www.list.co.uk/film good deal of black humour and a number of superbly staged set pieces. General release. Julie & Julia (12A) ●●●●● (Nora Ephron, US, 2009) Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, Stanley Tucci. 123min. See review, page 50. General release. Just Another Love Story (18) ●●●●● (Ole Bornedal, Denmark, 2007) Anders W Berthelsen, Rebecka Hemse, Nikolaj Lie Kaas. 100min. Bornedal’s tale of confused and adopted identities sees Julia (Hemse) crash into the back of a car driven by the married Jonas (Berthjelsen). When she ends up in a coma and he starts to visit, the partly responsible Jonas may feel guilty but he’s also besotted. Bornedal eventually loses interest in the subtleties of psychology and social milieu and opts for a knowing thriller denouement instead. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Let’s Make Money (15) (Erwin Wagenhofer, Austria, 2009) 110min. Chronicling the current state of the global money market, Let’s Make Money spans from Burkina Faso to Jersey in a bid to paint a clear picture of the recent financial collapse. This screening will be followed by audience discussion ‘Put People First: an alternative view of global economics’. Take One Action Film Festival. Glasgow Film Theatre. Little Caesar (PG) (Mervyn LeRoy, US, 1931) Edward G Robinson, Douglas Fairbanks Jr, Glenda Farrell. 75min. Mob classic. Cameo, Edinburgh. Looking for Eric (15) ●●●●● (Ken Loach, UK, 2009) Steve Evets, Eric Cantona, Stephanie Bishop. 146min. Shot without frills, this sentimental, feel good comedy is much less conspicuously political than Loach’s previous films. It centres upon protagonist Eric Bishop (Evets), a middle- aged Mancuanian postman, who is prone to panic attacks. Gazing up one night over a spliff at a bedroom poster of Cantona, Eric is amazed to see the Frenchman appear, and Cantona proceeds to act as a life coach to the mixed-up Eric. Empire, Clydebank.
Manhattan (12A) ●●●●● (Woody Allen, US, 1979) Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Mariel Hemingway. 95min. A slight, urban, amoral romantic comedy about one divorcee’s attempt to find love with his best friend’s mistress (Keaton). Its timelessness is owed to Gordon Willis’ gorgeous black and white photography, Gershwin’s ‘Rhapsody in Blue’, knowing borrowings from other film masters and much, much more. The film has certainly dated, but remains the romantic comedy of this or any year and Allen’s one true masterpiece. Brunton Theatre, Edinburgh. Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence (15) ●●●●● (Nagisa Oshima, UK, 1982) David Bowie, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Tom Conti. 124min. The sexually charged hatred between prisoner (Bowie) and commandant (Sakamoto) in a 1942 prisoner-of-war camp in Java is the main string to this lengthy character study, which is atmospheric, but not as original as it attempts to be. Bowie is pretty good by his standards, which is not saying a lot. Part of Oshima season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Mesrine: Killer Instinct (15) ●●●●● (Jean-François Richet, France, 2008) Vincent Cassel, Cécile De France, Gérard Depardieu. 113min. The early career and criminal gestation of France’s most notorious bank robber and gangster Jacques Mesrine circumscribed in the first of two films telling his remarkable story. Tracing a line from Mesrine’s disillusioning military service during the Algerian war to the beginning of his notoriety in 1972, the first instalment of this epic crime tale is derivative, energetic and hugely enjoyable. Empire, Clydebank; Cameo, Edinburgh.
✽✽ Mesrine: Public Enemy Number One (15) ●●●●● (Jean-
Francois Richet, France, 2008) Vincent Cassel, Ludivine Sagnier, Mathieu Amalric. 133min. Part two of Jean François Richet’s epic account of the contrary life and times of France’s most famous bank robber and criminal mastermind Jacques Mesrine. Now
in the realm of myth and self-deception, and in following Msrine’s attempts to align himself with more radical political groups and his burgeoning skills as a master of disguise, Richet’s second film unfolds as something more freewheeling and as enjoyable as a good caper movie. Glasgow Film Theatre; Cameo, Edinburgh. Mid-August Lunch (12A) ●●●●● (Gianni Di Gregorio, Italy, 2008) Gianni Di Gregorio, Valeria De Franciscis, Marina Cacciotti. 75min. Charming portrait of middle-aged, wine-loving Gianni di Gregorio who lives with his imperious 90-something mother Valeria (Franciscis), whom he patiently looks after. What’s refreshing about this, and what gives it a political edge in the context of Berlusconi’s meretricious government, is that it celebrates the supposedly ‘simpler’ pleasures in life. Glasgow Film Theatre.
✽✽ Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters (15) ●●●●● (Paul Schrader, US, 1985) Ken Ogota, Kanji Sawada, Yasosuke Bando. 120min. Fascinating examination of the life and work of controversial Japanese writer, director and militarist Yukio Mishima. Stylised sequences from his novels are placed alongside documentary-style re- creation, with the action swept along by a powerful Philip Glass score. A masterpiece. New print. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Miss March: Generation Penetration (15) ●●●●● (Zach Cregger/Trevor Moore, US, 2009) Raquel Alessi, Zach Cregger, Trevor Moore. 89min. See Also Released, page 51. Selected release. Modern Times (U) ●●●●● (Charles Chaplin, US, 1936) Charles Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Henry Bergman. 89min. Chapman’s Little Tramp figure struggles to live in modern industrial society. This screening will be preceded by a short talk about the campaign for a Green New Deal from the G20 summit in St Andrews on 7 Nov. Take One Action Film Festival.
Index Film Glasgow Film Theatre; Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Monsters vs Aliens 2D (PG) ●●●●● (Rob Letterman, US, 2009) Voices of Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogen, Hugh Laurie. 94min. Can a self-doubting but individualist team of monsters overcome a mob of self- confident, mass-produced aliens? Eye- popping to watch, leavened with self- referential humour that makes it easy to digest, but also playing things so painstakingly safe that any resonance evaporates the moment the end credits roll. Cineworld Parkhead, Glasgow; Cineworld Fountainpark, Edinburgh. Monty Python and The Holy Grail (PG) ●●●●● (Terry Gilliam & Terry Jones, UK, 1974) Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam. 90min. Medieval legend done the Python way with modern misconceptions and anachronisms piling on the absurdity. Oh and the Knights of ‘Ny!’ make a cherishable appearance. Scotsman Screening Room, Edinburgh. Morning Light (PG) ●●●●● (Mark Monroe, US, 2008) 97min. See review, page 50. General release from Fri 11 Sep. Nauru: An Island Adrift (12A) (Juliano Ribeiro Salgado, France, 2009) 80min. A little-known island in the Micronesian South Pacific, Nauru has suffered a century’s worth of rampant phosphate exploitation. The country now faces complete financial disaster, a health crisis, and governmental collapse. These screenings will be accompanied by music, storytelling and discussion. Take One Action Film Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Night at the Museum 2 (PG) ●●●●● (Shawn Levy, US, 2009) Ben Stiller, Amy Adams, Owen Wilson. 104min. Silly but enjoyable sequel to 2006 comedy. Ben Stiller’s night watchman joins characters from the first film in a battle to save the Smithsonian museum. Selected release.
10–24 Sep 2009 THE LIST 55