www.list.co.uk/film The Shop Around the Corner
Ernst Lubitsch’s lovely 1940 romantic comedy, starring James Stewart and Margaret Sullivan as shop staff who dislike each other so much they may actually be in love, has been lovingly restored and will be shown on a new pristine 35mm print. Do not miss. ■ Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Fri 10-Sun 19 Dec.
✽✽ Somewhere (15) ●●●●● (Sofia Coppola, US, 2010) Michelle
Monaghan, Stephen Dorff, Elle Fanning. 98min. Thoughtful and understated filmmaking from Coppola starring Dorff as a bored and partied-out rock star whose hedonistic life is thrown into sharp relief when his estranged daughter Chloe (Fanning) comes for a visit. Se feature, page 44 and review, page 45. Glasgow Film Theatre. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (PG) ●●●●● (Jon Turteltaub, USA, 2010) Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Alfred Molina. 111min. From the combination that brought us Pirates of the Caribbean comes a sadly less exciting fantasy, with an uninspired ‘dweeb becomes chosen one’ plot. Too much is made of sappy romance instead of indulging in duels, the acting is dry and dusty and the film lacks the magic it promises. Empire, Clydebank. The Thorn in the Heart (E) ●●●●● (Michael Gondry, France, 2009) 86min. See Also Released, page 47. Cameo, Edinburgh. Toy Story 3 2D (U) ●●●●● (Lee Unkrich, USA, 2010) Voices of Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack. 108min. Andy has grown up and is on the way to college, so everyone’s favourite toys are packed off to Sunnyside day-care centre. After a whirlwind of close-cut situations, the film
82min. See review, page 46. Cineworld Renfrew Street, Glasgow; Cineworld Fountainpark, Edinburgh. Raspberry Ripple (12) ●●●●● (Nigel Finch, UK, 1986) John Gordon Sinclair, Nabil Shaban, Faye Dunaway. 100min. Film about a wheelchair-bound young man (Sinclair) who escapes reality with daydreams of American gangster movies. Part of UK Disability Film Festival. Glasgow Film Theatre.
✽✽ Robinson in Ruins (U) ●●●●● (Patrick Keiller, UK, 2010) Voice of Vanessa Redgrave. 101min. Another avant garde filmic meandering on the investigations of Keiller’s mysterious ‘Robinson’. This time he explores politics, the economy, and warfare in the contemporary world. Part of Keiller season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Robinson in Space (PG) ●●●●● (Patrick Keiller, UK, 1997) Paul Scofield. 82min. A witty study of England’s economic and cultural geography in which unseen researcher Robinson has been commissioned by an international advertising company to undertake research into the ‘problem’ of England. Part of Keiller season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (U) ●●●●● (Michael Lembeck, US, 2006) Tim Allen, Martin Short, Elizabeth Mitchell. 91min. Once more into the breach steps Santa (Allen) – this time battling with an overflowing family and Jack Frost (Short). Do children honestly like this franchised slush?. Grosvenor, Glasgow. Santa vs The Snowman 3D (PG) ●●●●● (Various, US, 2002) 32min. IMAX big screen presentation telling the story of a lonely snowman who is swept away by the magical wonders of Santa’s village. IMAX Theatre, Glasgow. Saw 3D (18) ●●●●● (Kevin Greutert, US, 2010) Tobin Bell, Cary Elwes, Costas Mandylor. 89min. The seventh and supposedly final installment of the series that defined ‘torture porn’. Expect blood, guts and more intricate terror traps as Jigsaw (Bell) reeks his final revenge from beyond the grave in goretastic 3D. Selected release. Scrooge (U) ●●●●● (Brian Desmond Hurst, UK, 1951) Alistair Sim, George Cole, Michael Hordern. 86min. Probably the best screen adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. The story
concerns the overly prudent businessman Ebeneezer Scrooge (Sim), whose becomes a saint overnight. But Dickens was never afraid to tackle the big issues: the threat to children’s lives, whether they are privileged or poverty-stricken, is one of the main themes. Still, none of the darkness gets in the way of a cracking tale. Glasgow Film Theatre; St Bride’s Centre, Edinburgh. Secretariat (U) ●●●●● (Randall Wallace, USA, 2010) John Malkovich, Diane Lane, James Cromwell. 123min. See review, page 45. Selected release. The Shop Around The Corner (PG) ●●●●● (Ernst Lubitsch, US, 1940) James Stewart, Margaret Sullavan, Frank Morgan. 97min. A glorious romantic comedy by the great Ernst Lubitsch, teaming up Stewart and Sullavan as bickering shop assistants who gradually realise they’ve been having an anonymous romance by letter. Funny and touching, it’s an absolute classic. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Shrek Forever After 2D (PG) ●●●●● (Mike Mitchell, US, 2010) Voices: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz. 93min. A fourth and final instalment, rebooting the flagging franchise with a new alternate-reality twist which sees Shrek escape fatherhood for a one-day return to his bachelor years. A warmed- over sequel that lazily re-configures familiar elements to mildly pleasing effect. Cineworld Parkhead, Glasgow; Cineworld Fountainpark, Edinburgh. Skyline (PG) ●●●●● (Colin Strause/Greg Strause, US, 2010) Eric Balfour, Donald Faison, Scottie Thompson. 92min. Horror adventure film in which a group of party-hardy friends fight an otherworldly force sucking the entire human population off the face of the earth. Selected release. The Social Network (12A) ●●●●● (David Fincher, US, 2010) Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake. 120min. Dramatisation of the story behind the founding of the world’s most ubiquitous stalking vehicle, starring Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg, the Harvard nerd who may or may not have backstabbed his way into becoming a billionaire. An interesting examination of the nature of modern friendship and the emotional cost of enormous financial success. Selected release.
INDEX Film
manages to retain its good humour and pathos long enough to bring all the characters safely to a satisfying resolution. Cineworld Parkhead, Glasgow; Cineworld Fountainpark, Edinburgh. Traces of Stones (12A) (Frank Beyer, East Germany, 2966) 138min. This story of leadership and love on a building site was banned by the Communist East German government in 1966 but is now considered a German classic. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Trade (15) (Marco Kreutzpainter, Germany/US, 2007) Paulina Gaitan, Cesar Ramos, Kevin Kline. 119min. Drama about the all-too-real illegal sex trafficking trade between Mexico and the US. Part of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (12A) ●●●●● (Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Thailand, 2010) Sakda Kaewbuadee, Jenjira Pongpas, Thanapat Saisaymar. 113min. Palme D’Or winning fantasy drama about an old man on his deathbed, looking back over his many lives. Glasgow Film Theatre. Under the Sea 3D (U) (Howard Hall, UK, 2009) Jim Carrey. 65min. Carrey narrates an underwater 3D look at the impact of global warming upon the diverse coastal regions of Southern Australia, New Guinea and the Indo-Pacific areas. IMAX Theatre, Glasgow. Unstoppable (12A) ●●●●● (Tony Scott, US, 2010) Denzel Washington, Chris Pine, Rosario Dawson. 98min. Another piece of train-based nonsense from Tony Scott, following on the rails of The Taking of Pelham 123. An unmanned train packed with explosives hurtles out of control, but who can stop it? That’s right – Den-ZEL, and sidekick Will (Pine). Slick, but corny. General release. The Untouchables (PG) ●●●●● (Brian De Palma, US, 1987) Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Robert De Niro, Charles Martin Smith, Patricia Clarkson. 119min. David Mamet’s entertaining update of the old TV series. Eliot Ness learns the hard way how to deal with underworld crime and police corruption in Chicago during the Prohibition years. An Oscar-winning performance from Connery as the seasoned Irish Cop with a Scots accent, and De Niro turns in a grandiose Capone. St Bride’s Centre, Edinburgh. Vampires Suck (12A) ●●●●● (Jason Friedberg/Aaron Seltzer, US, 2010) Jenn Proske, Matt Lanter, Chris Riggi. 82min. Tedious spoof of vampire-themed movies (particularly the Twilight saga) from the one trick ponies who gave us the Scary Movie films, Date Movie, Epic Movie, Disaster Movie and Meet The Spartans. The hammy look-alikes include Jenn Proske and Matt Lanter. Grosvenor, Glasgow. Victoria Wood (E) (UK, 2010) Live stand-up from the Royal Theatre. Vue Omni, Edinburgh. The Warrior’s Way (15) ●●●●● (Sngmoo Lee, New Zealand, 2010) Dong- gun Jang, Kate Bosworth, Geoffrey Rush. 100min. See Also Released, page 47. Selected release.
2–16 Dec 2010 THE LIST 51