Film LISTINGS
✽✽ The Leopard (PG) ●●●●● (Luchino Visconti, Italy, 1963) Burt
Lancaster, Claudia Cardinale, Alain Delon. 187min. Characteristically lavish Visconti adaptation of Giuseppe De Lampedusa’s classic novel of the Italian Risorgimento has a splendid Lancaster as the prince of Salina reflecting mournfully on the rise of the bourgeoisie when his nephew Delon marries merchant’s daughter Cardinale. It’s undeniably overlong and rather slow-moving but Visconti’s handling of the epic final ball sequence is a further demonstration of his mastery of composition for the wide screen and his later conception of film-as-opera. Cameo, Edinburgh. Life as we Know It (12A) ●●●●● (Greg Berlanti, US, 2010) Katherine Heigel, Josh Duhamel. 114min. See Also Released, page 53. General release. Made in Dagenham (15) ●●●●● (Nigel Cole, UK, 2010) Sally Hawkins, Miranda Richardson, Rosamund Pike. 112min. Entertaining crowd-pleaser made in the mould of British comic dramas such as director Nigel Cole’s other feature Calendar Girls dramatising the true story of the industrial dispute between the female work force and the management of the Ford’s motor plant that took place in suburban Essex in 1968. Starring Sally Hawkins. General release.
✽✽ The Maid (La Nana) (15) ●●●●● (Sebastián Silva, Chile, 2009) Catalina Saavedra, Claudia Celedón, Mariana Loyola. 96min. Chilean black comedy about a long serving housemaid who begins to go a bit mental. Writer/director Silva carefully empathetic screenplay and gutsy direction and an all-dominating performance by Saavedra make this well worth seeking out. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Making a Difference (E) (Various, UK, 2010) 60min. Three short documentaries telling stories from the fight against poverty in Scotland. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Marmaduke (U) ●●●●● (Tom Dey, US, 2010) Voices of Owen Wilson, George
li A The Illusionist (PG)
Mon 11 Oct 19:30 Wed 13 Oct 14:30 (baby friendly) 19:30
Greenberg (15) Wed 20 Oct 19:30
56 THE LIST 7–21 Oct 2010
The Leopard
Don’t miss this brief chance to see the digitally restored print of Italian filmmaker Luchino Visconti’s 1963 epic adaptation of Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa’s novel about the decline of one noble family at the time of the Italian reunification in the 19th century. Painstakingly adapted by the aristocratic Visconti, The Leopard is a visually stunning treat. ■ Cameo, Edinburgh, Fri 8-Thu 14 Oct (matinees only).
Lopez, William H Macy. 88min. Crude and unfunny adaptation of popular cartoon strip about the adventures of a clumsy Great Dane dog. Selected release. Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday (PG) ●●●●● (Jacques Tati, France, 1953) Jacques Tati, Nathalie Pascaud, Michelle Rolla. 91min. M Hulot, the accident-prone bachelor arrives at a jaunty coastal resort and devastation very soon ensues. Comic timing at its most irresistible, as Tati gets away with a number of memorable, slow-burning gags, all undercut by the stabbing notion that we all have an uncle exactly like Hulot. Cameo, Edinburgh. Mr Nice (18) ●●●●● (Bernard Rose, UK, 2010) Rhys Ifans, Chloë Sevigny, David Thewlis. 120min. See interview, page 51 and review, page 52. Selected release. Murder in Reverse (12A) ●●●●● (Montgomery Tully, UK, 1945) William Hartnell. 88min. Post-war thriller starring Hartnell as a man falsely convicted of murder and forced to spend 15 years in jail for a crime that he is convinced never even happened in the first place. Believing he’s been set up he plots his revenge. Part of Projecting the Archive. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Nazarin (18) ●●●●● (Luis Bunuel, Mexico, 1958) Francisco Rabal, Marga Lopez, Rita Macedo. 94min. Despite his attempts to live by the Bible, a humble priest finds comfort only in a prostitute. To keep on course he undertakes travels through Mexico. Bunuel is on familiar ground highlighting the hypocrisy of the clergy, but this is more allegorical than some of his more bitter attacks. CCA, Glasgow. New York I Love You (15) ●●●●● (Various, US, 2010) Shia LeBoeuf, Natalie Portman, Bradley Cooper. 103min. See review, page 53. Glasgow Film Theatre. One Piece: Strong World (PG) (Munehis Sakai, Japan, 2009) 113min. A tale of pirates, treasure, kidnappings and flying islands adapted by the author of the manga book of the same name. Part of Scotland Loves Anime season. Glasgow Film Theatre; Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Other Guys (12A) ●●●●● (Adam McKay, US, 2010) Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Samuel L Jackson. 107min. Pairing Ferrell and Wahlberg as the incompetent cop duo is a good move on director McKay’s part. While it doesn’t hit the mark of previous Ferrell/McKay success story (Anchorman), their chemistry works its low-brow magic to provide a sense of fun much needed in wannabe blockbusters. General release. Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow (E) ●●●●● (Sophie Fiennes, France/Netherlands/UK, 2010) 105min. See review, page 52. Glasgow Film Theatre. Pink Flamingos (18) ●●●●● (John Waters, US, 1972) Divine, David Lochary,
Mary Vivian Pearce. 106min. The Citizen Kane of bad taste films is re-released in the UK-censored version once again, albeit with a better quality print and with a message from Waters added at the end. Divine plays white trash matriarch Babs, defending her title of the ‘Filthiest Person Alive’. Waters goes all out to offend every member of the audience, but there is an inescapable humour to his shock tactics. Part of Glasgay! Glasgow Film Theatre.
✽✽ Police, Adjective (12A) ●●●●● (Corneliu Porumboiu, Romania,
2009) Dragos Bucur, Vlad Ivanov, Irina Saulescu. 114min. Deliberately-paced police procedural anti-thriller from Romanian writer-director Corneliu Porumboiu, following undercover cop Cristi (Bucur) as he questions the wisdom of attempting to charge and convict a teenager for dope-smoking. A clever and deceptively simple interrogation into the nature of authoritarianism, language and power in small-town Romania 20 years after the revolution. See profile. Glasgow Film Theatre; Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva (U) (Masakazu Hashimoto, Japan, 2009) 99min. Anime adventure in which an English gentleman detective sets out to solve a mystery involving an opera diva and some disappearing schoolgirls. Part of Scotland Loves Anime season. Glasgow Film Theatre; Filmhouse, Edinburgh.
✽✽ Rapt (15) ●●●●● (Lucas Belvaux, France/Belgium, 2009) Yvan Attal,
Anne Consigny, Françoise Fabian. 120min. Tense hostage thriller based on the real life 1978 kidnapping of French-Belgium industrialist and millionaire playboy Edouard-Jean Empain. Yvan Attal and Anne Consigny star. Writer/director Belvaux (La raison du plus faible, Trilogy) directs with his usual style, grace and intelligence. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Red Velvet (18) (Bruce Dickson, US, 2009) Henry Thomas, Kelli Garner, Ryan Doom. 87min. When misanthropic Aaron encounters his neighbour Linda in a launderette, she asks him to tell her a story to pass the time. The tale of misery and bloodshed that he conjures from his imagination, however, is a far cry from Jackanory. Dead By Dawn: Un-Hallowe'en. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Redline (12A) (Takeshi Koike, Japan, 2010) 101min. Japanese anime about an illegal car race. Part of Scotland Loves Anime season. Glasgow Film Theatre; Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Re:Frame (E) (Various, India) 120min. A selection of shorts that demonstrates the richness and variety in contemporary Indian culture, including experimental work and animation. Includes Ashish Avikunthak’s Endnote, Ayisha Abraham’s Straight 8 and
Raqa Media Collective’s Ceasural, Variations 1 and 2. Tramway, Glasgow. Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D (15) ●●●●● (Paul WS Anderson, UK/Germany/US, 2010) Milla Jovovich, Kim Coates, Ali Larter. 96min. In a world ravaged by a virus infection that turns its victims into the undead, Alice (Milla Jovovich) continues on her journey to find survivors and lead them to safety, while her deadly battle with the Umbrella Corporation reaches new heights. Adequate sequel, this time in 3D. Selected release.
✽✽ Restrepo (15) ●●●●● (Tim Hetherington/Sebastian Junger, US,
2010) 93min. See review, page 53. Glasgow Film Theatre. Robocop (18) ●●●●● (Paul Verhoeven, US, 1987) Peter Weller, Nancy Allen, Ronny Cox. 103min. Slick and stomach-churningly violent futuristic thriller blending elements of Dirty Harry, Frankenstein and The Six Million Dollar Man. When diligent policeman Weller is shot to pieces by vicious hoods, his remains are mechanically reconstructed into a hi-tech law enforcement officer, but the human desire for revenge still beats beneath his mechanical exterior. Glasgow Film Theatre. The Runaways (15) ●●●●● (Floria Sigismondi, US, 2010) Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning, Michael Shannon. 106min. A standard issue biopic of the 1970s all-girl group although following the hope-to- heartache via drink and drugs formual it’s the relationship between Joan Jett and lead singer Cherie Curry that catches the eye, unexplosive as it may be, as it allows Stewart as Jett to finally shed her ‘Bella’ skin. Glasgow Film Theatre. Salt (12A) ●●●●● (Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor, US, 2010) Phillip Noyce. 100min. Dubbed ‘Bourne with boobs’ but a mere faded facsimile of that groundbreaking franchise, this chase thriller stars Jolie on proficient, humourless, butt-kicking form as CIA agent/possible Russian mole Evelyn Salt. It’s all competently enough done, but bland in the extreme. Selected release. Sammy Going South (PG) ●●●●● (Alexander Mackendrick, UK, 1963) Edward G Robinson, Fergud McClelland, Constance Cummings. 114min. A chance to see a restored version of Mackendrick’s 1963 film based on newly orphaned 10-year-old Sam (McClelland). The young boy sets off to find his only relative and meets a host of characters and criminals along the way. Glasgow Film Theatre. Scotland Loves Anime Film festival taking place over two weekends in Glasgow and Edinburgh respectively in celebration of the anime genre. On the menu are screenings of Trigun Badlands Rumble, The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, One Piece Film Strong World, Evangelion 2.0, Summer Wars, Redline, Professor Layton And The Eternal Diva and Cowboy Be-Bop: The Movie. Kawaii. Glasgow Film Theatre; Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Scott Pilgrim vs The World (12A) ●●●●● (Edgar Wright, US, 2010) Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin. 112min. The first big-budget blockbuster from serial subverter Edgar Wright (Spaced, Shaun of the Dead) doesn’t disappoint. Typecast geek Cera plays Scott, 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. Selected release. The Secret of Kells (PG) ●●●●● (Tomm Moore/Nora Twomey, Ireland/France/Belgium, 2009) Voices of Evan McGuire, Christen Mooney, Brendan Gleeson, Mick Lally. 78min. Luscious and old-fashioned independent 2D animation inspired by Irish medieval manuscript The Book of Kells telling the story of Brendan (McGuire), a young monk whose remote community lives under threat of Viking invasion and his dangerous mission to the dark forest where he befriends amiable sprite