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DRAMA DELTA (18) 95min 0..
The spectre of Bela Tarr shadows this slow burrmg l-lu'iga'a" tragedy“ written and directed by actor director Kernel ltfltlnrtracm Jotwrna. J:>_’1'i :" Arc of the Night Bus). Delta's taciturn protagonist Is at‘ unnamed and mystenously wealthy young man lrr'iusic:an Felix Lajkol who returns after a long absence to his native nllage Ill the Danube delta, .-.here he and his half» sister (OrSI Toth) decide to build a house. The transgressive relationship of the siblings provokes a vengeful reaction amongst the locals.
Photographed by cineniatographer Matayas Erdely Ill contemplatme and often Silent takes. Delta is a film of considerable. if self«onscious. ‘.’lf3xl£tl beauty. which seeks to contrast the richness and resilience of nature .-.ith the bigotry and transience of humanity. Individual seguences impress ~ for example the high—angle shots of the boats travelling Ill convoy to a funeral. plus the complex sound mix and the string based score lprrwitlerl b, LaJko. are Integral in establishing the atmosphere of foreboding. The bare bones story though, which treats the characters as archetypes. suffers from dramatic predictability: one sight of the physically unpret>ossessing and leenng Villagers and you know that a terrible punishment wrll eventually be meted out to the lovers. (Tom Dawson)
I Fl/mhouse, Edinburgh from Thu 4-Sun 7 Jun.
ROMANCE/DRAMA LAST CHANCE HARVEY (12A) 91min .0
Dustin Hoffman embodied middle class Jewush 1960s rebellion as soon as he sullenly stepped onto an airport travelator Ill the opening scene of The Graduate. From the writer-director of 2001’s Jump Tomorrow. Joel Hopkins' reSurrection of sorts opens With Hoffman as the rather more crumpled Harvey Shine. a US busmessman arnwng at London's Heathrow on a trip to his daughter's wedding. Cue a lounge bar meeting wrth lovelorn but mother-dominated Kate Walker (Emma Thompson), which triggers drab rom- com shenanigans that surely only the most out-of—touch c0uld find palatable.
Havrng Just parted company wrth hlS JOb. Harvey‘s Ire IS further raised by his daughter's attachment to her new stepfather Brian (James Brolin), who IS preferred for the ‘father of the bride duties. Encouraged by Kate's advrce. Harvey endeavours to wrn back his daughter's affections, but ends up Winning over Kate in the process.
This twee romance raises few laughs and offers a truly bizarre serial-killer subplot. which doesn‘t fit the feyness of the protect. Aiming to be a Before Sunrise/Before Sunset style meditation for oldies. Last Chance Harvey gets given maxrmum star wattage from Hoffman and Thompson, but their sanitised. tepid affair makes Brief Encounter look racrer than Last lango In Paris. (Eddie Harrison)
I General release from Fr/ 5 Jun.
SCI Fl THRILLER TERMINATOR SALVATION (12A) 115min 000
With a track record that includes Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle and the straight-to-DVD We Are Marshall, McG was always going to have his work cut out proving he was the right man to reboot the Terminator franchise. Now his judgment day has arrived, the same tendencies that placed question marks over his suitability prove to be his undoing.
Working from a script that’s been buffed by Jonathan Nolan and Paul Haggis, McG introduces some clever ideas and some strong set pieces, but gets a little carried away with the pyrotechnics and ends up blowing much of the film’s potential.
Set in 2018, 14 years after Judgment Day, Salvation exists in a world where Terminator armies seek out the last remnants of humanity while a resistance attempts to fight back. Primary among them are John Connor (Christian Bale), the man destined to halt the rise of the robots, and Kyle Reese (Anton Yelchin), the teenager who will later grow up to become John’s father.
New on the scene, meanwhile, is mysterious loner Marcus Wright (Australian newcomer Sam Worthington), a former Death Row inmate-turned-organ donor, who has his own hidden agenda for taking on the machines.
With enough surprises to keep viewers engaged, plus some nice nods to the franchise mythology and its key phrases and cult figures (including an appearance from the original Terminator), Terminator Salvation is by no means the worst entry into the franchise. It’s basically a gutsy and sombre attempt to breathe fresh life into an ageing machine, but it’s solid without being memorable.
McG also creates a suitably apocalyptic look for the film and cliches up the action style to make it look (in the manner of every other action feature) like the second and third Bourne films.
For a movie that places such emphasis on the differences between man and machine it feels too mechanical and cold, and McG must take the bulk of the blame for that. Terminator Salvation underwhelms more than it exhilarates. (Rob Carnavale)
I General release from Wed 3 June.
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