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. Cameo, 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. Cineworld Renfrew Street, Glasgow. 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. Part of Take One Action! film festival. Glasgow Film Theatre. 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. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. 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.
www.list.co.uk/film secret crushes, threatening to ruin the trip. Part of Glasgay! Glasgow Film Theatre. Don’t Move (18) ●●●●● (Sergio Castellitto, Italy/Spain/UK, 2004) Sergio Castellito, Peñelope Cruz. 122min. Castellito, who also wrote the film, stars as a surgeon who feels helpless while another surgeon performs surgery on his daughter. To distract himself, he reminisces about an affair he had with a young working-class woman at the time of his daughter’s birth. Melodramatic but wonderfully watchable Italian drama. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Dorian Gray (15) ●●●●● (Oliver Parker, UK, 2009) Ben Barnes, Colin Firth, Rachel Hurd-Wood. 112min. One of the main problems in this version of Oscar Wilde’s only published novel is that the protagonists’ moral transgressions are spelt out in a rather literal manner, and the trips to various opium houses, prostitutes and orgies, seem less than shocking. The musical score is often overblown, the cinematography more polished than genuinely atmospheric, and the effects- laden climax disappoints. General release. Driving Aphrodite (12A) ●●●●● (Donald Petrie, US, 2009) Nia Vardalos, Richard Dreyfuss, María Ádanez. 94Min. See Also Released, page 47. General release from Fri 2 Oct. Enchanted (PG) ●●●●● (Kevin Lima, US, 2007) Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden. 107min. Two fairytale characters struggle to find each other and make it in the ‘real’ world in this mix of live and animated action (à la Who Framed Roger Rabbit). The Hippodrome, Bo’ness. Fame (PG) ●●●●● (Kevin Tancharoen, US, 2009) Kay Panabaker, Naturi Naughton, Kelsey Grammer. 107min. See Also Released, page 47. 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. With this remake of Alan Clarke’s 1989 television drama, which is widely considered to be the toughest and most insightful screen depiction of football hooligans, Love has fashioned a mid-1980s coming-of-age tale. The central character is not the firm’s ‘General’ Bex, but an East End council estate teenager Dom (McNab) who’s seduced by Bex’s charisma and lifestyle. An unashamed celebration of mainstream soccer casual culture. General release. ✽✽ Fish Tank (15) ●●●●● (Andrea Arnold, UK, 2009) Katie Jarvis, Kierston Wareing, Michael Fassbender. 122min. Living in a small flat on a sprawling Essex council estate with her single mum (Wareing) and younger sister, angry and aggressive 15-year- old Mia (Jarvis) finds herself inexplicably drawn, with disastrous results, to her mother’s new boyfriend, the confident and seemingly kind Connor (Fassbender). A brilliantly displaced portrait of our underclass, one that asks us not to moralise but to find beauty in the consumptive. Miss at your peril. Selected release. (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. General 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. The 40 Year Old Virgin (15) ●●●●● (Judd Apatow, US, 2005) Steve Carell, Catherine Keener, Paul Rudd, Romany Malco. 116min. Storywise, the entire pitch of this is in the title. Andy Stitzer (Steve Carell) has lived two score years without sex, though as an early montage shows, not through lack of trying. When he inadvertently gives the game away to his work colleagues, they embark on a mission to get him laid. A funny mainstream comedy (for once). Cameo, Edinburgh. Funny People (15) ●●●●● (Judd Apatow, US, 2009) Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann. 146min. Sandler plays George Simmons, a successful yet lonely 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 it soon loses its charm. General release. Future Shorts/Lights in the Dark (E) (Various) 90min. Aiming to develop a wider audience for short film, Future Shorts returns, with another excellent international programme. This screening will be preceeded by new local event Lights in the Dark, a new short film initiative showcasing Scotish filmmakers. The Arches, 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. See above. Cineworld Renfrew Street, Glasgow; Cineworld Fountainpark, Edinburgh. 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. Decent enough, but this kind of thing really shouldn’t be encouraged. Selected release. Gamer (18) ●●●●● (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. ✽✽ The Godfather (15) ●●●●● (Francis Ford Coppola, US, 1971) Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan. 175min. See Also Released, page 47. Selected release. The Godfather, Part II (18) ●●●●● (Francis Coppola, US, 1974) Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall. 200min. Still the only sequel to win the Oscar for Best Picture, Coppola’s extended gangster epic looks at the life of the Corleone family before and after the events of the first movie. A magnificent achievement. Glasgow Film Theatre. Greek Pete (18) (Andrew Haigh, UK, 2009) 79min. Filmmaker Andrew Haigh worked with a group of London rent boys over a period of six months, to create a semi- improvised drama based on their lives. Part of Glasgay! Glasgow Film Theatre. Gude Cause (PG) (Various, UK, 2009) 105min. To commemorate the centenary year of the Edinburgh Procession and Women’s Demonstration a group of women working collectively under the name Gude Cause have organised a screening of Red Skirts on Clydeside, Ethel Moorhead and The Work They Say is Mine. 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.
Index Film
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. ✽✽ In The Realm of the Senses (Ai No Corrida) (18) ●●●●● (Nagisa Oshima, Japan, 1976) Tatsuya Fuji, Eiko Matsuda. 105min. In the militarist Japan of 1936, a couple enclose themselves in their own sensual world, their passion escalating until only death can provide the next orgasm. Masterly, though necessarily extremely explicit look at the power of sexual arousal, which has attracted controversy throughout the world. Part of Nagisa Oshima season. Glasgow Film Theatre. In Transition 1.0 (15) (Emma Goude, UK, 2009) 50min. Documentary footage of Transition initiatives – communities that are working together to address peak oil and climate change. This screening will be followed by an informal discussion led by members of transition groups. Filmhouse, Edinburgh.
✽✽ 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 good deal of black humour and a number of superbly staged set pieces. General release.
24 Sep–8 Oct 2009 THE LIST 49