FILM | Index a skilled documentarian, drawing out humour and tension from the contestants experiences without manipulating their stories for melodramatic effect. Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee, Fri 26– Sun 28 Apr; The Hippodrome, Bo’ness, Sat 11–Mon 13 May. GI Joe: Retaliation (12A) ●●●●● (Jon M Chu, Canada/US, 2012) Dwayne Johnson, Channing Tatum, Bruce Willis. 110min. The GI Joe: Rise of the Cobra sequel sees the team save innocent people from a threat of nuclear attack and free the world leaders from the Commander’s control. Our heroes. General release. Good Vibrations (15) ●●●●● (Lisa Barros D’Sa/Glenn Leyburn, UK, 2012) Richard Dormer, Jodie Whittaker, Dylan Moran. 103min. Biopic of Terri Hooley (Dormer), whose Belfast-based record label Good Vibrations was a platform for Northern Irish punks. Thanks to a brilliant, irrepressible performance from Dormer and effective work from the writers and directors, it’s an inspiring portrayal of the community-building power of music in an atmosphere of fear and violence. Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee, Thu 18 Apr; Cameo, Edinburgh, Thu 18 Apr. The Host (12A) ●●●●● (Andrew Niccol, US, 2013) Saoirse Ronan, Max Irons, Diane Kruger. 125min. This adaptation of Twilight creator Stephenie Meyer’s sci-fi novel sees Earth overrun by an alien species. When a human (Ronan) fights against her parasitic host, she instigates a revolution. Odeon Wester Hailes, Edinburgh, Thu 18 Apr; Vue Omni, Edinburgh, Thu 18 Apr; Showcase Cinema, Paisley, Thu 18 Apr. Identity Thief (15) ●●●●● (Seth
Gordon, US, 2013) Jason Bateman, Melissa McCarthy, John Cho. 111min. When Sandy (Bateman), a strait-laced accountant, unwittingly provides Diana (McCarthy) with his credit card and social security details, she steals his identity and goes on a spending spree, forcing him to track her down. It’s not exactly subtle, but the cheerfully amoral ‘stick it to the man’ message makes for a decent comedy. General release. In the House (Dans la maison) (15) ●●●●● (François Ozon, France, 2012) Fabrice Luchini, Ernst Umhauer, Kristin Scott Thomas. 105min. High- school teacher Germain (Luchini) sets his students an assignment to write about what they did that weekend, but then Claude (Umhauer) writes about his desire to infiltrate a classmate’s household. Ozon’s new film is a sparkling black comedy, effortlessly shifting between genres, tones and styles. Highly recommended. Limited release. Jack the Giant Slayer (12A) ●●●●● (Bryan Singer, US, 2013) Nicholas Hoult, Stanley Tucci, Ewan McGregor. 114min. Jack (Hoult) unwittingly opens a gateway to the giant realm, and it’s up to him to save the day, win the girl and live happily ever after. General release. A Late Quartet (15) ●●●●● (Yaron Zilberman, US, 2012) Philip Seymour Hoffman, Christopher Walken, Catherine Keener. 105min. Peter (Walken), an ageing cellist, decides to retire from his longterm quartet, causing the lives of his fellow musicians to become unstuck. Walken is effortlessly lovable and moving but the other characters are a serious test of the audience’s sympathies; Hoffman’s, in
particular, comes over as a weak, mean- minded snob. Limited release. Les Misérables (12A) ●●●●● (Tom Hooper, UK, 2012) Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway. 158min. Enjoyment of The King’s Speech director Hooper’s adaptation all depends on your tolerance for people bursting into song; easy to mock, perhaps, but fun while it’s on, and the sincere performances (especially Hathaway’s) aid the immersion. The Hippodrome, Bo’ness, Fri 3–Sun 5 May. Lincoln (12A) ●●●●● (Steven Spielberg, US, 2012) Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Strathairn. 150min. Spielberg’s epic focusing on the final four months of the titular President’s life manages to largely eschew the sentimentality that is considered a Spielberg trademark, resulting in a film as absorbing and unassuming as the central character. Macrobert, Stirling, Thu 18 Apr; Odeon Lothian Road, Edinburgh, Thu 18 Apr. Lore (15) ●●●●● (Cate Shortland, Germany/Australia/UK, 2012) Saskia Rosendahl, Kai-Peter Malina, Nele Trebs. 109min. Germany, 1945: Lore (Rosendahl) is a the teenage daughter of a Nazi official who travels with her siblings across the country as the regime topples around them. Despite some plot contrivances, there’s lots to admire. Rosendahl is promising and Shortland takes a fresh approach to a time and place that’s been explored so often before. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Thu 18 Apr. Maniac (18) ●●●●● (Franck Khalfoun, France/US, 2012) Elijah Wood, Nora Arnezeder, Liane Balaban. 89min. Frank (Wood) is a loner who brutally murders beautiful women, in this remake of William Lustig’s controversial 1980 slasher movie. The film is shot from the killer’s point of view, and is so needlessly graphic and violent from the outset that it caters to voyeurism more than it critiques it. Dundee Contemporary Arts, Sat 20 Apr. Neighbouring Sounds (O som ao redor) (15) ●●●●● (Kleber Mendonça Filho, Brazil, 2012) Irma Brown, Maeve Jinkings, Gustavo Jahn. 131min. When the aging concierge of a Recife condominium is pensioned off for sleeping on the job, the residents hire a security firm which turns out to have its own agenda. A genuine ensemble piece with an artfully split focus, Filho’s film is a clever and original drama of social concern. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Thu 18 Apr. Oblivion (12A) ●●●●● (Joseph Kosinski, US, 2013) Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Andrea Riseborough. 126min. Cruise stars as a futuristic repairman, tending to the armed droids who patrol Earth in the wake of an alien invasion. Director Kosinski’s follow-up to TRON: Legacy is based on a graphic novel he himself wrote. General release. The Odd Life of Timothy Green (U) ●●●●● (Peter Hedges, US, 2012) Jennifer Garner, Joel Edgerton, CJ Adams. 105min. Although physically infertile, Cindy Green (Garner) and her husband Jim (Edgerton) are able to grow a child in their back garden by burying a box that contains a list of all the things they wish their offspring could be. Cue magical storm and heart-warming life lessons. General release. Oz The Great and Powerful (PG) ●●●●● (Sam Raimi, US, 2013) James
KINOKLUB: CONSPIRATORS OF PLEASURE Those twisted geniuses at KinoKlub have once again managed to marry a mind-bending film screening with an ideal non-cinema venue. Surrealist Czech animator (and KinoKlub favourite) Jan Švankmajer is the deranged brain behind Conspirators of Pleasure, a comedy exploring the lives of six interconnected individuals, each with a penchant for bizarre fetishes. The screening will take place at the White Rabbit erotic emporium, so once you’ve had a chance to fully consider the sensual properties of carp, you’re well placed to embark upon your own kinky adventures. (Niki Boyle) ■ White Rabbit, Broughton Street, Edinburgh, Sat 20 Apr.
66 THE LIST 18 Apr–16 May 2013