Weekend Film Scene with Bill Cunningham

Jul 16 2010 Dumfries Standard Friday

WE’RE still in the Twilight zone but the toys are coming to the rescue. Vanessa Redgrave takes you on a romantic quest in Italy and there is a sobering picture of life for an Arab in Palestine.

Odeon, DumfriesLonsdale, Annan

The fantasy world of Twilight Saga: Eclipse (12A) continues. Essentially this is a teenage romantic triangle given a new twist by involving a family of vampires, a werewolf and a teenage student who is drawn into a relationship that really doesn’t offer too much of a future.

Forget Dracula and all that, these are cool kids with the girls swooning over Robert Pattinson as Edward Cullen and Taylor Lautner as Jacob Black, especially when they take their shirts off, which they do rather a lot.

The new film however is an improvement on the first two with stronger direction, more action and the cast growing into their roles.

Kristen Stewart as the still virginal Bella concedes that she fancies both guys, has a tough time choosing but soon falls foul of the fangs of vampire Bryce Dallas Howard as the vengeful Victoria who creates an army of vampires to terrorise North America and wipe out the Cullen clan.

Edward and Jacob shelve their rivalry to save the day but will Bella finally make up her mind? With two more films to come she doesn’t need to rush!

Robert Burns Centre Film Theatre, Dumfries

Romance of an altogether conventional type is celebrated in, Letters To Juliet (PG).

Amanda Seyfried is aspiring journalist, Sophie, on a pre-honeymoon trip to Verona with her dull restaurant owner fiancé.

He’s preoccupied with food while she goes off on her own and investigates the custom of women leaving lovelorn letters under the balcony of Shakespeare’s Juliet. One letter intrigues her from an English woman called Claire who jilted her Italian lover 60 years ago.

She answers it, urging Claire to resume her search for her lost lover. Vanessa Redgrave brings all her penetrating personality and warmth as Claire, who returns to Verona with her grandson to join Sophie on a trip through the sun-drenched Italian countryside to find her lost love.

Does she find him? Will Sophie find her true love? And will you rush out to book a trip to Italy? You bet!

On Tuesday there is also The Time That Remains (15), a film from Italy that is an account of 60 years in the life of a Palestinian family directed by Elia Suleiman from his father’s diaries.

The film opens in 1948 with the establishment of the State of Israel and the annexation of Nazareth, his home town.

Using his own brand of deadpan humour in circumstances of deadly seriousness Suleiman heightens the drama and heartbreaking emotional trauma of two nations locked in permanent conflict.

Lonsdale, Annan

Thanks to having two screens you can still catch the final fling of Shrek: Forever After (U) until Sunday.

From Monday the eagerly awaited Toy Story 3 (U), takes over with the toys facing an uncertain future as Andy grows up.

Now a teenager he is going to college and, while he still intends to take Woody, the others are destined for the attic.

The next step is a day-care centre where the toys are abused by the toddlers and ruled by the sinister teddy bear, Lotso who has gone over to the dark side.

So can Woody ride to the rescue, why has Buzz changed sides and is there a future for the toys without Andy?

Being Pixar, prepare for scary moments, sad ones, but surely a happy ending.