Pitch Perfect 2 (12A)
four stars
Dir: Elizabeth Banks
With: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson
Runtime: 115 minutes
CLEAR your throat to cheer the return of the a cappella ladies of the first Pitch Perfect, a film that took the spirit of Glee and turned a flaming cartwheel with it. The same gang, led by Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson, are this time trying to fight their way back from a performing hiccup that leaves them a cappella outcasts. The divine Elizabeth Banks (Hunger Games, 30 Rock) directs as well as stars, and while she delivers a film that is overstuffed and overlong, she also keeps the laughs coming. Banks's verbal sparring with fellow compere John Michael Higgins (Best in Show) is a joy.
The Tribe (18)
two stars
Dir: Miroslav Slaboshpitsky
With: Grigoriy Fesenko, Yana Novikova
Runtime: 132 minutes
MIROSLAV Slaboshpitsky's Ukraine-set drama could be the definition of hard-core, no concessions made, art house cinema. Set in a children's home, and using only sign language with no subtitles, it is a tale of a gang of alienated teenagers who rob the vulnerable and prostitute themselves in truck parks. Take it as a political allegory for post-Soviet living, or simply as a social drama so bleak it makes Trainspotting look like a Disney princess movie, the shocking scenes of violence make this a tough watch in every sense.
Filmhouse, May 15; Glasgow Film Theatre, May 25-28
I Am Big Bird (12A)
three stars
Dirs: Dave LaMattina,Chad N Walker
Runtime: 90 minutes
THE man behind the Sesame Street legend is unmasked as Caroll Spinney, master puppeteer and all round good egg according to this documentary from Dave LaMattina and Chad Walker. Tracing Caroll's story from his early days of performing through to meeting Jim Henson and joining Sesame Street, this is as much a portrait of the show and the way it has changed millions of lives for the better, including Spinney's own.
DCA, Dundee, May 17
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