www.list.co.uk/film www.list.co.uk/film
Films screening this fortnight are listed below with certificate, star rating, credits, brief review and venue details. Film index compiled by Paul Dale ✽✽ Indicates Hitlist entry Aliens in the Attic (PG) ●●●●● (John Schultz, UK, 2009) Ashley Tisdale, Robert Hoffman, Austin Robert Butler. 85min. Likeably frenetic sci-fi adventure about a family’s attempt to fight off knee high alien invaders. Vue Ocean, Edinburgh. All About Steve (12A) ●●●●● (Phil Traill, US, 2009) Sandra Bullock, Thomas Haden Church, Bradley Cooper. 98min. See review, page 45. General release. Alvin and the Chipmunks 2: The Squeakquel (U) ●●●●● (Betty Thomas, US, 2009) Voices of Justin Long, Anna Faris, Jason Lee. 88min. The singing
chipmunk trio contend with the pressures of high school, celebrity and rival female band The Chipettes. General release. And Along Came The Tourists (12) (Robert Thalheim, Germany, 2007) Alexandra Fehling, Ryszard Ronczewski, Barbara Wysocka. 82min. As an alternative to military service, Sven (Fehling), a nineteen-year-old German, is assigned to work at the former concentration camp Auschwitz. Here he is confronted by the demands of a modern tourist industry and the contempt of the local people. A Holocaust memorial screening. Glasgow Film Theatre. Anna & Anna (15) (Aubrey Lam, Hong Kong, 2007) Karena Lam, Lu Ye, Tender Huang. 95min. A successful businesswoman is forced to re-assess her life when she meets someone who looks very much like her. Heavily influenced by Krzysztof Kieslowski’s The Double Life of Veronique. Part of Hong Kong women filmmakers' season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Avatar 2D (12A) ●●●●● (James Cameron, US, 2009) Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez. 166min. Set in 2154, Cameron’s much- hyped Avatar focuses on a paraplegic marine named Jake Sully (Worthington), who arrives on the distant moon of Pandora with a mission to help displace its indigenous population. But, after winning their trust, Jake finds his allegiances gradually shifting. High on technical flair but short on storytelling ambition, this visually stunning sci-fi epic sadly remains deeply flawed. Selected release. Avatar 3D (12A) ●●●●● (James Cameron, US, 2009) Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez. 166min. See above. Selected release. The Balcony (15) ●●●●● (Joseph Strick, US, 1963) Shelley Winters, Peter Falk, Lee Grant. 85min. A brothel continues with business as usual whilst a revolution rages on the streets in this powerful adaptation of Jean Genet’s play.
The RAFAs: The Public Vote It’s that time of year to have your say about what you thought was the best film of last year with the Richard Attenborough Film Award’s
Public Vote, sponsored by The List. Last time you voted for The Dark Knight (pictured) but what will it be this year? Simply visit filmoftheyear.co.uk/votelistfilmofthyear.php and submit your vote now. We thank you. ■ Voting closes at noon on 25 Jan.
Index Film Determined to use the whorehouse as headquarters, a police chief finally bursts their hedonistic bubble. Part of Strick retrospective. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Battle Royale (18) ●●●●● (Kinji Fukasaku, Japan, 2001) Tatsuya Fujiwara, Aki Maeda, Taro Yamamoto, Takeshi Kitano. 118min. Lord Of The Flies is re-imagined as a violent pre- millennial nightmare as a class of teenage Japanese schoolchildren is abandoned on an island, given a variety of weapons, and told that only the last survivor will be allowed to leave. Superbly violent and satirical Japanese cult film that was clearly made to goad the Japanese authorities into action over the country’s juvenile delinquency problem. A Late Night Cult Classic. Glasgow Film Theatre. The Big Sleep (PG) ●●●●● (Howard Hawks, US, 1946) Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, John Ridgely, Martha Vickers. 114min. Marlowe gets caught up in the peccadilloes of the Sternwood family as he tries to stop a spot of blackmail. Needless to say, the broad knows more than she lets on. Witty, sultry, atmospheric, mainstream film noir with Bogey and Bacall doing their excellent double act. CCA, Glasgow. The Book of Eli (tbc) ●●●●● (Albert Hughes/Allen Hughes, US, 2010) Denzel Washington, Mila Kunis, Gary Oldman. tbcmin. See Also Released, page 47. General release from Fri 15 Jan. Bright Star (PG) ●●●●● (Jane Campion, France/Australia/UK, 2009) Abbie Cornish, Ben Whishaw, Paul Schneider. 118min. This fictionalised account of poet John Keats’ love affair with Fanny Brawne is a disappointingly bland effort from Jane Campion, whose beautiful imagery and deference to the work of her subject cannot hide a lack of substance and the non-existence of any jot of chemistry between the two lead actors. Cameo, Edinburgh.
An Education (12A) Wed 20 Jan 2:00pm (baby friendly), 7:30pm The Men Who Stare At Goats (15) Thu 21 Jan 7:30pm
Glorious 39 (12A) Mon 25 Jan 11:00am (cuppa), 7:30pm
7–21 Jan 2010 THE LIST 49