FREE FRI 22 FEBRUARY THE OFFICAL GFF DAILY GUIDE
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WHAT’S INSIDE? 2 — TODAY’S PICKS We went panning for brochure
gold and found these films
2 — LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION A look at themed cinema venues in Glasgow. We recommend showing The King’s Speech in Celtic Park
3 — REVIEWS A Late Quartet Caesar Must Die Spring Breakers
4 — WHAT’S NEW ONLINE Giving free publicity to our rivals. Remember that, The List RAT FEVER
BEYOND THE FAVELA
The variety of BRAZILIAN CINEMA at Glasgow Film Festival shows that the country has moved on from City of God’s guns and gangs WORDS: ALAN BETT
NATIONAL STEREOTYPES are perhaps a necessary evil: by attaching simplistic labels to the people of this world, we fill gaps in our knowledge. Such lazy typecasting is often raised and nurtured through film and Brazil in particular has ensured itself a damaging infamy in this area. The huge success of the kinetic masterpiece City of God , for instance, led to a spate of exaggerated, highly stylised stories of deranged drug lords and sashaying samba girls. With this in mind, Glasgow Film Festival aims to look beyond the favelas with its expertly programmed New Brazilian Cinema strand. While earlier films such as Bus 174 and Carandiru fiercely questioned the country’s social order, the Brazilian film in the GFF programme often take on a wider political scope, searching for insight into where the rapidly changing nation might rest as the ideological plates of the world grind against one another. Some guy
4 — SNOW WAY! Featuring a headline joke so
4 — PIC OF THE DAY The first photo of CineSkinny
which finally allows Brazil’s creative leftfield slackers to be heard above the aggressive playground bullies of the well known favela features. It opens with a gorgeous floating monochrome of waterways and bridges, reminiscent in style and tone to Lou Ye’s Suzhou River , a pertinent comparison as both Brazil and China are facing seismic cultural and economic shifts. It is with meticulous timing, then, that GFF have concentrated its and our thoughts here, in advance of Rio’s upcoming Olympics and World Cup finals, when all cameras will centre upon the city. Maybe it’s cinema’s job to show a little of life’s wild side, to thrill us with danger and depravity. But in reality we mostly exist among shades of grey. The excellent films in this series show that there’s far more to Rio than gun-toting toddlers. [Alan Bett] XINGU: 22 FEB – CINEWORLD 17 @ 13.45 RAT FEVER: 22 FEB – GFT 2 @ 20.40
2013 to actually feature some- one in hot pants
4 — WHAT DO YOU THINK? Surprise film Spring Breakers
once said that for an understanding of the future, we must consult the past, and this is precisely what director Camilo Tavares sets out to do with his documentary The Day that Lasted 21 Years , the story of covert US interference in South America during the Cold War. We move forward from this post-colonial meddling to an even darker date, 1978, with Prime Time Soap , in which a military dictatorship hunts political dissidents while others simply wish to escape into the aspirational fantasies of the disco in Dancin’ Days, a hot new telenovela. Highly styled 70s kitsch make for a refreshing change to the poverty porn so often made for slumming cinephiles. It’s important not to gloss over the world’s awkward truths but at the same time one mustn’t revel smugly in its injustice. When Claudio Assis takes us back to the gutter with Rat Fever , he delivers street poetry that’s both verbal and visual. Here is a lyrical film of stanzas and melodic imagery
bad it didn’t even make it into Mirror, Mirror
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GFF BOX OFFICE Order tickets from the box office at www.glasgowfilm.org/festival or call 0141 332 6535 or visit Glasgow Film Theatre 12 Rose Street, Glasgow, G3 6RB boxoffice@glasgowfilm.org
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FRIDAY 22 FEBRUARY THE CINESKINNY 1
TODAY’S PICKS INDIE GAME 19.00 @ CCA CINEMA
Like the big brainless blockbusters of cinema, certain studios and titles dominate the world of video games. However, just as there is more to cinema than Battleship, so too is there more to gaming than Call of Duty. This film meets the Little Miss Sunshines and Junos of the 8-bit world.
BEWARE OF MR.BAKER
BEWARE OF MR.BAKER 21.15 @ CINEWORLD 17
A must-see documentary about the Cream drummer. That is, he drummed in the band Cream, he doesn’t just go around rhythmically hitting tubs of clotted dairy products.
BFI MEDIATHEQUE 10.00 - 17.00 @ BRIDGETON LIBRARY
Cinema has a rich, fascinating heritage, and this free event allows you a glimpse into the history of the medium. The archives feature incredibly rare and varied footage, so drop in at any time during the day and let your inner film buff roam free.
THE HISTORY OF FUTURE FOLK 13.15 @ GFT 2
A lo-fi sci-fi about an alien who falls in love with acoustic bluegrass and has to use it to prevent intergalactic warfare. If that premise hasn’t got you sold, you’re dead inside.
AMERICAN SCREAM
FRIGHTFEST FRIDAY - SATURDAY @ GFT 1
The speedy buying powers of gorehounds and horror geeks means that you’ll need to sell a bloody, amputated limb to get tickets for the fest, but some are still available for The American Scream and Detention of the Dead.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION Who needs cinemas? As this year’s festival programme demonstrates, there are plenty of other options... WORDS: CHRIS BUCKLE Over the course of this year’s festival, the cargo hold of the Glenlee (a.k.a The Tall Ship) hosts a quartet of movies with maritime themes: Alexander McKendrick’s evergreen Ealing comedy Whisky Galore! ; tense Aussie slasher Dead Calm ; Disney’s take on JM Barrie’s piratical tale Peter Pan ; and, naturally, the film that taught a generation to fear ocean paddling, the definitive nautical horror flick, the taut and terrific Piranha 3DD … er, I mean Jaws . With such a fine selection of sea-linked fare attracting land-lubbing cinebuffs from near and far, the folks at the Tall Ship are quite possibly going to need a bigger boat (sorry). Imagination sparked, we consider four more themed pairings of movie and place that we’d like to see… ——————————––––– Dawn of the Dead (dir. George A. Romero, 1978) The location: Braehead shop- ping centre With high street stores already displaying some rather zombielike behaviour (what else do you call HMV’s recent back-from-thedead reprieve?), Romero’s masterful synthesis of commerce and corpses feels fresher than ever. Set up a screen after closing time and you’ve got the perfect locale for a right good frightening. ———————————––––– The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (dir. Joseph Sargent, 1974) The Location: A between-stations carriage on the Glasgow Under ground (Secret Subway 2 anyone?) OK, the close confines of the clockwork orange aren’t best suited for comfortable reclining, but what better way to put an audience on the edge of its seat than by giving them no room to do otherwise? Just be sure not to screen the daft and dreadful Washington/Travolta remake or you’ll have despairing punters hot-footing it down the tracks to safety before you can say ‘gesundheit’.
JAWS
———————————––––– Underground (dir. Emir Kusturica, 1995) The location: The Arches First off, the venue already has a close relationship with the fest, with events like last week’s Sonic Cineplex pushing the silver screen in innovative directions. Second, its cavernous vaults would make the perfect setting for this brilliant (albeit controversial) Balkan satire in which an arms manufacturer keeps his workers subterranean for decades by convincing them that World War II still rages overhead. Add booze and runaway brass bands for extra atmosphere.
———————————––––– The Angels’ Share (dir. Ken Loach, 2012) The Location: Auchentoshan distillery Speaking of booze, a wee trip west to Glasgow’s closest distillery seems a fitting place to revisit Ken Loach’s charming comedy. Best of all, drinks are on the house – provided you time your distraction well and bring your own hosepipe and glass cheque…
DEAD CALM: 22 FEB – THE TALL SHIP @ 18.15 JAWS: 22 FEB – THE TALL SHIP @ 20.20 GLASGOWFILM.ORG/FESTIVAL/ WHATS_ON/4769_JAWS
Be the star in your own movie
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REVIEWS
A LATE QUARTET DIRECTOR: YARON ZILBERMAN STARRING: CHRISTOPHER WALKEN, PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN, CATHERINE KEENER, MARK IVANIR, IMOGEN POOTS, WALLACE SHAWN, LIRAZ CHARHI
Approaching their 25th anniversary concert, a world-renowned string quartet find their world disrupted by the news that cellist Peter (Walken) has been diagnosed with the early stages of Parkinson’s disease. The prospect of replacing him forces all to re-evaluate lives that have been based on rigorous routine and familiarity for so long. Egos clash, lust is unearthed and complacency is questioned, particularly by the married couple within the group (Hoffman and Keener). A Late Quartet has numerous subplots fighting for attention, the unfortunate result being that many of them, and thus the film itself, feel under-realised. The entire cast puts in good work, including a lively Imogen
Poots as the couple’s daughter, though she finds herself caught in the most tiresome plot developments. Walken is on especially fine, nuanced form, making it a particular shame that after a certain point his character completely vanishes from the story until the group’s final show. Considering his touching struggles are the catalyst for every other narrative strand, it seems misguided that the film should lose track of him for no good reason. [Josh Slater-Williams] 22 FEB - CINEWORLD 18 @ 18.30 23 FEB - CINEWORLD 18 @ 18.15 GLASGOWFILM.ORG/FESTIVAL/ WHATS_ON/4776_A_LATE_QUARTET
A LATE QUARTET
CAESAR MUST DIE DIRECTOR: PAOLO TAVIANI, VITTORIO TAVIANI STARRING: COSIMO REGA, SALVATORE STRIANO, GIOVANNI ARCURI
A large portion of Caesar Must Die ’s impact stems from its concept: a production of Julius Caesar performed by the inmates of the high-security wing of Rome’s Rebibbia Prison. We are introduced to the cast first through their audition tapes – a humorous montage of over-acting studded with shreds of raw talent – and then via their rap sheets: drug trafficking, Mafioso connections, murder. Though not to be mistaken for documentary (the fly-on-the-wall rehearsals are evidently as staged as the final performance), this combination of real-life criminality and theatrical skulduggery exerts a galvanic fascination. Even in its heavily abridged form, Shakespeare’s tragedy remains a gripping study of power and honour, with talk of justice acquiring added ironic inflections in the mouths of such a notorious troupe. On occasion, a maladroit heavyhandedness creeps in (“since I got to know art, this cell has become a prison” laments one actor), but Caesar Must Die otherwise delivers a compelling and considered take on immemorial themes. [Chris Buckle] CAESAR MUST DIE IS RELEASED NATIONWIDE 1 MAR BY NEW WAVE FILMS
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SPRING BREAKERS
SPRING BREAKERS DIRECTOR: HARMONY KORINE STARRING: JAMES FRANCO, VANESSA HUDGENS, SELENA GOMEZ, ASHLEY BENSON, RACHEL KORINE
This neon-lit delirium opens with a montage of well endowed young women gyrating in slow motion as Neanderthal jocks cascade lager over their naked breasts. Knowing this information, you may struggle with the next statement, but I’m deadly serious: Korine’s film is the smartest, most daring and aesthetically gorgeous deconstruction of narrative cinema you’ll see all year. Just when it looks like you’re in a Larry Clark-like teenage wasteland you’ll suddenly
find yourself in Deliverance country. But wait – now we’re in a Tony Scott movie; you’ve got to keep your wits about you or the film will give you whiplash. Spring Breakers reaches an ecstatic and comedic crescendo with James Franco, as Alien, a gold-toothed gangsta rapper, playing a white baby grand piano and crooning a Britney Spears ballad to three blonde air-heads, played by former Disney child stars. The WTF factor is compounded by the
fact the girls are wearing pink, unicorn embroidered balaclavas and brandishing submachine guns. If Michael Mann was to take a load of hallucinogenics and shoot a Girls Gone Wild video, it might look something like this. [Jamie Dunn] SPRING BREAKERS WAS THE (INSPIRED) SURPRISE FILM OF GFF 2013 SPRING BREAKERS IS RELEASED NATIONWIDE 5 APR BY VERTIGO FILMS
FRIDAY 22 FEBRUARY THE CINESKINNY 3
WHAT’S NEW ONLINE? FRIGHTFEST
The directors of this fest-within-a-fest talk to The List about each of the films showing this year. Find out which film divided the two. “I’m going to be very honest on this. I hated it.” BLANCANIEVES
Do we really need another SNOW WHITE film? WORDS: NATHANAEL SMITH In 1937 Disney released the first ever feature length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The stunning drawings and big box office success saw the film become the most iconic version of the Grimm brothers’ story. It wasn’t, however, the first film to tell the Snow White tale - a 1916 silent film can claim that honour - and it certainly wasn’t the last. Since Disney’s historic interpretation it has been turned into a horror film with Sigourney Weaver (1997’s Snow White: A Tale of Terror), a modern day teen movie (Sydney White, starring Amanda Bynes) and the curiously titled German comedy 7 Dwarves – Men Alone in the Wood. The recent revival of classic fairy tales, with films like Red Riding Hood and Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, has seen cinema return once again to this age old story. Last year saw two new cinematic Snows: visionary auteur Tarsem made the disarmingly light-hearted Mirror, Mirror, a critically mauled film that deserves a second chance for its stunning visuals and old school fantasy vibes. At the very least it’s more fun than the dour Snow White and the Huntsman, which aimed for gritty but felt like a tepid rerun of Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood. Whichever you preferred, it was difficult to see both and not hope that cinema was finally done with Snow White. Yet hiding among the big gala screenings at GFF is a beautiful, black and white surprise in the form of Blancanieves. A pastiche of silent cinema in a similar vein to The Artist, Pablo Berger’s reinterpretation features bull fighting dwarves and a scene stealing pet cockerel. While retaining all the key Snow White elements, it brings a freshness and sense of humour to the myth. The story may appear to have died but Blancanieves is here as Prince Charming to give it the kiss of life. 24 FEB - 12.50 @ GFT 1 GLASGOWFILM.ORG/FESTIVAL/ WHATS_ON/4653_BLANCANIEVES
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With the official FREE destination app for the city of Glasgow
JAMES VS. BURGER
A one man quest to find the best burger in Scotland handily has a way of filtering by location, so you can find the best place to eat burgers while holed up in GFT 1 during Fright Fest
tinyurl.com/FrightFestList
tinyurl.com/GlasgowBurgers
THE SCOTSMAN
MOVIE RAMBLINGS
Alistair Harkness provides another round up of GFF, revealing that he isn’t a fan of Broken, but loves Much Ado About Nothing tinyurl.com/HarknessGFF
FESTIVAL CLUB Join us at our new Festival Club! Open every day, 12noon till late.
A comprehensive preview and reviews base for FrightFest 2013, perfect for the horror hounds who can’t get enough of their slashers, torturers and sadists
Come along for free talks & live DJ acts.
SARAMAGO TERRACE BAR, CCA, 350 SAUCHIEHALL STREET
tinyurl.com/FrightRamblings
PIC OF THE DAY
ONE OF THE WAITERS RELAXES AT ENTRE CHIEN ET LOUP
@CALEYBJAMES @GEEJBEE71 Korine’s #SpringBreakSharktopuss was easers will be 2013’s Holy ily a better made AND Motors. I’ll be having aumore believable movie bergine/tangerine tinted @SOMEONEONTWITTER than Spring Breakers. @SOMEONEONTWITTER slow motion #GFF #CINESKINNY I thought this film was quite dreams good. for I thought this film was quite good. thanks I’ve seen worse,weeks but also seen better I’ve seen worse, but also seen better #GFF #CINESKINNY too as well! #GFF #CINESKINNY too as well! #GFF #CINESKINNY
@JAMIENEISH Spring Breakers is a ludicrously entertaining, sexy, outlandish and, quite frankly, insane spin on @SOMEONEONTWITTER thefilm American Dream. I I thought this was quite good. loved but it.. also seen better I’ve seen worse, too as well!#GFF #GFF#CINESKINNY #CINESKINNY
@THEWHO182 @ALIHARKNESS Surprise film at GFF13 Harmony Korine’s @SOMEONEONTWITTER @SOMEONEONTWITTER was Spring Breakers and Spring Breakers (#gff13 I thought this film was quite good. I thought this film was quite good. SWEET JESUS, that script surprise film) was a riot: I’ve seen worse, but also seen better I’ve seen worse, but also seen bethas to be the worst thing dayglo heists, Britney too as well! #GFF #CINESKINNY ter too as well! #GFF #CINESKINNY ever put down on paper soundtrack and James #lookatmyshorts Franco being a total #GFF #CINESKINNY dick. #GFF #CINESKINNY
@JOHNLEES927 Spring Breakers was the #gff13 @SOMEONEONTWITTER surprise film. What a I thought this film was quite good. wretched turd of a I’ve seen worse, but also seen betmovie. “The Room” is ter too as well! #GFF #CINESKINNY the closest comparison I could come up with .#GFF #CINESKINNY
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SNOW WAY!