DRAMA CRACKS (15) 104min ●●●●●
Jordan Scott, daughter of Ridley Scott (nepotism, it’s a wonderful thing) follows the promise of her shorts Jonathan and Portrait with this ludicrous and feeble attempt to posit William Goldman’s Lord of the Flies in a 1930s girls’ boarding school. When Spanish aristocrat Fiamma
(María Valverde) arrives at an English boarding school she stirs up obsessions in unhinged teacher Miss G (Eva Green) and jealousy in classmate Di (Juno Temple, Julien’s daughter, yes it’s that kind of film). In the rarified environment of high board diving, dressing up boxes and jolly hockey sticks, Fiamma, her teacher and her fellow pupils head (interminably) towards certain tragedy. Badly served by an overwritten (or under-edited) screenplay and some fairly uneven performances, Scott tries to whip up some repression-fuelled mystery with lots of skulking about grand hallways and impromptu swims in the sub zero lake. It’s all a load of nonsense that doesn’t succeed dramatically, or even as a small scale chiller curio. Star Green does, however, try to transcend the mediocrity with much neck swiveling and mad eye stares. Following the regrettable British made Franklyn it may be time for Green to head for sunnier climes. (Paul Dale) ■ General release from Fri 4 Dec.
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DRAMA/COMEDY TULPAN (12A) 102min ●●●●●
We never actually get to see the Tulpan of the title, who is the object of the affections of 22-year-old sheepherder Asa (Asat Kunchinchirekov). Having recently completed his national service in the Russian navy, he has returned to the Betpak-Dala steppe in southern Kazakhstan, where he is temporarily residing in a yurt with his sister Samal (Samal Yeslyamova) and her farmer husband Ondas (Ondasyn Besikbasov) and their three children. Asa doesn’t seem cut out for the gruelling nomadic existence, but he dreams of having his own flock, and for that to happen he must have a wife. Tulpan appears to be the only eligible young woman for literally miles, but she herself wants to study in the big city.
Tulpan is the first fictional feature of Kazakh documentary-maker Sergey Dvortsevoy, yet it is powerfully grounded in reality. It was photographed entirely on location, in a world where sandstorms rage across giant plains and where there are no official roads, running water nor electricity. While he refuses to romanticise the endeavours of his characters, who somehow keep going in these unforgiving conditions, Dvortsevoy successfully mines a vein of gentle, observational humour. Thus the boyish Asa starts telling improbable tales of his exploits battling sea monsters in a vain bid to impress Tulpan’s parents, and when he’s criticised for having big ears, a picture of Prince Charles is produced as proof of his marital value.
Shooting on film rather than digital video, Polish cinematographer Jola
Dylewska captures in long, complicated takes such remarkable moments as the live-birth of a sheep (assisted only by an inexperienced Asa), or when a injured baby camel, confined to the side-car of the vet’s motorbike, is driven away and is pursued by its mother. The human cast, a mixture of professional and non-professional actors, are entirely convincing in their physically challenging roles: look out for a terrific supporting performance from Tulepbergen Baisakalov, who excels playing Asa’s extrovert, Boney M-loving pal. The end result is one of 2009’s unexpected cinematic treats. (Tom Dawson) ■ GFT, Glasgow from Sun 6–Tue 8 Dec. Filmhouse, Edinburgh from Fri 11–Tue 15 Dec.
FANTASY/ADVENTURE WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE (PG) 100min ●●●●●
Long deemed unfilmmable, Maurice Sendak’s nine- sentence children’s tale about a boy whose bedroom turns into a forest full of huge creatures gets the Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation) treatment.
To fluff out the story, Jonze employed A Heartbreaking
Work of Staggering Genius author Dave Eggers to replace his usual collaborator Charlie Kaufman, and the padding they give to the story turns it into a shaggy, careworn tale of a broken American family.
On the day that Max (Max Records) is sent to bed after fighting with his sister (Pepita Emmerichs), his mother (Catherine Keener) is preparing dinner for her new boyfriend (Mark Ruffalo). The emphasis in this segment is placed firmly on the woes of the modern mother, working, bringing up kids and trying to have a romantic life. It’s so dull that it’s no surprise Max runs away. The joy here comes from the brilliant production design of the creatures. Jonze opts to use puppetry over CGI and this gives the action an ethereal quality. The creatures, voiced by actors of the calibre of Chris Cooper, Forest Whitaker and James Gandolfini, are deliberately cast as emotional stereotypes, and lack dimension as a result. Still entertaining, but a little underwhelming. (Kaleem Aftab) ■ General release from Fri 11 Dec.
Reviews Film
ALSO RELEASED The Descent Part 2 (18) 93min ●●●●● Sequel to Neil Marshall’s 2006 shocker. Beginning just moments after the end of the previous film, it follows a rescue mission to save the group of female cavers who disappeared in the Appalachian Mountains. A badly scripted and acted follow-on which lacks any of the clever ambiguities of the first film. The previous film’s editor Jon Harris directs. General release from Fri 4 Dec. Planet 51 (U) 90min ●●●●● Dull, mildly offensive Spanish animated feature about one astronaut’s adventures as an illegal alien on a far-flung planet. Dwayne Johnson, Jessica Biel, Justin Long, Seann William Scott, Gary Oldman, and John Cleese are on voice duties. General release from Fri 4 Dec. The Merry Gentleman (15) 96min ●●●●● Actor Michael Keaton makes his directorial debut with this very likeable thriller cum romantic fable about a suicidal hitman’s relationship with a woman who is emerging from an abusive relationship. This intelligent and enigmatic character study augers well for Keaton’s future on the other side of the camera, plus Keaton as the titular fellow and Kelly MacDonald as the love interest are excellent and newcomer Tom Bastounes is equally good as a disheveled cop on Keaton’s tail. Definitely worth seeking out. Selected release from Fri 4 Dec. The Limits of Control (15) 115min ●●●●● Off beat but under par new film from Jim Jarmusch in which Jarmusch regular Isaach de Bankole wanders through various parts of Spain on an ambiguous criminal mission. Philosophical and cinematic musings are present as are some interesting scenes featuring among others Tilda Swinton and Bill Murray, but this is a gnomic often tedious work by Jarmusch, which is saved from irrelevance by Christopher Doyle’s fantastic near metaphysical cinematography. Still, like all Jarmusch’s work, The Limits of Control is worth checking out. Selected release from Fri 11 Dec.
The Red Shoes (U) 127min ●●●●● Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s seminal dance film based on Hans Christian Andersen story goes back into cinemas on digital. Selected release from Fri 11 Dec. 3–17 Dec 2009 THE LIST 51