FILM | Index
performances from Imrie and Spall as Kate and Richard’s best friends. General release. Muppets Most Wanted (U) ●●●●● (James Bobin, US, 2014) Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell, Tina Fey. 112min. A world tour goes awry when the Muppets find themselves accidentally caught up in a jewel heist. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Sun 25 May; Showcase Cinema Glasgow, Glasgow, Thu 15 May; Showcase Cinema Paisley, Paisley, Thu 15 May. A New York Winter’s Tale (12A) ●●●●● (Akiva Goldsman, USA, 2014) Colin Farrell, Jessica Brown Findlay, Russell Crowe. 118min. New York, 1916; charismatic thief Peter (Farrell) falls in love with dying heiress Beverley (Brown Findlay), kicking off a magical fable that spans a century. Goldsman’s keenly- awaited directorial debut fails to escape mawkishness, and despite decent work from Farrell and Findlay, this adaptation of Mark Helprin’s popular fantasy novel is hugely disappointing. Vue Glasgow Fort, Glasgow, Thu 15 May. Next Goal Wins (15) (Mike Brett/ Steve Jamison, UK, 2014) 90min. In 2001 the tiny Pacific island of American Samoa suffered a world record 31-0 footballing defeat at the hands of Australia, garnering headlines across the world as the worst soccer team on the planet. A decade after that humiliating night, they remain rooted to the bottom of FIFA’s World rankings, having scored only twice in 17 years. It would take a miracle-maker or a madman to turn the team’s fortunes around – and in maverick Dutch coach Thomas Rongen the islanders somehow find both. Cineworld Fountainpark, Edinburgh, Thu 15 May; Cineworld Renfrew Street, Glasgow, Thu 15 May; Vue Omni Centre, Edinburgh, Thu 15 May. Noah (12A) ●●●●● (Darren Aronofsky, US, 2014) Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Douglas Booth. 138min. The story of the ark-building biblical patriarch Noah (Crowe), who in this version believes that God intends the flood as a human genocide. Director Aronofsky crafts an intense conflict between Noah and his own family, making for a compellingly weird and occasionally wonderful story. Selected release. The Other Woman (12A) ●●●●● (Nick Cassavetes, US, 2014) Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann, Kate Upton. When lawyer Carly (Diaz) falls for Mark (Coster-Waldau), he seems too good to be true. He is: he’s already married to Kate (Mann), and is having another affair with Amber (Upton). Cassavetes’ film squanders its subversive wronged- women-seek-revenge premise in clichés, weak gags and an all-round lack of sass. General release. Pompeii (12A) ●●●●● (Paul WS Anderson, Canada/Germany, 2014) Kit Harington, Emily Browning, Kiefer Sutherland. 105min. A slave-turned- gladiator finds himself in a race against time to save his true love, who has been betrothed to a corrupt Roman senator. As Mount Vesuvius erupts, he must fight to save his beloved with Pompeii crumbling around him. General release. Rio 2 (U) ●●●●● (Carlos Saldanha, US, 2014) Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Leslie Mann. 101min. Blu (Eisenberg) and Jewel (Hathaway) travel to the Amazon to discover Jewel’s family, but old adversary Nigel (Clement) is keen on revenge. Amiable sequel to the macaw-themed 2010 original; despite dubious racial stereotyping in the supporting cast, there’s enough colour and incident to make for passable family entertainment. Workshop at noon. General release. Sabotage (15) (David Ayer, US, 2014) Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sam Worthington, Olivia Williams. 109min. General release. Starred Up (18) ●●●●● (David Mackenzie, UK, 2013) Jack O’Connell, Ben Mendelsohn, Rupert Friend. 106min. Eric (O’Connell) is a 19 year old 74 THE LIST 15 May–12 Jun 2014
offender who’s been moved to an adult facility because of his violent behaviour, but then he meets hardened criminal Neville (Mendelsohn), who happens to be his father. Gut-wrenching and insightful, with excellent performances and an abrasive but sensitive script peppered with welcome moments of humour. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Thu 15 May. Tarzan (PG) (Reinhard Klooss, Germany, 2013) Kellan Lutz, Spencer Locke, Robert Capron. 94min. Tarzan (Twilight’s Lutz) and Jane take on a big energy company – the same one that Tarzan’s parents ran before they died in a plane crash – in this CGI version of the classic tale. General release. Transcendence (12A) (Wally Pfister, US, 2014) Johnny Depp, Morgan Freeman, Rebecca Hall. 119min. Set in the near future, newly developed technology allows a person’s mind to be downloaded onto a computer. When the terminally ill scientist involved in its development uses it on himself, he becomes something more than human. Selected release. The Trip to Italy (15) (Michael Winterbottom, UK, 2014) Rob Brydon, Steve Coogan. 115min. Coogan and Brydon follow up their improv culinary travelogue comedy The Trip, which saw the pair travel around the Lake District, by heading for a land with a higher spaghetti content. Selected release. The Wind Rises (Kaze tachinu) (PG) ●●●●● (Hayao Miyazaki, Japan, 2013) Voices of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emily Blunt, Mae Whitman. 126min. An animated biopic of Jiro Horikoshi, the man who designed Japanese fighter planes during World War II. Selected release.
ONE-OFFS, SEASONS AND FESTIVALS 8 Hour Film Project Scotland’s most popular filmmaking event, having inspired the creation of over 200 new Scottish shorts in the past five years. Participants are given a character, prop and line of dialogue, and have 48 hours to make a film, start to finish. All films are professionally screened, and the winning filmmaker wins a trip to Filmapalooza in the US. Cameo Cinema, Edinburgh, Thu 15 May. Best of Iris 2013 (15+) (Various) 72min. A showcase of winning films from the 2013 Iris Prize, including Burger by Magnus Mork. Introduced by Berwyn Rowlands of the Iris Prize. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow, Sun 18 May. Bilet na ksiezyc (Ticket to the Moon) (15) (Jacek Bromski, Poland, 2013) Filip Plawiak, Mateusz Kosciukiewicz, Bozena Adamek. 123min. A man sets out with the submarine division of the Polish navy in 1969. Vue Glasgow Fort, Glasgow, Sat 17–Sun 18 May; Vue Omni Centre, Edinburgh, Sat 17–Sun 18 May. The Boot (Chakmeh) (tbc) (Mohammad-Ali Talebi, Iran, 1993) Ali Atashkar, Samaneh Jafar-Jalali, Raya Nasiri. 60min. A little girl pesters her mother to buy her red boots, then loses one and tries to find it. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow, Sat 17 May. A Box of Delights (tbc) A selection of award-winning animated shorts chosen by the British Animation Awards for children and families. Programme 2. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Sun 18 May. The Cinema of Childhood A season showcasing rarely screened films about kids from all around the world. Featuring Children in the Wind (Kaze no naka no kodomo), Les Jeux Interdits (Forbidden Games), Wrony and more. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow, until Mon 26 May; Filmhouse, Edinburgh, until Mon 16 Jun. cinemaofchildhood. com.
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EDINBURGH SHORT FILM FESTIVAL 2014 A showcase of international and local independent short films, the Edinburgh Short Film Festival first started in 2009 having previously been part of the Leith Festival. Submissions are screened across the city in eclectic and often eccentric locations, each entry vying for the prize of Most Creative Short Film 2014 and inclusion in a future ESFF project in Shanghai, China. (James Howe) ■ Various locations, Edinburgh, Fri 6–Sun 15 Jun.
Classic Cinema: Films for Grown- ups (tbc) Watch classic films on the big screen at the Burrell. Burrell Collection, Glasgow, Fri 16 May. Consequences of Love (15) ●●●●● (Paolo Sorrentino, Italy, 2004) Tony Servillo, Olivia Magnani, Adriano Giannini. 100min. Ultra self-consciously directed, loosely existential thriller from Italian filmmaker Sorrentino. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Tue 10 Jun. Creative Process: Norman McLaren (U) (Donald McWilliams/ Claude Dionne, Canada, 1993) 117min. Documentary on legendary filmmaker Norman McLaren, with particular focus on his process of artistic creation. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Sun 8 Jun. Cult Movie Mondays (tbc) Weekly screenings of movies that people go mad for. Sofi’s, Edinburgh, Mon 19 May– Mon 9 Jun. D-Day: 70 Years On – Live from Royal Albert Hall (tbc) (UK, 2014) Live screening of the massive commemorative concert. Cameo Cinema, Edinburgh, Fri 6 Jun; Cineworld Fountainpark, Edinburgh, Fri 6 Jun; Cineworld Renfrew Street, Glasgow, Fri 6 Jun. Death Line (tbc) (Gary Sherman, UK, 1972) Donald Pleasence, Norman Rossington, David Ladd. 87min. After being trapped under falling masonry beneath the London Underground, a group of Victorian workers survive as cannibals. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow, Mon 19 May. Dexy’s – Nowhere Is Home (15+) (Kieran Evans/Paul Kelly, UK, 2014) 90min. Documentary shot over the final nights of Dexy’s celebrated residency at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow, Sun 25 May. Driving Miss Daisy (tbc) (David Esbjornson, Australia, 2013) Angela Lansbury, James Earl Jones, Boyd Gaines. Screening of a live performance of the classic story about an elderly woman and her chauffeur, filmed at the Comedy Theatre in Melbourne, Australia, in 2013. General release. ECA Film & TV (15) (UK) 120min. A collection of work from Edinburgh College of Art’s graduating filmmakers. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Tue 27 May. Edinburgh Short Film Festival (tbc) Ten events over two weekends, showcasing a selection of the best shorts by filmmakers from across the globe. See preview, left. Various venues, Edinburgh, Fri 6–Sun 8 Jun; The Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh, Sun 8 Jun. Elbow Room (tbc) (Thomas Butler, 2014) The story of the mid-20th century plan to demolish the city of Glasgow and replace it with a futuristic concrete utopia. Summerhall, Edinburgh, Wed 21 May; The Arches, Glasgow, Thu 22 May. Flying High: Aviation on Film (tbc) View some rediscovered films that capture Scotland’s early aviation history, with Ruth Washbrook of the Scottish Screen Archive and Moya MacDonald from Another Orkney Production. National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh, Wed 28 May. Free China: The Courage to Believe (tbc) (Michael Perlman, US, 2011) 61min. Documentary telling the stories of two Falun Gong practitioners who stood up for their peaceful belief and were imprisoned and tortured by the Chinese government. Hillhead Library, Glasgow, Sat 7 Jun. Fukushima, Hiroshima, Fukushima (tbc) Three documentaries created by Japan Desk Scotland exploring the Fukushima nuclear accident and the atomic bombing on Hiroshima. Chaplaincy Centre, Glasgow, Tue 10–Thu 12 Jun. Future Shorts (tbc) An international initiative offering a monthly showcase of the finest short films from around the world. CCA, Glasgow, Fri 16 May. Giant (PG) (George Stevens, US, 1956) Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, James Dean. 201min. Sprawling epic covering