Film INDEX Chalet Girl (12A) ●●●●● (Phil Traill, UK/Germany/Austria, 2011) Felicity Jones, Bill Nighy, Ed Westwick. 96min. Formulaic mix of Pretty Woman and Bridget Jones set on the ski slopes of St Anton. Selected release. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (PG) ●●●●● (Tim Burton, US/UK, 2005) Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore, David Kelly, Helena Bonham Carter, Noah Taylor. 115min. Faithful adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic 1964 book. Bizarre and beautiful to look at, this is Burton at the top of his game. Sloans, Glasgow. Chicago (12A) ●●●●● (Rob Marshall, US, 2002) Renne Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere. 113min. Screen adaptation of the celebrated musical following the exploits of two murderous jazz babes – Roxie Hart (Zellweger) and Velma Kelly (Zeta-Jones) – and their defence lawyer, Billy Flynn (Gere). Macrobert, Stirling. Cold Weather (15) (Aaron Katz, US, 2010) Cris Lankenau, Trieste Kelly Dunn, Raúl Castillo. 96min. See Also Released, page 57. Glasgow Film Theatre. Damascus Roof and Tales of Paradise (15) (Soudade Kaadan, Syria, 2010) 52min. A collection of four stories dealing with snakes, a river of gold, the guardians of the city and a Syrian Don Quixote, all inspired by 1001 Nights. Followed by short Take into the Air My Quiet Breath. Part of Reel Festivals 2011: Syria and Lebanon. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Day for Night (15) ●●●●● (Francois Truffaut, France, 1973) Jacqueline Bisset, Jean-Pierre Leaud, Francois Truffaut, Valentina Cortese. 120min. Interesting and entertaining movie about moviemaking, with Truffaut as the hack director trying to steer cast and crew through a tacky love story. Won an Oscar for Best Foreign Film. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Dead by Dawn (18) (Various) Long weekend of the very best in new and old horror films from around the world. See deadbydawn.co.uk for details. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Les Diaboliques (15) ●●●●● (Henri- Georges Clouzot, France, 1955) Simone Signoret, Vera Clouzot, Paul Meurisse. 107min. Fiendishly clever and much imitated thriller in which a tyrannical schoolmaster is murdered by his wife and mistress. Except that he doesn’t stay dead for long. The famous bathroom finale has frequently been borrowed, but this is the original and best. DCA, Dundee. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Roderick Rules (U) ●●●●● (David Bowers, US, 2011) Zachary Gordon, Devon Bostick, Rachael Harris. 99min. See Also Released, page 57. General release from Fri 27 May. Diesel Island Cinema (E) (Various) 90min. A film night curated by DJ duo Optimo around the theme of political action and music as a force for change. See http://www.facebook.com/diesel for info and booking. CCA, Glasgow. Don’t Look Back (U) ●●●●● (DA Pennebaker, UK, 1967) Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Donovan. 96min. Dylan on tour in
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60 THE LIST 28 Apr–26 May 2011
Ingmar Bergman
Five rarely screened early feature films from the great Swedish filmmaker lined up for your delectation. Bergman’s second feature It Rains on Our Love, a surprisingly mature dissection of young love and tragedy, gets things going. Salty and moody love triangle drama A Ship to India, rightly celebrated backstage ensemble melodrama Sawdust and Tinsel, media folk tale Dreams (pictured) and maternity ward set drama So Close to Life follow. Ticket deals available. ■ Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Mon 16 May–Tue 14 Jun.
England in 1965, opening up to the camera and meeting up with the likes of Alan Price, Allen Ginsberg and a sycophantic Donovan. The songs are excellent, and master documentarist Pennebaker has a good feel for the boredom of the road. Part of Dylan at the Movies season. Glasgow Film Theatre. Dum Maaro Dum (15) (Rohan Sippy, India, 2011) Abhishek Banchan, Deepika Padukone, Bipasha Basu. 130min. Bollywood thriller following the events that occur after a number of lives collide one day at Goa airport. Selected release. Dundead (Various) Weekend of splattery joy for fans of horror and gore, and those who like their scares more subtle, including Insidious, Hobo with a Shotgun, Don’t Look Now, and Edinburgh-set contemporary horror Outcast. DCA, Dundee. The Eagle (12A) ●●●●● (Kevin McDonald, US/UK, 2011) Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, Donald Sutherland. 113min. Adapted from Rosemary Sutcliffe’s beloved children’s novel about a Roman legion lost north of Hadrian’s Wall. Although frequently engrossing, this bird doesn’t quite soar, thanks to Jeremy Brock’s over- literal script and Tatum’s flat performance. Selected release. The Edge of Heaven (15) ●●●●● (Fatih Akin, Germany/Turkey, 2007) Nurgül Yesilçay, Baki Dacrak, Tuncel Kurtiz. 121min. A multi-character tableau that delicately interconnects multiple characters across ill communication and violence, this is comparable with Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Babel. Unlike in that film, however, Akin refuses to allow melodramatic contrivance to enter the frame – just ardour and atonement, despair and hope. CCA, Glasgow. Eleanor’s Secret (U) ●●●●● (Dominique Monfery, France, 2009) Paul Bandey, Pascale Berger, Lorant Deutsch. 76min. Cute French animation about a young boy who is left a library of books by his aunt Eleanor and discovers that all the classic story characters are hiding between the pages – and are relying on him for protection. Macrobert, Stirling. Essential Killing (15) ●●●●● (Jerzy Skolimowski, Poland/Norway/Ireland/ Hungary, 2010) Vincent Gallo, Emmanuelle Seigner, David L Price. 84min. A soldier captured in Afghanistan escapes across a snow-covered landscape where a deaf and mute woman aids him. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Everyday is a Holiday (15) (Dima El- Horr, France/Lebanon/Germany, 2009) Hiam Abbass, Manal Khader, Raia Haidar. 80min. A busload of women visiting their incarcerated husbands gets stranded in the desert. Three women in particular struggle to find their way back, both physically and emotionally. Followed by a screening of Our Lady of the Breasts, a playful film about serious issues. Part of Reel Festivals 2011: Syria and Lebanon. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Everywhere and Nowhere (tbc) (Menhaj Huda, UK, 2011) James Floyd, Adam Deacon, Katia Winter. tbc min. Film about a young British Asian man torn between joining the family business and following his dream of a DJing career. Selected release. The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec (12A) ●●●●● (Luc Besson, France, 2010) Louise Bourgoin, Mathieu Amalric, Gilles Lellouche. 107min. Adapted from Jacques Tardi’s long-running comic book series and set on the eve of World War I, this polished blend of CGI effects and live-action footage is handsomely designed and makes effective use of its landmark Parisian locations. Selected release. Farewell (L’Affaire Farewell) (12A) ●●●●● (Christian Carion, France, 2009) Guillaume Canet, Emir Kusturica, Willem Dafoe. 113min. Based loosely on the actions of a high ranking KGB official and spy, this is a complex but tender portrait of the Cold War in free fall. Intelligent, funny and with a sensitivity towards the highly personal motives amid the political. Filmhouse, Edinburgh; Glasgow Film Theatre. Fast & Furious 5 (12A) (Justin Lin, US, 2011) Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson. 90min. Fifth installment in The Fast & the Furious franchise as Diesel returns with his big hot rod in this latest vroom vroom action adventure. General release. Fly Me to the Moon (U) ●●●●● (Ben Stassen, US, 2008) Buzz Aldrin, Adrienne Barbeau, Ed Begley Jr. 84min. A 3D film describing mankind’s first trip to the moon is a lively sounding prospect, and
moments in Stassen’s animation provide a genuine wow-factor, but such moments of poetry are fleeting and the majority of this film insanely focuses on the uninteresting plight of three houseflies who stow away onboard. IMAX Theatre, Glasgow. The Flying Deuces (U) ●●●●● (A Edward Sutherland, USA, 1939) Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy, Jean Parker. 68min. Stan persuades a lovelorn Ollie that joining the Foreign Legion is the only way to forget his spurned advances on Georgette, the innkeeper’s daughter. No prizes for guessing that the hapless pair don’t fit in too well in the military. Screening with Laurel & Hardy short, Wrong Again. The Hippodrome, Bo’ness. Frost/Nixon (15) ●●●●● (Ron Howard, US/UK/France, 2008) Frank Langella, Michael Sheen, Rebecca Hall. 122min. Film adaptation of Peter Morgan’s two- hander, which dramatised one of the most famous interviews in the history of television broadcasting, between popular British broadcaster David Frost and detested ex-president of the US, Richard Nixon. Fine performances from Sheen and Langella and solid contextual padding help Howard avoid the pitfall of a stagy film. Macrobert, Stirling. Future Shorts (E) (Various) 90min. An international initiative offering a monthly showcase of the finest short films from around the world. This month’s selection includes a music video from Canadian band Monogrenade, Oscar-winning animation The Lost Thing and several more. Inspace, Edinburgh. GasLand (PG) (Josh Fox, US, 2010) 107min. Josh Fox explores a new oil drilling technique called ‘fracking’ which has led to illness in local populations and some Pennsylvanian residents being able to ignite their drinking water. Part of the UK Green Film Festival. Glasgow Film Theatre. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (U) ●●●●● (Howard Hawks, US, 1953) Marilyn Monroe, Jane Russell, Charles Coburn. 91min. Howard Hawks’ beloved 1953 comedy musical starring Monroe and the late Russell. Scotsman Screening Room, Edinburgh. The Ghost (15) ●●●●● (Roman Polanski, UK, 2010) Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Kim Cattrall. 127min. This adaptation by Polanski and Robert Harris of the latter’s ‘what if?’ novel is a wintry Hitchcockian thriller in which McGregor’s everyman ghostwriter becomes embroiled in a conspiracy where nothing is quite as it seems. Macrobert, Stirling. Good Night, and Good Luck (PG) ●●●●● (George Clooney, Japan/France/UK/US, 2005) David Strathairn, Robert Downey Jr, George Clooney, Patricia Clarkson, Frank Langella, Ray Wise. 92min. Fictionalised account of journalist and broadcaster Ed R Murrow’s fight to stop the red scare that gripped the US in the 1950s courtesy of Senators McCarthy and Cohn. Macrobert, Stirling. The Goonies (PG) ●●●●● (Richard Donner, US, 1985) Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Jeff Cohen. 112min. Seven kids go in search of buried treasure and are hotly pursued by vicious villains vying for the loot. Scotsman Screening Room, Edinburgh. The Great White Silence (U) ●●●●● (Herbert G. Ponting, UK, 1924) 108min. This documentary follows the fateful British Antarctic Expedition led by Captain Scott, filmed by official photographer Herbert Ponting and now restored by the BFI National Archive. Glasgow Film Theatre. La Haine (18) ●●●●● (Matthieu Kassovitz, France, 1995) Vincent Cassel, Hubert Kounde, Said Taghmaoui. 85min. This edgy, black and white portrait of racial tension and police brutality on a run-down estate outside Paris won Kassovitz the Director’s Prize at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival. Three ethnically mixed lads come up against the cops when one of their pals is hospitalised after a raid. Sloans, Glasgow. The Hangover Part II (tbc) (Todd Phillips, US, 2011) Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Jamie Chung. See Also Released, page 57. General release from Thu 26 May.