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FIVE THINGS ALEXANDER MACKENDRICK

The lowdown on the Ealing Studios’ filmmaker who’s the subject of a retrospective at Edinburgh’s Filmhouse 1 It’s the centenary of the birth of the Scottish-American filmmaker who became one of Ealing studios’ greatest directors. Born in Boston, Massachusetts to Scottish immigrant parents, Mackendrick moved back to Glasgow with his grandfather when he was just seven years old. 2 Mackendrick made a total of five films for Ealing between 1949 and 1955: Whisky Galore!, The Man in the White Suit, Mandy, The Maggie and The Ladykillers. The first, second and fifth of those are generally recognised to be among the very best films made at Ealing, and certainly their delightful combination of eccentric humour and anti-authoritarianism make them quintessential Ealing films. 3 The Man in the White Suit has been given a full digital restoration and now looks as brand spanking new as the titular dirt-proof two- piece invented by Alec Guinness’ boffin. Mackendrick’s second film for Ealing, this cutting comedy about commerce really stands up to repeated viewings. 4 Following the sale of Ealing studios to the BBC in the late 1950s, Mackendrick moved back to America where, in 1957, he made Sweet Smell of Success. The acerbic tale of slimy press agent Sidney Falco (Tony Curtis) and a powerful newspaper columnist JJ Hunsecker (Burt Lancaster) remains one of the greatest Hollywood film noirs of all time. 5 The Mackendrick retrospective also features several rarities: the three films – Sammy Going South, A High Wind in Jamaica and Don’t Make Waves – he directed during the 1960s plus the 1937 British thriller he scripted, Midnight Menace. (Miles Fielder) The Alexander Mackendrick retrospective is at Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Fri 14 Dec–Mon 7 Jan. The Man in the White Suit has been digitally restored and is now available on DVD and Blu-ray.

98 THE LIST 13 Dec 2012–24 Jan 2013

The Sessions (15) ●●●●● (Ben Lewin, US, 2012) John Hawkes,

Helen Hunt, William H. Macy. 95min. See review, page 93, and profile, page 96. Selected release from Fri 18 Jan. Smashed (15) ●●●●● (James Ponsoldt, US, 2012) Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Aaron Paul, Octavia Spencer, Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally. 85min. A married couple whose bond is built on a mutual love of alcohol gets their relationship put to the test when the wife decides to get sober. See review at list. co.uk. Selected release from Fri 14 Dec. Texas Chainsaw 3D (18) (John Luessenhop, US, 2012) Alexandra Daddario, Tania Raymonde, Scott Eastwood. 92min. 3D sequel to the original, almost four decades later. General release from Fri 4 Jan. Tinker Bell and the Secret of the Wings (U) ●●●●● (Roberts Gannaway, Peggy Holmes, US, 2012) Voices of: Timothy Dalton, Lucy Hale and Megan Hilty. 92min. See review, page 92. General release from Fri 14 Dec. U.F.O. (15) (Dominic Burns, UK, 2012) Bianca Bree, Sean Brosnan, Simon Phillips. Sci-fi featuring Jean-Claude Van Damme. See review at list.co.uk. Selected release from Fri 14 Dec. The Wee Man (18) ●●●●● (Ray Burdis, UK, 2012) Patrick Bergin, Hannah Blamires, Martin Compston. 90min. See review, page 94. Release from Fri 18 Jan. West of Memphis (15) (Amy Berg, New Zealand/USA, 2012) 147min. An examination of a failure of justice in the case against the West Memphis Three. See review at list.co.uk. Release from Fri 21 Dec. What Richard Did (15) ●●●●● (Lenny Abrahamson, Ireland, 2012) Jack Reynor, Róisín Murphy, Sam Keeley. 84min. See review, page 92. Selected release from Fri 11 Jan. Zaytoun (tbc) (Eran Riklis, UK/Israel, 2012) Stephen Dorff, Alice Taglioni, Ashraf Barhom. 107min. A young Palestinian refugee and an Israeli fighter pilot form a tentative bond. Selected release from Fri 28 Dec.

CHRISTMAS FILMS There’s an abundance of Christmas films to get you in the seasonal mood over the next few weeks. Look out for a newly-restored version of critter horror Gremlins now in cinemas (various venues, see listings). You can take your pick from several classics starring James Stewart It’s A Wonderful Life (various venues and dates, see listings), The Shop Around the Corner (Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Fri 21–Sun 23 Dec) and Harvey (Glad Café, Glasgow, Tue 18 Dec). There’s also a good choice of family animation, including The Nightmare Before Christmas (Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Sat 22–Sun 23 Dec), Arthur Christmas (Filmhouse, Edinburgh Fri 21–Mon 24 Dec) and Raymond Briggs’ short films, including the much-loved weepy The Snowman (Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Sun 23–Mon 24 Dec and GFT, Glasgow, Sat 22 Dec).

STILL SHOWING Alex Cross (15) ●●●●● (Rob Cohen, US, 2012) Tyler Perry, Matthew Fox, Rachel Nichols. 101min. US box office behemoth Perry stars with Lost’s Fox in this drama about a detective pushed to the edge by a serial killer who specialises in torture and pain. See review at list.co.uk. Selected release. Alps (Alpeis) (15) ●●●●● (Giorgos Lanthimos, Greece, 2011) Stavros Psyllakis, Aris Servetalis, Johnny Vekris. 93min. A group of hospital employees assume the names of different Alpine mountains and offer themselves to the families of recently deceased peoples as doubles for the departed. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Fri 14–Sun 16 Dec. Argo (15) ●●●●● (Ben Affleck, US, 2012) Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman. 120min. A real-life story inspires this oddball mix of political thriller and showbiz satire. General release. Beasts of the Southern Wild (12A) ●●●●● (Benh Zeitlin, US, 2012) Quvenzhané Wallis, Dwight Henry, Levy Easterly. 91min. Six-year-old Hushpuppy (Wallis) and her ailing father (Henry) live in the Louisiana backwaters until a violent storm throws their lives into turmoil. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Fri 14–Thu 20 Dec. End of Watch (15) ●●●●● (David Ayer, US, 2012) Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Pena, Anna Kendrick. 109min. Training Day scribe Ayer handles this thriller about two LAPD cops bending the rules to protect the people. Selected release. Frankenweenie (PG) ●●●●● (Tim Burton, US, 2012) Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short. 87min. Burton expands and remakes one of the early pieces that kickstarted his career, back in 1984. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Tue 18–Sat 22 Dec.

Great Expectations (12A) ●●●●● (Mike Newell, UK, 2012) Jeremy Irvine, Helena Bonham-Carter, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Flemyng. 128min. Despite an all-star cast, the flat and uninspired script makes for an overlong and limp adaptation. General release. The House I Live In (tbc) ●●●●●(Eugene Jarecki, US, 2012) 108min. This documentary on America’s war on drugs comes from Eugene Jarecki, brother of fellow documentarian Andrew. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Fri 21–Sun 23 Dec. The Hunt (Jagten) (15) ●●●●● (Thomas Vinterberg, Denmark, 2012) Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Annika Wedderkopp. 115min. Lucas (Mikkelsen) is a mild-mannered kindergarten teacher whose life is turned upside-down when he is falsely accused of sexually abusing children in his care. Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee, Thu 13 Dec; Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow, Thu 13–Sun 16 Dec; Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Thu 13 Dec. I, Anna (15) ●●●●● (Barnaby Southcombe, UK/Germany/France, 2012) Charlotte Rampling, Gabriel Byrne, Hayley Atwell. 93min. A hopeful late foray into dating brings Anna (Rampling) into contact with police detective Reid (Byrne), who knows she’s linked to a nasty murder case. Glasgow Film Theatre, Glasgow, Thu 13 Dec. It’s A Wonderful Life (PG) ●●●●● (Frank Capra, US, 1946) James Stewart, Donna Reed, Henry Travers, Thomas Mitchell. 129min. The classic Christmas heartwarmer. Selected release. Keep the Lights On (18) ●●●●● (Ira Sachs, US, 2012) Thure Lindhardt, Zachary Booth, Julianne Nicholson. 101min. Erik (Lindhardt) is a Danish filmmaker in New York whose life changes when he meets closeted lawyer Paul (Booth). Thoughtful, tender film, reminiscent of Sirk or Fassbinder. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Fri 28–Sun 30 Dec. Khiladi 786 (tbc) (Akshay Kumar, Asin, Mithun Chakraborty , India, 2012) Ashish R Mohan. Indian comedy drama. Selected release. Laurence Anyways (15) ●●●●● (Xavier Dolan, Canada, 2012) Melvil Poupaud, Suzanne Clément, Nathalie Baye. 168min. Laurence (Poupaud) is a Montreal teacher who tells his girlfriend Fred (Clement) that he wants to have a sex change. Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee, Fri 14–Sun 16 Dec. Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (PG) ●●●●● (Eric Darnell, US, 2012) Easily the best family film of 2012 so far, it’s a superb return to form after the lacklustre Madagascar 2: Escape 2 Africa. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Thu 27 Dec–Wed 2 Jan; Showcase Cinema Glasgow, Glasgow, Thu 13 Dec; Showcase Cinema Paisley, Paisley, Thu 13 Dec. The Man with the Iron Fists (18) ●●●●● (RZA, US/Hong Kong, 2012) Russell Crowe, Cung Le, Lucy Liu. 95min. Rapper RZA helms this action film about a hunt for a fabled treasure. Vue Omni, Edinburgh, Thu 13 Dec; Showcase Cinema Glasgow, Glasgow, Thu 13 Dec; Cineworld Renfrew Street, Glasgow, Thu 13 Dec. The Master (15) ●●●●● (Paul Thomas Anderson, US, 2012) Philip Seymour Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams. 137min. Freddie Quell (Phoenix) falls under the spell of Lancaster Dodd (Hoffman), charismatic founder of a Scientology-style cult. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Thu 13 Dec; Dominion, Edinburgh, Thu 13 Dec.