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Film REVIEWS
FRIGHTFEST HIGHLIGHTS
THEATRE COMEDY ADAPTATION CARNAGE (15) 79min ●●●●●
Roman Polanski’s adaptation of Yasmina Reza’s play Gods of Carnage opens with a playground spat. Set over the opening credits, it’s this innocuous bust-up that drives the bitterly funny four-hander, as the parents of both children try to settle their differences over tea, cobbler, whisky and cigars in the Manhattan apartment of Penelope and Michael Longstreet (Jodie Foster and John C Reilly). In the blue corner are Nancy and Alan Cowan (Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz), whose 11 year-old boy, Zachary, hit the Longstreets’ little cherub, Ethan, with a stick, breaking two of his teeth. Rational discussion eventually gives way to a more instinctual argument, as these four adults reveal they are not above their sons’ playground brawling.
Polanski makes little attempt to disguise the fact this comes from a play. And there is no
doubt that the repeated attempts the Cowans make to leave the apartment, only to be dragged back in by some off-colour remark, feels rather contrived on screen (a convention that works far better in the theatre). But Carnage plays out at such a blistering pace, and boasts such exuberant performances from its quartet of well- cast stars, that it’s hard not to give in to it. Inglourious Basterds’ Oscar-winning Waltz once again has a field day enunciating his English dialogue (it truly is delicious to hear him speak) as he infuriates the others with his incessant Blackberry use. There isn’t much more to Carnage, other than machine-gun bursts of comic savagery. Really, it’s a smart look at just how easy it is for the mask of civilisation to slip, and the hypocrisies that lurk underneath to rise up. The result? Fast, funny and filthy, it will have you in stitches. (James Mottram) ■ General release from Fri 3 Feb.
ACTION ADVENTURE BLACK GOLD (12A) 130min ●●●●●
The financial muscle of the Middle East has had a major impact on many spheres in recent years. Now that money is being directed towards movies. Bankrolled by The Doha Film Institute this action-adventure is set at the turn of the 20th century as oil is being discovered in the desert. French director Jean-Jacques Annaud (Seven Years in Tibet, Enemy at the Gates) falls short in directing the action and, ironically, can’t avoid stereotypes of the Arab World, especially in its depiction of female characters. The central premise is promising: a war over land ends with an uneasy truce made between pious Sultan Amar (Mark Strong) and headstrong leader Emir Nesib (Antonio Banderas), the upshot of which is that the Sultan’s two sons are left under the guardianship of the Emir. By the time Prince Auda (A Prophet star Tahar Rahim) grows up the truce is put under strain by the discovery of oil. He is more successful at choosing between his two dads, wooing the luscious Princess Leyla (Freida Pinto is sadly no Carrie Fisher) and avoiding death than at being the new Indiana Jones or meeting characters with an Arabic accent. A disappointingly clichéd effort. (Kaleem Aftab) ■ Selected release from Fri 24 Feb.
Henry Northmore rounds up the best films showing as part of the horror strand of Glasgow Film Festival FrightFest is back once again to terrorise the Glasgow Film Festival. Now taking over the GFT for two full days, this year (as with every year) it’s a vibrant snap shot of the state of horror cinema. It’s been so successful the organisers have launched a FrightFest Extra fringe programme with a chance to catch some old Hammer Horror classics on the big screen as well as Livid (pictured, Wed 22 Feb 4.20pm; Thu 23 Feb, 9.15pm, Cineworld), Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury’s psychedelic follow up to French shocker Inside.
Unsurprisingly this year’s programme has been infected by the outbreak of ‘found footage’ films that are so virulent in the genre at the moment. Over a quarter of this year’s offerings are filmed in the fake home movie shockumentary format. It’s rapidly becoming a cliché but when someone gets in right (think [Rec] or Paranormal Activity) it’s an incredibly efficient and cost effective way of building tension. Tape 407: The Mesa Reserve Incident (Fri 24 Feb, 4pm) takes the shakycam onboard a flight and subsequent crash; Evidence (Sat 25 Feb, 11am) is a camping trip gone wrong (strange noises, weird carvings on trees, etc) while possession movie The Devil Inside (Sat 25 Feb, 9pm) is the biggie that surprised everyone with an opening weekend take of $34.5 million in the States. Though a controversial film, it’s not the demonic imagery in The Devil Inside that has caused such an uproar but the ending (spoiler alert . . . well sort of) as, after an abrupt finish, it prompts you to visit a URL ‘for more information’. There are reports of whole audiences booing the screen or demanding refunds. Consider yourself forewarned.
The programme has also been widened in scope to include several titles that aren’t strictly horror films, but do contain horrific elements and ample gore. There’s über violent Indonesian action flick The Raid (Sat 25 Feb, 11.15pm), dark claustrophobic noir Crawl (Fri 24 Feb, 6.30pm) and post-apocalypse survival tale The Day (Fri 24 Feb, 9pm) alongside the more obvious horror fare of War of the Dead (Fri 24 Feb, 11.15pm) and Wang’s Arrival (Sat 25 Feb, 6.30pm). And finally we need to doff our cap to the king of the Bs, Roger Corman, as new documentary Corman’s World (Fri 24 Feb, 1.30pm) makes it’s Scottish debut. Mr Corman we salute you, cinema would be a far duller place without you. (Henry Northmore) ■ All FrightFest screenings are at the Glasgow Film Theatre.
2 Feb–1 Mar 2012 THE LIST 71