In the Realms of the Unreal

Festival (18) 0”. (Annie Griffin. UK. 2005) Daniela Nardini. Stephen Mangan. Amelia Bulmore. Billy ('arter. Lyndsey Marshal. l()7min. Edinburgh in August is hell for some but nirvana for others. Annie Griffin‘s darkly funny. filthy ensemble drama about the Fringe Festival may just be the vaccine you need against the August madness. ('arneo. Edinburgh. Film Focus ( 15) (Various) 70min. A collection of shorts which all have a unique take on the documentary. Films from UK. US. Japan and Austria touch upon potting sheds and New York jazz using a variety of techniques. Pan of the Experimenta season. film/louse. Edinburgh.

=l= Five (U) mo (Abbas Kiarostarni. lran/Japan/ France. 2003) 74min. Five minimalist shorts shot on hand-held digital camera. Dedicated to one of a true master ofcinema - Yasujiro ()zu. a film of poetic. beautiful and profound natural moments. Filmhouse. Edinburgh.

The Forgotten Song (Bhooli Hui Hoon Dastan) ( l5) (Adnan Malik. Pakistan. 2004) 90min. In Pakistan. respectable people do not go to the cinema. This film asks how did ‘Lollywood‘ come to be regarded as somewhat of a joke. Part of the Pakistani Film. Media and Arts Festival. Glasgow Film Theatre. Glasgow. The Full MontytlS) m (Peter (‘attaneo. UK. I997) Robert (‘arlyle. Tom Wilkinson. Mark Addy. 92min. ('arlyle plays Gary. an unemployed Sheffield steelworker who. along with an odd mix of former colleagues. decides to go one better than the (‘hippendale troupes that fill the local halls. (‘attaneo's laugh-out- Ioud film comes frotn the same tradition as Brassed ()j]; mixing comedy with a strong social conscience and showing unemployment as an emasculating experience. It's the ordinariness of these blokes that gives the film both its humour and its depth. Scotsman .S't'reening Room. Edinburgh.

Falkirk Town Hall

Thurs 8th September TORREMOLINOS 73 (75) 7.30pm

Tues 73th September

SIN CITY (78) 7.30pm Thurs 75th September ONLY HUMAN (15) 7.30pm

Tickets and further information from The Steeple Box office

(Tel: 01324 506850)

or on the day from the hall

48 THE LIST 8 22 Sep 200.")

Gamer: ( 15) (Robbie Fraser. UK. 2005) Johnny Austin. Ross Finbow. Jamie Honeybourne. Eileen Mc(‘al|um. 90min. A wacky romantic comedy set in Glasgow University‘s role-playing community. A love triangle emerges between a drug dealer who‘s mentally scared after watching Lord of the Rings on acid. a Goth who thinks she‘s an elf and an awkward geek. Glasgow I’ll/n Theatre. Glasgow. Green Street (18) O (Lexi Alexander. UK/US. 2005) Elijah Wood. (‘harlie Htmnam. ('laire Forlani. I09min. see review. page 42. Selected release. Heidi ([7) O. (Patti Marctts. UK/Ireland. 2005) Etnrna Bolger. Robert Bathurst. Geraldine ('haplin. New version of the classic mountain tale. (l(‘l Edinburgh. Edinburgh.

Herbie: Fully Loaded (U) 0. (Angela Robinson. USA. 2005) Lindsay Lohan. Michael Keaton. Matt Dillon. l()0min. This very literal Lindsay Lohan vehicle sees dad Michael Keaton give his daughter a car on graduation. In the traditions of the franchise. the Beetle has a mind of its own. and Lohan is soon Ieaming lessons in life and entering the Daytona 500. General release.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (PG) «0 (Garth Jennings. US/UK. 2005) Martin Freeman. Mos Def. Sam Rockwell. Zooey Deschanel. Bill Nighy. l l0min. First time feature director Jennings has moulded Adam‘s screenplay (written shortly before his premature death in 200]) into an incredibly good looking film. Arthur Dent (Freeman) escapes Earth‘s demolition with his alien friend Ford Prefect (Def) by hitching a ride with the Vogons. only to be rescued by joyriding Galactic President '/.aphod Beeblebrox (Rockwell) on dream ship the Heart of Gold. 'I‘hey head for mythical planet Magrathea. Minor niggles (mostly about characterisations and new characters) don‘t detract from the fact that this film is well

worth the wait. Vue Edinburgh ()eean. Edinburgh.

The Honeymooners (IS) 00

(John Schultz. US. 2005) (‘edric the Entertainer. Mike Epps. Gabrielle Union 90min. Big screen remake based on the l950s comedy series of the same name. following the antics of New York bus driver Ralph Kramden and his penchant for (unsurprisineg troublesome) get-rich-quick schemes. ('ineii‘orld Renfrew Street. Glasgow; Glasgow.

In the Realms of the Unreal ( 15) (Jessica Yu. US. 2(Xl4) 81min. A documentary on the artist Henry Darger. focusing on the artist's troubled life and his epic masterpiece The Realms of the Unreal. a l5.000 page story of seven young girls caught up in a war on a fantastical planet. l"ilmhouse, Edinburgh.

The Island (12A) 00 (Michael Bay. US. 2005) Ewan McGregor. Scarlett Johansson. Djimon Hounsou. Sean Bean. Steve Buscemi. 136mm. Woeful big budget action adventure sci-fi. a kind of Logan 's Run for the GM foods generation. from bang and whistle man Bay. A huge flunk despite the impressive cast. Selected release.

Ivan the Terrible (Part 1) (PG) (Sergei Eisenstein. USSR. I945) Nikolai (‘herkasov. Lyudmila 'I'selikovskaya. Serafima Birman. 95min. Part one of Eisenstein's hugely influential historical epic begins with Ivan Vasiljevich crowning himself tsar of Russia. His reign is threatened by illness. opposition from his aunt and treacherous allies. The film‘s editing was truly groundbreaking. Part of Eisenstein season. Film/muse. Edinburgh. Ivan the Terrible (Part 2) (PG) (Sergei Eisenstein. M Filimonova. USSR. I958) Nikolai (‘herkasov. Serafima Birtnan. Pavel Kadochnikov. 95min. Banned by Stalin upon its release. part two of Eisenstein's epic sees Ivan face mounting odds to his vision of a unified

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Jessica Yu’s fascinating documentary explores the life, art and hermetic world of artist Henry Darger, a

writer and painter who lived on his own for 60 years. Yu focuses in particular on Darger’s oddly perverse 15,000 page children’s fantasy The Realms of the Unreal. Part of the Experimenta season. I Fi/mhouse. Edinburgh (Mon 79 Sep only).

Russia after the death of his wife. Part of Eisenstein season. Film/rouse. Edinburgh. Javaid Shampoo ( I5) (Bilal Minto. Pakistan. 2004) Sahir. Mehr Tarar. Wajahat Malik. 72min. If his shampoo business doesn't work out. Javaid can always fall back on joining an Islamic Jihad. Fun drama that is cross between a soap opera and social satire. Part of the Pakistani Film. Media and Arts Festival. Glasgow Film Theatre. Glasgow.

The Jealous God (12A) m (Steven Woodcock. UK. 2005) Jason Merrells. Denise Welch. Mairead (’arty. Pamela (‘undelL 95min. See review. page 42. Showcase ('inema. I’aislev. Paisley. King Kong (PG) 0.... (Merian (‘ (‘ooper. US. I933) Robert Armstrong. Fay Wray. l()0min. A film producer on safari brings back a souvenir monster which terrorises New York in one of the all time

great monster movies. Amazingly. the

special effects still impress. but the film achieves classic status by successfully transposing the story of beauty and the beast into a Hollywood blockbuster movie. Glasgow Film Theatre. Glasgow Kingdom of Heaven (15).” (Ridley Scott. US/Spain/UK. 2005) ()rlando Bloom. Michael Sheen. Liam Neeson. Kevin McKidd. Eva Green. Ghassan Massoud. l35min. Visually lavish action spectacular set during the 12th

century ('rusades in the Holy Land. The

action takes place in and around the city of Jerusalem. where. as the story opens in the year I 186. King Baldwin and his European knights maintain an uneasy truce with the neighbouring Arab army lead by the Saracen general Saladin (Massoud). Peaceful co-existence between Christians and Muslims in the so-called ‘Kingdom of Heaven‘. however. isn‘t to the liking of the

extremist Knights Templar. which plot to

begin a religious war. Entertaining. if unsurprisineg trite. take on the crusades from Scott. Vue Edinburgh ()(Y'Ull. Edinburgh.

LA Confidential ( I8) 000.. ((‘urtis Hanson. US. [997) Kevin Spacey. Guy Pearce. Russell (‘rowe. Kim Basinger. 135mm. Adapted from James Ellroy‘s neo- noir novel. the best American film of 1997 evokes a glitzy post-World War II Los Angeles underpinned by an all-pervasiv e. festering corruption. An intricate. drop- dead brilliant plot links bent cops. good

cops. Hollywood star lookalike prostitutes and the mob. The dialogue crackles and the

actors burn up the screen: this is one of the few films one would dare mention in the satne breath as the definitive ('hinatown. Part of a double bill with The Big Sleep. Glasgow Film Theatre. Glasgow.

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