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Glasgow Film Festival · 2011

Glasgow Film Festival 2011

Galas

Roll out the red carpet! The galas strand is the place to look for exciting films destined to become big names over the next year. There'll be big name stars in attendance, too. This is a chance to put on your glad rags and enjoy a real touch of glamour.

Programme

9 films · 6 reviews

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13 Assassins (Jûsan-nin no shikaku)

Review preview for 13 Assassins

Ultimately, what you see is what you get in 13 Assassins. Lots of blood and death and despicable cruelty.

Robert Munro · 4 out of 5
A retired samurai has to assemble a squad of assassins and set a town-sized trap.

(Country: Japan, UK; Year: 2010; Director: Takashi Miike; Writer: Kaneo Ikegami, Takashi Miike, Daisuke Tengan; Stars: Kôji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada, Yûsuke Iseya, Gorô Inagaki, Masachika Ichimura, Mikijiro Hira, Hiroki Matsukata, Ikki Sawamura, Arata Furuta, Tsuyoshi Ihara, Masataka Kubota, Sosuke Takaoka, Seiji Rokkaku, Yûma Ishigaki, Kôen Kondô) , Official site , Trailer

Full review

Animal Kingdom

Review preview for Animal Kingdom

Michod has created a deeply pessimistic but fascinating world lit by excellent cinematography and set to a moody score.

Owen Van Spall · 4.5 out of 5
After the death of his mother, a 17-year-old boy is thrust precariously between an explosive criminal family and a detective who thinks he can save him. Plus read our exclusive .

(Country: Australia; Year: 2009; Director: David Michôd; Writer: David Michôd; Stars: Ben Mendelsohn, Joel Edgerton, Guy Pearce, Luke Ford, Jacki Weaver, Sullivan Stapleton, James Frecheville, Daniel Wyllie, Anthony Hayes, Laura Wheelwright, Mirrah Foulkes, Justin Rosniak, Susan Prior, Clayton Jacobson, Anna Lise Phillips)

Full review See: Ben Mendelsohn interview about Animal Kingdom

The Eagle (The Eagle Of The Ninth)

Review preview for The Eagle

Macdonald proceeds to let his narrative grind to a halt from which it never recovers.

David Graham · 2.5 out of 5
A Roman soldier tries to retrieve his legion's lost emblem from the Pictish hordes.

(Country: UK; Year: 2011; Director: Kevin Macdonald; Writer: Jeremy Brock, Rosemary Sutcliff; Stars: Channing Tatum, István Göz, Bence Gerö, Denis O'Hare, Paul Ritter, Zsolt László, Julian Lewis Jones, Aladár Laklóth, Marcell Miklós, Bálint Magyar, Ferenc Pataki, Bálint Antal, Lukács Bicskey, Douglas Henshall, James Hayes) , Official site

Full review

Fair Game

Political thriller based on the true stories of Joseph Wilson and Valerie Plame.

(Country: US; Year: 2010; Director: Doug Liman; Writer: Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, based on the autobiographies of Joseph Wilson, Valerie Plame; Stars: Naomi Watts, Sonya Davison, Vanessa Chong, Anand Tiwari, Stephanie Chai, Sean Penn, Ty Burrell, Jessica Hecht, Norbert Leo Butz, Rebecca Rigg, Brooke Smith, Thomas McCarthy, Ashley Gerasimovich, Quinn Broggy, Nicholas Sadler) , Official site

Home For Christmas (Hjem Til Jul)

A series of interconnected stories see the residents of a small Norwegian town encounter life-changing moments on a Christmas Eve filled with possibilities.

(Country: Norway; Year: 2010; Director: Bent Hamer, Levi Henriksen; Writer: Bent Hamer; Stars: Nina Andresen Borud, Trond Fausa Aurvaag, Arianit Berisha)

Little White Lies

A complex web of friendships and alliances breaks down over the course of a group holiday.

(Country: France; Year: 2010; Director: Guillaume Canet; Writer: Guillaume Canet; Stars: François Cluzet, Marion Cotillard, Benoît Magimel, Gilles Lellouche)

Norwegian Wood (Noruwei No Mori)

Review preview for Norwegian Wood

Despite a certain listless pace at times, Norwegian Wood benefits from an energetic soundtrack that doesn't ram home too strongly the particular period setting.

Owen Van Spall · 3 out of 5
The Beatles song prompts a man to remember the complicated romance, with devastating consequences, that shaped his youth.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2010; Director: Trân Anh Hùng; Writer: Trân Anh Hùng, based on the book by Haruki Murakami.; Stars: Rinko Kikuchi, Kenichi Matsuyama, Kiko Mizuhara)

Full review

Point Blank (À Bout Portant)

Review preview for Point Blank

While Sartet's back story is as pulpy as they come, it's the delivery that matters and in terms of action thrills, Cavayé never takes his foot off the throttle.

Amber Wilkinson · 4 out of 5
An ordinary nurse defies all odds to help an injured gangster escape from the hospital where he works in order to save his kidnapped, pregnant wife.

(Country: France; Year: 2010; Director: Fred Cavayé; Writer: Fred Cavayé, Guillaume Lemans; Stars: Gilles Lellouche, Roschdy Zem, Elena Anaya, Gérard Lanvin)

Full review

Potiche (Das Schmuckstück, Trophy Wife)

Review preview for Potiche

Ozon uses the building blocks of the comic tradition to tell a much more empowering tale that plays genuine tribute to a rounded female character.

Jennie Kermode · 4.5 out of 5
When her husband falls ill and his beautiful wife takes over his umbrella business, her life changes in unexpected and liberating ways.

(Country: France; Year: 2010; Director: François Ozon; Writer: François Ozon, based on the play by Pierre Barillet and Jean-Pierre Grédy; Stars: Catherine Deneuve, Gérard Depardieu, Fabrice Luchini)

Full review