Janis: Little Girl Blue (15)
four stars
Dir: Amy J Berg
Runtime: 104 minutes
FROM Winehouse to Joplin. Amy is up for the best documentary Oscar, and now here is another outstanding portrait of a woman singer gone too soon. West of Memphis director Amy Berg tells the story of an outsider who found a welcoming home for herself and her blistering vocal talents in the counter culture of the Sixties. While Berg does not shy away from the excesses of Joplin’s life - the drugs, booze, men, women - she puts the music front and centre, where it belongs. A must for fans.
Glasgow Film Theatre, February 12-17; Edinburgh Filmhouse, from February 26.
A Bigger Splash (15)
three stars
Dir: Luca Guadagnino
With: Tilda Swinton, Ralph Fiennes
Runtime: 124 minutes
THIS gorgeously rendered if patchy drama from the director of I Am Love, in contrast, is one for connoisseurs of dad dancing. Ralph Fiennes is the mover and shaker in question, playing a record producer who takes his daughter (Dakota Johnson) to visit his old rock star love (Tilda Swinton). She, alas, now has a new, younger beau (Matthias Schoenaerts) in tow. Shenanigans, and mystery, ensue. An intriguing, slow burn watch that requires patience but rewards it too. Add to that the sun-drenched Italian setting of Pantelleria, which is a balm for cold bones. Fiennes’ interpretation of the Stones’ Emotional Rescue, meanwhile, will have you dialling 999 for the dance police.
Belmont, Aberdeen, Febuary 12-18; Eden Court, Inverness.
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