Summer Hours (L’Heure d’ete) (12A) 0.” (Olivier Assayas. France. 2008) Juliette Binoche. Charles Berling. Jeremie Renier. l()2min. It‘s the 75th birthday of widowed matriarch Helene. and attending the celebrations are her three children. grandchildren and elderly housekeeper. who must decide collectively what to do with their artistic inheritance when Helene passes away soon after. Not tied down to a conventional three-act structure. the film's themes emerge naturally frorn the drama. I'i/Inhouse. Edinburgh. Sweet Sixteen (18) one (Ken Loach. UK. 2002) Martin (‘ornpston. William Ruane. (iary McCormack. 106mm. Cheeky west coast Scotland ned Liam (Compston) is awaiting his mother's release from prison. Pa‘s not around. so Liam. determined to give his ma a new home and a better life. begins dealing drugs. Loach‘s no frills working method sits well with screenwriter Paul Laveny‘s straightforward storytelling. which prioritises character development over fancy plotting. in his first screen role (ireenock local Compston excels as the tough kid with a tender heart. and it's his performance which lifts the film. irnbuing it with both warmth and humour and countering the balance between worthy polemic and highly watchable drama. This screening will be preceded by a short film from the SMHAFF film competition. Part of Scottish Mental Health & Arts Film Festival. Film/rouse. Edinburgh. Swing Vote (12A) ooo (Joshua Michael Stern. US. 2008) Kevin Costner. Kelsey (irammer. Dennis Hopper. 1 19min. This one line pitch of a movie asks: what if the fate of the US presidential election came down to the vote of one man'.’ Costner’s vote will swing things for the incumbent ((irammer) or the Democratic contender (Hopper) in this liberal political comedy that was. unsurprisingly. a huge flop in its home country. Selected release. Taken (15) «0 (Pierre Morel. France. 2008) Liam Neeson. Maggie (iracc. Farnke Janssen. 93min. Retired US secret agent operative Bryan (Neeson) steps into fray when his daughter Kim ((irace). with his ex-wife (Janssen). is ‘taken‘ by sex traffickers on a trip to Paris. A high octane. blood thumping update of Paul Schrader's 1979 Hardcore is every bit as ridiculous as it sounds but no less enjoyable for it. with Francophile attitude. Chekhovian familial regret. over the top torture and not a fundamentalist Muslim in sight. General release. That Sinking Feeling (PG) ooeo (Bill Forsyth. UK. 1979) Robert Buchanan. John Hughes. Janette Rankin. 89min. Forsyth‘s debut feature. remarkable for the paucity of the resources at his disposal. uses a cast from the (ilasgow Youth Theatre to tell the story of unemployed youth driven by boredom into art audacious robbery of some kitchen sinks. The easygoing perfomtanccs and spritely wit still catch the attention. and were an early indication of Forsyth‘s quirky genius. A Monorail Film Club presentation. Glasgow I-‘ilm Theatre. Glasgow. 30 Mania (U) (tbc. US. 2003) Stuart Pankin. ElviraJMAX 31) animation hell. For masochists and computer render geeks only. IMAX Theatre. Glasgow.
Times and Wind: (15) 0000
(Reha lirdem. Turkey. 2006) Ali Bey Kayali. ()zkan ()zen. lilit lscan. I 12min. See review, page 46. Film/rouse. lz'dinburgh. Top Spot ( l8) (Tracey limin. UK. 2004) Elizabeth Crawford. [aura (‘umick. Kate Foster-Bames. ()2min. timin's first feature- length film draws on her teenage experiences of Margate and features the traumatic stories of a group of young local girls. Messy. amateurish but interesting featurette directed by this great British artist. If nothing else the film does capture what it is to be a teenager in a crappy seaside town. Weston Link, Edinburgh. Tracey Emin Showreel (ii) (Tracey iimin. UK. Various) 75min. (ilyn Davis. Lecturer at Glasgow School of Art. introduces a selection of limin‘s shorts. Featuring Burning. Hard Love and
52 THE LIST 2-16 Oct 2008
Sometimes the Dress is it"or'th More Money than the Money. Heston Link. Edinburgh. Tropic Thunder ( 15) oooo (Ben Stiller. US. 2008) Ben Stiller. Jack Black. Robert [)owney Jr. l()(imin. While filming a war movie. three Hollywood actors become embroiled with a heroin cartel run by a tyrannical 12-ycar-old (Brandon Soo 11oo) and are forced to become the soldiers they are portraying. Like Stiller's previous directorial efforts. Tropic Thunder looks like it has been plotted by a child sirnpleton but most of the time you‘ll be laughing too hard to notice. or care. (ienera/ release. Unrelated ( 15) 0... (Joanna Hogg. 17K. 2008) Luisa Bartolomei. Elisabetta Fiorentini. (iiuseppe Fiorentini. l()0min. See review. page 44 and profile. Glasgow I'ilnt Theatre. (ilasgoti‘. View from a Grain of Sand (15) (Meena Nanji. US. 2006) 82min. A compelling study of the position of women in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. (iilrnm'ehi/l (5/2. Glasgow: The Visitor ( 15) 0000 (Thomas McCarthy. US. 2007) Richard Jenkins. llaa/ Sleiman. l)anai (iurira. l03min. Widower Walter Vale (Jenkins) is a grouch. When work sends him to Manhattan. a series of misunderstandings lead him to form a friendship with Syrian drummer 'I'arek (Sleirnan) and his Senegalese girlfriend Vainab ((iurira). Underwritten and beautifully performed. The Visitor is a sentimental drama that manages to access a hypnotic rhythm that is both convincing and reassuring. ( 'arneo. Edinburgh. WALL-E ([7) 0... (Andrew Stanton. US. 3008) Voices of Fred Willard. Jeff (iarlin. Ben Burtl. 103min. Inspired by sci- li classics from the 1900s and 70s. l’ixar have created a txrst-arxwalyptic story set in a future in which the Earth has been abandoned by humankind. where a solitary robot named WALL-1i executes his now pointless trash collecting programme. At its heart this is a very sweet rontantic comedy. and that‘s what provides the emotional clout. Selected release. The Wave (15) 0.. (Dennis (ianscl. (ierrnany. 2008) Jurgen Vogel. Frederick Lau. Max Riernelt. l07min. A slickly produced examination of how fascism can enter everyday life. The Wave is a peer
Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival
pressure teen drama where much of the heat comes from above. noticeably Yogel's high school teacher who wonders what will happen if he instils in the kids a few lessons from the Nazi past. (iansel doesn‘t dig too deep. but his well-made youth drama offers a couple of moments of tension come the denouement. Cameo. Iidinbur'gh.
Wild Child112Aie (Nick Moore. LS. 2008) limma Roberts. Natasha Richardson. Alex Pettyfer. 98min. This vactrous rehash of teen movie cliches presents Californian brat Poppy. a foul- mouthed and obnoxious .‘vlalibu-mite who is shipped off to a posh boarding school in lingland in the hope that she learn that
values and price-tags are not the same thing.
Another dog-cared slice of Working Title crapola aimed squarely at the dumbest of LS teens. Se/et‘led release.
The Women ( 12.-\) 00 (Diane linglish. LS. 2008) Meg Ryan. Annette Bening. liva Mendes. 00min. Depressing update of Clare Booth Lucc's 1930 satirical play set in the idle and bitchy world of wealthy wives arid divorcces. [S TV writer Diane linglish adapts and directs with little feeling for the sacred text she is dealing with. Some adequate performances. nice costumes and a few decent one—liners aside this prompts the inevitable question: why‘.’. (ierter'al release.
The X-Files: I Want to Believe ( 15) .. (Chris Carter. LS. 3008) David 1)ucho\ ny. (iillian Anderson. 104mm. Ten years after the first X—I'i/es film. .‘ylulder (Duchovny) and Scully (Anderson) are back and they are together-together. When Scully persuades Mulder to get involved in a case involving psychic priest Father Crissman (Connolly). things get about as paranormal as Button Moon. The plot is weak. the villains are characterless and the leading roles are massively overplay ed. l'ue Edinburgh ()eean. lidinburg/t.
Yield to the Night ( IS) oooo l.'1'hompson. l'K. 1950) Diana 1)ors. Yvonne Mitchell. Michael Craig. 09min. Based on the Ruth 1illis case. this riveting anti-capital punishment melodrama is one of the finest and most hard-hitting of its period. l’lus. 1)ot‘s is brilliant in it. Recortttticndcd. Edinburgh l'ilrn (iuild. Edinburgh.
(John
Glasgow EE—
350 Sauchiehall Street. Bookings: 0141 352 4900. Prices vary. THURSDAY 9 OCT
El Bulto (1i) (v.30. El Grit011i) 9.00.
TUESDAY 14 OCT Scottish Digital Shorts Launch (ii) 7.00.
WEDNESDAY 15 OCT Between Heaven and Earth (1i) 8.00.
THURSDAY 16 OCT Document 6 Screening (1i) noon.
Dinode Parkth
The Forge. Par'khead. 24hr bookings & info: 0871 200 2000. Adults £5.70 (£5 Mon Thu before 5pm): Children £4 (£3.70 .\1on Thu); Students £4 (£3.50 Mon Thu): ()APs £4. Famin ticket £16. liarly bird (all performances before noon): £3.70. Movies for Juniors (Sat am): £1. Yearly pass (unlimited movies): £10.99 per month.
THURSDAY 2 OCT
Death Racetlfii 1.20. 900.
Disaster Movie ( 12A) 0.20. 8.45.
Mamma Mia!(l’(i) 11.40am. 12.45. 2.20. 3.20. 5.10. o.00. 8.00. 8.30. Righteous KIIIHS) 12.30. 3.00. 6.40. 9.10.
TakenrtS) noon. 3.30. 4.40. 7.00. 9.20.
itopic‘ihundenlS) 12.10. 2.40. 5.20. 8.40.
The Women (12A) 8.35.
FRIDAY 3—THURSDAY 9
Bee Movie (1') Sat: 10.00am.
3.50. (x30.
12.50. 3.30.
12.35. 3.10. 0.10.
Death Racetlfir l)aily: 1.20, 3.51). (1.21). 8.50.
a“.
Aiming, as in previous years, to engage the media, public and arts communities in a
dialogue about mental health issues, the film strand of this year’s festival features a diverse selection of relevant features, post film discussions, shorts and even a short film awards ceremony. Highlights include an always welcome screening of Johnny Cash Live in San Quentin, Craig Gillespie’s offbeat comedy Lars and the Real Girl, Tamara Jenkins excellent familial tragic comedy The Savages, Simon Cellan Jones’ schizophrenia comedy Some Voices (pictured) and Grant Gee’s revealing documentary Joy Division. Each film will be screened with a short, all of which will be commended and celebrated in a free awards ceremony at the end of the festival. www.mhfestival.com for more information. I Gilmorehr‘l/ 672, Glasgow; Grosvenor, Glasgow; Film/rouse. Edinburgh from Thu 2 Oct.