www.list.co.uk/film
La Fille du Régiment (E) (Gaetano Donizetti, UK, 2010) Natalie Dessay, Juan Diego Florez, Dawn French. 147min. A chance to enjoy the Royal Opera’s production of Donizetti’s opera. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Films of Scotland (E) (UK, Various) 80min. A preview of a new BBC1 series uncovering archive films made between 1938 and 1982 in order to sell Scotland to the world. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow. Finding Neverland (PG) ●●●●● (Marc Singer, UK/US, 2004) Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, Julie Christie, Dustin Hoffman, Freddie Highmore. 101min. London at the turn of the 20th century, and the playwright JM Barrie’s (Depp) last few plays have been flops. Then by chance one day he meets society widow Sylvia Llewelyn Davies (Winslet) and her adorable, if unruly, brood of children. Through them he becomes inspired to write a new kind of play for kids and adults alike. The first is about a flying boy, a suburban family and a magical place called Neverland. Brunton Theatre, Edinburgh. Future Shorts (18) (Various) 90min. Roxy is the new home for Future Shorts, an international initiative offering a monthly showcase of the finest short films from around the world. Roxy Art House, Edinburgh.
✽✽ Genesis (La genèse) (15) (Cheick Oumar Sissoko, France/Mali, 1999)
Sotigui Kouyaté, Salif Keita, Balla Moussa Keita. 102min. Powerful African take on the biblical story of Abraham and his warring brothers, Jacob and Esau. Part of Africa in Motion Film Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Godfather (15) ●●●●● (Francis Ford Coppola, US, 1971) Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan. 175min. Another chance to catch Coppola’s gangster classic. Sloans, Glasgow.
✽✽ The Golden Ball (Le Ballon D’Or) (PG) ●●●●● (Cheik Doukouré,
France/Guinea, 1994) Aboubacar Sidiki Sumah, Agnès Soral, Habib Hammoud. 93min. A Guinean village boy, obsessed with football, is exploited by a city businessman, but falls under the wing of a caring football club manager. The thematic focus is on the difficulty of keeping alive traditional cultural values in the face of the modern world. Part of Africa in Motion Film Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Grown Ups (12A) ●●●●● (Dennis Dugan, USA, 2010) Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Salma Hayek. 102min. Regrettably predictable buddy comedy featuring almost the entire Saturday Night Live early 1990s cast. Selected release. The Gruffalo (U) (Jacob Schuh, UK, 2009) Voices of Helena Bonham Carter, James Corden, Robbie Coltrane. 60min. The cinema version of Julia Donaldson’s clever and colourful book about a resourceful mouse and, of course, the terrible Gruffalo. Shown with the BAFTA-nominated animated short Varmints, based on the children’s book by Helen Ward. Part of the Discovery Film Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Halloween (18) ●●●●● (John Carpenter, US, 1978) Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, Nancy Loomis, PJ Soles. 91min. The first and best of the series – and one of the best of all slasher movies. Escaped psycho Michael Myers returns to the town where he killed his sister several years before and picks up where he left off with remarkable ease. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow. Have you Heard from Johannesburg?: Programme 2 (E) (Connie Field, South Africa, Various) 180min. Fair Play and From Selma to Soweto, the second in the series of Connie Field’s documentaries on the anti-apartheid movement. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow. Have you Heard from Johannesburg?: Programme 3 (15) (Connie Field, South Africa, Various) 168min. The final installment of Connie Field’s epic chronicle of the anti-apartheid struggle includes the works The Bottom Line 1965-1988 and Free At Last 1979-1990. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow. ✽✽ Herschell Gordon Lewis: The Godfather of Gore (18) (Frank
Henenlotter, US, 2010) 106min. Documentary about the man behind such
retro gorefests as Blood Feast, Two Thousand Maniacs and The Wizard of Gore. Part of The Sinister Sunday of Shock! Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow. The Hole 3D (12A) ●●●●● (Joe Dante, US, 2009) Teri Polo, Haley Bennett, Ali Cobrin. 91min. Three children find a mildly terrifying trapdoor in their basement and decide to investigate, which seems silly in hindsight. General release. The Hunter (Shekarchi) (15) (Rafi Pitts, Iran/Germany, 2010) Rafi Pitts, Mitra Hajjar Sara, Ali Nicksaulat. 92min. Thriller about an ex-con nightwatchman who returns home one day to find his wife and daughter missing. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow.
✽✽ I Love Hip Hop in Morocco (15) (Joshua Asen, US/Morocco, 2007)
80min. Documentary following a Moroccan hip hop collective as they attempt to stage a touring festival. Part of Africa in Motion. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Illusionist (12A) ●●●●● (Sylvain Chomet, UK/France, 2010) Voices: Jean- Claude Donda, Eilidh Rankin. 83min. The product of five years’ work in an animation studio that Chomet (Belleville Rendezvous) set up in Edinburgh when he fell in love with the capital after attending its International Film Festival, this is an uncannily accurate portrayal of Edinburgh and Scotland. Cameo, Edinburgh.
✽✽ iMANi (15) (Caroline Kamya, Uganda, 2010) 82min. Documentary looking at
the legacy of Idi Amin and the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda. Filmhouse, Edinburgh.
✽✽ The Importance of Being Elegant (15) (George
Amponsah/Cosima Spender, France/UK, 2004) 69min. The story of the intriguing ‘Sapeurs’ of the Democratic Republic of Congo, flamboyantly dressed gents who have made fashion into a cult in some of the poorest areas of the world. Part of Africa in Motion Film Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Inception (12A) ●●●●● (Christopher Nolan, US, 2010) Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Ellen Page. 147min. DiCaprio stars as Don Cobb, a thief who is the master of the art of extraction, stealing secrets from the minds of the unconscious. Vue Ocean, Edinburgh. Involuntary (15) ●●●●● (Ruben Ostlund, Sweden, 2008) Villmar Bjorkman, Lola Ewerlund, Maria Lundqvist. 101min. See review, page 46. Filmhouse, Edinburgh.
✽✽ Island of Death (18) (Nico Mastorakis, Greece, 1975) Robert
Behling, Jane Lyle, Jessica Dublin. 101min. Greek Video Nastie with blood and gore all over the place. Followed by a Q&A with director Nico Mastorakis. Part of The Sinister Sunday of Shock! Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow. Jhootha Hi Sahi (PG) (Abbas Tyrewala, India/UK, 2010) John Abraham, Omar Khan, Pakhi. A suicidal woman makes a ‘final’ phone call and is mistakenly connected to a man who gives her something to live for. Cineworld Renfrew Street, Glasgow; Cineworld Fountainpark, Edinburgh. Kandahar Break (15) (David Whitney, UK, 2009) Shaun Dooley, Dean Andrews, Rasheed Naz. 136min. High drama in 1990s Afghanistan as a British engineer suffers intolerable hardship while on a mission to clear the landmines that plague the counrty with his love for a local woman only serving to heighten tensions with the ruling Taliban. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow.
✽✽ The Kids are All Right (15) ●●●●● (Lisa Cholodenko, US, 2010)
Annette Benning, Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo. 106min. See review, page 45. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow.
✽✽ Kontinuasom (15) (Oscar Martinez, Spain/Cape Verde, 2009) 80min.
Documentary about a dancer from Cape Verde who is faced with a dilemma when given the chance to forge a new life and career in Portugal. Part of Africa in Motion Film Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh.
✽✽ Kuduro, Fire in the Museke (15) (Jorga António, Angola, 2008) 52min. A
social and cultural portrait of a new generation in Angola, focusing on the dance and musical movement of ‘Kuduro’. Screening with shorts Freedom and Nora, and followed by a discussion with African dance
experts. Part of Africa in Motion Film Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh.
✽✽ Lagos Hot (15) (Miguel Enwerem, Nigeria, 2009) 60min. Documentary exploring the Nigerian capital’s booming entertainment industry. The screening is followed by an audience discussion with a panel of experts on the Nigerian media. Part of Africa in Motion Film Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’hoole (PG) ●●●●● (Zack Snyder, USA/Australia, 2010) Jim Sturgess, Joel Edgerton, Ryan Kwanten. 90min. See review, page 47. Selected release. Life as we Know It (12A) ●●●●● (Greg Berlanti, US, 2010) Katherine Heigel, Josh Duhamel. 114min. Career singles Holly (Katherine Heigl) and Eric (Josh Duhamel) are loving godparents to Sophie. When Sophie’s parents die unexpectedly they find they themselves sharing a house and caring for Sophie. Harmless and likeable if predictable and uninspired romcom. General release. Live from the Met: Boris Godunov (E) (Peter Stein, US, 2010) Rene Papa. 305min. Mussorgsky’s epic tale of political skulduggery in the wake of Ivan the Terrible’s reign tells the story of the de facto regent of Russia and his various sinister doings. Cineworld Renfrew Street, Glasgow; Cameo, Edinburgh.
✽✽ London River (15) ●●●●● (Rachid Bouchareb, UK, 2009) Brenda Blethyn,
Sotigui Kouyaté, Marc Baylis. 87min. This clash of cultures tale depicts two separate parents who travel to London after their children go missing in the wake of the 7/7 bombings. Part of Africa in Motion Film Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Loose Cannons (Mine Vaganti) (15) (Ferzan Ozpetek, Italy, 2010) Riccardo Scamarcio, Alessandro Preziosi, Nicole Grimaudo. 113min. Warm-hearted coming- out comedy set in Southern Italy from the director of Ignorant Fairies and Hammam: The Turkish Bath. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow; Filmhouse, Edinburgh.
✽✽ Madame Brouette (15) (Moussa Sene Absa, Senegal/Canada/France,
2002) Rokhaya Niang, Aboucar Sadikh Ba, Kadiatou Sy. 104min. Set in a poor neighbourhood in Dakar, Senegal, the murder investigation of a policeman provides the backdrop to the story of Madame Brouette, a single mother dedicating her life to providing for her daughter. Part of Africa in Motion Film Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. 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 in 1968. 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. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Marmaduke (U) ●●●●● (Tom Dey, USA, 2010) Voices of Owen Wilson, George Lopez, William H Macy. 88min. Unfunny adaptation of popular cartoon strip about a Great Dane. Selected release. Monster House (U) ●●●●● (Gil Kenan, US, 2006) Voices of Steve Buscemi, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Mitchel Musso. 91min. Trouble- making tykes investigate the creepy house in this film, which is wicked fun for all ages. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow. Monsters (12A) (Gareth Edwards, UK, 2010) Whitney Able, Scott McNairy. 93min. A photojournalist investigating the invasion of giant octopi from space in Central America is tasked with finding and rescuing his boss’ daughter in this hip and compelling sci- fi/road movie/romance. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow. Mr Nice (18) ●●●●● (Bernard Rose, UK, 2010) Rhys Ifans, Chloë Sevigny, David Thewlis. 120min. A giddy and good-natured comic romp through the life story of notorious Welsh marijuana smuggler Howard Marks. Selected release.
INDEX Film
PROFILE
RUBEN ÖSTLUND Born Styrsö, Sweden, 1974 Background Ruben Östlund was born on Styrsö, a small island off the west coast of Sweden. He initially became involved in filmmaking through his passion for downhill skiing, and in the late nineties made several innovative films documenting the sport. It was here that his obsession with the long take began; a technique that was deemed essential when filming skiing to prove that no fault by the skier had been covered up. In 1998 he enrolled at the University of Göteborg to study Film and Photography and in 2005 his first film The Guitar Mongoloid, won the Fipresci prize in Moscow. What’s he up to now? Östlund’s feature Involuntary shows in UK cinemas this month. It explores the dynamics of group behaviour through five parallel stories that take in a range of characters from different ages and backgrounds. He is currently filming his second feature Play, due for release in 2011. On casting Involuntary ‘All of the main characters in the five parts have experience in performing or standing on stage. A lot of them are dancers. I often think dancers perform very well on screen and they work well with moving images.’ On framing ‘I really want to activate the audience. If something happens outside of the frame you immediately have to start making images by yourself, you have to think what’s happening outside. You create an atmosphere where audiences have to reflect and activate themselves.’ On the future of cinema ‘Almost everybody has the opportunity to create their own moving images. I think that the most interesting moving images today are on the internet and not in the cinema. I think that the cinema has to go in that direction otherwise it will be like the opera in a couple of years, you will feel that it has nothing to do with its own time.’ Interesting fact Almost all of the cast of Involuntary are unknown apart from the actress Maria Lundqvist who is one of the most famous actresses in Sweden and plays a version of herself in the film. 21 Oct–4 Nov 2010 THE LIST 49