Film INDEX PROFILE
Name Rosamund Pike
Born 28 January 1979, London Background Unusually for an actress who was relatively unknown before being cast as a ‘Bond girl’, Pike’s career took off after playing MI6 agent Miranda Frost in Die Another Day. There’s no sign of it being a short-lived one, either. Having made a couple of smart choices immediately after the 2002 Bond film with The Libertine opposite Johnny Depp and in Pride & Prejudice next to Keira Knightley. It did, however, look like the ‘007 bimbo curse’ was coming into effect and going to put an end to a blossoming career when she was cast as the crumpet in the ropey computer game adaptation Doom and ridiculous legal thriller Fracture. But a pair of performances in The Old Vic production of Patrick Hamilton’s Gaslight and in the Oscar-feted Britflick An Education, have gotten Pike’s acting career back on track.
What she’s up to now? Playing the Cambridge-educated housewife of a Ford’s motor plant manager in Made In Dagenham. She’s also soon to be seen alongside Jack Black, Owen Wilson and Steve Martin in The Big Year and with Paul Giamatti and Dustin Hoffman in Barney’s Version. And having just been cast opposite Rowan Atkinson in the Johnny English sequel. On her character in Made in Dagenham ‘Lisa is a middle-class girl who has been educated and has gotten married and followed the path that a lot of women did at that time – not putting her degree to any use – and instead has become a very accomplished wife and mother. It is her friendship with Sally Hawkins’ character that widens the film’s scope in a way. It takes it out of being a working-class struggle, which of course it was not. It was more a struggle for women to gain equality with men in the work force, a struggle that is still going on now.’
Interesting fact Pike writes, mainly travel articles for the broadsheets, is currently working on a screenplay and has been approached with a book deal (Miles Fielder) ■ Made in Dagenham, general release, Fri 1 Oct. See review, page 57.
64 THE LIST 23 Sep–7 Oct 2010
an unemployed musician who falls hard for Ramona Flowers (Winstead) only to find he must defeat a succession of evil ex- boyfriends in fights to the death based on videogames ranging from Rock Band to Street Fighter. Although the plot neccessitates some repetitiveness, that’s more than made up for by great production design and some cracking visual gags. General release. The Secret in their Eyes (El Secreto De Sus Ojos) (18) ●●●●● (Juan José Campanella, Argentina/Spain, 2009) Ricardo Darín, Soledad Villamil, Pablo Rago. 129min. The surprise winner of 2010’s Best Foreign Film Oscar, and deservedly so. A richly satisfying and unashamedly old- fashioned piece of film noir storytelling, following a retired prosecutor as he researches a novel based on a brutal and still unsolved case from early in his career. An exceptional blend of clever whodunit, slow- burning romance and political commentary. Glasgow Film Theatre. The Secret of Kells (PG) ●●●●● (Tomm Moore/Nora Twomey, Ireland/France/Belgium, 2009) See review, page 57. Selected release. Shades of Fern (12A) ●●●●● (Frantisek Vlacil, Czechoslovakia, 1984) Marek Probosz, Zbigniew Suszynski, Miroslav Machácek. 97min. Two young men accidentally kill a gamekeeper while out poaching deer and are forced to go on the run. Part of Vlacil season. Glasgow Film Theatre. Shadows of a Hot Summer (15) ●●●●● (Frantisek Vlacil, Czechoslovakia, 1978) Juraj Kukura, Marta Vancurová, Gustáv Valach. 100min. Intense and somewhat bleak view of life on a Moravian farm toward the end of World War Two. Part of Vlacil season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Shrek Forever After 2D (PG) ●●●●● (Mike Mitchell, US, 2010) Voices: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz. 93min. A fourth and final instalment, rebooting the flagging franchise with a new alternate-reality twist which sees Shrek escape fatherhood for a one-day return to his bachelor years. A warmed-over sequel that lazily re-configures familiar elements to mildly pleasing effect. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Skeletons (12A) ●●●●● (Nick Whitfield, UK, 2009) Ed Gaughan, Andrew Buckley, Jason Isaacs. 93min. A darkly fanciful British comedy about two on-call ‘emotional exorcists’, who come laden with their own woeful baggage. Glasgow Film Theatre. A Small Act (12) (Jennifer Arnold, USA, 2010) 88min. An inspiring story of the power of charity. Chris’ life in a Kenyan village was transformed when he won the sponsorship of a Swedish woman – Hilde Back – who he knew only by name. Now a graduate from Harvard and a Human Rights lawyer working for the UN, he has set up his own education programme for Kenyan children in her name. Weaving between the lives of Chris, Hilde and three children competing for Chris’ fund, this is a moving testament to the selfless act of giving. Glasgow Film Theatre; Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Smoke on the Potato Fields (15) ●●●●● (Frantisek Vlacil, Czechoslovakia, 1977) Rudolf Hrusínsk_, Vítezslav Jandák, Václav Lohnisk_. 95min. A country doctor develops a fatherly relationship with a young pregnant girl, in this elegiac offering from Vlacil. Part of Vlacil season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. SoulBoy (12A) ●●●●● (Shimmy Marcus, UK, 2010) Martin Compston, Felicity Jones, Nichola Burley. 82min. Teenager Joe (Compston) pursues love’s young dream to Wigan Casino, where he discovers Northern Soul, leading to all manner of hip-swivelling heartbreak. Formulaic but crowd-pleasing, SoulBoy is lent an irresistible warmth by Compston’s likeable lead, and while the story is predictable, its heart is in the right place. Glasgow Film Theatre; Cameo, Edinburgh. South of the Border (15) ●●●●● (Oliver Stone, USA, 2009) 77min. In his documentary about Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Stone travels through seven countries he thinks have benefited from a united socialist front, challenging the orthodoxy on Chavez in an engrossing and
entertaining manner. Glasgow Film Theatre. Sweet Crude (E) (Sandy Cioffi, USA, 2009) 93min. Documentary focusing on the Niger Delta, where people live in desperate poverty whilst billions of dollars worth of crude flow under their feet and straight into the pockets of Big Oil. A moving and intimate portrayal of a world falling apart at the seams and governments rumoured to be resorting to the most appalling humanitarian tactics in their quest for profit. The film is followed by an audience discussion with Financial Times journalist and author Michael Peel and others. Part of Take One Action! festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Takers (12A) ●●●●● (John Luessenhop, US, 2010) Chris Brown, Hayden Christensen, Matt Dillon, Idris Elba. 106min. See review, page 57. General release. Tamara Drewe (15) ●●●●● (Stephen Frears, UK, 2010) Gemma Arterton, Roger Allam, Tamsin Greig. 111min. Lazy reworking of Far From the Madding Crowd (allegedly), Tamara Drewe features an improbably perfect eponymous heroine (Arterton), once bullied, now successful, having returned to her home town to settle old scores. A Carry On... version of The Archers, but less funny. At least the soundtrack’s good. General release. They Come For The Gold, They Come For it All (E) (Cristian Harbaruk/Pablo D’Alo Abba, Argentina, 2009) 87min. Balanced and understated portrait of the gold and silver mines in Esquel in southern Argentina, where Canadian company Meridian Gold proposes to extract the precious metals using toxic cyanide, with potentially disastrous environmental and public health consequences. Yet how can a community on the edge of desperate poverty refuse such an economic boost? The film is followed by a live link to Argentina for a Q&A with co- director Cristian Harbaruk. Take One Action! Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Three and a Half Lives of Phillip Wetu (12) (Richard Pakleppa, Namibia, 2009) 60min. The UK premier of a film detailing the story of Phillip, an attractive IT professional whose multiple sexual congresses get him into a spot of hot water. But how does it end? The audience gets to decide Phillip’s fate, choosing from one of eight possible endings. Screened as part of the Take One Action festival, the film is followed by Spike Jonze’s The Lazarus Effect a documentary following the effects of medication on HIV-positive patients in Zambia. Part of Take One Action! festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. To Catch a Dollar (15) (Gayle Ferraro, USA, 2010) 74min. Professor Muhammad Yunus’ Nobel prize-winning quest to help the poor of Bangladesh help themselves has transformed the lives of 7.5 million Bangladeshis. But he decides that’s not quite enough, and so, while the big banks studiously ignore the poorest and refuse to lend to them, Grameen Bank America opens for business in New York. The story is told through the eyes of two women with access to responsibly lent funds and demonstrates the change it is able to bring about for their futures. The film is followed by an audience discussion with Habib Malik, the director of Islamic Relief Scotland, and James Picardo, director of Jubilee Scotland. Take One Action! Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Town (15) ●●●●● (Ben Affleck, US, 2010) Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm. 124min. See feature, page 56 and review, page 58 Selected release. Toy Story 3 (U) ●●●●● (Lee Unkrich, USA, 2010) Voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack. 108min. Andy has grown up and is on the way to college, so everyone’s favourite toys are packed off to Sunnyside day-care centre. Selected release. Under the Sea 3D (U) (Howard Hall, UK, 2009) Jim Carrey. 65min. Carrey narrates an underwater 3D look at the impact of global warming upon the diverse coastal regions of Southern Australia, New Guinea and the Indo-Pacific areas. IMAX Theatre, Glasgow. Up (U) ●●●●● (Pete Docter/Bob Peterson, US, 2009) Voices of Christopher Plummer, Edward Asner, Paul Eiding. 96min. Seventy- eight–year-old curmudgeon Carl
Fredericksen and eight-year-old Junior Wilderness Explorer Russell embark on the adventure of a lifetime in South America. While it unfolds on a grand scale, at its heart is a human story that will resonate with viewers of every age. Marrying sadness with triumph, Pixar have created another masterpiece. Vue Ocean, Edinburgh. Wagner & Me (PG) (Patrick McGrady, UK, 2010). Stephen Fry investigates the big composer. Cameo, Edinburgh. A Walk to Beautiful (E) (Mary Olive Smith, USA, 2007) 85min. Inspiring and heartbreaking documentary following five Ethiopian women who suffered obstetric injuries in childbirth that led to them being rejected by their husbands and ostracised by their communities. Expected to retire into solitude because of their ‘shame’, they instead made the difficult journey to the Fistula Hospital in Addis Ababa where they began to piece their lives back together. An audience discussion on gender, power and health chaired by Oxfam Scotland Campaigns Manager Malcolm Fleming follows the screening. Part of Take One Action! festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh.
✽✽ Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (12A) ●●●●● (Oliver Stone,
US, 2010) Shia LaBeouf, Michael Douglas, Carey Mulligan. 132min. See review, page 58. Part of BBC Four World Cinema Awards. General release from Wed 6 Oct. Waltz with Bashir (18) ●●●●● (Ari Folman, Israel/Germany/France, 2008) Voices of Ron Ben-Yishai, Ronny Dayag, Ari Folman. 90min. This animated feature about war, selective amnesia and the hideous genocide committed by Christian militiamen on Palestinian refugee camps in Sabra and Shatila during the 1982 Lebanese War is more optimistic than it sounds. Eliciting rare and painful truths, Folman’s illustrated memoir makes for a brave, damning and riveting piece of cinema. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. We Are Family (PG) (Siddarth Malhotra, India/Australia, 2010) Kareena Kapoor, Arjun Rampal, Nominath Ginsberg. 119min. A Bollywood remake of 1998’s tearjerker Stepmom, this domestic comedy drama tells the tale of a close-knit single parent family forced to make some major adjustments when estranged Dad’s new girlfriend moves in. Odeon at the Quay, Glasgow. The White Ribbon (15) ●●●●● (Michael Haneke, Germany/Austria, 2009) Christian Friedel, Ulrich Tukur, Burghart Klaussner. 143min. Featuring the remarkable black and white cinematography of Christian Berger, Haneke’s latest film expertly paints a withering portrait of life in a pre-World War German village that is dominated by feudalism and a particularly sadistic breed of religion. An outstanding, multilayered achievement, dripping with nastiness and resonating with a sense of impending historical doom. Filmhouse, Edinburgh.
✽✽ Winter’s Bone (15) ●●●●● (Debra Granik, USA, 2010) Jennifer Lawrence,
John Hawkes, Kevin Breznahan. 100min. Adapted from Daniel Woodrell’s novel, the film follows Ree whose drug-addicted father has used their house as bail bond and subsequently done a runner. Striving to find him within a week brings secrets, lies and a grisly closure to this unsettling and memorable affair. Selected release. World Vote Now (E) (Joel Marsden, Spain, 2010) 78min. An interesting film questioning whether it would be possible to create a global democracy following the ‘one person, one vote’ principle, taking in views and opinions from 26 countries from Kashmir to Iran to the Congo. A Q&A with director Joel Marsden follows the screening. Part of Take One Action! festival. Glasgow Film Theatre; Filmhouse, Edinburgh.
✽✽ World’s Greatest Dad (15) ●●●●● (Bobcat Goldthwait, USA,
2009) Robin Williams, Alexie Gilmore, Daryl Sabara. 98min. See Also Released, page 59. Cineworld Renfrew Street, Glasgow; Cineworld Fountainpark, Edinburgh. Yvonne Rainer: Short Films (Yvonne Rainer, US, 1966-1978) A selection of Rainer’s earlier shorts, including Trio A, Hand Movie, Volleyball (Foot Film), Rhode Island Red, Trio Film and Line. Screening on loop until 10pm. Tramway, Glasgow.