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MT 29 May 2016

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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 29 MAY 2016 38 This Week IN CINEMAS TODAY Embassy Cinemas Valletta Tel. 21 227436, 21 245818 X Men Apocalypse (12) 10:30, 14:15, 17:45, 20:50 The Jungle Book (PG) 10:35, 13:45, 16:10, 18:30, 20:50 Angry Birds – Preview (U) 14:00, 16:15, 18:30 Despite the Falling Snow (12A) 16:05, 18:20, 20:50 Money Monster (15) 10:00, 12:15, 14:30, 16:45, 19:00, 21:15 Captain America – Civil War (12A) 10:35, 14:00, 17:45, 20:50 Bastille Day (15) 10:20, 21:05 Valletta Living History (U) 10:00, 10:45, 11:30, 12:15, 13:00, 13:45, 14:30, 15:15 Eden Cinemas St Julian's Tel. 23 710400 Everybody Wants Some!! (15) 14:00, 16:25, 18:50, 21:15, 23:40 The Jungle Book (PG) 14:05, 16:20, 18:35, 20:50 Criminal (15) 14:05, 16:25, 18:50, 21:15 Our Kind of Traitor (12A) 14:10, 16:30, 18:50, 21:10, 23:30 Eye in the Sky (15) 14:10, 16:25, 18:40, 20:55 Robinson Crusoe (PG) 14:10, 16:15, 18:25 Angry Birds (U) 14:10, 16:30, 18:50 Money Monster (15) 14:15, 16:25, 18:45, 21:00, 23:15 Ratchet and Clank (U) 14:15, 16:30, 18:35 Taking Stock (15) 14:15, 18:35 X-Men: Apocalypse (12A) 14:15, 17:35, 20:25, 21:10, 23:15 Bad Neighbours 2 (15) 14:20, 16:25, 18:40, 21:00, 23:25 Captain America: Civil War (12A) 14:30, 18:00, 21:05, 23:05 Mustang (12) 16:10, 20:45 Mother's Day (PG) 20:45 Despite the Falling Snow (12A) 20:50 Empire Cinemas Bugibba Tel. 21 581787, 21 581909 Our Kind of Traitor (15) 10:50, 13:35, 16:00, 18:30, 20:45 Money Monster (15) 11:15, 13:40, 16:10, 18:35, 21:00 The Jungle Book (PG) 20:35 Angry Birds (U) 11:10, 13:30, 15:45, 18:00 X-Men: Apocalypse (12A) 10:55, 13:50, 17:55, 20:55 Ratchet & Clank (U) 10:45, 13:40, 15:55, 18:20 Bastille Day (15) 21:00 Bad Neighbours 2 (15) 20:45 The Jungle Book (PG) 11:15, 13:30, 16:00, 18:30 Captain America: Civil War (12A) 11:00, 14:00, 18:00, 21:00 THE supposed political impact of cinema remains a point of fevered debate. At least when it comes to mainstream Hollywood cinema, its 'political' ramifications are rarely de- tected or analysed from the intrinsic product but from its constituent – and, it must be said, superficial – elements: are there enough minori- ties among the cast, and are women once again objectified? 'Political' films tend to declare themselves loudly as such – perhaps another unfortunate by-product of a cultural tic that favours spoon- feeding over the subtle unspooling of plot and atmosphere. But with both a rich cinematic tra- dition and a strained political history to match, it's perhaps understanda- ble that Iranian cinema circumvents this kind of complacency to deliver films that are urgent, beautiful and thrilling. A Dragon Arrives!, which will be screened at the upcoming edition of the Valletta Film Festival, is certainly no exception, though some viewers may find its dizzying plot and play- ful formal make-up too dramatic a swerve away from Hollywood for comfort. The trappings of Hollywood in particular and Western culture in general are however very much in evidence in Mani Haghighi's film pretty much from the word go: as a sleek Chevy Impala – driven by the equally smooth private eye Babak Hafizi (Amir Jadidi), who would not look out of place in a classic film noir: be it of the American or Euro- pean tradition. Operating on the whims of a shad- owy 'agency', he pulls into the sandy 'island' of Qeshm – specifically, into the remains of a boat nestled among the dunes – to investigate the sui- cide of a political prisoner. Finding the body, he buries it… which trig- gers a micro-earthquake which in turn, triggers the film's turn into inspired post-modern tricks and fabulation. It's revealed early on that Babak's story is a flashback being told to an interrogator, with Babak's collabo- rators in the strange adventure – the sound engineer Keyvan Haddad (Ehsan Goudarzi) and geologist Behnam Shokouhi (Homayoung Ghanizadeh) being interviewed in parallel sessions – which is in turn revealed to be part of a re- enactment for a 'documentary' by Haghighi himself. A political interpretation to the increasingly strange – yet somehow circular – narrative could possibly be a way into understanding the full ramifications of what exactly is go- ing on. But the final interpretation remains up for grabs: one expects that an encyclopedic knowledge of Iranian politics and history would be a basic requirement to even be- gin settling into that kind of inter- pretation. And even then, it's likely that Haghighi would just pull the rug under your feet either way, with some detail of the story contradict- ing whatever analysis you go for in the end. But the real magic of this other- wise mind-boggling experience is that it remains charming and pleas- urable ride despite its deliberately frustrating plot dynamics. Hooman Behmanesh's cinematography is ex- quisite, making both the desert and its charismatic cast work in tandem to create an absorbing palette. But this is also a story about how stories are told: a fable about hid- den power coming to the fore and suppressed by arbitrary systems. That a crucial secondary character is named Shahrzad (Kiana Tajam- mol) – after the 1001 Nights' peren- nial story-spinner –surely cannot be accidental. Then again, your guess is as good as mine. But somehow, the guessing feels more than enough. A Dragon Arrives! will be screened on June 9 at Fort St Elmo, 21:00 and June 10 at Embassy Cinemas, 20:30, as part of the Valletta Film Festival. For more information and a full pro- gramme, log on to: http://www.val- lettafilmfestival.com/programme/ Here be dragons… or are they? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ QUEEN OF DRAGONS ★ ★ ★ ★ RED DRAGON ★ ★ ★ DRAGONBALL ★ ★ PUFF THE MAGIC DRAGON ★ BARNEY THE DINOSAUR FILM Desert gumshoe: Babak Hafizi (Amir Jadidi) gets embroiled in an increasingly surreal case Geologist Behnam Shokouhi (Homayoung Ghanizadeh) A DRAGON ARRIVES! (TBC) ★ ★ ★ ★ By Teodor Reljic

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