www.|ist.co.uk/film
Clouds Over Conakry ( 15)
O... ((‘heick l-"antamady (‘amara. (iuinea. 2007) Alexandre ()gou. Balla Motissa Keita. 07min. Political cartoonist BB (Ugou) is madly in love with his bosses' talented daughter. Sadly. his strict Muslim father has other designs for his life. A rotnantic take on the recurrent African cinema dialogue of tradition versus modernity. Part of Africa in Motion. Glasgow Film 'I'lteatre. Glasgow. The Contender ( IS) eeo (Rod l.urie. (S 2000) (iary ()ldman. Joan Allen. Jeff Bridges. (‘hristian Slater. l2bmin. In wri(er-director l.uric's post-(‘linton dreatn version of a Democratic presidency. Allen's high-minded senator becomes the subject of a sex scandal. She is targeted by ()ldman’s right-wing congressman whet) President Jackson livans (Bridges) chooses her to succeed the recently deceased vice—president. Lurie. however. hasn't found a way of making committed liberal drama without descending into sanctiniony. Part of Mr President . . . season. I'ilmltouse. Edinburgh. Conversations on a Sunday Afternoon ( 15) (Klialo Matabane. South Africa. 2005) Fatima llersi. Tony Kgoroge. 80min. South African filmmaker Matabane deftly mixes documentary with fiction in this Johannesburg-set tiltn. A journalist is led to encounter a host of refttgees and immigrants from many different countries in his search for a shy Somali refugee he once met in a park. An emotive portrait of the complex issues at the heart of the new South Africa. Part of Africa in Motion. Film/muse. Edinburgh. Dan in Real Life (Po) oo (Peter lledges. l'S. 2007) Steve ('arcll. Juliette Binoche. Dane (‘ook. 98min. Rooted in warm. middle-class family values and about as predictable and inoffensive as a TV sitcom. Dan in Real Life is the story of an advice columnist and widower (('arell) who falls in love with his brother's girlfriend (Binoche). Lead-footed and lame btil mildly engaging. (‘arell's pleasantly effortless comedy style manages to save the film from complete mediocrity. lirunton 'I‘lieatre. Edinburgh. The Dark Knight ( IDA) oeoe ((‘hristopher Nolan. (S. 2008) (‘hristian Bale. lleatl) Ledger. Maggie (iyllenhaal. 152mm. Nolan's revamp of the superhero franchise reaches its apotheosis with this sequel to Battnan Begins. a supremely well- itnagined. perfectly exectitcd film that combines blockbuster spectacle with indie cinema cool and smarts. Psychotic. chaos- Ioving clown The Joker (Ledger) is introduced as the dark knight's ultimate nemesis and a thrilling battle slowly terrorises the populace of (iothani. (illlt’li‘tll'ltl Rettlt‘eit' Street. Glasgow: Death Race ( (5) eee (Paul ws Anderson. (S 2008) Jason Statham. lan McShane. Joan Allen. l0-lmin. Rehashed elements from Roger (‘orman's 70s Death Raee 2000 with Statham as Jensen Ames. who is forced by prison warden llennessey (Allen) to take part in a three stage Death Race on pay-per-view teley isioii. The chase sequences are satisfying and Allen clearly enjoys some action-movie sluinniing. director .-\nderson'.s reboot is predictably stripped of the anarchic humour and political sideswipes of the original. ('ineworld ReIt/rew Street. Glasgow. The Devil’s Backbone ( )5) ooooo (Guillermo del Toro. Spain. 200] ) Marisa Paredes. Federico l.uppi. liduardo dc Noriega. l()7min. ln del Toro's expertly- crafted ghost tale set during Spain's (‘ivil War. a young (‘arlos is brought to a remote orphanage presided over by an odd elderly couple (l.uppi and Paredes). and haunted by the ghost of another orphan. A powerful political backdrop is seamlessly interwoven with a strong religious subtext. and there are numerotIs cultural references including the surreal imagery of Salvador Dali and the Victorian (iothic writings of MR James. (iloriously photographed by Almodovar's cinematographer Guillermo Navarro. this is brilliant visual. allegorical storytelling. Seats/nan Sereening Room. Edinburgh. Disaster Movie ( (2A) 0 (Jason Friedberg/Aaron Sell/er. l'S. 2008) Matt Lanter. Vanessa Minnillo. Nicole Parker.
00min. New spoof comedy from the Epic Movie/Meet the Spartans folk. Blockbuster fiicks as diverse as the lndiana Jones franchise. Iron Man and High School .flusieal get lampooned to tedious effect. Selected release.
Document 6 (15) (Various) (‘rusading human rights liltn festival enters its sixth year with a packed programme of socially conscious documentaries. See panel. page 52. ('(‘xl Glasgow.
Dracula ( l2A) O... (Terernce Fisher. (K. 1958) Peter (‘ushing (‘hristopher Lee. Michael (iough. 82min. The filtn that set the llatntner standard and revitalised the vampire count. Lee‘s Dracula is very tnueh the seductive aristocrat. whose influence overshadows the entire filtn. l.urid colour. sexual symbolism and all in a print that hasn’t been squashed into a television frame. Restored print. Glasgow Film Theatre.
The Duchess ( (2A) eee (Saul Dibb. (TS. 2008) Keira Knightley. Ralph Fiennes. Dominic Cooper. 1 l()min. Period drama retelling the true life story of early 19th century socialite Georgiana ('avendish (Knightley). who finds herself in a mismatched and temperamental marriage. complete with a meddling other woman. She falls for the future prime minister (‘harles Grey ((‘ooper) btit only inequality and tragedy can come of such assignations. Familiar and tedious stufffl‘he Utteltess is essentially a beautifully shot period TV drama. Dominion. Edinbtugh.
Eagle Eye ( 12A) oeo (DJ Caruso. l'S. 2008) Shia l.aBeouf. Michelle Monaghan. Rosario Dawson. 1 17min. See review. page 45. General release.
88 Minutes ( 15) 0 (Jon Avnet. FS. 2008) Al Pacino. Alicia Witt. Leelee Sobieski. 108mm. Pacino plays Jack (iramm. a forensic scientist who finds himself framed for murder. (iiven 88 minutes to find the real culprit. Pacino wearily scrambles between police. suspects and a Death Row killer to prove his innocence. With a ludicrously cheesy cliffhanger climax. 88 .liinutes amounts to rank codswallop. (’ineworld Renfi‘ew Street. Glasgow.
Ezra ( 15) 0... (Newton 1 Aduaka. Nigeria/France/l'S/l'K/Austria. 2007) Mamoudo 'l‘uray Kamara. Mariame N‘Diaye. Manitisu Kallon. l()Smin. Offering a compassionate African account of the abduction of child soldiers during a civil war.l:‘:ra highlights one of the most distressing aspects of modern warfare. This screening will be preceded by two short liliiis depicting the work of two charities in Africa. Part of Africa in Motion. Film/muse. Edinburgh.
Faat Kiné ( l5) 0... (()usmane Seinbene. Senegal. 2000) Venus Scye. Mame Ndoumbe. Ndiagtie Dia. l20min. A strong forty-year-old businesswoman earns her place as a successful gas station owner in a male dominated Senegalese society. raising her two children alone and fiercely shunning the stigma of unwed motherhood. Pan of Africa in Motion. l'illtlltutlsl’. Edinburgh.
Face Addict ( IS) eoo (lido Bertoglio. ltaly/Switzerland/lTS. 2005) l02min. An adoptee of Andy Warhol's Factory set. photographer lido Bertoglio
becatne responsible for shooting the likes of
Basquiat and Debbie Harry. Having fallen prey to a destructive drug addiction. the photographer soon lost his position within the group. He returns to downtown Manhattan to offer an insider's perspective on the scene. Glasgow Film Theatre. Glasgow. Fando y Lis ( IS) oeoo (Alejandro Jodorowsky. Mexico. 1967) Sergio Kleiner. Diana Mariscal. Maria Teresa Rivas. 96min. A key film from the l‘)()()s experimental art movement in Mexico. .lodorowsky"s Fando v [is sees Fando (Kleiner) and his partially paralyzed fiancee l.is (Mariscal) search for the mythical city of Tar. Based on recollections of a play by Surrealist artist Fernando Arrabal. ( '( ‘A. Glasgow. Feads) of the Dark ( 12A) 0... (Various. France. 2007) 85min. See preview. page 4-1 and review. page 45. ('ameo. lz‘dinburgh (matinees only)
and selected cinemas from Fri 24 Oct. The Filth and The Fury ( l5) .0. (Julian Temple. UK. 2000) l()7min. In his second attempt at defining the Sex Pistols story. Temple has adopted a revisionist stance with the intention of dispelling the notion that the group were the stooges of an art school movement masterminded by self- proclaitned svengali Malcolm McLaren. Splicing TV ads and stock footage into interviews with the band and previously unseen live footage. Temple wants us to see the group as a genuine explosion of fury at the state of Britain towards the end of the 1970s. Gilmore/till G12. Glasgow. Finding Heverland (PG) 0000 (Marc Singer. liK/lTS. 2004) Johnny Depp. Kate Winslet. Julie Christie. Dustin Hoffman. Freddie Highmore. l()lmin. London at the turn of the 20th century. and the playwright JM Barrie's (Depp) last few plays have been flops. Then by chance one day he meets society widow Sylvia Llewelyn Davies (Winslet) and her adorable. if unruly. brood of children. Through them he becomes inspired to write a new kind of play for kids and adults alike. The first is about a flying boy. a suburban family and a magical place called Neverland. Delightful adaptation of Allan Knee‘s popular stage play with great performances all round. Cineworld Par/(head. Glasgow.
Finye (The Wind) (15) ooeoe (Souleymane (‘issé. Mali. 1982) Fousseyni Sissoko. (ioundo (iuissé. Massitan Ballo. l()0min. Social satire tackling the generation gap in post-colonial West Africa. The rebellious daughter of a provincial military govemor falls in love with a fellow university student. the descendant of one of Mali‘s chiefs of an earlier age. to the dismay of both their families. A mix of politics. romance and social commentary. Followed by a panel discussion on the links between the African oral storytelling tradition and African film as a contemporary medium of telling stories. Part of Africa in Motion. Glasgow Film Theatre. Glasgow; Film/rouse. Edinburgh. Fly Me to the Moon (U) 00 (Ben Stassen. LS. 2008) Buzz Aldrin. Adrienne Barbeau. lid Begley Jr. 84min. A 31) film describing mankind‘s first trip to the moon is a lively sounding prospect. and moments in Stassen's animation provide a genuine wow-factor. but such moments of poetry are fleeting and the majority of this film insanely focuses on the uninteresting plight of three housefiies who stowaway onboard. Seleeted release.
The Fox and the Child (LT) ooo (l.uc Jacquet. France. 2007) Voice of Kate Winslet. Bertille Noel-Bruneau. Thomas Laliberte. 92min. A giggly eight-year-old French child (Noel-Bruneau) strikes up a friendship with a fox she meets on the way home from school. This marks a step forward in narrative storytelling for Jacquet. who successfully depicts the fox as a wild arid uncontrolled force in a non-Disney tnanner. An often beguiling account of how mankind and animals can exist in harmony. Vue Edinburgh ()eean. Edinburgh.
Future Shorts (li) (Various) 90min. Aiming to develop a wider audience for short film. Future Shorts returns. with another excellent international programme. The A relies. Glasgow.
Get Smart ( 12A) CC. (Peter Segal. lfS. 2008) Steve (‘arell. Anne Hathaway. Dwayne Johnson. I l()min. Segal‘s tent-pole blockbuster revamp of 1960's spy spoof Get Smart features (‘arell as an over-prepared secret agent whose clumsiness often leads to the apprehension of enemy spies. Given his chance to shine. Smart is sent to Moscow where he elicits the support of co- spy Agent 99 (Hathaway) as they attempt to thwart the terrorist schemes of KAOS megalomaniac Siegfried (Stamp). ()deon At The Quay. Glasgow.
The Ghost Show: Scotland in the Past (PG) (Various) 90min. A selection of some of the earliest films ever shown in Scotland comprise an exploration of how showground pioneers such as Victor Biddall. Harry Kemp and George Green. made Scots take an interest in the movies. Glasgow Film Theatre. Glasgow:
Ghost Town (12A) eoe (David Koepp. US. 2008) Ricky (iervais. Frank Kinnear. Tea Leoni. 102mm. See review. pa 'e 47. General release. Gomorrah (15) eooo (Matteo (iarrone. Italy. 2008) Salvatore Abruzzese. Simone Sacchettino. Salvatore Ruocco. 137mm. (iarrone offers an intriguing account of the Napoli-based (‘amorra. adapted from the bestselling book by journalist Robeno Saviano. This excellent ensemble drama shows Us various facets of Mafia life. froin the recruiting of young kids to the infiltration of seemingly legitimate industries such as haute couture and segues into the waste industry. A deserving winner of the Grand Prix at Cannes. Seleeted release. Good Dick ( 15) O... (Marianna Palka. US. 2008) Jason Ritter. Marianna Palka. Tom Arnold. 86min. A young girl (Palka) whiles away her time in the sprawling suburbs of Los Angeles watching pomography rented from her local video store. ()ne of the boys that works in the store takes a shine to her and the pair enter into a sadomasochistic relationship. Beneath a seedy and disturbing exterior. this is a very sweet. very affecting and quite sophisticated film. Glasgow Film Theatre. Glasgow. Grave of The Fireflies(12)ooo (lsao Takahata. Japan. 1988) Tsutomu Tatsumi. Ayano Shiraishi. 94min. Tragic Japanese animation about a young boy and his little sister‘s efforts to survive in World War ll Japan. Edinburgh Film Guild. Edinburgh. Great Expectations (PG) eeooo (David Lean. UK. 1946) John Mills. Bernard Miles. Finlay Currie. l 18min. Lean's adaptation of the Dickens novel remains cinema's definitive version. even after half a century. An orphan meets an escaped convict and is introduced into a new world of adventures and finely observed characters. Photography and design at its best. Filmhouse. Edinburgh. Her Name is Sabine (12A) oooo (Sandrine Bonnaire. France. 2007) Sabine Bonnaire. 85min. French actress Sandrine Bonnaire‘s impressive directorial debut proffers an intimate and poignant documentary portrait of her 38-year-old autistic sister Sabine. Whilst this film quietly expresses Bonnaire‘s profound love for her sibling. it also poses important broader questions about how society should care for those suffering from debilitating behavioural conditions. l-‘ilmhous‘e. Edinburgh. High School Musical 3: Senior Year (L7) 0. (Kenny Ortega. 2008) Zac Efron. Vanessa Anne Hudgens. Ashley Tisdale. 1 l lmin. See Also Released. page ~17. General release. The House Bunny (12A) 00 (Fred Wolf. US. 2008) Anna Faris. (‘olin Hanks. Emma Stone. 97min. Predictably pitiful comedy about a recently unemployed Play-boy tnansion bunny (Farris) who goes to college. Fonnulaic legally Blondeish slapstick which still manages to raise a few laughs. General release.
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16—30 Oct 2008 THE LIST 49