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and somehow gets them to open up about the bloodbath and madness of those years. Powerful, important and totally unforgettable. Glasgow Film Theatre. Fear(s) of the Dark (12A) ●●●●● (Various, France, 2007) 85min. The Gallic term ‘outre’, meaning beyond or excessive, perfectly describes this imaginatively conceived and immaculately executed French language portmanteau horror. Paris-based producers commissioned six cartoonists and animators to make five short films that exploit our dread of the gloom. The film features an 18th-century Marquis who hunts children and a blood-splattered Japanese animé concerning a girl who’s terrorised by the ghost of a dead samurai. Part of Manipulate Visual Theatre Festival. Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh. Fei Cheng (Ghost Town) (E) (Zhao Dayong, China, 2009) 169min. Intense and beautiful portrayal of life in a financially destitute village in Yunnan province in southwest China. Part of the Ricefield Chinese Language Film Festival. CCA, Glasgow. The Fighter (15) (David O Russell, US, 2010) Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams. 115min. Semi-biographical film about the life of boxer Micky Ward and his brother and trainer Dicky Eklund. Grolsch and Little White Lies present this free screening, and free tickets are available from www.littlewhitelies.co.uk/grolschpresents. Previews only, reviewed next issue. Grosvenor, Glasgow. Film Lounge: Ethics, Nationalism and the Theatrics of Documentation (E) (Various) 90min. Nea Ehrlich and Harry Weeks introduce several short films as they explore the way documentary modes have been used to mediate ethical debates. In particular their attention is focused on issues of nationalism, borders and migration. Stills, Edinburgh. Fly Me to the Moon (U) ●●●●● (Ben Stassen, US, 2008) Buzz Aldrin, Adrienne Barbeau, Ed Begley Jr. 84min. A 3D film describing mankind’s first trip to the moon is a lively sounding prospect, and moments in Stassen’s animation provide a genuine wow-factor, but such moments of poetry are fleeting and the majority of this film insanely focuses on the uninteresting plight of three houseflies who stowaway onboard. IMAX Theatre, Glasgow. Fred: The Movie (12A) ●●●●● (Clay Weiner, US, 2010) Lucas Cruikshank, Pixie Lott, Jennette McCurdy. 83min. Cack spin- off film of nonsense Nickelodeon TV show about the tedious adventures of wholesome teenager Fred (Cruikshank). Selected release. GFF11: Surprise Film To whet your appetite for the upcoming Glasgow Film Festival (17–27 Feb if it’s not in your diary already), GFT is screening a brand new mystery film. Ooh. Glasgow Film Theatre.
✽✽ Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould (U) ●●●●●
(Michèle Hozer, Peter Raymont, Canada, 2009) 111min. See review, page 42. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Get Low (PG) ●●●●● (Aaron Schneider, USA, 2009) Robert Duvall, Bill Murray, Sissy Spacek. 101min. See review, page 43. Cineworld Renfrew Street, Glasgow; Cineworld Fountainpark, Edinburgh. The Green Hornet 2D (12A) ●●●●● (Michel Gondry, US, 2011) Seth Rogen, Cameron Diaz, Christoph Waltz. 118min. Gondry’s big budget take on George W Trendle and Fran Striker’s masked superhero is serviceable if very predictable. Dominion, Edinburgh. The Green Hornet 3D (12A) ●●●●● (Michel Gondry, US, 2011) Seth Rogen, Cameron Diaz, Christoph Waltz. 118min. See above. General release. Gulliver’s Travels 2D (PG) ●●●●● (Rob Letterman, US, 2010) Jack Black, Jason Segel, Chris O’Dowd. 87min. Tiresome ageing man-child Black plays himself in this film that doesn’t so much deviate from Swift’s landmark work of
satire as transform it into a flimsy piece of pop culture-obsessed fluff. Gulliver becomes a mail clerk shipwrecked on an island of tiny folk who finds favour with the local royals but is troubled by the machinations of governor Edwardian (O’Dowd). Unfunny and lacking cohesion. Selected release. Gulliver’s Travels 3D (PG) ●●●●● (Rob Letterman, US, 2010) Jack Black, Jason Segel, Chris O’Dowd. 87min. See above. General release. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (12A) ●●●●● (David Yates, UK/US, 2010) Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint. 146min. The seventh installment of the wildly popular wizard franchise is an atmospheric but emotionally hollow and rather rushed take on Rowling’s original, with a strong performance from ever-dependable Grint but little else to recommend it other than as an appetiser for next summer’s grand finale. General release. Hawk the Slayer (PG) (Terry Marcel, UK, 1980) John Terry, Jack Palance, Ray Charleson. 90min. Classic tale of a band of elves, dwarves, giants and Hawk the Slayer joining forces against the evil Voltan. Part of Edinburgh Zombie Club’s Sword & Sorcery Night. The Banshee Labyrinth, Edinburgh. Heartbreaker (L’Arnacoeur) (15) ●●●●● (Pascal Chaumeil, France/Monaco, 2010) Romain Duris, Vanessa Paradis, Julie Ferrier. 104min. Monte Carlo-set light-hearted romantic comedy about a man who is paid to break up couples by any means necessary. The heartbreaker’s cynical attitude to love is questioned when he’s employed to stop the impending nuptials of Juliette (Paradis) to a seemingly perfect Brit (Lincoln). Cameo, Edinburgh. Heartworn Highways (15) ●●●●● (James Szalapski, US, 1976) David Allan Coe, Peggy Brooks, Guy Clark. 92min. Music documentary featuring such 1970s outlaw country stalwarts as Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark and Steve Earle performing their songs and discussing the stories behind the music. Part of Heartworn Highways: Cinematic Americana. Glasgow Film Theatre. Henry’s Crime (15) ●●●●● (Malcolm Venville, US, 2011) Keanu Reeves, Vera Farmiga, Judy Greer. 107min. See Also Released, page 43. Selected release. Hereafter (12A) ●●●●● (Clint Eastwood, US, 2010) Matt Damon, Cecile de France, Thierry Neuvic. 128min. See review, page 42. General release. Holiday Inn (U) ●●●●● (Mark Sandrich, US, 1942) Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Marjorie Reynolds. 100min. Two men vie for the affections of a beautiful young singer in this feel-good romantic musical. Sofi’s, Edinburgh. How Do You Know (12A) ●●●●● (James L Brooks, US, 2010) Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, Owen Wilson. 120min. See Also Released, page 43. General release. Hubble 3D (U) (Toni Meyers, Canada, 2010) 44min. Leonardo Di Caprio narrates the latest 3D IMAX space adventure. IMAX Theatre, Glasgow. Illusive Tracks (Skenbart) (E) (Peter Dalle, Sweden, 2003) Gustaf Hammarsten, Magnus Roosmann, Anna Björk. 100min. The story of a man’s journey, both philosophical and physical, around postwar Europe. Sofi’s, 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. The business is risky and has resulted in him having lost everything he once held dear. Now he is being offered a chance of redemption, but at a cost, and up against a dangerous enemy that only Cobb could have seen coming. Vue Ocean, Edinburgh. Iranian Short Films (E) (Various, Iran) selection of contemporary short films from Iran, selected by the UK Iranian Short Film Festival. Part of the Edinburgh Iranian Festival. Brass Monkey, Edinburgh.
It’s Kind of a Funny Story (12A) ●●●●● (Ryan Fleck/Anna Boden, US, 2010) Keir Gilchrist, Zach Galifianakis. 101min. Gilchrist plays a suicidal 16-year- old in an adult psychiatric ward, befriended by Bobby (Galifianakis), who sets about restoring the teen’s confidence. Crucially, the issues surrounding mental health are never trivialised, but the film retains its indie cred and is cool, yet heart-warming, throughout. Selected release. John Carpenter’s The Ward (15) ●●●●● (John Carpenter, US, 2010) Amber Heard, Jared Harris. 88min. See Also Released, page 43. Selected release.
✽✽ The King’s Speech (15) ●●●●● (Tom Hooper, UK, 2010) Colin Firth,
Helena Bonham Carter, Geoffrey Rush. 118min. As war approaches, King George VI (Firth) is suddenly placed in a position of power, so hires a speech therapist to cure his speech impediment. Firth’s affable persona lends an edge to the sheer frustration with which the King stumbles his way through public performances and contributes largely to the film’s feel-good twist. General release. Knife in The Water (15) ●●●●● (Roman Polanski, Poland, 1962) Leon Niemczyk, Jolanta Umecka, Zygmunt Malanowicz. 94min. Polanski came to prominence with this tight but imaginative three-character psychological study. A couple going on holiday pick up a hitch- hiker and soon dangerous emotional games are being played. The director’s simple approach keeps the tension high and melodramatics low. Part of an Introduction to European Cinema course. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Last Picture Show (15) ●●●●● (Peter Bogdanovich, US, 1971) Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepherd, Ben Johnson, Cloris Leachman, Randy Quaid. 118min. This is the film that made Bogdanovich – and it’s far superior to its sequel Texasville and indeed most of the director’s other work. Set in small-town Texas in the 1950s, it captures perfectly the local atmosphere and the traumas of adolescence, focusing on the growing pains of a group of teenagers on the brink of adulthood, to whom the closure of the local cinema symbolises loss of youth and innocence. Part of Heartworn Highways: Cinematic Americana. Glasgow Film Theatre. Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’hoole 2D (PG) ●●●●● (Zack Snyder, USA/Australia, 2010) Jim Sturgess, Joel Edgerton, Ryan Kwanten. 90min. Off-kilter and inept owlimation from 300 director Snyder featuring Sturgess and Kwanten as young owlets kidnapped and pressed into service as soldiers, who attempt to seek out the mythic guardians of Ga’hoole and defeat the nefarious Metalbeak. Empire, Clydebank. Little Fockers (12A) ●●●●● (Paul Weitz, US, 2010) Ben Stiller, Teri Polo, Jessica Alba. 97min. The formula remains the same for this third instalment of familial comedy franchise. Gaylord ‘Greg’ Focker (Stiller) and his wife Pam (Polo) now have five-year-old twins. Greg suffers a mid-life crisis, which reactivates his psychotic father-in-law Jack’s suspicions. Robert De Niro, Blythe Danner, Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand and director Paul Weitz return for more of the same. Likeable and forgettable. General release. Love and Other Drugs (15) ●●●●● (Edward Zwick, US, 2010) Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, Judy Greer. 112min. When Gyllenhaal’s flashy young pharmaceutical sales rep meets sassy independent waitress Maggie (Hathaway) the stage is set for a formulaic romance tinged with the special poignancy that can only arise when one of the protagonists is suffering from a debilitating disease. Yawn. General release. Madelon Hooykaas Film Screening (E) (Elsa Stansfield/Madelon Hooykaas, Netherlands, 1972–1975) 60min. Three short films (One of These Days, About Bridges and Daydreams) by the Dutch artist, selected to accompany the current exhibition of her work at the CCA. CCA, Glasgow.
INDEX Film
PROFILE
JENNIFER LAWRENCE Born Louisville, Kentucky, 1990 Background After earning her spurs in television, Lawrence shot to fame late last year as dutiful daughter Ree Dolly in Winter’s Bone, an adaptation of Daniel Woodrell’s novel by writer/director Debra Granik. Playing a young woman from the Ozark Mountains who sets out to uncover the conspiracy of silence around her father’s activities, Lawrence gave a performance that made her the toast of the Sundance Film Festival and beyond. What attracted Lawrence to the role of Ree Dolly? ‘I was naturally drawn to her from the moment I read the script. What I loved about playing Ree was her strength and stubbornness; she’s not really given any option other than to make her own ending in life’s story. I’ve never met anyone quite like Ree, because although I grew up quite nearby the area she lived in, I certainly never lived in those kind of conditions.’ How did Lawrence cope with the tough filming conditions for Winter’s Bone? ‘In a way, working in the freezing cold made it easier for me to get into character, it helped me to understand Ree’s incredible stamina. It’s very demanding for an actor to play a role where you’re in almost every scene and, when the crew are braving the same elements, you can’t make any excuses, and just have to get on with it.’ How does Lawrence feel about the accusation that Winter’s Bone exploits the poverty of its characters for drama? You have to take risks with what you do. We all felt it was incumbent upon us, while we were filming, to tell the story in a way that was fair to the people in the community around us. I learned a lot about their lives, right down to how to feed a horse. It’s been a great surprise for me to see that Ree’s story has proved so universal and created such interest and affection from audiences around the world.’ What’s next? Lawrence has completed filming opposite Mel Gibson on Jodie Foster’s glove- puppet tale The Beaver, and will be widely seen as Mystique in Matthew Vaughn’s much anticipated X-Men: First Class prequel. (Eddie Harrison) ■ Winter’s Bone is out on DVD and Blu-ray from Mon 31 Jan. 20 Jan–3 Feb 2011 THE LIST 45