Film
Edmond ( 18) 0.. (Stuart (iordon. IS. 2005) William H Macy. Julia Stiles. Joe Mantegna. 82min. A tnore or less uncensored film version of David Mamet's controversial l()82 one act play about white collar worker lidmond (Macy). who. after a visit to a fortune teller. decides to leave his wife and embark on an odyssey through New York's seedy underbelly with tragic consequences. Like the original play. it is powerful. rabid and uneven. (‘ineworld Renfrett' SII'eeI. (ilasgrm‘.
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (l’( i) .0 (Tim Story. l'S/(iermany. 2007) loan (iruffudd. Michael ('hiklis. Jessica Alba. l20min. After the ‘origin' stories of the first film. the Four are tested against other super- powered 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. (ieneral release.
Firehouse Dog (PG) 0. Holland. l'S/(‘anadtL 2007) Josh llutcherson. Mayte (iarcia. Bruce (ireenwood. l l ltnin. See review. page 4 l. Seleeletl release.
The Flying Scotsman ( 15) 000 (Douglas MacKinnon. (K. 2006) Jonny Lee Miller. Billy Boyd. Laura l‘raser. Brian (‘ox. l()2min. A well-intentioned biopic of (iraeme ()bree. the professional Scottish
Save : f. ’y "i ’
(Todd
Chumscrubber
cyclist who battled with a home-made bike. sporting bureaucracy and depression. Despite Miller‘s muted. understated performance. the stock characters and omission of real life conflicts result in a sports film cliche that drags itself over the finish line. Seleelerl release.
4:30 ( l8) (Royston Tan. Singapore. 2005) Young-jun Kim. Xiao l.i Yuan. 93min. A melancholy tale from the director of 15. focussing on the relationship between an
I 1-year-old ('hinese boy and his family‘s Korean tenant. Jung. Part of the London Lesbian 8; (iay Film Festival on Tour. Glasgow [Vi/m 'l‘liealre. Glasgow.
The Golden Door ( 12A) 00.. (limanuele ('rialese. ltaly/(iermany/l‘rance. 2006) (‘harlotte (lainsbourg. Vincen/o Amato. Aurora Quattrocchi. l20min. ()n a steamship journey from his Sicilian village. widower Salvatore Mancuso (Amato) encounters a ravishing. mystery -shrouded linglishwoman. Lucy ((iainsbourg). An unexpected love story unfolds all the way to Iillis Island and the golden door to the I'nited States of their imagination. Thrilling. magical and rather soulful romantic drama. Glasgow I-‘i/m 'l'liealre. (ilasgmv; ('amea. lzklinlmiglt. Goldfinger (PG) .00. (Guy Ilamilton. L'K. 196-1) Sean (’onnery. Ilonor Blackman. (iert l-‘mbe. I 12min. The one with Pussy (ialore. ()dd Job. Shirley Bassey belting it out. Shirley Iiaton covered in gold and a typically over-the-top plot as mad Auric plans to break into l-‘ort Knox. Much better on the big screen when it doesn't have to be crammed into the TV frame. New print. Part ofThe Summer of British I‘ilm. (ilusgrm‘ I’llm 'I'lieatre. Glasgow.
The Good German ( 15) 0000 (Steven Soderbergh. IS. 2006) (ieorge (‘looney. (‘ate Blanchett. Tobey Maguire. l()7min. An adaptation of Joseph Kanon's
murder mystery novel set in Berlin at the end of WWII in the classic film noir style. Revolving around three main characters: a guileless I'S war correspondent. an opportunistic black marketer and an opaque (ierman prostitute. the storytelling styles. anachronistic elements and performances are seamless. For once. it appears. they do still make ‘em like they used to. (imsrenm; Glasgow.
>3: Grey Gardens (PG) 00.. (David & Albert Maysles. PG. 1975) l()()min. I’amed for their lilmic encounters with Marlon Brando and Truman (‘apote. the Maysles brothers cemented their reputation for uncovering human truths in this piece about an 80-year-old ex-socialite singer Iidith Bouvier Beale and her daughter lidie. living a life of utter seclusion. This surreal mother-daughter relationship makes for compelling viewing. (ilaxgmr l-‘ilm Theatre. Glasgow:
The Guatemalan Handshake ( 12A) 0.. (Todd Rohal. IS. 2006) Katy Haywood. Ken Byrnes. Will ()ldham. 96min. Following a power outage a bunch of misfits cross paths and intertwine through the central character of “l‘urkeylegs’ a ten-year-old girl. Inspired low budget comedy. Part of (‘elluloid Jam. ('( ‘xl. (ilasgrm:
Guys and Dolls tt') 0.. (Joseph I. Mankiewicl. IS. 1955) Marlon Brando. Jean Simmons. Frank Sinatra. Vivian Blaine. Stubby Kaye. l50min. The unasual mixture of the mumbling (Brando) and the musical (Sinatra and Blaine) conspires to generate a certain depth of feeling in this version of the familiar and inventive musical. Part of Marlon Brando retrospective. Film/muse. Iz‘tlirilmrgli.
>3: Hairspray (l’( l) 0000 (Adatn Shanktnan. (TS. 2007) John 'l'ravolta. Nikki Blonsky. Amanda Bynes. 1 16min. See review. page 4 l. (ieneral release.
Half Nelson ( l5) 0... (Ryan Heck. VS. 2006) Ryan (iosling. Shareeka lipps. Anthony Mackie. l()7min. An absorbing character study from debut writer-director Heck. which skilfully avoids melodramatic cliches about inspirational pedagogues and inner-city violence. (iosling excels as the drug-addicted. politically disillusioned teacher in a tough Brooklyn neighbourhtmd. who befriends a 13-year-old African- American female pupil. impressively played by newcomer lipps. A film that‘s refreshingly unafraid of depicting uncertainty and ambivalence. (amen. lz‘tlinlmrgli.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ( 12A) 0 (David Yates. I'K/l‘S. 2007) Daniel Radcliffe. Rupert (irint. limma Watson. 138mm. liurther adolescent adventures frotn Hogwarts and beyond. l’athetically dull. exposition heavy. lifth outing for the tedious ageing little
w i/ard. I-‘or franchise freaks and soft-brained children only. (ieneral release. Hoodwinked (t7 ) COO ((‘orey & Todd Iidwards . IS 2006) Anne Hathaway. l’atrick Warburton. Jim Belushi. 81min. Like a bedtime story told by an amiable drunk. this is equal parts Raymond (’handler and .S'lirek as Red Riding Ilood (Hathaway). woodsman (Belushi) and big bad wolf (Warburton) all get to tell their side of the story. Rtl.\'ll()IIl(1Il-Sl)'lc. However the animation falls way short of the standards of l’ixar and Disney. l'ue lit/inlmrg/i ()eean. Edinburgh.
Hostel ( )8) 00. (till Roth. (‘8. 2005) Jay Hernandez. Derek Richardson. 93min. Quentin 'I‘arantino executive produces Roth. his director prodigy. A group of tourists hear an urban legend about a hostel in Slovenia where the drugs are plentiful and the girls easy. It's brutal and deeply unpleasant but truly suspenseful action. ('ineworltl Park/lead. Glasgow: limpire ('lvtleliank.
( 'l_v(le/)ank.
"1' u
Arie Posin’s 2005 satirical drama, which was never given a proper release in Scotland, follows the misadventures of a self- obsessed smalltown boy Dean (Jamie Bell), who discovers a body and doesn’t bother to report it. Despite being a huge hit at
the Sundance festival Chumscrubber is uneven and occasionally incoherent but probably deserves the comparison to Donnie Darko with which it shares a double bill on one of these dates. I Cameo, Edinburgh, Fri 27 Jul 8. Sun 22 Jul (with Donnie Dar/<0).
46 THE LIST 19 JUL—2 Aug 2007