Film Index
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 Alice in Wonderland 2D (PG) ●●●●● (Tim Burton, US, 2010) Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter. 108min. A sequel of sorts that takes in elements of both Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass, this finds Alice (Wasikowska) as a teenager returning to Underland, which has long since fallen into the tyrannical grip of the Red Queen (Bonham Carter). Dark and visually arresting, yet not quite as emotionally involving as Burton’s very best work. General release. Alice in Wonderland 3D (PG) ●●●●● (Tim Burton, US, 2010) Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter. 108min. See above. General release. 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. Cineworld Parkhead, Glasgow; Cineworld Fountainpark, Edinburgh. 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. Selected release. Amelia (PG) ●●●●● (Mira Nair, US, 2009) Hilary Swank, Richard Gere, Ewan McGregor. 111min. Biopic of legendary aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart starring
Swank as the first woman to fly across the Atlantic. Nair goes for a low-key approach to this extraordinary life, which occasionally grates but is for the most part quite measured. Brunton Theatre, Edinburgh. 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. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Avatar 3D (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. Vue Ocean, Edinburgh. Babe (U) ●●●●● (Chris Noonan, Australia, 1995) James Cromwell, with the voices of Christine Cavanaugh, Miriam Margolyes, Hugo Weaving. 92min. An orphaned pig falls under the eye of a kindly collie and begins to think he’s destined for glory at the regional trials. Talking animals suggest that this is a kids’ movie: to an extent it is – and a great one – but there’s enough skewered humour (hail the psycho mice!) for adults to discover an unexpected cult hit. A triumph for the underpig. Scotsman Screening Room, Edinburgh. The Belles of St Trinians (PG) ●●●●● (Frank Launder, UK, 1954) Alastair Sim, Joyce Grenfell, George Cole. 91min. The original of the girls’ school series, with Sim in top pantomime dame form as the headmistress and George Cole as an ‘Arfur Daly’ prototype spiv. Glasgow Film Theatre. Beyond the Pole (15) ●●●●● (David L Williams, UK, 2009) Rhys Thomas, Stephen Mangan, Mark Benton. 87min. See review, page 45. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Big Picture presents Back in Cinemas (tbc) Screening of one of the following: Calamity Jane, Desperately Seeking Susan, Electric Dreams, Sexy Beast, Theatre of Blood or Zelig. To vote visit www.thebigpicturemagazine.com before the end of March. Winning film announced Tue 30 Mar. Glasgow Film Theatre. Blast! (PG) (Paul Devlin, US, 2008) 78min. Filmmaker Devlin follows the story of his brother, Mark Devlin, as he leads a team of scientists hoping to figure out how all the galaxies formed by launching a revolutionary new telescope under a NASA high-altitude balloon. Part of Edinburgh Science Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Blind Side (12A) ●●●●● (John Lee Hancock, US, 2010) Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Kathy Bates. 128min. Based on the moving true story of Michael Oher, a black teenager from the Memphis projects with burgeoning sporting talent, who is adopted by WASPs, led by Leigh Ann (Bullock). It’s been a huge success stateside, hailing from a mildly offensive line of American sports films, blandly but effectively directed by Hancock with Bullock valiantly delivering some of the worst dialogue ever uttered south of the Dixie line. General release.
Blue Velvet (18) ●●●●● (David Lynch, US, 1986) Kyle MacLachlan, Dennis Hopper, Isabella Rossellini. 120min. In small-town Middle America, would-be boy detective MacLachlan finds a severed ear on some waste ground. When the police shoo him away he decides to do some investigating of his own. A singular fusion of the cosy and the terrifying which blends kitsch and nightmare, B-movie detection and brutal sex to deconstruct our complacent vision of normal society. This is filmmaking of remarkable imagination and skill. Late Night Cult Classic screening. Glasgow Film Theatre. The Bounty Hunter (12A) ●●●●● (Andy Tennant, US, 2010) Jennifer Aniston, Gerard Butler, Christine Baranski. 110min. Comedy about a bounty hunter who is assigned to hunt down his bail-jumping ex- wife. General release. Bugsy Malone (U) ●●●●● (Alan Parker, UK, 1976) Scott Baio, Jodie Foster, Martin Lev. 93min. Musical spoof of Prohibition-era gangster films, with an all- child cast. Family entertainment pure and simple, and a true original with it. Scotsman Screening Room, Edinburgh.
✽✽ Cemetery Junction (15) ●●●●● (Ricky Gervais/Stephen
Merchant, UK, 2010) Jack Doolan, Tom Hughes, Christian Cooke. 95min. See review, page 45. General release from Wed 14 Apr. Clash of the Titans 2D (12A) (Louis Leterrier, US, 2010) Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes. 105min. Will be reviewed at www.list.co.uk. See Also Released, page 47. General release. Clash of the Titans 3D (12A) (Louis Leterrier, US, 2010) Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes. 105min. Will be reviewed at www.list.co.uk. See Also Released, page 47. Selected release.
No One Knows About Persian Cats Two screenings of Iranian filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi’s excellent new film about the underground Tehran music scene. This mockumentary follows two youngsters’ attempts to form
a band and stay one step ahead of the authorities. Gifted filmmaker Ghobadi, whose previous films include the remarkable A Time for Drunken Horses and Turtles Can Fly has made a film that is rough, ready, vital and full of passion, plus the music is fantastic. A wider Scottish release for this film will hopefully be secured soon. ■ Cameo, Edinburgh on Mon 5 & Wed 7 Apr.
48 THE LIST 1–15 Apr 2010