Postman Pat:
The Movie (U)
four stars
Dir: Mike Disa
Voices: Stephen Mangan, David Tennant
Runtime: 87 minutes
THE postie with the mostie lands a movie of his own in this sweet and nicely silly animation. Pat (voiced by Stephen Mangan) dreams of taking his wife to Italy, but it seems the only way he will be able to afford it is by entering a talent competition. A first-class voice cast that also includes David Tennant as a wily Scottish manager delivers the laughs.
Beyond the Edge (3D) (PG)
three stars
Dir: Leanne Pooley
With: Chad Moffit, Sonam Sherpa
Runtime: 90 minutes
IT is 1953, and the race is on to reach the unconquered summit of Everest. While we all know the outcome, it is a tale worth retelling, which Leanne Pooley does in solid fashion through a mix of archive, interviews, and, less successfully, dramatic reconstructions. The photography is stunning.
Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Eden Court, Inverness, Belmont, Aberdeen, from tomorrow. Cameo, from May 30.
Heli (18)
three stars
Dir: Amat Escalante
With: Armando Espitia, Andrea Vergara
Runtime: 103 minutes
MEXICO'S drug wars are given an up close and personal examination in this Cannes prize-winner. Heli (Armando Espitia) works in a car factory, helping to support his family. When his sister finds a boyfriend with an eye for making a quick dollar the family is dragged into a violent world from which there seems no escape. A tough watch.
Glasgow Film Theatre, May 23-29; DCA, Dundee, May 30; Filmhouse, Edinburgh, June 6-12
Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return (U)
two stars
Dirs: Will Finn, Daniel St Pierre
Voices: Lea Michele, Kelsey Grammer
Runtime: 88 minutes
IN this bizarre animated sequel to the Judy Garland classic, Dorothy retraces her steps with a new crew in tow (a china doll, a fat owl and a marshmallow soldier)to save her friends from an evil jester who happens to be related to the Wicked Witch. Confused? You probablywill be, so good luck explaining it to younger cinemagoers.
Blended (15)
two stars
Dir: Frank Coraci
With: Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore
Runtime: 117mins
ADAM Sandler's third film with Drew Barrymore (following The Wedding Singer and 50 First Dates) may be intermittently more tolerable than most of his more recent efforts but it's still a derisory experience.
The pair play single parents who meet for a disastrous blind date, resolve never to see each other again and then wind up on an African safari holiday together. En route, the film grapples with issues of loss and lone parenting but continually undermines them with juvenile and crass humour.
None of the characters is credible, the story arcs are lazy and predictable and the running length feels interminable.
Reviewed by Rob Carnevale
The Punk Singer (15)
Three stars
Dir: Sini Anderson
Runtime: 81 minutes
KATHLEEN Hanna was the performer of the title, the tough, take-no-prisoners singer with punk band Bikini Kill and one of the founders of the riot grrrl feminist movement.
Where she led, many followed. So why did she drop off the map in 2005?
Sini Anderson's film explores the times as much as the individual in what is a fascinating if slight story of early fame and peer pressure.
Glasgow Film Theatre, May 23-29
Fading Gigolo (15)
three stars
Dir: John Turturro
With: John Turturro, Woody Allen
Runtime: 90 minutes
JOHN Turturro writes, directs and stars as a New Yorker down on his luck who is persuaded by his friend Murray (Woody Allen) to become a male escort in this gentle comedy.
Among his clients are Sharon Stone's adventurous doctor. Male fantasy taken to ludicrous extremes? You bet, but Turturro and Allen are a watchable duo and a tender story eventually emerges.
Cineworld, Glasgow Renfrew Street; Glasgow Film Theatre; Filmhouse, Edinburgh; Cameo, Edinburgh, from tomorrow
Aatsinki: The Story of Arctic Cowboys (N/C 15+)
Three stars
Dir: Jessica Oreck
Runtime: 85 minutes
THE cowboys of the title are the Aatsinki brothers, and instead of horses their modes of transport are helicopters and quad bikes as they tend herds of reindeer. The documentary lets the pictures speak for themselves, leading to a handsome if slow watch. Contains scenes of butchering.
Glasgow Film Theatre, May 28-29
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