Film Index
The Final Destination (15) ●●●●● (David R Ellis, UK, 2009) Bobby Campo, Shantel VanSanten, Nick Zano. 81min. The series joins Nick O’Bannon (Campo) and his a horrific premonitions of flames, debris, destruction and death. Showcase Cinema, Coatbridge, Glasgow. Finding Nemo (U) ●●●●● (Andrew Stanton/Lee Unkrich, US, 2003) Voices of Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe, Brad Garrett, Allison Janney. 100min. Pixar’s delightful tale of a little fish and his daddy’s attempts to find him when he gets scooped out of the water by a human. Grosvenor, Glasgow. The Firm (18) ●●●●● (Nick Love, US, 2009) Paul Anderson, Calum McNab, Ben Shockle. 90min. With this remake of Alan Clarke’s 1989 television drama Love has fashioned a mid-1980s coming-of-age tale. An unashamed celebration of mainstream soccer casual culture. Selected release. Fish Tank (15) ●●●●● (Andrea Arnold, UK, 2009) Katie Jarvis, Kierston Wareing, Michael Fassbender. 122min. 15-year-old Mia (Jarvis) finds herself inexplicably drawn, with disastrous results, to her mother’s new boyfriend (Fassbender). Vue Omni, 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 that focuses on the uninteresting plight of three flies who stowaway. IMAX Theatre, Glasgow. The Forbin Project (12A) (Joseph Sargent, US, 1970) Eric Braedon, Susan Clark, Gordon Pinsent. 100min. Cold War-set computer-gone-amok thriller featuring a US nuclear arms-controlling computer. Part of Science and Film. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Funny People (15) ●●●●● (Judd Apatow, US, 2009) Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann. 146min. The hopelessness of Sandler’s successful yet lonely stand-up actor’s 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. Cineworld Renfrew Street, Glasgow. G-Force (PG) ●●●●● (Hoyt Yeatman, UK, 2009) Voices of Bill Nighy, Will Arnett, Kelli Garner. 90min. Jerry Bruckheimer-produced adventure of guinea pig special agents. Vue Ocean, Edinburgh. Gamer (18) ●●●●● (Mark Neveldine/Brian Taylor, US, 2009) Gerard Butler, Michael C Hall, Milo Ventimiglia. 95min. Sci-fi thriller set in 2034 when mind- control technology is huge, and a online game allows gamers to stage mass-scale death matches. Selected release. Goodbye Solo (E) (Ramin Bahrani, US, 2008) Red West, Souleymane Sy Savane. 91min. Struggling to better his lot, Sengalese cab driver Solo (Sy Savane) forges an unlikely friendship with William (West), a tough Southern good ol’boy. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow. Grand Hotel (PG) ●●●●● (Edmund Goulding, US, 1932) Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, John Barrymore. 115min. An all- star portmanteau film with interweaving lives. Part of Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Greek Pete (18) (Andrew Haigh, UK, 2009) 79min. 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. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Halloween II (15) ●●●●● (Rob Zombie, US, 2009) Tyler Mane, Sheri Moon Zombie, Scout Taylor-Compton. 105min. See Also Released, page 48. General release. Hannah Montana – The Movie (U) ●●●●● (Peter Chelsom, US, 2009) Miley Cyrus, Billy Ray Cyrus, Emily Osment. 102min. Cruddy adventure comedy about a rising starlet. Brunton Theatre, Edinburgh. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (12A) ●●●●● (David Yates, UK/US, 2009) Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint. 153min. The sixth installment of the franchise ventures into darker areas than its predecessors it also injects more humour than previously, which doesn’t always convince. Cineworld Renfrew Street, Glasgow. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (PG) ●●●●● (Garth Jennings, 50 THE LIST 8–22 Oct 2009
US/UK, 2005) Martin Freeman, Mos Def, Sam Rockwell, Zooey Deschanel, Bill Nighy. 110min. First time feature director Jennings has moulded Douglas Adams’ screenplay into an incredibly good looking film. Minor niggles don’t detract from the fact that this film is well worth the wait. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow. Home (15) ●●●●● (Ursula Meier, Belgium/France/Switzerland, 2008) Isabelle Huppert, Olivier Gourmet, Madeleine Budd. 98min. Meier’s reversely told, horrific, metaphor-heavy tale of family breakdown and rural colonisation. Cameo, Edinburgh. I Could Go on Singing (U) (Ronald Neame, UK/US, 1963) Judy Garland, Dirk Bogarde, Gregory Phillips. 101min. Garland’s last feature in which she plays successful American singer Jenny Bowman, re-united with her estranged son Matt (Phillips). Part of Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival. 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. Vue Ocean, Edinburgh. Igor (PG) ●●●●● (Anthony Leondis, US/France, 2008) Voices of John Cusack, John Cleese, Eddie Izzard. 86min. Hunchbacked Igor ekes out his precarious existence as servant to Dr Glickenstein, an evil genius set on winning the annual evil science fair in the badass province of Malaria. Cineworld Parkhead, Glasgow. ✽✽ The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (12A) ●●●●● (Terry Gilliam, US, 2009) Heath Ledger, Christopher Plummer, Johnny Depp. 122min. See review, page 47. Cameo, Edinburgh, Thu 15 Oct and general release from Fri 16 Oct. 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. Part of Nagisa Oshima season. 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 just one of the plot strands of this multiple narrative romp through occupied France. Selected release. Inkheart (PG) ●●●●● (Iain Softley, Germany/UK/US, 2008) Brendan Fraser, Eliza Bennett, Paul Bettany. 106min. Adaptation of Cornelia Funke’s children’s novel where stories come to life. Cineworld Parkhead, Glasgow; Cineworld Fountainpark, Edinburgh. The Insect Woman (18) (Shohei Imamura, Japan, 1963) Emiko Aizawa, Masumi Harukawa, Sachiko Hidari. 123min. Imamura chronicles his heroine’s rise from poverty to become one of Tokyo’s top brothel- keepers. Part of the Shoehei Imamura. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow. The Invention of Lying (12A) ●●●●● (Ricky Gervais/Matthew Robinson, US, 2009) Ricky Gervais, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner. 99min. Likeable romantic comedy where a writer discovers the power of lying in a world where it doesn’t exist. General release. Invitation to the Dance: Body and Taboo (PG) (Gerhard Schick, Germany, 2006) 89min. Documentary about German choreographer Gerda Konig and his 2005 dance project in Kenya, that aimed to bring together both disabled and able-bodied dancers. Part of Black History Month. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow. 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. Selected release. ✽✽ Katalin Varga (15) ●●●●● (Peter Strickland, Romania/UK/Hungary, 2009) Hilda Péter, Tibor Pálffy, Norbert Tankó. 84min. See review, page 47. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow; Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (18) ●●●●● (John Cassavetes, US, 1976) Ben Gazzara, Timothy Carey, Seymour Cassel. 109min. Cassavetes uses his plot – gangsters try to muscle in on the owner of a sleazy nightclub – as a metaphor for his own position as a filmmaker fighting for his artistic independence. CCA, Glasgow. Kyoto, My Mother’s Place (12A) (Nagisa Oshima, UK/Japan, 1991) 50min. Oshima’s revealing portrait of his mother. This screening will be introduced by the film’s Glasgow-based producer, John Archer. Part of Nagisa Oshima season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Last Chance Harvey (12A) ●●●●● (Joel Hopkins, US, 2008) Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson. 91min. A chance meeting between a US businessman and lovelorn woman at Heathrow triggers some drab rom- com capers. Selected release.
Scottish Mental Health Arts & Film Festival for this year’s SMHAFF programme looks particularly promising. The programme, screening at the Filmhouse, focuses on women in Hollywood with screenings of The Misfits (pictured), Bringing Up Baby, Grand Hotel and A Woman Under the Influence alongside documentaries such as Boris Ryzhy and feel good movies such as Muriel’s Wedding, all culminating in the SMHAFF Film Awards 2009. ■ Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Fri 9–Thu 22 Oct. The film strand
www.list.co.uk/film Little Shop of Horrors (PG) ●●●●● (Frank Oz, US, 1986) Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Steve Martin. 94min. Meek green- fingered type (Moranis) discovers that his favourite plant, Audrey, is actually a flesh- craving alien from outer space. Scotsman Screening Room, Edinburgh. Love Happens (12A) (Brandon Camp, US, 2009) Jennifer Aniston, Aaron Eckhart, Sasha Alexander. 108min. See Also Released, page 48. General release. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (PG) ●●●●● (Eric Darnell, US, 2008) Voices of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Sacha Baron Cohen. 89min. The first film’s comic animals are put on an flight back to their zoo home, only to crash land in Africa. Odeon at the Quay, Glasgow; Odeon Braehead, Renfrew. The Man Who Fell to Earth (18) (Nicolas Roeg, UK, 1976) David Bowie, Rip Torn, Buck Henry. 138min. An alien searching for the water needed to save his own planet has his powers destroyed by the sinister machinations of a multinational business enterprise. Bowie gives perhaps his best performance in this dazzling, if obtuse sci-fi film. Ingleby Gallery, Edinburgh. The Man Who Left His Will on Film (18) (Nagisa Oshima, Japan, 1970) Kazuo Goto, Emiko Iwasaki, Sugio Fukuoka. 94min. Questions over the death of young militant filmmaker Endo (Goto) hold comrade Motoki (Iwasaki) in the grips of obsession. Part of Nagisa Oshima season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Meerkats (U) ●●●●● (James Honeyborne, UK, 2008) Paul Newman. 83min. March of the Penguins-style documentary feature from the BBC’s Natural History department set in the Kalahari desert. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Metropolitan Opera: Tosca (E) (US, 2009) Karita Mattila. 207min. The third season of Metropolitan Opera’s Live in HD broadcasts with Puccini’s dramatic three-way love story brought live to Edinburgh from the US. Cameo, Edinburgh. The Misfits (PG) ●●●●● (John Huston, US, 1961) Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable, Montgomery Clift. 124min. The last film for both Monroe and Gable, while Clift too was in something of a decline, despite his superb performance. Part of Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Morocco (PG) (Josef von Sternberg, US, 1930) Marlene Dietrich, Gary Cooper, Adolphe Menjou. 92min. Sultry Dietrich heads for Africa and into the arms of Cooper, despite Menjou’s affections. Part of Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Muriel’s Wedding (15) ●●●●● (PJ Hogan, Australia, 1994) Toni Collette, Rachel Griffiths, Bill Hunter. 105min. Ugly duckling Muriel decides to leave behind her boring life in Porpoise Spit and search for her Prince Charming in the big lights of Sydney. Part of Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. My Secret Sky (15) (Madoda Ncayiyana, South Africa, 2008) Sobahle Mkhabas, Sibonelo Malinga, Tshepang Mohlomi. 90min. Two orphaned South African siblings venture from their homestead to the city in the hope of entering their only possession – a traditional Zulu grass mat – into a craft competition. Part of Africa in Motion. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Night at the Museum 2 (PG) ●●●●● (Shawn Levy, US, 2009) Ben Stiller, Amy Adams, Owen Wilson. 104min. Stiller’s night watchman joins characters from the first film in a battle to save the museum. Cineworld Parkhead, Glasgow; Cineworld Fountainpark, Edinburgh. Noose (PG) (Edmond Greville, UK, 1948) Nigel Patrick, Carole Landis, Derek Farr. 98min. Thriller in which a female reporter uncovers the British fashion industry’s links with black marketeers. Part of Wojciech Has season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Once Upon a Time in the West (15) ●●●●● (Sergio Leone, US, 1968) Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, Claudia Cardinale, Jason Robards. 165min. Probably Leone’s best film, this classic western details in operatic fashion the drive of crooked railroad magnate, Fonda, to cheat widow Cardinale out of her land, until lone stranger Bronson comes to town. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow.