Films screening this fortnight are listed below with certificate, star rating, credits, brief review and venue details. Film index compiled by Paul Dale
The Ant Bullytt‘i 00 tJohn .-\ Day is. I'S. Zoom Jtilia Robcrts. .\'icolas (‘agc. McryI Strccp. 89min. \ct anothcr (‘(iI animation bcstoyy ing lifc Icssons on thc nation's young. 'l‘cn ycar-old I.ucas Iikcs to tormciit atits. tiiitil rcsidcnt ant yy'i/ard /.oc (.\‘icolas (‘agci shrinks him to thcir si/c and tcachcs him to Iiyc as part of thc community rathcr than an indiyidual. Prcdictablc yarn. (.(Illlt'll. Ifi/iiilimjg/I.
* The Asphalt Jungle mm 0.0. (John Htistoii. l'S. I950) Stcrling Haydcn. Louis ('alhcrn. Jcan IIagcn. Sam Jaffc. Marilyn Monroc. I IZniin. Huston‘s frcsth cIcancd up 1950mm noir/Iicist classic fchs as frcsh today as tiittst liayc bccii it thcii. Bascd on WR Burnctt's pulp noy cl and \y ith a blindingly starry cast. tlic story of a botchcd diamond Iicist yy hich brings do“ n charactcrs from cy cry rung of socicty \\ as iiiiiiicasurably influcntial. Although. in thc currcnt climatc. thc political oycitoncs of thc cnding sccni tojat‘. this is a joy and ttndoublcdly‘ onc of Huston's bcst. (ilusumi- I'ilm 'I‘Iii'um'. (i/uygmi‘.
Baabul t IZAI tRayi ('hopi‘a. India. 3000» Amitabh Bachchan. Hciiia Malini. Salman Khan. I50min. Hindi drama from tIic yyritcr/dircctoi' of Kul Ki Aim; about a man u Iio trics to chccr tip his daughtcr in Iayy aftcr his son‘s dcath. (‘iiii'u-urlil Rt'Il/l't’ll' Stri'i'l. (i/uygmi‘.
Barnyard (P( ii 00 (Stcy c ()cdckcrk. PS. 2006! \‘oiccs of Kcyin JatttL‘s. ('ourtcncy (’ox. Sam Iilliott. 89min. (‘oniputcr-gcncratcd animation fcaturc cciitcrcd on thc singIc unfunny prcniisc that farmyard animals do mad things yy Iicii no onc is \yatchitig. With thc cast and \\ ritcrs imoly'cd. this should bc half dccciit. but it’s actually \cry poor. .\lorc iiianurc for minors. Si'li'i'li'i/ I'i'li'it.\i'.
Be with Me 1 13A) .0. itiric Klloo. Singaporc. 3005i lltCl'Csa Poh l.iii (‘Iian. Scct Kcng chy. Ii/ami l.cc. Lynn PoIi. ()Jmin. ()fficiaIIy it's tlircc intcrcut storics about isolation .\Ii'iml In Ili'. So in IJIH’ and l-‘inilinu I.Ul'(' yct halfyyay through. thc rcaI-Iifc story of 'I'hcrcsa (‘Iian is also brought into locus. (ioing dcaf at H. and subscqucntly blind. hcr Iifc story “cay cs with that of .lli'iml In Ili’. 'I‘hc storics folloyy a frUstrating arc and arc rcsolycd uncycnly iii thc last half hour. (i/iisgmr I-‘i'lm 'I‘lu'ulri'. (ilusgmi;
The Believer t Its'i 00.. t chry Bcan. I'S. 30m J Ryan (ioinng. 'I‘hcrcsa Rtisscll. Billy Zanc. 08min. A young .\cyy York chy ish kid \yho's also a nco-.\'a/i is about as proyoczitiyc as subicct inattcr gcts. The story of Danny Blint ((ioinngi might hayc bccii nicrc clicap sciisationalisiii yy ci'c it not for thc tIiought-proyoking nianncr iii which \sritcr-dii‘cctor Bcan iny cstigatcs thc truc story. Bcan hiiiisclf ta chyi got into hot watcr in Amcrica oycr this. but his film is a ccrcbral thcological and philosophical inquiry that transccnds criticism. Part of Intcrfaith chk. I'i/iiiliniisi'. l'filiii/iiujgli. Big Nothing t I5) 0. than-Haptistc Andrca. I'K. 3006) Simon chg. l)a\ id Schyy immcr. Alicc Iiy c. 85min. Scc rcy icyy. p;th 44. .Si'li't'li’i/ I'(’l('(l.\(’.
Boratt I5) 0... (Larry ('harlcs. l'SA. Zoom Sacha Baron ('ohcn. PanicIa Andcrson. Kcn I)a\ itiaii. 82min. Boral (Baron (‘ohcni and his prodticcr A/amat tl)a\ itiani tray cl through Ka/aklistaii and tIic l'S. insulting cy cryonc along thc yyay and niccting countlcss t'cally confuscd rcaI Aincricans. 'I‘hc format of fakc intct‘y'icyy s as a scrics of road inoyic \ igncttcs yyorks. sharp cditing and brilliant pcrfoi'iiiaiiccs cliciting constant bclly laughs. It is an admirablc aim to satirisc absolutcly cyci'yonc. Ili Iiy c indccdl. (iciii'ru! I'l’lt’tlu’. * Branded to Kill I is. oooo
(Sciiun Sti/uki. Japan. I‘)(i7) Jo Sliisliido. Mariko ()gayy-a. Koji .\'aiiibara. 91min. Mastcr Iiliiiniakcr Su/uki said goodbyc to thc yaku/a gcnrc yy ith this crotic. humorous tIiriIIcr W hich play s yy ith com whom and pushcd tIic ccnsorship of thc tinic to its
Iiiiiits. Part of Wild Japan: ()utlayi .\lastcrs. scc fcattirc. pagc ~13. Film/mun: Edinburgh. The Break-Up t IZAI O. tPcyion Rccd. IS. 2006) Jcnnifcr Aniston. Vincc Vaughn. Jocy Laurcii Adams. (‘olc Hatiscr. Jon I’ay rcau. I 10min. Aftcr tyy'o ycars of iiiarriagc. city tour guidc (iary' (Vaughn) and art gallcry assistant Brookc tAiiistont Iiayc had cnouin of cach othcr. btit can't bring Ihcttiscly'cs lo giyc up thcir coy clcd ('hicago condo. 'l’hc rcstraiiicd comic sty Ic Aniston rcfincd during hct' tcnurc on Mic/ids just docsn't fit \\ ith Vaughii‘s frccyihccling. so it's 1ch to thc supporting cast to proy idc thc laughs. including Brookc's bitchy boss and all-singing brothcr and (iary's bcst buddy. Johnny l). \iu' Izilinlnirgli ()i‘i'ii/i. Edinburgh. Breaking and Entering t ISI 0.. (Anthony MingthIa. l'K/I'S. 2006i Jttdc Lays. Julicttc Binochc. Robin Wright Pcnn. l 18min. A young Bosniaii-Iinglish thicf. Miro ((iay r011). takcs part in thc robbcry of aii architccts' oflicc iii King'\ ('ross.
unyy ittiiigly bringing togctlicr architch Will (Ian I and thc boy ‘s niothcr. Amira tBinochci. An uncasy romancc proy idcs thc ciiiotional sustcnancc that Will craycs. Si'li'i'li'i/ I't‘li'itsi'.
Candy 1 I5) .0. t.\'cil Arnificld. Attstralia. 300m Hcath l.cdgcr. Abbic ('ornish. (icoffrcy Rush. 108mm. Scc
rcy icyy. pagc ~13. I-ilm/muu'. l-filiitlmrg/i. Cars (PG) .0. tJohn l.iissctcr. IS. 2006) \‘oiccs of ()yycn Wilson. Paul
.\'cy\ man. Bonnic Iltiiit. Larry 'I‘hc (‘ablc (iiiy. Illniin. Racccar l.iglitiiiiig McQuccn loscs his way cii routc to thc final racc of thc scason and finds hiiiisclf niarooncd in thc slccpy' loan of Radiator Springs. yyhich is popttlatcd by an array of misfit cars. I)cspitc thc many positiycs. ('urs docsn't quitc makc thc highcst gradc mainly bccausc it's thc Icast original Pixar film yct. (lilt'll‘ul'lt/ l’urk/Ii'itil. (i/uy‘umi‘.‘ ('liti'ti'm'li/ Ifi/flt/Jul'g/t. l-fi/iiiliii/‘c/i.
Casino Royale l 12A» .0 (Martin (‘anipbcIL l'S/l'K/(‘Icch chublic. Zoom Danicl (‘raig. Iiya (irccn. Mads Mikkclscn. 144mm. 'I'Iic prcqucl to thc otlicr Bond films tinic uarps back to thc cnduring action hcro bccoining a 00 Iiccnscd to kill. 'I’Iic latcst Bond t( 'raigi proy cs to bc a strong Icadiiig man. btit tIic film is lct down by trying to do too much. Willi a yycak y illain and Bond girl to boot. it docsn't rcaIly fccl Iikc a Bond film at all. (ii'ncml i‘i'li'uyi'.
Click t 12A) 0. tl‘rank ('oraci. I‘S. Zoom Adam Sandlcr. Katc Bcckinsalc. (‘hristophcr Walkcii. I07niiii. Strcsscd otit archilcct Michacl tSandIcrt docsn‘t hay c cnouin hours in thc day to mcct all his many commitiiicnts. 'I‘hcn Iic iiiccls a \ycird clcctronics saIcsman \yho giycs him a uniycrsal rciiiotc control. Anothcr mildly plcasant. schciiiatic Sandlcr conicdy u ith thc rcquisitc amount of laughs. Sv/i'i‘li'il I't'l('(l.\t'.
The Concrete Revolution 1 IS» tXiaqu (itto. ('Iiina/l'K. 300-1) (ilniin. ('hina is quickly building itscll' to bc onc of lhc major contcndcrs in thc \yorId iiiarkct. This film highlights thc building of (him in a ncyy agc and thIs thc story of thc hard \yorkcd Iaboiircrs yy Iio arc draftcd in to makc this Iiappcn. Part of Xiaolu (iuo scason. I-ilnzliouw. Ifi/iii/iiiruli.
Controlled Calls (Rozmowy Kontrolwane) t Iii (Sy Iyycstct' ('hccinski. Poland. WW I Stanislayy 'I‘yni. lrcna
Kyy iatkoyi ska. AIina Janoyy ska. 03min. A political farcc. full of mistakcn idciititics and narroyy cscapcs as a coloticl in thc Ministry of Public Sccurity iii Poland gocs tttidct'cmcr in tlic Solidarity HQ. Part of Poliin ('onicdy scasoii. I‘ilmliuusi'. I'filiii/rurg/i.
The Covenanti 12A) 0 tchny Harlin. l'S. 200m Toby chiingyyay. (‘hacc (‘rayy ford. Stcycii Strait. ‘)7niin. Scc Also Rclcascd. pagc 4-1. (li'm'm/ I't'll’UM'.
The Cruise (Rejs) t l5i (Mai-ck
l’iyyoyy ski. Poland. l‘)7(ll Stanislayy 'l‘yiii. JoIanta I.othc. Watida Slatttslayy ska-I.othc. (iSmin. A satirical coiiicdy' sct on a I070s Polish cruisc ship that has bccn likcncd to a Polish .UUIIIV l’yI/imi. Part of PoIiin ('onicdy scason. I‘lfHI/lullyi'. Iz'i/i'n/mruli. Day of The Wacko (Dzien Swira)
t I5) tMarck Kotcrski. Poland. 2003) Marck Koiidrat. Janina 'I‘rac/ykoyy iia. Andr/cj
lnterfa w
A selection of films aimed at celebrating diversity and promoting understanding between
Scotland’s religious groups gets under way this week with some surprisingly interesting films. Things kick off with Ismael Ferroukhi’s excellent pilgrimage drama Le Grand Voyage. Henry Bean’s interesting 2000 film The Believer (pictured), about one young man’s journey from yeshiva student to anti Semitic skinhead (based, unbelievably, on a true story), is also showing. Things come to a close with James’ Journey to Jerusalem — Ra’anan The Inner Tour Alexandrowicz’s funny, touching
comedy of faith rediscovered.
I FI/ninouse. Edinburgh from Sat 2—Tue :3 Doc only.
(il‘aboyy ski. 03min. Misanthropic Polish talc of a iniddlc-agcd man. \\ ho hatcs his Iifc. othcr pcoplc and hiiiisclf. I)ark. profound addition to thc cinciiia of thc nihilistic that ratcs alongsidc (iaspcr Nocis St’ll/ ('miln’ 'Iiius. Part of Polish ('onicdy scasoii. I'i/ni/inust'. Iii/niliiirg/i.
Dear Frankie ( 12m .0. (Shotia Aucrbach. l'K. 2004i liniily .\lortimcr. (icrard Butlcr. Jack Mclilhonc. I0-Imiii. l.ifc is tough for (ircciiock youiigstcr Piuiiikic (.\lclilhonc). His only nicaiis of csprcssion coiiics from lhc lcttcrs hc yyritcs to his abscnt fathcr. \yho l'rankic bclicy cs is sailing thc \yorld aboard thc HMS Accra. I-‘i'ankic's mothcr. I.i//ic‘s (.\lortiiiicri bltilf is dangcrously closc to bcing caIch WllL‘lt HMS Accra sails into port. Shc arrangcs for a gruff strangcr ( Butlcri to posc as I‘rankic's fathcr. not rcaIising hoyy much hcr Iifc u ill bc changcd in thc proccss. Hcartyyarming drama that contains a fcyy yy cIl-obscry cd truths about niaIc-Icnialc rclatioiiships in Scotland. (’harity scrccning. Film/1mm: Iii/inlmrg/i.
Deck the Halls (Pm 0 (John \VhilcscII. t‘S. 2000i I)aniiy l)t‘\'llti, Matthcyy Brodcrick. Kristin Davis. 02min. Scc Also RcIcascd. pagc 44. (ii'm'ru/ I'l'lt'llSU.
The Departed 1 IS) 000 (Martin Scorscsc. I'S. 200m l.conardo DiCaprio. Matt Damon. Jack Nicholson. Martin Shccn.
.iai Ibird-bi kcr- turncd-cop
Mark Wahlbcrg. IS l min. This rcmakc of thc Iloiig Kong triad thrillcr Iii/t'rnu/Affairs is not as good as thc Scorscsc classics btit still hooks right to thc may last shot yy ith a distinguishcd cast l)i( ‘aprio finally finding a rolc that suits and scycral supci'b sct pich‘s along thc \yay. (ii'm'l‘u/ I'i’/¢’(I.\i'. The Devil Wears Prada lI’( i) .00. (Dayid I‘rankcI. l'S. Zoom .\lcryl Strccp. Annc Hathayyay. liniin Blunt. 109mm. Nicc. tyy cc \yannabcc journalist Andy tHathayyayi finds hcrsclf cniponcd as onc of two pcrsonal sccrctarics to thc foriiiidablc Miranda Pricstly tStrccpi. an Anna Wintour sty Ic fashion cditor. With kiIIcr onc Iincs. i'cally \y clI roundcd charactcrisation and cxccllcnt pci'foriiianccs. it's difficult not to fall for its myriad charms. 'I'Iiouin formulaic. in tcrnis of dcccnt mainstrcani l'S films this ycar. this cnjoy ably innocuous. bitchy romp. may bc as good as it gcts. .Si'li’i‘li'i/ I't'lt'tl.\(’.
Dhoom 2 t 12A) .0 tSaiijay (iadhyi. India. 200m Ainishck Bachchan. l'day' Chopra. Hrithik Roshan. Aisliyy'ary a Rai. Bipasha Basu. l50niin. (’ops \s robbcrs. Indian sty Ic. as unlikcIy pairing Jai l)i.\it (Bachchant and Ali Khan t('hoprat Assistant (‘oniiiiissioncr of PoIicc and chasc baddics Mr A arid Sunchri from Namibia to Rio dc Janciro. \ ia (ioa. Mumbai and Rajas’than. .St'li't'li’r/ I'i’li'uyi'.
***** “Ari all-too-rare contemporary comic masterpiece.”
- David Parkinson. Empire
WOODY ALLEN'S
lilIIIIlIIlII
FROM 8 DECEMBER F‘iLMi-icouss
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30 Nov M I)(,’(? 2006 THE LIST 49