his verve cannot compensate for the glib ntonolony ol the story. (ieneral release. The Queen ( l2A) 0... (Stephen Frears. l'K/Franee/ltaly. 2006) Helen Mirren. .Michael Sheen. James (‘romw ell. l02min. A behind the scenes glimpse into the relationship between HM lili/abeth ll and Prime Minister Tony Blair during their struggle. after the death of Diana. to reach a compromise between w hat was a private tragedy and the public’s demand for an overt display of mourning. Beautifully written and performed by all. this is the second part of director l'rears' Blair trilogy. Seleeletl release. Rebecca (l’( i) 0... (Alfred Hitchcock. t‘S. l‘)40) Laurence ()liv ier. Joan Fontaine. Judith Anderson. l30min. \‘y'onderlully atmospheric romance. made when Hitch was at his height. The young bride of rich widower Maxim de Winter joins him at his grand mansion Manderley btit everywhere she turns. there are memories of his first wife. whose death is surrounded by mystery. Anderson’s overwrought (iothic liousekeeper Mrs l)anvers steals the show. SI Brit/e 's ('enlre. l'filittlna‘g/i. Red Road ( lb’) 0.... (Andrea Arnold. l’K. 2006) Kate Dickie. 'l'ony ('urran. Martin ('ompston. Nathalie Press. Andrew Armour. l l4min. the first feature from Arnold about a ('("I'\' operator w ho becomes obsessed with surveillance. Part of a project to make three films Using the same characters and different directors. it won the Jury l’ri/e at ('annes. ()(ll'UII At 'l'lte Quay. (ilaxgim‘. Reef ( l ') . (Ky ungho l.ee. Howard F: Baker. l'S. 2007) Voices ol Freddie l’rin/e Jr. Rob Sclmeidcr. livan Rachel Wood. 78min. See Also Released. page 45. (ieneral release. The Return ( 15) co (Asit' Kapadia. l'S. 2006) Sarah Michelle (iellar. Salli Shepard. |)arrian .\lc('lanahan. 35min. An undernt)urished slow build psy cho-horror about a sttleswolttatlt ((iellar) who attempts to face her childhood demons when she returns to her hometown. Kapadia's ambition and brevity with the horror form deserve praise but he show s none of the control and arch majesty he exhibited in The llal‘l'lm‘. The Return leels \\'l'L‘lt.‘llCtl. tetliotls and slender by comparison. Seleetetl release. Rocky Balboa ( 12A) coco (Sylvester Stallone. l‘S. 2006) Sylvester Stallone. Burt Young. Milo \"entimiglia. Antonio 'larvcr. |02min. Ageing boxer Rocky (Stallone). living off his past glory. learns that a computer simulated light has him beating Mason Dixon (real life light heavyweight champ 'l'arv er) and an exhibition bout is arranged. The natural heir and successor to the original Roekv. it's way better than even diehard fans could hope for. Ro-cky. Ro-cky. Ro-cky . . . General release.
ShootFirst
Rolland Man: The Devil in the Machine: Modern Life in the films of Jaques Tati (ti) (Various. t'K. 2007) Jacques 'l‘ati. 90min. Film critic Man analyses the description of modernity through Jacques 'l‘ati. I00 years on from the great French lilmmaker‘s birth. The talk accompanies the screening ol./our (leg/ere (Stilt l8 Feb). Mr llu/ot (Wed 21 Feb) and Man ()nele (Thu 22 Feb) at the Filmhousc later in the month. Institut I‘raneais tl'lz'eosse. [ZillIllHll'ylL it! Running with Scissors ( IS) .000 (Ryan Murphy. IS. 2006) Annette Bening. (iwyneth l’altrow'. Brian ('ox. Joseph (‘ross. Alec Baldwin. l2lmin. See review. page 44. Seleeletl release. Salaam-E-lshq: A Tribute to Love (l’(i) O... (Nikhil Advani. India. 2007) Salman Khan. Priyanka (‘hopra. Anil Kapoor. l50min. Advani's follow-up to the modern Bolly \y'ood blockbuster Kal Ho A'aa Ha. promises to go one step beyond. lixpect all your Bolly wood preconceptions to be tested. ('ollcctive and personal narratives. numerous plotliiies and an A-list ensemble cast all intcrtw ine with a ‘big romancc' theme. Seleeletl release. Shoot Firstt l5) (Various. 2006) 75min. lidinburgh's monthly short film slot aims to unearth new talent by making it easier for filmmakers to have their work shown. limail shootlirstm tilmhousecinema.com for more information. Film/muse. lz'ilitilmrgli. Shortbus ( l8) 0... (John (‘ameron Mitchell. [S 2006) Raphael Barker. Lindsey Beamish. Justin Bond. l0lmin. A love-letter to New York. tltis story ol three relationships (one begins. one finishes and one is renewed) is brought to life by the epony motis Short/ins a salon of vivid. sensual exploration and joyous. freelorm experimentation. Features explicit. unsimulated sex. ('ameo, Iii/inlmreli. Smokin’ Aces ( l8) .0 (Joe (Xu‘nahan. l'K/l-‘rance/l'S. 2006) Jeremy Piven. Ben Affleck. Jason Bateman. Alicia Keys. l08min. Seven hit men (ranging from Allleck to Keys) are all after thc Slm bounty on mafia informant Buddy ‘Aces' lsrael (Piven )‘s head. After a slick set up and fairly interesting action the pay -ofl fails to deliver in an embarrassingly sub-par effort from the man who brought us the far superior A'are. (ieaeral release. Stranger Than Fiction ( IZA) 0... (Marc Forster. IS. 2006) Will Ferrell.
Maggie (iyllenhaal. l)llstlll Hoffman. ll2min.
Taxman Howard ('rick (Ferrell) hears the voice of an author ('l‘hompson) narrating his humdrtnn life. 'l'hrough his mislortunc.
Harold falls in love with a baker ((iyllenhaal).
embarking on a sentimental. unbelievable romance. Proving to be more than a single gimmick. the post-modern plot prompts a my age of self—discovery that's packed with laughs and brilliant pcrlormances. ('ameo. l'ftlinlmrg/t.
Having just celebrated its first birthday, this excellent monthly short film event forges ahead with a strongly
pro-Scottish programme. The selection this time out includes Graeme O’Hara’s 13-second Toast, Dylan Drummond’s worrying documentary film about teenage pregnancy in Dundee, Young Anes (pictured); David Lilley and Stephen Gray silent film homage Fate and Mr McKinley; Jessica Langford’s sweetly memorable short The Gift; Vincent Hunter’s seamless, tragic and haunting As Far as You’ve Come and Alasdair Brotherston’s animation featuring the music of Ladyfuzz, Kerfuffle.
I Fi/m/iouse, Edinburgh on Mon 12 Feb only.
Suburban Mayhem ( 15).. (Paul (ioldman. Australia. 2006) limin Barclay. Michael Dorman. Robert Morgan. 89min. An Aussie mockumentary about bad girl Katrina Skinner (Barclay). Her older brother‘s in prison for beheading a man and she‘s hell- bent on following him. Fake parents. policemen and neighbours line up to talk earnestly about her troubled past but the whole thing is so badly staged and appallingly acted (especially. regrettably. by Barclay) that you won‘t buy it for a second. Slinir't‘tlfl' ('inema. ('(talltrirlge. Glasgow. The 39 Steps (PG) .0... (Alfred Hitchcock. L'K. 1935) Robert [)onat. Madeleine ('arroll. (iodlrey 'l‘eale. 81min. tfndoubtedly the best film version olJohn Buchan's novel. as Donut evades a spy ring across the length and breadth of the country. with marvellous set pieces in the London Palladium and the Forth Bridge. Hitchcock at his action-packing peak. .S‘eatsntan .S'ereening Room. Edinburgh.
Them (Ils) ( l5) 0. (David Moreatt/Xavier Palud. France. 2006) ()livia Bonamy. Michael (‘ohen. 76min. A young French couple living near Bucharest are woken by the sounds of intruders. A game of cat and mouse commences as they creep around their labyrinthine home stalked by persons or things unknown. Another less-is- more horror film based on an allegedly true story like'l‘lte [flair Witch Project. but in this case. less is less. ('ineworltl Ren/rew Street. Glasgow; ('ineimr/(l Edinburgh. Edinburgh. The Thief Lord (PG) .0 (Richard (‘laus. (iermany. 2006) Aaron Johnson. Jasper llarris. Rollo Weeks. 98min. Fairly charming and well executed children‘s adventure flick from the writer/director of The Little \lanpire. based on the popular novel by ('ornelia Funke about a bunch of kids on the loose in a magical Venice. (irasvenm; Glasgow“.
Three Mothers (Shalosh Ima’ot) (the) 0.. (Dim Xvi-Riklis. Israel. 2006) Miri Mesika. (iila Alinagor. Rivka Raz. l06min. Absorbing melodrama about Jewish
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triplets who were born in liygypt. as they look back on their lives in their 60s. previously hidden truths begin to emerge. Part of the UK Jewish Film Festival. (irosvenm; Glasgow“.
* The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (PG) 0.... (John Huston. US. I948) Humphrey Bogart. Walter Huston. Tim Holt. l26min. (‘lassie Bogey. classic Huston and a classic gold fever Western in a tale of American lowlifes and Mexican bandits. adapted from B 'l‘raven‘s novel. Preceded by an excerpt ol ()ffSet —- An lttteri'ieii' with Angelica Huston. Part of the John Huston season. See feature. page 42. l-‘ilmhause. Edinburgh.
United 93 (15) .0. (Paul (ireengrass. LES. 2006) Christian ('lemenson. (iary' (‘ommock. Polly Adams. ()pal Alladin.
1 10min. Hollywood‘s first attempt to depict the catastrophic events of l I September 2001 is rather pointless. As the events of 9/] l were captured live nothing will add to the drama or sense of wonder of that day. ('inewarhl Renfreit' Street. Glasgow; ('ineivarlrl Edinburgh. Iz’tlinlnagh.
Venus ( 15) .0. (Roger Michell. UK. 2006) Peter O'Toole. Leslie Phillips. Jodie Whittaker. 94min. Maurice (O‘Toole) and Jan (Phillips) are a couple of veteran actors who spend their decrepitude drinking. bitching and visiting the theatre until lan‘s troublesome niece Jessie (Whittaker) comes to stay. and Maurice finds himself falling for her brash northern charms. Wit/mail and I: The Pensioner Years when it‘s good; a real waste when it isn‘t. Selected release.
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1—15 Feb 2007 THE LIST 55