Film
The Forbidden Kingdom (IZA) (Rob Minkoff. US. 2008) Jackie (‘han. Jet Li. Jackie Angarano. 104mm. (‘hop-socky superstars Jackie (‘han and Jet Li share the screen for the first time in this East-meets- West martial arts adventure in which a ktmg fu obsessed American teen makes a discovery that semis him on a quest to (‘hina to free the imprisoned Monkey King. 'Ihink Karate Kid crossed with ('muehing Tiger: Hidden Dragon. General release. Forbidden Lies ( 12A) (Anna Broinowski. Australia. 2007) 106mm. A documentary exploring the truth behind bestseller l'brbidden love. a supposedly true story of a shocking honour killing in Jordan. and the real identity of its author. Norma Khouri. Spanning the globe. this doc questions Norma‘s family. publishers and even the FBI in search of answers. which turn out to be far stranger than anything contained in the original book. Winner of the Australian Film Institute Best Documentary prize. Part of the London Australian Film Festival. I’ilmhouse. Edinburgh.
The Game Plan ((7) 000 (Andy Fickman. IIS. 2007) Dwayne Johnson. Madison Pettis. Kyra Scdgwick. | 10min. The Game Plan follows the fortunes of Elvis-obsessed American football superstar quarterback Joe Kingsrnan (Johnson) and his estranged eight-year old daughter (I’ettis) when she enrols him in ballet school. The result is overblown and overlong. bland and formulaic. yet its eamest brand of character comedy for pre- teens pays off. ('ineimrld Par/(head. Glasgow; ('ineivorld lidinburgh. Edinburgh. Garbage Warrior ( IS) .00 (()liver Hodge. UK. 2007) 88min. Hippie. sustainable housing architect and all round recycling guru Michael Reynolds presents his vision of self sufficiency in the future in this absorbing documentary. Glasgmv l'ilm Theatre. Glasgmv.
Global Haywire ( l5) (Bruce Petty. Australia. 2006) 82min. Semi-animated documentary probing at the current relationship between Fast and West. Illuminating debates on terrorism. oil crises and globalisation feature Tariq Ali. Noam Chomsky. Gore Vidal. Arundhati Roy and Robert Fisk. Part of the London Australian Film Festival. film/muse. Iidinburgh.
Gone Baby Gone ( IS) 0000 (Ben Affleck. ITS. 2007) (‘asey Afllcck. Morgan Freeman. Michelle Monagahan. 1 13min. Beautiful young girl Amanda (O'Brien) goes missing in Boston and local private investigator Kenzie (Affieck) and his girlfriend are hired for their knowledge of the rundown area. Another raw tale of abuse. pride. poverty and a very particular form of unhinged Massacliusetts nobility.
( 'inewm‘ld lz'dinburgli. Ifdin/na‘gli. Hancock ( IZA) 000 (Peter Berg. LS. 2008) Will Smith. (‘harlize Theron. Jason Bateman. 92min. Smith plays a nihilistic superhero who has fallen out of favour with the public. Due to this scenario. Ilanmek dangerously flirts with the status of one-joke film. Amazingly. though. Hancock is then rescued (both as a character and as a film) by PR executive Ray Iimbrey (Bateman). who believes he can turn Hancock's public image from zero to hero. General release.
Heave Ho! (PG) (Martin Fric/Jiri Voskovec/Jan Werich. Czechoslovakia. I934) Jiri Voskovec. Jan Werich. Ilelena Busova. ()9min. Avant-garde concepts and burlesque comedy merge in a film crafted by the famous and popular (‘zech theatrical duo Voskovec and Werich (VOW). In lleave Hal. their signature slapstick humour is fused with anti-fascist and anti-capitalist propaganda. Part of the Modernity and 'I'radition season. Film/rouse. Edinburgh. llorton Hears a Who! ((7 ) 00. (Jimmy Hayward. Steve Martino. LS. 2008) Voices of Jim (‘arrey. Steve (‘arelL 86min. Animators Blue Sky take a break from their ongoing lee Age franchise to colourfully realise the universe of Dr Seuss' text. Both (‘arrey and (‘arrell are allowed full rein for their brand of vocal mugging as co-directors Hayward and Martino skilfully guide Horton towards a comforting moral about
50 THE LIST 17—31 Jul 2008
size not being all that important. Seleered release.
In Search of a Midnight Kiss ( IS) .0. (Alex Holdridge. US. 2008) Scoot McNairy. Sara Simmonds. Brian McGuire. 9‘)min. Holdridge‘s acerbic and warmly human dispatch from the frontline of the LA dating scene sees Wilson (McNairy) desperately searching for a date to provide him with a New Year‘s kiss. After putting an advert on (‘raigslisL he meets Vivian (Simmonds). an aspiring actress who may or may not match Wilson‘s emotional unavailability. Film/muse. Edinburgh.
The Incredible Hulk (12A) .0
(Louis Leterrier. ITS. 2008) Iidward Norton. Liv Tyler. Tim Roth. 1 12min. Five years after Ang Lee's Hulk commercially flopped. Leterrier ditches cerebral musing for all-out action and little else. The sequel finds Dr Bruce Banner (Norton) hiding from the American military. reunited with lover Betty Ross (Tyler) and pursued by her father. General Thunderbolt Ross (William Ilurt). Disappointingly dumb. this Hulk is anything but incredible. ('illeli'orld Rt’llf/‘eit' Street. Glasgow; Empire ('I_vdebank. (‘lydebank The Incredibles (PG) 00.. (Brad Bird. ISA. 2004) Voices of (‘raig T Nelson. Holly Hunter. Samuel L Jackson. Jason Lee. l20min. Bob Parr (AKA Mr Incredible) is an overweight insurance clerk living in suburbia. but this wasn't always the case. Once upon a time he was a popular do gooder superhero. as was his wife Helen (AKA Iilastigirl). But one night something went wrong and all superheroes had to be reassimilatcd into society through a kind of witness protection scheme. The Parrs now have an average family life with some very unaverage kids. but someone is about to test this family‘s unity to the max. Astounding. witty and funny Pixar animated adventure film that pushes all the right buttons and references all the best films and classic TV series. Let‘s face it. this may just be too good for mere kids. Gmsvenm: Glasgow. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (12A) 00. (Steven Spielberg. LS. 2008) Harrison Ford. ('ate Blanchett. Karen Allen. l22min. It's 1957. the Soviets have replaced the Nazis as the biggest set of thugs on the planet and Jones (Ford) has returned for his most outlandisih adventure yet. Russian baddie Spalko (Blanchett) is out to trick the hero into uncovering the secrets ()f a mythical crystal. a challenge which proves that the old dog still has a few new tricks. General I‘l’h'USl’.
Irina Palm (IS) .0 (Sam (iarbarski. ’arious. 2007) Marianne Faithfull. Miki .\'lanojlovic. Kevin Bishop. 104mm. Maggie (Faithful) is desperate. In her mid 50s and struggling with
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Thelondon Australian Film Festival
preconceptions that she is too old to do anything. until she wanders into a seedy Soho club and winds up being hired to give relief to men through a glory hole. While there is some humour in how this premise is handled (no pun intended). the film can't decide whether it‘s a sex comedy or a serious social commentary. Glasgow Film Theatre. Glasgow:
Journey to The Center of The Earth (PG) .0. (Eric Brevig. US. 2008) Brendan Fraser. Josh Hutcherson. Anita Briem. 92min. Enjoyany silly adventure based on the classic Jules Verne novel starring Fraser (The Mummy) as a science professor whose renegade theories are held in contempt by the academic community. On an expedition in Iceland. he stumbles upon a discovery that is to be the beginning of his joumey deep beneath the Earth's surface. General release.
Joy Division (IS) om (Grant Gee. UK/US. 2007) 99min. Beautifully cut and imaginatively constructed documentary explaining the swift rise and abrupt cessation of Joy Division (and troubled singer Ian (‘urtis ) through rare footage. TV appearances. bootleg recordings. personal photographs and recollections. The film rubbishes the ludicrous rock‘n'roll myth of ‘live fast. die young‘ to tell the story with humour. warmth and often-painful clarity. l'ilniltause. Edinburgh.
Jules Et Jim (PG) 0..” (Francois Truffaut. France. 1962) Jeanne Moreau. ()skar Werner. Henri Serre. I05min. French New Wave filmmaker 'I‘ruffaut‘s third film. made in I962. was undoubtedly his masterpiece and released on a lovely new print still speaks to a contemporary consciousness. Set in the I9l0s and 20s it is the story of a freewheeling love triangle between alpha female (‘atherine (Moreau). Austrian Jules (Wemer) and Frenchman Jim ( Serre). Film/muse. Edinburgh.
The Kentuckian (PG) (Burt Lancaster. US. 1955) Burt Lancaster. Dianne Foster. Diana Lynn. 104mm. Based on a novel by Felix Holt. this follows I820s-Texas bound widower Eli (Lancaster) as he encounters both distracting desirables and backwoods villains on a dream-laden joumey to the West. Part of the Burt Lancaster season. l'ilmhouse. Edinburgh.
Kismat Konnection (PG) (Aziz Mirza. India. 2008) Shahid Kapoor. Vidya Balan. lSlmin. Bollywood fiick about life. luck and. of course. love. Selected release.
Kung Fu Panda (PG) 0.. (Mark
()sborne. John Stevenson. USA. 2008) Voices of Jack Black. Jackie Chan. Angelina Jolie. ()Imin. Overweight panda Po (Black) joins his heroes. the Fierce Five. in a butt-kicking adventure when the valley of peace is threatened with the return of bad
kung fu master. Tai Lung (McShane). This is Dreamworks-does-manga animation. overlaid with an Eastern version of the fated place-in-the-universe style philosophy originally trademarked in The Lion King. General release.
The Leopard (II Gattopardo) (PG) (Luchino Visconti. Italy/France. I963) Burt Lancaster. Claudia Cardinale. Alain Delon. l88min. l860s Sicily. where revolution is underway to unite Italy as a republic. and the Prince of Salina (Lancaster) reflects sadly on the death of the aristocratic world and the rise of the crass bourgeoisie. Pan of the Burt Lancaster season. Film/rouse, Edinburgh.
Let’s Get Lost ( IS) 00” (Bruce Weber. US. I989) 1 19min. Weber fashions a highly unconventional documentary that follows trumpeter Chet Baker from the West to the East coast of America and on to Europe. There‘s little in the way of interviews with Baker in the film. Instead. Weber films Baker. prematurely aged by narcotics. hanging out in various breezy venues. A dreamy portrait of a superb but doomed musician. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Lou Reed’s Berlin (12A) coo
(Julian Schnabel. US/UK. 2007) Lou Reed. Antony Hegany. Emmanuelle Seigner. 85min. Schnabel‘s concert film documents Lou Reed’s recent live performance of his classic album Berlin. 33 years after it was first released. Filmed at St Ann‘s Warehouse in New York. and featuring Antony Hegarty (of Antony and the Johnsons). Filmhause. Edinburgh.
Mamma Mia! (PG) (Phyllida Lloyd. UK/US. 2008) Meryl Streep. Pierce Brosnan. Colin Firth. 108min. How can we resist you? Film version of super successful Broadway and West End ABBA song musical starring Streep. Brosnan and Firth. General release.
Manon Des Source: (PC) (Claude Berri. France/Italy. I986) Yves Montand. Daniel Auteuil. Emmanuelle Beart. ll4min. Ten years after the demise of Jean de Florette. the Soubeyrans run a prosperous carnation farm. Steering this epic rural saga towards the realms of Greek tragedy. this is a full and satisfying second half that explores the suffering of the guilty as they pay a crippling penance for man's greed and envy. The production values are as high as ever and Auteuil assumes Depardieu‘s mantle in his development from glaikit idiot to broken-hearted suitor. Scotsman Sereening Roam. Edinburgh.
McFly: Live on the BigscreenThe mini-Busted boys who are staggeringly popular in the young teen girl demographic get a taste of the silver screen with this hi- def screening of their concert at Koko. London. We Edinburgh Ocean, Edinburgh.
The new Aussie cinema season continues with a handful of features up from down under, including the most
commercially successful Australian documentary ever made, Bra Boys, an insider’s view of the notorious south Sydney surfing tribe that’s narrated by that famous Antipodean, Russell Crowe. l Filmhouse. Edinburgh, Thu 77 Jul; GFf. Glasgow, from Tue 22 Jul.