www.|ist.co.uk/film
Al iAl ’lAl ll )N ltl )MANl Ll THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL (12A) 114mm 0.
This clumsily abridged adaptation of Philippa Gregory’s bestselling historical novel fills in the ‘hidden history’ of Mary Boleyn, sister of Anne, the second of Henry Vlll’s six wives. According to this take on the 16th century court, it was good-natured country girl Mary who, through a Machiavellian scheme engineered by her male relatives, became Henry‘s first true love after he tired of his first wife, Katherine of Aragon, the latter having failed to produce a male heir. Having finally sired a son through Mary, the womanising monarch promptly allows himself to be seduced by Anne, here cast as a scheming witch with an eye on the throne. Increasingly ridiculous dangerous liaisons ensue.
Playing the Boleyn girls, Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson are cast against type. Portman has some fun as the ambitious coquette, Anne, who finally gets her comeuppance on the headsman’s block when she also fails to produce a male child for the heir-obsessed monarch. Johansson, on the other hand, doesn’t really have much to do other than look wan as the rather gormless Mary. And forced into the middle of this less-than-thrilling sibling rivalry, the usually excellent Eric Bana (as the King) simply looks fed up.
To be fair, it's probably Peter Morgan’s undercooked adaptation of Gregory’s overheated novel that’s to blame for the lacklustre performances from what ought to be a strong ensemble cast that also features Kristin Scott Thomas, Mark Rylance, Benedict Cumberbatch and David Morrissey. And BBC period drama director Justin Chadwick’s underwhelming small screen-style doesn’t help any. (Miles Fielder)
I (ienera/ re/e.'ise from I r/ /' Mar.
lll lSl 'llllll CRIME THE BANK JOB (15) 111mm 00
deposit boxes stolen.
and robbers. {Eddie Harrison) I General release from The 28 Feb.
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THE GAME'PLAN
(U) 110min 00.
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lusinr; the World of Anierirtan football l.‘.’llll an analysis of ballet lrairiinri tor [)ll' teen girls. llre(i.1/ne IV. In lollovw; the torturief, of l lvis iilif;l?f;f;(fll Athenian tootball superstar quarterback .Joe Kingsnian. Kiiirisriian linds hi1; estranng eight year old daughter (Madison l’ettisi rluiiiried on his doorstep lll the run up to the biggest gariie ol his lite. lle initially says no to his daughter "s alteriirits to enlist him in ballet school, but alter trial by bubble bath and ballet, .Joe learns to Wear a lulu With pride. a softening wlii(;li also helps him on the toolball ll()l(l.
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(lddie Harrison) I General release from In /' Mar.
You've probany not heard of 19/ t '5; Baker Street bank robbery. and Willi good reason; a governirienl [) ll()ll(2(? was used to black out all media coverage. lhe (:overur) was to protect the l(l(}lllll\y of a riienibei ol the royal family, rtoiririroniising (iirttuies ol whorii were amongst the valuables in the safety
lhis ]ll|(ly sounding true story is the iurrioing-oll point for Roger Cockla/l Donaldsori's low key thriller llie Bank Job. Jason llie lraris/iorter Stratharri dons stylish [Us threads to play usedear dealer Terry whose clean getaway is iriirieded by Jamaican drug lords. seedy pornograoher lew Vogel (Davrd Sueheti and the British establishment in the form of government lackey Miles Urquhart (Peter Bowlesi. As With his Kevrn Costner thlllCIOS‘) No ill/av Out and lli/rleeri [)ais. New /ea|arider Donaldson knows how to rack up a sense of tension and (:laiistrririhobia. but his tight rirritessionalisrri is undone by slack scripting trorri veteran §3(th?l?ll\.'vlll(}lf§ Dle ()Ierrient and Ian la Frenais lG(7(1/.’_A(;l()f$.‘$ llie U/irir’ersei ‘.‘.’l)l(2ll never rises above (ZIICllO.
Willi Strathani only allowed to indulge in his trademark lllle'Oéil thuggery in the final stterie. llie BariA Joli relies on rriuddy intrigue to sustain interest. WllllOUl finding a balance between plotting riiar‘.darins and ‘.!fll()ll8 gangland torturing, and the illadvised throbbing techno soundtrack only accentuates the film's lack ot (torivirirting period detail. Despite the intriguing twrst of portraying the criminals as (7()llSl(l(3l£ll)l\, more high-riiinded and rrioralistic than their pursuers. Denaldson's tilrri ultiriiateli, plays out as a frustratingly lightweight game of cops
INTERVIEW
OTTAMAN BLUES
Kaleem Aftab goes head on with the best Turkish
filmmaker of his generation
Fatih Akin is embarrassed that his new film The Edge of Heaven picked up awards in Cannes and at the European Film Awards for Best Screenplay. The Turkish filmmaker admits: ‘The final film looks nothing like the script. We completely changed its structure in the edit room.’ For this reason, Akin made a point of praising British editor Andrew Bird when he picked up the prizes.
It’s the interlocking episodic structure of The Edge of Heaven that marks the picture out as the German director’s most ambitious and mature film. As with his furiously-paced 2004 Berlin Golden Bear-winner, Head-On, the plot jumps between Hamburg (where Akin was raised) and Istanbul (where his parents hail from).
The 34-year-old director, who has recently fathered a child and taken a step back from nights spinning tunes as a DJ, reflects that the pace at which he leads his life is reflected in the films he makes. ‘I think that filmmaking really is a rock and roll business,’ he explains. ‘I have a lot of friends who are musicians and I really felt a kind of similarity between the music world and the film world; I compare my films more with records.’
Akin has a particular affinity with Prince and is a devotee of the iconic musician’s 80$ concept albums. ‘He made Purple Rain and after that he made Around the World in a Day, which was a completely different sound, and then Parade. He always changed the genre and I like that.’
He adds: ‘I can compare my films to LPs. One film for me is really like a work in progress, like musicians have on a record. Films take more time than music, they are much more expensive than music and you need many more people to create them than music. That is the only difference.’
To carry on the analogy, The Edge of Heaven is probably Akin’s ‘When Dove’s Cry’.
I 7779 Edge of Heaven, Filmhouse, Edinburgh and selected cinemas from Fri 7 Mar. See review, page 49.
2'8 Feb '71 Mar 2008 THE LIST 4"