Film
Films screening this fortnight are listed below with certificate, star rating, credits, brief review and venue details. Film index compiled by Paul Dale
>l< After the Wedding (Efter Bryllupet) ( 15) O... (SUsanne Bier. Denmark. 2006) Mads Mikkelsen. Sidse Babett Knudsen. Rolf Lassgard. l22min. Charity worker Jacob (Mikkelsen) is coerced into attending a wedding by rnulti millionaire businessman Jorgen (Lassgard) in return for funding. What Jacob discovers at the wedding about his own past affects his life and that of his hosts in a most unimaginable way. in this highly watchable low budget familial drama. Cineworld Rerifr'ew Street. Glasgow.
All Power to the People (ii) (Lew Lee. US. 1996) 1 15min. A look at the successful resistance of the Black Panther Party to race discrimination in the US and the subsequent civil rights struggles on behalf of other oppressed groups that followed. ACE. Edinburgh.
Amazing Grace (PG) 00 (Michael Apted. UK/USA. 2006) loan Crruffudd. Romola (iarai. Youssou N'Dour. 1 18min. See review. page 43. Selected release.
Amelie ( l5) 0.... (Jean-Pierre Jeunet. France. 2001 ) Audrey Tautou. Mathieu Kassovitz. Serge Merlin. l20min. Jeunet creates a fantastical world. here reimagining Paris‘ oldest quarter. Montmartre. Within it the eccentric adventures of his eponymous heroine (played by captivating elftn newcomer Tautou) unfold in a manner as complex as a Swiss timepiece when Amelie decides to bring happiness to deserving people by playing elaborate practical jokes on them. Composed of many moments of absolute wonder. this is a film which celebrates all the little. great things in life.
( 'arneo. Edinburgh.
Annie (U) .0. (John Huston. US.
l98l ) Albert Finney. Aileen Quinn. Carol Burnett. Tim Curry. 128mm. Feelgood musical schmaltl. courtesy of the orphaned red-head (Quinn) who sings her way into the heart of hard-nosed businessman Daddy Warbucks ( Finney). Cineworld Park/read. Glasgow.
The Arch ( l2A) (Cecile Tang Shu-Shuen. Hong Kong. 1970) Roy Chiao. Lisa Lu. Wen- Hsiu. 94min. Shu-Shuen‘s story about feudalism and desire. preligured the new wave of Chinese cinema in the 1980s. Glasgow l’ilrn Theatre. Glasgow.
Arthur and the Invisibles (U) 00. (Luc Besson. France. 2007) Voices of Freddie Highmore. Mia Farrow. Ron Crawford. 93min. In an adaptation of his own children's book. Besson mixes live-action and CGI animation with patchy results. Arthur (llighmore) embarks on a quest to save grandmother‘s (Farrow) house. complete with troll-like Minemoys. an evil wizard and saucy princess. General release.
L’Auberge Espagnole (Pot Luck) ( IS) .0 (Cedric Klapisch. France. 2002) Romain Duris. Judith (iodreche. Audrey Tautou. l20min. In this feelgood film Xavier exchanges student life. his girlfriend and his family for the chance to learn Spanish and
46 THE LIST 15—29 Mar 2007
the Straight Storysthotiand" x A Drive "
If you feel the need for a bit of a mental workout before tackling David Lynch’s most recent three hour opus, Inland Empire, then you could do worse than to spend your Sunday with his last two feature films. Ease yourself in with The Straight Story, 3 fictionalisation of the true tale of Alvin Straight, an old man who takes a long journey on a lawn mower tractor to see his brother before he dies. As you would expect from Lynch the film does and doesn’t live up to its name. Mulholland Drive - a film ostensibly about one young woman’s search for the truth after a brutal car accident is right up there with great Lynchian head picklers.
I Cameo, Edinburgh, Sun 25 Mar.
live in Barcelona and reconsiders his priorities. influenced by his new experiences and the students he shares his new apartment with. Glasgow I’ilrn Theatre. Glasgow. Barnyard (PG) 0. (Steve ()edekcrk. US. 2006) voices of Kevin James. Courteney Cox. Sam Elliott. 89min. Computer—generated animation feature centered on the single unfunny premise that farmyard animals do mad things when no one is watching. More manure for minors. Cineworld Park/read. Glasgow.“ Cinewor'ld Edinburgh. Edirtburglt. Because I Said So ( 12A) 0
(Michael Lehmann. US. 2007) Diane Keaton. Mandy Moore. (iabriel Macht. 102mm. Wackiness and confusion ensue in this absolutely abysmal. unfunny family comedy. ('irtewot'ld Retlfrelt' Street. Glasgow; (‘ineworld Edinburgh. Edinburgh. Becoming Jane (PG) 00 (Julian Jarrold. UK/US. 2007) Anne Hathaway. James McAvoy. Julie Walters. James Cromwell. Maggie Smith. l20min. A biography of Jane Austen (Hathaway) which cites a relationship with cad. hedonist and lawyer Tom Lefroy (McAvoy) as the reason behind her success. Despite excellent performances and a very generous smattering of Austen's best lines. this is sadly as dreary as period dramas get. General release. Beijing Film Academy Shorts ( 15) (Varioiis. China. Various) 100min. Short films and animation from China in the last five years. including (r'r'asslartd. Mama. Reeaudita Arrnonia and About Life. Part of Cinema China season. I-‘ilrrthouse, Edinburgh.
Belle de Jour ( 18) .0000 (Luis Bufiuel. France/Italy. 1967) Catherine Deneuve. Jean Sorel. Michel Piccoli. 99min. The taboo-busting film about a beautiful. faithful and bored young housewife Severine (Deneuve) who finds her inner fetishism in the brothels of her small town. Forty years on it‘s still shocking. funny. clever. sexy and peculiarly familiar. Go and see it: it's good old fashioned anhouse pom. for heaven’s sake. Glasgow Film Theatre. Glasgow.
Bildwechsel Screening (tbc) (Various. Various. l995-2006) l20min. A mixed programme of independent short films by female. lesbian. transgender. feminist or queer filmmakers from Scotland and beyond. For more information visit wwwbildwechsel.org. CCA. Glasgow Black Snow ( 12A) (Xie Fei. China. 1990) Jiang Wen. Lin Cheng. Yue Hong. l07min. lll educated Li Huiquan (Jiang Wen) struggles to deal with the modern China of l980s in this dour but realist depiction of the country‘s rapidly changing economic and political landscape. Part ofCinema China season. Eilrnhouse. Edinburgh.
Blood Diamond (15).. (Edward Zwick. US. 2006) Leonardo DiCaprio. Djimon Hounsou. Jennifer Connelly. 143mm. Against the backdrop of civil war in l990s Sierra Leone. an ex-mercenary from Zimbabwe (DiCaprio) and a Mende fisherman (Hounsou) cross fates and their lives are changed forever. Contrived. pseudo-liberal tosh with an embarrassing
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Online Booking: www.thequeenshall.net Booking Hotline: 0131 777 1014.
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script that‘s only alleviated by decent performances. Selected release.
The Blues Brothers (15) 000 (John Landis. US. 1980) John Belushi. Dan Aykroyd. Carrie Fisher. l30min. Fun. anarchic. if overlong comedy with the two stars on a mission from God to salvage the imperiled fortunes of an orphanage. Lots of guest stars. musical numbers and automotive destruction. Scotsman Screening Room. Edinburgh.
Brief Encounter (PG) 000 (David Lean. UK. 1945) Celia Johnson. Trevor Howard. Stanley Holloway. 86min. Stiff upper lips and emotionally charged brushes of the hands are all that Johnson and Howard will allow themselves as their extra-marital ‘affair' doesn't develop much beyond unspoken longings at a railway station. Given the rigidity of this English romance. the Rachmaninov soundtrack is unfittingly sweet. Cameo, E‘rlirtlrltnglt.
Calendar Girls (12A) 0.. (Nigel Cole. UK. 2003) Helen Mirren. Julie Walters. Celia lmrie. 108mm. A feelgood comedy drama about a group of bored middle-aged women from a small Yorkshire village who pose nude for a Women's Institute calendar. S! Bride 's C entre. Edinburgh.
Camcorder Cuerillas (E) Another showcase of films and documentaries addressing social justice issues from the Glasgow-based voluntary collective of independent radical filmmakers. activists and artists. CCA. Glasgow.
Casablanca (PG) ooooo (Michael
5 Curtiz. US. 1942) Humphrey Bogart. Ingrid
Chicken Little (U) 000
Bergman. Dooley Wilson. 102min. You must remember this . . . Bogart being impossibly noble. Bergman torn between two lovers. Claude Rains playing both ends against the middle. devious Nazis. a fogbound airport. at piano-player tinkling that tune. A wonderful hill of beans and a wonderful new digitised print. too. Cameo, Edinburgh.
Catch a Fire ( 12A) 00. (Phillip Noyce. UK/South Africa/US. 2006) Derek Luke. Tim Robbins. Bonnie Henna. l()lmin. See review. page 44. General release. Catch and Release (12A) 00 (Susannah Grant. US. 2007) Jennifer Garner. Timothy ()lyphant. Sam Jaeger. Kevin Smith. I l lmin. See Also Released. page 4-1. General release.
Charlotte’s Web (U) 0.. (Gary Winick. USA. 2006) Dakota Fanning. voices ofJulia Roberts. Sam Shepherd. Steve Buscemi. 97min. Chirpy tot Fern (Fanning) rescues Wilbur the pig for lovable arachnid Charlotte to eventually save the day in a bittersweet finale. Somewhere between the cutesy Babe and ()rwell‘s political Animal Farm it should draw in children and nostalgic adults alike. General release.
(Mark Dindal. US. 2005) Voices of Zach Braff. Patrick Stewart. Joan Cusack. Gary Marshall. 80min. Following the death of his mother. Chicken Little (voiced by Scrubs star Braff) struggles to communicate with a butch father who‘s ‘never there for him'. then sends the town into chaos after misdiagnosing that the sky is falling. Fast paced. fun and a little corny but with its heart in the right place. Vue Edinburgh ()eean. Edinburgh.
Scott Matthews»
very Nick Drake” Mark Radcliffe
Tinariwen
Desert guitars and Saharan blues
Peatbog Faeries
High octane Celtic dance music
a , ' . . Joe Ely the original 'aIt-country' with Jane Taylor
Fiddlers’ Bid
Flying tiddles 8f furious talent
Terrafolk
eclectic world music with Ania Bukovec
THE (ll-Iowans HALL