in this insightful documentary. Preceded by Chris Lawrence’s short, Twenty Takes on Death and Dying (Scotland, 2010, 10min), and followed by a panel discussion on death and dying in different contexts, chaired by Africa in Motion director Lizelle Bisschoff. Part of the Festival of Spirituality and Peace. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Giants (Les géants) (12A) ● (Bouli Lanners, Belgium, 2011) Paul Bartel, Zacharie Chasseriaud, Marthe Keller. 84min. Teenage brothers Zak (Chasseriaud) and Seth (Nissen) are stranded by their mother at their late grandfather’s house in the country, but when they meet local kid Danny (Bartel) their adventures begin. If the script is sometimes a little puerile, it’s beautifully shot with credible performances and an undercurrent of casual melancholy. Filmhouse, Edinburgh; Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee. Guelwaar (12) ● Sembène, Senegal/France/Germany, 1993) Mame Ndoumbé Diop, Thierno Ndiaye, Belle Mbaye. 115min. Darkly satirical portrayal of the religious and political chaos unleashed when a Christian activist is buried in a Muslim cemetery in Senegal. Part of the Festival of Spirituality and Peace. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Hansel of Film (E) (Various, Various, 2012) A unique ‘film relay’ as part of the London 2012 Festival, with a programme of short films made by people around the UK screening at venues from Shetland down to Southampton and back up again across the summer, which started with the arrival of the Olympic torch in Shetland in June and ends at the islands’ Screenplay film festival in September. The Hippodrome, Bo’ness; Filmhouse, Edinburgh. How to Train Your Dragon (PG) (Ousmane
(Chris Sanders, Dean DeBlois, US, 2010) Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, America Ferrera. 97min. Commendable fun DreamWorks animation set in the mythical world of Vikings and dragons, and based on the book by Cressida Cowell. Followed by a Q&A with Cressida Cowell who wrote the original book. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Ice Age: Continental Drift (U) (Steve Martino, Mike Thurmeier, US, 2012) Ray Romano, Denis Leary, John Leguizamo. 92min. Still struggling to avoid extinction, Ice Age buddies Sid, Manny and Diego encounter teenage mammoths desperate for independence, shifting
continental plates and a gang of unusual pirates in the fourth instalment from the franchise. Polished animation but with an unoriginal script and banal characterisation. General release. If You See a Cat & Other Animal Tales (U) (Various, Poland, Various). Six animated shorts for kids from some of Poland’s leading filmmakers. Summerhall, Edinburgh. Inside Job (12A) ● Ferguson, US, 2010) Matt Damon, William Ackman, Daniel Alpert. 108min. The causes of the global financial crisis of 2008 are rigorously explored in this absorbing documentary from American filmmaker Ferguson. Narrated by Matt Damon, this elegantly shot documentary argues that the crash was in no way unavoidable. Combining archival footage and probing interviews, Ferguson’s approach is the antithesis of Michael Moore’s grandstanding. Followed by a Q&A with director Ferguson. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. (Charles
✽Jackpot (Arme Riddere) (15) (Magnus Martens, Norway,
2011) Kyrre Hellum, Henrik Mestad, Marie Blokhus, Mads Ousdal, Andreas Cappelen, Arthur Berning, Lena Kristin Ellingsen, Jan Grønli, Fridtjov Såheim, Peter Andersson. 85min. See review page 116. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow; Cameo, Edinburgh. Katy Perry: Part of Me (PG) (Dan Cutforth, Jane Lipsitz, US, 2012) Katy Perry. 97min. Pop starlet Katy Perry reveals what goes on behind the scenes of her latest tour in this documentary or, if you will, popumentary. Cineworld Renfrew Street, Glasgow. Kosmos (12A) ● Turkey/Bulgaria, 2010) Sermet Yesil, Türkü Turan, Serkan Keskin. 122min. Kosmos (Yesil) rescues a small boy from drowning, an act of kindness that draws him into an ambiguous relationship with the boy’s sister Neptun (Turan). Erdem’s metaphysical fable has great visual power and beauty, but the meaning is frustratingly elusive. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. Little Black Riding Hood & other surreal stories (tbc) (Various, Poland, Various) 81min. Subversive animated shorts from some of Poland’s best filmmakers, including Jan Lenica, Stefan Schabanbeck and Zigniew Rybczynski. Summerhall, Edinburgh. (Reha Erdem,
LISTINGS Film
(Laurent Tirard, France/ Little Nicholas (Le petit Nicolas) (PG) ● Belgium, 2009) Maxime Godart, Valerie Lemercier, Kad Merad. 91min. Little Nicholas (Godart), mistakenly worried that his parents are having another baby and will no longer want him, makes a plan for a gangster to kidnap his new sibling. A light soufflé of a film that will appeal to indulgently sentimental adults rather than thrill-seeking kids. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow.
✽The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (PG) (Alfred
Hitchcock, UK, 1927) June, Ivor Novello, Marie Ault. 74min. A serial killer named ‘The Avenger’ is killing London-dwelling Blondes in Hitchcock’s early silent feature, setting out many of the director’s idiosyncrasies. Part of the Genius of Hitchcock season. Filmhouse, Edinburgh. London 2012 Olympics (E) (Various, UK, 2012) Coverage of the day’s sporting events on the big screen at Cineworld cinemas. Cineworld Fountainpark, Edinburgh; Cineworld Renfrew Street, Glasgow. London 2012: Olympics Closing Ceremony (E) (Kim Gavin, UK) As the sporting action comes to an end and London hands over to Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Olympic Games, a chance to catch the closing ceremony (titled ‘A Symphony of British Music’) on the big screen. Various cinemas on Sun 12 Aug. Magic Mike (15) ● Soderbergh, US, 2012) Channing Tatum, Matthew McConaughey, Alex Pettyfer, Olivia Munn. 110min. Portrayed as boisterous soft porn for the hen night market, this comedy from Stephen Soderbergh in which a young stripper is shown the ropes by a more experienced colleague is an insightful and smart exploration of male friendship. A conventional Hollywood plot but Tatum and McConaughey ooze charisma. General release. A Monster in Paris (U) (Bibo Bergeron, France, 2011) Mathieu Chedid, Vanessa Paradis, Gad Elmaleh. 90min. In 1910 Paris, a shy film projectionist and an inventor join forces with an eclectic band of misfits to embark on the hunt for a monster that is terrifying the locals. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow. (Steven
Boro in the Box and Borowczyk’s Short Animations
list.co.uk/film
(Mark Andrews, Norton. 134min. See review page 116. General release from Mon 13 Aug. Brave (PG) ● Brenda Chapman, US, 2012) Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson. 100min. A rebellious Scottish princess defies her mother’s marriage plans and unleashes a curse on her fairytale kingdom, then must complete a number of challenges in order to lift it. The kick- ass tomboyishness of heroine Merida and luscious landscapes make up for a wavering story. General release.
✽Dark Horse (15) ● (Todd Solondz, US, 2011) Jordan Gelber,
Selma Blair, Christopher Walken. 84min. Still living at home, toy collecting man- child Abe (Gelber) forms an unlikely relationship with the dysfunctional Miranda (Blair) leading him to question his life and the opinions of the people around him. Moving and funny, but Happiness director Solondz favours comedy over compassion for his immature protagonist. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow. The Dark Knight Rises (12A) ● (Christopher Nolan, US, 2012) Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway. 164min. Eight years after The Dark Knight, Batman (Bale) is in exile, wanted for the death of an attorney. But when jewel thief Selina Kyle (Hathaway) draws him back to Gotham City he is held to ransom by masked terrorist Bane (Hardy). Emotional, epic and set to be the blockbuster of the year. General release. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days (U) ● (David Bowers, US/Canada, 2012) Zachary Gordon, Robert Capron, Devon Bostick. 93min. Wimpy Kid Greg’s (Gordon) plans go wrong when his dad suggests he get a summer job rather than pining after love-interest Holly (Peyton List). Based on the books by Jeff Kinney, this is low key, wholesome family fun. General release. Dr Seuss’ The Lorax (U) ● (Chris Renaud, Kyle Balda, US, 2012) Zac Efron, Taylor Swift, Danny DeVito. 86min. Youngster Ted (Efron) discovers the grumpy but charming Lorax (perfectly voiced by De Vito) trying to protect his world from a greedy mayor and a ruined old hermit. Beautifully-designed 3D animation and uniquely odd Seussian characters are undermined by the script, which buries Dr Seuss’ sharp tale in a mish-mash of satire and sentiment. General release. Easy Rider (18) (Dennis Hopper, US, 1969) Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, Jack Nicholson. 94min. Two dudes on choppers with a couple of tanks full of drugs, riding across America in search of . . . what? The Dream? Freedom? Well, they don’t find it. What they do find at the close of the 1960s is the butt end of a bad trip. Whether you regard this as the best biker movie ever made or a generation-defining classic (or both), the impact, now and then, of Easy Rider can’t be overstated. Part of a mardi gras- themed double bill with The Order of Myths. Summerhall, Edinburgh. The Expendables 2 (15) (Simon West, US, 2012) Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Liam Hemsworth, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger. 102min. Some of Hollywood’s biggest action heroes unite in this sequel to the 2010 film The Expendables, as Mr Church (Willis) rounds up the team for an easy job. But when one of them is murdered, their task becomes a quest for revenge. Expect fist fights and explosions galore. General release from Thu 16 Aug. The Five-Year Engagement (15)
(Nicholas Stoller, US, 2012) Jason Segel, Emily Blunt, Chris Pratt. 124min. Tom (Segel) and Violet (Blunt) are a happy couple who get engaged, but continual postponements of the wedding drive them to mutual infidelities. Segel and Blunt are charming, but given that it’s a rom-com the real dramatic weight and pathos aren’t balanced with enough laughs. Cineworld Renfrew Street, Glasgow. Funeral Season (E) (Matthew Lancit, Canada/Cameroon, 2010) 84min. Canadian traveller and director Lancit discovers the uniquely festival funeral rites of Cameroon
Walerian Borowczyk is one of Poland’s most controversial directors. Starting his career as an award- winning animator in the 50s he moved on to making live action films and won praise for the likes of Goto, Isle of Love and The Story of Sin. In this event, part of Polska Arts’ representation of Polish cultural work in Edinburgh this August, a selection of Borowczyk’s early animations will be shown alongside a new 40-minute film called Boro in the Box, an imaginative and surreal fictionalisation of the director’s life. ■ Boro in the Box and Borowczyk’s Short Animations, Summerhall, Edinburgh, Thu 16 Aug. 9–16 Aug 2012 THE LIST 119