www.list.co.uk/film
Four Christmases (12A) ●●●●● (Seth Gordon, US/Germany, 2008) Vince Vaughn, Reese Witherspoon, Kristin Chenoweth. 88min. Another year, another Christmas comedy starring Vince Vaughn. This time he’s teamed up with Reese Witherspoon for a likeably silly comedy about divorced parents and the pressure of yuletide family gatherings. Vue Ocean, Edinburgh. 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. Glorious 39 (12A) ●●●●● (Stephen Poliakoff, UK, 2009) Romola Garai, Bill Nighy, Eddie Redmayne. 125min. Poliakoff production with stately country pile, lavish aristo picnic, soaring score, a sensational cast of British talent and a mystery lurking within a family at war. With tension ripping through the screenplay, there’s more to this than meets the eye, with the archetypal otherworldly dialogue being ditched in favour of more precise exchanges while the sweeping soundtrack from Adrian Johnston underpins the austere drama to perfection. Odeon, Edinburgh. The Happiest Days of Your Life (PG) ●●●●● (Frank Launder, UK, 1950) Alastair Sim, Margaret Rutherford, Joyce Grenfell. 81min. Inspired pairing of Sim and Rutherford in a classic British farce, revolving around a girls’ school that is billeted with a boys’ school. Hilarious. Part of More Laughter in Paradise season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Harry Brown (18) ●●●●● (Daniel Barber, UK, 2009) Emily Mortimer, Michael Caine, Iain Glen. 103min. Tabloid frenzied OAP vigilante flick in which an ex military man, played by Caine takes on the hooded youth of the housing scheme he lives in. Cynical, manipulative and hysterically directed nonsense to make us all more afraid. Selected release. Humpday (15) ●●●●● (Lynn Shelton, US, 2009) Mark Duplass, Joshua Leonard, Alycia Delmore. 94min. See review, page 56, and profile, page 60. Glasgow Film Theatre; Cameo, Edinburgh.
✽✽ I’m Gonna Explode (15) ●●●●● (Gerardo Naranjo, Mexico,
2008) Juan Pablo De Santiago, Maria Deschamps, Pedro Gonzalez. 103min. See review, page 57, and profile in listings. Glasgow Film Theatre. An Inspector Calls (PG) ●●●●● (Guy Hamilton, UK, 1954) Alastair Sim, Jane Wenham, Brian Worth. 89min. Film adaptation of JB Priestley’s morality play and thriller featuring a masterly performance from Sim as Inspector Goole. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. It Might Get Loud (PG) (Davis Guggenheim, US, 2008) Jimmy Paige, The Edge, Jack White. 97min. See Also Released, page 58. Cameo, Edinburgh and selected release from Tue 5 Jan.
✽✽ It’s a Wonderful Life (PG) ●●●●● (Frank Capra, US, 1946)
James Stewart, Donna Reed, Henry Travers, Thomas Mitchell. 129min. Small- town boy Stewart runs into financial difficulties and is on the brink of suicide when an elderly angel descends to earth to show him all the good his life has done for those around him. Archetypal Capra sentimentality with a superbly detailed fantasy framework and one of Stewart’s most lovable performances. One to warm even the most glacial heart. Selected release. James and The Giant Peach (U) ●●●●● (Henry Selick, US, 1996) Paul Terry, Susan Sarandon, Simon Callow. 79min. From the director of Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas comes a wonderfully colourful adaptation of Roald Dahl’s much-loved novel. Live action tops and tails the story, but for the most part, it’s fun times with stop-motion puppets. By turns funny and scary, it stays true to Dahl’s surreal and whimsical vision. Glasgow Film Theatre.
Jour De Fete (U) ●●●●● (Jacques Tati, France, 1948) Jacques Tati, Guy Decomble. 80min. A rural French postie sees a film about the efficiency of the American mail service and decides to smarten up his act. This debut feature by Tati, effortlessly builds visual set-pieces and establishes the amiable duffer of a central role that was later to become the unforgettable M Hulot. Part of French Film Festival. 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. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Last Year in Marienbad (12A) ●●●●● (Alain Resnais, France/Italy, 1961) Delphine Seyrig, Giorgio Albertazzi, Sacha Pitoeff. 94min. Evocative and enigmatic tale of a man who meets a woman in a rambling hotel, and believes he had an affair with her the previous year. Past blends with present to the point where they are indistinguishable, and you can only really enjoy it if you don’t worry too much whether they did or didn’t. Not one for Blind Date enthusiasts. Monorail Film Club presentation. Glasgow Film Theatre. Laughter in Paradise (U) ●●●●● (Mario Zampi, UK, 1951) Alastair Sim, Joyce Grenfell, Hugh Griffith. 93min. The benefactors of an eccentric’s final Will and Testament must carry out embarrassing or criminal acts to get their legacies. Much copied, rarely bettered comedy. Part of More Laughter in Paradise season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Law Abiding Citizen (18) ●●●●● (F Gary Gray, US, 2009) Gerard Butler, Jamie Foxx, Colm Meaney. 108min. Messily attempting to juggle crowd-pleasing retribution with cheap pot shots, this tale of one man’s fight against the corrupt judiciary system and the ambitious attorney (Foxx) that set free his wife’s murderer is undermined by a dubious morality and an unpleasant glorification of violence. General release. Me and Orson Welles (12A) ●●●●● (Richard Linklater, UK, 2008) Ben Chaplin, Claire Danes, Zac Efron. 113min. Likeably frothy behind-the-scenes drama. Set over the space of one week, the film’s time frame is guided by the rehearsals and first night of the Mercury Theatre’s legendary production of Ceasar, directed by Welles in 1937. In to this theatrical bear pit enters young artisan Richard (Efron) who lands himself the role of Lucius. Between Welles’ explosions and sexy assistant Sonja (Danes) it’s going to be a week he won’t forget in a hurry. Selected release. The Men who Stare at Goats (15) ●●●●● (Grant Heslov, US/UK, 2009) George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey. 95min. A light-hearted yet intelligent trippy hippy satire on the strange-but-true story of the US military experiment to create a New Earth Army of ‘psychic soldiers’ preaching a creed of love not war. Witty and slickly directed, Heslov’s film features a cast on top form and is a definite crowd-pleaser with its sharp mix of humour and drama. Selected release. The Muppet Christmas Carol (U) ●●●●● (Brian Henson, US, 1992) Michael Caine, Steven MacKintosh, Meredith Braun. 86min. It’s Christmas time, and nasty old miser Scrooge (Caine) needs to be taught a lesson by three seasonal ghosts. Colourful version of Dickens’ classic tale that will please the kids and keep the adults smiling with its little irreverent spices. Cineworld Parkhead, Glasgow. Nativity! (U) ●●●●● (Debbie Isitt, UK, 2009) Martin Freeman, Marc Wootton, Ashley Jensen. 105min. Surprisingly enjoyable British family drama about one school’s attempt to put on the best nativity play in Britain by getting the media
involved. Freeman and Wootton as the two primary school teachers at the eye of the storm are excellent. General release. Nine (12A) ●●●●● (Rob Marshall, US/Italy, 2009) Daniel Day-Lewis, Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard. 118min. See review, page 58. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Noose (E) ●●●●● (Wojciech Has, Poland, 1958) Gustaw Holoubek, Aleksandra Slaska, Teresa Szmigielówna. 96min. Psychological drama limited to a single day in which central character Kuba (Holoubek) battles tirelessly with his alchoholism. Part of Has season. Glasgow Film Theatre. Nowhere Boy (15) ●●●●● (Sam Taylor-Wood, UK/Canada, 2009) Kristin Scott Thomas, Thomas Sangster, Aaron Johnson. 97min. See review, page 57. Glasgow Film Theatre. Offenbach: Les Contes d’Hoffmann (E) (US, 2009) 250min. James Levine conducts a production of Offenbach’s fantastical final opera, based on three tales by German Romantic novelist ETA Hoffmann and directed by Tony Award winner Bart Sher. Starring outstanding international soloists Anna Netrebko and Joseph Calleja. Broadcast live as part of the Met’s Live in HD series. Cameo, Edinburgh. Paa (12A) ●●●●● (R. Balki, India, 2009) Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan. 140min. See review, page 58. Selected release. Pandora’s Box (E) ●●●●● (Adam Curtis, UK, 1992) 276min. Six-part BBC documentary television series which examines the consequences of political and scientific governance. ACE, Edinburgh. 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. 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.
✽✽ Post Grad (12A) ●●●●● (Vicky Jenson, US, 2009) Alexis Bledel, Jane
Lynch, Michael Keaton. 88min. See review, page 57. General release from Fri 1 Jan.
✽✽ The Queen of Spades (PG) ●●●●● (Thorald Dickinson, UK,
1949) Anton Walbrook, Edith Evans, Yvonne Mitchell. 95min. See Also Released, page 58, and interview page 68. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Raymond Briggs Trilogy (U) (UK, Various) 78min. Three short animations based on Raymond Briggs’ charming stories: The Bear, Father Christmas and The Snowman. Filmhouse, Edinburgh.
✽✽ The Red Shoes (U) ●●●●● (Michael Powell/Emeric Pressburger,
UK, 1948) Anton Wallbrook, Marius Goring, Moira Shearer. 127min. Powell and Pressburger’s seminal dance film based on Hans Christian Andersen’s story goes back into cinemas on digital. Glasgow Film Theatre; Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Rocket Singh – Salesman of the Year (PG) (Shimit Amin, India, 2009) Ranbir Kapoor, Gauhar Khan. 154min. A recent university graduate tries to make his career and fortune despite not getting top marks in his exams and marketing is his passion. Cineworld Renfrew Street, Glasgow. The Royal Tenenbaums (15) ●●●●● (Wes Anderson, US, 2002) Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Gwyneth Paltrow. 110min. The Tenenbaums are no ordinary family. Descended from a long line of overachievers, these New York geniuses are now in stultifying decline. The
Index Film
5 TOP DVDS OF 2009
1 Kenneth Anger: Magick Lantern Cycle His satanic majesty’s maddest and most brilliant experimental filmworks in extras heavy set.
2 Boom! Bizarre 1968 Tennessee Williams adaptation starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton directed by the great Joseph Losey finally sees the light of day on DVD. 3 Carnival of Souls Low budget 1962 cult horror finally released on decent DVD transfer.
4 Film Noir Collection Three films by Otto Preminger (Fallen Angel, Whirlpool, Where the Sidewalk Ends and one by Jules Dassin (Night and the City) in lovely box set with booklet and other extra goodies.
5 Winstanley Lyrical portrait of England’s first socialist commune – the Diggers camp set up during the English Civil War – and one of the great lost masterpieces of 1970s British cinema finally restored to its rightful place with a ton of extras. (Paul Dale)
memory of the brilliance of the young Tenenbaums has since been erased by two decades of betrayal, failure and domestic disaster, most of which is perceived by the family to be the fault of absent father, Royal (Hackman). Then, at the very moment his three grown-up children have, for various reasons, all moved back into the rambling home of their mother, Royal decides he wants his family. With Tenenbaums, Anderson (Rushmore) has surpassed himself with an enchanting, odd tale of an awkward family and its members’ impossible magnetic attraction to each other. Cameo, Edinburgh. The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (U) ●●●●● (Michael Lembeck, US, 2006) Tim Allen, Martin Short, Elizabeth Mitchell. 91min. Once more into the breach steps Santa (Allen) – this time battling with an overflowing family and Jack Frost (Short). Do children honestly like this franchised slush?. Cineworld Parkhead, Glasgow; Cineworld Fountainpark, Edinburgh. 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. St Trinian’s 2: The Legend of Fritton’s Gold (PG) ●●●●● (Barnaby Thompson/Oliver Parker, UK, 2009) Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Talulah Riley. 106min. See Also Released, page 58. General release. 17 Dec 2009–7 Jan 2010 THE LIST 61