Film Index Interiors (15) (Woody Allen, US, 1978) Diane Keaton, Geraldine Page, EG Marshall. 93min. Allen attempts to recreate the Bergmanesque psychological chamber dramas he obviously admires so much in this rather impressive study of a family full of unhappy women. Glasgow Film Theatre. The Invention of Lying (12A) ●●●●● (Ricky Gervais/Matthew Robinson, US, 2009) Ricky Gervais, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner. 99min. See Also Released, page 47. General release from Fri 2 Oct. Jamón, Jamón (18) (Bigas Luna, Spain, 1992) Penélope Cruz, Anna Galiena, Javier Bardem. 94min. ‘Jamón’ equals ham; ‘una mulier jamóna’ equals hot Hispanic babe. Put them together and you’ve got this mix of reprehensible depravity and tease of social significance. As it tells of the desire of a pregnant woman for the bulgingly becrotched Manuel (with weightly subplots involving various mums), you can’t help feeling it’s aiming at too many targets. Sexy, leering and exploitative, but not necessarily a fine film. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Julie & Julia (12A) ●●●●● (Nora Ephron, US, 2009) Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci. 123min. Ephron’s film balances eccentric US chef Julia Child’s awkward start in the cookery business in France with a parallel, modern narrative in which Adams plays a ditzy, self-important blogger. Ephron is an accomplished purveyor of light-as-a-souffle filmmaking, and powered by Steep’s winning portrayal as the earthy but sophisticated Child, this succeeds as a classy chick flick. General release. Keeping it Reel Film Project Premiere (E) 90min. The Keeping it Reel project was set up to make a film which was written, researched and produced by people who have an an insight into the issues, concerns, hopes and experiences surrounding mental health. This premiere will be screened alongside other locally made films which also explore these themes. Part of the Scottish Mental Health Arts & Film Festival. Plantation Productions, Glasgow. Kidnapped (U) ●●●●● (Delbert Mann, UK, 1971) Michael Caine, Lawrence Douglas, Vivien Heilbron. 107min. Cheesy but enjoyable boy’s own version of this familiar Highland adventure based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s famous novel. Cineworld Parkhead, Glasgow. Last Chance Harvey (12A) ●●●●● (Joel Hopkins, US, 2008) Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson. 91min. A lounge bar meeting between crumpled Harvey Shine (Hoffman), a US businessman arriving at Heathrow on a trip to his daughter’s wedding, with lovelorn but mother-dominated Kate Walker (Thompson), triggers some drab rom- com shenanigans that surely only the most out-of-touch could find palatable. Vue Ocean, Edinburgh. Let’s Make Money (15) (Erwin Wagenhofer, Austria, 2009) 110min. Chronicling the current state of the global money market, Let’s Make Money spans from Burkina Faso to Jersey in a bid to paint a clear picture of the recent financial collapse. This screening will be followed by audience discussion ‘Put People First: an alternative view of global economics’. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Live Flesh (18) ●●●●● (Pedro Almodovar, Spain, 1997) Javier Bardem, Liberto Rabal, Francesca Neri. 100min. Based on a Ruth Rendell story, Almodovar’s most rounded attempt to enter the mainstream follows the fate of a wheelchair-bound policeman, the young man responsible for the bullet that put him there, and his wife, with whom the recently released convict is in love. Any message waiting to be read is drowned in the brightest and deepest of cinematographic experiences, and the pleasures here are several. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Mad for Dance (15) (Various, UK, 2009) 30min. Dance House present five individuals who have experienced mental distress highlight the restorative powers of dance. This screening will be followed by a Q & A with featured dancers. Part of Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival. CCA, Glasgow. The Magic Lantern Turns 3 (18) (Kenneth Anger/Thomas Draschan & Various, UK) 90min. The Magic Lantern presents a selection of iconic works which explore
altered states of being, drug use and the visual language and imagery of the occult. Programme includes films by Kenneth Anger, Thomas Draschan, Marcel Duchamp, Mark Leckey, Duncan Marquiss and Jean Rouch. CCA, Glasgow. Mesrine: Killer Instinct (15) ●●●●● (Jean-François Richet, France, 2008) Vincent Cassel, Cécile De France, Gérard Depardieu. 113min. The early career and criminal gestation of France’s most notorious bank robber and gangster Jacques Mesrine circumscribed in the first of two films telling his remarkable story. Tracing a line from Mesrine’s disillusioning military service during the Algerian war to the beginning of his notoriety in 1972, the first instalment of this epic crime tale is derivative, energetic and hugely enjoyable. Glasgow Film Theatre; Cineworld Fountainpark, Edinburgh. Mesrine: Public Enemy Number One (15) ●●●●● (Jean-Francois Richet, France, 2008) Vincent Cassel, Ludivine Sagnier, Mathieu Amalric. 133min. Part two of Jean François Richet’s epic account of the contrary life and times of France’s most famous bank robber and criminal mastermind Jacques Mesrine. Now in the realm of myth and self-deception, and in following Msrine’s attempts to align himself with more radical political groups and his burgeoning skills as a master of disguise, Richet’s second film unfolds as something more freewheeling and as enjoyable as a good caper movie. Glasgow Film Theatre; Cineworld Fountainpark, Edinburgh. Mid-August Lunch (12A) (Gianni Di Gregorio, Italy, 2008) Gianni Di Gregorio, Valeria De Franciscis, Marina Cacciotti. 75min. Charming portrait of middle-aged, wine-loving Gianni di Gregorio who lives with his imperious 90-something mother Valeria (Franciscis), whom he patiently looks after. What’s refreshing about this, and what gives it a political edge in the context of Berlusconi’s meretricious government, is that it celebrates the supposedly ‘simpler’ pleasures in life. Cameo, Edinburgh. Monsters vs Aliens 2D (PG) ●●●●● (Rob Letterman, US, 2009) Voices of Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie. 94min. Can a self-doubting but individualist team of monsters overcome a mob of self- confident, mass-produced aliens? Cineworld Parkhead, Glasgow. Monty Python: Almost the Truth (15) (Bill Jones/Alan G Parker/Ben Timlett, US, 2009) 111min. Documentary on the life and influence of Britain’s pioneering surrealist comedians. Vue Ocean, Edinburgh. Morning Light (PG) ●●●●● (Mark Monroe, US, 2008) 97min. Fifteen youngsters chosen for their sailing prowess (and good looks) duke it out to be one of the eleven who sail from LA to Hawaii in the gruelling Transpac race. This plays as blandly as any reality television filler, with the crew making little impression as individuals, and the race itself proving picturesque but entirely un- dramatic. Vue Ocean, Edinburgh. Morris: A Life with Bells On (12A) (Lucy Akhurst, UK, 2009) Naomie Harris, Derek Jacobi, Dominique Pinon. 101min. Mockumentary set in ye olde tradition of Morris Dancing about an avant garde troupe. Cameo, Edinburgh. Mr Magorium’s Wonder Emporium (U) ●●●●● (Zach Helm, US, 2007) Natalie Portman, Zach Mills, Dustin Hoffman. 94min. Molly Mahoney (Portman) is the awkward and insecure manager of Mr Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, the strangest and most fantastic toy store in the world. It’s all bright surfaces with nothing behind them, and the result is flat and inconsequential. Empire, Clydebank. My Sister’s Keeper (12A) (Nick Cassavetes, US, 2009) Cameron Diaz, Alec Baldwin, Abigail Breslin. 109min. When the daughter of seemingly perfect parents Sara (Diaz) and Brian (Patric) requests not to carry on with the medical donations that keep her leukaemia stricken sister alive they are forced to deal with some deep moral and ethical questions. Tear jerking adaptation of Jodi Picoult’s popular novel. The Hippodrome, Bo’ness. Naked (18) (Mike Leigh, UK, 1993) David Thewlis, Katrin Cartlidge, Lesley Sharp. 126min. Johnny (Thewlis), a cynical drifter, wanders around the homeless of London
50 THE LIST 24 Sep–8 Oct 2009
spouting a bitter philosophy. An episodic, bleak, but bitingly funny portrait of 90s Britain that suffers from a few characters who could only exist in a Mike Leigh world. Scenes of sexual violence may be difficult for some audience members to sit through. Part of Social Realism in British Cinema season. Glasgow Film Theatre.
✽✽ Night and Fog in Japan (PG) (Nagisa Oshima, Japan, 1960) Miyuki
Kuwano, Fumio Watanabe, Hiroshi Akutagawa. 112min. Demanding expression of the disillusioned hopes of left-wing student movements of the 1950s and 1960s. Combining flashbacks, off-screen scenarios and blackouts, a series of political confrontations unfold at the wedding celebration of two young political activists. Part of Nagisa Oshima season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Night at the Museum 2 (PG) ●●●●● (Shawn Levy, US, 2009) Ben Stiller, Amy Adams, Owen Wilson. 104min. Silly but enjoyable sequel to 2006 comedy. Ben Stiller’s night watchman joins characters from the first film in a battle to save the Smithsonian museum. Cineworld Parkhead, Glasgow; Cineworld Fountainpark, Edinburgh. No Country for Old Men (15) ●●●●● (Joel/Ethan Coen, US, 2007) Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Kelly Macdonald. 122min. The Coen Brothers return to form with this adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s novel. When Llewelyn Moss (Brolin) takes a bagful of cash from a drug deal that goes wrong he sets off a chain of events that lead psycho- killer Chigurh (pronounced sugar) to vow to do anything to get the money back. The Coens imbue this simple tale with their trademark quirkiness and wry humour. Part of Bardem & Cruz season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Notorious (U) ●●●●● (Alfred Hitchcock, US, 1946) Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains. 101min. World War II. Cynical intelligence agent Grant enlists playgirl Bergman to help him uncover a Nazi atomic plot in Rio de Janeiro. She marries suave plotter Rains and then finds her life in alarming danger. Re-release of this taut, classic thriller, with a fine Ben Hecht script that effectively blends romance and suspense. Bergman and Grant create movie magic in each other’s presence, particularly during what was advertised as ‘the longest kiss in history’. The Hippodrome, Bo’ness. The Orange Revolution (12A) (Steve York, US, 2007) 92min. Documentary about the 17-day around-the-clock protest carried out on the streets of Kiev following the 2004 presidential election, in which the leading opposition candidate was poisoned, voters were intimidated and election officials were accused of miscounting votes. Part of Take One Action! film festival. Glasgow Film Theatre. Pandorum (15) ●●●●● (Christian Alvart, US/Germany, 2009) Dennis Quaid, Ben Foster, Cam Gigandet. 90 min. See Also Released, page 47. General release from Fri 2 Oct. Passchendaele (15) ●●●●● (Paul Gross, Canada, 2008) Paul Gross, Caroline Dhavernas, Joe Dinicol. 114min. See Also Released, page 47. Glasgow Film Theatre. Paul Blart: Mall Cop (PG) ●●●●● (Steve Carr, US, 2009) Kevin James, Keir O’Donnell, Jayma Mays. 90min. Adam Sandler’s regular cohort James plays a big- hearted, small-time lawman who takes on a gang of acrobatic skateboarding thieves after a lengthy set up introducing him as an over- zealous store detective. Despite the vanilla blandness of the conceit, James provides a likable enough hero and scattered moments of self-referential wit will be appreciated by older audiences. Odeon at the Quay, Glasgow. Pilgrimage from Scattered Points (E) (Luke Fowler, UK, 2006) 45min. Luke Fowler’s subjective documentary film about the composer Cornelius Cardew (1936-81), and the Scratch Orchestra, capturing their internal struggles through first person interviews, recent and archive footage and predominantly unreleased music. Glasgow Film Theatre. Rage (15) ●●●●● (Sally Potter, US, 2009) Jude Law, Judi Dench, Dianne Wiest. 98min. A young blogger at a New York fashion house films behind-the-scenes interviews on his