FILM | Index
✽ What If (15) ●●●●● (Michael Dowse, Ireland/Canada, 2013) Daniel Radcliffe, Mackenzie Davis, Zoe Kazan. 102min. See review, page 62. General release. X-Men: Days of Future Past (12A) ●●●●● (Bryan Singer, US, 2014) Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Halle Berry, Anna Paquin, Ellen Page, Peter Dinklage, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen. 130min. Enormously entertaining comic- book prequel sequel. Selected release. ONE-OFFS, SEASONS AND FESTIVALS 20,000 Days on Earth (15) (Iain Forsyth/Jane Pollard, UK, 2014) Blixa Bargeld, Susie Bick, Arthur Cave. 97min. Discover the 20,000th day of Nick Cave’s life on earth in this exploration of the creative spirit, with a broadcast live performance from Cave and Warren Ellis for the launch. Preview screenings on Wed 17 Sep. Selected release from Fri 19 Sep. Aftershock (18) ●●●●● (Nicolás López, US/Chile, 2012) Eli Roth, Andrea Osvárt, Ariel Levy. 90min. Nature creates the disaster but it soon turns into man vs man as the survivors scrabble for safety amongst the wreckage, their plight further complicated by a gang of escaped prisoners on the rampage. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow, Wed 27 Aug. All This Mayhem (15) (Eddie Martin, UK/Australia, 2014) Tas Pappas, Ben Pappas, Tommy Caudill. 96min. This documentary follows two skateboarding brothers as their lives spiralled out of control in the late 1980s. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow, Thu 21 Aug; Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Tue 2–Thu 4 Sep. American Interior (12) (Gruff Rhys, UK, 2014) 92min. Experimental documentary from Super Furry Animals’ Gruff Rhys. Cameo Cinema, Edinburgh, Thu 21 Aug. Beyond Borders Film Festival Beyond Borders is an organisation dedicated to facilitating dialogue and international cultural exchange. This festival features five films exploring different aspects of conflict. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Tue 26–Thu 28 Aug, beyondbordersscotland.com. The Burmese Harp (12A) (Kon Ichikawa, Japan, 1956) Rentarô Mikuni, Shôji Yasui, Tatsuya Mihashi. 116min. In the closing days of WWII, when a conscience-driven Japanese soldier fails to get his countrymen to surrender to overwhelming force, he adopts the lifestyle of a Buddhist monk. The Hub, Edinburgh, Sat 23 Aug. The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari (PG) (Robert Wiene, Germany, 1919) Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt, Lil Dagover. 90min. A landmark of expressionist cinema, feasting the eyes with bizarre, angular visuals despite its technical crudity. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Fri 29 Aug–Mon 1 Sep. Come and See (15) (Elem Klimov, Soviet Union, 1985) Aleksey Kravchenko, Olga Mironova, Liubomiras Lauciavicius. 136min. A young boy finds an ancient rifle and joins the forces of WWII. The Hub, Edinburgh, Sun 24 Aug. Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope (tbc) ●●●●● (Morgan Spurlock, US, 2011) Kevin Smith, Stan Lee, Eli Roth. 88min. Documentary on the world’s biggest sci-fi, comic and cult convention. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Fri 5 Sep. Cool Hand Luke (15) ●●●●● (Stuart Rosenberg, US, 1967) Paul Newman, George Kennedy, JD Cannon. 127min. Superb adaptation of Donn Pearce’s Christ allegory novel. Cameo Cinema, Edinburgh, Sun 14 Sep. Darfur (15) (Uwe Boll, Canada/South Africa/Germany, 2009) Kristanna Loken, David O’Hara, Noah Danby. 98min. The story of a group of Western journalists in Sudan who can either return home to report on the violence they have seen or stay and try to help some of the victims.
64 THE LIST 21 Aug–18 Sep 2014
Opera’s spectacular floating production of Verdi’s opera. Odeon Lothian Road, Edinburgh, Thu 18 Sep; Odeon at the Quay, Glasgow, Thu 18 Sep. LIVE SCREENING Opera Australia: Madama Butterfly on Sydney Harbour (tbc) (2014) Hiromi Omura. 153min. Puccini’s 1904 opera, beamed live from the Sydney Opera House. Selected release. Planes (U) ●●●●● (Klay Hall, US, 2013) Voices of Val Kilmer, Julia Louis- Dreyfus, Teri Hatcher, John Cleese. 91min. The cloud-chasing counterpart of Cars sees Dusty try to overcome his fear of heights to enter an aerial race and make his dreams come true. Cineworld Parkhead, Glasgow, Thu 21 Aug. Polyester (15) (John Waters, US, 1981) Divine, Tab Hunter, David Samson. 86min. Bad taste comedy starring Divine as a put-upon housewife whose unsavoury family are nothing compared to the bad smells she has to put up with. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Thu 4 Sep. The Producers (PG) ●●●●● (Mel Brooks, US, 1968) Zero Mostel, Gene Wilder, Kenneth Mars, Dick Shawn. 88min. The story of two musical theatre producers aiming to produce a sure-fire flop. The Hub, Edinburgh, Mon 25 Aug. Ran (15) (Akira Kurosawa, Japan/ France, 1985) Tatsuya Nakadai, Mieko Harada, Akira Terao. 162min. Accomplished fusion of Japanese history and blood-drenched Shakespearean drama. The Hub, Edinburgh, Sat 23 Aug. LIVE SCREENING Royal Shakespeare Company: The Two Gentlemen of Verona (tbc) (Simon Godwin, UK, 2014) Simon Godwin, associate director of the Royal Court, makes his RSC début with Shakespeare’s exuberant romantic comedy. Release from Wed 3 Sep, Selected release. Sin City Double Bill (18) (Frank Miller/Robert Rodriguez, 2005/2014) Back to back showings of Frank Miller’s Sin City (2005) and the new Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014). Selected release. Spirited Away (PG) ●●●●● (Hayao Miyazaki, Japan, 2001) Voices: Daveigh Chase, Rumi Hîragi, Sidonie von Krosigk. 125min. Stunning anime fairytale from Studio Ghibli. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow, Sat 23 Aug. LIVE SCREENING Teatro alla Scala: Peter Grimes (E) (Richard Jones, Italy, 2012) John Graham-Hall, Susan Gritton, Christopher Purves. 175min. Broadcast of English director Richard Jones’ production of Benjamin Britten’s opera, performed at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan. Selected release. The Tin Drum (Die Blechtrommel) (15) ●●●●● (Volker Schlöndorff, West Germany, France, Poland, Yugoslavia, 1979) David Bennent, Mario Adorf, Angela Winkler. 142min. Deeply memorable version of Gunther Grass’ allegorical attack on those who stayed passive in Nazi Germany. The Hub, Edinburgh, Sun 24 Aug. To Catch a Thief (PG) (Alfred Hitchcock, US, 1955) Grace Kelly, Cary Grant. 106min. Hitchcock directs the story of a retired jewel thief (Grant) who is forced back onto the scene by a copycat criminal – who may or may not be the glamorous Ms Stevens (Kelly). Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Sat 23–Sun 24 Aug. To See Oursels ‘Scotland on film’ season. See preview, page 62. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, until Tue 2 Sep, The Warriors (18) (Walter Hill, US, 1979) Michael Beck, James Remar, Thomas Waites. 94min. Stylised gang warfare flick that avoids the temptations of graphic violence and instead lifts the subject matter to something approaching medieval myth. Cameo Cinema, Edinburgh, Sat 23 Aug. Zulu (12A) ●●●●● (Cy Endfield, UK, 1964) Stanley Baker, Michael Caine, Jack Hawkins. 138min. Classic action movie dramatising the Battle of Rorke’s Drift, as British soldiers face an overwhelming Zulu army. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow, Sun 24–Tue 26 Aug.
SCALARAMA: SCALEDONIA
With over 400 events and screenings happening across the length and breadth of the UK throughout September, the organisers behind Scalarama are as good as their word when they say they want to ‘fill the land with cinema’.
Highlights of the festival’s Scottish Scaledonia leg include showings of Věra Chytilová’s Czech, New Wave, bizarro feminist classic Daisies; Kathleen Hannah doc The Punk Singer and John Waters’ high-water mark of bad-taste cinema, Polyester. Béla Tarr’s arthouse epic Sátántangó will also receive a rare 35mm
screening, and there are also not-to-be-missed chances to see the depraved (and banned) classics Nekromantik and The Last House on the Left on the big screen. (Colin Robertson) ■ Various venues nationwide, Mon 1–Tue 30 Sep, scalarama.com
dose of local and international The Hub, Edinburgh, Mon 25 Aug. Doctor Who: Deep Breath (PG) (Ben Wheatley, UK, 2014) Peter Capaldi, Jenna Coleman. 79min. You can finally exhale – the latest Doctor Who episode is here, in a big way. General release from Sat 23 Aug. Dr Strangelove (or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb) (PG) ●●●●● (Stanley Kubrick, UK, 1963) Peter Sellers, George C Scott, Sterling Hayden. 93min. Devastating black comedy on the lunacy of the nuclear bomb. Plus short Pink Ice. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Tue 26 Aug. ✽ Dunoon Film Festival A healthy cinema for the festival’s second year. See preview, page 58. Dunoon Burgh Hall & Studio Cinema, Fri 12–Sun 14 Sep, dunoonfilmfestival.org LIVE SCREENING Edinburgh Festival Fringe Live – Hibrow Opera: La Trashiata (tbc) (UK, 2014) Alison Jackson’s satirical opera starring celebrity lookalikes, live from the 2014 Edinburgh Fringe. Odeon Lothian Road, Edinburgh, Thu 21 Aug; Odeon Wester Hailes, Edinburgh, Thu 21 Aug; Odeon at the Quay, Glasgow, Thu 21 Aug. The German Doctor (Wakolda) (12A) ●●●●● (Lucía Puenzo, Argentina/ France/Spain/Norway, 2013) Natalia Oreiro, Àlex Brendemühl, Diego Peretti. 93min. The story of an Argentine family who live with Dr Josef Mengele without knowing it is him. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow, Fri 22–Thu 28 Aug; Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Fri 22–Mon 25 Aug. Grease (PG) ●●●●● (Randal Kleiser, US, 1978) John Travolta, Olivia Newton John, Stockard Channing. 110min. Over thirty years on, Grease is still the word, and still the way we are feeling. Cameo Cinema, Edinburgh, Sun 24 Aug. Hunger (15) ●●●●● (Steve McQueen, UK/Ireland, 2008) Michael Fassbender, Stuart Graham, Helena Bereen. 96min. A brave and unforgettable film, tinged with thematic prescience and the politics of belief. The Hub, Edinburgh, Mon 25 Aug. Jurassic Park (PG) (Steven Spielberg, US, 1993) Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum. 127min. Classic dinosaur thriller. Cameo Cinema, Edinburgh, Sat 30 Aug. The Lady From Shanghai (PG) ●●●●● (Orson Welles, US, 1948) Orson Welles, Rita Hayworth, Everett Sloane. 87min. Irish sailor Welles falls
in love with ‘femme fatale’ Hayworth and becomes enmeshed in a deadly game of murder and intrigue involving her unscrupulous millionaire husband. Cameo Cinema, Edinburgh, Sun 31 Aug. Merry Christmas (Joyeux Noel) (12A) (Christian Carion, France/ Germany/UK, 2005) Diane Gruger, Benno Fumann, Guillaume Canet. 115min. Quietly moving film that reveals just how helpless the German, British and French troops actually were in WWI. The Hub, Edinburgh, Sun 24 Aug. Miss Violence (18) (Alexandros Avranas, Greece, 2013) Kostas Antalopoulos, Constantinos Athanasiades, Chloe Bolota. 98min. On her birthday, 11-year-old Angeliki jumps off the balcony to her death with a smile on her face. An investigation looks into the reason for this apparent suicide, but the family insist it was an accident. Cameo Cinema, Edinburgh, Tue 26 Aug. Monty Python Live (Mostly) (15) (UK, 2014) A second chance to see Monty Python’s highly anticipated reunion show. Odeon Lothian Road, Edinburgh, Sat 30 Aug; Odeon at the Quay, Glasgow, Sat 30 Aug. LIVE SCREENING Moulin Rouge: The Ballet (tbc) (Canada, 2014) 130min. This ballet, set in turn of the century Paris, is all about high kicking choreography, love and heartbreak in this production from the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. Release from Thu 18 Sep. LIVE SCREENING National Theatre Live: A Streetcar Named Desire (tbc) (UK) 2014min. The heat and passion of Stanley and Stella’s love and the tragedy of poor, fading Blanche DuBois, beamed live from London. General release. LIVE SCREENING National Theatre Live: Medea (tbc) (Carrie Cracknell, 2014) Helen McCrory plays the title role in this live screening of the classic tragedy, in a new version by Ben Power. General release. LIVE SCREENING National Theatre Live: Skylight (tbc) (Stephen Daldry, UK, 2014) Carey Mulligan, Bill Nighy. Kyra (Mulligan) receives a visit from her recently widowed former lover (Nighy) out of the blue. Stage production beamed live from London. Odeon Lothian Road, Edinburgh, Sun 31 Aug. Opera Australia: La Traviata on Sydney Harbour (tbc) (Australia, 2012) 145min. A recording of Handa