Allan Hunter

The Source

A sincere story of the struggle for female emancipation in an African village

18 May 2012

You could easily dismiss The Source as a simplistic, sentimental fare but the latest film from director Radu Mihaileanu (The Concert, Live And Become etc.) is told with such warmth and sincerity that it is hard to resist. The struggle for female…

Even The Rain

Well-intentioned, if heavy-handed, political drama from writer Paul Laverty

18 May 2012

The sting of injustice and oppression echoes down the centuries in Even The Rain, an ambitious, well-intentioned political drama from writer Paul Laverty and his partner, director Iciar Bolain. Inspired by true events, the film is set in…

Beloved

A sprawling, messy epic on unrequited love from French director Christophe Honoré

10 May 2012

Christophe Honoré's Love Songs (2007) established a talent for musical melodrama that eschewed all the traditional razzle-dazzle trappings of Hollywood. Characters break into song as they casually stroll down a city street and the often banal…

Juan Of The Dead

Cuban zombie comedy features cheerful mixture of political comment and splatter

4 May 2012

Another zombie film. Really? It sounds like the last thing anyone would want to encourage but Juan Of The Dead overcomes any zombie fatigue with a cheerfully anarchic mixture of splatter and political comment. If that just brought the early films of…

Clone

Stilted science fiction psychodrama starring Matt Smith and Eva Green

4 May 2012

Originally entitled Womb, 2010 film Clone proves to be a painfully earnest slice of sci-fi psychodrama that attempts to meld burning questions of genetic ethics with the starkness of a Greek tragedy. The clipped, stilted script often appears to have…

Monsieur Lazhar

A classroom drama with unexpected charm, quiet dignity and emotional integrity

17 Apr 2012

(12A) 94min Inspirational schoolteachers have been a cinematic staple from Goodbye Mr. Chips to Laurent Cantet’s Cannes prize-winner The Class. Monsieur Lazhar successfully avoids treacly sentimental as it charts how a teacher and a group of…

This Must Be the Place

Bracing aesthetic and gentle humanity despite risking absurdity at times

19 Mar 2012

(15) 119min There is a strong sense of the baroque running through the films of Paolo Sorrentino, not least his bravura portrait of former Italian Prime Minister Andreotti in Il Divo. His first English language venture This Must Be The Place neither…

Headhunters

Jo Nesbo adaptation is breathlessly, outrageously entertaining

19 Mar 2012

(15) 101min The twisty, tangled, page-turning bestsellers of Norwegian author Jo Nesbo seem tailor-made for the screen. The narratives move with all the momentum of a runaway train and there are enough flawed individuals and crumbling moral…

Oscars 2012 - predictions

Some of The List's film critics give their predictions on who'll win what at the Oscars

25 Jan 2012

Best Picture. The Artist; simplicity is the reason that is soars above the other Oscar bait. The Artist probably will win, as it has won pretty much everything else going. It deserves it - when was the last time a film came along that made everyone fall…

The Woman In Black

Daniel Radcliffe's first post-Potter film lacks the requisite scares for a classic ghost story

23 Jan 2012

(12A) 95mins Susan Hill’s Victorian ghost story has been terrifying theatre audiences for the best part of twenty-five years, second only to The Mousetrap as the longest running show in the history of London’s West End. It has already been…

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

This Tom Hanks-starring adaptation of the 9/11-themed bestseller lacks poignancy

23 Jan 2012

(12A) 129mins Are the memories of the 9/11 attacks now distant enough to justify their use at the heart of a personal tale of loss and grief? Stephen Daldry’s beautifully crafted adaptation of the Jonathan Safran Foer bestseller leaves the question…

The Woman In The Fifth

Elegant but baffling Paris-set drama starring Ethan Hawke and Kristin Scott Thomas

23 Jan 2012

(15) 85mins Hollywood studios are often derided for making simplistic dramas that feel obliged to spell everything out. The Woman In The Fifth errs in the opposite direction, leaving bewildered viewers scratching their heads and trying to figure out…

Intruders

Derivative, moderately engaging paranormal horror starring Clive Owen

5 Jan 2012

(15) 110min Spanish director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo has never quite delivered on the promise of his clever debut feature Intacto. Retro chiller Intruders is cleverly constructed and suspenseful but fades when pitted against superior genre fare like…

The Hot 100 2011: 100-50

The definitive list of Scottish creative talent

16 Dec 2011

100: Gordon Ferris. Kilmarnock crime author makes good. The already packed Scottish crime writing field has finally found a bit of elbow room for another burgeoning talent. Joining the likes of Rankin, Brookmyre, McDermid and co is this Ayrshire-born…

Hot 100 2011 - No. 49 to 1

The definitive list of Scottish creative talent

16 Dec 2011

The Hot 100 is the definitive list of Scottish creative talent. From fashion designers to performance artists, everyone who has made a sizeable splash in 2011 has a place in this countdown. It’s for people who’ve created a buzz, but it’s also about…

The Artist

Delightful celebration of the bygone age of silent cinema, starring Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo

8 Dec 2011

(PG) 100min The Artist has in-built appeal for movie buffs who believe that the arrival of talking pictures was one of the worst things that ever happened to an art form that had found a universal language in the visual poetry of the late silent era.

The Deep Blue Sea

Unashamedly old-fashioned film luscious proof of genius of Davies and Rattigan

9 Nov 2011

(12A) 98mins The combination of Terence Davies and Terence Rattigan is a match made in heaven. Rattigan’s centenary year has brought renewed appreciation of his gifts as an astute chronicler of loneliness and longing, whilst Davies is a past master…

Weekend

Poignant and captivating story of unexpected love cut short

20 Oct 2011

(18) 96min A casual one night stand unexpectedly blossoms into a much more meaningful connection in Weekend, a tender heartbreaker from writer/director Andrew Haigh that is easily one of the most impressive British independent features of the…

Restless

Sweet romantic drama from Gus Van Sant, starring Mia Wasikowska and Henry Hopper

17 Oct 2011

(12A) 95min Gus Van Sant’s unpredictable career has run the gamut from mainstream sentimentality (Good Will Hunting, Finding Forrester) to experimental arthouse angst (Gerry, Last Days). Restless falls softly between these extremes as it offers a…

We Need to Talk About Kevin

Faithful adaptation of Lionel Shriver's bestselling story of motherhood and teen violence

12 Oct 2011

(15) 112min Lynne Ramsay admirers can breathe a sigh of relief. Her first feature since Morvern Callar in 2002 confirms that she has lost none of her skill as a compelling storyteller or visual stylist. Her smart, thought-provoking adaptation of the…

Anonymous

Surprisingly adept Shakespeare-themed historical romp from blockbuster director Roland Emmerich

12 Oct 2011

(12A) 129min Director Roland Emmerich is long established as the king of the apocalyptic blockbuster with a career defined by gung-ho event movies Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow. It is quite a surprise to witness him diving…

Midnight in Paris

Another warm and witty all-star comedy from Woody Allen

14 Sep 2011

(12A) 94min Midnight in Paris is one of the warmest and wittiest Woody Allen films in recent memory. The jaunty manner and literary bent are reminiscent of Vicky Cristina Barcelona as Allen invests what could be a New Yorker short story with a…

Hell and Back Again

Moving but occasionally muddled documentary about the war in Afghanistan

14 Sep 2011

(15) 86min Constant television coverage of the Vietnam War so shocked American households that it is said to have helped turn the tide of public opinion against the conflict. The war in Afghanistan has received saturation coverage across all media…

Sleeping Beauty

Julia Leigh's modern retelling of the classic fairy tale falls short of its feminist ideals

14 Sep 2011

(18) 101min You could easily mistake Sleeping Beauty for a piece of male wish fulfilment. Australian novelist Julia Leigh’s first film as a writer and director may purport to be a feminist re-interpretation of traditional fairytale elements but the…

The Skin I Live In (La Piel Que Habito)

Almodovar's adaptation is measured, playful and spellbinding

19 Aug 2011

(15) 120min The Skin I Live In has all the elements of a campy Vincent Price B-movie. There is a meddlesome scientist driven mad by grief, a grisly revenge plot and a hapless victim, not to mention multiple murder, kidnap and rape. In the hands of…

Poetry

A deeply moving portrayal of an elderly woman's struggles in rural South Korea

21 Jul 2011

(12A) 139min The quest to write a single poem becomes a heroic act in Poetry, a poignant, intricately plotted melodrama from Secret Sunshine director Lee Chang-dong. Poetry won the Best Screenplay at Cannes but it is the central performance from…

Beginners

Whimsical, autobiographical drama from Mike Mills, starring Ewan McGregor and Christopher Plummer

13 Jul 2011

(15) 104min You cannot accuse Beginners of lacking ambition. Directed by Thumbsucker's Mike Mills, this wistful, intensely autobiographical drama combines a love story, a reflection on the ties that bind the generations and a history lesson on the…

Cell 211

Spanish prison riot thriller with plenty of meaty political subtext

21 Jun 2011

(18) 112min European genre cinema has been delivering some cracking titles of late, none more compelling than prison riot thriller Cell 211. Daniel Monzón’s award-winning Spanish hit takes a clever premise and moulds it into an intense, cat-and-mouse…

Hell and Back Again depicts life of a Marine in Afghanistan

EIFF screening of photojournalist Danfung Dennis’ first feature film

17 Jun 2011

History suggests that the constant drip of unfettered, prime-time images depicting death and defeat made a vital contribution to turning the tide of American popular opinion against the war in Vietnam. It’s hard to imagine a similar decisive impact in…

The Tree of Life

Terrence Malick's sprawling epic a sermon urging re-engagement with spirituality

17 Jun 2011

(12A) 138min Terrence Malick often seems to be the last apostle of rugged individualism still at work in the American film industry. He painstakingly crafts films that are symphonic in structure with the character of poetic, intensely personal…

Treacle Jr.

Aidan Gillen-starring UK film where character and performance take priority

17 Jun 2011

(15) 85min Treacle Jr is a little gem of British independent filmmaking told with the lowest of budgets and the best of intentions. Director Jamie Thraves’ third feature returns him to his independent root that means a film where character and…

The Beaver

Mel Gibson steps closer to redemption in Jodie Foster-directed comedy

23 May 2011

(12A) 90min Just when it seemed that Mel Gibson would never work in Hollywood again, The Beaver proves that he might have a future after all. A string of tabloid scandals suggested that Gibson had pressed the self-destruct button on his career.

Potiche

Catherine Deneuve and Gerard Depardieu star in playful French comedy

23 May 2011

(15) 103 min Catherine Deneuve has a gift of a role in this deliciously subversive farce from the prolific François Ozon. Deneuve is Suzanne, the ‘potiche’ or trophy wife, blithely content to be a domestic goddess in the shadow of insufferable…

Point Blank (A Bout Portant)

Director Fred Cavayé's French thriller is engaging and well-paced

23 May 2011

(15) 84 min Fashion photographer turned filmmaker Fred Cavayé (Anything For Her) would have thrived in the old Hollywood studio system. His films operate with the speed and single-mindedness of a runaway locomotive. Give him a high concept premise…

Mammuth

Gerard Depardieu stars in road trip comedy

17 May 2011

(15) 92min Directors Benoît Delépine and Gustave Kervern have shown a talent to amuse with politically-incorrect, deadpan delights like Aaltra (2004) and Louise-Michel (still awaiting a Scottish cinema release). Mammuth offers more of the same with…

Glasgow Film Festival Meryl Streep retrospective

Festival co-director explains reasons behind 2011 retrospective

18 Feb 2011

Allan Hunter, co-director of the GFF, explains his choice of Meryl Streep for this year’s retrospective ‘Meryl Streep is a star who has stood the test of time, and is currently enjoying a fresh wave of popularity among the generation who've seen The…

Marilyn explores relationship between Marilyn Monroe and Simone Signoret

Major new play from Sue Glover examines life of American actress

1 Feb 2011

As a major new play about the relationship between Marilyn Monroe and Simone Signoret opens at the Citizens Theatre, Allan Hunter explores the lives and cultural impact of these two very different film icons

Le Hérisson and La Petite Chambre among highlights of French Film Festival 2010

Pierre Etaix also presents his own Le Grand Amour

2 Nov 2010

France has one of the most prolific film cultures in the world yet for every A Prophet, Heartbreaker and Carlos there are countless fine films that never see the inside of a British cinema. The raison d’etre for the annual French Film Festival (FFF) is…

Africa United

22 Oct 2010

(PG) 85min The 2010 World Cup is already a fading memory but the event’s afterglow is almost sufficient to cast a spell over the simplistic, feel good road movie Africa United. The film’s mood is eternally sunny, the approach is hectic and bustling…

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps

17 Sep 2010

(12A) 132min There is something comfortingly old school about Oliver Stone’s Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. It has all the fancy moves, dazzling montage sequences and polish of a classic Hollywood melodrama. This could be one of those…

The Kid

7 Sep 2010

(15) 100min Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels alumnus Nick Moran has been quietly building himself a respectable second career as a writer, producer and director. His adaptation of the Kevin Lewis misery memoir The Kid is told with great energy and…

Tamara Drewe

7 Sep 2010

(15) 109min Just because a film is based on a newspaper comic strip does it have to feel like a crass pantomime? If you happen to be usually dependable British director Stephen Frears, apparently so. His relentlessly jaunty adaptation of Posy…

Profile: Abbas Kiarostami

Certified Copy's director's film history

20 Aug 2010

Name? Abbas Kiarostami. Born? Teheran, Iran, 1940. Background? Kiarostami worked as a graphic designer before joining the Centre for Intellectual Development Of Children And Young Adults where he started a film section. His first film The Bread And…

Certified Copy

Abbas Kiarostami's latest film is the first to be shot outside Iran

20 Aug 2010

Certified Copy is the first feature shot outside Iran by director Abbas Kiarostami. Initially, it feels out of kilter with the austere experimentation of his recent features and displays more of an affinity with Richard Linklater’s Before Sunset than…

The Secret In Their Eyes (El Secreto De Sus Ojos)

Argentinean thriller is fluid, emotional, and engrossing.

5 Aug 2010

Everyone expected this year’s Foreign Language Oscar to be a two horse race. It seemed an obvious contest between Michael Haneke’s mesmerising The White Ribbon and Jacques Audiard’s flinty crime drama A Prophet. The surprise winner, of course, was Juan…

François Ozon's The Refuge

An emotionally involving lyrical tale of new beginnings

5 Aug 2010

Prolific French director François Ozon makes his best films when directly addressing life and death issues. He fillets the drama from the tender aftershocks of life-changing events like the loss of a partner in Under The Sand (Sous Le Sable), the…

Greenwich Theatre and Rapture co-production of Hamlet tours Scotland

23 Feb 2010

Scotland’s Rapture theatre company has teamed up with the Greenwich Theatre in London to create a modern, accessible take on Shakespeare’s most famous play. Rapture’s updated Hamlet is set in the contemporary Glasgow underworld, where Hamlet is caught…

New Faces

21 Jan 2010

Recoat kicks off 2010 with a group exhibition under the theme of Modern Character Design. The show highlights the importance and validity of this new area of design and development, and includes contributions from Elph, Andrew Rae, FiST, Jon MacNair and…

Antichrist - Lars Von Trier interview

23 Jul 2009

Lars Von Trier makes films that defy consensus. He is a showman provocateur in search of a reaction, however extreme. The shrugged shoulders of indifference would be his definition of failure. With this in mind, Von Trier can only have been delighted…

EIFF 2009 - Fish Tank

11 Jun 2009

Andrea Arnold is a director who likes to work on instinct. She makes films that are defined by their acute observation of real lives rather than informed by a movie buff’s love affair with cinema. The point is underlined at the Cannes launch of her new…