Film INDEX
The Greatest Movie Ever Sold (12A) ●●●●● (Morgan Spurlock, US, 2011) 87min. Spurlock (he of Supersize Me and Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden? fame) examines the strange world of product placement, branding and advertising. Cameo, Edinburgh; Glasgow Film Theatre. 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. Cameo, Edinburgh. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (12A) ●●●●● (David Yates, UK/US, 2010) Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint. 146min. The seventh installment of the wildly popular wizard franchise is atmospheric but emotionally hollow and rather rushed. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 2D (12A) ●●●●● (David Yates, UK/US, 2011) Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint. 130min. Happily the last installment really satisfies with its breakneck pacing, breathtaking set-pieces and a genuinely heart-warming ending. Filmhouse, Edinburgh; Cameo, 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. Overlong but entertaining enough adaptation of fourth Potter book directed with by Brit Newell. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (12A) ●●●●● (David Yates, UK/US, 2009) Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint. 153min. While the sixth installment in the franchise ventured into darker, more adult areas than its predecessors it also injected more humour and character development than previous encounters, which doesn’t always make for a satisfying concoction. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (12A) ●●●●● (David Yates, UK/US, 2007) Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson. 138min. Rowling’s most complex and uneven book proved to be the most difficult to adapt. Missing the talents of a big name director this still contains some enjoyable moments courtesy of newcomer Imelda Staunton. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Hedgehog (12A) ●●●●● (Mona Achache, France/Italy, 2009) Josianne Balasko, Garance Le Guillermic, Togo Igawa. 100min. Offbeat but prickly debut from Achache about a precocious 11-year-old who has meticulously planned her own suicide out of sheer boredom. Cameo, Edinburgh. Hell and Back Again (15) ●●●●● (Danfung Dennis, USA/UK/Afghanistan, 2011) 88min. Photojournalist Dennis’s documentary follows US Army Sgt Nathan Harris on the front line in Afghanistan, his attempt to readjust to civilian life, and his relationship with his family. Although sketchy and impressionistic in places, its best moments rank it with Restrepo as an exceptional documentary about an often unfathomable conflict. Glasgow Film Theatre. The Help (12A) ●●●●● (Tate Taylor, US/India/UAE, 2011) Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer. 146min. See review, page 70. General release from Wed 26 Oct. The Hurt Locker (15) ●●●●● (Kathryn Bigelow, US, 2008) Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty. 130min. An unromantic vision of modern warfare, which is both muscular and visceral while making us question just how close some acts of heroism are to lunacy. Part of Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Human Centipede 2: Full Sequence (18) (Tom Six, Netherlands/UK/US, 2011) Laurence R Harvey, Ashlynn Yennie, Maddi Black. 88min. See Also Released, page 70. Selected release from Fri 4 Nov. I Start Counting (15) ●●●●● (David Greene, UK, 1969) Jenny Agutter, Bryan 72 THE LIST 20 Oct–17 Nov 2011
Marshall, Clare Sutcliffe. 105min. Psychological thriller as adopted schoolgirl (Agutter) develops a crush on her foster brother (Marshall), but she becomes suspicious that he may be behind a series of attacks in the local area. Glasgow Film Theatre. The Ice Storm (15) ●●●●● (Ang Lee, US, 1997) Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Sigourney Weaver. 112min. In Nixon era Connecticut, Kline’s dying affair with neighbour Weaver pushes wife Allen further into a numbed frigidity, just as both families’ teenage children are making their first sexual forays. Lee’s satiric eye may be acute but he has a compassionate vision of human weakness, and beneath the humour is a sense of profound unease. Scene after scene, deftly directed and beautifully acted by the cast, sends a chill into the heart. Cameo, Edinburgh. IdeasTap Screening/Panel Event (PG) (Various) 90min. Creative network and funding body for the arts IdeasTap hosts a screening of dance films selected by its young members and a panel discussion. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Ides of March (15) ●●●●● (George Clooney, US, 2011) Paul Giamatti, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman. 100min. See review, page 67. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Immortals (tbc) (Tarsem Singh, US, 2011) Henry Cavill, Mickey Rourke, John Hurt. tbcmin. See Also Released, page 70. General release from Fri 11 Nov. The Inbetweeners Movie (15) ●●●●● (Ben Palmer, UK, 2011) Simon 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. Selected release. In Bruges (18) ●●●●● (Martin McDonagh, UK/Belgium, 2008) Ralph Fiennes, Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson. 107min. Two gobby Dublin criminals bide their time in Bruges, awating instruction from their cryptic and remote gangster boss Harry. Irish playwright McDonagh, in his feature debut, which wrestles some affecting moments from demonstrative characters, nicely teases out the parallels between the trio and Beckett’s Vladimir, Estragon and Godot. Cameo, Edinburgh. In Time (12A) (Andrew Niccol, US, 2011) Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Cillian Murphy. See Also Released, page 70. General release from Tue 1 Nov. Inni (E) (Vincent Morisset, Iceland/UK/Canada, 2011) 74min. Second film from euphoric Icelandic post-rock group Sigur Rós, charting their decision to go on indefinite hiatus, and featuring concert footage from a concert on their final tour. The Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh; Oran Mor, Glasgow. Jack Goes Boating (15) ●●●●● (Philip Seymour Hoffman, US, 2010) Philip Seymour Hoffman, John Ortiz, Amy Ryan. 91min. See review, page 69. Selected release from Fri 4 Nov. Jane Eyre (PG) ●●●●● (Cary Fukunaga, UK/US, 2011) Mia Wasikowska, Michael Fassbender, Judi Dench. 121min. 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. Selected release. Jewish Film Club (tbc) (Various) Running since 2006, the Jewish Film Club brings a range of documentary, features and shorts to the CCA, with a focus on contemporary cinema. CCA, Glasgow. Johnny English Reborn (PG) (Oliver Parker, US/France/UK, 2011) Rowan Atkinson, Dominic West, Rosamund Pike. 101min. Atkinson reassumes the role of the inept anti-Bond. General release. Kara Tointon: Don’t Call Me Stupid (12A) (Suzie Samant, UK, 2010) 60min. Documentary following actress Kara Tointon as she explores her dyslexia and meets other people with the condition. Followed by bAd, a short drama about a dyslexic child in the 1970s, and a discussion with a panel selected by Dyslexia Awareness Week. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Killing Us Softly: Advertising’s Image of Women (E) (Jean Kilbourne, US, 1979) 30min. Feminist writer, speaker and filmmaker Jean Kilbourne explore’s the advertising industry’s traffic in warped images of femininity. Part of Glasgay!. CCA, Glasgow. Kink Crusaders (18) (Michael Skiff, US, 2010) 74min. Documentary telling the history of the annual International Mr Leather Contest, a fetish beauty contest for men of all stripes. Part of Glasgay!. CCA, Glasgow. The Last Picture Show (15) ●●●●● (Peter Bogdanovich, US, 1971) Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepherd. 126min. Sex and depression in a West Texas town. Bogdanovich’s splendid 1971 debut returns on new print. Cameo, Edinburgh. Light of the River (PG) (Tetsuo Hirakawa, Japan, 2010) 75min. Japanese animation about a family of river rats who are forced out of their home by building development. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Lion King 2D (PG) ●●●●● (Roger Allers/Rob Minkoff, US, 1994) With the voices of Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, Robert Guillaume. 88min. The first Disney animated feature to be based on an original story rather than a traditional folk or fairy tale, The Lion King retains all of the studio’s markers: impeccable animation, jolly songs, colourful characters and a strong moral guideline. Solid family fare. General release. The Lion King 3D (PG) ●●●●● (Roger Allers/Rob Minkoff, US, 1994) Voices of Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, Robert Guillaume. 88min. See above. Now in glorious 3D. General release. The Little Vampire (U) ●●●●● (Uli Edel, UK, 2000) Rollo Weeks, Richard E Grant, Jonathan Lipnicki. 95min. Tony (Lipnicki), fresh from the orange groves of California, moves with his family to Scotland. He quickly becomes the leas popular kid in his class, but finds a playmate when a 10-year-old vampire conveniently falls down his chimney. Glasgow Film Theatre. Live in Movement (PG) (Sophie Hyde/Bryan Mason, Australia, 2011) 79min. Documentary about the life and work of choreographerTanja Liedtke and the impact of her sudden death on her collaborators. Screening with short The Departure by Justin Griffiths. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Local Hero (PG) ●●●●● (Bill Forsyth, UK, 1983) Peter Riegert, Burt Lancaster, Denis Lawson. 107min. One of Bill Forsyth’s most sure-footed ventures, and one in which his eye for charm balances with his love for whimsy. An ambitious executive of an American oil company is sent to buy an entire Scottish town for a future drilling project, but soon finds himself falling in love with the place, while being hoodwinked by the community. Part of Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Love Eternal (L’éternel Retour) (12A) (Jean Delannoy, France, 1943) Madeleine Sologne, Jean Marais, Jean Murat. 107min. Delannoy and writer Jean Cocteau update the Tristan and Isolde story to World War II France. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. A Ma Soeur! (Fat Girl) (18) ●●●●● (Catherine Breillat, France, 2001) Roxane Mesquida, Anais Reboux, Libero de Rienzo. 86min. Inspired by a newspaper report of a family tragedy, Breillat has crafted an impressively acted film, frank and discomforting to the viewer, which dismantles the cosy assumptions of the teenage summer romance movie. Glasgow Film Theatre. Machine Gun Preacher (15) (Marc Forster, US, 2011) Gerard Butler, Michelle Monaghan, Michael Shannon. 129min. See Also Released, page 70. General release from Wed 2 Nov. Made in Dagenham (15) ●●●●● (Nigel Cole, UK, 2010) Sally Hawkins, Miranda Richardson, Rosamund Pike. 112min. Entertaining crowd-pleaser made in the mould of British comic dramas. A Scottish Women's Aid event. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Man Who Knew Too Much (15) ●●●●● (Alfred Hitchcock, US, 1956) James Stewart, Doris Day, Brenda De
Banzie. 120min. Hitch’s remake of his own film with the monumental James Stewart as the doctor on vacation in Marrakech who witnesses a murder and thereafter gets into all kinds of trouble. A passable remake. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Melancholia (15) ●●●●● (Lars von Trier, Denmark/Sweden/France/Germany, 2011) Kirsten Dunst, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Kiefer Sutherland. 136min. A large rogue planet is to pass very close to Earth in a matter of days. Von Trier’s unique take on the apocalypse thriller has the logic (or illogic) of a nightmare. A remarkable tale of astrophysics and the human psyche. Selected release. Midnight in Paris (12A) ●●●●● (Woody Allen, Spain/US, 2011) Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Kathy Bates. 94min. Gil (Wilson), a blustering screenwriter, is holidaying in Paris with his wife (McAdams) and her stuffy parents, when one night he is whisked off to a party with Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway. Allen’s amusing and cleverly sustained movie shows that he can still surprise and delight. General release.
✽✽ Miss Bala (15) ●●●●● (Gerardo Naranjo, Mexico, 2011) Stephanie Sigman, Irene Azuela, Miguel Couturier. 113min. See review, page 67. Filmhouse, Edinburgh; Glasgow Film Theatre. Miss Representation (12A) (Jennifer Siebel Newsom, US, 2011) 90min. Documentary juxtaposing stories from teenage girls about the effects of media representations of women on their aspirations to leadership with provocative interviews with prominent females such as Condoleezza Rice and Rosario Dawson. A Scottish Women's Aid event. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Monte Carlo (PG) ●●●●● (Thomas Bezucha, US, Hungary, 2011) Selena Gomez, Cory Monteith, Leighton Meester, Katie Cassidy. 108min. Gomez plays Grace, a plain Texan teenager who heads off post- graduation to Paris, with stuck-up sister Meg (Meester) and gauche waitress pal Emma (Cassidy). See review at List.co.uk.General release. Mother (PG) ●●●●● (Vsevelod Pudovkin, USSR, 1926) Vera Baranovskaya, Nikolai Batalov, Aleksandr Chistyakov. 89min. In pre-Revolutionary Russia, a mother betrays her son who’s taking part in an illegal strike. Politicised by the incident, she turns to communism. Despite the party line that the film takes, Pudovkin’s classic achieves narrative and technical beauty. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. My Paths Through Dance (Mis Caminos a Través de la Danza) (PG) (Daniel G Cabrero, Spain, 2010) 95min. Documentary based on the memoirs of Spanish dancer Mariemma. Followed by a Q&A with director Cabrera. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. My Summer of Love (15) ●●●●● (Pawel Pawlikowski, UK, 2004) Nathalie Press, Emily Blunt, Paddy Considine. 86min. Pawlikovski’s lovely, lusty sun-drenched follow up to The Last Resort (2000) is a rare, cogent, powerful, little gem of a film. Cameo, Edinburgh. Nineteen Eighty-Four (15) ●●●●● (Michael Radford, UK, 1984) John Hurt, Richard Burton, Suzanna Hamilton. 110min. Faithful adaptation of George Orwell’s dystopian novel. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. One for the Road (E) (US, 2011) Extreme skiing and snowboard action in the latest HD film from Teton Gravity Research. The Bongo Club, Edinburgh. Paranormal Activity 3 (15) (Henry Joost/Ariel Schulman, US, 2011) Katie Featherstone, Sprague Grayden. 84min. See Also Released, page 70. General release. Pater (15) (Alain Cavalier, France, 2011) Vincent Lindon, Alain Cavalier, Bernard Bureau. 105min. Cavalier and Lindon film themselves pretending to be businessmen- politicians campaigning for office, with an articulate wit and and offbeat style that’s as much documentary as fiction. Part of French Film Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh.
✽✽ Pegasus (15) (Mohamed Mouftakir, Morocco, 2010) Majdoline Drissi, Anas
El Baz, Saadia Ladib. 104min. The mysterious story of a young girl found with no clues as to her past except a memory of a