www.list.co.uk/film Psychiatry Ethics Film Festival
The ethics of mental health treatment are refracted through the prism of this new short season of films and discussions. Films include Jaco Van Dormael’s The Eighth Day, Girl, Interrupted (pictured) and The Madness of King George. There are also two documentaries about the UK’s mental hospitals and Stephen Fry’s 2006 television documentary about manic depression. All the films are followed by discussions and some events are free, check with cinema. ■ Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Fri 26-Sun 28 Nov.
one of the most violent favelas in Rio. Finzi’s documentary follows the two as they attend trials with some of the world’s most important dance companies, whilst their families fight to find the money required to keep their children’s dreams alive. CCA, Glasgow. 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. Odeon Braehead, Renfrew.
✽✽ Outside the Law (15) (Rachid Bouchareb, France/Algeria/Belgium,
2010) Jamel Debbouze, Roschdy Zem, Sami Bouajila. 138min. A fictionalised account of the foundation of the National Liberation Front in Algeria, which waged a war of violence in France and Algeria until the African nation was given its independence in 1962. Part of French Film Festival. Glasgow Film Theatre; Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Pan’s Labyrinth (15) ●●●●● (Guillermo Del Toro, Mexico/Spain/US, 2006) Ivana Baquero, Doug Jones, Sergi Lopez. 119min. In the closing stages of Spain’s Civil War young Ofelia discovers a subterranean world populated by fairytale creatures. As she navigates tasks in the Labyrinth-like world the real dangers lie above ground – the dissonance between the two proving that the real world is more horrifying than any imagined one. Sloans, Glasgow. Paranormal Activity 2 (15) ●●●●● (Tod Williams, US, 2010) Katie Featherston, Gabriel Johnson. 91min. A prequel to the ‘found footage’ horror phenomenon of 2009. This time a family set up surveillance equipment after what appears to be a break-in, but slowly realise something far nastier is lurking in the shadows. A wonderfully restrained and genuinely creepy modern ghost story. That they managed the trick twice is a miracle. General release. Perestroika (15) (Sarah Turner, UK, 2009) 115min. Poetic travelogue to the edge of Siberia’s vast nothingness. Glasgow Film Theatre.
✽✽ La Petit Chambre (The Small Room) (15) (Stéphanie
✽✽ Regrets (15) (Cédric Kahn, France, 2009) Yvan Attal, Valeria Bruni
Chuat/Véronique Reymond, Switzerland/Luxembourg, 2010) Florence Loiret Caille, Michel Bouquet, Eric Caravaca. 97min. Subtle drama about the relationship of a private nurse and an elderly man. Part of French Film Festival. Glasgow Film Theatre; Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Platinum Blonde (U) ●●●●● (Frank Capra, US, 1931) Loretta Young, Robert Williams, Jean Harlow, Halliwell Hobbes. 90min. Classic Capra flick in which a rich uptown girl impulsively weds a reporter under the assumption that his lifestyle will change. Unfortunately for her, he is thinking the same thing. Part of Capra season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Plein Soleil (15) ●●●●● (Rene Clement, France, 1960) Alain Delon, Maurice Ronet, Marie Laforet. 118min. Clement’s lushly filmed reworking of a Patricia Highsmith story hooks viewers into its skewed moral universe. Ripley (Delon) nurses a grudge against a friend with girl trouble and hatches a plan to kill him on a yachting trip. The film – clumsy in places, over-long in others – becomes an absorbing exercise in careful plotting and spooky emotional manoeuvring. Filmhouse, Edinburgh.
✽✽ The Princess of Montpensier (18) (Bertrand Tavernier,
France/Germany, 2919) Mélanie Thierry, Lambert Wilson, Grégoire Leprince- Ringuet. 139min. Politics and passion in the 16th century from versatile French director Tavernier. Part of French Film Festival. Glasgow Film Theatre; Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Radfahrer (E) (Marc Thümmler, Germany, 2008) 28min. Short film about the GDR photographer Harald Hauswald and the Stasi’s surveillance of his life. Stills, Edinburgh. RED (12A) ●●●●● (Robert Schwentke, US, 2010) Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren. 111min. Action romcom adapted from Warren Ellis’ graphic novel as a bunch of old duffers (Willis, Freeman, John Malkovich, Mirren and Brian Cox) are called back from retirement (RED stands for Retired Extremely Dangerous) for one last mission. The first-rate cast lends this hodgepodge of clichés more class than it deserves. General release.
Tedeschi. 104min. Forty-something Mathieu returns home to tend to his comatose mother, but soon runs into his first love, Maya. Part of French Film Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. River’s Edge (18) ●●●●● (Tim Hunter, US, 1986) Crispin Glover, Keanu Reeves, Dennis Hopper. 99min. A motiveless murder is the catalyst for a moral crisis among a group of teenage buddies. Challenging exploration of alienated youth and their attempts to forge a value system in a society of numbing moral blankness. A Monorail Film Club presentation. Glasgow Film Theatre. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (15) ●●●●● (Jim Sharman, UK, 1975) Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, Meat Loaf. 100min. The cult film to end all others, this rock spoof on old horror movies has created a breed of Rocky Horror crazies, and packs them in at late shows everywhere. The film has its moments, and Curry is splendidly camp as the bisexual Frank N Furter. Grosvenor, Glasgow. The Room (18) ●●●●● (Tommy Wiseau, US, 2003) Tommy Wiseau, Juliette Danielle, Greg Sestero. 99min. Cult film that has suffered some very harsh criticism but is loyally defended by its mysterious director Wiseau. Queen Margaret Union, Glasgow.
✽✽ The Round Up (15) (Roselyne Bosch, France, 2010) Jean Reno,
Mélanie Laurent, Gad Elmaleh. 115min. Based on true events from the summer of 1942, the films tells the story of French police who acted as Nazi accomplices and rounded up Jews living in Paris, sending 13,000 to Auschwitz to die. Part of French Film Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Saw 3D (18) (Kevin Greutert, US, 2010) Tobin Bell, Cary Elwes, Costas Mandylor. 89min. The seventh and supposedly final installment of the series that defined ‘torture porn’. Expect blood, guts and more intricate terror traps as Jigsaw (Bell) reeks his final revenge from beyond the grave in goretastic 3D. General release. The Scar Crow (18) ●●●●● (Pete Benson/Andy Thomson, UK, 2009) Kevyn Connett, Tim Major, Michael Walker. 83min. Unsurprising horror in which four men from the 21st century meet three pissed off witch sisters from 1709. Selected release, Fri 26 Nov.
INDEX Film
Sectioned (12A) (Ben Anthony, UK, 2010) 60min. Documentary following three men who have been sectioned under the mental health act. Part of the Psychiatry Ethics Film Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh.
✽✽ Skirt Day (15) (Jean-Paul Lilienfeld, France/Belgium, 2008) Isabelle
Adjani, Denis Podalydes, Yann Collette. 98min. A stressed teacher in a Parisian suburb prompts a media and security circus when she finds a gun in a student’s bag and accidentally fires it. Part of French Film Festival. Glasgow Film Theatre; Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Sita Sings the Blues (12) (Nina Paley, US, 2008) 87min. Humourous autobiographical animated adventure from director Paley, deftly blending the memories of her real-life breakup with the Indian tale of Ramayana. CCA, Glasgow. Skyline (PG) ●●●●● (Colin Strause/Greg Strause, US, 2010) Eric Balfour, Donald Faison, Scottie Thompson. 92min. Horror adventure film in which a group of party-hardy friends fight an otherworldly force sucking the entire human population off the face of the earth. General release. The Social Network (12A) ●●●●● (David Fincher, US, 2010) Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake. 120min. Dramatisation of the story behind the founding of the world’s most ubiquitous stalking vehicle, starring Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg, the Harvard nerd who may or may not have backstabbed his way into becoming a billionaire. An interesting examination of the nature of modern friendship and the emotional cost of enormous financial success. General release.
✽✽ Someone I Loved (15) (Zabou Breitman, France, 2009) Daniel
Auteuil, Marie-Josée Croze, Florence Loiret Caille. 112min. Recently jilted by her adulterous husband, Chloé is taken on holiday by her father-in-law whereupon he dishes out love advice and helps her to ease her pain. Part of French Film Festival. Glasgow Film Theatre; Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (PG) ●●●●● (Jon Turteltaub, USA, 2010) Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Alfred Molina. 111min. From the combination that brought us Pirates of the Caribbean comes a sadly less exciting fantasy, with an uninspired ‘dweeb becomes chosen one’ plot. Too much is made of sappy romance instead of indulging in duels, the acting is dry and dusty and the film lacks the magic it promises. Odeon at the Quay, Glasgow; Empire, Clydebank. Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive (12A) (Ross Wilson, UK, 2006) 116min. Stephen Fry investigates this misunderstood condition which he, along with four million others in the UK, suffers from. Part of the Psychiatry Ethics Film Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh.
✽✽ Straight to the Heart (En Plein Coeur) (18) (Stéphane
Géhami, Canada, 2008) Bénédicte Décary, Pierre Rivard, Julie Deslauriers. 109min. Montreal-set comedy/drama about three bachelors and their misadventures in love and lust. Part of French Film Festival. Glasgow Film Theatre; Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Strange Powers (15) (Kerthy Fix/Gail O’Hara, US, 2009) 85min. Intimate documentary portrait of Stephen Merritt, frontman with the Magnetic Fields, examining his songwriting, recording process and relationships with his bandmates and manager. Glasgow Film Theatre. Tamara Drewe (15) ●●●●● (Bradley Raymond, USA, 2010) (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. Odeon, Edinburgh. 18 Nov–2 Dec 2010 THE LIST 49