Israel. The youngsters, though politically and physically separated, have in common both their love of hip hop and the universal trials of adolescence. This screening will be followed by Wael Nourredine’s short film July Trip. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Stepfather (18) ●●●●● (Nelson McCormick, US, 2009) Dylan Walsh, Sela Ward, Penn Badgley. 101min. See review, page 49. General release.
✽✽ They Might Be Giants (PG) ●●●●● (Anthony Harvey, US, 1971)
George C Scott, Joanne Woodward, Jack Gilford. 98min. The suggestive relationship between Sherlock Holmes and Watson is taken to its logical conclusion as the characters are transposed to 1970s New York for a romantic comedy of self- delusion, in which Justin Playfair/Holmes (Scott) has a psychotic disorder and Dr Mildred Watson (Woodward) is his psychiatrist. Dated but enjoyably quirky psychobabble comedy held together by two great leads. Glasgow Film Theatre. The Time Traveler’s Wife (12A) ●●●●● (Robert Schwentke, US, 2009) Eric Bana, Rachel MacAdams, Michelle Nolden. 107min. Sturdy adaptation of Audrey Niffenegger’s best selling novel about a time travelling librarian and the more grounded love of his life. Bana and MacAdams are well cast and Schwentke’s execution of a complicated timeline is admirable, but the screenplay is lacking in oomph and passion. Empire, Clydebank. Touch of Evil (18) ●●●●● (Orson Welles, US, 1958) Orson Welles, Charlton Heston, Marlene Dietrich, Janet Leigh. 108min. In a sleazy border town, the murder of a Mexican bigwig causes friction between corrupt local detective Hank Quinlan (Welles himself) and upright Mexican narcotics agent Vargas (Heston). Amidst a gallery of Wellesian grotesques and expressionist camerawork the dialogue between truth and justice becomes progressively more garbled. Part of O for Orson season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Trial (PG) ●●●●● (Orson Welles, France/Italy/West Germany, 1962) Anthony Perkins, Orson Welles, Jeanne Moreau, Romy Schneider. 120min. Welles’ intelligent attempt to film the once deemed unfilmable Kafka fable. His monochrome expressionism comes close to achieving that atmosphere of cranky paranoia. Perkins’ performance as K is too irrational to generate the necessary level of sympathy, but the pinscreen animated prologue is one of the film’s point of austere interest. Part of O for Orson season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh.
a modern horror icon. Vue Omni, Edinburgh. Scrooged (PG) ●●●●● (Richard Donner, US, 1988) Bill Murray, Karen Allen, Robert Mitchum, John Forsythe. 101min. Umpteenth screen version of Dickens’ Christmas Carol, with Murray as a miserly television exec determined to exploit the yuletide schedules for all they are worth. He learns the error of his ways just in time for a cringe-inducing finale demanding peace on earth and good will to all men. Despite lavish effects and a motley constellation of guest stars, this is a formula comedy of contemporary cynicism whose uneasily vicious humour seems at odds with the spirit of the original. Alastair Sim, where are you now? Glasgow Film Theatre. Séraphine (PG) ●●●●● (Martin Provost, France/Belgium, 2008) Yolande Moreau, Ulrich Tukur, Anne Bennent. 126min. The unsentimental and patiently rendered story of a devout young washerwoman, exceptionally played by Moreau, who spends her evenings painting with foraged materials. In 1914 she is ‘discovered’ by an art dealer (Tukur), who feels an affinity with the misunderstood outcast, and returns later, determined to make her a star. Glasgow Film Theatre; Filmhouse, Edinburgh.
✽✽ A Serious Man (15) ●●●●● (Joel Coen/Ethan Coen, USA, 2009)
Michael Stuhlbarg, Sari Lennick, Fred Melamed. 105min. An idiosyncratic gem filled with details dredged from the Coen brothers’ fertile imaginations and woven into a tapestry as rich as anything they’ve produced in 25 years of filmmaking. Stuhlbarg is wonderful as a physics professor for whom everything is going wrong, and the rest of the cast is largely unknown, making this the polar opposite of the empty and A-list heavy Burn After Reading. Selected release. Shorts (PG) ●●●●● (Robert Rodriguez, US, 2009) William H Macy, Jimmy Bennett, Jake Short. 88min. 11-year-old Toe Thompson (Bennett) gets hit on the head by a mysterious rainbow-coloured rock, and soon his neighbourhood is swarming with tiny spaceships, crocodile armies and much more. Slyly anti-corporate kiddie caper with an able cast and fun digital effects. Empire, Clydebank. Slingshot Hip Hop (15) (Jackie Salloum, USA, 2008) Ibrahim Abu Rahala, Nahwa Abed Al’Al, Mohammed Al Farra. 80min. Telling the tale of young people living in the divided, war-torn and poverty- stricken lands of Gaza, the West Bank and
New York for Thanksgiving. After missing the last flight home he undergoes a series of fraught misadventures, reluctantly enduring the accident-prone Candy as traveling companion. Predictable and sentimental ‘odd couple’ road movie which is nonetheless genuinely funny. Scotsman Screening Room, Edinburgh. Planet 51 (U) ●●●●● (Jorge Blanco/Javier Abad, US, 2009) Voices of Dwayne Johnson, Jessica Beil, Gary Oldman. 90min. Dull, mildly offensive Spanish animated feature about one astronaut’s adventures as an illegal alien on a far-flung planet. General release. The Power of Nightmares (E) (Adam Curtis, UK, 2004) 90min. Documentary TV series that explores the origins of Islamic Fundamentalism in the Middle East, and Neoconservatism in America, and the parallels between these movements. ACE, Edinburgh. Ramchand Pakistani (15) (Mehreen Jabbar, Pakistan, 2008) Shaood Alvi, Adarsh Ayaz, Atif Badar. 104min. The story of a young Pakistani Hindu and his father who accidentally cross the border into India at a time of extreme tension between the neighbouring countries. Filmhouse, Edinburgh.
✽✽ Red Shoes (U) ●●●●● (Michael Powell/Emeric Pressburger, UK, 1948)
Anton Wallbrook, Marius Goring, Moira Shearer. 127min. See Also Released, page 51. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (15) ●●●●● (Jim Sharman, UK, 1975) Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, Meat Loaf. 100min. The cult film to end all others, this rock spoof on old horror movies has created a breed of Rocky Horror crazies, and packs them in at late shows everywhere. The film has its moments, and Curry is splendidly camp as the bisexual Frank N Furter. Grosvenor, Glasgow. Santa vs The Snowman 3D (PG) (Various, US, 2002) 32min. IMAX big screen presentation telling the story of a lonely snowman who’s swept away by the magical wonders of Santa’s village. IMAX Theatre, Glasgow. Saw VI (18) ●●●●● (Kevin Greutert, US, 2009) Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Shawnee Smith. 90min. Surprisingly part VI is the best Saw for a good while (certainly trumping the last two chapters). Previous instalments had become mired in their own mythology, but this finally gives the Saw faithful something to sink their teeth into, and Bell once again owns the roll of Jigsaw,
Film Index Paranormal Activity (15) ●●●●● (Oren Peli, US, 2007) Katie Featherston, Micah Sloat. 86min. Raw, truly lo-fi and also very clever, this Blair Witch-style homemade horror is a compelling introduction to director Peli. A suburban couple set up a camcorder to record the things going bump in the night in their own home, and the fear factor is cranked up as the horror penetrates the domestic sphere; but crucially, there’s also humour in this over-hyped but enjoyable spine-chiller. General release. Piglet’s Big Movie (U) (Francis Glebas, US, 2003) 75min. Cartoon. The gang from Hundred Acre Wood are back with another enchanting tale of adventure. When Piglet vanishes into the woods after not being allowed to participate in one of Winnie the Pooh’s adventures, the gang become worried and set off on a mission to find him using his scrapbook of memories. Evidently to adults the underlying message is appreciate your friends and ensure they know you love them. For children, perhaps Megan Lehmann’s (New York Post) quote is particularly apt: ‘When the world gets too big and scary, the Hundred Acre Wood remains a clearly delineated comfort zone’. Grosvenor, Glasgow. Pinocchio (U) ●●●●● (Hamilton Luske/Ben Sharpsteen, US, 1940) Voices of Mel Blanc, Don Brodie, Walter Catlett, Frankie Darro, Cliff Edwards, Dickie Jones, Charles Judels, Christian Rub. 88min. Classic, brilliant and quite wonderful animated musical feature about a little puppet boy who had no strings to hold him up. Pinocchio really does highlight how far ahead of the competition Disney was in 1940. You have to wonder what happened. St Bride’s Centre, Edinburgh. Planes, Trains and Automobiles (15) ●●●●● (John Hughes, US, 1987) Steve Martin, John Candy, Laila Robbins. 92min. Martin is a harassed Chicago businessman desperate to return home from
Dirty Dancing (12A) Wed 9 Dec 8:00pm Julia and Julia (12A) Sat 12 Dec 7:30pm Sun 13 Dec 7:30pm
Creation (PG) Thu 17 Dec 11:00am (cuppa), 7:30pm
Fargo/The Man Who Wasn’t There This great Coen brothers double bill of sub zero murder and anonymity should set you up for the yuletide season.
■ Cameo, Edinburgh, Sun 6 Dec.
56 THE LIST 3–17 Dec 2009