Ullmann and Josephson are remarkable in this excellent but astonishingly exasperating character drama. Farewell Ingmar. Glasgow Film Theatre. Glasgow. Saw II (18) 0. (Darren Lynn Bousman. US. 2005) Tobin Bell. Lyriq Bent. Tim Burd. John Fallon. The Jigsaw Kiiller is back in this sequel to last year‘s grizzly sleeper horror hit. Selected release. Scorched (PG) 0.. (Gavin Grazer. IS. 2002) Paqu Costanzo. Woody Harrelson. Alicia Silverstone. 89min. See review. page 50. UCI. Edinbufigh. Separate Lies ( I5) coo (Julian Fellowes. UK. 2005) Tom Wilkinson. Iimily Watson. Rupert Everett. Hermione Norris. 85min. Intense. talk-heavy marital drama that. like Poliakoff‘s Close My Eyes attempts a dissection of modem British middle-class mores. The performances of all involved are excellent. (‘ineworld Renfrew Street. Glasgow. Glasgow. A Shark in the Head (Sralolt v hlave) ( I5) (Maria Prochazkova. Czech Republic. 2004) ()ldrich Kaiser. Jana Krausova. Krist na Leichtova. David Maj. 75min. ()ldrich Kaiser plays a peculiar man who spends all day standing by the window in his boxer shorts. with his whole world in front of him. A humorous film based on a set of real events and the strange things that people become obsessed by. Part of New Czech Cinema. Glasgow l-‘ilm Theatre. Glasgow; Film/rouse. Edinburgh. Sky High (PG) 0. (Mike Mitchell. US. 2005) Michael Angarano. Kurt Russell. Kelly Preston. Danielle Panabaker. 100mm. This film is set in a world where superheroes are commonly known and accepted. and sortie superkids in a high school try to balance their special powers with their normal needs. A lacklustre comedy X-Men for kids. Showcase ( 'inema. (‘mtllzl‘itlgu Glasgow: Songs from the Second Floor ( IS) .0. (Roy Andersson. Sweden. 2001) Lars Nordh. Stefan Larsson. Torbjorn Fahlstrom. 98min. Andersson‘s Cannes prize-winning first feature film in 25 years comprises a series of beautifully composed vignettes. each scene shot in a single long take. Unscripted and using first time actors. it offers a snapshot of the lives of various characters. A long serving employee clings desperately to his boss‘ leg. pleading for his job back; a man with the wrong skin colour is the victim of a racist attack and a magician unintentionally saws a volunteer in half. A witty observation on the absurdity and vulnerability of the human condition, Songs From the Second Floor is at its best intelligent. moving and funny. Edinburgh l-‘ilm Guild. Edinburgh. Sophie Scholl: The Final Days (PG) .0” (Marc Rothemund. Germany. 2005) Julia Jentsch. Fabian Hinrichs. Gerald Alexander Held. Florian Stetter. l20min. SchoIl was a member of the non- violent Vv'hite Rose resistance movement in Nazi Germany. She was arrested on 18 February. 1943. while distributing leaflets at the University of Munich. Four days later Sophie. her brother Hans and their friend Christoph Probst guillotined in the convict prison Munich-Stadelheim. This low key drama. based almost entirely on transcripts from Scholl‘s interrogations and trial. is a powerful. unsentimental and simple investigation into the potency of ideals and the cowardice of faltering powerbases. Well worth seeking out. Glasgow Film Theatre. Glasgow: Step into Liquid (U) (Dana Brown. US. 2003) 87min. Surfing and thrill lovers alike will lap up this invigorating ride through the fierce waves of ()ahu‘s North Shore to Ireland and Rapa Nui. Voices of legends join everyday surfers in this film by the makers of Endless Summer. Part of Wipeout. I'ilntltouse. Edinburgh. Stoned (15) .0. (Stephen Woolley. L'K. 2005) Leo Gregory. Paddy Considine. David Morrissey. Tuva Novotny. Monet Mazur. I02min. Producer Woolley (Mona Lisa. The Crying Game) kicks off his directorial debut in the last year of Rolling Stone Brian Jones“ (Gregory) life when he has semiretired in Sussex. Jones‘ road manager Tom Keylock (Morrissey) has just installed unwitting Cockney builder Frank
Pusher II: With Blood on My Hands
(Considine) in the house to look after Jones so he doesn’t have to. As the two become friends. Jones is unaware that Frank‘s may just be the last face he sees. Enjoyany watchable cross between Losey‘s The Servant and Roeg/Cammell‘s Performance. A garrulous. evocative drama undone by a couple of weak central performances from Gregory and Considine. Cineworld Renfrew Street. Glasgow. Glasgow; Showcase Cinema. Paisley. Paisley.
Taj Mahal: An Eternal Love (12A) ooo (Akbar Khan. India/Pakistan. 2005) Pooja Batra. Kabir Bedi. Sonya Jehan. Arbaaz Khan. l67min. Khan‘s film is purportedly the most expensive ever made in Bollywtxxl. It's a period drama set in the Mughal era and recounts the love story behind the building of India's most famous building. In essence it's a sword and sandals epic done Bollywood style. The story about a crown prince willing to give up his kingdom for love is reminiscent of Shakespeare‘s Anthony and Cleopatra. except in this film the lovers are bltxxl relatives. Given the kitsch reputation of Bollywood it will surprise the uninitiated to learn that this movie is actually far more adept at dealing with the cold power struggle between father and son than it is at revelling in the love story. Alas. after an impressive opening salvo in which Aurangzeb (Khan) overpowers Shah Jehan (Bedi) it‘s tediously the less well-told romance that dominates the movie for its three hour running time. UCI Edinburgh. Edinburgh.
Three Brothers (Tre tratelli) ( I5) (Francesco Rosi. Italy/France. I980) Philippe Noiret. Charles Vanel. Michele Placido. I l Imin. Three siblings — a Rome magistrate. a schoolteacher and a trade union activist — go back to their roots in a southern Italian village to attend their mother‘s funeral. Interesting ensemble drama from eclectic director Rosi. Part of Rosi Season. Film/rouse. Edinburgh.
* Tickets ( 15) em (Abbas Kiarostami. Ken Loach. Ermanno Olmi. Italy/Uk/Iran. 2005) Carlo Delle Piane. Valeria Bruni Tedeschi. Silvana De Santis. Martin Compston. Gary Maitland. I l5min. See review and profile. page 49. Glasgow I-‘ilm Theatre. Glasgow; Eilmhouse. Edinburgh.
The Tigger Movie (U) coo (Jun Falkenstein. US. 2000) 77min. Identical in many ways to 1977‘s The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. this new yarn based on
AA Milne's characters finds Pooh. Piglet. Tigger et al still living a charmed life of tea parties and aftemoon naps. Only this time. the wee stripy fella‘s decided being one of a kind isn‘t quite as cool as he'd first thought and so a literal quest for the Tigger Family Tree ensues. A happy ending eventually makes its presence felt. because even Tigger is smart enough to recognise that with friends like Pooh. Piglet. Roo and Eeyore. who needs family? Grost‘enm; Glasgow.
To Forget Palermo (Dimenticare Palermo) ( 18) O” (Francesco Rosi. Italy. I990) James Belushi. Mimi Rogers. Joss Ackland. 100min. An Italian-American political candidate comes on a honeymoon trip to Sicily and discovers that the beautiful scenery hides a corrupt society. Part of Rosi Season. Filmhouse. Edinburgh. The Transporter 2 (15) ooo
(Louis Leterrier. France/US. 2005) Jason Statham. Alessandro Gassman. Amber Valletta. 87min. This time around. chauffeur Frank Martin (Stratharn) takes on kiddie kidnappers and bio-terrorism but. as ever. the plot is just a bonus. Armoury. technology. drivability and lingerie are the central ingredients of producer Luc Besson‘s preposterous brand of Euro-action thrillers. and The Transporter 2 is one of his best deliveries yet. It ain‘t art. but it does the job. General release.
Up and Down (Horem padem) (15) (Jan Hrebejk. Czech Republic. 2004) Petr Forman. Emilia Vasaryova. J an Triska. Ingrid Timkova. l08min. Award winning movie based on the complicated strains of a broken down family living in a post- comtnunist Czech Republic. With underlying themes of prejudice. class. social confusion and love. this movie makes for a compelling watch. Part of New Czech Cinema. Glasgow Film Theatre. Glasgow; Film/rouse. Edinburgh.
Wallace 8 Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (U) «00 (Nick Park/Steve Box. UK. 2005) Voices of Peter Sallis. Ralph Fiennes. Helena Bonham Carter. 85min. The long-awaited feature- length debut for Park's plasticine master and mutt Wallace & Gromit. is to coin a phrase. a grand day out. This time. the cheese-loving Wallace and his canine chum have reinvented themselves as a humane pest-control outfit — ‘Anti-Pcsto‘ and there's a mysterious ‘were-rabbit' on the prowl at the local neighbourhood Giant Vegetable
This may be your last chance to catch this very good sequel to 1996 Danish gangster hit Pusher. A simple tale of nihilism, stupidity and redemption, this is one matinee that’s well worth skiving off work for.
I Cameo, Edinburgh (mat/nees only from Fri 9 Dec).
competition. Knowing fun for all the family. General release
* Where the Truth Lies (18) 0”. (Atom Fgoyan. Canada/U K/US. 2005) Kevin Bacon. Colin Firth. Alison Lohman. Sonja Bennett. 107mm. See interview. page 48. and review. page 5|. Selected release.
Wrong Side Up (Pribehy obycelneho silenstvi) (PG) (Petr Zelenka. Czech Republic/Germany/Slovakia. 2005) Ivan Trojan. Zuzana Stivinova. Miroslav Krobot. 100min. His father used to be a narrator for Communist newsreels. his mother is paranoid about war rationing. his ex- girlfriend rejects him. his boss has a fetish for shop mannequins. and his neighbours pay him to watch them have sex. A funny story about a middle-aged man called Petr (Trojan) and the strange world he lives in. Pan of New Czech Cinema Season. Film/rouse. Edinburgh.
Zatoichl ( I8) 0.” (Takeshi Kitano. Japan. 2003) Beat Takeshi. Michiyo Ookusu. Taka Gatarukanaru. 1 16min. Having reinvented the cops and yakuzas genre. Kitano makes a stab at doing likewise with the samurai film. and once again slices through conventions like a knife through butter. Here he brings his master strokes to the 19th century Japanese hero Yatoichi. a blind swordsman made famous in the Shintano Katsu film series which ran I962 ~89. The new Zatoiclii is full of Kitano-ster tonal changes between comic and violent. tender and graphic. Meanwhile. the fights become ever more dynamic as 7.atoichi. helpinga remote mountain town that's being terrorised by the Ginzo gang. and his nemesis. the ronin llattori (Tadanobu Asano) who‘s been hired by Ginzo to enforce his rule. draw closer for the final battle. It's cutting edge stuff. Eiltnltouse. Edinburgh.
Zelary ( 12A) m (()ndrej Trojan. Czech Republic/Slovakia/Austria. 2003) Anna Geislerova. Gyorgy (‘serhalmi. Jaroslava Adamova. 150mm. When Eliska and her fiance join a Resistance cell in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia. they are forced to go into hiding. She escapes to the mountains with a patient who vows to protect her. and marries him in order to throw the Nazis off her scent. A moving love story set in WWII. Part of New Czech Cinema. Film/rouse. Edinburgh.
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