Films screening this fortnight are listed below with certificate, star rating, credits, brief review and venue details. Film index compiled by Paul Dale
at: Indicates Hitlist entry
Ae Fond Kiss (15) 0. (Ken Loach. UK/Belgium/Gennany/ltaly/Spain. 2004) Atta Yaquib. Eva Birthisle. Shamshad Akhtar. Ghizala Avan. Shabana Bakhsh. 104mm. Casim (Yaquib) is a nice Glaswegian lad from an Asian family. His upcoming ‘arranged marriage‘ nuptials have got him disturbed but not too worried. but then he goes and meets blond haired blue eyed Roisin (Birthisle). his sister's mUsic teacher. and his world is turned upside down. In time he realises that he will have to choose between tearing his slightly hysterical family apart and his love for Roisin. Tedious. patronising. badly acted. pseudo liberal. smug anti-faith dilectic from a filmtnaker who really should know better. Grus‘l'l’tltn'. Glasgow:
Angels a. Demons ( I2A) oo Howard. US. 2009) Tom Hanks. Ewan McGregor. Stellan Skarsgard. l38min. Ron Howard's sequel to The I)a Vmci Code. Although a great improvement on its wretched 2006 precursor. with more action and a clearer plot. it's still full of cack portentous theological babble. alarmist politics and terrible acting. General release. Anything for Her (15) .0 (Fred Cavayé. France. 2008) Vincent Lindon. Diane Kruger. Lancelot Roch. 95min. Teacher Julian (Lindon) and his wife Lisa (Kruger) seem to have the perfect life. Then she gets arrested for a crime she may not have committed with no hope of parole. Desperate to have the women he loves back. Julian hatches an escape plan that is as preposterous as it is daring. Flashy. badly plotted and begging of the kind of incredulity that is rarely seen outside the US mainstream. Selected release.
Awaydays ( l8) .0. (Pat Holden. UK. 2009) Stephen Graham. Nicky Bell. Liam Boyle. 104min. The Wirral in the late l970s. Middle-class art school dropout Carty (Bell) is in awe of the Pack. a gang of knife- wielding local football hooligans. (‘arty bumps into one of the Pack's most
(Ron
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56 THE LIST 1 1—25 Jun 2009
charismatic members lilvis (Boyle) at a concert. and an intense friendship quickly develops. Adapted by Kevin Sampson from his cult novel. ('ineii'orld Renfrew Street. Glasgow
Bedtime Stories (PC) so (Adam Shankman. L'S. 2008) Adam Sandler. Keri Russell. (‘ourteney Cox. 90min. Family fantasy about a man who can make bedtime stories come to life. Selected release. Before I Forget ( 18) C” (Jacques .\'olot. France. 2007) Jacques .\'olot. Jean-Pol Dubois. Marc Rioufol. 108mm. Gay gigolo Pierre (Nolot) is left destitute when his wealthy benefactor of 30 years dies. Suffering from poverty. loneliness and writer's block. the 58-year-old struggles to cope in this dry portrait of self-discovery. Cameo. Edittburgh.
Blue Eyelids ( 15) O” (lirnesto Contreras. Mexico. 2008) Cecilia Suarez. linrique Arreola. Ana ()felia Murgia. 98min. See review. page 52. Glasgow Film Theatre. Bolt (PG) ”.0 (Byron Howard] Chris Williams. LS. 2009) Voices of .‘vliley Cyrus. John Travolta. Susie lissman. 103mm. Heart- tugging Disney animation about child actress Penny (voiced by Cyrus) and dog Bolt (Travolta) who star in a hit TV series. The dog believes it‘s all real. so when he escapes frotn his trailer and ends up the other side of the country he is in for a few rude surprises. Cineworld Park/read. (ilasgoii:
Boy and Bicycle (PG) eeee (Ridley- Scott. ['K. 1965) Tony Scott. 27min. Ridley Scott's initial foray into filmmaking. made initially on a budget of £65 using a Bolex 16mm cine-camera. follows a troubled teenage boy as he plays truant. Part of Edinburgh Bike Week Filtn Festival. Eilmhouse. Edinburgh.
Bronson (l8) ooeoe (Nicolas Winding Refn. CK. 2009) Tom Hardy. Katy Baker. Edward Bennett-Coles. 92min. The brutal true story of Britain’s most notorious and dangerous prisoner Charles Bronson is here given an expressionistic makeover. From his respectable Welsh upbringing to petty crime. prison. solitary confinetnent and tabloid hysteria. Bronson‘s trajectory through the second half of the 20th century is unique. A cult film for sure. Anthropologically it is invaluable; artistically it is a complex and unforgettable masterpiece. Cameo, Edinburgh.
Butcher Boy present Enrico Cocozza’s ‘Chick’s Day’ (1-1) The Glasgow group perform their own score to the film Chick 's Day plus tracks from their new album. Glasgow I’ilm Theatre.
A Child is Waiting (PG) ”0. (John Cassavetes. LS. 1963) Burt Lancaster. Judy Garland. Gena Rowlands. 10-lmin. Garland stars as Jean Hansen. a teacher at a school for disabled children. She becomes interested in a young autistic child whose parents have not
Edinburgh Bike Week Film Festival
visited for some time. but the headmaster does not appreciate her interest. Judy Garland anniversary screening. Glasgoii- Film Theatre. The Claim (15) ”D. (Michael Winterbottom. UK. 2001) Peter Mullan. Mila Jovovich. Nastassja Kinski. Sarah Polley. 120min. The prolific Michael Winterbottom‘s (Welcome '12) Sarajvo. Wonderland) most ambitious directorial venture to date is a post-gold rush drama. which is loosely inspired by Thomas Hardy's The Mayor 0f Casterbridge. The principal setting is the mining community of Kingdom Come. a remote output effectively owned and run by Irish immigrant Dillon (Mullan). who harbours the guiltiest of secrets concerning his wife Elena (Nastassja Kinski) and daughter Hope (Polley). Anchored by Mullan‘s typically powerful central performance. this relentlessly sombre tale follows proudly in the tradition of revisionist westems like Robert Altman‘s McCabe And Mrs Miller. (irosi'enor. Glasgow:
Coraline 20 (PG) ”0. (Henry Selick. LS 2009) Voices of Dakota Fanning. Teri Hatcher. John llodgrnan. 100min. After her family moves to Pink Mansions. Coraline (voiced by Fanning) quickly becomes bored with the large dusty house. and in particular with her hardworking parents (Hatchet and Hodgtnan). The fantasy kicks into top gear when she discovers a secret door that leads her into an alternate version of her home. A lush. visually imaginative and freshly entertaining stop-motion adaptation of Neil (iaiman's children's novel. Cineii-orld Par/(head. Glasgow Coraline 3D (PC) em LS. 2009) Voices of Dakota Fanning. Teri Hatcher. John Hodgman. l()0min. See above. Selected release.
‘ The Curious Case of Benjamin
Button (12A) 0” (David Fincher. US. 2009) Brad Pitt. Cate Blanchett. Julia ()rmond. 165mm. Bom as an old man only to
' die as an infant. the Benjamin Button
character created by F Scott Fitzgerald in his 1922 short-story gets the full ‘prestige picture' treatment in David Fincher‘s lavish romantic fantasy. A salutary tale of a man who would turn back time for love. and fails. reflecting Fitzgerald's own views of the imperrnanence of love. We Edinburgh ()cean. Edinburgh.
The Darjeeling Limited (l5) eeee (Wes Anderson. US. 2007) Owen Wilson. Adrien Brody. Jason Schwartzman. 104mm. Three eccentric brothers (Wilson. Brody and Schwartzman) cross India by train in an attempt to deal with the recent death of their father. ()n this evidence writer/director Anderson (Rushmore. The Royal Tenenbaums is fast becoming the John Cheever of US cinema. This film is preceded by a short by Anderson called Hotel Chevalier; it is imperative you see this film in order to
‘Punctured bicycle on a hillside
desolate/ Will nature make a man of me yet?’ That’s ‘This Charming Man’ by The Smiths but this is the fourth year of this increasingly popular cycle and celluloid festival in the capital. Highlights this year include a double bill of two feted shorts from the 19603 - Douglas Hickox’s musical fantasy Les Bicyclettes de Belsize and Boy and Bicycle, Ridley Scott’s first foray into filmmaking. Plus there’s 2006 documentary Klukerz about the hippie cyclists who invented the modern mountain
bike. www.bicyclefilmfestival.info
I Fi/mhouse, Edinburgh from Thu tt-Sun 74 Jun.
(Henry Selick.
www.|ist.co.uk/film
understand what follows. A delight. Scotsman Screening Room. Edinburgh. Deep Sea 30 (PG) (Howard Hall. Canada/US. 2006) Voices of Johnny Depp. Kate Winslet. 41min. A 3-D digital exploration of the ocean's depths and its creatures. IMAX Theatre. Glasgow. Doghouse (15)” (Jake West. UK. 2009) Danny Dyer. Noel Clarke. Stephen Graham. 88min. See Also Released. page 53. Selected release. Drag Me to Hell (15) em (Sam Raimi. US. 2009) Alison Lohman. Justin Long. Fernanda Romero. 100min. Life is good for ambitious LA loan officer Christine (Lohman). Until that is. she double refuses an ()AP an extension on her home loan. leaving the old lady shamed and homeless. In return a curse is put on Christine and her life becomes a living nightmare. A must for horror fans. General release. Dragonball: Evolution (PG) e (James Wong. US/Japan. 2009) Justin Chatwin. Chow Yun-fat. Joon Park. 84min. Puerile Hollywood film version of the Japanese manga phenomenon that will disappoint fans and newcomers alike. Cineworld Park/lead. Glasgow. ECA Animation Degree Show (15) (Various. UK. 2009) 90min. This year‘s Edinburgh College of An students‘ work showreel. Filmhouse. Edinburgh. ECA Film and TV Degree Show (15) (Various. UK. 2008) 120min. A selection of films from the graduating students of the Film and Television department of Edinburgh College of Art. Film/rouse. Edinburgh. Edinburgh International Film Festival See feature. page 22. For full listings see www.|ist.co.uk. Various venues. The End of the Line (E) see (Rupert Murray. US. 2009) 65min. See review. page 53. Eilmhouse. Edinburgh. Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind (15) me (Michel Gondry. US. 2004) Kate Winslet. Jim Carey. Tom Wilkinson. Kirstin Dunst. 108min. Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman‘s second collaboration with director Michel Gondry (after Human Nature) is his best film yet. Like Being John Malkovich. Eternal Sunshine is a wildly imaginative flight of fantasy. This film's gloriously balmy conceit sees Carrey‘s lovelom loser. Joel Barish. having the painful memories of his ex-girlfriend surgically removed. It's an outrageously demented ride. but underlying this terrific trip are some serious metaphysical questions about human
relationships. Can love endure? If not. was it
wonh it in the first place? Part of Science and Film Festival. Filmhouse. Edinburgh. Everlasting Moments ( l5) eee
(Jan Troell. Denmark/Sweden/Finland. 2008) Maria Heiskanen. Jesper Christensen. Mikael Persbrandt. l3lmin. Veteran Scandinavian filmmaker Troell‘s latest is a slow-paced. solidly performed and handsomely mounted feature about a woman discovering her natural ability for photography in early 20th century Sweden. Spanning a period of roughly ten years beginning in 1907. the episodic narrative of this true story-inspired film follows the ups and downs in the marriage of wife and mother of seven Maria (Heisanken). Glasgow Film Theatre; Filmhouse. Edinburgh.
Fireflies in the Garden (l5) es (Dennis Lee. UK. 2(Xl8) Ryan Reynolds. Willem Dafoe. Julia Roberts. 99min. Novelist Michael Waechter‘s (Reynolds) autobiographical account of his childhood is about to put the boot into his mum (Roberts). his frustrated academic dad (Dafoe) and his sister (Watson). Throw in Michael‘s sexy ex- wife. and the discovery of his mother‘s secret lover and you’ve got an all star soap opera. but one which director Dennis Lee never brings to the boil. A high calibre dud. Selected release.
Fly Me to the Moon (U) so (Ben Stassen. US. 2008) Buzz Aldrin. Adrienne Barbeau. Ed Begley Jr. 84min. A 30 film describing mankind‘s first trip to the moon is a lively sounding prospect. and moments in Stassen‘s animation provide a genuine wow- factor. but such moments of poetry are fleeting and the majority of this film insanely focuses on the uninteresting plight of three houseflies who stowaway onboard. IMAX Theatre. Glasgow:
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