www.list.co.uk/film One Million Yen Girl (15) (Yuki Tanada, Japan, 2008) Yu Aoi, Mirai Moriyama, Pierre Taki. 121min. From young writer and director Tanada comes this unusual tale about a girl who decides to save one million yen before moving to a town where no-one knows her, then repeat the process again and again. Part of Japanese Cinema Since the Mid-90s season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Other Boleyn Girl (12A) ●●●●● (Justin Chadwick, UK, 2008) Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana. 115min. The ‘hidden history’ of Mary Boleyn, sister of Anne, the second of Henry VIII’s six wives. Playing the Boleyn girls, Portman and Johansson are cast against type in less-than-thrilling sibling rivalry, while the usually excellent Bana (as the King) simply looks fed up. But rather than the cast it’s probably Peter Morgan’s undercooked adaptation of Philippa Gregory’s overheated novel that’s to blame. St Bride’s Centre, Edinburgh. Passport to Pimlico (U) ●●●●● (Henry Cornelius, UK, 1949) Stanley Holloway, Margaret Rutherford, Basil Radford. 84min. A London borough discovers an ancient charter and declares its independence and exemption from rationing. Wonderful wit and fun as the Ealing Studios satirise British red tape and bureaucracy. St Bride’s Centre, Edinburgh. Patagonia (15) ●●●●● (Marc Evans, UK, 2010) Matthew Rhys, Duffy, Nia Roberts. 118min. See Also Released, page 68. Glasgow Film Theatre. Paul (15) ●●●●● (Greg Mottola, Spain/France/UK/US, 2011) Seth Rogen, Simon Pegg, Jane Lynch. 103min. Efficient if unadventurous comedy about two English sci-fi nerds who encounter a real-life alien while on a road-trip through America’s UFO hotspots. The fantastically realised CG alien (Rogen) gets the best lines and makes the film worthwhile. General release. Perestroika (15) (Sarah Turner, UK, 2009) 115min. Poetic travelogue to the edge of Siberia’s vast nothingness. DCA, Dundee. Performance (18) ●●●●● (Nic Roeg & Donald Cammell, UK, 1970) James Fox, Mick Jagger, Anita Pallenberg. 105min. Shot in two halves, one half gangster film, one half a requiem to psychedelic enhancement, experimental film and the belief in the self, Performance looks, feels and sounds like nothing else. Part of Nick Roeg season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Pierrot Le Fou (15) ●●●●● (Jean-Luc Godard, France/Italy, 1965) Jean-Paul Belmondo, Anna Karina, Dirk Sanders, Raymond Devos, Samuel Fuller. 110min. This politically astute homage to American genre cinema marked Godard’s departure from the new wave to more political forms of filmmaking. Cameo, Edinburgh. Pina Bausch (E) (Anne Linsel/Pit Weyrich, Germany, 2006/1976) 80min. Two films forming a tribute to the influential German choreographer, most famous for her work with Tanztheater Wuppertal. The first is a documentary about her life and work made by Anne Linsel in 2006, just three years before Bausch’s death, and the second is a recording of Bausch’s legendary staging of Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du Printemps, made in 1976. Gilmorehill Centre, Glasgow. Plato’s Academy (15) (Filippos Tsitos, Germany/Greece, 2009) Antonis Kafetzopoulos, Anastasis Kozdine, Titika Sarigouli. 103min. Four slackers spend their days in judgemental observation of the hard-working immigrants around them, until one of their number discovers that he himself has an Albanian heritage. Part of Greek Film Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Point Blank (A Bout Portant) (15) (Fred Cavayé, France, 2010) Gilles Lellouche, Roschdy Zem, Elene Anaya. 84min. Cavayé’s follow-up to Anything for Her is another tale of outwardly cosy lives uprooted by kidnapping and vicious criminality. Part of Rendez-vous with French Cinema season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Pooh’s Heffalump Movie (U) ●●●●● (Frank Nissen, US, 2005) Voices of David Ogden Stiers, Jim Cummings.
Glasgow All Night Horror Madness
So successful was Psychotronic’s horror all-nighter at the Cameo in Edinburgh at the end of November last year (despite being held during a blizzard) that it’s now heading up the M8. Go through the night with Evil Dead 2, Suspiria, Basket Case and Re-Animator on two Saturday nights in March. Best of all three of these films will be screened on their original 35mm prints. ■ Grosvenor, Glasgow, Sat 5 & Sat 12 Mar.
68min. Another camp adventure from the Hundred Acre Wood. Tigger gets all the best lines again. Macrobert, Stirling. Potiche (15) (François Ozon, France, 2010) Catherine Deneuve, Gérard Depardieu, Fabrice Luchini. 103min. Stylish farce about a trophy wife (or potiche) who is forced to negotiate the terms of her smug ladies man of a husband’s release when he is taken hostage by disgruntled employees. Part of Rendez- vous with French Cinema season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Princess of Montpensier (18) (Bertrand Tavernier, France/Germany, 2010) Mélanie Thierry, Lambert Wilson, Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet. 139min. Politics and passion in the 16th century from versatile French director Tavernier. Part of Rendez- vous with French Cinema season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Quiet Days in August (15) (Pantelis Voulgaris, Greece, 1991) Aleka Paizi, Themis Bazaka, Thanasis Vengos. 108min. Three love stories interlink in deserted summertime Athens. Part of Greek Film Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Rabbit Hole (12A) ●●●●● (John Cameron Mitchell, US, 2010) Nicole Kidman, Aaron Eckhart, Dianne Wiest. 90min. Shortbus director Mitchell’s third feature avoids the pitfalls of TV melodrama through excellent writing and memorable performances. Hippodrome, Bo’ness. Raging Bull (18) ●●●●● (Martin Scorsese, US, 1980) Robert de Niro, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci. 129min. De Niro’s stunning physical presence dominates Scorsese’s savagely bleak study of self- destructive machismo. Cameo, Edinburgh. Ramona & Beezus (U) ●●●●● (Elizabeth Allen, US, 2010) Joey King, Selena Gomez, John Corbett. 103min. Overlong and insubstantial tale of sisterly mischief adapted from the best-selling children’s books by Beverly Cleary. Glasgow Film Theatre. Rango (PG) ●●●●● (Gore Verbinski, US, 2011) Voices of Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin. 107min. See Also Released, page 68. General release. Rebel without a Cause (18) ●●●●● (Nicholas Ray, US, 1956) James Dean, Natalie Wood, Jim Backus, Sal Mineo. 111min. Though now irrevocably dated, this is still notable as the film that articulated the until-then unrecognised experiences and aspirations of a whole generation and does of course contain our favourite nostalgia icon in full flow. Sloans, Glasgow. Red Ensign (U) ●●●●● (Michael Powell, UK, 1934) Leslie Banks, Carol Goodner. 69min. Stirring early Michael Powell feature about romantic and labour relations on the banks of the Clyde. Glasgow Film Theatre. Red Skirts on Clydeside (E) (Jenny Woodley & Christine Bellamy/Kirsten MacLeod, UK, 1984/2011) 60min. Documentary made in the 80s about the women involved in the Govan rent strike of 1915, followed by the results of a more recent film project looking at Govan women’s lives today. Part of This Working Life: Tales from the Shipyard season. Glasgow Film Theatre. Repulsion (18) ●●●●● (Roman Polanski, UK, 1965) Catherine Deneuve, Ian Hendry, John Fraser. 105min. Polanski’s first English language movie remains one of his best, a genuinely disturbing exploration of intense paranoia and claustrophobia that unflinchingly picks at the audience’s deepest neuroses. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Resident (15) ●●●●● (Antti Jokinen, UK/US, 2011) Hilary Swank, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Christopher Lee. 91min. See Also Released, page 68. General release. Rio Bravo (PG) ●●●●● (Howard Hawks, US, 1959) John Wayne, Dean Martin, Angie Dickinson, Walter Brennan, Ricky Nelson. 141min. Classically sprawling western, in which the Duke plays a lawman trying to go it alone against the gang trying to spring their colleague from the local jailhouse. Part of Hawks season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Rite (15) ●●●●● (Mikael Håfström, US, 2011) Anthony Hopkins, Colin O’Donoghue, Alice Braga. 113min. Doubtful US priest Michael Kovak (O’Donoghue) is recruited to travel to Rome to join the Pope’s secret army of exorcists. After some old fashioned frights it quickly becomes boring as the script bogs down in theological discussions. Despite a strong cast and expensive production it’s still just a hoary variation on The Exorcist. General release. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (15) ●●●●● (Jim Sharman, UK, 1975) Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, Meat Loaf. 100min. Rock spoof on old horror movies with the splendidly camp Curry as the bisexual Frank N Furter. Dressing up is very much encouraged at this charity screening in aid of a children’s home in India, and there’s also a movie quiz and raffle on the night, plus free entry to the club afterwards. The Buff Club, Glasgow. Roman Holiday (U) ●●●●● (William Wyler, US, 1953) Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck, Eddie Albert. 118min. Overrated but easy to watch fairytale romance about a fleeing princess
INDEX Film
(Hepburn) and her relationship with a journalist in 50s Italy. Eastwood Park Theatre, Glasgow.
✽✽ Route Irish (15) ●●●●● (Ken Loach,
UK/France/Italy/Belgium/Spain, 2010) Mark Womack, Andrea Lowe, John Bishop. 108min. See interview, page 64 and review at www.list.co.uk. Glasgow Film Theatre. Sawako Decides (12A) (Yuya Ishii, Japan, 2009) Hikari Mitsushima, Kotaro Shiga, Ryo Iwamatsu. 112min. A young woman reaches a crossroads in her life. Just as she is wondering what to do, she hears that her father has fallen ill, and must travel to see him, with her boyfriend and his daughter in tow. Part of Japanese Cinema Since the Mid-90s season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Secret Garden (U) ●●●●● (Agnieszka Holland, US, 1993) Kate Maberly, Maggie Smith, John Lynch. 102min. The unusual combination of the director of Europa Europa and the writer of Edward Scissorhands conspires to create an authentic and affecting version of the children’s classic novel. Hippodrome, Bo’ness. Sherlock Junior + Never Weaken (U) ●●●●● (Buster Keaton/Fred Newmeyer, US, 1921/1924) 64min. In Sherlock Junior, a cinema projectionist spends his life daydreaming that he is a great detective, and one day actually finds himself in the movie he’s projecting. Meanwhile in Never Weaken, an office worker goes to ever more extreme lengths to attract the attentions of a girl who works next door, before making a series of equally extreme (but vain) suicide attempts when he hears she is to marry another. Screening with live piano accompaniment. Part of Festival of Silent Cinema. Hippodrome, Bo’ness. The Ship (E) (Bill Bryden & Derek Bailey, UK, 1990) Joseph Brady, Phil McCall, Hugh Martin. 100min. BBC Scotland version of Bill Bryden’s spectacular 1990 theatre production staged in a Govan engine shed. Part of This Working Life: Tales from the Shipyard season. Glasgow Film Theatre. The Shipbuilders (U) (John Baxter, UK, 1944) Clive Brook, Morland Graham, Nell Ballantyne. 90min. With this updated version of George Blake’s 1935 novel of the Clydeside shipping depression, Baxter’s down-to-earth style found medium-budget respectability. Something of a period piece, made at a time when boosting the nation’s morale was of prime importance at British National, but it’s still an eloquent expression of working class life. Part of This Working Life: Tales from the Shipyard season. Glasgow Film Theatre. 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. Selected release. Son of Babylon (15) ●●●●● (Mohamed Al Daradji, Iraq/UK/France/Netherlands/UAE/Egypt/P alestine, 2009) Yasser Talib, Shazada Hussein. 100min. Melancholy drama set in post-Saddam Iraq, as a little boy and his grandmother set out in search of the boy’s father, who has been missing since the Gulf War. Glasgow Film Theatre. Soul Deep (Psyhi Vathia) (15) (Pantalis Voulgaris, Greece/Cyprus, 2009) Vangelis Mourikis, Giorgos Symeonidis, Victoria Haralabidou. 124min. A story about two teenage brothers who find themselves on opposite sides in Greece’s bloody 1946–1949 civil war. Part of Greek Film Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Space Between (15) (Tim Barrow, UK, 2010) Vivien Reid, Tim Barrow, David Whitney. 85min. Film made by (and starring) Tim Barrow (The Inheritance) on a mini-budget in Edinburgh and London, about two lonely people who find hope in one another. Filmhouse, Edinburgh.
3–31 March 2011 THE LIST 73