I Mon Tue 3pm 8 45pmWed Thur 3pm 6 30pm 8 45pm Salaam Bombay' (15) Mon Tue 8 30pm Showcase Cinemas Walsall 0922 22123 1 My Girl (PG) 2 Afraid Of The Dark (18) 3 Father Of The Bride (15) 4 Frank A Johnny (15) 5 Double Impact (18) 6 Star Trek VI (PG) 7: Bill A Ted's Bogus Journey (PG) 8 The Addams Family (PG) 9 Blame It On The Bellboy (12) 10 Problem Child II (PG) 11: JFK (15) 12 Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs (U) Freddy's Dead (18) UCI Marry Hill Centre 0384 78282 Double Impact (18) JFK (15) Frankie A Johnny (15) The Addams Family (PG) Freddy's Dead The Final Nightmare (18) Curly Sue (PG) Blame It On The Bell boy (12) Bill A Teds Bogus Journey (PG) My Girl (PG) Father of the Bride (PG) Star Trek VI (PG) Snwo White and The Seven Dwarfs (U) Problem Child (PG) Director Chair Presentation Tue Only Homicide (15) Saturday Film Club Thunderbirda VI (U) Light House Cinema Wolverhampton 0902 716055 (2pm 5pm) The Addams Family (PG) Fri-Mon 5 30pm'Sat-Thur 3pmTueThur 8 15pm The Two Jakes (15) Fri-Mon 8pm Tue-Thur 5 30pm The Shining (18) Fri 10 30pm MGM Cinemas Arcadian Centre Birmingham 021 622 5551 1 Star Trek VI (PG) Sun Only Star Trek I-VI (PG) 2: Father of the Bride (PG) 3: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (U) Frankie A Johnny (15) Special Preview Sun 23rd The Last Boy Scout (18) 4 My Girl (PG) 5 Blame ft On The Bellboy (12) The Commitments (15) 6 Prob lem Child II (PG) Late show Fri Sat Queen We Will Rock You (PG) 7: JFK (15) 8 Bill A Teds Bogus Journey (PG) 9 The Addams Family (PG) Double Impact (18) iJ rnrmmdaf Tracing Tracy: Steve Martin heads the cast of Father of the Bride and Sarita Choudhury stars in Mississippi Masala Masala spices up an ethnic romance? David attempts an Alfie for the 90s But as an examination of modern sexual relationships it raises considerably less interest than the bank Divorcee Peter Firth is having an affair with vindictive Haydn Gwynne When he meets fellow divorcee Lynsey Baxter he becomes involved with her too Then he adds Gwynne's friend Lysette Anthony to the list Not insists Cohen like some macho stud but as a caring new man He loves them all But as his understand voice-over explains he finds it impossible to love only one This unlikely Don Juan gets his come-uppance but Cohen obviously intends audiences (at least male audiences) to sympathise with his hormonal confusions This is well acted but despicable tosh which stereotypes women into manipulative bitches or forgiving mush-heads and which in a telling insight into male paranoia pairs off Firth with the only non-career woman of the three faces of blind women young Lucas fears for his mother and her friends He wants to protect them and suspects the attacker could be photographer Paul McGann Or so it seems However there's more and less to the plot than meets the eye What we're really seeing are the dramatised fantasies of a child scared he's going blind and jealous about an impending new baby competing for his already distant affections But could this youngster really imagine the gratuitous and extremely nasty nude and slash sequence of his fantasy? Credibility is the least of the film's problems With Edward Fox and Fanny Ardent giving astonishingly wooden performances a clumsy banal work Peploe has no idea how to handle actors and directs the entire catastrophe badly Partly financed with a loan from his local NatWest with The Pleasure Principle (18) writer director producer and psychologist A remake of the Spencer Tracy classic Father of the Bride (12) stars Steve Martin as the dad who discovering his daughter is getting hitched goes into mid-life crisis overdrive as he realises no longer his little girl And despite the cliches shameless sentimentality and rampant unsubtlety an engagingly enjoyable comedy tear-jerker Diane Keaton supplies an unfussy performance as the excited but sensible mother newcomer Kimberley Williams is a treat as the daughter and Kieran Culkin proves brother Mac have the monopoly on junior wiseguys The best man is Martin Short so far over the top in orbit as an outrageously camp wedding organiser with an accent which makes Manuel sound like Prince Charles Writer of The Last Emperor and The Sheltering Sky Mark Pe-ploe makes his directing debut from his own screenplay with Afraid of the Dark (18) With a slasher razoring the shot liberal lawyer in Uganda now bitter at what he regards as betrayal by a former black friend and dedicated to regaining his old life and status The relationship also awakens buried prejudices highlighting Nair's observation of Asian bigotry towards the black community Not that folks are any more understanding of his involvement outside his It's Romeo Juliet but with an optimistic if open ending Despite a tendency to cliche stereotype Nair opts to satirise with affection rather than malice While not without sharp and bitter-sweet touches much of this excellent film is geared towards humour particularly the image of themselves as white Ultimately Nair is concerned not with racial distance but with espousing the positive aspects of cultural intermixing the masala of the title in a society where ethnic co-existence is more than a black-and-white issue By MIKE DAVIES Film correspondent Bearing in mind that by the middle of the 21st century white Americans will be an ethnic minority it's perhaps a sign of impending times to find a race conflict movie which doesn't focus on black-white relationships The film in question is Mississippi Masala (15) a barbed but essentially comic inter-ethnic romance from Mira Nair the award-winning Asian director of Salaam Bombay Raised in America after Amin's expulsion of her Asian parents from Uganda through an accidental meeting Mina (Sarita Choudhury) strikes up a romance with Demetrius (Denzel Washington) a go-ahead black American whose cleaning business services the area's many Asian-run motels This doesn't sit well with her father (Roshan Seth) once a big- EXHIBITIONS Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery 021 235 3253 Pre-Raphaelite Sculpture Nature and Imagination in British Sculpture 1848 1914 (Monday to Saturday 9 30am 5pm: Sunday 2pm 5pm) The Goats Gallery 1st Floor Burlington Chambers New Street 021 643 2 624 Photographs by Peter Kandhola Until February 29 (Mon Sat 10am 8pm) Paperpoint Arjo Wiggins Fine Papers 26 CaF thorpe Road Edgbaston 021 825 9091: Work ft Out tor Yourself Designs by Paul Mathews based on psychedelic and early rave culture Until Febru ary 28 (Monday to Friday 9 I5am 4 45pm) Herbert Art Gallery Coventry 0203 832381: Harry Holland Recent Paintings Until February 23 (Mon Sal 10am 5 30pm Sun 2pm-5pm) THEATRE A perfect antidote to the jazz posers MOSCOW STATE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Conductor: Pavel Kogan Soloist Rodney Friend Rimsky-Korsakov: Suite from Le Coq Arensky: Violin Concerto Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition (Concert on 23 February returns only) By NEVILLE HADSLEY Jazz Correspondent Alexandra Theatra Suffolk Street 021 643 1231 The Sound ot Music (ends tomorrow) Birmingham Rep Broad Street 021 236 4455 Hobson's Choice (until March 28) Rep Studio (telephone as above) Down and Out in Pans and London (ends tomorrow) Birmingham Hippodroma Hurat Street 021 622 7486 Cinderella (until February 29) MAC Cannon Hill Park 021 440 3838 Dogs in Honey in Blueprints for the End ol the World (today) Grand Theatre Wolverhampton 0902 29212 Charley's Aunt (until Saturday) Belgrade Theatre Coventry 0203 553055553548 Firestone (until February 29) Arana Theatre Wolverhampton Polytechnic 0902 322380 Trestle Theatre Company in Crime of Love (today) University of Warwick Arts Centra 0203 524524 English Shakespeare Company in Macbeth (until February 25 February 28 and 29) Twelfth Night (February 26 and 27) Sunday afternoon concert ARTE ENSEMBLE Poulenc: Duo for Clarinet and Bassoon Beethoven: Septet THE BEST OF BRITISH JAZZ HUMPHREY LYTTELTON HIS BAND THE RONNIE SCOTTSEXTET KENNY BAKER'S ALL STARS CLASSICAL Xtra AM presents THE SOUND OF PHILADELPHIA featuring THE THREE DEGREES HAROLD MELVIN THE BLUE NOTES THE TRAMMPS ARCADIAN CENTRE (ADJACENT TO BIRMINGHAM HIPPODROME) 24 HOUR PROG INFORMATION 021-622 5551 SEAT PRICES ADULTS 30 CHILDREN UNDER IS VI ARS OF AGE £2 20 ALL SEATS £2 20 MONDAY TO FRIOAV FOR PERFORMANCES COMMENCING BEFORE SPM NO UN ACCOMPANIED CHILDREN ADMITTED AFTER TPM STAR TREK VI The Undiscovered Country (PC) SPECIAL PRESENT ATioN ON SUNDAY STAR TREK I -VI (PC) All Six Movies in One Programme! Starts 1015 am! Boot to avoid disappointment Tickets on Sale NOW1 Steve Martin is the FATHER OF THE BRIDE (PC) Progs Daily 1 SS 4 20 6 45 9 IS Late Shows Fri 8 Sat 1 1 45 DOUBLE IMPACT (18) Progs today 6 40 920 late Shows Fri 8 Sat 1155 MY GIRL (PC) Progs Daily 1 50 4 30 7 00 920 JFK (IS) Please Note This film lasts over 3 hours with NO intermission Progs Daily 105 4 40 8 20 SNOW WHITE AMO THE SEVEN DWARFS (U) Progs Daily 1 40 4 00 6 15 FRANKIE JOHNNY (15) One Prog Daily (Except Sunday) 8 35 PROBLEM CHILD 2 (PC) Progs Dally 130 470 655 9 05 BILL TED'S BOGUS JOURNEY (PC) Progs Daily 1 30 3 55 6 20 8 50 BLAME IT ON THE BELLBOY (12) Progs Daily 1 30 00 6 30 THE ADO AMS FAMILY (PC) Progs Daily 2 00 415 Back by public demand! THE COMMITMENTS (IS) One Prog Daily 8 40 SPECIAL LATE SHOW QUEEN WE WILL ROCK YOU (PC) Plus QUEEN THE WORKS (PC) Late Show Fri Sat 1200 SPECIAL ONE DAY REVIEW Bruce Willis and Damon WayansTn THE LAST BOY SCOUT (IB) One Show Sun at 8 45 Regular Ticket Price Apply ADVANCE BOX OFFICE NOW OPEN 12 NOON TO 7PM EVERY DAY CREDIT CARO HOTLINE 021-622 3323 WthOlWOJFCTlCRnCHhaX'' tit U0IT0Fe AMPLE CAP I OOP SYSTEM flAiYCOUPVTf LUXURY PAflKMO NM1CKIMS MMUCF BOOKING SUING NEARBY FACJUTCS HO SHOOK RULE AUOnBUA rtOCMMMS UV BE JULSCT TO U0T CMAMI The Cinema of Tomorrow -TODAY! says Jordan I'd recorded So What! just like Miles had recorded it 30 years ago it'd be worse because people would say couldn't you come up with a better idea than that?" The interest So What! has unleashed is phenomenal on the day I met Jordan he had interviews lined up for both The Sun and The Mirror which is unheard of for a jazz musician and it's Birmingham this Sunday Jordan is delighted by his crossover bringing jazz to a wider audience and has harsh words for the rest of the jazz scene which he says cares more about technique than audience enjoyment could play a lot faster but people give a damn about how fast you can play anymore There's loads of technically brilliant jazz guitarists out there the sacl thing is their stuff too friendly to the ear proved jazz can cross over it just depends playing it Some players choose to blow out for the whole tune but if you make your music radio friendly then yeah! You can do The Antidote echoes early George Benson and Jordan adds Charlie Christian and Wes Montgomery to the list But also plenty of 90s influences like on Get to Grips can be influenced by someone but you take all of what they've he says of those jazz guitar greats also been influenced by most of been happening over the last few years You he leans forward furtively not strictly a jazz musician I love jazz but I see myself as musician some jazz musicians jazz is an art form But to me if a jazz musician looks at jazz as an art form and starts complaining about money he should be The Ronny Jordan Band is at Ronnie Broad Street on Sunday Today: Birmingham Conservatoire Early Music in the Arena 1pm Sutton Coldfield Town Hall Royal Sutton Opera (Verdi Macbeth) 715pm (talk at 6 45pm) Worcester College of Higher Education: English String Orchestra Neil Mackie Boughton 7 30pm beef is that you have to update jazz I wanna hear another sax player play Donna Lee or Giant Steps or Night In Tunisia rather hear them done by Charlie Parker Johnny Coltrane and Dizzy Gillespie because they're originals Unsurprisingly these are not the words of an old hand but of young London guitarist Konny Jordan brimming with confidence having broken into the top 40 pop charts with a jazz instrumental the first for more than 20 years with So What! the classic Miles Davis tune given a 90s dance treatment and just a taster from new album The Antidote (Island) out next week which approaches the music in a similarly up-front populist way gotta move FRANKIE VALLI THE FOUR SEASONS plus special guests ROCK Tonight: Hazel O'Connor (Wultrun Hall) Band of Gypsies (Breedon Bar) Kathryn Ticked Band (Tam-worth Assembly Rooms) Creaming Jesus This Ragged Jack (JB s) WARSAW PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA Conductor: Kazimierz Kord Soloist Ewa Poblocka Programme includes piano concerto and Strauss ein Heldenleben JAZZ DON WILLIAMS The Legendary Country Music Artist in concert Tonight: Guy Barker Quintet Ronnie Scott's Broad Street 9pm 021 643 4525 Roger Hill Blues Band The Cannonball Adderley Street 021 772 1403 8 30pm Archie Cotterill (solo piano) Feinstem'a New Street 8 30pm BRMB presents AMY GRANT plus special guests ERROL BROWN A Taste of HOT CHOCOLATE Silk Cut City Saturday 29 February THE TOWN HALL 238 'i ti The Norwegian saxophonist cion GiiyiuiH Eberhard Weber Rainer Bruninghaus Marilyn Mazur present Assembly Oirsct Raymond Eubbay presents NATIONAL INDOOR ARENA BIRMINGHAM CLASSICAL Art Antiques Craft FairsShows TOY i TRAIN FAIR Fldrirn Hill I elsure Centre EJarrs R1 Oradley Heath (I mile Old Hill) Tomor row Saturday 22 Feb 1030 3 30 90 tables sold making this the biggest ever fair here Lledo nini toys model rail Admission 60p 4 Op Organised ways etc children 40p Organl MUSIC LIGHTS SPECTACLE SATUAbAYlM MARCH at thom by Webb 0526 398198 From Classics to Clem Miller In aid of the Royal Air Force Association Town Hall BIRMINGHAM Wedneadav 1st April at 730 pm Tickets £8 £7 £6 £1 off RAF A members OAPs and Under 16 Box Office: 021 236 2392 a Indoor Arena Box Offue: 021 633 3333 and lm uiuo PHONE A SMALL AD NOW.