www.list.co.uk/film
Nutcracker (U) (, Russia, 2010) 120min. Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, filmed live on stage in Moscow, Russia. With choreography by Yuri Grigorovich. Glasgow Film Theatre. Of Gods and Men (15) ●●●●● (Xavier Beauvois, France, 2010) Lambert Wilson, Michael Lonsdale, Roschdy Zem. 120min. Real-life inspired story of a group of Cistercian monks caught up in a civil war in an unnamed African country, who must decide whether to save themselves or sacrifice their lives by remaining faithful to their beleaguered community. Poignant, understated and masterful filmmaking from director Beauvois. Glasgow Film Theatre; Filmhouse, Edinburgh.
✽✽ An Ordinary Execution (15) ●●●●● (Marc Dugain, France,
2010) André Dussollier, Marina Hands, Edouard Baer. 105min. Claustrophobic chamber drama imagining a version of Stalin’s last days in 1950s Moscow and his encounter with a young female doctor (Hands) reputed to have a particular gift. Adapted and directed by Dugain from his own novel. Selected release. The Omen (18) ●●●●● (Richard Donner, US, 1976) Gregory Peck, Lee Remick, David Warner. 111min. The young son of the American Ambassador to Britain and his wife turns out to be the Antichrist in this dated but effective and gory horror piece that was popular enough to spawn a succession of sequels. Jerry Goldsmith’s Oscar-winning score certainly helps the mood of unease. A Monorail Film Club presentation. Glasgow Film Theatre. On Tour (15) ●●●●● (Mathieu Amalric, France, 2010) Miranda Colclasure, Suzanne Ramsey, Angela de Lorenzo. 111min. See review, page 64. Glasgow Film Theatre; Filmhouse, Edinburgh.
✽✽ Peeping Tom (15) ●●●●● (Michael Powell, UK, 1960) Karl Boehm, Moira Shearer, Anna Massey. 101min. Michael Powell’s magnificent 1960 slasher flick gets a 50th birthday anniversary revival. Glasgow Film Theatre; Filmhouse, Edinburgh.
✽✽ Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (15) ●●●●● (Jalmari
Helander, Finland, 2010) Jorma Tommila, Per Christian Ellefsen, Tommi Korpela. 82min. Off-the-wall yuletide horror starring Jakobi as a Father Christmas you really wouldn’t wish to find up your chimney. Corporate excavations in the
The Omen
north of Finland unwittingly awaken the original Santa (unluckily, an ancient and murderous demon) and when local children start to disappear, only youngster Pietari (Tommila) has an inkling of what’s going on. Selected release. Raymond Briggs Trilogy (U) (UK) 81min. Three short animations based on Raymond Briggs’ charming stories: The Bear, Father Christmas and The Snowman. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Red Shoes (U) ●●●●● (Michael Powell/Emeric Pressburger, UK, 1948) Anton Wallbrook, Marius Goring, Moira Shearer. 127min. Powell and Pressburger’s seminal dance film based on Hans Christian Andersen’s story goes back into cinemas on digital. Part of Christmas at Our House. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Restless Natives (PG) ●●●●● (Michael Hoffman, UK, 1985) Vincent Friell, Joe Mullaney, Teri Nally. 89min. Quaint but silly Scottish comedy of dubious morals, in which a couple of lads from a housing scheme set out to make their fortune as highwaymen. Worth seeing, if only to spot local landmarks and actors. Part of Love Film, Love Edinburgh. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Royal Opera House: The Nutcracker (E) (UK, 2010) 140min. Performance of the festive favourite, filmed live at the Royal Opera House. Vue Omni, Edinburgh. Santa vs The Snowman 3D (PG) (Various, US, 2002) 32min. IMAX big screen presentation telling the story of a lonely snowman who is swept away by the magical wonders of Santa’s village. IMAX Theatre, Glasgow. Scrooge (U) ●●●●● (Brian Desmond Hurst, UK, 1951) Alistair Sim, George Cole, Michael Hordern. 86min. Probably the best screen adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. The story concerns the overly prudent businessman Ebeneezer Scrooge (Sim), whose becomes a saint overnight. But Dickens was never afraid to tackle the big issues: the threat to children’s lives, whether they are privileged or poverty-stricken, is one of the main themes. Still, none of the darkness gets in the way of a cracking tale. Glasgow Film Theatre. Secretariat (U) ●●●●● (Randall Wallace, USA, 2010) John Malkovich, Diane Lane, James Cromwell. 123min. Moralistic and mawkish take on the true story of the 1973 Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing winner and the
determined Denver mom (Lane) who bets her farm on the plucky wee horsie with the help of trainer Lucien (Malkovich). Missable. Vue Omni, Edinburgh. Shallow Grave (18) ●●●●● (Danny Boyle, UK, 1994) Kerry Fox, Ewan McGregor, Christopher Eccleston. 90min. Three Edinburgh flatmates find their new cohabitant dead with a stack of money under his bed, so after performing a little DIY on the corpse, they reckon all their worries are over. But the cops are closing in, there are two thugs after the money, and the psychological tension is beginning to show. Filled with dark humour and cynical one-liners, this Scottish thriller is bloody and intelligent enough to please the cult audience while remaining accessible enough to be a mainstream hit. Part of Love Film, Love Edinburgh. Filmhouse, Edinburgh.
✽✽ The Shop Around The Corner (PG) ●●●●● (Ernst Lubitsch, US, 1940) James Stewart, Margaret Sullavan, Frank Morgan. 97min. A glorious romantic comedy by the great Ernst Lubitsch, teaming up Stewart and Sullavan as bickering shop assistants who gradually realise they’ve been having an anonymous romance by letter. Funny and touching, it’s an absolute classic. 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. Cineworld Parkhead, Glasgow; Cineworld Fountainpark, Edinburgh. Simply Red Farewell (12A) (UK, 2010) Hucknall and co. bow out with a great big show at the O2 Arena in London, which you can watch from the safe distance of cinemas up and down the country. Cineworld Renfrew Street, Glasgow. Somewhere (15) ●●●●● (Sofia Coppola, US, 2010) Michelle Monaghan, Stephen Dorff, Elle Fanning. 98min. Thoughtful and understated filmmaking from Coppola starring Dorff as a bored and partied-out rock star whose hedonistic life is thrown into sharp relief when his estranged daughter Chloe (Fanning) comes for a visit. Selected release.
The Monorail Film Club presents the original and best version of this spawn of antichrist horror about an ambassador and his wife (Gregory Peck, Lee Remick) who end up raising the not so sweet Damien (Harvey Stephens). This screening will be introduced by artist and filmmaker Gregor Johnstone and will be preceded by Johnstone’s short film I’ll Be Right There. ■ GFT, Glasgow, Sun 19 Dec.
INDEX Film
PROFILE
PETER WEIR Born 21 August 1944, Sydney, Australia Background There is an argument to be made that Weir is one of the most underrated directors working today. The stats in his favour include having directed five Oscar nominated performances, from luminaries such as Linda Hunt (who won), Rosie Perez, Harrison Ford Robin Williams and Ed Harris. Hunt won for The Year of Living Dangerously, just one of several impressive titles on his CV. Amongst others Weir has directed Picnic at Hanging Rock, Gallipoli, Witness, The Mosquito Coast, Dead Poet’s Society and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. What’s he up to now? It’s been seven years since Weir’s last film and he’s finally back in the director’s chair with The Way Back, starring Colin Farrell, Jim Sturgess, and Ed Harris. It’s an adaptation of the novel by Slavomir Rawicz about prisoners escaping Stalin’s labour camps during World War II. On spectacular locations ‘Doing this was almost a reaction to Master and Commander where everything was done using CGI. That was such a technical exercise. This film saw us use doubles for the real locations, Bulgaria was the double for Siberia as the forests look much the same and the Sahara in Morocco was the double for the Gobi Desert. I went to Siberia for research and I also used Kurosawa’s Dersu Uzala as a reference point.’ On the mystery of the book ‘I don’t know whether Slavomir Rawicz was writing about his own experience when he wrote that book or not. I can’t say I know definitively, but the evidence suggests that he wasn’t. What we know for sure is that he was definitely in the Gulag and tortured, but he was released when the Germans came in 1941 and invaded Russia.’ Interesting Fact Years ago Weir overheard one of the chiefs of media company Endemol say that when he saw The Truman Show he knew that he had to hurry up and get Big Brother off the ground. (Kaleem Aftab) ■ The Way Back, General release, Sun 26 Dec. See review, page 66. 16 Dec 2010 – 6 Jan 2011 THE LIST 71