FILM | Index
NOW: In the Wings on a World Stage (15) (Jeremy Whelehan, US, 2014) Kevin Spacey, Maureen Anderman, Stephen Lee Anderson. 93min. Doc following the whirlwind 10-month international tour of Richard III, starring Kevin Spacey and directed by Sam Mendes. Selected release from Mon 9 Jun. Omar (tbc) (Hany Abu-Assad, Israel, 2013) Essam Abu Aabed, Foad Abed- Eihadi, Adel Abu-Lasheen. 96min. Drama charting the effects of the political tensions in Israel on three friends. Selected release from Fri 30 May, incl Filmhouse, Edinburgh; Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow. Pantani: The Accidental Death of a Cyclist (15) ●●●●● (James Erskine, UK, 2013) 96min. See review, page 70. Selected release from Fri 16 May. Pluto (Myungwangsung) (15) (Su- won Shin, South Korea, 2012) Da-wit Lee, Jun Sung, Sung-ha Cho. 114min. At an elite boarding school, the murder of a top student adds fuel to the rivalry and suspicion among his class. Selected release from Fri 6 Jun. Postman Pat: The Movie (U) ●●●●● (Mike Disa, UK, 2014) David Tennant, Rupert Grint, Jim Broadbent. 88min. See review, page 69. General release from Fri 23 May.
✽The Punk Singer (15) ●●●●● (Sini Anderson, USA, 2013)
Kathleen Hanna, Carrie Brownstein, Kim Gordon. 80min. See review, page 68. Selected release from Fri 23 May. Run & Jump (15) (Steph Green, Ireland/Germany, 2013) Maxine Peake, Edward MacLiam, Will Forte. 102min. A happy-go-lucky romance. Selected release from Fri 23 May. A Touch of Sin (tbc) (Zhangke Jia, China, 2013) Wu Jiang, Vivien Li, Lanshan Luo. 133min. Selected release from Fri 16 May. Touchy Feely (tbc) (Lynn Shelton, US, 2013) Rosemarie DeWitt, Ellen Page, Josh Pais. 88min. See review, page 69. Selected release from Fri 16 May.
✽The Two Faces of January (12A) (Hossein Amini, US/UK,
2014) Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst, Oscar Isaac. 96min. See interview, page 25 and review, page 68. Selected release from Fri 16 May, incl Filmhouse, Edinburgh; Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow.
✽Venus in Fur (La Vénus à la fourrure) (15) (Roman Polanski,
France/Poland, 2013) Emmanuelle Seigner, Mathieu Amalric. 96min. See review, page 68. Selected release from Fri 30 May. When I Saw You (tbc) (Annemarie Jacir, Palestine, 2013) Mahmoud Asfa, Ruba Blal, Saleh Bakri. 93min. Having been separated from his father in the chaos of moving to Jordan from Palestine, Tarek and his mother Ghaydaa, are in the latest wave of refugees until Tarek searches a way out which leads him to a group of people on a journey that will change their lives. Selected release from Fri 6 Jun. X-Men: Days of Future Past (tbc) (Bryan Singer, US, 2014) Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender. 130min. Wolverine is sent back in time to change a major historical event, for the good of both human- and mutantkind. General release from Thu 22 May.
STILL SHOWING The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (12A) ●●●●● (Marc Webb, US, 2014) Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx. 142min. Peter Parker (Garfield) goes up against new supervillains Electro (Foxx) and Harry Osborn (DeHaan). Garfield and Stone have enormous chemistry, Foxx and DeHaan bring complexity and pathos, and the rebooted franchise continues to capture the original character’s wise-cracking energy in a way that the Raimi trilogy didn’t. General release.
72 THE LIST 15 May–12 Jun 2014
UK GREEN FILM FESTIVAL The nationwide event returns for another year, giving film-goers the chance to see documentaries about current environmental issues. At the GFT there will be screenings of Musicwood (Wed 4 June), about logging and its impact on acoustic guitar production; Planet Ocean (Sun 1 June), a beautifully-shot portrait of the world’s vast bodies of water and A River Changes Course (8th June) the story of three families affected by the rapid development taking place in contemporary Cambodia. ■ Gl asgow Film Theatre, Sun 1–Sun 8 Jun.
Bad Neighbours (15) ●●●●● (Nicholas Stoller, US, 2014) Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne, Zac Efron. 96min. Kelly (Byrne) and Mac (Rogen) are adjusting to life with a baby when a college fraternity moves in next door, led by buff, glassy-eyed Teddy (Efron). Although it lacks a satisfying structure, the gags come thick and fast, Rogen and Byrne are an appealing couple and for all the big laughs there’s a surprising sweetness. General release. Before the Winter Chill (Avant l’hiver) (15) ●●●●● (Philippe Claudel, France/Luxembourg, 2013) Daniel Auteuil, Kristin Scott Thomas, Leïla Bekhti. 103min. Lucie (Scott Thomas) is a bored, middle-class French housewife whose affluent surgeon husband Paul (Auteuil) seems to be being stalked by a young woman (Bekhti) who claims that he saved her life. Despite excellent performances and a convincing milieu, a bizarre and improbable twist in the plot undoes much of Claudel’s careful work. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow, Thu 15–Thu 22 May; Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Thu 15–Thu 22 May. Blue Ruin (15) ●●●●● (Jeremy Saulnier, US, 2013) Macon Blair, Devin Ratray, Amy Hargreaves. 92min. A wandering vagrant returns to his childhood home to carry out an act of vengeance when he learns the man convicted of killing his parents is being released from prison. Selected release. The Book Thief (12A) ●●●●● (Brian Percival, US, 2014) Sophie Nélisse, Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson, Roger Allam. 131min. Liesel (Nelisse) is a German schoolgirl growing up under the Nazi regime, who begins to steal books whenever the opportunity arises. Percival’s adaptation of Zusak’s best seller is at its best exploring the relationship between Liesel and her foster parents (Rush and Watson), but other elements, such as a voice-over from Death himself, are less successful. Selected release. Calvary (15) ●●●●● (John Michael McDonagh, Ireland, 2013) Brendan
Gleeson, Chris O’Dowd, Kelly Reilly. 101min. Father James (Gleeson) is a priest, but a good one; wise, witty, kind, non-judgmental. Then he’s told that he’s to be killed to atone for the sins of his church. McDonagh’s film features exceptional performances from a great cast, and a witty and powerful script, far more thoughtful than 2011’s lacklustre The Guard. Dominion, Edinburgh, Thu 15 May; Cameo Cinema, Edinburgh, Thu 15 May. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (12A) ●●●●● (Anthony Russo, Joe Russo, US, 2014) Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan. 128min. Just as the titular hero (Evans) is adjusting to life in the 21st century, SHIELD turns out to have been infiltrated, and he must team up with Black Widow (Johansson) and Falcon (Mackie). A highly enjoyable conspiracy thriller with stunning action sequences, outstanding performances and a clever, morally complex plot. Selected release. Divergent (12A) ●●●●● (Neil Burger, US, 2014) Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Kate Winslet. 139min. In a dystopian future where people are assigned to different factions of society based on their talents, Tris (Woodley) discovers that she’s dangerously multi-talented. The story seems over- familiar, director Burger takes too long to set things up and despite appealing performances from Woodley and James, there’s little peril or excitement. Selected release. An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker (12) (Danis Tanovic, Bosnia & Herzegovina/France/Slovenia/Italy, 2013) Nazif Mujic, Senada Alimanovic, Semsa Mujic. 75min. Bosnian drama. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow, Tue 20–Wed 21 May. Exhibition (15) ●●●●● (Joanna Hogg, UK, 2013) Tom Hiddleston, Viviane Albertine, Liam Gillick. 103min. D (Albertine) appears to be a melancholic, housebound woman with an unfulfilled marriage to H (Gillick), but the reality is more nuanced. Sensitive, intelligent and compelling filmmaking, which portrays its potentially unsympathetic characters – unhappy privileged people with truth, skill and understanding. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Thu 15 May; Cameo Cinema, Edinburgh, Tue 20 May. Frank (15) ●●●●● (Lenny Abrahamson, UK/Ireland, 2014) Michael Fassbender, Domhnall Gleeson, Maggie Gyllenhaal. 95min. Jon, a young wannabe musician, discovers he’s bitten off more than he can chew when he joins an eccentric pop band led by the mysterious and enigmatic Frank. General release. The Grand Budapest Hotel (15) ●●●●● (Wes Anderson, US, 2014) Ralph Fiennes, Saoirse Ronan, Edward Norton. 100min. Gustave H (Fiennes), the flamboyantly orderly concierge of the Grand Budapest Hotel, likes to romance the elderly guests, but when his wealthy lover (Swinton) dies mysteriously, he finds himself framed for murder. Perhaps Anderson’s most uncompromisingly eccentric and perfectly realised film to date, with an astonishing and revelatory comic performance from Fiennes. Odeon Lothian Road, Edinburgh, Thu 15 May. Locke (15) ●●●●● (Steven Knight, US/UK, 2013) Tom Hardy, Ruth Wilson (voice), Andrew Scott (voice). 85min. Ivan Locke (Hardy) is a Welsh construction manager driving his BMV down the motorway, dealing with various professional and personal crises as he does so. An entire film set in a car is surprisingly compelling; it may not be a wild ride but you can’t take your eyes off the road. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Fri 6–Thu 12 Jun. The Love Punch (12A) ●●●●● (Joel Hopkins, France, 2013) Emma Thompson, Pierce Brosnan, Tuppence Middleton. 94min. Richard (Brosnan) is a businessman whose company’s pension fund is wiped out by a villainous banker, so he heads to Paris with ex-wife Kate (Thompson) in search of redress. Enjoyable middle-aged heist comedy, with outstanding supporting