www.list.co.uk/film
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. Showcase Cinema, Glasgow; Showcase Cinema, Paisley. 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. Hippodrome, Bo’ness. 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. Selected release.
✽✽ The Switchboard Operator (Ljubavni Slucaj) (18) ●●●●●
(Dusan Makaveyev, Yugoslavia, 1967) Eva Ras, Slobodan Aligrudic, Ruzica Sokic. 69min. The story of a telephonist who sets up home with a sanitary inspector, becomes pregnant and accidentally drowns. Characteristic Makaveyev brew of blunt sexual visions, dark humour and political comment. A Monorail Film Club presentation. Glasgow Film Theatre. A Tale of Two Cities (U) ●●●●● (Ralph Thomas, UK, 1958) Dirk Bogarde, Christopher Lee, Dorothy Tutin. 112min. Drama and romance amid the French Revolution. St Bride’s Centre, Edinburgh. The Tale of Two Soldiers (E) (Jiyar Gol, UK, 2010) 44min. Documentary about two soldiers from opposite sides who were both prisoners in the Iran-Iraq war before meeting again 20 years later in Canada. Followed by a Q&A with a member of the production team. Part of the Edinburgh Iranian Festival. Edinburgh College of Art, Edinburgh. Tangled (2010) ●●●●● (Nathan Greno, US, US) Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, Donna Murphy. 96min. See review, page 41. General release. Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue (U) ●●●●● (Bradley Raymond, USA, 2010) Voices of Michael Sheen, Lucy Liu, Mae Whitman. 76min. Tinkerbell teams up with a rival to keep a secret from humans. Further adventures of the mischievous fairy for the little ones. Selected release. To Catch a Thief (15) ●●●●● (Alfred Hitchcock, US, 1955) Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, Charles Vanel. 107min. Not considered one of Hitch’s best, this lightweight comedy thriller about a cat and mouse game between Grant’s thief and Kelly’s French Riviera socialite nevertheless scores for its breezy screen couple and picturesque locations. This film is not seen nearly as often as the likes of the superior Psycho and Vertigo, so don’t miss the opportunity to catch this thief. Glasgow Film Theatre. To Have and Have Not (PG) (Howard Hawks, US, 1945) Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Walter Brennan, Hoagy Carmichael. 100min. Bogart and Bacall worked together for the first time in Hawks’ Hemingway adaptation, set in the Caribbean during World War II, where Bogart’s fishing boat owner is drawn into the conflict by his (real life) love for Bacall. Part of Hawks season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Tourist (12A) ●●●●● (Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, US/France, 2010) Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp, Paul Bettany. 103min. Lifeless European crime caper. There is no chemistry between the
Enemies of the People
INDEX Film
Rob Lemkin and Thet Sambath’s remarkable documentary follows journalist and Cambodian killing fields orphan as he attempts to get the architects of the genocide to talk. The resulting film is both powerful and redemptive. Catch it while you can (and if you can stomach it). ■ GFT, Glasgow, Tue 1 & Wed 2 Feb.
two stars and The Lives of Others director Von Donnersmarck seems completely out of his depth. Selected release. The Tourist (12A) ●●●●● (Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, US/France, 2010) Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp, Paul Bettany. 103min. Lifeless European crime caper. There is no chemistry between the two stars and The Lives of Others director Von Donnersmarck seems completely out of his depth. General release. Toy Story 3 2D (U) ●●●●● (Lee Unkrich, USA, 2010) Voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack. 108min. Andy has grown up and is on the way to college, so everyone’s favourite toys are packed off to Sunnyside day-care centre. After a whirlwind of close-cut situations, the film manages to retain its good humour and pathos long enough to bring all the characters safely to a satisfying resolution. Odeon at the Quay, Glasgow. Trainspotting (18) ●●●●● (Danny Boyle, UK, 1995) Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Robert Carlyle, Jonny Lee Miller. 93min. Fast and stylish adaptation of Irvine Welsh’s novel. This screening is part of the Volkswagen See Film Differently series of screenings at key locations from the films themselves. After the film, audience members can follow Renton’s route from the opening scene of the film from the RSA to the Ingleby Gallery, where an exhibition of rare stills and original promotional materials and photography from the film will be on show. Tickets are free and available from www.seefilmdifferently.com. Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh. Tron: Legacy 2D (PG) ●●●●● (Joseph Kosinski, US, 2010) Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Michael Sheen. 127min. Long-awaited sequel to the 1982 cult fave starring Hedlund as Sam, the son of missing games designer Kevin (Bridges) who follows his father into a virtual world. Konsinski’s remake will appeal to original fans but is otherwise a gaudy, nonsensical confection with cringeworthy dialogue (if good soundtrack). Vue Ocean, Edinburgh. Tron: Legacy 3D (PG) ●●●●● (Joseph Kosinski, US, 2010) Jeff Bridges, Garrett Hedlund, Michael Sheen. 127min. See above. Selected release. Trust Me, I am Telling you Stories (E) (Various) 90min. A series of short animated films about relationships. Part of Manipulate Visual Theatre Festival. Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh. Twentieth Century (PG) ●●●●● (Howard Hawks, US, 1934) John Barrymore, Carole Lombard, Etienne Giradot. 91min. Temperamental Broadway producer Barrymore coaches untutored actress Lombard, who very soon proves a match for him. Memorable early burlesque comedy thriller with a breezy second half set on the New York-Chicago train of the title. Part of Hawks season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Under the Sea 3D (U) (Howard Hall, UK, 2009) Jim Carrey. 65min. Carrey narrates an underwater 3D look at the impact of global warming upon the diverse coastal regions of Southern Australia, New Guinea and the Indo-Pacific areas. IMAX, Glasgow. Unstoppable (12A) ●●●●● (Tony Scott, US, 2010) Denzel Washington, Chris Pine, Rosario Dawson. 98min. Another piece of train-based nonsense from the younger Scott, following on the rails of The Taking of Pelham 123. An unmanned train packed with explosives hurtles out of control, but who can stop it? Slick, but corny. Brunton Theatre, Edinburgh. Up 2D (U) ●●●●● (Pete Docter/Bob Peterson, US, 2009) Voices of Christopher Plummer, Edward Asner, Paul Eiding. 96min. Seventy-eight–year-old curmudgeon Carl Fredericksen and eight- year-old Junior Wilderness Explorer Russell embark on the adventure of a lifetime in South America. While it unfolds on a grand scale, at its heart is a human story that will resonate with viewers of every age. Marrying sadness with triumph, Pixar have created another masterpiece. Empire, Clydebank. Waiting for Superman (PG) ●●●●● (David Guggenheim, US, 2010) 111min. Compelling and persuasive documentary about the crisis of public education in the United States told through interlocking stories – from the students and families it is failing, to the educators and reformers trying to mend a system. An Inconvenient Truth director Davis Guggenheim brings a rare clarity to proceedings. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (12A) ●●●●● (Oliver Stone, US, 2010) Shia LaBeouf, Michael Douglas, Carey Mulligan. 132min. Oliver Stone’s sequel to the iconic original has all the fancy moves and polish of a classic Hollywood melodrama. Gordon Gekko (Douglas) is
released from prison into a world where ‘greed is good’ has become a generation’s way of life, and becomes the voice crying in the wilderness against the doom-laden folly of the American financial system. But has the wily old leopard changed his spots? Odeon at the Quay, Glasgow. The Way Back (12A) ●●●●● (Peter Weir, US, 2010) Colin Farrell, Ed Harris, Dejan Angelov. 132min. Bluntly heroic prison-escape drama relating the story of an epic jailbreak by a group of men from a Siberian gulag and their subsequent trek home. Scenic and powerful, but poorly scripted and light on the characterisation. Selected release.
✽✽ We Are What We Are (15) ●●●●● (Jorge Michel Grau, Mexico,
2010) Francisco Barreiro, Alan Chavez, Paulina Gaitan. 89min. In Mexico City Alfredo takes on the role of principle hunter-gatherer after his father dies, but struggles when chaos and incest threaten the family unit. Director Grau makes cannibalism seem the only resort in these predatory circumstances, following the film to an inevitable, gruesome conclusion. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Whisky Galore (PG) ●●●●● (Alexander Mackendrick, UK, 1949) Basil Radford, Joan Greenwood, Jean Cadell. 82min. Much-loved Ealing comedy by the late Sandy Mackendrick. A ship carrying a cargo of whisky is shipwrecked off a Scottish island during wartime, so the locals decide it’s time to quench their thirst. Full of wit and charm that others can only hope to emulate. Grosvenor, Glasgow. Yamla Pagla Deewana (12A) (Samir Karnik, India, 2011) Bobby Deol, Sunny Deol, Dharmendra. 162min. Two successful conmen (Dharmendra and B Deol), are happy to enjoy their corrupt life until Paramveer (S Deol) turns up claiming to be the long lost elder brother of one of the two crooks. Cineworld Renfrew Street, Glasgow.
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20 Jan–3 Feb 2011 THE LIST 47