list.co.uk/fi lm Joffe, US, 2014) Nicole Kidman, Colin Firth, Mark Strong. 92min. Stylish but superficial thriller which makes for an entertaining evening’s viewing, but – like Christine – you may not actually remember much about it the next day. Odeon Lothian Road, Edinburgh, Tue 2 Dec; Odeon at the Quay, Glasgow, Tue 2 Dec. The Book of Life (U) ●●●●● (Jorge R Gutierrez, US, 2014) Zoe Saldana, Channing Tatum, Diego Luna. 95min. This lively, colourful animation explores a bunch of dark themes, with some great gags, superb voice work, and a genuinely delightful soundtrack. General release. The Boxtrolls (PG) ●●●●● (Graham Annable, Anthony Stacchi, US, 2014) Isaac Hempstead-Wright, Ben Kingsley, Elle Fanning. 97min. Adventurous, intense and sometimes disturbing animated movie, with plenty to keep adults occupied; whether kids will respond is another question. Selected release. Fury (15) ●●●●● (David Ayer, US/UK, 2014) Brad Pitt, Shia LaBeouf, Logan Lerman. 134min. The tale of a Sherman tank crew, led by Sergeant Don ‘Wardaddy’ Collier (Brad Pitt), in the final weeks of World War II. General release. Gone Girl (18) ●●●●● (David Fincher, US, 2014) Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike. 145min. Nick (Affleck) comes home on his fifth wedding anniversary to find his wife Amy (Pike) gone, and a series of revelations cast him in the worst possible light. Gillian Flynn adapts from her own novel. 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. Horns (15) ●●●●● (Alexandre Aja, US/Canada, 2014) Daniel Radcliffe, Juno Temple, Heather Graham. 123min. When Ig (Radcliffe)’s girlfriend Merrin (Temple) is murdered, suspicion falls on him; but then he sprouts horns and people begin to confess their secrets to him. Cineworld Renfrew Street, Glasgow, Thu 13 Nov. The Hundred-Foot Journey (PG) ●●●●● (Lasse Hallström, India/United Arab Emirates/USA, 2014) Helen Mirren, Om Puri, Manish Dayal. 122min. Indian patriarch Papa (Puri) decides to open a restaurant in the French countryside, directly opposite a Michelin-starred joint run by Madame Mallory (Mirren); cue romantic complications between son Hassan (Dayal) and Mallory’s sous-chef Marguerite (Le Bon). Odeon Lothian Road, Edinburgh, Tue 18 Nov; Odeon at the Quay, Glasgow, Tue 18 Nov. Interstellar (12A) ●●●●● (Christopher Nolan, US/UK, 2014) Jessica Chastain, Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway. 169min. Star-studded epic sci-fi adventure from The Dark Knight director Nolan. General release. The Judge (15) ●●●●● (David Dobkin, US, 2014) Robert Downey Jr, Robert Duvall, Vera Farmiga. 142min. A corny, shamelessly manipulative and overlong blend of John Grisham-style thriller and old-fashioned tale of family reconciliation, this is still a perfectly digestible slice of mainstream film entertainment. Showcase Cinema Glasgow, Thu 13 Nov; Odeon at the Quay, Glasgow, Thu 13 Nov. Leviathan (15) ●●●●● (Andrey Zvyagintsev, Russia, 2014) Elena Lyadova, Vladimir Vdovichenkov, Aleksey Serebryakov. 140min. In a Russian coastal town, Dmitri is forced to fight the corrupt mayor when he is told that his house will be demolished. He recruits a lawyer friend to help, but the man’s arrival brings further misfortune for Dmitri and his family. Glasgow Film Theatre, Thu 13 Nov; Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Thu 13–Thu 20 Nov. Love, Rosie (15) ●●●●● (Christian Ditter,
US, 2014) Lily Collins, Sam Claflin, Tamsin Egerton, Suki Waterhouse, Jaime Winstone, Art Parkinson. 102min. When Alex’s family move from Dublin to America, he and his best friend Rosie are sadly separated. So, can their friendship survive the distance unscathed at all? Odeon at the Quay, Glasgow, Thu 13 Nov; Vue Omni Centre, Edinburgh, Thu 13 Nov. 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 (like Game of Thrones) isn’t afraid to kill off main characters where necessary. Interesting if somewhat inconsistent entertainment. General release. Mr Turner (12A) ●●●●● (Mike Leigh, UK, 2014) Timothy Spall, Paul Jesson, Dorothy Atkinson. 150min. A work of great beauty, wit and poignancy, presenting the artist as unapologetically gruff but sympathetic and spectacularly eccentric. Leigh’s latest demonstrates a command of his craft to rival that of his subject and gives Spall the project of a lifetime. Will Mr Oscar be waiting for him? General release. Nightcrawler (15) ●●●●● (Dan Gilroy, US, 2014) Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Bill Paxton. 117min. Lou (Gyllenhaal) is a young man in Los Angeles who finds work as a freelance cameraman, in which he feeds some grisly news footage to the more sensationalistic end of the US networks. A characterful satire of the cynicism, manipulation and inhumanity prevalent in TV news, with showstopping work from Gyllenhaal as the motor-mouthed protagonist. General release. The November Man (15) ●●●●● (Roger Donaldson, US, 2014) Pierce Brosnan, Luke Bracey, Olga Kurylenko. 108min. An ex-CIA operative is brought back in on a very personal mission and finds himself pitted against his former pupil in a deadly game involving high level CIA officials and the Russian president-elect. Showcase Cinema Glasgow, Thu 13 Nov. Ouija (15) ●●●●● (Stiles White, US, 2014) Ana Coto, Bianca A Santos, Erin Moriarty. 89min. Dark basements, pretty young things behaving foolishly, melodramatic exposition and potentially interesting relationships left undeveloped. Oh yes, we’ve seen this many times before and done rather better. General release. Pride (15) ●●●●● (Matthew Warchus, UK, 2014) Bill Nighy, Dominic West, Andrew Scott. 120min. Unashamedly fizzy and cheering take on a true story from Britain in the 80s about two groups who bonded together against small- mindedness and vile tabloid headlines. Odeon Lothian Road, Edinburgh, Tue 25 Nov; Odeon at the Quay, Glasgow, Tue 25 Nov. The Riot Club (15) ●●●●● (Lone Scherfig, UK, 2014) Max Irons, Sam Claflin, Holliday Grainger. 107min. Affable Oxford undergraduate Miles (Irons) is courted by the Riot Club, an exclusive university society devoted to hedonism, but then a Club dinner in the back room of a pub becomes increasingly vile. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Mon 17–Wed 19 Nov. Set Fire to the Stars (U) ●●●●● (Andy Goddard, UK, 2014) Kelly Reilly, Elijah Wood, Shirley Henderson. 90min. An aspiring poet in 1950s New York has his ordered world shaken when he embarks on a week-long retreat to save his hell raising hero, Dylan Thomas. Glasgow Film Theatre, Fri 14–Mon 17 Nov; Dominion, Edinburgh, Thu 13 Nov. Say When (15) ●●●●● (Lynn Shelton, US, 2014) Chloë Grace Moretz, Keira Knightley, Sam Rockwell. 99min. A woman stuck in permanent adolescence lies to her fiancé about going on a retreat and spends the time hanging out with friends instead. Selected release. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (12A) ●●●●● (Jonathan Liebesman,
US, 2014) Megan Fox, Alan Ritchson, Jeremy Howard. 101min. The CGI- enhanced turtles are an improvement on their cinematic predecessors, Fox is commendably committed and Arnett is enjoyable as her smitten cameraman. General release. The Crucible (tbc) (Yal Farber, 2014) Richard Armitage. 195min. Arthur Miller’s classic drama based on the infamous witch trials in America. 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. Showcase Cinema, Glasgow, Thu 13 Nov; Showcase Cinema Paisley, Thu 13 Nov; Odeon at the Quay, Glasgow, Thu 13 Nov. Touched by Grace (tbc) (Donald Leow, US, 2014) Stacey Bradshaw, Ben Davies, Kera O’Bryon. 94min. An anti- bullying film examining the treatment of teenagers with Downs. Showcase Cinema, Glasgow, Fri 21 Nov; Showcase Cinema, Paisley, Fri 21 Nov; Vue Ocean, Edinburgh, Mon 17 Nov. 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. Selected release.
ONE-OFFS, SEASONS AND FESTIVALS
Access Film Club (tbc) Monthly film club held in collaboration with Scottish Autism. Featuring screenings and discussions in a welcoming and accessible environment. Ages 15+. Glasgow Film Theatre, Tue 9 Dec. Alien & Aliens Double Bill (tbc) (US, 1979/1986) Sigourney Weaver. Double header of Alien and Aliens. Glasgow Film Theatre, Sun 23 Nov. Another Earth (12A) ●●●●● (Mike Cahill, US, 2011) Brit Marling, William Mapother, Matthew-Lee Erlbach. 92min. Sombre indie romance involving a planet beyond the sun which is an exact mirror of our own. Cineworld Fountainpark, Edinburgh, Mon 17 Nov; Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Tue 18 Nov. Antboy (tbc) (Ask Hasselbalch, Denmark, 2013) Oscar Dietz, Nicolas Bro, Samuel Ting Graf. 77min. Fun family-friendly take on the superhero genre as a young boy develops super powers after being bitten by an ant. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Sun 30 Nov. Apnea (Apnoia) (15) (Aris Bafaloukas, Greece, 2010) Youlika Skafida, Sotiris Pastras, Andrianna Babali. Film about a brooding swimmer, made by a director who was himself a former national swimming champion. Glasgow Film Theatre, Wed 26 Nov. Barbarella (15) (Roger Vadim, France/Italy, 1968) Jane Fonda, John Phillip Law, Anita Pallenberg. 98min. Jane Fonda stars in Roger Vadim’s ultra camp sci-fi nutfest as a highly sexed woman tasked with defeating the evil Durand-Durand. Plus short Super Pink. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Thu 20 Nov. Between Dog and Wolf (15) (Matt Reid, UK, 2014) Justin Sullivan. 120min. The story of the unique band New Model Army. Glasgow Film Theatre, Thu 20 Nov; Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Wed 19 Nov.
✽ BFI Days of Fear & Wonder A celebration of all things science fiction, featuring screenings of Alien, Teknolust, Woman in the Moon and more. See feature, page 18. Glasgow Film Theatre; Glasgow Women’s Library, Sun 23 Nov–Wed 10 Dec.
Index | FILM
PROFILE DIETRICH BRÜGGEMANN Name Dietrich Brüggemann Background Munich-born writer / director who made his name on festival circuit with witty character dramas Run, If You Can (2010) and Move (2012). What’s he up to now? Brüggemann’s latest film Stations of the Cross is a change of pace, a powerful and formally challenging drama that follows a week in the life of a young girl who belongs to a strict religious sect, told in 14 fixed-angle shots. On the relevance of religion ‘In the 90s you could have the idea that religion was not important any more, but then we had Islam, fundamentalists in America, and that German pope [ Benedict XVI]. And also the rather fierce anti-religious movement led by Dawkins, who also has a very fundamentalist way of arguing. All that kept coming back and at some point it just led into the ideas for this film.’ On his filmmaking influences ‘I have one huge influence, both aesthetically and philosophically. It’s Roy Andersson, the Swedish director, whose films I really adore: I watch them on my knees, so to speak.’ On his initial plans for this film ‘We were attempting to make the film in 3D, but couldn’t get the money in the end. To be honest, I don’t like 3D, I think it’s crap. But dialectically, discussing from that departure point of “how should 3D be done?”, I think maybe it can be done in this way. Watching a fixed-angle film like this is an experience quite different from watching normal film. It’s more like meditating on set images. Your gaze wanders freely and that space draws you in, whereas in a normal film you dismantle space through single shots. And 3D might have worked beautifully in that way, but it didn’t happen.’ (Paul Gallagher) ■ Stations of the Cross, from Fri 28 Nov, Glasgow Film Theatre; from Fri 12 Dec, Filmhouse, Edinburgh. See review, page 61.
13 Nov–11 Dec 2014 THE LIST 63