Film HITLIST THE BEST FILM & DVD RELEASES
list.co.uk/film
EIFF Opening Gala: Killer Joe This year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival launches with a UK premiere of Killer Joe, the story of a young man who hires a contract killer to murder his mother. It’s directed by The Exorcist’s William Friedkin and stars Matthew McConaughey and Emilie Hirsh. See interview, page 46. Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, Wed 20 Jun.
Moonrise Kingdom 1960s New England-set drama from Wes Anderson with an all-star cast which opened this year’s Cannes Film Festival.See review, page 85. General release from Fri 25 May.
EIFF: Under the Stars Get in the mood for this year’s Edinburgh Film Festival by heading to one of these outdoor screenings. See preview, page 92. St Andrew Square Gardens, Edinburgh, Thu 14–Sun 17 Jun. Ill Manors Grimy crime drama from rapper Ben Drew aka Plan B, which interweaves six London-set stories to brilliant effect. Starring Four Lions’ Riz Ahmed. See review, page 88. General release Wed 6 Jun.
Cosmopolis David Cronenberg’s much- anticipated adaptation of Don DeLillo’s novel follows a billionaire (Robert Pattinson) as he journeys across a futuristic Manhattan. See review at list.co.uk. General release from Fri 15 Jun. The Turin Horse Bela Tarr’s sublime black and white film which imagines the fate of the horse that was rumoured to have caused philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche’s breakdown. See review on list.co.uk. Selected release Fri 1 Jun.
Sing Your Song An inspiring documentary about singer and actvist Harry Belafonte and his work for the civil rights movement. Including great use of archive footage. See review, page 86. Selected release Fri 8 Jun.
Refugee Week As part of the UK- wide event to celebrate the contribution made by refugees, the GFT will host 3 film screenings: Blame it on Voltaire, Colour of the Ocean and Touki Bouki. GFT, Glasgow, Tue 19–Sat 23 Jun.
Death Watch Re- release of the lost Glasgow-set sci-fi from 1980 by French director Bertrand Tavernier. Starring Harvey Keitel, Romy Schneider and a young Robbie Coltrane. See review on list.co.uk. Selected release Fri 1 Jun.
Let the Games Begin A celebration of sport on film, featuring a restoration of classic Chariots of Fire and new release Town of Runners. See preview, page 95. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Thu 2 Jun–Thu 26 Jul.
Profile PAUL BRANNIGAN
Born 1987, Glasgow, Scotland Background After working as a football coach in the Barrowfield community in Glasgow and helping to tackle knife crime as part of a Strathclyde Police initiative, Paul Brannigan was spotted by screenwriter Paul Laverty and director Ken Loach and offered the lead role in The Angels’ Share, a lighthearted whisky heist comedy which premieres in competition at the Cannes Film Festival this year.
On landing the role ‘When I heard what the film was about, the idea really surprised me, because I’ve had exactly the same kind of upbringing as the character I play, like having a wee boy to take care of, the brushes he has with the police and getting a chance to redeem himself through community work. I had to go through about ten auditions, but I felt more confident with each one I made it through, so when Ken finally took me aside told me that I’d got the role, it was like Deal or No Deal, I was jumping for joy, and so were my family and friends. It was just the right role for me.’ On the message of the film ‘I knew about the kind of films that Ken and Paul did from seeing Sweet Sixteen, which was a really popular film with people my age. Although this is a heist movie, I don’t think it would encourage anyone to go out and try a heist for themselves! I think the point of the film is more to do with how anyone can turn their life around given the right circumstances.’
On playing a victim of Scarlett Johansson’s seductive alien in the forthcoming Under The Skin ‘I had to stand around in front of a full crew for a week with my tallywhacker out. It was a completely different experience to working with Ken, standing there stark naked and covered in black goo, but I figured, if I could survive that, I can survive anything.’ ■ The Angels’ Share is on general release from Fri 1 Jun.
24 May–21 Jun 2012 THE LIST 85