Film Index
Death by Hanging (18) ●●●●● (Nagisa Oshima, Japan, 1968) Yu Do-yun, Kei Sato, Fumio Watanabe, Toshiro Ishido. 117min. Oshima’s bold critique of Japan’s persecution of Koreans takes the form of an absurd theatrical comedy. At the summit of its surreal happenings a young Korean student survives the noose and his executioners re-enact his crimes. Part of Oshima season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh.
✽✽ District 9 (15) ●●●●● (Neill Blomkamp, South Africa/New
Zealand, 2009) Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, Nathalie Boltt. 112min. District 9 takes place on an alternate-reality earth where an alien race known as ‘prawns’ have arrived only to find themselves decanted by the sinister Multi National United agency into shanty-towns on the outskirts of Johannesburg. Stark, political messages and sci-fi splatter action are comfortably balanced, with the result managing to be at once a moving paean to the importance of human rights and a crowd-pleasing rollercoaster ride. General release. Dorian Gray (15) ●●●●● (Oliver Parker, UK, 2009) Ben Barnes, Colin Firth, Rachel Hurd-Wood. 112min. See review, page 50. General release. Dream Boy (15) (James Bolton, US, 2008) Stephan Bender, Maximillian Roeg, Diana Scarwid. 90min. Based on the novel by Jim Grimsley, two young boys, one introspective, the other confident embark upon a tentative love affair in rural Louisiana that takes some dark turns. Part of Glasgay! Glasgow Film Theatre. Empire of Passion (18) ●●●●● (Nagisa Oshima, Japan/France, 1978) Tatsuya Fuji, Kazuko Yoshiyuki, Takahiro Tamura. 106min. A companion piece to Oshima’s In the Realm of the Senses, this tale of murderous guilt-hounded lovers is broadly similar in subject matter, yet different in treatment. An emphasis on indulgence is replaced by an emphasis on repression in this trenchant critique of Japanese society. Part of Oshima season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. (500) Days of Summer (12A) ●●●●● (Marc Webb, US, 2009) Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel, Geoffrey Arend. 94min. This factory made YouTube generation rom-com kicks off at breakneck speed delivering a drole reconstruction of young man Tom’s (Gordon-Levitt) unruly love affair with Summer (Deschanel). Whilst first encounters are charming, the narrative gimmick of playing the story back to front eventually wears thin, and ends up in vacuous territory. General release. The Final Destination 2D (15) ●●●●● (David R Ellis, UK, 2009) Bobby Campo, Shantel VanSanten, Nick Zano. 81min. The first 3D instalment of the popular Final Destination series joins Nick O’Bannon (Campo) for a day at the races. The trouble is he’s actually having a horrific premonition of, surprise surprise, multi-race car pile-ups, flames, debris, destruction and death. Selected release. The Final Destination 3D (15) ●●●●● (David R Ellis, UK, 2009) Bobby Campo, Shantel VanSanten, Nick Zano. 81min. See above. Selected release. The Firm (18) ●●●●● (Nick Love, US, 2009) Paul Anderson, Calum McNab, Ben Shockle. 90min. See review, page 49. General release from Fri 18 Sep.
✽✽ Fish Tank (15) ●●●●● (Andrea Arnold, UK, 2009) Katie Jarvis,
Kierston Wareing, Michael Fassbender. 122min. See review, page 49 and profile, page 56. Selected release. 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. Funny People (15) ●●●●● (Judd Apatow, US, 2009) Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann. 146min. Sandler plays George Simmons, a successful yet lonely
54 THE LIST 10–24 Sep 2009
stand-up actor gone Hollywood. When the hopelessness of his situation is brought into sharp relief when he’s diagnosed with a terminal illness but an unexpected friendship with struggling comedian Ira (Rogen) re-awakens the veteran’s sense of worth. Although this film goes deeper than most bromances would dare, the mixture of self-pitying and tears-of-a-clown introspection soon loses its charm. General release. G-Force 2D (PG) ●●●●● (Hoyt Yeatman, UK, 2009) Voices of Bill Nighy, Will Arnett, Kelli Garner. 90min. See above. General release. G-Force 3D (PG) ●●●●● (Hoyt Yeatman, UK, 2009) Voices of Bill Nighy, Will Arnett, Kelli Garner. 90min. Jerry Bruckheimer-produced 3D 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. 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. Gamer (12A) ●●●●● (Mark Neveldine/Brian Taylor, US, 2009) Gerard Butler, Michael C Hall, Milo Ventimiglia. 95min. Science fiction action thriller set in 2034 when mind-control technology has taken society by storm, and a multiplayer online game called Slayers allows gamers to control human prisoners in mass-scale death matches. Derivative and silly but thoroughly enjoyable, Gamer is modern exploitation filmmaking at its low budget best. General release. Ghosted (15) (Monika Treut, Germany/Taiwan, 2009) Inga Busch, Huan- Ru Ke, Ting-Ting Hu. 89min. A mysterious love story that traverses east and west, flitting from Hamburg and Taipei, as artist Sophie (Busch) travels to Taiwan to make a video installation as a way of dealing with her lover Ai-Ling’s (Huan-Ru Ke) murder, where she unexpectedly falls for investigative journalist Mei-Li (Ting-Ting Hu). Part of Glasgay! Glasgow Film Theatre. Grease (PG) ●●●●● (Randal Kleiser, US, 1978) John Travolta, Olivia Newton John, Stockard Channing. 110min. Thirty years on, Grease is still the word, and still the way we are feeling. Join in the fun and with this sing-a-long event in aid of charity Women for Women. Fancy dress encouraged. Tickets price includes ice cream and 25cl bottle of wine. Dominion, 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. Cineworld Renfrew Street, Glasgow. 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. Grosvenor, Glasgow. 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. Home (12A) ●●●●● (Yann Arthus- Bertrand, France, 2009) 92min. Glenn Close narrates Yves Arthus-Bertrand’s moving documentary on the state of the planet. Shot from the air, filmmaker Arthus- Bertrand navigates the viewer over more than 50 countries. Take One Action Film Festival. Glasgow Film Theatre; Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Home (15) ●●●●● (Ursula Meier, Belgium/France/Switzerland, 2008) Isabelle Huppert, Olivier Gourmet, Madeleine Budd. 98min. Meier’s reversely told, strange, horrific, metaphor-heavy tale of family breakdown and rural colonisation starring Isabelle Huppert and Olivier Gourmet. Worth catching if you can. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Hunger Season (12A) (Beadie Finzi, UK, 2007) 74min. This documentary about the world food crisis calls for a radical rethinking of the relationships between governments, international bodies, NGOs and communities. This screening will be followed by discussion ‘Hungry for change’, with speakers including the film’s producer Jessica Edwards. Take One Action Film Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh.
Sin Nombre Last chance to see Cary Fukunga’s debut feature, an accomplished and powerful Mexican social thriller
which centres on the themes of belonging and escape. When a city gangbanger tries to escape his murderous gang and a Honduran girl tries to sneak across the Mexican border into America their lives cross and intermingle in strange and memorable ways. ■ Filmhouse, Edinburgh from Fri 11-13 Sep.
✽✽ The Hurt Locker (15) ●●●●● (Kathryn Bigelow, US, 2008) Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty. 130min. Based on the accounts of a freelance writer who was embedded in Iraq, The Hurt Locker presents an excoriating vision of the war as seen through the eyes of one particularly mental member of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit (EOD). Bigelow creates an unromantic vision of modern warfare, which is both, muscular and visceral while making us question just how close such heroisms are to lunacy. Selected release. I Am Because We Are (12) (Nathan Risman, US, 2008) 80min. Malawi-set documentary considering the meaning of power and dignity in a culture torn apart by poverty and HIV. This screening will be followed by audience discussion ‘Malawi, Madonna and you: whose film is it anyway?’, led by VSO policy makers, local volunteers and leading media figures. Take One Action Film Festival. Glasgow Film Theatre; Filmhouse, Edinburgh. I Puritani (12A) (Pier’ Alli, Italy, 2008) Juan Diego Florez, Nino Machaidze, Ugo Guagliardo. 188min. Set during the English Civil War, two lovers, Elvira and Arturo, find themselves caught up in the struggle. This production of Bellini’s bel canto masterpiece was filmed live at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna. 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. Selected 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. Cineworld Renfrew Street, Glasgow; Cineworld Fountainpark, Edinburgh. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (PG) ●●●●● (Steven Spielberg, US, 1989) Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Alison Doody, Denholm Elliot. 127min. The third instalment of Spielberg’s blockbuster series, in which the archaeological adventurer is joined by his father (Connery) for a romp through the Middle East in search of the Holy Grail, hotly pursued (as ever) by the Nazis. A rather dodgy quasi-Christian morality and a more-of-the-same-ish plot are offset by strong performances from Ford and Connery and technical bravura. Part of Indiana Jones trilogy all-nighter. Grosvenor, Glasgow. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (PG) ●●●●● (Steven Spielberg, US, 1981) Harrison Ford, Karen Allen. 115min. Ford plays adventuring archaeologist Indiana Jones, who almost bites off more than he can chew when he turns up at the Ark of the Covenant in Nazi- infested wartime Egypt. Return to the breathless excitement of the Saturday morning serial with this rollercoaster of a movie, which is probably better than either of its sequels. Tongue held very firmly in cheek. Part of Indiana Jones trilogy all- nighter. Grosvenor, Glasgow. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (PG) ●●●●● (Steven Spielberg, US, 1984) Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw, Ke Huy Quan, Amrish Puri. 118min. Again the foreigners find it hard going keeping up with the Jones, as master entertainer Spielberg piles on the action sequences. This time, however, the frantic pace has even less credibility than Raiders had. Part of Indiana Jones trilogy all-nighter. Grosvenor, Glasgow.
✽✽ Inglourious Basterds (18) ●●●●● (Quentin Tarantino,
US/Germany/France, 2009) Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, Eli Roth. 152min. Pitt’s Lieutenant Aldo Raine and his band of Nazi-bushwhacking Jewish-American GIs provide the film’s Dirty Dozen element, but their bloody antics are only one of the plot strands of this multiple narrative romp through occupied France. Plenty of action, a