www.list.co.uk/film
Films screening this fortnight are listed below with certificate, star rating, credits, brief review and venue details. Film index compiled by Paul Dale
ii! Indicates Hitiist entry
Age of Stupid ( IZAi 0... (Manny Armstrong. l'K. 2009i Pete Postlethwaite. Piers (itiy. Jamila Bayyoud. 90min See reyiew. page 47 Part of week of climate change events wwwnotstupidorg (i/uxgmt I'll/n Theatre, (illiwuw; I'ilmhuuyr'. Iidinburgh. Aloo Chaat ( IZAl (Robby (irewal. liidia. 2008i l)olly Ahltiwalia. ('handan Anand. l35miii. Bollywood rom coiii about a man whose entire family are against his choice of bride. ('iIu'ttur/d Ri'llfl'i’lf .Slrr'i'l. (iluwrm. American Teen ( tSi .. (Nanette Bursteiii. l'S. 2008) 101mm. Nauseatiiig reality TV style doctiiiientary about a year iii the fixes of four teenagers in the senior year of a high school iti liidtaiia ('ini'imrld Rr’It/I't'tt .SII‘t'r'l. (i/uwmt. Anvil - The Story of Anvil ( lSi .... (Sacha (ieryasi. l'S. 3009i 80mm. (io on a journey with the unltickiest. hardest workitig men in rock in tlits moving documentary. l'i/Inhuusr. Edinburgh. Asterix The Gaul it’i ... (Ray (ioossens. France. l‘)(i7l Voices of Roger (’arel. Pierre 'l‘ornade. lleiiri Labussiere. (iSmiti. The early adventures of the plucky little warrior who wreaks havoc among the occupying Rottian troops. aided by liis plump pal ()belix. the druid (ietafix and his ama/iiig magic potiotis. Part of Weaii's World. l-i/nihousi'. Edinburgh. Barfly t l8) .... (Barbet Schroeder. L'S. 1987) Mickey Rourke. Faye Dunaway. Alice Krige. 99min. Bar-room btiiii Rourke finds artistic inspiration in the demon drink. but his discovery by a prestigious literary magazine and the temptations of wealth threaten his relationship witlt fellow alcoholic Dunaway. (‘alctilating esercise iii existentialism. based on the autobiogaphical writings of cult author ('harles Btikow ski. here energetically iitipersonated by a game Mickey Rourke. (ilusgou' I’llni ‘I'ht’ulrt’. (i/uaguu‘.
Barry Lyndon (l’(;i.....
(Stanley Kubrick. l'K. l‘)75l Ryan ()‘Neal. Marisa Bereiison. Patrick Magee. 187mm. See Also Released. page 48. I’ilnthouw. Edinburgh. Batman Begins i IZAi ... ((‘hristopher Nolan. l'S. 3005i ('hristian Bale. Michael ('aiiie. Liam Neeson. Morgan Freeman. (iary' ()ldman. Katie Holmes. 139mm. Deeply flawed but satisf‘yitigly dark and realistic adaptation of both Bob Kane's original strips and Frank Miller's liiitimm.‘ )i'ur ()Nf'. l)a\ id Ii/udi' (ioy er's script is pretty awful but this is also a fairly
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substandard piece of work from Nolan as well lfimmui Bruins does. howey er. need to be applauded for partly rey italisitig ati ailing franchise (tum it. ladinbu/gh Bee Movie it'i ... (Sic-y e llickiier/Simoit J Smith. LS. 2003 Jerry Selttleld. Renee /.ellw egcr. \ltlllltew Broderick. 90mm Barry B Benson graduates from college to find that he still only has one possible career iiiakitig honey l)isilltisiotied. he moyes to Manhattan where he discos ers that litittiatis steal arid eat honey and resolyes to file a law still against the honey giant. Big Money. An oddly concetyed \chicle for a reluctant star. Ifn’ .Uullr' desery es a li-tttltttls lor effort ()(li'li’l .ill [hr Qtun. (i/ihgim. Udt'nlt Hitler Hat/m. ladinbiireh. Belle Toujours i lSi ... (\laiioel de ()liyeira. Piirttigal/l‘raiice. 200m Michel Piccoli. Bulle ()giei‘ (its’min Manoel de ()liyetra pays tribute to Btit‘iuel‘s l‘lb'i' masterpiece Iii/Ir dr Join and rey isits liotisewife-ttiriied-prostitute Sey eriite (( )gieri as she is tinhappily pursued by former client lletirt (Ptccolt l. l'tiiiecessary sequel to cult classic. l'i/mhuuu'. Izdinburuh. Belle de Jour ( lat..... ll.llls Bliftllel. Fratice/ltaly. I‘)(i7i (‘atherme l)ettetl\e. Jean Sorel. \lleltel l’tccoli 99mm. The taboo-busting film about a beautiful. faitliftil and bored yotiiig liotisew ife Seyerttie (l)eiieti\ei who finds her inner fetishism iii the brothels of her small town. Forty years on it‘s still shocking. ftmiiy. cleyer. sesy and peculiarly familiar. (io atid see it: it‘s good old fashioned arthouse porn. for heayeii‘s sake, I’i/mhuuu'. Ifdinbu/‘eh. Better Things ( lSi .... (Duane llopkitis. l'K. 2008i Liam Melllatrtck. (‘he (‘orr. 'l'ara Ballard. 03mm. See Also Released. page 48 arid full res iew at w w w.|ist.co.tik. l'i/rnhouxi'. lidinbureh. Beverly Hills Chihuahua (M O. (Rata (iosnell. l'S/Mexico. 2003i Drew Barrymore (voice). Piper Perabo. Jamie Lee ('tirtis. ts‘lmin. 'l’his brtglitly lit family comedy is a yapid fish-out-of-water confection. revolving around posh pooch ('liloe (\oiced by Bari'ymorel who gets kidnapped from Rachel (Perabol during a resort \acation. To keep ('liloc"s real owner. Rachel's aunt Vivian (Lee ('urtisi. in the dark. Rachel sets (ill! to rescue the pampered pet from her potetitial late at the liatids of Mexican dogfighters. 'l‘alent-heavy one-joke talking-dog mos ie. the Iz'diiibiu‘gh ()('('(lll. Edinburgh. Bolt (P(il .... (Byron lloward/ (‘hris Williams. l'S. 2009) Voices of Miley (‘y'rus. Johii 'l'ray‘olta. Stisie lissiiian. 103mm. Heart-tugging Disney animation abotit child actress Penny (voiced by (‘yrusi and dog Bolt ('l'ravolta) who star iii a hit TV series. The dog believes it's all real. so when he escapes from his trailer and ends tip the other side of the country he is iii for a few rude surprises. (ic'iu'ml release. Bolt 30 (P(il .... (Byron lloward/ ('ltrts \Villiams. lb. 200% Voices (ill Mlle) Cyrus. John 'l‘rayolta. Stisie lissttian. l03niin. See tthoy e. .Se‘lt’t'lt'd I'l'li’UH’. Bottle Shock ( IZAl ... (Randall Miller. l'S. 2008) Alan Ricktiiaii. Bill Pullman. ('hris Pine. 108mm. See review. page 47. (incisor/d Rr'Ii/I‘r'it .SII'H’I. Glasgow.
Bronson ( lts’i ..... (Nicolas
Winding Refti. 1K. 200le Tom Hardy. Katy Baker. lidward Bennett-Cole» Ulmtn. The brutal true story of Britain's most notorious and dangerous prisoner ('harles Bronson is here giyen an expressioiiistic makeoy er. Front his respectable Welsh upbringing to petty crime. prison. solitary confinement and tabloid hysteria. Bronson‘s trajectory through the second half of the 2(lth century is unique. A cult film for sure. Anthropologically' it is imaluable; artistically it is a complex and unforgettable masterpiece. .St'le't‘h‘d I'v/ulu'. A Bunch of Amateurs ( lSi .. (Andy ('adiff. l'K. 2008i Bun Reynolds. (‘amilla Arfwedson. Samantha Bond. 97min. Slea/y Hollywood agent tricks one of his clients into performing in an amateur London production of Kitig Lear. TedioUs and unfunny ensemble comedy. ()dmn At The Quay. Glasgow: ()di'on. Edinburgh.
Burn After Beading ( t5. ... Ilillldll ('oenxJoel ('oen. l’S l'K/l-rance. 300M (ieorge (‘looney. John Malkoyich. Brad Pitt 95min l-otil-ttiouthed ('IA analyst ()sbotiriie (Malkoyichi quits his iob after beiiig demoted Across tow ii at ()sbournc's gym. slow -wtlletl employees ('had (Pitti and Linda (.\1cl)oritiandi happen upon one of his discs A shaggy. punctured tyre blacktiiail thriller entails with the requisite outbreaks of shock tactic \ ioleiice .itid abstirdist plotting ()de-un “I'tlt'llr'tii/ Burning Plain ( l5i ... f(illlllL‘rlllt\ Arriaga. l'S. 2008i ('hatli/e 'l‘heron. Kitii Basiiiger. Jennifer law rence lllttiiti Sombre yet dramatic melodrama with a iigsaw pti/lle tiariatiye that ctits backwards and forwards across time. space and generations. Writer/director Arriaga obyiously has aii affinity for the e\pressi\e powers of elemental landscapes. yet iii his desire to illustrate how the past corrodes the present. his storytelling becomes unnecessarily cluttered For a work that seeks to grapple with raw feelings of grief. guilt atid anger. its ow ii emotional impact is oddly subdued. (it/tt'wurld Rt'nlr'c'u .Sil'r't't. (i/uwmt. Casablanca (l’( i l ..... (Michael ('tirtil. l'S. l‘MZi Humphrey Bogart. Ingrid Bergman. Dooley Wilson. l02miti. You must remember this Bogan being impossibly noble. Bergman torn between two loy ers. (‘latide Rains playing botli ends against the middle. deyiotis Na/ts. a ltightilllttl airport. a piano-player titikliiig that tune. A wonderful hill of beans. (iluyeim I‘i/m 'lihr’uirr', (ilriyumi. City of Emberit’oi ... ((ill Kcnati. LS. 2008) Bill Murray. Tim Robbins. Saoirse Rotiati. l00mm. Students from the underground city of timber go through a seiies of adyenttires to help its citi/eiis escape its increasttig deterioration. llo-htim btit \ istially ittipressiy‘e children‘s adyenttire sci-fi. ('iru'u'urld I’d/Ahead. Glasgow:
The Class ( lSi .... (Laurent
('atitet. France. 2008) l-‘rancois liegaudeati. lismerelda ()tiertani. Franck Keita. l30miti. ()ne teacher. one class. one term and a whole load of problems. Remarkable social realist drama SUIi‘l'H'l/ I‘f’ll'U‘U. A Clockwork Orange ( Ito .... (Stanley Kubrick. 1K. 107] l Malcolm McDowell. Patrick Magee. Warren (‘larke 137mm. The night of ‘tiltra-violetice' committed by Alex (McDowell) and his gaiig of 'droogs'. gaye this film its notoriety. Btit his subsequent victimisation by the state still proyides much food for thought. This fable of law arid disorder. crime and punishment might easily be recast iii let century Britain. So. it‘s about time the British public got to see the late master's itiost infamous film. Part of Kubrick season. l'tlmhouyi'. Edinburgh. Confessions of a Shopaholic (l’(i)
0 (PJ llogati. IS. 300% lsla Fisher.
llugh Dancy. Krysten Ritter. 104mm. \'acuous consumer-porn adaptation of Sophie Kinsella's book about a New York journo with a pesky plastic habit. flawed by misguided product placement. borderline racist portrayals of comedy foreigners and forced slapstick scenes. (it'lit'ru/ H'lf'll.\('.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button ( 12A) ... (Day id Fincher. l'S. 2009i Brad Pitt. (‘ate Blanchett. Julia ()rmond. 165mm. Born as an old man only to die as an infant. the Benjamin Button character created by F Scott Fit/gerald in his NZ: short-story gets the full 'prestige picture' treatment in David Fincher's lavish romantic fantasy. A salutary tale of a man who would turn back time for love. and fails. reflecting Fitzgerald's own views of the impermanence of love. Selected n'b'uw. Cyberworld 3|) (PU) (Various. l'S. 2000i Jenna Fltman. Matt Frewer. Woody Allen. 44min. Jenna lilfman is the cyber- liost who introduces Us to whom unrelated segments of cyber animation. The Simpsmis and Ant; make 31) appearances in a spectacular display of today's most impressive graphic technology. IMAX Theatre. (lithium.
Name James Toback
Born 23 November 1944, New York City.
Background Toback went to Harvard before finding a Job teaching creative writing. Like Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Toback is a compulsive gambler and instead of a novel he wrote a film, directed by Karel Reisz. about his habit. In 1978 he made his directorial debut. Fingers. which starred Harvey Keitel as a piano playing tough guy. which was recently remade by Jacques Audiard as The Beat That My Heart Skipped with Roman Duris. Toback as a young man was fascinated with controversial American Football star turned actor Jim Brown.
What’s be up to now? Toback has made a documentary on controversial African-American sports star and former boxing champ 'lron' Mike Tyson. It's Toback's second documentary after 1989’s The Big Bang. In the film the director attempts to investigate the life and times of the self-proclaimed 'baddest man on the planet'.
On meeting Mike Tyson ‘We met in 1985 on the set of The Pick-Up Artist. an interesting but much less good movie than Black and White. which Mike didn't act in. He was 17 or 18. about to be heavyweight Champion and came by the set. We had an immediate connection and discussed things that we would be later on discussing in this movie: the self. madness and death. I think I immediately felt that I had made a real friend.‘
On boxing promoter Don King ‘I think Tyson was fooled and swindled like everyone is by Don King; King is a swindler. Every fighter that ends up getting involved with him ends up regretting it. There is zero percent chance that you're going to end up happy if you do business with Don King. The only people not unhappy with King are the one: that are still in business with him now.’ Interesting fact Jim Brown was James Toback's roommate in the year and a half before Brown appeared in Toback's directorial debut Fingers. (Kaleem Aftab)
I Tyson is on selected release from Fri 27 Mar See review,
page 46.
13 Mar—2 Apr 2909 THE LIST 49