The Emoji Movie (U)
Two stars
With: Anthony Leondis
Voices: James Corden, TJ Miller
Runtime: 86 minutes
DOUBTLESS someone will review Anthony Leondis’s animated adventure using the techno squiggles of the title, but that way madness and inadvertent cultural offence lies (what does the aubergine mean anyway?). Enough to say that the tale of Gene (TJ Miller with James Corden as his pal Hi-5), a young citizen of Textopolis, is firmly aimed at the age range that starts and finishes in single figures. Gene is meant to be the “Meh” emoji, a character conveying utter boredom, but he is too full of life for that. Can he find a way to change? After 86 minutes of this soulless caper what can one say but … Meh.
England is Mine (15)
Three stars
Dir: Mark Gill
With: Jack Lowden, Jessica Brown Findlay
Runtime: 94 minutes
WHAT a year Borders-raised Jack Lowden is having, first starring in Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, and here playing one Steven Patrick Morrissey. This is the Smiths’ frontman in his Seventies, pre-gladioli waving days, an origins story if you will, involving dreary jobs, stifled ambition and an art student pal (Jessica Brown Findlay) who lights a way out of the gloom. Mancunian director Mark Gill, here making his debut, gets the vibe of the times just right, even if he is prone to over-using the good visual ideas he has, with Lowden supplying a witty, dry as dust turn as the ego on legs.
GFT, August 4-13; Filmhouse, Edinburgh, August 25-29
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here