FILM list.co.uk/film
FESTIVE SCREENINGS All the fi lms you need to get in the yuletide spirit
W e’re pretty sure that, however many times you’ve been asked in the last 12 months, many of you really don’t want to build a snowman. But for those of you that haven’t quite had your fill of Frozen (pictured), there are plenty of singalong screenings of the generation-defining Disney film across December – including one at Edinburgh’s Scottish National Gallery (Fri 12 Dec).
Elsewhere, you can ring in the Christmas spirit with the comfortingly obligatory screenings of It’s a Wonderful Life. Yet those looking for an alternative to Frank Capra’s holiday classic might enjoy The Bishop’s Wife (Glasgow Film Theatre, Fri 12–Thu 18 Dec; Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Sat 20–Tue 23 Dec), a 1947 ecclesiastical comedy set at Christmas, starring Cary Grant and David Niven. If fuzzy festive films aren’t quite what you’re looking for, our vote goes to Die Hard (Cameo, Edinburgh, Wed 17 Dec; GFT, Fri 19 Dec), as the Nakatomi Plaza Christmas party
gets rather out of control, while pioneering slasher film Black Christmas (GFT, Tue 16 Dec) tempers the abundance of merriment too. The Grosvenor in Glasgow is hosting a whole day of Christmas screenings (Fri 19 Dec) in the University of Glasgow Memorial Chapel, with showings of Elf, It’s a Wonderful Life and The Nightmare Before Christmas; popcorn and mulled wine are included in the ticket price.
And if you don’t feel you’ve quite done your share of tear-shedding this Christmas, From Scotland with Love (Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Sat 27–Sun 28 Dec & Sat 3 Jan) should help you along. Accompanied by King Creosote’s moving soundtrack, Virginia Heath’s impressive documentary about Scotland’s past, made from archive footage, is rarely screened so catch it while you can. (Yasmin Sulaiman)
For all screenings, see list.co.uk/film
HITLIST THE BEST FILM RELEASES & EVENTS
✽ Sci-Fi: Days of Fear and Wonder Only a couple of weeks left to catch
the sci-fi classics screening as part of the BFI’s nationwide Days of Fear and Wonder programme, including Blade Runner: The Final Cut (see page 86) and iconic B-movie The Man from Planet X (pictured). Until Mon 22 Dec.
✽ Chris Hadfield: You Are Here YouTube’s favourite astronaut presents his
best pictures from space on a gloriously large screen. Followed by a book signing. Cineworld IMAX, Glasgow Science Centre, Mon 15 Dec.
Various venues until early Jan.
✽ Festive screenings See preview, left. ✽ Dumb and Dumber To It’s far from their best work but this sequel from the Farrelly Brothers will be essential viewing for fans of the 1994 comedy classic. See review, page 82. General release from Fri 19 Dec.
✽ Birdman Michael Keaton playing a past-it actor who used to play an iconic superhero? Holy smoke, Birdman - you had us at Keaton. See review, page 83. General release from Thu 1 Jan.
✽ Foxcatcher Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo play real-life Olympic wrestlers,
while Steve Carell excels as their creepy coach. See review, page 81, and profile, page 85. General release from Fri 9 Jan.
✽ Whiplash Miles Teller and JK Simmons shine in Damien Chazelle’s brutal thriller set
at a musical academy. See feature, page 45, and review, page 82. General release from Fri 16 Jan.
✽ Big Hero 6 This Disney superhero- comedy beat Insterstellar to number one
at the US box office in November and, now we’ve seen it, we know why. Baymax plushies all round, please. See review, page 83. General release from Fri 30 Jan.
11 Dec 2014–5 Feb 2015 THE LIST 79