Film
Margot at the Wedding (15) oo (Noah Baumbach. 2007. US) Nicole Kidman. Jennifer Jason Leigh. Jack Black. 92min. Writer/director Baurnbach (of the excellent The Squid and The Whale) offers his least commercial work to date. With Kidman rniscast as a writer returning home for her sister‘s wedding. and Black finding it impossible to underplay any scene. it just isn‘t funny. Rather. it‘s morose. and full of self—absorbed and infuriating characters. Eilmhouse. Edinburgh.
Nim’s Island (U) as (Jennifer Flackett. US. 2008) Abigail Breslin. Jodie Foster. Gerard Butler. 95min. Adapted from Wendy ()rr‘s popular book about what happens when agoraphobic authoress Alexandra Ryder (Foster) is contacted by winsome brat Nim (Breslin). whose scientist father Jack (Butler) has gone missing. Breslin and Butler adapt well to the frothy postmodem adventure but Foster‘s attempts at slapstick are embarrassingly crude and obvious. lessening any emotional impact. General release.
02 Wireless Weekender 2008: Film (15) (Various. UK. 1999-2004) Various. 89min. ()2 presents three short films associated with both Scotland and music. The programme will feature a profile of Alex Harvey. a film narrated by lidwyn Collins about Franz Ferdinand. and a re-run of a programme from 1999 about Belle and Sebastian. Glasgow I’ilrn Theatre. Glasgow. Operation Filmmaker ( l5 ) ( Nina Davenport. US. 2007) 95min. Davenport documents the fall frotn grace of Shi‘ite film student Muthana Mohmed. Responding to an appeal made by Muthana on MTV. American director Liev Schreiber charitably took him on as an intern. The student was not. however. the hard-working left-leaning protege who had spoken so frankly about his dreams of Hollywood. but a spoilt Bush- loving bum. Part of Sheffield International Documentary Festival on Tour. Eilttthouse. Edinburgh.
The Orphanage ( IS) oooo (Juan Bayona. Spain. 2007) Belen Rueda. Femando Cayo. Roger l’rincep. 105mm. First-time director Bayona and producer Guillermo del Toro create the best ghost story of the year so far. l.aura (Rueda) was raised in an orphanage and on returning to her childhood home with her son Simon (Princep) things start to get creepy. The key to the success of this film is the edge-of—the- seat suspense. and there's even a brilliant sting in the tale. ()deon. Edinburgh. Outpost ( l 8) OOO (Steve Barker. (SK. 2008) Ray Stevenson. Julian Wadham. Richard Brake. 90min. See review. page 50 and interview. page 52. General release from Fri [6 May.
Outside the Box: A History of Playing with Frames ( 15 ) (Various. (iermany/France/US/Austria. Various)lllustrated overview of experimental video and film from the l920s to the 60s. This selection of radical Dada and FIUXUs movement animation. plus structural films and contemporary experiments with chemistry and printing machines. will be introduced by filmmaker Pip (7hodorov. Part of Diversions: A Festival of Experimental Film and Video. Eilmhouse. Edinburgh. Oxford Murders(15)oooo (Alex De La lglesia. Spain/France. 2008) Elijah Wood. John Hurt. Leonor Watling. l08min. Professor Arthur Seldom (John Hurt) and student Martin (Wood) simultaneously discover the body of an old lady (Massey) and become entangled in solving an elaborate puzzle of strange deaths. This Mexican/Spanish but essentially linglish crime tale plays like an episode of Midsomer Murders (albeit it a particularly good one). with absorbing plot and quality performances leading to the far from obvious dénouement. ()deon Braehead: Vue ()mni Edinburgh.
P2 (18) O” (Franck Khalfoun. US. 2007) Wes Bentley. Rachel Nichols. Miranda Edwards. 97min. Generic woman- in-peril melodrama set in a deserted parking garage on Christmas live. ()ftice worker Angela (Rachel) is taken hostage by garage maintenance man Thomas (Bentley) and race and chase action ensues as she attempts to escape. The Panic Room-style stand-offs
82 THE LIST 8-22 May 2008
Game
Last chance to see director Lenny Abrahamson and Mark O’Halloran’s (the team behind the brilliant 2004 junkie drama Adam and Paul) latest attempt to fuse Irish/Beckettian humour with
Bressonian naturalist rigour. Garage is the story of one petrol station caretaker’s attempts to find love at all costs. Well worth catching before it ends its run. Matinees only.
ICameo, Edinburgh, Fri 9—Thu 75 May.
are well-enough achieved and Bentley injects enough humanity to give [’2 a jagged sexual edge the played-out action doesn‘t really deserve. General release.
Pal Joey (PG) .0. (George Sidney. US. 1957) Frank Sinatra. Rita llayworth. Kim Novak. l l 1min. Sinatra is perfectly cast as nightclub singer Joey livans in this upmarket San Franciscan musical. With a reputation for being a bit of a player. Joey unwittingly attracts the attentions of minted widower llayworth. who offers to fund his singing antics if he plays toy boy. However. the promiscuous singer has his sights set on stony ice queen Novak and thus a tumultuous and melodic wrangling of emotions ensues. Part of Frank Sinatra season. Eilrnhouse. Edinburgh. Persepolis (12A) ooooo (Vincent Paronnaud/Marjane Satrapi. France/L'S. 2007) (‘hiara Mastroianni. (‘atherine Deneuve. Danielle Darrieux. 96min. This adaptation of Satrapi’s autobiographical coming-of-age graphic novel is an exceptionally moving piece of animated filmmaking. (‘hronicling the liberal outlook of young Iranian Marji. Satrapi refreshingly manages to ponray a love of Iran without being revisionist or disguising any harsh truths about the regime. .S'eleeted release. Peter Rose Retrospective (15) (Peter Rose. [58. 1981-2008) Various. 77min. American director Rose has dealt with the universal themes of space. time. language and perception since the l9()0s. This selection of films fairly reflects the epic
nature of his endeavours. with a screening of
The Man Who ( 'ould No! See Ear Enough. .S'eeondarv ( 'urrents and a selection of more recent video works all fitting the bill. Part of Diversions: A Festival of Experimental Film and Video. Film/louse, Edinburgh. Playtime (PG) 0... (Jacques Tali.
France. 1967) Jacques Tali. Barbara Dennek.
Jacqueline l.ecomte. 152mm. Monsieur llulot. tussling with the modern world as Usual. follows a group of American tourists around a garish and hi-tech Paris of concrete and glass. Undervalued later Tali. with the actor Tati's slapstick of old overshadowed by Tali the director's masterly control of the
widescreen frame. Monorail Film ('lub presentation. Glasgow I-ilrn Theatre. Glasgow.
Private Property ( IS) oooo
(Joachim l.afosse. l.uxembourg/Belgium/France. 2006) Isabelle lluppert. Jeremie Renier.Yannick Renier. 95min. Divorced tnother Pascale (lluppert) lives with her cosseted grown-up twin sons (Jeremie and Yannick Renier) until her plans to sell their house upsets their plans. An emotionally complex and mordantly atttttsing fatnin drama. in which the boundaries between parents and children have become fatally blurred. Film/louse, Edinburgh.
Process and Image: New Films from the UK (15) (Various. l'K. 2004- 08) 75min. A selection of new British works centred on the themes of process and materiality. Some of the films turn to the 16mm printer-processor and digital imaging to coax the marvellous from the everyday. while others look to the intricacies of human rnolion and direct colour. Part of Diversions: A Festival of Experimental Film and Video. I‘ilrnhouse. Edinburgh.
Project Ability Screening: Oska Bright Film Festival (PG) (Various. lfK. 2008) A selection of works front the ()ska Bright Film Festival. the first festival to be run by. and for. people with a learning disability. Thirty-eight shorts will be screened over two days. Glasgoit' l-‘ilrn Theatre. Glasgow.
Project Ability Screening: The Go- operative Young Filmmakers Festival (i’G) (Various. l'K. 2008) 60min. A diverse selection of short liltns and animations made by young filmmakers in Scotland. The programme will feature a spoof documentary. a romantic gangster flick and a film that examines bullying. Glasgoit‘ I’ilrn Theatre. Glasgow: Rainforest Adventure: Bugs 30 (ti ) (Mike Slee. US. 2003) 45min. Delve into the undergrowth of the Borneo forest in this [Max rendition of bugs and bug life. Narrated by Dame Judi Dench and with a jazzy soundtrack. the bugs are magnified to 250.000 times their actual size fora truly skin-crawling close-up of their ecosystem. Ill/TAX Theatre. Glasgow:
Rambo ( l8) 0.. (Sylvester Stallone. US. 2008) Sylvester Stallone. Julie Benz. Matthew Marsden. 90min. Failing to repeat the success of resurrecting the Roek)‘ franchise. this fourth instalment in the Rambo series is predictably disappointing. Our man is living in isolation on the border of Burma when his peace is disturbed by a group of Christian Missionaries and the
charms of a beautiful woman (Benz). With no real rational or moral core to the narrative this is cinema as computer game. but for die- hard fans Stallone still delivers action by the bullet-load. ('arneo. Edinburgh.
Reprise (PG) (llerve l.e Roux. France. 1996) l95min. lising a short film of workers returning to work in the Saint ()uen Wonder Factory after the general strike of 1968 as a starting point. Le Roux obsessively tracks down the individuals involved. llis furtive documentation provides an intriguing lilmic platform for retrospection. Part of May ‘68. Glasgow l’i/rn Theatre. Glasgoit'; I'ilrnhouse. Edinburgh.
Scenes from New York ( 15) (Various. l'S. l9(i2-200(i) Various. 85min. This selection of short films chronicles the evolution of New York‘s experimental film scene frotn its rampant hey day in the 1960s. through to sortie of its foremost contemporary filmmakers and up and coming video artists. Neatly connecting past with present. and heritage with youth. this programme appropriately draws together a vast spectrtnn of styles and techniques. Part of Diversions: A Festival of Experimental Film and Video. I-‘ilmhouse. Edinburgh. Sept Jours Ailleurs ( IZA) (Marin Karmitz. France. [968) Jacques lligclin. ('atherine Martin. Michele Morctti. l00min. Feeling suffocated by his familial circumstance. a young composerjumps ship and takes a band of ballet dancers on tour in the provinces. Part of May '68. Glasgow Eilrn Theatre. Glasgow; l-‘ilrnhouse. Edinburgh.
Shine a Light ( 12A) oo (Martin Scorsese. LS. 2008) 122mm. ()verly reverential documentary filmed at a Rolling Stones concert hosted by Bill ('linton in New York ('ity. which shows the songs in full. interspersed with archive interviews and footage of the band. Despite the interesting inclusion of Scorcese in the opening and final scenes. no new discoveries are made here. Glasgow I’ilrn Theatre. Glasgow
Shoot First ( 15) (Various) 75min. Edinburgh's monthly short film slot aims to unearth new talent by making it easier for filmmakers to have their work shown. This month will feature the Scottish premiere of the first feature film from young lrish director Luke Leslie. .S'it'astieow—('rusin ' the Balm. limail
shootlirst(a lilmhousecinema.com for more information. l'ilrrt/tous'e. Edinburgh. Shutter ( l5) O. (Masayuki ()chilai. US. 2008) Joshua Jackson. Rachel Taylor. 84min. See Also Released. page 54. General release from Fri I 6 May.