Film HITLIST THE BEST FILM & DVD RELEASES
list.co.uk/film
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo While some corners have been up in arms about yet another American remake of a foreign language film, the central question of whether or not a good film has been made in its own right has been answered with a resounding yes. See feature, page 82, and review, page 83. General release from Mon 26 Dec.
The Artist A love letter to the days of silent cinema, created by OSS 117 director Michel Hazanavicius and starring John Goodman (pictured). See review, page 83. General release from Fri 30 Dec.
Meet Me in St Louis Reissue of the classic Vincente Minelli musical – head to the Filmhouse on Sat 17 Dec for a sing-along version. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Fri 16–Thu 22 Dec; GFT, Glasgow, Mon 19–Wed 21 Dec. My Week with Marilyn Great adaptation of Colin Clark’s memoir, detailing his time spent with Monroe during the filming of The Prince and the Showgirl. See Review of Reviews, page 10. Selected release, out now.
Another Earth Beautiful indie romantic drama with a sci-fi edge, directed by Boxers and Balllerinas’ Mike Cahill. A couple beset by tragedy contemplate starting afresh on a parallel Earth. See review on list.co.uk. General release, out now. Puss in Boots The fancy-footed fur ball is much better than it’s humble latter-day Shrekian beginnings would have you believe – go see it, or he’ll turn those big adorable eyes on you. See review on list.co.uk. General release, out now.
Ten for 11 The Filmhouse screens ten of the best films from 2011, including four out of five of our own favourites. See page 44 and page 85 for more info on the screenings. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Tue 27 Dec–Thu 5 Jan.
It’s a Wonderful Life The sentimental festive mainstay is screening at various cinemas around the country – we’d recommend the classy Bo’ness Hippodrome. Selected cinemas until Sat 24 Dec – see full listings at list.co.uk.
Inni Released earlier this year with an accompanying five-star CD release, this Sigur Ros concert film is the most beautiful thing since – well, since their 2007 filmic effort Heima anyway. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Fri 16 Dec.
Mad Love The GFT’s season celebrating cinema’s most crazed lovers wraps up with three stone-cold classics: Gun Crazy, Mulholland Drive and A Blonde in Love. See preview, page 89. GFT, Glasgow, until Thu 22 Dec.
Profile CAROL MORLEY
Born 1966, Stockport, England. Background The sister of music critic Paul Morley, Carol left school aged 16 to pursue a career as a singer in various post-punk Mancunian bands. Having studied fine art film at Central Saint Martins College of Art in London during her mid-20s, she made her documentary debut in 2000 with the BAFTA-nominated The Alcohol Years, an account of her own troubled Manchester youth. Her first fictional feature The Edge was selected for the London Film Festival in 2010. Her compelling new documentary-drama Dreams of a Life explores the mysterious case of Joyce Vincent, a thirtysomething Londoner whose body lay undisturbed for nearly three years in a North London flat.
On her own connection to Joyce Vincent ‘In making the film I discovered lots of personal links to Joyce. Her family often used to call her Carol, which is my name. We’d once lived on the same street in London. Her mother had died at 41, which is the same age which my Dad died at, and we were both 11 years old when we lost a parent.’
On cinema and beauty ‘When I discovered how beautiful Joyce was, I was so pleased, because I knew people would be more interested in her. Edgar Allan Poe said the death of a beautiful woman was the most poetic topic of all, and that comment is still relevant to today.’ On filming interviews ‘I didn’t want to film people in their houses with lots of clutter, so we did the interviews in a studio, with a blown-up A-to-Z map as a backdrop, to convey how Joyce moved across the capital.’
Interesting fact Morley first met the musician Barry Adamson, the composer of Dreams of a Life, at a nightclub when she was 15. (Tom Dawson) ■ Dreams of a Life, Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Fri 6–Tue 10 Jan.
15 Dec 2011–5 Jan 2012 THE LIST 81