Gallic love Actually. Film/rouse. Edinburgh. Outlaw ( 18) 0 (Nick Love. UK. 2007) Sean Bean. Danny Dyer. Lennie James. l()5min. Bryant (Bean) finds himself the leader of an embittered group of men who have all been let down by their country and the law. Gleaned from the most sensational of tabloid headlines and featuring the most obvious of film references. this is the very worst type of proletariat cinema from appalling British writer/director Love. General release.
Over the Hedge (U) 000 (Tim Johnson/Karey Kirkpatrick. US. 2006) Bruce Willis. Garry Shandling. Avril Lavigne. 83min. Above average DreamWorks animation about an audacious raccoon who fools a family of forest creatures to invade suburbia. Glasgow Film Theatre. Glasgow. Pachaikili Muthucharam (the) (Gautham Menon. India. 2007) Sarath Kumar. Jyothika. Milind Soman.Bollywood adaptation of the 2005 thriller Derailed. about a man blackmailed over an extra-marital affair. Cineworld Renfrew Street. Glasgow. Pan’s Labyrinth (15) 0000
(Guillermo Del Toro. Mexico/Spain/US. 2006) Ivana Baquero. Doug Jones. Sergi Lopez. 1 19min. In the closing stages of Spain's Civil War young ()felia discovers a subterranean world populated by fairytale creatures. As she navigates tasks in the labyrinth-like world the real dangers lie above ground — the dissonance between the two proving that the real world is more horrifying than any imagined one. Cameo. Edinburgh.
The Passenger (Professions: Reporter) (12A) .0... (Michelangelo Antonioni. France/ltaly/US/Spain. 1975) Jack Nicholson. Maria Schneider. Jenny Runacre. lan Hendry. Steven Berkoff. 126min. A magnificent piece of 70s cinema. re-issued in newly restored director's cut. Nicholson is on impressive form as a burnt-out TV reporter. who exchanges identities in Chad with a gun- running dead acquaintance. But the film is much tnore than mere thriller. with magnificent cinematography and a virtuoso seven minute single take climax. Film/louse. Edinburgh.
Premonition ( 12A) 0. ( Mennan Yapo. US. 2007) Sandra Bullock. Julian McMahon. Nia Long. 96min. See Also Released. page 44. General release.
The Prestige (12A) 0000 (Christopher Nolan. US/UK. 2006) Hugh Jackman. Christian Bale. Michael Caine. Davie Bowie. 130mm. The Memento director adapts Christopher Priest‘s novel of rival stage magicians in 1890s London. The non-linear chronology interweaves the three stories of Rupert Angier (Jackman) and Alfred Borden's (Bale) magic tuition. Angier's journey to meet a mad scientist (Bowie). and Borden awaiting the gallows for his rival‘s murder. With gloomy style and dazzling substance. Nolan pulls off his trick. Selected release.
The Queen (12A) 00.. (Stephen Frears. UK/France/ltaly. 2006) Helen Mirren. Michael Sheen. James Cromwell. l()2min. A behind the scenes glimpse into the relationship between HM Elizabeth ll and Prime Minister Tony Blair during their struggle. after the death of Diana. to reach a compromise between what 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 Frears‘ Blair trilogy. Selected release. Raise The Red Lantern (PG) 0000 (Zhang Yimou. China/Japan. l99l ) Gong Li. Ma Jingwa. He Caifei. Cao Cuifeng. 125mm. Zhang combines exquisitely beautiful photography with formalised melodrama. to create one of the most moving films in recent years. The tale of a young girl forced to become a concubine and the jealousies she encounters in her fortress home. it also acts as a metaphor for the repression of individual passions in post-Tiananmen China. Part of Cinema China season. Film/rouse. Edinburgh. The Reef (U) 0 (Kyungho Lee. Howard E Baker. US. 2007) Voices of Freddie Prinze Jr. Rob Schneider. Evan Rachel Wood. 78min. Another rubbish cartoon about a plucky little fish and his adventures in the deep blue. Selected release.
Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles (PG) 0... (Zhang Yimou. Hong
Kong/China/Japan. 2005) Ken Takakura. Shinobu Terajima. Li Jiamin. l()7min. Zhang Yimou offers a different view of China. filtered though a Japanese perspective. in a contemplative drama about an estranged father who tries to reconnect with his son (Terajima) by making a documentary about a famous folk-opera star. Part of Cinema China season. Glasgow Film Theatre. Glasgoii'; Film/rouse. Edinburgh.
Romeo and Juliet (12) 0.00 (Baz Luhrmann. Australia/US. 1996) Leonardo DiCaprio. Clare Danes. 120mm. To call it ‘MTV filmmaking‘ misses the point that the camera tricks and in-jokes don't in any way distract from the fact that Luhnnann has completely grasped the issues at the centre of the play. An intoxicating. breathtaking mix of Catholic iconography. high camp and street violence that's both deliciously feverish and studiedly cool. Eastwood Park Theatre. Glasgow
Running with Scissors ( 15) 0000 (Ryan Murphy. US. 2006) Annette Bening. Gwyneth Paltrow. Brian Cox. Joseph Cross. Alec Baldwin. lZlmin. Nip/fuck writer/ executive producer Murphy cuts/pastes onto the big screen the teenage memoir of joumalist Augusten Burroughs. Abandoned by his alcoholic father Norman (Baldwin) and domineering mother Deirdre (Bening). the young. gay Burroughs (Cross) is adopted by mom‘s psychiatrist Dr Finch (Cox) and his oddball family. The result is an enormously enjoyable black comedy of eccentric manners that resembles the films of Wes Anderson. Eilrnhouse. Edinburgh.
Ryna (15) (Ruxandra Zenide. Romania/Switzerland. 2005) Doroteea Petre. Valentin Popescu. Matthieu Roze. 94min. Ryna (Petre) is enslaved by her fatnin in a Romanian backwater. Forced to live as a boy and work all the time. she manages to find some time for photography. love and keeping her family together. Part of New Europe Film Festival. Eilmhouse. Edinburgh.
The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (U) 0 (Michael Lembeck. US. 2006) Tim Allen. Martin Short. Elizabeth Mitchell. 9] min. ()nce tnore into the breach steps Santa (Allen) — this time battling with an overflowing family and Jack Frost (Short). Selected release.
School for Scoundrels (12A) 0
(Todd Phillips. US. 2006) Jon Heder. Billy Bob Thornton. Jacinda Barrett. l()lmin. Laugh-free remake of Robert Hamer‘s 1960 caddish comedy of one upmanship and manners. Cirteit'orld Renfrew Street. Glasgow; Showcase Cinema. Paisley. Paislev. The Science of Sleep (15) secs (Michel Gondry. France. 2006) Gael Garcia Berna]. Charlotte Gainsbourg. Alain Chabat. Miou Miou. l()5min. Welcome to the mind- bending world of Stephane Miroux (Bernal) who exists in a perpetual confusion between realities. lts quirkiness is likely to divide audiences. but offers an intensity. which carries a rare spark of inspiration and sincerity. Cameo. Edinburgh.
Scottish Students on Screen (ti) Ymin. A day of workshops and advice for film students. CC/l. Glasgow.
The Shaggy Dog (U) 00 (Brian Robbins. US. 2006) Tim Allen. Kristin Davis. Danny Glover. Robert Downey Jr. 98min. DA Dave Douglas (Allen) gets bitten by one of crazy Dr Kozak‘s (Downey Jr) lab dogs. only to turn into a sheepdog himself. Diverting yet formulaic family fare. Cineworld Park/read. Glasgow; Cineworld Edinburgh. Edinburgh. Shut Up and Shoot Me (12A) 00 (Steen Agro. Czech Republic/UK. 2005) Karel Roden. Andy Nyman. Anna Geislerova. 90min. Poorly pitched black comedy about a man (Nyman) who tries to kill himself after his wife dies. but lacks the courage. Naturally he pays someone (Pavel) to do the dirty deed. but will either of them go through with it'.’ Part of New Europe Film Festival. Film/rouse. Edinburgh.
>i< Sleeping Dogs (18) 000 (Bob Goldthwait. US. 2007) Melinda Page Hamilton. Bryce Johnson. Geoffrey Pierson. 88min. See review. page 42. Selected release. South Pacific ( I5) .0. (Joshua Logan. US. 1958) Rossano Brazzi. Mitzi Gaynor. John Kerr. Ray Waltson. Juanita Hall. France Nuyen. 17 l min. A newly restored digital print of the great Rodgers and
Hammerstein musical. The songs are the kind that you'll find yourself humming for weeks afterwards. Glasgow Eilrrt Theatre. Glasgow. Space Station 30 (U) (Toni Myers. Canada/US. 2003) 47min. Narrated by Tom Cruise. this big screen lMAX presentation follows real astronauts into the big blue. IMAX Theatre. Glasgow.
Stomp the Yard (12A) .0 (Sylvan White. US. 2007) Columbus Short. Meagan Good. Ne-Yo. 1 14min. See review. page 43. General release.
The Swan Princess (U) 000
(Richard Rich. US. 1994) With the voices of John Cleese. Jack Palance. Steven Wright. 89min. Swan Lake in its fairytale form. with all the expected ingredients that modern children‘s animated features contain — talking animals. bland but cute heroes. musical routines. An evil magician casts a spell on a princess. turning her into a swan. And any film that features Palance doing a song called ‘No More Mr Nice Guy' has to be worth a visit. Part of Weans' World. Film/rouse. Edinburgh.
TMNT (PG) .0. (Kevin Munroe. US. 2007) Voices of James Arnold Taylor. Mikey Kelley. Nolan North. 86min. See Also Released. page 44. General release.
Them (lls)(15) 00 (David Moreau/Xavier Palud. France. 2006) ()livia Bonamy. Michael Cohen. 76min. A young couple living near Bucharest are woken by the sounds of intruders. Another less-is-more horror film based on an allegedly true story like The Blair Witch Project. but in this case. less is less. Cameo. Edinburgh.
This is Spinal Tap ( IS) 0000. (Rob Reiner. US. 1983) Christopher Guest. Michael McKean. Harry Shearer. RJ Parnell. Ed Begley Jr. 82min. Certainly the most ingenious. accurate and ftmny of all spoof rockumentaries. with wonderfully spontaneous dialogue. convincing ily-on-the- wall camera work. self-penned heavy metal parodies. and of course the amp that goes to I 1. Part of the Glasgoit' International Comedy Festival . Gr‘osvertor; Glasgow.
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300 ( l5) 0... (Zack Snyder. US. 2007) Gerard Butler. Lena Headey. Dominic West. 1 17min. See preview. page 41 and profile. page 43. General release.
30 Mania (U) (tbc. US. 2003) Stuart Pankin. ElviralMAX 3D animation hell. For masochists and computer render geeks only. IMAX Theatre. Glasgow:
Titanic (PG) (Herbert Selpin/Werner Klingler. Germany. 1943) Sybille Schmitz. Hans Nielsen. Kirsten Heiberg. 85min. The tragic Titanic story that captured the imaginations of many filmmakers. this time . created as anti-British propaganda for Nazi use. Selpin was imprisoned before this could be achieved. Goethe lrtstitut. Glasgow.
TWo Stage Sisters (PG) 00. (Xie Jin. China. I965) Xie Fang. Cao Yindi. Feng Ji. Shen Fengjuan. 1 14min. Made before the Cultural Revolution. Jin’s film charts the relationship between two women working for a travelling musical theatre company whose friendship weakens as they become famous and take radically different directions in their political lives. Glasgow Film Theatre. Glasgow.
Unknown Pleasures (Ren Xiao Yao) ( 12A) 0... (Zhang Ke Jia. France/Japan/ South Korea/China. 2002) ' Zhao Wei Wei. Wu Qiong. Zhou Qing Feng. Wang Hong Wei. 1 13min. Bin Bin considers trying to get into the army and Xiao Ji falls in love with a dancer model attached to a thuggish older guy. Fascinating naturalistic drama from the director of Platform. Part of Cinema China season. l-ilmhouse. Edinburgh. Venus ( l5) .0. (Roger Michell. UK. 2006) Peter O‘Toole. Leslie Phillips. Jodie Whittaker. 94min. Maurice (O'Toole) and Ian (Phillips) are a couple of veteran actors who spend their decrepitude drinkirw.
bitching and visiting the theatre until Ian‘s troublesome niece Jessie (Whittaker) comes
to stay. and Maurice finds himself falling for her brash northern charms. ll’ithnail and I:
The P ’nsiorter Year's when it‘s good: a real waste when it isn't. l-‘ilrnhouse. Edinburgh.
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15—29 Mar 2007 THE LIST 51