Film
Bo Kata ( 12A) (Sheh/ad Af/al. Scotland/Pakistan. 2007) 30min. Documentary investigation into the decline of kite flying duels in the Lahore region of Pakistan after a series of accidents. Bo Kata (meaning ‘hacked') is the victory cry when kites are eliminated. ('( 'xl. (ilasgrm‘.
Bridge to Terabithia ( PG) 0.. ((iabor (‘supo. LS. 2007) Josh Hutcherson. Annasophia Robb. Zooey Deschanel. 95min. Artistic kid Jess (Hutcherson) is getting bullied at school and at home until outsider Leslie (Robb) moves in next door and the two begin to build an imaginary world in a nearby wood. This faithful adaptation of Katherine Paterson's coming of age children‘s book is worth a look for adults and kids alike. Selected release. Britannia Hospital ( 15 ) 0... (Lindsay Anderson. UK. 1982) Malcolm McDowell. Mark Hamill. (irahatn (‘rowden l 16min. The third part of Anderson’s British society trilogy (after If and ()It Lucky Man!) takes on the health service ~ with mixed results. Part of the What If. . . season. (ilasgaw Eiltn Theatre. (ilasgau‘.
=51 Cage/Cunningham (ti) COO. (lilliot (‘aplan. France/US. 1991) l00min. Award-wimiing dance documentary filmmaker (’aplan offers an informative portrait of the longstanding and ground- breaking collaboration betvveen modern dance choreographer Merce (‘unningham and avant-garde composer John (‘age. Part of a season of film works relating to John (‘age. Film/muse. Edinburgh.
The Caiman (ll Caimano) ( I5) 0... (Nanni Moretti. Italy/France. 2006) Silvio ()rlando. Margherita Buy. Jasmine Trinca. Michele Placido. l05min. Italian auteur Moretti returns with this multi-layered work set in contemporary Rome. which is simultaneously the study of an anxious producer‘s failing marriage. a comic examination of low-budget lilmmaking. and a scathing critique of Silvio Berlusconi's assault on democracy. ('amen. Edinlturgh.
Camcorder Guerillas (ti) (Various. l'K. Various) 180mm. The Glasgow-based collective presents a programme of liltns about the real life issues facing asylum seekers and their communities in (ilasgow today. (TA. (i/as‘gau'.
Captivity ( IX) 0. (Roland Joffe. l'S/Russia. 2007) lilisha (‘uthberL Daniel (iillies. Pruitt Taylor Vince. 8-1min. See review. page 39. (ieneral release. Charlotte’s Web (t? ) 000 ((iary Winick. l’SA. 2006) Dakota Fanning. voices of Julia Roberts. Sam Shepherd. Steve Buscemi. 97min. (‘hirpy tot Fern (Fanning) rescues Wilbur the pig from a cruel farmyard fate for lovable arachnid (‘harlotte to eventually save the day in a bittersweet finale that touches on practical matters of life and death. Somewhere between the cutesy Babe and ()rwell's political Animal I’arm it should draw in children and nostalgic adults alike. ('ineimrld I’arkhead. (ilasgmv; ('inewarld Edinburgh. Edinburgh.
Cheeni Kum (PG) 0.. (R Balki. India. 2007) Amitabh Bachchan. Tahu. Paresh Rawal. l39min. See Bollywood round-up. page 39. (Mean At The Quay. (i/asgnn:
Cinema Paradiso ( IS) 00.. ((iitiseppe 'l'ornatore. Italy/France. I988) Phillipe .\'oiret. Jacques Perrin. Salvatore (‘ascio. 123mm. Told largely in flashback. the winner of the l990 ()scar for Best Foreign Film traces young Salvatore's infatuation with his village cinema. and his growing friendship with its projectionist (played to perfection by Noirel). Essentially. it's Tornatore‘s lament for the joyous movie-going
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46 THE LIST 21 Jun—:3 Jul 2007
experience of his youth and recognition of the price we pay for our maturity. Seats/nan .S'ereening Roam. Edinbut'gh. Conspirators of Pleasure ( 18) 0... (Jan Svankmajer. (‘zech Republic. 1996) 85min. The (‘Iech surrealist third feature is a live action black comedy that makes a wicked. slightly disturbing foray into the bizarre sexual fantasies that lurk in the human mind. Sparing in the use of his trademark stop-motion animation. Svankmajer manipulates his actors instead and draws on the work of De Sade. Freud. Max lirnst and Buiiuel to illuminate his characters‘ desires. Part of Svankmajer season. Eilmhause. Edinburgh.
Cyberworld 30 (PG) (Various. US. 2000) Jenna lilfman. Matt Frewer. Woody Allen. ~14min. Jenna lilfman is the cyber- host who introduces us to various unrelated segments of cyber animation. The Sintpsmzs and Ant:. make 31) appearances in a spectacular display of today's most impressive graphic technology. IMAX Theatre. Glasgow.
=3: Dans Paris ( )5) co... ((‘hristophe Honore. France. 2006) Romain Duris. Louis (iarrel. Joana Priess. (iuy Marchand. 94min. Paul (Duris) returns to Paris to live with his old man (Marchand) and younger brother Jonathan
LLGFF on Tour
((iarrel) when his relationship ends. In the best French New Wave tradition the guys have endless girl trouble and the frail and fickle nature of people in love becomes evident. It's pretentious. but run with it and the brilliance becomes apparent. (I‘Iasgmi' Eilm Theatre. (ilasgmi': ('antea. Edinburgh.
Deep Blue (PG) 000 (Andy Byatt & Alastair Fothergill. llK/(iermany. 2003) 90min. A kind of big screen version of TV aquatic documentary Blue Planet. Deep Blue plays on the emotions with intimate photography and a kinetic score. but at the end of the day this is just non-linear bits of blown-up television footage. ('ineii-arld Park/lead. (I‘lasgaii'.
Deep Sea 30 (P(i) (Howard Hall. Canada/LS. 2006) Voices of Johnny Depp. Kate Winslet. 41min. A 3-D digital exploration of the ocean's depths and its creatures. IMAX Theatre. (ilasgaw. Document (li) (Various. Various. 2004- 6) 90min. An international programme of political shorts and feature documentary films dealing with issues of exile. immigration and refugee status. Part of Refugee Week. (Ti/l. (ilasgmv‘.
ECA Animation Degree Show ( 15) (Various. UK. 2007) l20min. The lidinburgh (‘ollege of An students‘ work showreel. Him/muse. Edinburgh.
Over the next two weeks the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival on Tour comes to an end in
Edinburgh and kicks off in Glasgow. As is the way with any selection of films collated around a theme of sexual preference the good sits alongside the bad here, but still of interest in the capital is Austrian filmmaker Elisabeth Schrang’s cinema vérité-style sex change documentary, Octopusalarm (pictured). For light hearted relief you can’t do much better than Maria Magnetti’s shallow but entertaining sexual comedy, Puccini for Beginners. For mystery, look no further than Amnesia: the James Brighton Enigma, based on the true story of a man found naked in an empty car park a few years ago who could remember nothing apart from the fact that he was gay. This dramatisation raises a
number of interesting issues.
I Fllmhouse, Edinburgh until Tue 26 Jun; GFI', Glasgow from Mon 2 Jul.
Edinburgh College of Art: Film and TV ( l5) (Various. l'K. 2007) l20min. 'Tis the season for those student showreels. Talent scouts alertl. l-‘i/mhause. Edtnburgh.
>i< Eternal Summer ( IS) 00.
(Leste (‘hen. 'l'aiwan. 2006) Bryant Chang. (‘hang Hsiao-chuan. Kate Ycung. 95min. An evocative rendering of the changing relationship between two boys as they go from child to adulthood and a girl threatens their inseparability. Part of the London Lesbian & (iay Film Festival on Tour. Film/muse. Edinburgh.
Exiled (15) 0.. (Johnnie To. Hong Kong. 2007) Anthony Wong. (‘hau-Sang. Francis Ng. 108mm. Eleetian director To's new film is another elegantly assembled gangland thriller about where brotherhood and loyalty ends and vengeance begins. As always this is full of unforgettable sequences that don't quite make a whole but it's definitely a thrilling and worthwhile watch. (‘inewarld Rett/i'eu' Street. (ilaxgaw; (‘ineu'arld [climbing/t. Edinburgh.
The Fall ( 15) 0... (Peter Whitehead. l'K. I969) l l0min. Filmed in and around New York between ()ctober I967 and June 1968. documentary liltnmaker and social chronicler Whitehead provides a personal statement on violence. revolution and turbulence within late l960s America. This is the closest Whitehead ever catne to catching the leitgeist. Part of Peter Whitehead season. (ilaxgaw I'll/n Theatre. (ilas‘gau: Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (P(i) 0. (Tim Story. l'S/(iermany. 2007) loan (iruffudd. Michael ('hiklis. Jessica Alba. 120mm. After the ‘origin' stories of the first film. the Four are tested against other super- povvered beings: Silver Surfer and the planet-eating (ialactus. Though superior to its predecessor in nearly every way this soft~footed retread of one of Marvel's most popular stories still manages to be fantastically underwhelming. ()dean At The Quay. (ilasgaw; ()deon Hester Hai/es. Edinburgh.
=§= Faust (m; ) 00000 (Jan Svankmajer. (‘Iech Republic. I994) Petr (‘epek. Jan Kraus. \‘ladimir Kudla. 96min. Surrealist animator Svankmajer turns his attention to the Faustian legend in his second feature (following l987‘s Aliee). As he draws from (ioethe and Marlowe. but principally from (‘Iech marionette theatre. he brings in a political aspect about personal choice. A masterpiece. Part of Svankmajer season. l-‘ilmhouse. lidinburgh.
Flags of our Fathers ( IS) 0.. ((‘lint liastwood. LS. 2006) Ryan Phillippe. Jesse Bradford. Adam Beach. l3 1 min. liastwood's ambitious epic recounts the battle for the Pacific island of Iwo Jima in WW2 from the perspective of the LS servicemen who planted their flag on the mountaintop and the ethical minefield they faced back home. However. confused plotting undermines the effect of both and the fates of the soldiers are ultimately given short shrift. l'ue Edinburgh ()eean. Edinburgh.
The Flying Scotsman ( IS) 000 (Douglas MacKinnon. I'K. 2006) Jonny Lee Miller: Billy Boyd. Laura Fraser. Brian (’ox. l02min. See review. page 4 I. Also showing as part of lidinburgh Bike \Veek Film Festival. Film/muse. Edinburgh.
Fool’n’Final ( IZA) e (Ahmed Khan. India. 2007) Sunny Deol. Shahid Kapoor. Vivek ()beroi. l-l-lmin. See Bollywood round-up. page 39. (ha nan: For Your Consideration ( l2.-\)
.. ((‘ht‘istophct' (ittcst. LS. 2006) (‘hristopher (iuest. liugene Levy. Harry Shearer. 86min. A satire on media hysteria featuring a bunch of actors. who are suffering the iniquities of Hollywood in the lead tip to ()scat' season. Despite some good work from many recognisable faces. (iuest pulls too many punches and worst of all is an awful cameo from Ricky (iervais. The promise of This is Spinal 7211) seems to have finally run dry. ()dean At The Quay. (ilaxgmi‘.