Film INDEX Mrs Carey’s Concert (E) ●●●●● (Bob Connolly/Sophie Raymond, Australia, 2011) 95min. Documentary following high school music teacher Karen Carey as she prepares all 1200 pupils at her Sydney girls’ school to take part in the demanding annual concert at the Sydney Opera House. Part of the Screen Arts Festival. Cameo, Edinburgh. The Muppet Movie (U) ●●●●● (James Frawley, UK, 1979) Charles Durning, Steve Martin, Bob Hope, Kermit, Fozzie, Miss Piggy. 97min. Numerous guest stars appear on the way as Kermit heads off to Hollywood and stardom. Plenty slapstick for the kids and movie in- jokes for the parents. Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee. Nannerl, la soeur de Mozart (Mozart’s Sister) (tbc) (René Féret, France, 2010) Marie Féret, David Moreau, Marc Barbé. 120min. Historical drama based on truth following the Mozart family’s travels around Europe in the wake of their sensationally talented son, and the trials of his perhaps equally talented but, unfortunately for her, female sibling. Part of the Screen Arts Festival. Cameo, Edinburgh. Nightwatching (18) ●●●●● (Peter Greenaway, Poland/Netherlands/ Canada/UK/France, 2007) Martin Freeman, Emily Holmes, Eva Birthistle. 134min. Amsterdam, in the middle of the 17th century. Successful artist Rembrandt accepts a commission to do a huge military portrait, but as he prepares the painting he believes he has uncovered a murder conspiracy among the regiment. A muscular, adult, clever, funny and unapologetically perverse reading of the events that led to the creation of one of the world’s greatest paintings. Part of the Screen Arts Festival. Cameo, Edinburgh. North By Northwest (PG) ●●●●● (Alfred Hitchcock, US, 1959) Cary Grant, Eve Marie Saint, James Mason, Martin Landau. 136min. Hitchcock’s evergreen 1959 thriller starring Cary Grant, James Mason and Eva Marie Saint on a new digital print. Part of the Bernard Herrmann season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. NT Live: The Cherry Orchard (E) (Howard Davies, UK, 2011) Zoë Wanamaker, James Laurenson, Claudie Blakley. 180min. The National Theatre’s production of Chekhov’s classic play stars Wanamaker as Madame Ranyevskaya. Part of the Screen Arts Festival. Cameo, Edinburgh. On Dangerous Ground (PG) ●●●●● (Nicholas Ray, US, 1952) Ida Lupino, Robert Ryan, Ward Bond. 82min. Hard, withdrawn city cop Jim Wilson roughs up one too many suspects and is sent upstate to help investigate the murder of a young girl in the winter countryside. Part of the Bernard Herrmann season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Orphanage (15) ●●●●● (Juan Bayona, Spain, 2007) Belén Rueda, Fernando Cayo, Roger Príncep. 105min. First-time director Bayona and producer Guillermo del Toro come together to create a treat of a ghost story. Laura (Rueda) was raised in an orphanage and on returning to her childhood home with her son Simon (Princep) things start to get creepy. The key to the success of this film is the edge-of- the-seat suspense, and there’s even a brilliant sting in the tale. Cameo, Edinburgh. Ourhouse Episodes 1, 2 & 4 (E) (Nathanial Mellors, UK) 90min. Artist Nathanial Mellors introduces three episodes of Ourhouse, a co-production for the British Art Show 7 with De Hallen Haarlem, taking influence from sculpture, music, filmmaking, the theatre of the absurd and British television. CCA, Glasgow.
The Party (PG) ●●●●● (Blake Edwards, US, 1968) Peter Sellers, Claudine Longet, Marge Champion. 98min. Stretching a joke as far as possible, trying out unthought-of variations, building an ever-increasing sense of mayhem – the Sellers/Edwards collaboration hits upon some genuinely hilarious moments in this set-piece built around the actor’s Indian doctor character from The Millionairess2. The Hippodrome, Bo’ness. Perfect Sense (15) ●●●●● (David Mackenzie, Germany/UK/Sweden/ Denmark, 2011) Eva Green, Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner. 92min. Inventive and daring end of days romantic drama filmed largely in Glasgow. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow. Persian Cinema (PG) (Jafar Pahini, Iran, 2006) Sima Mobarak-Shahi, Shayesteh Irani, Ayda Sadeqi. 93min. An introduction to the work of Iranian film maker Jafar Pahini, including a screening of his film Offside. Part of the Merchant City Festival. St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art, Glasgow. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides 2D (12A) ●●●●● (Rob Marshall, US, 2011) Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane. 141min. Depp revives the dashing Captain Sparrow for a fourth time as he embarks upon a quest for the elusive fountain of youth. General release.
✽✽ Poetry (12A) ●●●●● (Chang- dong Lee, South Korea, 2010) Jeong- hie Yun, Nae-sang Ahn, Hira Kim. 139min. See review, page 53. Selected release. Point Blank (A Bout Portant) (15) ●●●●● (Fred Cavayé, France, 2010) Gilles Lellouche, Roschdy Zem, Elene Anaya. 84min. Trainee nurse Samuel (Lellouche) saves the life of career criminal Sartet (Zem). Soon, ruthless henchmen have kidnapped Samuel’s wife. If he wants to see her again he has to break Sartet out of hospital and evade half the cops and criminals in Paris. Point Blank maintains a pulse-racing momentum with chases, narrow escapes, twists and betrayals. The Hippodrome, Bo’ness. Potiche (15) ●●●●● (François Ozon, France, 2010) Catherine Deneuve, Gérard Depardieu, Fabrice Luchini. 103min. When Robert (Luchini) is taken ill, supposed trophy wife (the potiche of the title) Suzanne (Deneuve) steps in to take charge of the family business, rediscovering her power and potential. Featuring hidden depths and unexpected layers, nothing is quite as you might have expected in this irresistible Cinderella story. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Princess of Montpensier (18) ●●●●● (Bertrand Tavernier, France/Germany, 2010) Mélanie Thierry, Lambert Wilson, Grégoire Leprince- Ringuet. 139min. Marie (Thierry) is forced to marry the Prince of Montpensier (Leprince-Ringuet). Torn between duty and desire, she captivates her tutor Chabannes (Wilson) and the Duke of Anjou (Personnaz). Based on the 1662 novella by Madame de Lafayette, writer/director Tavernier’s ‘romantic thriller’ feels modern in its treatment of religious fundamentalism and female oppression. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Rio 2D (U) ●●●●● (Carlos Saldanha, Canada/US, 2011) Voices of Anne Hathaway, Jesse Eisenberg, Will I Am. 95min. The team behind Ice Age heats things up in more tropical climes, as a domesticated macaw from small-town America goes on a Brazilian adventure. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Run Lola Run (15) ●●●●● (Tom Twyker, Germany, 1999) Franka Potente, Moritz Bleibtreu. 80min. Young Berlin punk Lola (Potente) has 20 minutes to raise 100,000 marks to save her stupid, but
Looking for screening times? Visit list.co.uk/events/film for up-to-date film times for every Scottish cinema. 60 THE LIST 21 Jul–4 Aug 2011
beloved boyfriend from murderous drug dealers. Not an easy task, but writer/director Twyker gives Lola three chances and helps her pound the streets with a thumping, self-composed techno soundtrack. Using every style trick in the book, Twyker astounds with an adrenaline rush of a movie. Cameo, Edinburgh. Russian Ark (U) ●●●●● (Alexandr Sokurov, Russia/Germany, 2002) Sergei Dontsov, Mariya Kuznetsova, Leonid Mozgovoy. 96min. Sokurov (Mother and Son) has always been a formalist par excellence. In this look at modern Russian history, Sokurov’s camera passes through one room to another in a vast St Petersburg museum as history unfolds before us without a cut. Like the earlier one-take wonder, Mike Figgis’ Timecode, this might achieve little dramatically; there’s a limited emotional range at work here, as we follow the unseen director and his camera into different eras. Nevertheless, it’s undeniably a seminal work. Part of the Screen Arts Festival. Cameo, Edinburgh. Scotland in Auld Film – The Curator’s Cut (E) (Various, Scotland) 90min. Outgoing curator of the Scottish Screen Archive Janet McBain presents a selection of her favourite film works from the national collection. Included in the programme are Tram Phantom Ride in Rothesay from 1906, Jenny Gilbertson’s Da Makkin o’ a Keshie, Margaret Tait’s John MacFayden, Men of Iron and The Grand Match. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow. Senna (12A) ●●●●● (Asif Kapadia, UK/France/US, 2010) 106min. Recently voted the greatest driver of all time and winner of 41 Grand Prix and three drivers’ championships, Brazilian Ayrton Senna was the last F1 driver to die behind the wheel. Exploring his life from 1984 to his death ten years later, this documentary incorporates previously unseen Formula One footage of the almost mythical man. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. A Separation (PG) ●●●●● (Asghar Farhadi, Iran, 2011) Peyman Moaadi, Leila Hatami, Sareh Bayat. 123min. A couple debate the ramifications of their impending divorce before a series of events unravel that will lead to a single tragic incident. This morally complex tale is a rich and thought-provoking consideration of the nature of judgement and the role of law. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Singham (tbc) ●●●●● (Rohit Shetty, India, 2011) Ajay Devgan, Kajal Agarwal, Prakash Raj. See Also Released, page 55. Selected release. Some Like it Hot (PG) ●●●●● (Billy Wilder, US, 1959) Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, Marilyn Monroe. 120min. Two impecunious male musicians inadvertently witness the St Valentine’s Day Massacre and take refuge in Florida with Sweet Sue and her Society Syncopators, an all-female band. Brilliant, brittle, crackerjack farce with all concerned at a peak in their careers. The Hippodrome, Bo’ness. Swan Lake (U) (Truck Branss, Austria, 1966) Rudolf Nuryev, Margot Fonteyn. 107min. Rare recording of the historic Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn performance of the classic ballet, performed at the Vienna State Opera House in 1966. Part of the Screen Arts Festival. Cameo, Edinburgh. Taxi Driver (18) ●●●●● (Martin Scorsese, US, 1976) Robert De Niro, Cybill Shepherd, Jodie Foster. 114min. The now classic story of an alienated taxi driver in New York who is so repelled by the squalor and the moral decay around him that he is driven to terrible violence. One of the key American films of the 1970s with the Scorsese-De Niro partnership at its peak. Part of the Bernard Herrmann season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Thelma & Louise (15) ●●●●● (Ridley Scott, US, 1991) Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis, Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen. 129min. The buddy/road movie genres are turned on their heads as Sarandon and Davis grasp the steering wheel and head off leaving a trail of murder and mayhem in their wake. On one level, the film is the critical catalyst that
had the feminists cheering and put the stars on the cover of Time magazine; just as importantly, it’s an accessible piece of entertainment with excellent central performances. Sloans, Glasgow. Transformers: Dark of the Moon 2D (12A) ●●●●● (Michael Bay, US, 2011) Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington- Whiteley, Josh Duhamel. 154min. Latest adventure in the Transformers franchise. Our shapeshifting heroes learn of a Cybertronian spacecraft hidden on the moon, and a race against the bad guys to reach it and unlock its secrets ensues. General release. Transformers: Dark of the Moon 3D (12A) ●●●●● (Michael Bay, US, 2011) Shia LaBeouf, Patrick Dempsey, Hugo Weaving. 154min. See above. General release. Treacle Jr (15) ●●●●● (Jamie Thraves, UK, 2010) Aidan Gillen, Tom Fisher, Riann Steele. 80min. Tom (Fisher) walks out on his wife and baby and destroys any ties to his previous life. He is befriended by Aidan (Gillen) who provides him with a home and introduces him to girlfriend Linda (Steele). This little gem of British independent filmmaking is told with the lowest of budgets and the best of intentions. Cameo, Edinburgh; Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow.
✽✽ The Tree of Life (12A) ●●●●● (Terrence Malick, US, 2011) Brad
Pitt, Sean Penn, Jessica Chastain. 138min. The lives of a 1950s family are contrasted with a history of life on earth (including CGI dinosaurs). Soaring music, gliding camerawork, the frequent absence of dialogue and a constant sense of yearning gives The Tree Of Life the feeling of a heartfelt sermon urging a re-engagement with spirituality. General release.
✽✽ Trust (15) ●●●●● (David Schwimmer, US, 2010) Clive Owen, Catherine Keener, Liana Liberato. 105min. See review, page 53. Selected release. A Turtle’s Tale: Sammy’s Adventures 2D (U) ●●●●● (Ben Stassen, Belgium, 2010) Voices of Melanie Griffith, Isabelle Fuhrman, Yuri Lowenthal. 85min. Likeable animation with an environmental message. Selected release. Viva Riva! (15) ●●●●● (Djo Munga, Congo/France/Belgium, 2010) Patsha Bay, Manie Malone, Hoji Fortuna. 98min. In Kinshasa, hustler Riva has one eye on a lucrative stash of gas, the other on Nora, mistress of crime boss Azor. Thus begins a frenzy of double crossing action. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Walls of Light (E) (Various, UK, 2010) 60min. A selection of films to mark the handover of the Commonwealth Games from India to Glasgow, screening across the city. The works tell the stories of extraordinary sporting Scots and have been made by artists including Henry Coombes, Calum Stirling and Alex Hetherington. Part of the Merchant City Festival. GMAC, Glasgow. Whisky Galore! (PG) ●●●●● (Alexander Mackendrick, UK, 1949) Basil Radford, Joan Greenwood, Jean Cadell. 82min. Much-loved Ealing comedy by the late Sandy Mackendrick. A ship carrying a cargo of whisky is shipwrecked off a Scottish island during wartime, so the locals decide it’s time to quench their thirst. Full of wit and charm that others can only hope to emulate. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. X-Men: First Class (12A) ●●●●● (Matthew Vaughn, US, 2011) James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence. 132min. The X-Men series goes back to the beginning of the saga to chart the early days of Professor X and Magneto, when they were plain old Charles and Erik. General release. Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (tbc) (Zoya Akhtar, India, 2011) Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar, Katrina Kaif. tbcmin. Three friends take the holiday of a lifetime before one of their number gets married. Selected release. Zookeeper (PG) ●●●●● (Frank Coraci, US, 2011) Kevin James, Rosario Dawson, Leslie Bibb. 104min. See review, page 54. General release.