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Film REVIEWS
ALSO RELEASED 30 Minutes or Less
Final Destination 5 (3D) (15) tbcmin More premonitions and races to beat death’s cold inevitable hand in the fifth installment of this popular franchise. Will be reviewed at list.co.uk/film. General release from Fri 26 Aug. Apollo 18 (15) tbcmin Sci-fi thriller about an alleged manned voyage to the moon made in December 1973 when two American astronauts were sent on a secret mission funded by the US Department of Defense. All that remains of the trip is some horrifying footage. Will be reviewed at list.co.uk/film. General release from Fri 2 Sep. Days of Heaven (PG) 84min ●●●●● Digital restoration of Terrence Malick’s second film made in 1978. Days of Heaven is about a tragic love triangle in depression era America. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Fri 2–Thu 15 Sep.
DRAMA THE HEDGEHOG (LE HERISSON) (12A) 99min ●●●●●
There’s no demographic quite like the French bourgeoisie. Their revolution may as well not have happened, Gustav Flaubert pretty much summed things up when he wrote: ‘The whole dream of democracy is to raise the proletarian to the level of stupidity attained by the bourgeois.’ Renée (Josiane Balasko) is a janitor in a block of five huge flats. The residents
think she is a stupid harridan but self-educated and well-read she’s cleverer than any of them. Paloma (Garrance Le Guillermic) is the suicidal 11-year-old daughter of one of the families. She discovers Renée’s secret, as does new resident Kakuro (Togu Igawa), but Renée is not sure she wants to be outed from her hiding place. Mona Achache’s smart, faithful adaptation of Muriel Barbery’s best-selling book The Elegance of the Hedgehog strikes all the right notes. As a character study it’s off beat but prickly – the necessary connections made between the precocious girl, the grumpy lady and the serene Kakuro never feel forced or clichéd, while the subtext of life’s unfairness, kismet and inequality that haunts the book remains. A must see for book groups. (Paul Dale) ■ GFT, Glasgow and Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Fri 2–Thu 15 Sep.
DRAMA THE ART OF GETTING BY (12A) 83min ●●●●●
‘110 billion humans have walked the planet since the dawn of time, and none of them have made it.’ So begins schoolboy George Zinavoy’s narration in this melancholic teen comedy with heavy echoes of Cameron Crowe’s Say Anything. George (Freddie Highmore) is the school loner who lands hot rich girl Sally (Emma Roberts). Things go well and then deteriorate, so he must win her back. British teen actor Highmore does a sterling job of playing a Manhattan-based senior year high school student, clearly having done his homework with the accent. He captures the insecurity and confusion of those complicated years when youthful minds turn to the idea of finding a vocation. Another nice touch is that Sally is more attainable than most of the bitchy rich girls from the John Hughes alumni and you can see why George falls for her.
Director Gavin Wiesen also shows that confusion does not end at school. George’s art mentor Dustin (Michael Angarano) is just as confused about girls and his ability to make a living. This is a film of slight but wry observation. (Kaleem Aftab) ■ General release from Fri 2 Sep.
Fright Night (15) 105min Teenager (Anton Yelchin) is so popular he’s even dropped his best friend Ed (Christopher Mintz- Plasse). But when stranger Jerry (Colin Farrell, pictured) moves in next door, he becomes convinced that he is a vampire. Remake of sorts of the much-loved 1985 horror comedy. Will be reviewed at list.co.uk/film. General release from Fri 2 Sep.
30 Minutes or Less (15) tbcmin Comedy thriller in which a small town pizza delivery guy gets involved with wannabe criminal masterminds. Jesse Eisenberg, Danny McBride and Nick Swardson star. Will be reviewed at list.co.uk/film. General release from Fri 16 Sep. The Change-Up (15) 112min Old friends Mitch (Ryan Reynolds) and Dave (Jason Bateman) are slowly drifting apart. While Dave is an overworked lawyer, husband and father, Mitch has remained footloose and fancy free. Following a drunken night out together, Mitch and Dave’s worlds are turned upside down. The Change-Up is another body switch comedy. Will be reviewed at list.co.uk/film. General release from Fri 16 Sep. I Don’t Know How She Does It (tbc) tbcmin White collar comedy about working mum Kate (Sarah Jessica Parker) and her attempts to balance the needs of a new client at work with changing child care arrangements, jealous friends, disinterested colleagues and lecherous business associates. Will be reviewed at list.co.uk/film. General release from Fri 16 Sep Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (tbc) tbcmin Adaptation of John Le Carre’s spy opus starring Gary Oldman and Colin Firth. Directed by Tomas Alfredson (Let the Right One In). Review embargoed until Mon 5 Sep, will be reviewed at list.co.uk/film. General release from Fri 16 Sep. Pearl Jam Twenty (U) 104min Documentary about successful Seattle rock band marking their 20th anniversary. Will be reviewed at list.co.uk/film. Selected release from Tue 20 Sep. Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer (PG) 91min Tween comedy adventure for all the family based on popular book series. Will be reviewed at list.co.uk/film. General release from Wed 21 Sep. 25 Aug–22 Sep 2011 THE LIST 99