FILM | Index
✽ Ghostbusters (12) ●●●●● (Ivan Reitman, US, 1984) Bill Murray,
Sigourney Weaver, Dan Aykroyd. 105min. Of its time but still an enjoyably dated comedy. Selected release. Gone Girl (18) ●●●●● (David Fincher, US, 2014) Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike. 145min. Fincher directs with cool proficiency and a sense of brutal fun; Affleck is perfect, and Pike gives a bravura, breakout performance. General release. Guardians of the Galaxy (12A) ●●●●● (James Gunn, US, 2014) Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista. 122min. With a gag-stuffed script, lively direction and outstanding performances, this adaptation of an obscure Marvel comic is enormous fun. Selected release. How to Train Your Dragon 2 (PG) ●●●●● (Dean DeBlois, US, 2014) Gerard Butler, Jonah Hill, Kristen Wiig. 102min. Sequel to the 2010 hit film with the original cast returning. Selected release. The Maze Runner (15) ●●●●● (Wes Ball, US, 2014) Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster. 113min. The latest teen-dystopian- blockbuster adaptation features a great young cast and isn’t afraid to kill off main characters where necessary. General release. Pride (15) ●●●●● (Matthew Warchus, UK, 2014) Bill Nighy, Dominic West, Andrew Scott. 120min. Unashamedly fizzy and cheering take on a true story about two groups who bonded together against small-mindedness and vile tabloid headlines. Selected release. The Equalizer (15) ●●●●● (Antoine Fuqua, US, 2014) Denzel Washington, Marton Csokas, Chloë Grace Moretz. 131min. Nominally derived from the 80s Edward Woodward TV series, it’s really just a relentless, brutal, unsubtle thriller, with Washington an effective killing machine and Fuqua expertly cranking up the tension. General release. The Rewrite (12A) ●●●●● (Marc Lawrence, US, 2014) Hugh Grant, Marisa Tomei, Aja Naomi King. 106min. Despite an excruciating first 20 minutes, Grant is on excellent form, the leads have chemistry and Lawrence avoids mawkishness. Wobbly but entertaining. General release. A Walk Among the Tombstones (15) ●●●●● (Scott Frank, US, 2014) Liam Neeson, Dan Stevens, David Harbour. 113min. Unintentionally amusing adaptation of Lawrence Block’s novel, with a half-hearted performance from Neeson and hackneyed dialogue; an absurd mix of deadly serious thriller and Cop and a Half-style buddy movie. Selected release. What We Did on Our Holiday (12A) ●●●●● (Andy Hamilton, Guy Jenkin, UK, 2014) Rosamund Pike, David Tennant, Billy Connolly. 95min. Charming and hilarious: Tennant and Pike are excellent, and despite the kids’ scene-stealing improvisation it feels tightly scripted, exploring adult themes without mawkishness. General 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. Existentialist pseudo- documentary telling the seductive and quasi-truthful story of Nick Cave, starring and co-written by the man himself. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Fri 24– Mon 27 Oct. 8 Hour Film Project (tbc) Scotland’s most popular filmmaking event, having inspired the creation of over 200 new Scottish shorts in the past five years. Glasgow Film Theatre, Thu 16 Oct. A Dangerous Game (U) ●●●●● (Anthony Baxter, UK, 2014) 98min. Follow-up documentary to You’ve been Trumped, examining controversial golf developments around the world. 68 THE LIST 16 Oct–13 Nov 2014
An apprentice witch and three English kids make their contribution to the war effort via some enjoyable set pieces (the animals’ football match) and some less than wonderful songs. Glasgow Film Theatre, Sat 18 Oct. Begin Again (R) ●●●●● (John Carney, US, 2013) Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo, Adam Levine. 104min. Musical drama from the writer-director of Once. Vue Glasgow Fort, Thu 16 Oct; Odeon Lothian Road, Edinburgh, Tue 11 Nov; Odeon at the Quay, Glasgow, Tue 11 Nov. Believe (PG) (David Scheinmann, UK, 2013) Natascha McElhone, Brian Cox, Toby Stephens. 96min. A young, gifted football player comes to the attention of a former Manchester United coach when he gets into trouble for a petty crime. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Sun 19 Oct.
✽ BFI Days of Fear & Wonder A celebration of all things science
fiction, featuring screenings of Alphaville, The Day the Earth Caught Fire, The Thing and more. Glasgow Film Theatre; Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Mon 20 Oct–Sun 9 Nov, bfi.org.uk/sci-fi-days- fear-wonder. Bicycle (PG) (Michael B Clifford, UK, 2014) 87min. A film that tells the story of cycling in the land that invented the modern bicycle: its birth, decline and rebirth from Victorian origins to today. Glasgow Film Theatre, Fri 17–Sat 18 Oct; Cameo Cinema, Edinburgh, Thu 16 Oct. Bjork: Biophilia ●●●●● (U) (Nick Fenton, Peter Strickland, UK, 2014) 97min. See review, page 64, and Q&A, page 67. Double bill with When Björk Met Attenborough. Glasgow Film Theatre, Fri 24–Sun 26 Oct. Blacula (15) (William Crain, US, 1972) William Marshall, Vonetta McGee, Denise Nicholas. 93min. Blaxploitation remix of Dracula. Part of Edinburgh Zombie Club’s Blaxploitation double bill. The Banshee Labyrinth, Edinburgh, Wed 29 Oct. Bolshoi Ballet Live: Le Corsaire (tbc) (2012) Loosely based on Byron’s poem, this romantic tale tells of the rescue of a beautiful slave from her master by a handsome pirate. Featuring music by Adolphe Adam and Leo Delibes. Cineworld Fountainpark, Edinburgh, Sun 26 Oct; Cineworld Renfrew Street, Glasgow, Sun 26 Oct. Bolshoi Ballet Live: The Legend of Love (tbc) (2014) Live screening of one of Russian master Yuri Grigorovich’s earliest choreographic works. Glasgow Film Theatre, Sun 26 Oct; Cameo Cinema, Edinburgh, Sun 26 Oct. Born to Be Wild (U) (David Lickley, US, 2011) Birute Galdikas, Daphne Sheldrick, Morgan Freeman (voice). 40min. Nature documentary set in an animal rescue and rehabilitation centre in the rainforests of Borneo. Cineworld IMAX, Glasgow, Thu 16 Oct. The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari (PG) (Robert Wiene, Germany, 1920) Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt, Lil Dagover. 90min. A landmark of expressionist cinema, feasting the eyes with bizarre, angular visuals despite its technical crudity. Britannia Panopticon Music Hall, Glasgow, Fri 31 Oct. The Calling (15) ●●●●● (Jason Stone, US, 2014) Susan Sarandon, Gil Bellows, Ellen Burstyn. 108min. A waste of a truly impressive cast (Burstyn, Sutherland): it’s bland, clichéd and badly-paced, too one-dimensional for a character study and too dull for a thriller. Showcase Cinema Glasgow, Thu 16 Oct; Showcase Cinema Paisley, Paisley, Thu 16 Oct. Cathedrals of Culture (PG) ●●●●● (Germany, 2014) 165min. A collection of six short films from six acclaimed directors, each focusing on a different world-famous building. Glasgow Film Theatre, Sun 19–Tue 21 Oct. Charulata (U) (Satyajit Ray, India, 1964) Soumitra Chatterjee, Madhabi Mukherjee, Shailen Mukherjee. 117min.
GHOSTBUSTERS 30TH ANNIVERSARY SCREENINGS In 1984, the story of four disgraced parapsychologists who set themselves up as freelance ghostbusters burst its way onto the big screen and found itself embedded in popular culture forever. In celebration of its 30th birthday, the movie is returning to cinemas for a limited time. Fans who can’t wait for Paul Feig’s female-led Ghostbusters 3 to arrive can remind themselves exactly why they fell in love with the franchise to begin with, and raise a glass to Harold ‘Egon’ Ramis who died earlier this year. (CF) ■ Selected release from Tue 28 Oct. See film.list.co.uk for full listings.
Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Thu 16 Oct. The Act of Killing (15) ●●●●● (Joshua Oppenheimer/Anonymous/ Christine Cynn, Denmark/Norway/ UK, 2012) 115min. In this remarkable ‘documentary of the imagination’, American documentarist Oppenheimer invited former Indonesian death squad members to perform fictional recreations of the many state killings they performed in the 1960s. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Sat 25 Oct. Advanced Style (tbc) (Lina Plioplyte, US, 2014) 65min. Documentary examining the lives of seven New Yorkers whose eclectic personal style and vital spirit have guided their approach to ageing. Glasgow Film Theatre, Tue 21 Oct; Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Wed 22 Oct.
✽ Africa in Motion This ninth edition features a plethora of
screenings including Adios Carmen, March of the Gods and Selma. See preview, page 63. Various venues in Glasgow and Edinburgh, Fri 24 Oct– Sun 9 Nov, africa-in-motion.org.uk. Aladdin (U) ●●●●● (Ron Clements, John Musker, US, 1992) Voices of Robin Williams, Scott Weinger, Linda Larkin. 91min. Streetwise thief Aladdin woos Princess Jasmine with the help of the Genie of the Lamp and hindrance of the evil Jafar. Vue Glasgow Fort, Sat 18–Sun 19 Oct; Vue Ocean, Edinburgh, Sat 18–Sun 19 Oct; Vue Omni Centre, Edinburgh, Sat 18–Sun 19 Oct. Alive Inside (tbc) (Michael Rossato-Bennett, US, 2014) 78min. A documentary following Dan Cohen, a social worker who founded the not-for- profit organisation Music + Memory. Glasgow Film Theatre, Sun 19 Oct. An American In Paris (U) (Vincente Minnelli, US, 1951) Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, Oscar Levant. 113min. Splendid
– if sometimes garish – romantic musical, with Kelly on top form as a would-be artist kicking up a storm in ‘la belle cité’. Scottish National Gallery, Edinburgh, Thu 16 Oct. André Rieu’s 2014 Maastricht Concert (tbc) (2014) Andre Rieu. 180min. The King of the Waltz stages a spectacular 10th anniversary concert in the magnificent medieval Vrijthof Square. Cineworld Fountainpark, Edinburgh, Sun 2 Nov; Cineworld Parkhead, Glasgow, Sun 2 Nov; Cineworld Renfrew Street, Glasgow, Sun 2 Nov. Attila Marcel (tbc) (Sylvain Chomet, France, 2013) Guillaume Gouix, Anne Le Ny, Bernadette Lafont. 106min. Live-action comedy from the director of Belleville Rendez-vous and The Illusionist about a mute, sweet-natured man-child. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Fri 31 Oct–Sun 2 Nov. Bang Bang (12A) (Siddharth Anand, India, 2014) Katrina Kaif, Hrithik Roshan, Ron Smoorenburg. 153min. A woman gets mixed up with a spy trying to clear her name. Cineworld Fountainpark, Edinburgh, Thu 16 Oct; Cineworld Renfrew Street, Glasgow, Thu 16 Oct; Odeon at the Quay, Glasgow, Thu 16 Oct. The Battles of Coronel and Falkland Islands (U) (Walter Summers, UK, 1927) Reconstruction of the Navy’s pursuit and sinking of the deadly cruiser squadron commanded by German admiral Maximillian Von Spee. Glasgow Film Theatre, Sun 19 Oct; Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Tue 28–Thu 30 Oct; Cameo Cinema, Edinburgh, Sun 9 Nov. Bedknobs and Broomsticks (PG) ●●●●● (Robert Stevenson, US, 1971) Angela Lansbury, David Tomlinson, Roddy McDowall. 117min.