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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 Age of Stupid (12A) ●●●●● (Franny Armstrong, UK, 2009) Pete Postlethwaite, Piers Guy, Jamila Bayyoud. 90min. Marrying Britain’s honourable tradition of dystopian sci-fi with the eco documentary form, Armstrong’s film is an aesthetically pragmatic, ethically dogmatic attempt to save the world. More or less a documentary study telling six stories from four continents, the film’s strength lies in its variety, and the compelling use of sci-fi as a framing device, with Postlethwaite playing a character looking after the Global Archive in the future. Gilmorehill G12, Glasgow. Alien Adventure 3D (U) ●●●●● (Ben Strassen, Japan, 2001) Voice of John Boyle, Bouli Lanners. 37min. An alien race looking for a planet to colonise find earth and unfortunately enter a theme park where they cause much amusing mayhem. IMAX Theatre, Glasgow. 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. Amélie (15) ●●●●● (Jean-Pierre Jeunet, France, 2001) Audrey Tautou, Mathieu Kassovitz, Serge Merlin. 120min. Within Jeunet’s fantastical world – a reimagining of Paris’ oldest quarter, Montmartre – the eccentric adventures of his eponymous heroine unfold in a manner as complex as a Swiss timepiece when Amélie decides to bring happiness to deserving people by playing elaborate practical jokes on them. A film that celebrates all the little, great things in life. Cameo, Edinburgh. Amos Oz (E) (Masha Zur Glozman/Yonathan Zur, Israel, 2009) 75min. Documentary on the famous Israeli writer. Part of the UK Jewish Film Festival. Grosvenor, Glasgow. Astro Boy (PG) ●●●●● (David Bowers, US, 2009) Voices of Nicolas Cage, Kristen Bell, Freddie Highmore. 93min. A popular manga in Japan since 1952, and a cult TV show in the US since the early 1980s, Astro Boy makes a bid for worldwide domination in this flashy but flatly realised animation. A robot child cloned by Dr Tenma (voiced by Cage) from the DNA of his dead son, the titular space age Pinocchio (Highmore), is rejected by his father and banished to the robot graveyard that surrounds the city. General release. 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. General release. Battle for Terra 3D (PG) ●●●●● (Aristomenis Tsirbas, US, 2010) Voices of Luke Wilson, Rachel Evan Wood, Brian
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Index Film
Still Walking Hirokazu Koreeda’s bittersweet dissection of the modern Japanese family with all its dynamics and dysfunctions enjoys a slight return on the big screen. Catch it while you can.
■ Filmhouse, Edinburgh from Fri 19–Wed 24 Feb.
Cox. 78min. 3D feature concerning a war fought for the resources of a far-off planet between greedy, warlike humans and peaceful aliens. While the 3D animation is as pretty and headache inducing as usual, the slavishly copied narrative eventually yields naive charm. Selected release. Bee Movie (U) ●●●●● (Steve Hickner/Simon J Smith, US, 2007) Jerry Seinfeld, Renée Zellweger, Matthew Broderick. 90min. Barry B Benson graduates from college to find that he still only has one possible career: making honey. Disillusioned, he moves to Manhattan where he discovers that humans steal and eat honey and resolves to file a lawsuit against the honey giant, Big Honey. An oddly conceived vehicle for a reluctant star, Bee Movie deserves a B-minus for effort. St Bride’s Centre, Edinburgh. Bolt (PG) ●●●●● (Byron Howard/Chris Williams, US, 2009) Voices of Miley Cyrus, John Travolta, Susie Essman. 103min. Heart-tugging Disney animation about child actress Penny (voiced by Cyrus) and dog Bolt (Travolta) who star in a hit TV series. The dog believes it’s all real, so when he escapes from his trailer and ends up on the other side of the country he is in for a few rude surprises. Empire, Clydebank. The Book of Eli (15) ●●●●● (Albert Hughes/Allen Hughes, US, 2010) Denzel Washington, Mila Kunis, Gary Oldman. 118min. Man has destroyed the earth and all that is left is a ravaged post-apocalyptic landscape. Loner Eli (Washington) wanders through Mad Max style communities with just one aim – to protect the sacred tome that could hold the key to the survival of the human race. Silly but fun futuristic action thriller. Selected release. 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. Empire, Clydebank. British Animation Awards Programme 3 (15) (Various) 80min. Another chance to view and vote for your favourite British Animation Awards nominee. Round Three includes Leo Bridle & Ben Thomas’s Train of Thought, Thomas Hicks’ Unicycle Film and Rafael Sommerhalder’s Wolves. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Burlesque Undressed (15) ●●●●● (Alison Grist, UK, 2010) Immodesty Blaize, Kalani Kokonuts, Perle Noire. 88min. British burlesque star Immodesty Blaize uncovers the burlesque genre in this mix of interviews, performance footage and big band sounds. Cameo, Edinburgh. Cairo Station (Bab el-Hadid) (PG) ●●●●● (Youssef Chahine, Egypt, 1958) Youssef Chahine, Hind Rustum, Farid Shawqi. 90min. An exploration of the notion that a station is the hub of all life, where disparate characters go about living and loving in a microcosm of society. One of the truly seminal Arabic films of the 20th century, from great Egyptian filmmaker Chahine. Part of the Middle Eastern Film Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Capitalism: A Love Story (12A) ●●●●● (Michael Moore, US, 2009) 102min. Moore’s credibility has taken something of a dint since the populist, glory days of Fahrenheit 9/11 and Sicko, but his new opus sees him going for broke by taking on the whole capitalist system. But without his old pal George Bush in the White House, Moore simply doesn’t have anyone to focus his righteous ire on, meaning Capitalism: A Love Story comes in a day late and a dollar short. Glasgow Film Theatre. Celine - Through the Eyes of the World (PG) (Stephanie Laporte, Canada, 2008) Celine Dion. 117min. Special presentation of the documentary created on Celine Dion’s 2008/9 Taking Chances tour. Cineworld Fountainpark, Edinburgh. The Closed Doors (al Abwab al Moghlaka) (15) (Atef Hetata, Egypt/France, 1999) Mahmoud Hemida, Sawsan Badr, Ahmed Azmi. 118min. Set during the Gulf War and telling the story of a young man who embraces fundamentalist ideas as a way of handling his burgeoning sexuality, Hetata’s feature touches on several contemporary Egyptian taboos, examining both their social and political implications. Part of the Middle Eastern Film Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2D (U) ●●●●● (Phil Lord, US, 2009) Voices of Bill Hader, Anna Faris, James Caan. 90min. Vivid and likeable animated version of Judi and Ron Barrett’s 1978 children’s book set in the town of Chewandswallow, where the weather comes three times a day, at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Vue Ocean, Edinburgh. The Crazies (15) ●●●●● (Breck Eisner, US, United Arab Emirates, 2010) Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, Joe Anderson. 101min. Eisner directs this timely remake of George Night of the Living Dead Romero’s 1973 survivalist classic about a biological weapon
accidentally discharged into the water supply of a small town, turning the inhabitants into rampaging lunatics. General release from Fri 26 Feb.
✽✽ Crazy Heart (15) ●●●●● (Scott Cooper, US, 2009) Jeff Bridges,
Maggie Gyllenhaal, James Keane. 111min. Based a novel by Thomas Cobb, leisurely southern fried character study Crazy Heart focuses on the travails of down-on-his-luck western singer/songwriter Bad Blake, played by the remarkable Bridges. Things begin to look up when he hooks up with a young music journalist and single mother (Gyllenhaal) but Bad is sadly on a one way ticket to rehab. General release from Fri 19 Feb Did you Hear About the Morgans? (PG) ●●●●● (Marc Lawrence, US, 2009) Hugh Grant, Sarah Jessica Parker, Natalia Klima. 103min. Fish out of water comedy pairing Grant with Jessica Parker as married thespians going through a rocky patch. Their relationship begins to show signs of recovery when they are sent into a witness protection scheme after clocking a murder. Showcase Cinema, Paisley. Edge of Darkness (15) ●●●●● (Martin Campbell, UK/US, 2010) Mel Gibson, Ray Winstone, Danny Huston. 117min. With this taut adult revenge thriller, director Campbell returns with his usual studied energy to the scene of one of his early successes – the 1985 BBC television series that helped make his name. Gibson is entrancing as a Boston detective investigating the murder of his activist daughter, and as he grunts his way
Vanishing of the Bees (U) Mon 22 Feb 7:30pm It’s Complicated (15) Thu 4 Mar 11:00am (cuppa), 7:30pm Mon 8 Mar 7:30pm
18 Feb–4 Mar 2010 THE LIST 49