Film INDEX
Films screening this fortnight are listed below with certificate, star rating, credits, brief review and venue details. Film index compiled by Paul Dale ✽✽ Indicates Hitlist entry About a Band (E) (Jim Hickey, UK, 2011) 43min. Documentary about Edinburgh’s Columcille Ceilidh Band which includes many members with learning difficulties. Screening with short The Pedestrian. Paisley Arts Centre, Paisley. The Adventures of Robin Hood (U) ●●●●● (Michael Curtiz, US, 1938) Errol Flynn, Olivia De Havilland, Basil Rathbone. 102min. Sparkling, Oscar-winning excitement as Flynn and his merry men fight the evil prince and the wicked Rathbone to help the poor and capture the hand of the fair De Havilland. Peerless sword-play and an infectious sense of high spirits. The Hippodrome, Bo’ness. All About my Mother (15) ●●●●● (Pedro Almodovar, Spain, 1999) Cecilia Roth, Penelope Cruz, Antonia San Juan. 101min. When Madrid hospital worker Manuela’s son is killed in a car accident the grief-stricken woman sets out to fulfil her son’s last wish to know his father, and goes to Barcelona to find the transvestite she ran away from 18 years earlier. Renowned for his portrayal of strong women, Almodovar pays tribute here to their capacity to act, to mother and to create strong bonds of solidarity in the face of extremities. Cameo, Edinburgh. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (12A) ●●●●● (Adam McKay, US, 2003) Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd, Paul Carell. 94min. Snappy comedy vehicle for Saturday Night Live veteran Will Ferrell that’s set in the sexist days of the 1970s TV news media. The eponymous newsreader, Ron Burgundy is forced by changing times to go head to head with Christina Applegate’s go-getting female reporter. Ferrell’s on top form here - better, in fact, than the material actually warrants since its strung together like a collection of hit ‘n’ miss SNL skits. While the satire quickly palls, Ferrell’s oversized presence as the unreconstructed male ass-grabber makes for some hilarious moments. Scotsman Screening Room, Edinburgh. Apollo 18 (15) (Gonzalo López-Gallego, US, 2011) See Also Released, page 99. General release. Arrietty (U) ●●●●● (Hiromasa Yonebayashi, Japan, 2010) Mirai Shida, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Shinobu Otake. 94min. Fourteen year old Arrietty (voiced by Shida) and the tiny Clock family live under the floorboards of a suburban home, exploring
WIN SUBMARINE BOOKS AND DVDS
W I N S T U F F
The List has three DVDs of Richard Ayoade's lovely coming of age comedy, and three copies of the book that inspired it to give away. To be in with a chance of winning one or both visit list.co.uk/offers 100 THE LIST 25 Aug–22 Sep 2011
Take One Action Film Festival
It’s the biggest and the best grassroots activism film festival in the world, and it’s on your doorstep people. With superb thought- provoking films, discussion panels, Q&As and much much more, Take One Action really is worth getting involved with. There are different ticket deals available and even a festival loyalty card scheme. See feature, page 64, Around Town, page 76 and visit takeoneaction.org.uk. ■ GFT, Glasgow and Filmhouse, Edinburgh and various venues, Mon 19 Sep–Sun 2 Oct.
and borrowing from the human world above. Arrietty may not have the scope of Studio Ghibli’s earliest works, but the result is a beautifully realised small-scale drama. Selected release. Artists’ Film Screening (E) (Various) 90min. To coincide with showings of work by Pablo Bronstein and Elad Lassry, the Tramway presents an evening of film involving choreography. Tramway, Glasgow. The Art of Getting By (12A) ●●●●● (Gavin Wiesen, US, 2011) Freddie Highmore, Emma Roberts, Sasha Spielberg. 83min. See review, page 99. General release. Attenberg (18) ●●●●● (Athina Rachel Tsungari, Greece, 2010) Ariane Labed, Giorgos Lanthimos, Vangelis Mouridis. 95min. See review, page 96. Filmhouse, Edinburgh; Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee. Bad Lieutenant – Port of Call: New Orleans (18) ●●●●● (Werner Herzog, US, 2009) Nicolas Cage, Eva Mendes, Val Kilmer. 122min. New Orleans police sergeant Terence McDonagh (Cage) saves a drowning prisoner, earning him a promotion and a back injury. Addiction follows and as things spiral out of control momentum and perception change and nothing goes the way one might expect. Repeated viewing is necessary, cult status is guaranteed. Cameo, Edinburgh. ✽✽ Bal (Honey) (PG) ●●●●● (Semih Kaplanoglu, Turkey/Germany, 2010) Bora Altas, Erdal Besikçioglu, Tülin Özen. 103min. Turkish drama set in the Black Sea region where a six-year-old boy wanders the forests looking for his father, who has disappeared. The third and final part of playwright and filmmaker Kaplanoglu’s Yusuf trilogy. Filmhouse, Edinburgh; Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee. Beautiful Lies (12) ●●●●● (Pierre Salvadori, France, 2010) Audrey Tautou, Nathalie Baye, Sami Bouajila. 110min. French cinema sweetheart Tautou is Emilie, a brusque shop owner who unintentionally orchestrates a comedy of errors by re-addressing a love-letter to her unhappy mother. Salvadori’s film is visually unremarkable and rather convoluted, and though this lonely gaggle of characters are well played by a fine cast, they’d be better suited to a more intimate drama. Selected release.
Beginners (15) ●●●●● (Mike Mills, US, 2010) Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer, Mélanie Laurent. 104min. McGregor is Oliver, whose father Hal (Plummer) has recently died from cancer, having at the age of 75 come out as gay and enthusiastically embraced the life he had long denied himself. Whimsicality runs through every frame and incurable romantics will clutch it to their hearts. Selected release. Black (Czarny) (15) (Dominik Matwiejczyk, Poland, 2008) Michal Zurawski, Maria Niklinska, Mateusz Damiecki. 105min. Czarny returns to his childhood village, having left in the mysterious circumstances surrounding his father’s suicide. He befriends Ola, who claims to be his stepsister, and trouble ensues. Part of Play Poland Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh; Glasgow Film Theatre. Bloomington (18) (Fernand Cardoso, US, 2010) Alison McAtee, Sarah Stouffer, Katherine Ann McGregor. 83min. A young freshman student (Stouffer) at a midwestern college becomes in thrall to the mysterious charms of her teacher (McAtee). Part of POUT festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Blue Angel (Der Blaue Engel) (PG) ●●●●● (Josef von Sternberg, Germany, 1930) Emil Jannings, Marlene Dietrich, Kurt Gerron. 108min. Berlin’s decadent cabaret era is vibrantly brought to life as Dietrich’s voluptuous singer Lola-Lola sets out to seduce and destroy a bourgeois schoolteacher. In her first major role, the actress taps into a potent current of female sexuality. Part of The New Objectivity season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Bobby Fischer Against the World (12A) ●●●●● (Liz Garbus, US/UK/Iceland, 2011) 93min. Intriguing documentary about one time chess champion Fischer and his later delusion and madness. Macrobert, Stirling; The Hippodrome, Bo’ness. Borderline (12) ●●●●● (Kenneth MacPherson, UK, 1930) Paul Robeson, Eslanda Robeson, Hilda Doolittle. 71min. An adulterous interracial affair causes a stir in a small town. Interesting issue melodrama of its day. Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee. The Breakfast Club (15) ●●●●● (John Hughes, US, 1985) Emilio Estevez, Ally Sheedy, Judd Nelson, Molly Ringwald.
97min. The film that helped launch the Brat Pack, which ain’t a compliment. Five American teenagers – punk, swot, nut case, etc – spend a Saturday afternoon in school detention, where they go through a tribal bonding experience while spewing all manner of teen angst: it’s all my parents fault and other old chestnuts. Glasgow Film Theatre. Bridesmaids (15) ●●●●● (Paul Feig, US, 2011) Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne. 125min. When her newly- engaged best friend Lillian (Rudolph) asks her to be chief bridesmaid, Annie (Wiig) is delighted, until she meets Lillian’s new best friend; a beautiful, rich bitch. The cast list overflows with comedy talent and the jokes are very funny. Selected release. ✽✽ Burning Ice (E) (Peter Gilbert, UK, 2010) 79min. Special bike-powered preview screenings (one of which also takes place outdoors) of this documentary of the Cape Farewell Project, which took 45 scientists and artists to Disko Bay in Greenland to explore the science and art of tackling climate change. Part of Take One Action Film Festival. George Square Theatre, Edinburgh. Captain America: The First Avenger 2D (12A) ●●●●● (Joe Johnston, US, 2011) Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan. 123min. Joe Johnston, director of The Wolfman and The Rocketeer, takes us back to the early days of the Marvel with the archetypal superhero. When Steve Rogers (Evans) volunteers to participate in an experimental program, it turns him into super soldier Captain America. As Captain America, Rogers joins forces with Bucky Barnes (Stan) and Peggy Carter (Atwell) to wage war on the evil HYDRA organisation, led by the villainous Red Skull (Weaving). Selected release. Captain America: The First Avenger 3D (12A) ●●●●● (Joe Johnston, US, 2011) Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan. 123min. See above. Selected release. Carla’s Song (15) ●●●●● (Ken Loach, UK, 1996) Robert Carlyle, Oyanka Cabezas, Scott Glenn. 127min. Carlyle plays Glaswegian bus driver George, who gives up everything to help refugee Carla return to Nicaragua and find her boyfriend. The love story aspect of the first (Scottish) half of the film is its strongest point; the revelations in central America don’t hold surprises nor does the director seem totally at home with the ‘action’ elements. Carlyle, however, is excellent – mildly tough and totally charming. Gail Tolley gives an illustrated introduction to the film and the Ken Loach at 75 season, and leads a post- screening audience discussion. Glasgow Film Theatre. Cars 2 2D (U) ●●●●● (John Lasseter, Brad Lewis, US, 2011) Larry the Cable Guy, Owen Wilson, Michael Caine. 106min. Pixar’s charmless sequel replaces the homespun values of the original with impressive racetrack backdrops, violent guns- and-missile action, and juvenile comedy from the belching, flatulent Mater. A mechanical slew of pop-culture gags indicate a considerable drop in the level of invention from Finding Nemo or Up. General release. Cars 2 2D (Subtitled) (U) ●●●●● (John Lasseter, Brad Lewis, US, 2011) Larry the Cable Guy, Owen Wilson, Michael Caine. 106min. Pixar’s charmless sequel replaces the homespun values of the original with impressive racetrack backdrops, violent guns- and-missile action, and juvenile comedy from the belching, flatulent Mater. A mechanical slew of pop-culture gags indicate a considerable drop in the level of invention from Finding Nemo or Up. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Cars 2 3D (U) ●●●●● (John Lasseter, Brad Lewis, US, 2011) Larry the Cable Guy, Owen Wilson, Michael Caine. 106min. Pixar’s charmless sequel replaces the homespun values of the original with impressive racetrack backdrops, violent guns- and-missile action, and juvenile comedy from the belching, flatulent Mater. A mechanical slew of pop-culture gags indicate a considerable drop in the level of invention from Finding Nemo or Up. Vue Ocean, Edinburgh.