list.co.uk/film life is intensely moving and startlingly perceptive about childhood. A masterpiece. Glasgow Film Theatre. Fair Game (12A) ●●●●● (Doug Liman, US/UAE, 2010) Naomi Watts, Sean Penn. 108min. Real life-political thriller concerning the CIA and Valerie Plame’s (Watts) involvement in garnering evidence about Iraq’s alleged uranium enrichment programme and weapons of mass destruction. Tautly if clinically directed by Liman and well performed by all concerned, Fair Game is slightly derailed by Jez and John Butterworth’s tonally schizophrenic screenplay. Selected release. Faster (15) ●●●●● (George Tillman Jr, US, 2010) Billy Bob Thornton, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Dwayne Johnson. 97min. Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson plays an ex-con out to avenge his brother’s death, pursued by a cop (Thornton) and a professional killer (Jackson-Cohen). General release. The Films of Jean Painlevé (PG) (Jean Painlevé, Various) 106min. From the 1920s, Jean Painlevé pioneered underwater filming in the coastal waters of France. Featuring an introduction and post-screening Q&A. Part of the Edinburgh International Science Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Finding Nemo (U) ●●●●● (Andrew Stanton/Lee Unkrich, US, 2003) Voices of Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe, Brad Garrett, Allison Janney. 100min. Pixar’s latest now that it is free from the umbrella of Disney is the delightful tale of a little fish and his daddy’s attempts to find him when he gets scooped out of the water by a human. Clever, funny and better than The Little Mermaid (just). Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The First Beautiful Thing (La Prima Cosa Bella) (15) (Paulo Virzì, Italy, 2010) Valerio Mastandrea, Micaela Ramazzotti, Stefania Sandrelli. 124min. Italy’s candidate for the best foreign film Oscar is a bittersweet comedy about a young man saying farewell to his dying mother. Part of Italian Film Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh; Glasgow Film Theatre. The Four Times (Le Quottro Votle) (PG) (Michaelangelo Frammartino, Italy/Germany/Switzerland, 2010) Giuseppe Fuda, Bruno Timpano, Nazareno Timpano. 88min. In the countryside of Calabria, an elderly shepherd undergoes a journey from human to animal, vegetable to mineral, in this almost wordless film. Part of Italian Film Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh; Glasgow Film Theatre. General Della Rovere (Il Generale Della Rovere) (PG) (Roberto Rossellini, Italy/France, 1959) Vittorio De Sica, Hannes Messemer, Vittorio Caprioli. 131min. This Golden Lion winner and Oscar nominee is based on the true story of a swindler who preys on the vulnerable until he’s enrolled by the Nazis into a much darker deception. Part of Italian Film Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh; Glasgow Film Theatre. Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould (U) ●●●●● (Michèle Hozer, Peter Raymont, Canada, 2009) 111min. Utilising never-before seen footage, photographs, home recordings and diary entries, Hozer and Raymont’s documentary is a largely successful attempt to untangle the many myths that surround the life, talent and mental health of the enigmatic but extraordinary piano genius. Macrobert, Stirling. The Ghost (15) ●●●●● (Roman Polanski, UK, 2010) Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Kim Cattrall. 127min. This adaptation by Polanski and Harris of the latter’s ‘what if?’ novel is a wintry Hitchcockian thriller in which McGregor’s everyman figure – an unnamed ghostwriter offered $250 million for four weeks work – becomes embroiled in a conspiracy where nothing is quite what it seems. If this doesn’t register as a major Polanski work, it still demonstrates his ability to create through mise-en-scène a mood of disquieting claustrophobia. Paisley Arts Centre, Paisley. Girl By The Lake (15) (Andrea Molaioli, Italy, 2007) Valeria Golino, Omero Antonutti, Fabrizio Gifuni. 95min. A sleepy provincial town is shocked by the murder of a young woman in this terse murder mystery. Starring a powerful lead performance as Inspector
Italian Film Festival 2011 The Romans attempt to reconquer Scotland this month with a selection of the ancient and the modern. For the 2011 outing there’s a spotlight on celebrated actor Toni Servillo with screenings of his earlier films The Girl By the Lake and One Man Up. Italian-American actor/director John Turturro makes his festival debut with his lush documentary Passione on his great love of Neapolitan music. For lovers of lost classics, there’s a rare screening of the Roberto Rossellini’s 1959 film General Della Rovere starring director Vittorio De Sica. And as always a number of recent big Italian box-office hits will be screening including Paulo Virzi’s The First Beautiful Thing (pictured) which was Italy’s Oscar contender this year and comedy What A Beautiful Day which has become the biggest box-office hit in Italian cinema history, having taken in excess of € 30m and counting. How’s that for starters? Ticket deals available. italianfilmfestival.org.uk ■ GFT, Glasgow & Filmhouse, Edinburgh from Fri 1 Apr-Thu 14 Apr.
INDEX Film
for making glass, the source of its wealth, is lost. Part of Werner Herzog season. Cameo, Edinburgh. Honeymooner (15) (Col Spector, UK, 2010) Gerard Kearns, Daisy Haggard, Chris Coghill. 75min. Articulate relationship drama about a man on his honeymoon minus his fiancée, who dumped him four weeks earlier. Filmhouse, Edinburgh; Glasgow Film Theatre. Hop (U) (Tim Hill, US, 2011) Voices of Russell Brand, James Marsden, Hugh Laurie. 94min. See Also Released, page 66. General release. How Do You Know (12A) ●●●●● (James L Brooks, US, 2010) Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, Owen Wilson. 120min. Dreary and tedious romantic comedy centered on a love triangle between a softball player (Witherspoon), an executive (Rudd) and a partying major- league baseball pitcher (Wilson). A rare misfire from writer/director James L Brooks (As Good as it Gets, The Simpsons). Macrobert, Stirling. How I Ended This Summer (Kak Ya Provyol Etim Letom) (tbc) ●●●●● (Aleksei Popogrebsky, Russia, 2010) Grigory Dobrygin, Sergei Puskepalis, Igor Chernevich. 124min. See Also Released, page 66. Glasgow Film Theatre. How Much Does Your Building Weigh, Mr Foster? (E) ●●●●● (Carlos Carcas & Norberto Lopez Amado, UK/Spain/Germany/US/Switzerland/France/ China/Hong Kong, 2010) 78min. Deyan Sudjic, director of London’s Design Museum, narrates this mildly engaging documentary about architect Norman Foster, the man behind the Berlin Reichstag, the Great Court of the British Museum and the ‘Gherkin’. Filmhouse, Edinburgh; Macrobert, Stirling; DCA, Dundee. Howl (15) ●●●●● (Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman, US, 2010) James Franco, Jon Hamm, Mary-Louise Parker. 84min. James Franco’s passionate and intelligent reading of Allen Ginsberg’s Howl is placed alongside a recreation of the obscenity trial of its publisher Lawrence Ferlinghetti. The animated translation of the poem is overly literal, but kudos to the filmmakers for bringing Ginsberg’s work to a new generation. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Hubble 3D (U) (Toni Meyers, Canada, 2010) 44min. Leonardo Di Caprio narrates the latest 3D IMAX space adventure. IMAX Theatre, Glasgow. Hunky Blues – The American Dream (Az Amerikai Álom)(Péter Forgács, Hungary, 2009) 100min. A documentary exploring the arrival and integration of Hungarian men and women who immigrated to the US between 1890 and 1921. Part of Hungarian Film Festival. Glasgow Film Theatre. I Am Number Four (12A) ●●●●● (DJ Caruso, US, 2011) Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olyphant, Teresa Palmer. 109min. Action- packed thriller based on book by Pittacus Lore about young man, John Smith (Pettyfer), who is a fugitive on the run from ruthless enemies sent to destroy him. Decent enough adventure thriller for younger viewers. Selected release. I Saw the Devil (18) (Kim Jee-woon, Korea, 2010) Lee Byung-hun, Hoi Min-sik, Jeon Gook-hwan. 138min. See Also Released, page 66. Selected release from Fri 29 Apr. The Illusionist (12A) ●●●●● (Sylvain Chomet, UK/France, 2010) Voices: Jean- Claude Donda, Eilidh Rankin. 83min. An uncannily accurate portrayal of Edinburgh and Scotland. The story is an unfilmed script from Jacques Tati and the main character, an ageing magician whose beloved act no longer interests the rock’n’rolling 1950s youth, based somewhat on Tati himself, is carefully and emotively rendered by Chomet and his team. Macrobert, Stirling.
McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Michael Caine. 83min. See above. Selected release. Gone with The Wind (PG) ●●●●● (Victor Fleming, US, 1939) Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Olivia de Havilland, Leslie Howard. 220min. This new print has restored the original colour to the classic, 53-year-old tale that brings alive the era of the civil war through gripping narrative and characterisation, remaining faithful to Margaret Mitchell’s powerful novel. Scotsman Screening Room, Edinburgh. The Great Muppet Caper (U) ●●●●● (Jim Henson, UK, 1981) Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Charles Grodin. 97min. When Miss Piggy is accused of stealing jewels, it’s Kermit and friends to the rescue, aided by John Cleese and Peter Falk. Part of Muppets, Music & Magic: Jim Henson's Legacy. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Gruffalo (U) ●●●●● (Jacob Schuh, UK, 2009) Voices of Helena Bonham Carter, James Corden, Robbie Coltrane. 60min. Film version of Julia Donaldson’s clever and colourful book. The Hippodrome, Bo’ness. Hall Pass (15) ●●●●● (Bobby Farrelly/Peter Farrelly, US, 2011) Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, Jenna Fischer. 105min. The Farrelly brothers take on wife- sanctioned adultery in their latest crude sex comedy. General release. Heart of Glass (PG) ●●●●● (Werner Herzog, Germany, 1976) Josef Bierbichler, Steffan Guttler, Clemens Schietz. 94min. A hypnotised cast play out a fable about a community which falls apart when its secret Giovani Sanzio from Toni The Consequences Of Love Servillo. Part of Italian Film Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh; Glasgow Film Theatre. The Girl who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest (15) ●●●●● (Daniel Alfredson, Sweden/Denmark/Germany, 2009) Noomi Rapace, Michael Nyqvist, Lena Endre. 146min. The adaptation of the last installment of Stieg Larsson’s trio of vengeance chronicles sees Lisbeth Salander (the awesome Rapace) on trial for murder, with loyal journo-sidekick Blomkvist (Nyman) trying his best to help. Catch it before the spurious US remake dribbles its way onto the screen. Macrobert, Stirling. The Girlfriends (Le Amiche) (PG) (Michelangelo Antonioni, Italy, 1955) Eleonora Rossi-Drago, Valentina Cortese, Yvonne Furneaux. 105min. This early peak in Antonioni’s career follows an awkward friendship between two women juggling work, love and family. Part of Italian Film Festival. Glasgow Film Theatre. Glasgow (15) (Piotr Subbotko, Poland, 2010) Rafal Garnecki, Sandra Korzeniak, Zygmunt Malanowicz. 30min. Short film about a young Polish boy who is convinced that his dad is a football player with Celtic, and decides to make the trip to Scotland to find him. Part of Kinoteka Polish Film Festival. Glasgow Film Theatre. Gnomeo & Juliet 2D (U) ●●●●● (Kelly Asbury, UK/US, 2011) James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Michael Caine. 83min. Featuring a star-studded British voice cast (including McAvoy and Blunt as the eponymous lovers) and some fun visual jokes, this animated adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is ultimately undone by a few too many pop culture references. Selected release. Gnomeo & Juliet 3D (U) ●●●●● (Kelly Asbury, UK/US, 2011) James
Looking for screening times? Visit list.co.uk/events/film for up-to-date film times for every Scottish cinema. 31 Mar–28 Apr 2011 THE LIST 69