www.list.co.uk/film
Dr No (PG) ●●●●● (Terence Young, UK, 1962) Sean Connery, Ursula Andress, Joseph Wiseman, Jack Lord. 105min. The first Bond movie, and a vintage one at that. A very young-looking and Scots-sounding Connery works his charming (and in hindsight somewhat camp) way through the diabolical back passageways of Dr No’s evil empire and the requisite number of floosies, pausing only to take out the occasional tarantula and take in the Caribbean scenery. To say nothing of Ms Andress’ spectacular appearance on the beach with that conch shell . . . They don’t make ‘em like they used to. Cineworld Renfrew Street, Glasgow; Cineworld Edinburgh.
✽✽ A Fistful of Dollars (18) ●●●●● (Sergio Leone, Italy/Germany/Spain,
1964) Clint Eastwood, Gian Maria Volonte, Marianne Koch. 100min. Based on Kurosawa’s samurai classic Yojimba, the spaghetti western that set the ball rolling has Clint squinting into the sun as The Man With No Name. An amoral figure, he profits from both sides as two duelling gangs fight it out in a small town. Ennio Morricone’s distinctive score underlines the stylish delights in this the first of Leone’s ‘spaghetti western’ trilogy. Part of Dollars trilogy screenings. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Fly Me to the Moon (U) ●●●●● (Ben Stassen, US, 2008) Buzz Aldrin, Adrienne Barbeau, Ed Begley Jr. 84min. A 3D 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 houseflies who stowaway onboard. IMAX Theatre, Glasgow.
✽✽ For a Few Dollars More (PG) ●●●●● (Sergio Leone,
Italy/Spain/Germany, 1965) Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Gian Maria. 130min. Two bounty hunters (Eastwood and Van Cleef) join forces to hunt down a crazy bandit and his gang. The second of the Man With No Name series, with the usual stylish camerawork and Morricone score. Part of Dollars trilogy screenings. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. French Film (15) ●●●●● (Jackie Oudney, UK, 2008) Adrian Annis, Hugh Bonneville, Anne-Marie Duff. 87min. See review, page 23. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Frozen River (15) ●●●●● (Courtney Hunt, US, 2008) Melissa Leo, Misty Upham, Charlie McDermott. 97min. Leo provides a strong central performance as a desperate American mother who becomes involved in a people-smuggling operation. Partnered by a Mohawk Native American woman, the duo drive across the frozen Saint Lawrence river, hiding illegal immigrants in their boot. Although stylistically lacking, Hunt’s no-frills approach successfully chimes with the film’s bleak subject matter. Cameo, Edinburgh. G-Force 2D (PG) ●●●●● (Hoyt Yeatman, UK, 2009) Voices of Bill Nighy, Will Arnett, Kelli Garner. 90min. Jerry Bruckheimer-produced comedy adventure about a covertly trained group of guinea pig special agents who are charged with saving the world from disaster. Simple minded and likeable enough. Selected release. G-Force 3D (PG) ●●●●● (Hoyt Yeatman, UK, 2009) Voices of Bill Nighy, Will Arnett, Kelli Garner. 90min. See above. Selected release. GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra (12A) ●●●●● (Stephen Sommers, US, 2009) Dennis Quaid, Christopher Eccleston, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje. 107min. Hasbro action toy in big budget feature. Could this be the beginning of a franchise? Decent enough for what it is, but this kind of thing really shouldn’t be encouraged. General release. Genevieve (U) ●●●●● (Henry Cornelius, UK, 1953) Dinah Sheridan, John Gregson, Kay Kendall, Kenneth More. 86min. Two couples race from Brighton to London in their vintage cars in this popular post-war feelgood movie. Light and fluffy, with charming performances from the four leads. Glasgow Film Theatre.
✽✽ The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (15) ●●●●● (Sergio Leone,
Italy, 1968) Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Eli Wallach. 180min. During the American Civil War, a trio of mean gringos squabble over hidden loot. Most people remember the Morricone score from this Leone extravaganza, but the degree of directorial stylisation (just count the number of times extreme close-ups fill the screen) make it a remarkable effort all round. Third and last of the Dollars trilogy starring Eastwood. Part of Dollars trilogy screenings. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Green Man (PG) ●●●●● (Robert Day/Basil Dearden, UK, 1956) Alastair Sim, George Cole, Jill Adams. 80min. A ruthless assassin goes under the guise of a timid watchmaker in this fabulous farce. Skilfully presenting a fine range of the genre’s key techniques – mistaken identities, compromising positions, panic-stricken poses – Sim’s performance makes for entertaining fodder. Part of Alastair Sim season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Green for Danger (PG) ●●●●● (Sidney Gilliat, UK, 1946) Alastair Sim, Sally Gray, Trevor Howard. 91min. Murder mystery with splashes of black humour in which two murders in a cottage hospital throw suspicion on the staff. Sim is in fine form out of his St Trinians dresses and into the attire of an eccentrically unsuccessful detective. Part of Alastair Sim season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Hangover (15) ●●●●● (Todd Phillips, US, 2009) Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Heather Graham. 99min. Two days before his wedding, Doug (Bartha) heads to Vegas with his two best friends and future brother-in-law for a final bachelor blow out. Waking up the next morning, however, the trio has no recollection of what happened the night before or, more importantly, where they might have left Doug. This buddy movie really delivers with its riotous cocktail of memorable characters, outrageous situations and explicit humour. Selected release. The Happiest Days of Your Life (PG) ●●●●● (Frank Launder, UK, 1950) Alastair Sim, Margaret Rutherford, Joyce Grenfell. 81min. Inspired pairing of Sim and Rutherford in a classic British farce, revolving around a girls’ school that is billeted with a boys’ school. Hilarious. Part of Alastair Sim season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (12A) ●●●●● (David Yates, UK/US, 2009) Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint. 153min. While the sixth installment in the Harry Potter franchise does venture into darker, more adult areas than its predecessors it also injects more humour and character development than previous encounters, which doesn’t always make for a satisfying concoction. Yates picks up in the aftermath of a spectacular attack on London by Death Eaters and builds towards the death of a key character that will pre-empt the final confrontation between Harry and Lord Voldemort in two-part finale, The Deathly Hallows. General release. The Hide (15) ●●●●● (Marek Losey, UK, 2008) Alex MacQueen, Phil Campbell. 82min. A bird twitcher’s peaceful existence in an isolated bird-hide on the suffolk mud-flats is shattered by the arrival of an unexpected stranger, in this crisp thriller from the grandson of Joseph Losey. Part of Joseph Losey tribute season. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow. High School Musical 3: Senior Year (U) ●●●●● (Kenny Ortega, US, 2008) Zac Efron, Vanessa Anne Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale. 111min. This time high school seniors Troy (Efron) and Gabriella (Hudgens) prepare for separation before they head off to different colleges by staging an elaborate spring musical. Every bit as nauseating as it sounds (unless you are a child under its shamanistic powers), HSM 3 does, however, take advantage of the big screen format with some impressive ensemble music and dance numbers. Grosvenor, Glasgow.
Horton Hears a Who! (U) ●●●●● (Jimmy Hayward, Steve Martino, US, 2008) Voices of Jim Carrey, Steve Carell. 86min. Animators Blue Sky take a break from their ongoing Ice Age franchise to colourfully realise the universe of Dr Seuss’ text. Both Carrey and Carrell are allowed full rein for their brand of vocal mugging as co-directors Hayward and Martino skilfully guide Horton towards a comforting moral about size not being all that important. Empire Clydebank, Clydebank. Housewives’ Choice (PG) (Various, UK, various) 82min. An evening of film presented by archivists from the Scottish Screen Archive and the British Film Institute. A series of documentaries, cinemagazines, propaganda films and adverts will humorously explore the lives of British housewives in the 1920s–1950s. Part of BFI Mediatheque on Tour season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (U) ●●●●● (Carlos Saldanha/ Mike Thurmeier, US, 2009) Voices of Simon Pegg, Seann William Scott, John Leguizamo. 93min. Life is changing for Scrat, Manny, Ellie and co in many different ways in this the latest installment of popular animated series. General release. Imagine That (PG) ●●●●● (Karey Kirkpatrick, US, 2009) Eddie Murphy, Yara Shahidi, Ronny Cox. 106min. See Also Released, page 23. Selected release. Inglourious Basterds (18) (Quentin Tarantino, US/Germany/France, 2009) Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, Eli Roth. 153min. Tarantino’s latest, set in Nazi-occupied France during World War II, follows a group of Jewish-American soldiers known as The Basterds, as they scalp and brutally kill Nazis. Preview screenings only. Reviewed next issue. General release. Jodhaa Akbar (12A) (Ashutosh Gowariker, India, 2008) Aishwarya Rai, Hrithik Roshan. 125min. Musical biopic of a 16th century Rajput princess who was in love with a Mughal emperor. Filmhouse, Edinburgh.
Index Film Jules et Jim (PG) ●●●●● (Francois Truffaut, France, 1962) Jeanne Moreau, Oskar Werner, Henri Serre. 105min. French New Wave filmmaker Truffaut’s third film, made in 1962, was undoubtedly his masterpiece and released on a lovely new print still speaks to a contemporary consciousness. Set in the 1910s and 20s it is the story of a freewheeling love triangle between alpha female Catherine (Moreau), Austrian Jules (Werner) and Frenchman Jim (Serre). Part of Truffaut/Godard season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Kaminey (15) (Vishal Bharadwaj, India, 2009) Shahid Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra. 125min. The lives of estranged Mumbai- born identical twins Charlie and Guddu collide when Charlie’s get-rich-quick scheme goes awry and the two are drawn into a seedy underworld of corrupt politicians, drug dealers and crooked cops. Cineworld Renfrew Street, Glasgow; Cineworld Edinburgh. Knowing (15) ●●●●● (Alex Proyas, US, 2009) Nicolas Cage, Chandler Canterbury, Rose Byrne. 121min. This incredibly silly Nic Cage thriller has him as a maths teacher who discovers that a recently unearthed sheet of paper holds predictions of many upcoming disasters. What could have been a sophisticated dialectic on immovable forces and fate quickly descends into bad CGI set ups and portentous, hysterical exchanges. Empire Clydebank. Lake Tahoe (12A) ●●●●● (Fernando Eimbcke, Mexico, 2008) Diego Catano, Hector Herrera, Daniela Valentina. 81min. When teenage Juan (Cataño) crashes the family car an absurdist journey unfolds in both ingenious and bewildering ways. Quirky and minor revelations undercut by subtle rumination is the name of the game here, and gentle meditations on boredom, poverty and America’s fuel and labour hegemony appear throughout. Filmhouse, Edinburgh.
™ © Sheilagh Tennant (Artruist Ltd) 2008 Inspired
Mitchell Library, Glasgow 4 April - 20 September 2009 Admission free
Over 50 new works inspired by the life and works of Robert Burns - a poet whose words still resonate today, 250 years after his birth.
Some of the artists inspired by Burns are Tracey Emin, Douglas Gordon, Peter Howson and Ed Ruscha.
www.inspired2009.com www.artruist.com www.csglasgow.org/libraries www.homecomingscotland2009.com
13–20 Aug 2009 THE LIST 25