Film REVIEWS
ALSO RELEASED
Tiny Furniture
The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists ((UU)) 8888mmiinn Brand new 3D seafaring adventure from the claymation boffins at Aardman. General release from Wed 28 Mar. Bonsai ((1155)) 9955mmiinn Hispanic romantic drama with a literary flavour. Selected release from Fri 30 Mar. Tiny Furniture ((1155)) 9988mmiinn American independent comedy from hotly-tipped young writer Lena Dunham. See review at list.co.uk Selected release from Fri 30 Mar. The Emperor and the White Snake ((1122AA)) 110000mmiinn Martial arts fantasy film based on an ancient Chinese legend, starring Jet Li. Selected release from Fri 30 Mar. The Island President ((PPGG)) 110011mmiinn Political documentary with a climate change focus as the President of the Maldives strives to keep his nation above sea level. Selected release from Fri 30 Mar. Wrath of the Titans ((1122AA)) 110000mmiinn Sequel to 2010 3D turkey Clash of the Titans, with Sam Worthington and Liam Neeson returning. General release from Fri 30 Mar. Mirror Mirror ((PPGG)) 110066mmiinn Julia Roberts stars as the narcissistic evil queen in this comic-fantasy twist on the Snow White story. General release from Mon 2 Apr. A Cat in Paris ((UU)) 7700mmiinn Stylish French animation in the mystery- adventure vein. Selected release from Fri 6 Apr. The Cold Light of Day ((1122AA)) 9933mmiinn Man of the moment Henry Superman Cavill joins Bruce Willis in this espionage/kidnap thriller. General release from Fri 6 Apr. La Grande Illusion ((UU)) 111144mmiinn Reissue of Jean Renoir’s 1937 prison-set war movie. Selected release from Fri 6 Apr. North Sea Texas ((1155)) 9988mmiinn Coming of age homosexual awakening drama set on the Belgian coast. Selected release from Fri 6 Apr. Return ((1155)) 9977mmiinn A returning US soldier struggles to re-adapt to her former life. See review at list.co.uk Selected release from Fri 6 Apr. Battleship ((1122AA)) 113311mmiinn Hasbro’s latest toy-to-film conversion adds sci-fi action to the familiar tactical sea battle scenario. General release from Wed 11 Apr. Blackthorn ((1155)) 110022mmiinn The Butch Cassidy story is continued, with Sam Shepard taking on the role of the old outlaw living in Bolivia. Selected release from Fri 13 Apr. Mozart’s Sister ((1122AA)) 112200mmiinn French drama exploring the life of the famous composer’s unfairly overlooked older sister. Selected release from Fri 13 Apr. Beauty (Skoonheid) ((1188)) 110044mmiinn South African drama about a man’s detachment and self-disgust with his own sexuality. Selected release from Fri 20 Apr. Breathing ((1155)) 9933mmiinn Dramatic directorial debut from Austrian actor Karl Markovics (The Counterfeiters). Selected release from Fri 20 Apr. Elfie Hopkins ((ttbbcc)) ttbbcc mmiinn Junior detective thriller starring Ray Winstone and his daughter Jaime. Selected release from Fri 20 Apr. Elles ((1188)) 9999mmiinn Juliette Binoche stars in this drama about young female students who turn to prostitution to fund their studies. Selected release from Fri 20 Apr. Gone ((ttbbcc)) 9944mmiinn Abduction thriller starring Amanda Seyfried. General release from Fri 20 Apr. Grave Encounters ((1155)) 9900mmiinn A ghost-hunting reality show crew gets stuck in an abandoned asylum. You can guess what happens next. General release from Fri 20 Apr. Hari Kiri ((ttbbcc)) 112277mmiinn Takeshi Miike-directed period samurai drama about revenge, honour and disgrace. Selected release from Fri 20 Apr. Lockout ((ttbbcc)) ttbbcc mmiinn Guy Pearce and Maggie Grace star in sci-fi actioner set in a space prison. General release from Fri 20 Apr. Marley ((1155)) 114444mmiinn Kevin Macdonald documentary on the life of reggae legend Bob. Selected release from Fri 20 Apr. Oliver Sherman ((ttbbcc)) 8822mmiinn Returning soldier drama directed by newcomer Ryan ‘not related to Robert’ Redford. Selected release from Fri 20 Apr.
70 THE LIST 29 Mar–26 Apr 2012
DRAMA LE HAVRE (PG) 93min ●●●●●
Migrating south to shoot his latest feature in France seems to have lightened the mood of the Finnish filmmaker Aki Kaurismaki, whose brand of deadpan humour has previously proved to be the key in crafting a series of delightfully miserable comedies set in and around Helsinki. Happily, exporting his trademark comic sensibility to (apparently) less melancholy climes has in no way diminished Kaurismaki’s talent for wringing laughs – and genuinely touching drama.
All that said, it should come as no great surprise that Kaurismaki has chosen to set his new film in one of France’s most dismal locales: Le Havre, the Normandy seaport that was levelled during World War II. It’s here that elderly shoe-shiner Marcel Marx (the superbly stoic André Wilms) attempts tp help a young African immigrant boy to evade the French authorities and cross the Channel to London, family and a better life.
In the hands of Ken Loach, this sorry tale would be an unremittingly grim, if true- to-life drama. In Kaurismaki’s hands, it’s not only grimly funny, but the proceedings are given a glorious stylistic makeover, courtesy of the filmmaker’s love of 1950s kitsch, which here expresses itself in a homage to the Technicolor romantic dramas of Douglas Sirk. It’s a beguiling cinematic conceit that bestows dignity upon Kaurismaki’s beloved underclass. And it looks really cool. (Miles Fielder) ■ Selected release from Fri 6 April.
ROMANTIC COMEDY SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN (12A) 107min ●●●●●
This adaptation of Paul Torday’s 2007 novel is another to add to the list of ‘books that didn’t work as films’. The story of a nerdish Scottish fisheries expert (Ewan McGregor) and a sophisticated legal aide (Emily Blunt) selected by a fishing- obsessed Arab sheik (Amr Waked) to help realise the seemingly impossible vision of the title was undoubtedly more effective on the page; as a film it is played primarily as a quirky comedy romance, but a grating and clichéd one. Writer Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire) fails to focus the story’s wild shifts of tone – there are elements of political satire, devastating drama and even a brief terrorism subplot – and the result is an insubstantial muddle.
Director Lasse Hallström (Chocolat, The Cider House Rules) favours simple broad emotions over thematic complexity, but this story’s bigger themes of politics and faith require a subtle touch that is entirely absent. Kristin Scott Thomas also appears as a Malcolm Tucker-like spin doctor, but amongst this likeable cast it is only Waked’s considered performance that makes a lasting impression. (Paul Gallagher) ■ General release from Fri 20 April.