twcasioiially funny. mildly xenophobic slapstick feature. Jacques Tati did it so much better. General release.
Murderers ( l8) (Patrick (irandperret. France. 2006) llande Kodja. ('eline Sallette. (iiatini (iiardinelli. 97min. It's Thelma and Louise . . . Interrupted as two women. driven to commit murder. escape from a psychiatric clitiic and go on the run. Part of French Film Festival l'K. See round-up. page 4.5. Glasgoii' Film Theatre. Glasgoit‘.‘ Film/rouse. Edinburgh.
Namastey London (PG) 0000 (Vipul Shah. India. 2007) Aksliay Kumar. Katrina Kaif. Rishi Kapoor. l27min. See Bolly'wood Round-up. page 43. Seleetetl release.
The Namesake ( 12A) 0000 (Mira Nair. IS. 2006) Kai Penn. Tabu. lrfan Klian. Jacinda Barrett. I2 l min. Ashoke (Khan) survives a train crash iii (‘alcutta and moves to Aiiiet'ica. convinced that Maxim (iogol‘s The ()t-ereoat saved his life. Building on 199] 's .flississip/ii .flasala. arid
tising the (iogol short story as a bridge. Nair
provides an unhurried. iiisiglitftil drama about first generation immigrant experience. ('inewor/rl Renfrew Street. Glasgow: ('ineit‘orlrl Iz‘tlirtlnugli. Edinburgh.
The Nativity Story (I’( i) oo ((‘atherine llardwicke. IS. 2006) Shohreh Aghdashloo. lliarii Abhass. Keisha ('astle- llughes. l00min. Directed rather incongruoust by llardwicke (Thirteen) this predictable (obviously) retelling of the birth of Jesus is watchable and respectable but also terribly staid and dull. A TV matinee if ever there was one. ()(lt‘tlll At The Qua_v. Glasgow: ()(/('Ull Fort lx'innairil. Edinburgh. Nehfle Pe Dehlla ( 12A) 0 (Ajay ('liandhok. India. 2006) Sanjay Dutt. Bipasha Basu. Kim Shariiia. l25min. Sec Bollywood Round-up. page 43. Selected release.
Norbit ( l2A) 0 (Brian Rohbiris. IS. 2007) Iiddie Murphy. 'l‘handie Newton. Iiddie Griffin. l02min. Norbit (Murphy) is an orphan brought up in the (’hinese restaurant where he was abandoned. When he is forced into marrying the fat. mean. jttiik food scofling Rasputia (also played by Murphy). Norbit realises that he has to get back to his childhood sweetheart Kate (Newton). Nonsense collection of fat. fart and fotil sex gags. Avoid. General release. Not One Less (PG) 0000. ('/.hang Tiliiou‘ China. 2000) Wei Min/hi. l00min. A teacher at a small school in an isolated. impov erished village is forced to leave the education of his 28 pupils in the hands of l.‘~-ycar-old substitute Wei Min/hi for a month when he is set the task of retrieving a desperate student from the big city. The cast comprises iionprofessionals. and the calibre of the heart-tending performance by Min/Iii makes the liliii all the more impressive. ('ameo. Edinburgh.
08$ 1 17: Cairo, Nest of Spies ( IS) 0... (Michel Ila/ariavicius. France. 2006) Jean Dujardin. Bcrcnice Bejo. Aurc Atika. 99min. Special Agent ()SS I I7 has appeared in enough books and films to rival James Bond. Here. the Aiistin Powers type secret agent \ isits I955 (‘airo to stop a pesky fundamentalist rebellion and bring about peace. Spot on pastiche that unsurprisineg was a big box office hit in France. Part of French Film Festival I'K. Sec round-up. page 45. Glasgoit' Film Theatre. Glasgow; Film/rouse. Edinburgh. Oh La La! ( 15) (Anne Fontainc. France. 2004) Danielle Darrieux. Arielle Dombasle. Jean-(‘liretien Sibertin-Blanc. 90min. The third outing for hapless wannabe actor Augustin Dos Santos (Sibertin-Blanc) sees him trying to resurrect a period play and the career of ()dettc (Darrieux). a retired operetta star. Part of French Film Festival I‘K. See round-up. page 45. Glasgow Filnt Theatre. Glasgow: Film/louse. lirlinlnugh. Pathfinder ( IS) 00 (Marcus Nispcl. IS. 2007) Karl l'rban. Russell Means. Jay 'I'avarc. ('lancy Brown. 99min. See review. page 45. General release. Perfect Stranger ( IS) 000 (James Foley. IS. 2007) Bruce Willis. llalle Berry. Giovanni Ribisi. 108mm. See Also Released. page 45. General release.
Le Pont des Arts ( IS) (I-Lugene (ireen. France. 2004) Adrien Micliaux. Nalacha Regnier. Alexis I,oret. l26min. Mtisic.
literature. philosophy and aesthetics are literally matters of life and death to the literate. discontented young characters adrift iii the Paris of (ireen's latest. cra/ily high- falutin' work. at once a flippaiit. complex comedy of manners and an inquiry into the place of high art in today's chaotic culture. Part of French Film Festival l7K. See round- up. page 45. Glasgow Film Theatre. Glasgow:
A Prairie Home Companion (PG) 0... (Robert Altman. ITS. 2006) Woody llarrelson. Tommy Lee Jones. Meryl Streep. Garrison Keillor. l05miii. It's the filial night of a long-running variety radio show based on Keillor's real-life ‘A Prairie Home (‘oiiipanion‘ and as the action follows the (celebrity cameo) acts on and off stage. a tretichcoated angel of death (Madsen) stalks Keillor. The lirial filtii from the recently deceased Altman is a genial. warni- hearted meditation on mortality itself. Film/rouse. Edinburgh.
Premonition ( I 2A) 00 (Mcnnan Yapo. IS. 2007) Sandra Bullock. Julian McMahon. Nia Long. 96min. Happy Linda Ilaiison (Bullock) receives news that her husband Jim (McMahon) has died in a car accident. then wakes tip the following morning to find that her husband is very much alive. A blatant btit uncredited remake of Norio Tsurutu's 2004 J-horror. Watchable nonsense. Selected release.
Provoked: A True Story ( IS) 000 (Jag Mundhra. India. 2006) Aishwarya Rai. Miranda Richardson. Naveen Andrews.
1 l3min. Based on Kirarijit Alhuwalia's autobiography following ‘battered wifc' (Rail as she is convicted for the murder (if her abusive husband (Andrews). 'I‘ransporting themes of domestic violence to a British setting. with a Bollywood iiicgastar in the lead. I’rovokeil is marred by the unusually graphic nature of the violence. Its humanistic agenda does. however. deserve an audience. ()(leon At The Quay. Glasgmr’.‘ ()(Il'tlll Fort Kinnairil. Edinburgh. Pura Vida? (Ii) (Jan Niiiiiiio. ('osta Rica/licuador. 2005-6)An informal illustrated talk from Nimmo as part of the Library's Making Waves series and a screening of her documentary. l’ura l’itlaf’. exploring the real costs of cheap fruit production in (‘osta Rica. Glasgow
Women 's Library. Glasgoii‘.
The Reaping ( IS) 0 (Stephen Ilopkiiis. l'S. 2007) Ililary Swank. Robert Alon/o. Jillian Batherson. 99min. See review. page 43. General release.
The Reef (l') O (Kyungho l.cc. Iloward Ii Baker. l'S. 2007) Voices of Freddie Prinze Jr. Rob Schneider. Iivan Rachel Wood. 78min. Another rubbish cartoon abotit a plucky little fish and his adventures in the deep blue. Glasgoii' Film Theatre. Glasgow.
>l< Reign Over Me ( I5) 0000 (Mike Binder. IS. 2007) Adam Sandler. Don (‘hcadle. Jada Pitikett Smith. l24min. See review. page 43. General release.
The Road Home (t') 000 ('/.Iiang Yimoti. (‘liiiia. 2000) [hang '/.iyi. Stiii Iloriglci. /.hao Yueliii. l00min. ('ity businessman l.uo returns to his home village in northern ('hina for the funeral of his father. the local schoolteacher. With his weeping mother adamant that her husband’s corpse be carried by hand rather than driven back from hospital. I.uo recalls the story of his parents' courtship several decades earlier. Shifting from black and white (the present) to colour (the past). the bulk of the film consists of a rather sentimental recreation of the love affair between l.uo‘s parents. told from the perspective of the female character. Though in the radiant '/.iyi. Yimou has perhaps unearthed a muse to rival his favoured actress Gong Li. ('ameo. lz'rlinliurgh.
Running with Scissors ( IS) 0000 (Ryan Murphy. IS. 2006) Annette Beiiiiig. (iwyrietli l’altrow. Brian (‘ox. Joseph (‘ross, Alec Baldwin. l2lmin. Nip/luck writer/executive producer Murphy cuts/pastes onto the big screen the teenage memoir of journalist Augusten Burroughs. Abandoned by his alcoholic father Norman (Baldwin) and domineering mother Deirdre (Beiiiiig). the young. gay Burroughs ((‘i'oss) is adopted by mom's psychiatrist Dr Finch
((‘ox) and his oddball family. The result is an enormously enjoyable black comedy of eccentric manners that resembles the films of Wes Anderson yet sets its own agenda. ()(leon For! Ix'innairrl. Edinburgh.
The Science of Sleep (IS) oooo (Michel (iondry. France. 2006) (iael (iarcia Bernal. (‘liarlotte (iainsbourg. Alain ('habat. Miou Miou. l05min. Welcome to the mind- beriding world of Stepliane Miroux (Bernal) who exists iii a perpetual confusion betweeti realities. Its quirkiness is likely to divide audiences. but offers an intensity. which carries a rare spark of inspiration and sincerity. ( 'ameo. Iftllltlmtglt.
The Separation ( I8) 000
(Christian Vincent. France. I994) Daniel Auteuil. Isabelle lluppert. Jerome Deschamps. 85min. A French couple can‘t quite cope with the fact that they‘ve grown
emotionally apart iii this portrait of jealousy.
insecurity. anger and recrimination. Iluppert arid Auteuil create characters that are compellingly real. and the result is a feelbad movie of real quality. Glasgow Film Theatre. Glasgoii'.
Shakalaka Boom Boom (PU) (Stineel Darshan. India. 2007) Bobby Deol. lfpen Patel. (‘elina Jaitley'. Kangana Ratiaut. l29min. Music industry-set Bollywood flick. following the fierce rivalry of two singer-coiiiposers. ()(ll'UTl At The Quay. Glasgow; ()(leon For! Kittnairtl. Edinburgh. Shooter ( l5) 0.. (Antoine Fuqua. IS. 2007) Mark Walilberg. Danny (ilover. Ned Beatty. l25min. See review. page 45. General release.
Silhouette Films of Lotte Beiniger (l') (Lotte Reiniger. Germany. 1928-54) 75min. A series of shorts by the animation pioneer. curated by the (ioethe Institute: Dr Doolittle (lllt/ his Animals. ('armen. l’a/iageno. The Grass/topper and the Ant. ('aliph Stork and The Sleeping Beauty. GiltnoreltillG/Z. Glasgow; I'illnltouse. Iii/inliulgh.
Springtime in Paris ( IZA) (Jacques Bral. France. 2006) Iiddy Mitchell. Sagamore Stevenin. Pierre Santini. 95min. It's a one final heist scenario for recently released (ieorges (Mitchell) and young Pierrot (Stevenin) in this spoof on the ‘honour among tliieves' code. (iiddy enjoyable heist flick. Part of French Film Festival l'K. See round-up. page 45. Film/rouse. Iii/inliurgh.
* Sunshine ( l5) 0... (Danny Boyle. l'K. 2007) IIiroyuki Sanada. (‘illiari Murphy. Rose Byrne. l02min. A tiny crew aboard the Icarus II spaceship attempt to save the fro/en liarth and its inhabitants from extinction by blowing tip the sun. A retina-ravishing. riiiiid-bendiiig sci-ti epic. scripted by Alex (iarland. with a mythic quality rarely found in parochial British cinema. General release.
TMNT (PG) 0.. (Kevin Munroe. l'S. 2007) Voices of James Arnold Taylor. Mikey Kelley. Nolan North. 86min. Those Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are back. souped tip with 3D animation and looking pretty fearsome. (iood design and excellent fight sequences have replaced a lot of the humour of the original atid make this worth catching. surprisingly. General release. 300 ( l5) 0... (Zack Snyder. I'S. 2007) (ierard Butler. Lena lleadey. Dominic West. I l7iiiin. Bloody historical epic based on Frank Miller‘s comic. This is a ftill on narrative assault on the senses - the Sin ('itv-isli visuals only add to the thrill of it all. General release.
Thunderbird Six (l') 0000 (David Lane. l'K. I968) Voices of Keith Alexander. S)‘l\'ia Anderson. John (‘arson. 89min. (’alling International Rescue! Black Phantom back shock horror! ()nly (ierry Anderson and Scott. Virgil. Lady Penelope et al can save tis noyyl Jiist as well they can spin a decent yarn. Shame they treat the actors like puppets. though. Programme includes a presentation by puppeteer John Blundall. Film/iouse. lit/inlnugh.
Tiger Brigades ( IS) 000 (Jerome (‘arnuau. France. 2006) (‘lovis (‘oriiillac. Diane Kruger. Iidouard Baer. I25min. (‘rime lighting epic set in the pre-WWI era following the first mobile police squad. named after minister of the interior (ieorge (‘lcmenceau (aka The Tiger). Based on cult
Film
70s French TV series. Part of French Film Festival l7K. See round-up. page 45. Glasgow Film Theatre. Glasgow; Film/rouse. Edinburgh.
Trainspotting ( I8) oooo (Danny Boyle. llK. I995) liwan Mc(iregor. liweri Bremrier. Robert Carlyle. Jonriy' Lee Miller. 93min. John Ilodge‘s screenplay perfectly captures the desperate humour of Irvine Welsh‘s novel. keeping the episodic . structure ofjunkie scenes for the first half. before concentrating on Renton in London iii the later stages. Fast and stylish direction. creative soundtrack and acting that's off-the-rails excellent. A cinematic blast from beginning to end. which also shows a complex ~ and true
understanding of the lure and fatal consequences of drug-taking. ('ameo. Edinburgh.
Unknown ( l5) .0. (Simon Brand. IFS. 2006) (ireg Kinnear. James (‘avie/el. Bridget Moynahan. 98min. See review. page 43. (‘flu’if‘lll'ltl Ren/i'ew Street. Glasgow; ()(leon Fort Ix'innaird. Edinburgh.
The Usual Suspects ( IX) 0000 (Bryan Singer. lfS. I995) (iabriel Byrne. Kevin Spacey. Stephen Baldwin. l06min. There's a good sense of noir fatalisiii hanging over The Usual .S'us/ieets. which is guessing game cinema at its best. A perfectly matched team of crooks discover that their chance meeting wasn‘t so random after all: they're being used it) an intricate vendetta by legendary gangster boss Keyser Sose. So stylish it sends a tingle down the spine: but the ludicroUs use of Pete Postletwaite‘s character almost undermines it all. ( 'ineworld Ileinlnogh. The Violin ( l5) (Francisco Vargas.
Mexico. 2006) Don Angel Tavira.
Dagoberto Gama. Fermin Martinez. 98min. The violence of war and beauty of music collide as Don Plutarco (real life violinist Tavira) uses his violin playing to aid the peasant guerilla movement against the military. Part of Viva? Spanish and Latin American Film Festival. Glasgott' Film Theatre. Glasgow:
Watson’s Wind-up Weekly topical comedy fun at the recording of BB(‘ Scotland‘s popular sketch show. starring Jonathan Watson. Glasgow Film Theatre. Glasgow:
The Wicked Lady (PU) oooo
(Leslie Arliss. l’K. 1945) Margaret
Lockwood. James Mason. Patricia Roe. I04iiiin. Naughty Barbara Worth
(Lockwood) embarks on a career of crime. stealing everything from her best friend's bridegroom to money from passing coaches
to the heart of fellow Iiighwayman. (‘aptaiii Jerry Jackson (Mason). Suggestive and titillatitig romantic drama and no one
removes their clothes. Scotsman .S'ereening Room. [filinliurg/i.
Wild Hogs (12A) 0 (Walt Becker. [S 2007) Tim Allen. John 'l‘ravolta. Martin Lawrence. William ll Macy. 99min. See
Also Released. page 45. General release.
A Year in my Life (12A) (Daniel Duval. France. 2006) Jean-Paul Rouve. Anne
Brochet. Annie (iirardot. 94min. The autobiographical account of Duval‘s adoption by a farming couple in France. Part of French Film Festival l'K. See round- up. page 45. Glasgoii' Film Theatre. Glasgow.
The Young Lieutenant ( I8) 0000 (Xavier Beauvois. France. 2005) Nathalie Baye. Jalil I.espert. Roschdy Zem. 1 10min. Newly graduated cop Antoine (l.espert) goes straight from the academy onto the streets of Paris iii a gritty noirish drama. [Trider the waning grip of Inspector (‘aroline Vaudieti (Baye) a serial killer case changes their lives forever. Iixceptioiially tough and well orchestrated ensemble police drama. Part of French Film Festival l?K. See round- up, page 45. Glasgow Film Theatre. Glasgow: Film/muse. Ifrlinhurgh.
Zoom (PG) 0 (Peter Hewitt. [8. 2006) Tim Allen. (‘ourtcney (‘ox. Ryan Newriian. 88tiiin. Four kids with superpowers just want to be normal. (‘ue down-ori-his-luck (‘aptain Zoom (Allen) to teach them how to harness their powers to save the world. Laugh-free. lazy and deeply dire fusion of Sky High and The Inererllhles. Avoid at all costs. [Cm/tire. ('ly'ileliank.
12—26 Apr 2007 THE LIST 53