Film INDEX
Spione (PG) ●●●●● (Fritz Lang, Germany, 1928) Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Gerda Maurus, Willy Fritsch. 143min. A criminal mastermind at the centre of a sprawling espionage operation employs a Russian lady to subvert the efforts of a government agent – not counting on her falling in love with him. CCA, Glasgow. Stardust (PG) ●●●●● (Matthew Vaughn, UK, 2007) Charlie Cox, Claire Danes, Robert De Niro, Sir Ian McKellen. 130min. Star-studded fantasy epic adapted from the novel by Neil Gaiman. Glasgow Film Theatre. Still Life (PG) ●●●●● (Jia Zhang-ke, China/Hong Kong, 2006) Tao Zhao, Sanming Han, Zhubin Li. 112min. Sixth Generation Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhang- ke’s lyrical study of uprooted lives and human yearning in contemporary China set against a background of change and industrial development. Part of Takeaway China season. CCA, Glasgow. The Stone Tape (PG) (Peter Sasdy, UK, 1972) Michael Bryant, Jane Asher, Iain Cuthbertson. 89min. Ghostly goings-on in a creepy mansion are simulated in this cult classic by the atonal sounds created by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop, which were highly sophisticated in their time. The British Science Association in conjunction with Edinburgh Secret Society, who will be measuring the audience’s fear levels throughout, present this screening. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Stone Years (15) (Pantelis Voulgaris, Greece, 1985) Themis Bazaka, Dimitris Katalifos, Maria Martika. 142min. The true story of a couple separated by prison and exile during the post-Greek Civil War years until the fall of the military dictatorship, from 1954–74 – the 20 ‘stone years’. Part of Greek Film Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. ✽✽ Submarine (15) ●●●●● (Richard Ayoade, UK, 2010) Craig Roberts, Yasmin Paige, Noah Taylor. 94min. See profile, page 63 and review, page 66. Glasgow Film Theatre. Summer Wars (PG) (Mamoru Hosoda, Japan, 2009) 114min. A teenage maths prodigy gets his dream job for the summer – posing as his secret crush’s girlfriend at a weekend birthday celebration. But just as things in the real world are going right, his mathematical prowess gains him entry to a digital world where everything is very, very wrong. Part of Japanese Cinema Since the Mid-90s season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Sword of the Stranger (15) (Masahiro Andô, Japan, 2007) Yûki Chinen, Tomoya Nagase, Akio Ôtsuka. 102min. A contemporary anime chanbara (Japanese swordplay film) about a young boy and his dog and their battle with the mighty Ming dynasty. Part of Japanese Cinema Since the Mid-90s season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Så olika (tbc) (Helena Bergström, Sweden, 2009) Ingela Olsson, Anna Ulrika Ericsson, Philip Zandén. 108min. Scottish Swedish Society screening of a fun film about a recently divorced Swedish politician and her sister, a TV producer. Sofi’s, Edinburgh. Tales from the Shipyard: Glasgow (E) (Various, UK, 1936–2011) 82min. Shorts programme celebrating Glasgow’s shipbuilding heritage, including Sean Connery’s wry look at the Govan shipyards, The Bowler and the Bunnet (1967) and Hilary Harris’ Oscar-winning Seawards the Great Ships. Part of This Working Life: Tales from the Shipyard season. Glasgow Film Theatre. Tangled 2D (PG) ●●●●● (Nathan Greno, US, 2010) Voices of Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, Donna Murphy. 96min. Disney/Pixar funk-up of the classic tale of Rapunzel that is nonetheless traditional to the core, blessed with catchy musical numbers and a plethora of scenes ripped off directly from the studio’s own back catalogue (see Aladdin, Little Mermaid et al). Funny and impressive, but lacking charm. Selected release. Tangled 3D (PG) ●●●●● (Nathan Greno, US, 2010) Voices of Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, Donna Murphy. 96min. See above. Selected release. The Tempest (PG) ●●●●● (Julie Taymor, UK, 2011) Helen Mirren, Alan 74 THE LIST 3–31 March 2011
Cumming, Felicity Jones. 109min. See review, page 65. General release. Temple Grandin – A View from the Inside (E) (Rupert Isaacson, US, 2011) When Rupert Isaacson’s son was diagnosed with autism he resolved to learn everything about the condition. He meets with Dr Temple Grandin, an autistic adult herself, to find answers to all the questions parents of autistic children want to ask. Macrobert, Stirling. This is Spinal Tap (15) ●●●●● (Rob Reiner, US, 1983) Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, RJ Parnell, Ed Begley Jr. 82min. Certainly the most ingenious, accurate and funny of all spoof rockumentaries, with wonderfully spontaneous dialogue, convincing fly-on- the-wall camera work, self-penned heavy metal parodies, and of course the amp that goes to 11. Glasgow Film Theatre. Three Times (Zui Hao De Shiguang) (12A) ●●●●● (Hou Hsiano- Hsien, France/Taiwan, 2005) Chen Chang, Di Mei, Mei Fang, Shu Qi. 120min. Three stories of life and love in Taiwan spanning a century and keeping the lead actors in similar relationships throughout. Dreamy, euphoric and poetic follow up to Café Lumiere from this remarkable filmmaker. Metropolitan Bar, Glasgow. The Tigger Movie (U) ●●●●● (Jun Falkenstein, US, 2000) Voices of Jim Cummings, Nikita Hopkins, Ken Samson. 77min. Yarn based on AA Milne’s characters finds Pooh, Piglet, Tigger et al still living a charmed life of tea parties and afternoon naps. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Touching The Void (15) ●●●●● (Kevin Macdonald, Canada, 2003) Nicholas Aaron, Brendan Mackey, Simon Yates, Joe Simpson. 106min. Brilliant cliff-hanging reconstruction feature documentary of the terrible events that overtook mountaineers Joe Simpson and Simon Yates when they tried to climb a Peruvian mountain in 1985. Cameo, 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 two stars and The Lives of Others director Von Donnersmarck seems completely out of his depth. Macrobert, Glasgow. Toy Story 3 2D (U) ●●●●● (Lee Unkrich, USA, 2010) Voices of Tom Hanks, Roeg’s Gallery
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. Macrobert, Glasgow.
Cohen/Ethan Cohen, US, 2010) Jeff ✽✽ True Grit (15) ●●●●● (Joel Bridges, Matt Damon, Hailee Steinfeld. 110min. The Coen brothers’ version of Charles Portis’ novel takes an expansive, detailed view of a corrupt, bygone society, seen through the eyes of 14-year-old Mattie Ross (Steinfeld). Eliciting the help of drunken veteran Cogburn (Bridges), she seeks the gang who murdered her father. General release. A Turtle’s Tale: Sammy’s Adventures (U) ●●●●● (Ben Stassen, Belgium, 2010) Voices of Melanie Griffith, Isabelle Fuhrman, Yuri Lowenthal. 85min. See Also Released, page 68. General release. Two in The Wave (Deux De La Vague) (12A) (Emmanuel Laurent, France, 2010) 91min. A richly detailed account of the friendship and shared history of two of the leading lights of the French New Wave, Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard. Cameo, Edinburgh. Twosome (15) (Jaroslav Fuit, Czech Republic, 2009) Kristyna Fuitova- Novakova, Jakub Wagner. 89min. A couple reach a crossroads in their relationship and book a holiday which leads to a big change in their lives. Part of Made in Prague season. Glasgow Film Theatre. 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. Unknown (12A) ●●●●● (Jaume Collet- Serra, UK/Germany/France/Canda/ Japan/US, 2011) Liam Neeson, January Jones, Diane Kruger. 113min. See review, page 68, andf Diane Kruger interview at www.list.co.uk. General release. The Usual Suspects (18) ●●●●● (Bryan Singer, US, 1995) Gabriel Byrne, Kevin Spacey, Stephen Baldwin. 106min. Guessing game cinema at its best. A
The new digital restoration of great British filmmaker Nic Roeg’s 1971 outback drama Walkabout brings in its wake a chance to revisit some of Roeg’s best films. Highlights include a very rare screening of his brilliant 1983 prospector drama Eureka, Performance, Don’t Look Now, the overlooked psychological drama Bad Timing, and of course The Man Who Fell to Earth starring David Bowie. Ticket deals available. ■ Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Fri 11 Mar-Sat 2 Apr.
perfectly matched team of crooks discover that their chance meeting wasn’t so random after all: a legendary gangster boss is using them in an intricate vendetta. Macrobert, Stirling. UWS Screen Performance Showcase (E) (Various, UK, 2010/11) 90min. Ten new screenworks from final year honours students on the BA Performance programme at the University Of The West of Scotland. CCA, Glasgow. Walkabout (15) (Nicholas Roeg, Australia, 1970) Jenny Agutter, Lucien John, David Gumpilil. 100min. Two English kids have to fend for themselves in the Australian outback when their father commits suicide. Sexual and cultural tensions are captured by magnificent photography by the former cinematographer, here on his second film as director. Part of Nick Roeg season. Glasgow Film Theatre; 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. Brunton Theatre, Edinburgh. Waste Land (PG) ●●●●● (Lucy Walker, Brazil/UK, 2010) 98min. This Oscar-nominated documentary is set in the Jardim Gramacho in Rio de Janeiro, the world’s largest rubbish dump. An uplifting work which demonstrates how art can transform lives. Glasgow Film Theatre; Filmhouse, Edinburgh. West is West (15) ●●●●● (Andy DeEmmony, UK, 2010) Aqib Khan, Om Puri, Linda Bassett. 103min. Featuring none of the anarchically inventive comedy or keen social observation of East is East, this long-belated sequel follows Salford chip- shop owner George Khan (Puri) as he takes his unruly son on a character-building trip to Pakistan. A few nice moments, but for the most part this is an uninspired and unrewarding sequel. Selected release. Whale Rider (PG) ●●●●● (Niko Caro, New Zealand, 2003) Keisha Castle-Hughes. 101min. Touching and intelligent naturalistic drama for older kids and adults, this has enthralled audiences at film festivals across the world. Glasgow Film Theatre. Wild at Heart (18) (David Lynch, US, 1990) Nicholas Cage, Laura Dern, Diane Ladd, Willem Dafoe. 127min. Cage and Dern are the energetic young lovers on the run, pursued by ultrastrange hitman Dafoe on a sometimes comic, sometimes disturbing, trail towards the ultimate rendezvous with Elvis and the Wizard of Oz. Glasgow Film Theatre. The Wizard of Oz (U) ●●●●● (Victor Fleming, US, 1939) Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Margaret Hamilton, Toto. 102min. Brilliant, seminal and iconic adaptation of Frank L Baum’s fantasy novel. Sloans, Glasgow. A Woman’s Way (Strella) (18) (Panos H Koutras, Greece, 2009) Mina Orfanou, Yannis Kokiasmenos, Minos Theoharis. 113min. Just released from prison, Yiorgos, who looks like a tough nut but dreams of squirrels, is searching for his long lost son. He meets Strella, a big-hearted trans prostitute who sings like Maria Callas in cabaret bars. Part of Greek Film Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Yogi Bear 2D (U) ●●●●● (Eric Brevig, US/New Zealand, 2010) Dan Aykroyd, Justin Timberlake, Anna Faris. 80min. Yogi Bear (Aykroyd) sets about saving Jellystone Park from corrupt politico Mayor Brown (Daly) with the help of a documentary maker (Faris) and pal BooBoo (Timberlake). Good films for children are hard to get right but Yogi Bear makes it look almost impossible. General release. Yogi Bear 3D (U) ●●●●● (Eric Brevig, US/New Zealand, 2010) Dan Aykroyd, Justin Timberlake, Anna Faris. 80min. See above. Selected release. You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (12A) ●●●●● (Woody Allen, UK, 2011) Antonio Banderas, Josh Brolin, Anthony Hopkins, Gemma Jones. 98min. See Also Released, page 68. General release.