Film Index PROFILE
DOMINIK GARCIA- LORIDO Born: 16 August 1983, Los Angeles, US.
Background: The daughter of the actor Andy Garcia, Dominik grew up in LA and appeared as an extra in Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather: Part III, when she was just 7 years old. Aged 12 she was cast opposite her father in the comedy Steal Big Steal Little, playing the on-screen daughter of his character. Having studied at UCLA’s School of Theatre, Film and Television, she then starred in Garcia’s directorial debut The Lost City, a love story set in Cuba around the time of the Revolution. What’s she up to now: She’s currently acting alongside her dad in the indie comedy City Island, in which she’s a college student Vivian Rizzo, keeping a secret from her parents about how she funds her studies.
On her childhood: ‘I grew up on film sets and I had a ball. It wouldn’t have had nearly as much fun if my dad had been working behind a desk somewhere. I remember being on the set of The Godfather: Part III, and all the kids were running around and doing crazy things and Coppola just embraced that.’
On real-life City Island: ‘I’d never heard of the place before the film, and apparently a lot of people in New York haven’t heard of it, even though it’s in the Bronx. The first time I saw it was a day before the shoot. It’s so cute! It’s this little fishing village, which is a really happening spot at weekends.’ On pole-dancing: ‘The pole- dancing scenes I did in the film felt really weird, but then that’s what my character Vivian is feeling. She’s not enjoying herself, and she’s not smiling at all. I just wanted to get the scenes over with.’
Interesting fact: She collects spoons. The very first spoon in her collection was bought on a childhood trip to London (Tom Dawson) ■ City Island, selected release, Fri 23 Jul. See review, page 45.
50 THE LIST 22 Jul–5 Aug 2010
Crimefighters (15) (Miles Watts, UK, 2010) Emma Keaveney, Paul Trimmer, Debbie Hard. 80min. Watts, who has won a cult audience with Zomblogalypse, his zombie web series, makes his feature debut with a black and white vigilante comedy set, not in New York, but in its older and more dangerous cousin, York. Followed by a Q&A session with Watts. Cameo, Edinburgh. The End of the Road (U) (Wolf Rilla, UK, 1954) Finlay Currie, Naomi Chance, Duncan Lamont. 77min. A documentary- like examination of the effects of retirement on metalworker Mick Mack (Currie). He lives with his son, daughter-in-law and grandson, who hardly notice the change at first, but when they do, chaos unfolds. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Exit Through the Gift Shop (15) ●●●●● (Banksy, UK, 2010) 85min. In his first foray into filmmaking, mysterious artist Banksy places the issue of identity at the centre of his pseudo-documentary on street art. It’s to his immense credit that he gives a potted history of the art form in an interesting and funny way, and most impressively, the questions about identity, society and life that the filmmaker posits over the course of this anarchically intelligent documentary feature mirror those found in his artwork. Grosvenor, Glasgow. The First Movie (12A) ●●●●● (Mark Cousins, UK, 2009) 76min. Cousins travels to Goptapa, a Kurdish-Iraqi village, and presents its youngsters with cameras – they make little movies about war, love and a fish that goes to a magical place. Glasgow Film Theatre. Four Lions (15) ●●●●● (Christopher Morris, UK, 2010) Benedict Cumberbatch, Alex MacQueen, Julia Davis. 101min. Post- 9/11 worthiness put aside, Morris hits the right note as he pokes fun at prejudices with some hapless British Muslims who want to blow themselves up as part of a misconstrued notion of Jihad. Vue Omni, Edinburgh.
✽✽ Gainsbourg (15) ●●●●● (Joann Sfar, France/USA, 2010) Eric
Elmosnino, Lucy Gordon, Laetitia Casta. 135min. See review, page 44. Glasgow Film Theatre. Get Him to the Greek (15) ●●●●● (Nicholas Stoller, US, 2010) Jonah Hill, Russell Brand, Sean Combs. 108min. Brand is matched up with Superbad’s Hill for a raunchy bromance in this LA-set music industry satire. The bearded comic’s self- parody gives way to annoying narcissism, but not before the film has hit enough targets to pass muster as a sharp lampoon of celebrity culture. General release. Good Hair (12A) ●●●●● (Jeff Stilson, US, 2009) 95min. Rock enters Louis Theroux presenter territory with this documentary on the relationship between African-American women and their hair. Choosing comedy over social political commentary at every turn, this adventure takes him from beauty shops in Harlem to hair manufacturing plants in India. Cameo, Edinburgh. Goodbye Lenin! (15) ●●●●● (Wolfgang Becker, Germany, 2003) Daniel Brühl, Katrin Sass, Maria Simon. 121min. Charming comedy drama which won the Blue Angel Award at Berlin. Set initially during the dissolution of GDR in 1989 when Alex’s mother slips into a coma after an almost fatal heart attack. She awakes in 1990 and East Berlin has already changed considerably. Alex is determined to protect her from any kind of shock. Part of Summer Sundays. Glasgow Film Theatre. Hachi: A Dog’s Tale (PG) ●●●●● (Lasse Hallström, USA/UK, 2009) Richard Gere, Sarah Roemer, Joan Allen. 93min. This maudlin pet-sploitation flick transports the 1920s Japan story of a faithful dog who waited nearly ten years for his master’s return, to an idyllic Rhode Island setting. Vue Ocean, Edinburgh. Heartbreaker (L’Arnacoeur) (15) ●●●●● (Pascal Chaumeil, France/Monaco, 2010) Romain Duris, Vanessa Paradis, Julie Ferrier. 104min. Monte Carlo-set light-hearted romantic comedy about a man who is paid to break up couples by any means necessary. The
heartbreaker’s cynical attitude to love is questioned when he’s employed to stop the impending nuptials of Juliette (Paradis) to a seemingly perfect Brit (Lincoln). Selected release. Hidden (Cache) (15) ●●●●● (Michael Haneke, France/Austria/Germany/Italy, 2005) Daniel Auteuil, Juliette Binoche, Maurice Benichou, Annie Girardot, Lester Makedonsky. 117min. Georges (Auteuil) the presenter of a literary review programme on French TV, and his publisher wife Anne (Binoche) receive packages containing videos shot outside their nice suburban house. As the tapes and the drawings they come wrapped in become more personal and alarming, Georges begins to lose his mind. Haneke has always diffused polemic through the most personal of scenarios. Hidden is a devastating, giddying examination of middle class smugness, the burden of the past and the deeply objectional self obsessions of the intellectual. Beautifully acted, paced, edited and directed, it will leave you gasping and perplexed as all great cinema should. If you want to know why 30 French towns and cities burned in October and November of 2005, the answer is here.Part of 25 Years of Filmhouse. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Horror/Cult Film Discussion Group Meet up with other genre fans at this relaxed and friendly discussion group. Glasgow Film Theatre. How to Train Your Dragon 2D (PG) ●●●●● (Dean DeBlois/Chris Sanders, US, 2010) Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, America Ferrera. 97min. Commendable new DreamWorks animation set in the mythical world of Vikings and dragons, and based on the book by Cressida Cowell. Hiccup, a Viking teenager, befriends a dragon. Odeon at the Quay, Glasgow; Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Hunger (15) ●●●●● (Steve McQueen, UK/Ireland, 2008) Michael Fassbender, Stuart Graham, Helena Bereen. 96min. In 1981 provisional IRA member Bobby Sands allowed his body to become the ultimate instrument of protest when he led the Maze prison hunger strike. Directed by Turner Prize-winning artist McQueen and written by Irish playwright Enda Walsh, Hunger is the story of the last six weeks of Sands’ life. A brave and unforgettable film, tinged with thematic prescience and the politics of belief. Part of 25 Years of Filmhouse. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (U) ●●●●● (Carlos Saldanha/ Mike Thurmeier, US, 2009) Voices of Simon Pegg, Seann William Scott, John Leguizamo. 93min. Life is changing for Scrat, Manny, Ellie and co in many different ways in this the latest installment of popular animated series. Grosvenor, Glasgow.
✽✽ Inception (12A) ●●●●● (Christopher Nolan, US, 2010)
Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Ellen Page. 147min. DiCaprio stars as Don Cobb, a thief who is the master of the art of extraction, stealing secrets from the minds of the unconscious. The business is risky and has resulted the loss of everything he once held dear. Now he is being offered a chance of redemption, but at a cost, and up against a dangerous enemy that only Cobb could have seen coming. General release. Jaws (PG) ●●●●● (Steven Spielberg, US, 1975) Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss. 125min. Cracking shark adventure from the days when Spielberg movies were scary. See the citizens of Amity scream! Watch the bodycount pile up! Hear the authorities declare the water perfectly safe!. Glasgow Film Theatre. Karate Kid (PG) ●●●●● (Harald Zwart, USA/China, 2010) Jackie Chan, Jaden Smith, Taraji P. Henson. 139min. See review, page 44. General release. Khatta Meetha (tbc) (Priyadarshan, India, 2010) Akshay Kumar, Trisha Krishnan, Makrand Deshpande.Bollywood romcom. Cineworld Renfrew Street, Glasgow; Cineworld Fountainpark, Edinburgh. Killers (12A) ●●●●● (Robert Luketic, US, 2010) Ashton Kutcher, Katherine Heigl, Tom Selleck. 100min. Witless, unfunny and lacking in any kind of chemistry between
the leads, this action comedy is a forgettable dud. Selected release. Lacombe Lucien (12) ●●●●● (Louis Malle, France, 1974) Pierre Blaise, Aurore Clément, Therese Giehse. 132min. Controversial film exploring the issue of French collaboration during the German occupation in World War Two through the journey of one peasant lad from potential Resistance member to Gestapo recruit. Screening as part of the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival in recognition of the superb Django Reinhardt score. Followed by six minutes of rare and incredible footage of Reinhardt playing live around 1938. Part of Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Last Song (PG) ●●●●● (Julie Anne Robinson, US, 2010) Miley Cyrus, Greg Kinnear, Bobby Coleman. 107min. Soppy adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ predictable story about malcontent Ronnie (Cyrus), who travels south to stay with absentee father Steve (Kinnear). For Montana die-hards only. Glasgow Film Theatre.
✽✽ Leaving (15) ●●●●● (Catherine Corsini, France, 2009) Kristin Scott Thomas, Sergi López, Yvan Attal. 86min. Bored housewife (Scott) pursues a builder as a way out of her ennui and away from her controlling husband (unlikely romantic lead Lopez). Corsini tries to take an even- handed approach to each character by showing how confusion leads to selfishness, but nothing new is added to this predictable genre. Glasgow Film Theatre; Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Lives of Others (Das Leben der Anderen) (15) ●●●●● (Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, Germany, 2006) Martina Gedeck, Ulrich Muehe, Sebastian Koch. 137min. Excellent cold war thriller about surveillance and cultural freedom in East Berlin under the Stasi (secret police). A film that manages to be both horrifying and humorous. Highly recommended. Part of 25 Years of Filmhouse. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. London River (15) ●●●●● (Rachid Bouchareb, UK, 2009) Brenda Blethyn, Sotigui Kouyaté, Marc Baylis. 87min. See review, page 46 and profile, page 48. Glasgow Film Theatre. Me and Orson Welles (12A) ●●●●● (Richard Linklater, UK, 2008) Ben Chaplin, Claire Danes, Zac Efron. 113min. Likeably frothy behind-the-scenes drama. Set over the space of one week, the film’s time frame is guided by the rehearsals and first night of the Mercury Theatre’s legendary production of Ceasar, directed by Welles in 1937. In to this theatrical bear pit enters young artisan Richard (Efron) who lands himself the role of Lucius. Between Welles’ explosions and sexy assistant Sonja (Danes) it’s going to be a week he won’t forget in a hurry. Vue Ocean, Edinburgh. Meet Me in St Louis (U) ●●●●● (Vincente Minnelli, US, 1944) Judy Garland, Margaret O’Brien, Mary Astor. 113min. Released during wartime, this 1903-seet musical was an optimistic attempt to emphasise family values, but Minnelli never wallows in nostalgia. Instead he combats it with sparky and sarky family dynamics. The put-upon father wants to move his family from St Louis to New York but faces resistance from his gaggle of girls who have romances to get on with, and the fast-approaching World Fair to enjoy. Perfect casting and performances, along with songs like ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas’ add to the warm glow. Cineworld Parkhead, Glasgow. Mel Karade Rabba (12A) (Navaniat Singh, India, 2010) Jimmy Shergill, Neeru Bajwa, Gippy Grewal. 134min. A Bollywood drama of love, betrayal and friendships. Cineworld Renfrew Street, Glasgow. Nanny McPhee & The Big Bang (U) ●●●●● (Susanna White, US, 2010) Emma Thompson, Ralph Fiennes, Maggie Gyllenhaal. 109min. Sequel to the popular 2005 family film. This time Gyllenhaal is single mum Isabel Green (hubbie is off to fight the Hun in WW2) with three out of control nippers to contend with and two insufferably posh evacuee cousins about to