Film INDEX
Fantastic Mr Fox (PG) ●●●●● (Wes Anderson, USA, 2009) Voices of George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Adrien Brody. 88min. Anderson’s inspired choice of stop-motion animation pays off in this beautiful and idiosyncratic adaptation of the well-loved children’s tale. While kids may enjoy it, Anderson’s typically arch humour is aimed more at their parents, who will also be impressed by the star-studded voice cast – Bill Murray as a badger lawyer anyone? St Bride’s Centre, Edinburgh.
✽✽ Fezeka’s Voice (15) ●●●●● (Holly Lubbock, UK/South Africa,
2009) 80min. Documentary about an inspirational high school choir leader in South Africa. Features an introductory message from Bishop Desmond Tutu and Q&A with director Holly Lubbock. Part of Take One Action! Film Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh; Glasgow Film Theatre. First Night (15) ●●●●● (Christopher Menaul, US, 2010) Richard E Grant, Sarah Brightman, Susannah Fielding. 116min. Grant plays a wealthy businessman who turns his hand to opera singing as a means of proving his soulfulness to his peers, as well as winning the heart of a female conductor. See review at List.co.uk. General release from Fri 14 Oct. Fix ME (tbc) ●●●●● (Raed Andoni, Palestine, 2009) 98min. A documentary following Andoni through twenty therapy sessions as he explores the displacement and alienation he shares with thousands of Palestinians. Plus a discussion with special guest speakers. Part of the Scottish Mental Health Arts & Film Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. 48 Hour Film Project (E) (Various, UK, 2011) View the results of the first Glasgow edition of the 48 Hour Film Project and vote for your favourite. Glasgow Film Theatre. French Cancan (PG) ●●●●● (Jean Renoir, France/Italy, 1954) Jean Gabin, Francoise Arnoul, Maria Felix. 104min. An impresario (Gabin) is about to open a new club, with the centrepiece of the entertainment a fresh and saucy new version of the cancan. That the dance is to star his brand new discovery, a humble laundress, can only excite jealousy among the chorus line. A loving tribute to Paris and beautiful early foray into the world of colour filmmaking. Glasgow Film Theatre. Friends with Benefits (15) ●●●●● (Will Gluck, US, 2011) Mila Kunis, Justin Timberlake, Patricia Clarkson. 109min. For all its dirty talk and supposed frankness about sex, Gluck’s follow up to the considerably saltier Easy A is a sappy rom-com which pretends to deflate clichés of the genre while in fact studiously observing them. General release. George Harrison: Living in the Material World (12A) (Martin Scorsese, US, 2011) 208min. A chance to catch Scorsese’s new documentary on The Beatles’ guitarist before it airs on TV. Glasgow Film Theatre. Gigola (18) (Laure Charpentier, France, 2010) Lou Doillon, Marie Kremer, Eduardo Noriega. 102min. Racy crime melodrama about a female gigolo, set in the criminal underground world of 1960s Paris. Part of Glasgay! Glasgow Film Theatre. God Bless Ozzy Osbourne (15) (Mike Fleiss/Mike Piscitelli, UK, 2011) Ozzy Osbourne. 93min. A profile of The Prince of Darkness that delves into his history, personal struggles and journey to sobriety. Vue Ocean, Edinburgh. Grease (PG) ●●●●● (Randal Kleiser, US, 1978) John Travolta, Olivia Newton John, Stockard Channing. 110min. Over thirty years on, Grease is still the word, and still the way we are feeling. Introduced by DJ Loveless. Glasgow Film Theatre. The Greatest Movie Ever Sold (12A) (Morgan Spurlock, US, 2011) 87min. See Also Released, page 66. Glasgow Film Theatre; Cameo, Edinburgh. The Guard (15) ●●●●● (John Michael McDonagh, Ireland, 2011) Brendan Gleeson, Don Cheadle, Liam Cunningham. 96min. Cliché ridden comedy thriller about a belligerent Galway police officer (Gleeson) who has to buddy up to a slick CIA officer (Cheadle) in order to catch some ruthless drug smugglers. Selected release. 68 THE LIST 22 Sep–20 Oct 2011
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 twenty-something 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. Urgent, compelling filmmaking that’s as punchy as a blow to the head. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Happiness (18) ●●●●● (Todd Solondz, US, 1998) Cynthia Stevenson, Lara Flynn Boyle, Philip Seymour Hoffman. 139min. Three sisters, two small boys, one psychologist and a phone-harassment specialist. Out of these unlikely elements Solondz has wrought pure cinematic gold, which veers from belly laughter one moment to stark pathos in another. Part of Shocktober. Glasgow Film Theatre. Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets (PG) ●●●●● (Chris Columbus, US/UK, 2002) Daniel Radcliffe, Robbie Coltrane. 160min. In line with JK Rowling’s book, the second film is darker than the first. It’s perhaps somewhat over-long, but the combination of old-fashioned kids’ storytelling and blockbuster budget special effects make for something more pleasing than standard Hollywood eye candy. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone (PG) ●●●●● (Chris Columbus, US/UK, 2001) Daniel Radcliffe, Robbie Coltrane, Maggie Smith, John Cleese, Richard Harris, Julie Walters. 152min. Energetic if mildly bland adaptation of JK Rowling’s first Potter book. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban (PG) ●●●●● (Alfonso Cuaron, US, 2004) Daniel Radcliffe, Richard Griffiths, Pam Ferris, Fiona Shaw, Gary Oldman. 141min. Third installment of the boy wizard’s adventures, with enough dark humour, spectacular effects and appealing performances to keep you trapped in the franchise. But Harry’s new adventure is also ponderous and overlong, marred further by regular Potter screenwriter Steven Kloves’ confusing and structurally incoherent script. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (12A) ●●●●● (Mike Newell, UK/US, 2005) Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, David Tennant, Ralph Fiennes. 157min. Harry and his mates get busy at the inter-school of magic TriWizard Tournament, only to be faced with the return of evil mastermind Lord Voldemort (Fiennes). Overlong but entertaining enough adaptation of fourth Potter book directed with by Brit Newell. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 2D (12A) ●●●●● (David Yates, UK/US, 2011) Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint. 130min. The end has arrived for Harry and happily the last installment really satisfies with its breakneck pacing, breathtaking set- pieces and a genuinely heart-warming ending. Selected release. Hell and Back Again (15) ●●●●● (Danfung Dennis, USA/UK/Afghanistan, 2011) 88min. See review, page 63. Premiere on Sun 18 Oct at Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow and selected release from Fri 23 Oct. I Don’t Know How She Does It (12A) ●●●●● (Douglas McGrath, US, 2011) Sarah Jessica Parker, Christina Hendricks, Pierce Brosnan. 95min. White collar comedy about working mum Kate (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. General release. I Stand Alone (Seul Contre Tous) (18) ●●●●● (Gaspar Noe, France, 1998) Philippe Nahon, Blandine Lenoir, Frankye Pain, Martine Audrain. 93min. Hardcore penetrative sex and a nauseating scene in which a pregnant woman is repeatedly punched in the stomach. Disturbing and graphic? Yes. Gratuitous shock tactics? No: only material of such uncompromising brutality can bring the viewer close to the utter desolation felt by the main character, an unemployed 50-year-old butcher who has been slammed into a dead-end existence. Part of Shocktober. Glasgow Film Theatre. In the Forest of the Fireflies (Hotarubi no Mori E) (12A) (Hiroyuki Okiura, Japan, 2011) 45min. Anime in which a little girl meets a strange boy in a forest who says he cannot be touched by humans. Part of Scotland Loves Anime festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh; Glasgow Film Theatre. The Inbetweeners Movie (15) ●●●●● (Ben Palmer, UK, 2011) Simon
The Ballad of Mott the Hoople
It’s a month for music documentaries on the big screen. This one-off screening of Mike Kerry and Chris Hall’s film about the rise, fall, rise and ultimate disintegration of Hereford’s finest punk rock glamsters coincides with the international release of the film on DVD. ■ Filmhouse, Edinburgh on Thu 13 Oct.
Bird, James Buckley, Blake Harrison, Joe Thomas. 96min. School has ended for the hapless teens, so Will, Jay, Neil and Simon take their first boys-only holiday. General release. The Interrupters (15) ●●●●● (Steve James, US, 2011) 127min. Documentary about three people who come up with a novel way of preventing violence in their Chicago community. Called the ‘Violence Interrupters’, they traverse the city, intervening in conflicts before they erupt into violence. Glasgow Film Theatre; Cameo, Edinburgh. Interstella 5555 (PG) ●●●●● (Kazuhisa Takenouchi, Japan, 2003) 68min. Animation Battle of the Planets homage seems to be the way to go for Daft Punk since their sales started dipping. This hour and a bit promo seems to hit all the wrong buttons but you have to admire them for trying to traverse the boundaries of self promotion. Part of Scotland Loves Anime festival. Glasgow Film Theatre. Jane Eyre (PG) ●●●●● (Cary Fukunaga, UK/US, 2011) Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, Judi Dench. 121min. Dumping the childhood chapters of Charlotte Bronte’s novel, Fukunaga does a great job here of making the action and emotions of a well- worn story feel modern without removing it from its original context. Playing to the gothic aspects of the book (and the tastes of the Twilight generation) Wasikowska is otherworldly in the titular role, but a devilish Fassbender steals the show as Mr Rochester. General release. Johnny English Reborn (PG) (Oliver Parker, US/France/UK, 2011) Rowan Atkinson, Dominic West, Rosamund Pike. 101min. See Also Released, page 66. General release from Fri 7 Oct. Kes (PG) ●●●●● (Ken Loach, UK, 1969) David Bradley, Lynne Perrie, Colin Welland, Brian Glover. 109min. In the run-down industrial north, a young boy learns some harsh lessons about life from the fate of his pet bird. Classic piece of British realism which showed that Loach’s television work could transfer to the big screen. A very humane sense of humour leavens a tale of some desolation. Selected release. Killer Elite (15) (Gary McKendry, US/Australia, 2011) Jason Statham, Clive Owen, Robert De Niro. 105min. Two of the world’s most elite operatives go up against the leader of a secret military society in a battle across the globe. General release from Fri 23 Sep. Krakatoa: The Last Days (15) (Sam Miller, UK, 2006) Rupert Penry-Jones, Olivia Williams, Kevin McMonagle. 87min. This docu-drama, based on personal diaries, details the 1883 eruption on Krakatoa which killed 36,000 people and unleashed a wave of tsunamis. Preceeded by an introduction by Dr Stuart Monro and followed by a discussion. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Kung Fu Panda 2 2D (PG) ●●●●● (Jennifer Yuh, US, 2011) Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan. 90min. Sequel to the popular animated comedy about the martial arts master in a chubby panda body (voiced by Black). Glasgow Film Theatre. Land Ownership in Ethiopia (E) (UK, 2011) A co-production by Christian Aid and The Guardian exploring the issues that stop people in developing countries from being able to produce the food they need to avoid poverty and starvation. CCA, Glasgow. Lars and the Real Girl (12A) ●●●●● (Craig Gillespie, US, 2007) Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider. 106min. Lars Lindstrom (Gosling) is a quiet and sullen young man. His brother Gus (Schneider) and Gus’ pregnant wife Karin (Mortimer) try to integrate him into the community with no success until Lars gets an unusual new girlfriend. By turns tender, thoughtful and open hearted, Lars and the Real Girl manages to be both ridiculous and joyous. Cameo, Edinburgh. Last Year in Marienbad (12A) ●●●●● (Alain Resnais, France/Italy, 1961) Delphine Seyrig, Giorgio Albertazzi, Sacha Pitoeff. 94min. Resnais’ seminal abstract 1961 love story gets a new lease of life on cleaned up print in this evocative and enigmatic tale of a man who meets a woman in a rambling hotel, and believes he