Film REVIEWS
ALSO RELEASED
Man of Aran (U) 76min ●●●●● Robert Flaherty’s beautiful and austere paean to the fishermen of Irish islands returns on digital print. Filmhouse, Edinburgh from Fri 1–Thu 7 Apr. Hop (U) 94min Animated riff on the Easter Bunny myth. Russell Brand and James Marsden are on voice duty. Will be reviewed at www.list.co.uk. General release from Fri 1 Apr. Sucker Punch (12A) 109min Epic action fantasy that takes us inside the vivid imagination of a young girl. Abbie Cornish and Emily Browning star. Zack Snyder (Watchmen, 300) directs. Will be reviewed at www.list.co.uk. General release from Fri 1 Apr. Young Hearts Run Free (12A) 93min Romantic drama set against backdrop of Northumbrian miner’s strike. Will be reviewed at www.list.co.uk. Selected release from Fri 1 Apr. Mars Needs Moms (3D) (PG) 87min ●●●●● Baby-nabbing Martians comedy animation. Seth Green and Joan Cusack provide the voices. General release from Fri 8 Apr.
Rio (3D) (U) 95min The team behind Ice Age heat things up in more tropical climes. Jesse Eisenberg and Anne Hathaway do the voices. Will be reviewed at www.list.co.uk. General release from Fri 8 Apr. The Roommate (15) 91min ●●●●● Disappointing freshman year psychological thriller. Leighton Meester stars. General release from Fri 8 Apr. The Silent House (La Casa Muda) (15) 86min Uruguayan haunted house horror/thriller. Will be reviewed at www.list.co.uk. Selected release from Fri 8 Apr. Tomorrow, When the War Began (12A) 103min ●●●●● Reactionary but entertaining high-octane action about a group of teenagers who fight to get their families back when their country is invaded. Selected release from Fri 8 Apr. The Portuguese Nun (tbc) 127min ●●●●● Challenging minimalist drama from feted French filmmaker Eugène Green about a young actress’ growing fascination with an old book of 66 THE LIST 31 Mar–28 Apr 2011
letters by a Portuguese nun. Cryptic but strangely rewarding. Filmhouse, Edinburgh from Mon 11–Thu 14 Apr. Your Highness (15) 102min Epic comedy adventure set in a fantastical world of knights and dragons from gifted US filmmaker David Gordon Greene (George Washington, Pineapple Express). Will be reviewed at www.list.co.uk. General release from Wed 13 Apr. The Last Picture Show (15) 126min ●●●●● Sex and depression in a West Texas town. Peter Bogdanovich’s splendid 1971 debut digitally restored. Filmhouse, Edinburgh from Fri 15–Thu 21 Apr. Before the Revolution (Prima della rivoluzione) (15) 106min ●●●●● Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1964 study of youth and idealism restored and re- released. GFT, Glasgow from Fri 15–Tue 19 Apr. Scream 4 (tbc) tbcmin Wes Craven and Ghostface Killer return for some fresh meat. Will be reviewed at www.list.co.uk. General release from Fri 15 Apr. Red Riding Hood (12A) 99min ●●●●● Clichéd adaptation of classic fairy tale from the team behind Twilight. General release from Fri 15 Apr. Winnie the Pooh (U) 73min ●●●●● Disney returns to the Hundred Acre Wood with pleasing results. General release from Fri 15 Apr. Armadillo (tbc) 100min ●●●●● Powerful documentary following a platoon of Danish soldiers on a six-month tour of Afghanistan in 2009. GFT, Glasgow from Fri 15–Mon 18 Apr. A Small Act (12A) 88min ●●●●● Heartwarming documentary about how a small act of kindness changed the educational opportunities in an area of Kenya. Filmhouse, Edinburgh from Fri 15–Tue 19 Apr. How I Ended the Summer (Kak ya provyol etim letom) (tbc) 124min ●●●●● Arctic set thriller/drama about the travails of a meteorological team based there. GFT, Glasgow from Fri 22–Thu 28 Apr. Apollo 18 (tbc) tbcmin Space mission thriller. Will be reviewed at www.list.co.uk General release from Fri 22 Apr Arthur (tbc) tbcmin Russell Brand steps into Dudley Moore’s shoes. Will be reviewed at www.list.co.uk General release from Fri 22 Apr. Beastly (12A) 86min ●●●●● Tedious teen romance that purports to say something
important about the beauty inside. Selected release from Fri 22 Apr. Zombie Undead (15) 79min British zombie film in which the undead rise in Leicester. Will be reviewed at www.list.co.uk. General release from Fri 22 Apr. Fast Five (tbc) tbcmin ●●●●● Vin Diesel returns with his big hot rod. Vroom vroom. General release from Fri 22 Apr. Le Peau Douce (Silken Skin) (PG) 117min ●●●●● François Truffaut’s effortless 1964 petit bourgeois romantic drama restored and reissued. Filmhouse, Edinburgh on Sun 24 and Mon 25 Apr; GFT, Glasgow from Tue 26-Thu 28 Apr. Thor (tbc) tbcmin It’s hammer time. Kenneth Branagh returns to directing with new superhero adventure starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins. Will be reviewed at www.list.co.uk. General release from Wed 27 Apr Cedar Rapids (12A) tbcmin ●●●●● Likeable well written comedy about the unusual trajectory of naïve Midwestern insurance agent Tim Lippe (Ed Helms). Anne Heche and John C Reilly also star. General release from Fri 29 Apr I Saw the Devil (18) 138min Shocking and violent tale of murder and revenge from Korean filmmaker Kim Jee-woon (The Good, The Bad, The Weird, A Tale of Two Sisters). Will be reviewed at www.list.co.uk. Selected release from Fri 29 Apr. Tracker (12A) 101min Boer war soldier goes in search of a Maori accused of murder. Ray Winstone and Temuera Morrison star. Will be reviewed at www.list.co.uk. Selected release from Fri 29 Apr. The Veteran (tbc) tbcmin A soldier returning from Afghanistan uncovers mass corruption. Brian Cox and Toby Kebbel star. Will be reviewed at www.list.co.uk Selected release from Fri 29 Apr.
Horror DVDs
Italian horror from the 1970s and 80s is finally getting the recognition it deserves. Dario Argento is on familiar ground in Phenomena (Arrow Video) ●●●●● as a killer stalks an isolated girls school, but with a twist, as a young Jennifer Connolly uses her ability to control insects to track the murderer. Lucio Fulci is another Italian master and The Beyond (Arrow Video) ●●●●●, about a gate to hell in suburbia, may not always make sense but makes up for it with atmosphere and copious gore (including a particularly memorable scene where a man has his face eaten by giant spiders).
Senseless (Isis) ●●●●● (from Scottish
director Simon Hynd, see profile www.list.co.uk/film) transcends its limitations as a young business executive (Jason Behr) is held hostage and his senses brutally physically removed. Touching on ideas of globalisation, terrorism and the public’s thirst for violence, it’s a bit rough round the edges, but this is a fantastic piece of filmmaking that shows what is achievable if you get creative within your budget. The Same goes for Blooded (Revolver) ●●●●●, as fox hunters are chased by the Real Animal League across Mull, told via a very convincing docudrama, complete with talking heads and ‘actual’ footage. Skyline (Momentum) ●●●●● has alien invaders terrorise LA. With a background in special effects directors The Brothers Strauss deliver some spectacular gigantic bio- mechanical monsters and techno-squids (particularly impressive given the low budget) but fail when it comes to characterisation and plotting. Things go horribly wrong in the Aussie rainforests in Primal (Kaleidoscope) ●●●●● as a camping trip descends into chaos when a dip in a cursed billabong turns our not-so-happy campers into primal beasts (a bit random, but just go with it) leading to cannibalism, carnage and strange toothy monsters.
Finally if you love nasty trashy cinema you’ll dig
the unrelenting depravity and groovy 70s madness to be found in perverse former Video Nasty Island of Death (Arrow Video) ●●●●● as a seemingly normal British couple indulge in murder, sex and even bestiality while on holiday in Mykonos (one of the extras will be of particular interest to music fans, when various Scottish artists cover ‘Destination Understanding’ from the fantastic soundtrack). (Henry Northmore)