list.co.uk/fi lm Harvey (U) (Henry Koster, US, 1950) James Stewart, Josephine Hull, Peggy Dow, Charles Drake. 104min. Elwood P Dowd (Stewart) is a nice, pleasant man who just happens to have an invisible friend resembling a six foot rabbit. Presented by the Southside Film Festival Club and The Glad Cafe. The Glad Café, Glasgow, Tue 18 Dec. Home Alone (PG) ●●●●● (Chris Columbus, US, 1990) Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard, Catherine O’Hara. 103min. Jolly, if sadistic, scare-comedy antics produced by teen flick veteran John Hughes. Cameo, Edinburgh, Sat 15 Dec. In Bruges (18) ●●●●● (Martin McDonagh, UK/Belgium, 2008) Ralph Fiennes, Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson. 107min. Two gobby Dublin criminals bide their time in Bruges, awating instruction from their cryptic and remote gangster boss Harry. Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee, Wed 19 Dec. Island Reels A season of films celebrating Scotland’s island communities, including work from Powell and Pressburger, The Wicker Man and documentary shorts from the Scottish Screen Archive. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow and various other venues, Thu 20 Sep–Sat 6 Oct, takeoneaction.org.uk. Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet (E) (Jesse Vile, US, 2012) Jason Becker, Ehren Becker, Gary Becker. 90min. Documentary about 1980s rocker Jason Becker, guitarist in the legendary David Lee Roth Band. Cameo, Edinburgh, Mon 17 Dec. La Boheme (PG) ●●●●● (Robert Dornheim, Austria/Germany, 2008) Anna Netrebko, Rolando Villazon, George Von Bergen. 114min. Decent film version of classic opera. Cineworld Fountainpark, Edinburgh, Tue 15 Jan; Cineworld Renfrew Street, Glasgow, Tue 15 Jan. La resa dei conti (15) (Sergio Sollima, Spain/Italy, 1966) Lee Van Cleef, Tomas Milian, Luisa Rivelli. 80min. Sollima’s influential Spaghetti Western featuring Van Cleef as a lawman on the hunt for a bandit. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Thu 13 Dec. Last Shop Standing (tbc) (2012) 50min. Based on the book of the same name, this documentary looks at the cultural importance of the country’s dwindling independent record shops. Cameo, Edinburgh, Thu 13 Dec. Late Night Shopping (15) (Saul Metzstein, UK/Germany, 2001) Luke de Woolfson, James Lance, Kate Ashfield. 91min. Set in Glasgow, this comedy follows four friends with night jobs meeting up every night after work to chat over their problems. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow, Mon 17 Dec. Lawrence of Arabia (PG) (David Lean, UK, 1962) Peter O’Toole, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, Omar Sharif. 222min. Lean’s mammoth desert epic, restored to its director’s original cut and the big screen, where filmmaking on this scale belongs. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Thu 27–Sun 30 Dec. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (PG) (Peter Jackson, New Zealand/US, Various) Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood, Liv Tyler, Cate Blanchett, Viggo Mortensen. 534min. All three parts of Peter Jackson’s epic adaptation of the JRR Tolkein novels, back to back. Do you have the stamina? Grosvenor Cinema, Glasgow, Sat 15–Sat 22 Dec. Mariinsky Ballet: The Nutcracker (tbc) (Andreas Morell) 105min. The first 3D version of The Nutcracker, performed by St. Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre. Showcase Cinema Paisley, Paisley, Sun 30 Dec–Thu 3 Jan. Meet Me In St Louis (U) ●●●●● (Vincente Minnelli, US, 1944) Judy Garland, Margaret O’Brien, Mary Astor. 113min. Released during wartime, this 1903-set musical was an optimistic attempt to emphasise family values, but Minnelli never wallows in nostalgia. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow, Sat 15–Mon 17 Dec.
Metropolitan Opera: Donizetti’s Maria Stuarda (E) (David McVicar, US, 2012) Donizetti’s tragic opera based on the lives of Mary Queen of Scots and her cousin Queen Elizabeth I, filmed at the Met Opera, NYC, and brought to the big screen in stunning digital clarity. Release from Sat 19 Jan, incl Cameo, Edinburgh; Cineworld Renfrew Street, Glasgow. Metropolitan Opera: Les Troyens (tbc) (US, 2013) Deborah Voigt, Susan Graham, Marcello Giordani. 341min. Berlioz’s Trojan War epic is performed by the Met Opera forces, marshalled by principal conductor Fabio Luisi. Release from Sat 5 Jan, incl Cameo, Edinburgh; Cineworld Renfrew Street, Glasgow. Metropolitan Opera: Verdi’s Aida (tbc) (US, 2012) Verdi’s epic opera is broadcast live as part of the NYC Met’s ‘Live in HD’ series. Aida brings to life a glittering, opulent ancient Egypt, in which the military commander Radames must choose between his love for the Ethiopian slave Aida and his loyalty to the Pharaoh. Fabio Luisi conducts. Release from Sat 15 Dec, incl Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee; Cineworld Renfrew Street, Glasgow; Cameo, Edinburgh. The Muppet Christmas Carol (U) ●●●●● (Brian Henson, US, 1992) Michael Caine, Dave Goelz, Steve Whitmire. 85min. Colourful version of Dickens’ classic tale that will please the kids and keep the adults smiling with its little irreverent spices. Selected release. Nativity! (U) ●●●●● (Debbie Isitt, UK, 2009) Martin Freeman, Marc Wootton, Ashley Jensen. 105min. Surprisingly enjoyable British family drama about one school’s attempt to put on the best nativity play in Britain by getting the media involved. Freeman and Wootton as the two primary school teachers at the eye of the storm are excellent. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow, Sat 15 Dec. NBCQ: The Joy Of Six . . . New British Crafted Short Films (tbc) ●●●●● 73min. The best of up and coming British talent features in these six short films from directors Douglas Hart, Matthew Holness, Romola Garai, Will Jewell, Dan Sully and Chris Foggin. Followed by a Q&A with Dan Sully, director of The Ellington Kid. See review at list.co.uk. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Thu 13 Dec. The Nightmare Before Christmas (PG) ●●●●● (Henry Selick, US, 1993) Danny Elfman, Chris Sarandon, Catherine O’Hara. 76min. Jack Skellington, the skinny trickster king of Halloweentown, is restless with success and needs a new challenge, so he hatches a plot to kidnap Santa and creates a mixed-up Yuletide which isn’t quite what the kids expected. Produced and based on a story and characters by Tim Burton. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Sat 22–Sun 23 Dec. NT Live: The Magistrate (tbc) (Timothy Sheader, UK, 2013) John Lithgow, Nancy Carroll, Joshua McGuire. 180min. National Theatre’s version of this classic Victorian farce, starring John Lithgow. Cameo, Edinburgh, Thu 17 Jan. Bolshoi Ballet: The Nutcracker (E) (Russia, 2011) 124min. Tchaikovsky’s music brings to life this Christmas favourite in which the toys come to life (and about 200 years before Toy Story at that). Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee, Sun 16 Dec; Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow, Sun 16 Dec; Cameo, Edinburgh, Sun 16 Dec. Opera Australia: La Bohème (tbc) (Australia, 2012) 130min. Big screen broadcast of Opera Australia and Gale Edwards’ production, bringing a little Hollywood glamour and decadence to Puccini’s famous tale. Cineworld Fountainpark, Edinburgh, Tue 15 Jan; Cineworld Renfrew Street, Glasgow, Tue 15 Jan. Pieces (18) (Juan Piquer Simón, Spain/USA/Puerto Rico/Italy, 1982) Christopher George, Lynda Day George, Frank Braña. 85min. This cult classic shows what happens when a chainsaw killer decides to make a human jigsaw
from teenage students’ body parts. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow, Tue 18 Dec. The Princess Bride (PG) ●●●●● (Rob Reiner, US, 1987) Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, Billy Crystal. 99min. Princess Buttercup is chosen by the nasty Prince Humperdinck to be his bride but her heart belongs to the farm boy Westley. The princess’ kidnapping prompts the return of Westley, now a pirate, and launches a series of swashbuckling adventures, after which true love can prevail. William Goldman’s heavily ironic fairy tale is given a spirited treatment by the director of Stand By Me and an enthusiastic troupe. Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee, Mon 17 Dec. Raymond Briggs Trilogy (U) (Various, UK, 1982-98) 78min. Three short animations based on Raymond Briggs’ charming stories: The Bear, Father Christmas and The Snowman. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Sun 23–Mon 24 Dec. The Royal Ballet: The Nutcracker (U) (UK, 2009) 120min. The classic ballet about young Clara’s adventures in the play room on Christmas night, filmed live at the Royal Ballet and presented in digital on the big screen. Showcase Cinema Paisley, Paisley, Thu 13 Dec. Royal Opera House: La Bohème (E) (John Copley, 2012) 165min. The Royal Opera House’s production of Puccini’s classic starring Rolando Villazón, beamed live from Covent Garden. Showcase Cinema Paisley, Paisley, Tue 15–Sun 20 Jan; Cameo, Edinburgh, Tue 15 Jan. Royal Opera House: The Nutcracker (E) (UK, 2012) Performance of the festive favourite, filmed live at the Royal Opera House. Selected release. The Shop Around The Corner (PG) ●●●●● (Ernst Lubitsch, US, 1940) James Stewart, Margaret Sullavan, Frank Morgan. 97min. A glorious
Index | FILM romantic comedy by the great Ernst Lubitsch, teaming up Stewart and Sullavan as bickering shop assistants who gradually realise they’ve been having an anonymous romance by letter. Funny and touching, it’s an absolute classic. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Fri 21–Sun 23 Dec. The Snowman (U) (Dianne Jackson, Jimmy T Murakami, UK, 1982) 26min. Classic wordless animation based on Raymond Briggs’ children’s book. Triple bill with Father Christmas and The Bear. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow, Sat 22 Dec. Trading Places (15) ●●●●● (John Landis, US, 1983) Dan Aykroyd, Don Ameche, Eddie Murphy. 116min. A ‘Prince and the Pauper’ lifestyle- swapping comedy sparked by the dynamic presence of Murphy. Cameo, Edinburgh, Sat 5 Jan. Vertigo (PG) ●●●●● (Alfred Hitchcock, US, 1958) James Stewart, Kim Novak, Barbara Bel Geddes. 128min. Extraordinary plotting in this classic Hitchcock study of romantic mania, with Stewart memorably cast against type as the distinctly on-the-edge cop. Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee, Fri 28–Sat 29 Dec. The Wizard Of Oz (U) ●●●●● (Victor Fleming, Uncredited:, Norman Taurog, Richard Thorpe, George Cukor, King Vidor, Mervyn LeRoy, US, 1939) Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Margaret Hamilton, Toto. 102min. The classic family film about Dorothy and friends on the road to Oz. Special sing-along screening. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Sat 15–Mon 24 Dec. The World of Simon’s Cat (tbc) The feline YouTube sensation has a brand spanking Christmas film out, so come along for an exclusive screening, plus a chance to meet the creator and have a go at drawing Simon’s cat yourself. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Sat 15 Dec.
13 Dec 2012–24 Jan 2013 THE LIST 101