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Glasgow Film Festival · 2012

Glasgow Film Festival 2012

Kapow!@GFF

Superhero cinema and graphic novel goodies.

Programme

10 films · 7 reviews

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The Crow

Review preview for The Crow

Full of gothic visuals and brooding melancholy, the bleak gloom is striking.

Stephen Carty · 3 out of 5
A restless soul comes back from the dead to seek vengeance.

(Country: US; Year: 1994; Director: Alex Proyas; Writer: James O'Barr, David J. Schow, John Shirley; Stars: Brandon Lee, Rochelle Davis, Ernie Hudson, Michael Wincott, Ling Bai, Tony Todd)

Full review

Death Of A Superhero

A terminally ill teenager escapes from reality by drawing a comic book in which he is transformed into a superhero fighting the forces of evil.

(Country: Germany; Year: 2011; Director: Ian Fitzgibbon; Writer: Anthony McCarten; Stars: Andy Serkis, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Aisling Loftus)

Ecstasy of Order: The Tetris Masters

Tetris is the most popular video game ever created, selling around 35 million copies worldwide since its original release in 1984. It is so addictive that dedicated players are known to suffer the Tetris effect of mild hallucinations and wanting to arrange things in boxes and blocks. Adam Cornelius’s equally addictive documentary follows the preparations for the Tetris World Championships in Los Angeles that have attracted some of the finest players of the game that the world has ever seen. The big question is whether the tournament might witness the return of Thor, a player unseen for twenty years who is rumoured to have reached the game’s supposedly unreachable level 30. Filled with unforgettable characters, friendly competitors and knife-edge tension, Ecstasy of Order captures the agony and the ecstasy of playing one of the world’s greatest games.

(Country: USA; Year: 2011; Director: Adam Cornelius)

Electric Man

Review preview for Electric Man

The film's main problem is that it's a good 25 minute short padded out to an hour and a half.

Jennie Kermode · 2 out of 5
Two comic fans desperate to save their shop are delighted to find a rare first edition of Electric Man - but others are after it too.

(Country: UK; Year: 2011; Director: David Barras; Writer: David Barras, Scott MacKay; Stars: Toby Manley, Mark McKirdy, Fish, Jennifer Ewing, Mark McDonnell)

Full review

Flash Gordon

Review preview for Flash Gordon

Max Von Sydow's magnificent Emperor Ming is a template against which all future alien rulers have had to measure up.

Jennie Kermode · 3 out of 5
An evil alien ruler plans to destroy the Earth, and only an American football quarterback can stop him.

(Country: US, UK; Year: 1980; Director: Mike Hodges; Writer: Lorenzo Semple Jr and Michael Allin, based on the matinee series.; Stars: Sam J Jones, Melody Anderson, Max von Sydow, Topol, Brian Blessed, Ornella Muti, Timothy Dalton, Peter Wyngarde, Richard O'Brien, Peter Duncan, Robbie Coltrane) , Official site , Trailer

Full review

A History Of Violence

Review preview for A History Of Violence

An unflinching indictment of the savagery at the heart of the American dream.

The Exile · 5 out of 5
Violence begets violence in a study of retribution and small town defiance.

(Country: US; Year: 2005; Director: David Cronenberg; Writer: Josh Olson, based on the graphic novel by John Wagner and Vince Locke; Stars: Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, Ed Harris, William Hurt, Ashton Holmes, Peter MacNeill, Stephen McHattie, Greg Bryk, Kyle Schmid, Sumela Kay, Gerry Quigley)

Full review

Night Is Day

Jason was just a normal twenty-something Glaswegian until, one day, supernatural powers were bestowed upon him. Since then he’s been hiding in the shadows, protecting the city in secret, while Police Superintendent Sloan attempts to silence all tales of the real-life superhero vigilante. But now a new danger is threatening the city: the Caillech, a not-so-mythological creature, has teamed up with the evil businessman Mr Philips and together they have vowed to destroy the world in three days. Can Jason stop them? This Glasgow-set sci-fi was self-funded thanks to the support and donations of local supporters and businesses.

(Country: UK; Year: 2011; Director: Fraser Coull; Stars: Chris Summers, John Gaffney, Steven McEwan, Kirsty Anderson)

Superheroes

Review preview for Superheroes

This documentary's great strength is in the variety of characters it presents to us.

Jennie Kermode · 4 out of 5
Ordinary folk by day, caped crusaders by night; a look into the lives of real life superheroes.

(Country: US; Year: 2011; Director: Michael Barnett; Writer: Michael Barnett, Theodore James; Stars: Master Legend, Mr Xtreme, Zetaman, TSF, Apocalypse Meow, Conundrum, Thanatos, The Dark Avenger)

Full review

Superman: The Movie (Superman)

Review preview for Superman: The Movie

Remains unbeaten in terms of influence and iconic moments.

Stephen Carty · 4.5 out of 5
Classic comic book adaptation about an orphaned alien who becomes humanity's saviour.

(Country: UK, USA; Year: 1978; Director: Richard Donner; Writer: Mario Puzo, David Newman, Leslie Newman, Robert Benton, Tom Mankiewicz; Stars: Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Ned Beatty, Jackie Cooper, Glenn Ford, Trevor Howard, Margot Kidder, Jack O'Halloran, Valerie Perrine)

Full review

Tatsumi

Review preview for Tatsumi

A sad, mournful and bittersweet air pervades the entire film both in the shorts and the biographical segments, as if Tatsumi's success and clear artistic ability never allowed him to outrun certain doubts and worries.

Owen Van Spall · 3 out of 5
Animation based on Yoshihiro Tatsumi's manga memoir A Drifting Life and other short stories.

(Country: Japan; Year: 2011; Director: Eric Khoo; Writer: Based on the work of Yoshihiro Tatsumi; Stars: Tetsuya Bessho, Motoko Gollent, Yoshihiro Tatsumi, Mike Wiluan)

Full review