list.co.uk/film
Soylent Green (15) (Richard Fleischer, US, 1973) Charlton Heston, Leigh Taylor- Young, Edward G Robinson. 97min. Film adaptation of Harry Harrison’s highly- regarded novel Make Room! Make Room! sets up a plausible vision of a future world teeming with hungry millions. Heston is a tough cop trying to discover exactly what’s in Soylent Green, a synthetic foodstuff cooked up to help feed the planet. The final revelation might be obvious from a long way off, but it’s very logical in a Swiftian sort of way. Preceded by a Q&A with Billy Kirkwood, chaired by Mark Millar. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow. The Spanish Civil War: 75th Anniversary Screening (E) (Various, UK, 1936) 60min. Newsreels from the British Pathé Archive, offering a rare glimpse into a conflict which still resonates today. Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee. Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace (U) ●●●●● (George Lucas, US, 1999) Ewan McGregor, Liam Neeson, Natalie Portman. 139min. On the surface, the plot structure of this limp prequel isn’t a million light years away from the original Star Wars. At times you’d think there was more animation than live action on screen — and maybe it’s this toning down of the human element that left the film lacking soul. Now re-released in glorious 3D for those fans who just haven’t seen enough of Jar Jar Binks. General release from Thu 9 Feb. Tatsumi (15) (Eric Khoo, Singapore, 2011) Tetsuya Bessho, Yoshihiro Tatsumi. 94min. A film based on the life and short stories of Yoshihiro Tatsumi, renowned for his gekiga style of manga. Selected release. The Thing (15) ●●●●● (Matthijs van Heijningen Jr, US/Canada, 2011) Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgerton, Ulrich Thomsen, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Eric Christian Olsen. 102min. In this prequel to John Carpenter’s 1982 horror classic, Norwegian researchers in Antarctica discover a bloodthirsty alien which imitates human life-forms. Derivative and shapeless, with slack dialogue, vacuous characters and a less-than-impressive Thing, this is not so much homage as rip-off. macrobert, Stirling.
✽✽ This is Not a Film (In film nist) (12A) (Mojtaba Mirtahmasb, Jafar Panahi, Iran, 2010) 75min. Panahi appeals against his conviction for ‘propaganda against the system’ in this documentary about the defence of the artist. See caption, page 74. Part of the Middle Eastern Film Festival (Edinburgh screening) and Glasgw Film Festival (Glasgow screening). Filmhouse, Edinburgh; Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow. This Means War (12A) (McG, US, 2012) Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, Tom Hardy. Action comedy as two CIA agents (Pine and Hardy) realise they are dating the same woman (Witherspoon). General release from Thu 16 Feb. Times Of Harvey Milk (15) ●●●●● (Rob Epstein, US, 1984) Harvey Milk, Dan White, George Moscone, Dianne Feinstein, Anne Kronenberg, Tom Ammiano. 86min. Oscar-winning feature-length documentary profiling the US’s first openly gay politician, who may well have become the city’s mayor had he not been assassinated. Part of LGBT History Month. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Tin Drum (Die Blechtrommel) (15) ●●●●● (Volker Schlöndorff, West Germany/France/Poland/Yugoslavia, 1979) David Bennent, Mario Adorf, Angela Winkler. 142min. Fantastic, witty, clever and deeply memorable version of Gunther Grass’ analogous drama about an intellectual boy who refuses to grow in protest at the world around him (it’s actually an attack of those who stayed passive in Nazi Germany). Buñuel favourite Jean-Claude Carrière adapted Grass’ monster of a book. With an introduction by Dr Pasquale Iannone. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (15) ●●●●● (Tomas Alfredson, UK/France, 2011) Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, John Hurt. 127min. Adaptation of John Le Carré’s Cold War thriller about a
The Chemical Brothers: Don't Think
If you’ve ever seen the Chemical Brothers live you’ll know that the thrill of the experience lies as much in the visuals as it does in the music. The man behind those visuals, director Adam Smith, has turned a Chemical Brothers show at Japan’s Fuji Rock festival into a feature-length film using handheld camera footage sourced from the crowd and a mixture of the band’s signature psychedelic visuals. The result might just be the best cinematic representation of being off your face since Easy Rider. The film is to be screened at cinemas across the country, but only
on Fri 3 Feb. So, you’ve got once chance only to catch this monument to the appeal of possibly the UK’s best live dance act. ■ Selected screenings on Fri 3 Feb, see dontthinkmovie.com for details.
recently retired spy (Oldman) redrafted to investigate the truth behind fears that MI6 has been infiltrated by a Soviet double agent. With flawless performances from an all-star cast and wonderfully sure-footed, subtle direction, this is a real treat and the antidote to all those hyperactive spy movies of recent years. Brunton Theatre, Edinburgh. The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls (12A) (Leanne Pooley, New Zealand, 2009) 84min. The Topp Twins are the world’s only singing, yodelling lesbian twin sister comedians, and this documentary examines their political activism and comedy through archive footage and interviews. Followed by a Q&A with the Topp Twins. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Trade — The Flower Industry in Kenya (E) (UK, 2011) 90min. Investigative documentary made by the Guardian, exploring the effects of the export flower and vegetable economy in Kenya. Screening to mark the start of Fair Trade Week, followed by an expert panel discussion and Q&A session. CCA, Glasgow.
✽✽ Transit Cities (15) (Mohammed Hushki, Jordan, 2010) Mohammad Al-
Qabbani. 70min. This film, about cultural estrangement, follows a divorcee returning from the US to Amman after 14 years of marriage to find things have changed for the worse. See caption, page 74. Double bill with Grandma, a Thousand Times as part of the Middle Eastern Film Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh.
✽✽ Turtles Can Fly (15) ●●●●● (Bahman Ghobadi, Iran/Iraq, 2004)
Soran Ebrahim, Avaz Latif. 97min. The first feature film to emerge from Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein, the anguished Turtles Can Fly is set in a refugee camp on the Iraqi-Turkish border, just before the US invasion in the spring of 2003. It vividly but humanely immerses the viewer in the nightmarish realities of daily existence in this makeshift community, which is situated amidst a forbidding natural landscape. See caption, page 74. Part of the Middle Eastern Film Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh.
✽✽ Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (18) (David Lynch, France/US,
1992) Sheryl Lee, Ray Wise, Mädchen Amick. 135min. Practically dispensing
wholesale with the humour that underscored the TV series, Lynch’s prequel film is a surreal tour-de-force. Frequently unpleasant and nonsensical but imbued with striking imagery. Part of Into a World: The Films of David Lynch. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Under the Sea (U) (Howard Hall, UK, 2009) Jim Carrey. 65min. Carrey narrates an underwater 3D look at the impact of global warming upon the diverse coastal regions of Southern Australia, New Guinea and the Indo-Pacific areas. IMAX Theatre, Glasgow. Underworld Awakening (12A) (Måns Mårlind, Björn Stein, US, 2012) Kate Beckinsale, Sandrine Holt. When humans uncover the existence of the Vampire and Lycan clans, Vampire warrior Selene leads the resistance against humankind. Selected release. A Useful Life (U) (Federico Veiroj, Uruguay/Spain, 2010) Jorge Jellinek, Manuel Martinez Carril, Paola Venditto. 70min. After working in a cinema for 25 years, a man’s livelihood is turned upside down when his place of employment closes down and he must adjust to his new life. macrobert, Stirling. The Vow (12A) (Michael Sucsy, US/Brazil/France/Australia/UK/Germany , 2012) Rachel McAdams, Channing Tatum, Sam Neill. 104min. Tatum tries to win back his wife’s (McAdams) heart after she wakes up after a car crash with severe amnesia. General release from Fri 10 Feb. W.E. (15) ●●●●● (Madonna, UK, 2011) Abbie Cornish, James D’Arcy, Andrea Riseborough, Oscar Isaac. 115min. Madonna’s second film as director focuses on the affair between King Edward VIII and American divorcée Wallis Simpson and parallels the story with a contemporary tryst between a married woman a Russian security guard. Flatly acted and stiffly structured, the film’s brazenly sumptuous look and gorgeous costumes give it a substantial entertainment value, even if the results are patchy. Selected release. War Horse (12A) ●●●●● (Steven Spielberg, US, 2011) Jeremy Irvine, Emily Watson, Peter Mullan. 146min. When Albert’s horse, Joey, is sent to the trenches of World War One, their bond is torn apart. Although too young to enlist, Albert heads to France to rescue his friend. This is
INDEX Film
unashamedly romanticised, old-fashioned big-screen storytelling from Spielberg, who, with the help of an excellent ensemble cast, demonstrates his unparalleled ability to capture specific humanity within large-scale drama. General release. We Were Here (12) (David Weissman/Bill Weber, US, 2011) 90min. Documentary reflecting on the effects of AIDS on the San Francisco gay community when it descended as a so-called ‘gay plague’ 30 years ago. Part of LGBT History Month. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Weekend (18) ●●●●● (Andrew Haigh, UK, 2011) Tom Culllen, Chris New. 97min. A random pick-up at a gay club becomes much more than just a one night stand in this tender relationship drama from the director of Greek Pete. Part of LGBT History Month. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Well Digger’s Daughter (La fille du puisatier) (12A) ●●●●● (Daniel Auteuil, France, 2011) Daniel Auteuil, Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, Nicolas Duvauchelle. 107min. In this remake of Pagnol’s 1940 melodrama, Patricia (Frisbey), daughter of Provençal well- digger Pascal (Auteuil), falls for a dashing pilot (Duvauchelle) although her father has other plans. Despite his acclaimed performances in Claude Berri’s 1980s Pagnol adaptations, Auteuil plays it safe in his polished but unadventurous directorial debut. macrobert, Stirling. When Harry Met Sally (15) (Rob Reiner, US, 1989) Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher, Bruno Kirby. 95min. Thoughtful sex comedy has Crystal (Harry), Ryan (Sally) and Reiner on top form, with highly entertaining results. Nora Ephron’s witty screenplay intelligently ponders the possibility of male/female friendship with or without romance, and guess which side wins . . . Annie Hall for the late 1980s, featuring cinema’s most famous faked orgasm. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow; Scotsman Screening Room, Edinburgh.
✽✽ Wild At Heart (18) (David Lynch, US, 1990) Nicolas Cage, Laura Dern,
Willem Dafoe, Crispin Glover. 127min. Cage and Dern are the energetic young lovers on the run, pursued by ultra-strange hitman Dafoe on a sometimes comic, sometimes disturbing trail towards the ultimate rendezvous with Elvis and the Wizard of Oz. Part of Into a World: The Films of David Lynch. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Woman in Black (12A) ●●●●● (James Watkins, UK/Canada/Sweden, 2012) Daniel Radcliffe, Ciaran Hinds, Janet McTeer. 95min. A young lawyer (Radcliffe) arrives at a remote English village to conclude the estate of a dead woman; cue lots of shoogly windows, creaky floorboards and slamming doors. Despite smart production choices of screenwriter and director, the movie is dull and decidedly short on terror. See review, page 72. General release from Fri 10 Feb. The Woman in the Fifth (La femme du Vème) (15) ●●●●● (Pawel Pawlikowski, France/Poland/UK, 2011) Ethan Hawke, Kristin Scott Thomas, Joanna Kulig. 85min. Writer Tom (Hawke, understated) arrives in Paris to build bridges with his estranged family, but then his life falls apart – until he meets Margit (Scott Thomas). Some films err by spelling everything out, but Pawlikowski’s elegant but baffling feature doesn’t offer enough; despite elements of absurdist humour, it’s underdeveloped, incomplete and unpersuasive. See review, page 70. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Young Adult (15) (Jason Reitman, US, 2011) Charlize Theron, Patrick Wilson, Patton Oswalt. 94min. A divorced writer returns to her home town hoping to re- kindle an old flame, but her ex is now happily married. See profile, page 66. General release from Fri 3 Feb. Zen (tbc) (Banmei Takahashi, Japan, 2009) Kantarô Nakamura, Yuki Uchida, Ryushin Tei. 127min. Dramatisation of the life of Dogen Zenji, who was responsible for bringing Zen Buddhism to Japan in the 13th century. Screening preceded by 1985 short The Taiko. Part of Japan: Land for Hope. Gilmorehill Centre, Glasgow.
2 Feb–1 Mar 2012 THE LIST 77