Film INDEX French Film Festival
This year’s FFF is packed to the Gallic gills with excellent films and visits from their creators. Christophe Honoré, Bouli Lanners, Danielle Arbid and filmmaking couple Fiona Gordon and Dominique Abel will all attend events, while screening highlights include nature documentary Océans, comic book animation Titeuf (pictured) and road movie Robert Mitchum is Dead. ■ Filmhouse, Edinburgh, GFT, Glasgow and venues around Scotland, until Wed 7 Dec. See frenchfilmfestival.org.uk for full listings.
Elf (PG) ●●●●● (Jon Favreau, US, 2003) 96min. Buddy (Ferrell) is a big Elf who, though accepted in his Elvish community in the North Pole, manages to wreak havoc on a daily basis. St Bride’s Centre, Edinburgh; Sloans, Glasgow. The Fairy (La fée) (tbc) (Dominique Abel, Fiona Gordon, Bruno Romy, France/Belgium, 2011) Dominique Abel, Fiona Gordon, Philippe Martz. 93min. A receptionist in a seaside hotel checks in a fairy who grants him three wishes in this blend of slapstick, circus, dance and illusion. Part of the French Film Festival. Selected release. FFF Shorts (15) (Various, France, Various) 110min. A collection of shorts showcasing the French filmmaking talents of tomorrow. Part of the French Film Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. 50/50 (15) ●●●●● (Jonathan Levine, US, 2011) Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick. 99min. See review, page 74. General release from Fri 25 Nov. Fly Me to the Moon (U) ●●●●● (Ben Stassen, US, 2008) Buzz Aldrin, Adrienne Barbeau, Ed Begley Jr. 84min. A 3D film describing mankind’s first trip to the moon is a lively sounding prospect, and moments in Stassen’s animation provide a genuine wow- factor, but such moments of poetry are fleeting and the majority of this film insanely focuses on the uninteresting plight of three houseflies who stowaway onboard. IMAX Theatre, Glasgow. The Future (12A) ●●●●● (Miranda July, Germany/US, 2011) Miranda July, Hamish Linklater, David Warshofsky. 91min. Sophie and Jason decide to give a home to a stray, terminally-ill cat named Paw Paw. They turn off the internet, quit their dull jobs and proceed to bring a whole new meaning to the term ‘existential crisis’. Cameo, Edinburgh; Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee. Future Shorts (E) (Various, Various) 90min. An international initiative offering a monthly showcase of the finest short films from around the world. Inspace, Edinburgh. A Garibaldian in the Convent (12A) (Vittorio De Sica, Italy, 1942) Leonardo Cortese, María Mercader, Carla Del Poggio. 83min. When a wounded soldier takes refuge in a convent, a young woman comes to his aid. Part of The Birth of a Nation: ‘Il Risorgimento’ in Italian Cinema. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Giants (Les géants) (12A) (Bouli Lanners, Belgium, 2011) Paul Bartel, Zacharie Chasseriaud, Marthe Keller. 84min. A trio of boys spends an adventurous summer in the country in this melding of Mark Twain and Ken Loach. Part of the French Film Festival. Dundee Contemporary 76 THE LIST 17 Nov–15 Dec 2011
Arts, Dundee; Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow; Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Godfather (15) ●●●●● (Francis Ford Coppola, US, 1971) Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan. 175min. Coppola’s gangster classic in which an ageing Mafioso patriarch (Brando) transfers charge of his empire to his son (Pacino). Sloans, Glasgow. The Great Dictator (PG) ●●●●● (Charles Chaplin, US, 1940) Charles Chaplin, Jack Oakie, Reginald Gardiner. 125min. Wonderful late Chaplin classic. Chaplin plays two roles – a meek Jewish barber with amnesia and a Hitler-style mad dictator. Very funny indeed; this is the birthplace of sight and sound gags that Les Dawson got away with using for years. Unusually for Chaplin this is also strangely moving and prophetic. Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee. The Greatest Movie Ever Sold (12A) (Morgan Spurlock, US, 2011) 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. The Hippodrome, Bo’ness. Hairspray (PG) ●●●●● (Adam Shankman, US, 2007) John Travolta, Nikki Blonsky, Amanda Bynes. 116min. Faithful adaptation of the Broadway musical rather than a remake of John Waters’ 1988 film. Travolta’s surprisingly endearing performance (in full drag) as Edna Turnblad is the cherry on top. St Bride’s Centre, Edinburgh. Hands Up (Les mains en l’air) (12A) (Romain Goupil, France, 2010) Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Linda Doudaeva, Jules Ritmanic. 90min. A group of Parisian youngsters band together to prevent their friend from being deported. Part of the French Film Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh; Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow. Happy Feet Two (U) (George Miller, Australia, 2011) Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Pink. tbcmin. This sequel follows Mumble’s son, Erik, as he tries to make his mark in the world. Meanwhile, an outside force threatens everyone. General release from Fri 2 Dec. Head On (18) (Fatih Akin, Germany, 2005) Birol Ünel, Sibel Kekilli, Catrin Striebeck. 120min. Akin’s ferocious, sexually-charged tale of the ill-fated ‘marriage of inconvenience’ between Cahit (Ünel), a suicidal 40-year-old alcoholic, and Sibel (Sibel Kekilli), a suicidal 23-year-old hedonist, restores one’s faith in grown-up cinema. Part of the Mad Love season. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow. The Help (12A) ●●●●● (Tate Taylor, US/India/UAE, 2011) Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer. 146min. Based on Kathryn Stockett’s best-selling novel, The
Help follows one progressive young white daughter of Jackson (Stone) as she befriends and records the experiences of abused maids. Rising star Stone handles her role with a certain amount of warranted self effacement. Moving and thought-provoking. General release. Hubble (U) (Toni Meyers, Canada, 2010) 44min. Leonardo Di Caprio narrates the latest 3D IMAX space adventure. IMAX Theatre, Glasgow. Hugo (tbc) (Martin Scorsese, US, 2011) Asa Butterfield, Chloe Moretz, Ben Kingsley. Scorsese films Brian Selznick’s book for youngsters, The Invention of Hugo Cabret, with Butterfield as the young orphan thief who becomes embroiled in a mystery involving a stolen key, a cryptic drawing and a mechanical man, courtesy of accomplices Isabelle (Moretz) and shopkeeper Georges (Kingsley). General release from Fri 2 Dec. I Start Counting (15) ●●●●● (David Greene, UK, 1969) Jenny Agutter, Bryan 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, Glasgow. The Ides of March (15) ●●●●● (George Clooney, US, 2011) Paul Giamatti, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman. 101min. Clooney’s fourth directorial effort is set around a hotly contested Ohio Presidential Primary and from mundane opening to murky sex scandal is surprisingly effective for such a by-the-numbers political drama. General release. Immortals (15) ●●●●● (Tarsem Singh, US, 2011) Henry Cavill, Mickey Rourke, Luke Evans. 110min. Loosely based on the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, Cavill plays a peasant chosen by Zeus to lead an army against Rourke’s Hyperion who is on a country-wide rampage. General release. In Time (12A) (Andrew Niccol, US, 2011) Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Cillian Murphy. 109min. When the ageing gene has been switched off, time becomes the ultimate commodity. A poor young man comes upon a fortune of time and goes on the run from the ‘time keepers’. General release. Inside Out (E) (The Coastal Crew, 2011) 40min. Documentary following the world’s best mountain bike freeriders as they tackle the world’s toughest mountains. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow. Into Great Silence (U) (Philip Gröning, France/Switzerland/Germany, 2005) 169min. A 169-minute meditation on silence featuring a silent Carthusian monastic Order in the Alps. If you have the stomach for it, this low key, demanding, occasionally transcendental film about the nature of silence is as thought provoking as it is rewarding. Part of Inter-Faith Week. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Iris (15) (Richard Eyre, UK, 2001) Judi Dench, Kate Winslet, Jim Broadbent. 90min. The love story of two of this century’s most significant writer-academics, Iris Murdoch and John Bayley, is lovingly created from Bayley’s memoirs. Part of What is Human Dignity?: A Biomedical Ethics Film Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Is It Dance? (PG) (Various, Various) 90min. Programme of dance films with a visual arts emphasis. Part of DANCE:FILM festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. It’s A Wonderful Life (PG) ●●●●● (Frank Capra, US, 1946) James Stewart, Donna Reed, Henry Travers, Thomas Mitchell. 129min. Archetypal Capra sentimentality with a superbly detailed fantasy framework and one of Stewart’s most lovable performances. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow. Jack Goes Boating (15) ●●●●● (Philip Seymour Hoffman, US, 2010) Philip Seymour Hoffman, John Ortiz, Richard Petrocelli. New York limo driver Jack is painfully awkward around women. His only friend Clyde and his wife set him up with Connie and they have a sparkling first date. Then he invites Connie for dinner and everything goes wrong. Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee; Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Jason and The Argonauts (U) ●●●●● (Don Chaffey, UK/US, 1963) Todd Armstrong, Nancy Kovack, Gary Raymond. 104min. Totally brill adventure yarn as our hero Jason sets out to retrieve the legendary golden fleece and is helped by a number of the gods on Olympus along the way. Ray Harryhausen’s stop-motion effects remain among the best of his career, most notably the final conflict with an army of skeletal soldiers. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow. Jewish Film Club (tbc) (Various, 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. Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer (PG) (John Schultz, US, 2011) Jordana Beatty, Heather Graham, Preston Bailey. 91min. Tween comedy adventure for all the family based on popular book series. The Hippodrome, Bo’ness. Justice (15) (Roger Donaldson, US, 2011) Nicolas Cage, January Jones, Guy Pearce. 105min. Vigilante revenge thriller. General release from Fri 18 Nov. Juve Against Fantomas (E) (Louis Feuillade, France, 1913) René Navarre, Georges Melchior, Edmund Breon. 61min. A rare and exciting action film from the silent era, about the terrible villain Fantomas and his battles with the valiant Inspector Juve. Part of the French Film Festival. Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee; The Hippodrome, Bo’ness. KanZeOn (E) (Neil Cantwell/Tim Grabham, Japan/UK, 2011) 87min. Experimental and unconventional documentary exploring Japanese Buddhism through the sounds, music and rituals of this rarely-seen world. Glasgow University Chapel, Glasgow. Kill Keith (15) (Andy Thompson, UK, 2011) Keith Chegwin, Susannah Fielding, Russell Grant. 93min. Far-fetched comedy horror in which a mysterious assassin picks off a series of Britain’s cheesiest presenters, Cheggers (playing himself) included, as they vie for a spot alongside the glamorous female co-host of a popular breakfast TV show. Showcase Cinemas, Paisley & Glasgow East. Labyrinth (U) ●●●●● (Jim Henson, US, 1986) David Bowie, Jennifer Connelly, Shelley Thompson. 101min. A teenage girl has her baby brother kidnapped by the King Of The Goblins, and so has to enter the fiendish labyrinth to get him back. Not bad family feature, with plenty of furry creatures to keep the kids happy. GFT Late Night Classics screening. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow. The Lady Vanishes (PG) ●●●●● (Alfred Hitchcock, UK, 1938) Margaret Lockwood, Michael Redgrave, Dame May Whitty. 95min. Hitchcock’s wonderfully entertaining pan-European railway thriller feels as fresh today as it must have back in the appeasement years. Beginning in a fictitious Eastern European principality, an old lady does a disappearing act on a train. Suspicious, a young man and woman investigate. Though often dismissed as one of Hitchcock’s more lightweight films, this was and is an allegory of Britain when Blimpish complacency was believed to be the best deterrent to war. St Bride’s Centre, Edinburgh. Last Orders (15) ●●●●● (Fred Schepisi, UK, 2001) Michael Caine, Bob Hoskins, David Hemmings. 108min. Jack (Caine), a butcher from Bermondsey, has died. Joined by Jack’s son (Winstone), his three best friends (Courtney, Hemmings, Hoskins) set off on a road-trip to Margate to scatter the old man’s remains. Converting Graham Swift’s remarkable novel of loss, friendship and life’s cruel decline into a movie was always going to be something akin to catching salt in the wind. Schepisi has lost the febrile sense that this sad story is built on odd tender moments snatched from eternity. This is, however, a soap opera acted out by a right royal cast. Filmhouse, Edinburgh.