FOTV – Saturday 1205 to Friday 1805

[sw12expat]

Just a few films you may find of interest (rated * to ****)

Saturday 1205
***½ LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (UK 1962) C31, 1240-1705; Peter O'Toole, Omar
Sharif, Anthony Quayle, Jack Hawkins, Anthony Quinn, Alec Guinness;
Presumably this is the full-length (c. 220-minute) version of David
Lean's masterpiece
*** THE LORD OF THE RINGS THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING (US/NZ 2001) C4,
1835-2200 (C13, 1935-2300); Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Ian Holm, Viggo
Mortensen, Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee, Liv Tyler; 1st of the
Rings films.
*** INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS (US 2009) C15, 2245-0155; Brad Pitt,
Christoph Waltz, Diane Kruger, Michael Fassbender, Mélanie Laurent,
Daniel Brühl; Directed by Quentin Tarantino.
*** THE FISHER KING (US 1991) C4, 0145-0405 (C13, 0245-0505 i.e.
Sunday); Robin Williams, Jeff Bridges, Mercedes Ruehl, Amanda Plummer;
Director Terry Gilliam hit the jackpot again with this amorphous but
involving story of a radio phone-in host (JB) considering himself
responsible for a caller's murderous spree. Has a wonderful central
sequence wherein RW and AP – one of '90s cinema's oddest couples – try
to impress each other over a Chinese dinner.

Sunday 1305
*** AE FOND KISS / A Fond Kiss (UK 2004) C2EWS, 2400-0140; Atta Yaqub,
Eva Birthistle; Director Ken Loach's story of a Pakistani-Scot
musician falling for an Irish Catholic music teacher.
**½ SMALLTIME (UK 1996) C15, 0105-0220; Mat Hand, Shane Meadows, Gena
Kawecka, Dena Stiles, Maria Woolley; Director Shane Meadows' debut
film, a credible, tightly-scripted story about teenagers with nothing
to do.
**½ GARAGE (Irish 2007) C15, 0220-0355; Pat Shortt, Anne-Marie Duff,
Conor J. Ryan; Don Wycherley; Laidback little indie, with winning
performances from stand-up comedian PS (as a slightly 'simple'
attendant at an isolated service station) and AMD (as the unsure objet-
du-desir).

Monday 1405
**½ THE LIMEY (US 1999) C15, 2350-0155; Terence Stamp, Peter Fonda,
Lesley Ann Warren, Amelia Heinle, Luis Guzman, Melissa George.

Tuesday 1505
**½ ENDURING LOVE (UK 2004) C15, 0130-0325; Daniel Craig, Rhys Ifans,
Samantha Morton, Bill Nighy, Susan Lynch.

Wednesday 1605
*** GREGORY'S GIRL (UK 1980) C10, 2100-2300; John Gordon Sinclair,
Claire Grogan, Dee Hepburn.

Thursday 1705
** WHISKY (Argentinian/French/German/Uruguayan 2004) C15, 1100-1255;
Andrés Pazos, Mirella Pascual, Jorge Bolani, Ana Katz, Daniel Hendler.

Friday 1805
*** INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS (US 2009) C15,2310-0220; see above.
**½ TEAM AMERICA WORLD POLICE (US 2004) C4, 2355-0140 (C13,
0055-0240); String-puppet film with the voices of Trey Parker, Matt
Stone, Kirsten Miller.
**½ UNLEASHED / Danny The Dog (UK/French 2005) C3, 0235-0415 (C33,
0335-0515 i.e. Saturday); Jet Li, Morgan Freeman, Bob Hoskins, Kerry
Condon, Vincent Regan, Phyllida Law; You wouldn't expect to find a Jet
Li film here, but it's worth it for the supports, for the unbelievable
plot ("in Glasgow a fighter escapes from his 'owner' and takes refuge
with a blind piano tuner"), and a succession of contortions,
contrivances, and coincidences.