Film Index 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. 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. Jerry 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. The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (12A) ●●●●● (Mark Waters, US, 2009) Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Michael Douglas. 100min. Diehard bachelor Connor (McConaughey) thinks nothing of mocking his brother’s engagement plans until he is visited by the the ghost of his late Uncle Wayne (Michael Douglas). An odyssey of his relationships past, present and future ensues, and he discovers that his dream girl has been right in front of him all the time (Garner). Every bit as nauseating as you can imagine. Odeon at the Quay, Glasgow. Gladiator (15) ●●●●● (Ridley Scott, US, 2000) Russell Crowe, Richard Harris, Joaquin Phoenix. 150min. Just before dying, Caesar Aurelius (Harris) charges General Maximus (Crowe) with cleaning up his beloved, but politically corrupt Rome. Aurelius’ son, Commodus (Phoenix), doesn’t take kindly to this and has his rival executed. But Maximus survives and, as a gladiator, works his way back to Rome intent on revenge. Parallels must be drawn with Sparticus and Ben Hur; we’ve not seen a Roman epic in a long time. Scott’s is a handsome spectacle and exciting enough, but that’s all it is. Vue Ocean, Edinburgh. 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. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. La Grande Illusion (PG) ●●●●● (Jean Renoir, France, 1937) Jean Gabin, Pierre Fresney, Erich von Stroheim, Marcel Dalio. 117min. Renoir’s classic prison camp escape story is more than the strong anti- war statement that won it praise at the time of its release; it is also an ironic social analysis highlighting class differentiation. Part of Renoir 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
Got an opinion? You can now Comment on all our articles at list .co.uk 26 THE LIST 20–27 Aug 2009
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. General release. Hannah Montana – The Movie (U) ●●●●● (Peter Chelsom, US, 2009) Miley Cyrus, Billy Ray Cyrus, Emily Osment. 102min. This new adventure comedy shows how the rising starlet deals with fame. Why, by hanging out with a bunch of rednecks in Tennessee and realising what matters most, of course. Absolute crud. Selected release. 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. IMAX Theatre, Glasgow. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 3D (12A) ●●●●● (David Yates, UK/US, 2009) Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint. 153min. See above. IMAX Theatre, 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. Hue and Cry (U) ●●●●● (Charles Crichton, UK, 1947) Alastair Sim, Harry Fowler, Douglas Barr. 82min. The first of the Ealing Comedies, this charming bombed-out East London-set film sees a gang of schoolboys take the law into their own hands after discovering a group of conspirators. Part of Alastair Sim season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. I Love You, Beth Cooper (15) (Chris Columbus, US, 2009) Hayden Panettiere, Paul Rust, Jack Carpenter. 101min. See review, page 24. Selected release. 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. Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs 3D (U) ●●●●● (Carlos Saldanha/ Mike Thurmeier, US, 2009) Voices of Simon Pegg, Seann William Scott, John Leguizamo. 93min. See above. Selected release. Imagine That (PG) ●●●●● (Karey Kirkpatrick, US, 2009) Eddie Murphy, Yara Shahidi, Ronny Cox. 106min. Pedestrian but passably old-fashioned Disney-style recession parable starring Murphy as a successful financial executive who has more time for his blackberry than his seven-year- old daughter (Shahidi). When his career falters he finds himself drawn towards his daughter’s imaginary world. General release.
✽✽ Inglourious Basterds (18) ●●●●● (Quentin Tarantino,
US/Germany/France, 2009) Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, Eli Roth. 152min. See feature, page 8 and review, page 24. General release. 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.
Just Another Love Story (tbc) ●●●●● (Ole Bornedal, Denmark, 2007) Anders W Berthelsen, Rebecka Hemse, Nikolaj Lie Kaas. 100min. See review, page 24. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow. 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 Fountainpark, Edinburgh. Kanthaswamy (12A) (Susi Ganesan, India, 2009) Vikram, Shriya Saran. 125min. Big budget Tamil action thriller following a Robin Hood-esque battle between a dedicated investigative officer with the Special Branch and a corrupt, discriminatory establishment. Cineworld Renfrew Street, Glasgow. Katyn (18) ●●●●● (Andrzej Wajda, Poland, 2007) Artur Zmijewski, Maja Ostaszewska, Andrzej Chyra. 118min. Veteran Polish filmmaker Wajda examines the 1940 Soviet slaughter of thousands of Polish officers and citizens in the Katyn Forest through the eyes of officer Andrzej (Zmijewski) and his wife Anna (Ostaszewska), with sensitivity and a very particular Polish humanism. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow. Kisses (15) ●●●●● (Lance Daly, Ireland/Sweden, 2008) Kelly O’Neill, Shane Curry, Paul Roe. 105min. On a suburban Dublin housing scheme two young people Kylie (O’Neill) and Dylan (Curry) live overcrowded and blighted lives. After a violent altercation with his father, Dylan and Kylie decide to run away to the magical lights of inner-city Dublin. Sweet and warm-hearted portrait of desperate youth. Cameo, Edinburgh. Land of the Lost (12A) ●●●●● (Brad Silberling, US, 2009) Will Ferrell, Anna Friel, Danny McBride. 101min. Dr Rick Marshall (Ferrell) and his research assistant Holly (Friel) are sucked into a vortex and sent back through time to an alternative universe full of crazy prehistoric creatures. Unfunny, inconsistent and very sketchy comedy based on a classic television series. Selected release. Life Partner (12A) (Rumi Jaffery , India, 2009) Govinda, Genelia D’Souza. 150min. Bollywood rom-com in which three men
The Constant Gardener This month’s screening in association with The British Science Association is Fernando Meirelles’ thoughtful adaptation of John Le Carre’s thriller about
the murky practices of multinational pharmaceutical companies in the third world. Medical microbiologist Dr Victoria Robertson will present a short lecture before this film and there will be a post film discussion. www.britishscienceassociation.org ■ Filmhouse, Edinburgh on Mon 24 Aug.