Film INDEX
Predator (18) ●●●●● (John McTiernan, US, 1987) Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Elpidia Carillo. 107min. Arnie and his dirty half-dozen are hired to enter a dense South American jungle to free a hostage, but lurking unseen in the foliage is a chameleon- like being waiting to skin alive any unsuspecting human to cross its path. Slow to build, but ultimately gripping macho mayhem with a real sense of threat. Glasgow Film Theatre. Red State (18) ●●●●● (Kevin Smith, US, 2011) Michael Angarano, Nicholas Braun, Ronnie Connell. 88min. See review, page 65. Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee; Cameo, Edinburgh. RE:Mind: Diversity Films CIC presents Starting Block Showcase (E) (Various, UK, 2011) Six short films produced on Diversity Films’ filmmaking training and mentoring programme in the last year, many of which deal with issues of mental and physical health. CCA, Glasgow. Real Steel (12A) (Shaun Levy, US/India, 2011) Hugh Jackman, Evangeline Lily, Kevin Durand. 126min. Rocky meets Transformers in this boxing ‘bots family drama/actioner. General release from Fri 14 Oct.
✽✽ Red, White & Blue (18) ●●●●● (Simon Rumley, US, 2010) Amanda
Fuller, Marc Senter, Jon Michael Davis. 103min. See review, page 64. Selected release from Fri 30 Sep. Revanche (15) ●●●●● (Gotz Spielmann, Germany, 2008) Johannes Krisch, Irina Potapenko, Andreas Lust. 121min. A brooding contemporary fable exploring how a traumatic event impacts emotionally on human lives, relying on examining the characters rather than on plot twists. Impressively acted, Revanche is an absorbing, sympathetic and appropriately open-ended work. Features an introduction to the film. Part of an Introduction to European Cinema. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (12A) ●●●●● (Rupert Wyatt, US, 2011) Tom Felton, James Franco, Andy Serkis. 104min. Intelligent and at times exhilarating prequel to the 60s cult classic, adeptly handled by Wyatt, who mixes headline influenced narrative with all the visual spectacle required of a blockbuster. Franco plays a scientist on the hunt for the cure for Alzheimer’s whose experiments result in a test ape developing human-like characteristics, the animal’s capture and abuse setting the scene for rebellion and the astonishing dystopian fiction that follows. General release. Room at the Top (12A) ●●●●● (Jack Clayton, UK, 1959) Laurence Harvey, Simone Signoret, Heather Sears. 115min. An ambitious young accountant in a bleak Yorkshire industrial town schemes to wed the naïve daughter of a millionaire industrialist. Harvey stars as ruthless anti-hero Joe Lampton, desperate to better his working- class origins and secure social status. The Film of The Book season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Russian Space in Film (E) (Russia, Various) As part of a week of special events celebrating 50 years of Russian space travel, the Centre shows two fascinating documentaries. First Orbit is a new documentary from Christopher Riley featuring a computer simulation of Gagarin’s flight into space, while Defying Gravity is a 2005 Russian-made documentary about the country’s space programme. Princess Dashkova Russian Centre, Edinburgh. Sarah’s Key (Elle s’appelait Sarah) (12A) ●●●●● (Gilles Paquet-Brenner, France, 2010) Kristin Scott Thomas, Mélusine Mayance, Niels Arestrup. 111min. The life of a journalist in present-day Paris becomes entwined with that of a young Jewish girl who died in the Holocaust as she investigates a shameful chapter in France’s history. Unsurprisingly earnest and visually restrained, director Paquet-Brenner is aided by a fine ensemble cast in his creation of a real sense of moral ambiguity. Glasgow Film Theatre. Sátántangó (15) ●●●●● (Béla Tarr, Hungary/Germany/Switzerland, 1994) Mihály Vig, Putyi Horváth, László Lugossy. 419min. Bleakly comic portrayal of the effects of the decline of Eastern European communism as 70 THE LIST 22 Sep–20 Oct 2011
felt in one struggling Hungarian agricultural collective. CCA, Glasgow. Scotland Loves Anime Mystery Film (Japan, 2011) Scottish premiere of a mystery Japanese animation as part of the Scotland Loves Anime festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Sea Purple (Viola di mare) (15) (Donatella Maiorca, Italy, 2009) Valeria Solarino, Isabella Ragonese, Ennio Fantastichini. 105min. Based on a true story, unruly Angela years to be with her best friend Sara, despite the protestations of her father and the church in her Italian village. Part of POUT LGBT film festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Shark Night 3D (15) (David R Ellis, US, 2011) Sara Paxton, Dustin Milligan, Chris Carmack. 91min. Fishy carnage as man- eating sharks get loose in a lake, seemingly taking its cue from the riotously enjoyable Piranha 3D. See Also Released, page 66. General release from Fri 30 Sep. The Skin I Live in (La Piel Que Habito) (15) ●●●●● (Pedro Almodóvar, Spain, 2011) Antonio Banderas, Elena Anaya, Jan Cornet. 120min. A pioneering plastic surgeon keeps his human guinea pig imprisoned in his home, his ever more appalling experiments masking a hauntingly sad backstory. Gothic horror served with an icy precision by the restrained Spanish master, who constantly works against the grain casting the dashing Banderas as a modern monster and staging poisonous plot twists with deadpan aplomb. Cineworld Renfrew Street, Glasgow; Filmhouse, Edinburgh; The Hippodrome, Bo’ness. Sleeping Beauty (18) ●●●●● (Julia Leigh, Australia, 2011) Emily Browning, Rachael Blake, Ewen Leslie. 101min. See review, page 64. Selected release from Fri 14 Oct. Soul Surfer (PG) (Sean McNamara, US, 2011) AnnaSophia Robb, Dennis Quaid, Helen Hunt. 106min. See Also Released, page 66. General release from Fri 23 Sep. The Space Between (15) ●●●●● (Tim Barrow, UK, 2010) Vivien Reid, Tim Barrow, David Whitney. 85min. Film made by (and starring) Tim Barrow (The Inheritance) on a mini-budget in Edinburgh and London, about two lonely people who find hope in one another. Glasgow Film Theatre. Spy Kids: All the Time in the World 3D (PG) ●●●●● (Robert Rodriguez, US, 2011) Jessica Alba, Jeremy Piven, Joel Scotland Loves Anime
McHale. 88min. Marissa Cortez Wilson (Alba) has given up spying to concentrate on motherhood but is called back into action by the head of OSS, where the now defunct Spy Kids division was created. Robert Rodriguez’ enjoyable adventure saga continues. Selected release. The Taqwacores (15) ●●●●● (Eyad Zahra, US, 2010) Bobby Naderi, Noureen DeWulf, Dominic Rains. 83min. Zahra’s adaptation of Michael Muhammed Knight’s novel tells the story of a young Muslim student (Naderi) in early 80s Buffalo who moves into a house of Taqwacore rockers, and finds his living room converted from a mosque during the day into a Muslim punk rock den at night. While some of the extreme characters are a little crude in their personification of culture-clash America, Zahra uses them to bring forth interesting questions about faith, ideologies and culture. macrobert, Stirling. GRAMNet and BEMIS present: Tawona’s Story (E) (UK, 2011)GRAMNet and Black and Ethnic Minorities Infrastructure in Scotland mark Black History Month and the International Day of Non-Violence with a documentary screening telling inspirational stories of resilience, determination and excellence among migrants in Scotland and the UK. CCA, Glasgow. Tekken: Blood Vengeance 3D (12A) (Yoichi Mori, Japan, 2011) Isshin Chiba, Yuki Matsuoka, Amanda Céline Miller. 120min. Fighting action as videogame Tekken comes to the big screen. Screening introduced by anime expert Jonathan Clements. Part of Scotland Loves Anime festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh; Glasgow Film Theatre. Texas Killing Fields (tbc) (Ami Canaan Mann, US, 2011) Sam Worthington, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Chloe Moretz. See Also Released, page 66.General release from Fri 14 Oct.
✽✽ There Once Was An Island (tbc) ●●●●● (Briar March, New Zealand,
2010) 80min. Takuu, an island in the Pacific, is gradually flooding. March’s documentary examines the effects of climate change on this beautiful island and its population. Followed by a discussion with leading climate change activists and other guests. Part of Take One Action! Film Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh; Glasgow Film Theatre. Third Star (15) ●●●●● (Hattie Dalton, UK, 2010) Benedict Cumberbatch, Hugh Bonneville, Tom Burke. 92min. Dalton’s
feature debut is a road movie offering a poignant but funny paean to making the most of life while you still can. Cameo, Edinburgh. 30 Minutes or Less (15) ●●●●● (Ruben Fleischer, US/Germany/Canada, 2011) Jesse Eisenberg, Danny McBride, Aziz Ansari. 82min. Wannabe criminals kidnap pizza delivery driver Nick (Eisenberg), strap a bomb to his chest and threaten to detonate it unless he robs a bank for them. Michael Diliberti’s script values laughs over logic, but enough of the gags hit their targets to make it easy to forgive the story’s shortcomings. See review at list.co.uk. General release. The Three Musketeers 3D (12A) (Paul WS Anderson, Germany/France/UK/US, 2011) Milla Jovovich, Logan Lerman, Orlando Bloom. 110min. Anderson swashes his buckle with Dumas’ tale of derring-do, starring his spouse and Resident Evil leading lady Jovovich as the treacherous Lady de Winter. General release from Wed 12 Oct.
✽✽ Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (15) ●●●●● (Tomas Alfredson, UK/France,
2011) Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, John Hurt. 120min. Excellent adaptation of John Le Carré’s Cold War thriller about a recently retired spy (Oldman) redrafted to investigate the truth behind fears that MI6 has been infiltrated by a Soviet double agent. See review at list.co.uk. General release. Tomboy (U) ●●●●● (Céline Sciamma, France, 2011) Zoé Héran, Malonn Lévana, Jeanne Disson. 84min. Something like a pre- pubescent cousin of The Virgin Suicides, this quietly beautiful film centres on a little girl who introduces herself to the children of her new neighbourhood as a boy. Powered by an incredibly convincing performance by 10- year-old Héran, it sets a carefree tone that contrasts with the high stakes of emerging identity. Selected release. The Troll Hunter (15) ●●●●● (Andre Ovredal, Norway, 2011) Otto Jespersen, Robert Stoltenberg, Knut Naerum. 103min. A group of students making a documentary about an illegal bear hunter find out there are far more dangerous things in the woods than they imagined in this acclaimed Norwegian monster movie. There are a few good jokes and a handful of very impressive visual effects sequences, but there’s nothing wildly original in this movie that’s neither scary enough for horror nor funny enough for comedy. General release. Tucker & Dale vs Evil (15) (Eli Craig, US/Canada, 2010) Tyler Labine, Alan Tudyk,
This box office-busting celebration of all things manga returns for another year. Highlights include a line up of some of the freshest anime films including Letter to Momo, Tekken: Blood Vengeance 3D, Escaflowne, Arrietty and The Princess and the Pilot. The festival is also packed with guests giving keynote presentations including Aardman Animations and Glasgow’s own Axis Animation as well as Merlin Crossingham, author of Schoolgirl Milky Crisis and Jonathan Clements, editor of the Anime Encyclopedia. Ticket deals available. lovesanimation.com ■ GFT, Glasgow from Fri 7–Sun 9 Oct; Filmhouse, Edinburgh from Fri 14–Sun 16 Oct.