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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 4 DECEMBER 2016 38 This Week IN CINEMAS TODAY Embassy Cinemas Valletta Tel. 21 227436, 21 245818 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (PG) 10:30, 14:30, 17:45, 20:45 Doctor Strange (12) 13:40, 16:10, 18:40, 21:10 A Street Cat Named Bob (12A) 21:15 Sully (12A) 10:00, 12:15, 14:30, 16:45, 19:00, 21:15 Allied (15) 10:10, 13:15, 15:55, 18:30, 21:10 A United Kingdom (12A) 10:15, 13:30, 16:00, 18:25, 20:50 Eden Cinemas St Julian's Tel. 23 710400 The Accountant (15) 13:20, 16:00, 18:40, 21:15 Allied (15) 13:30, 16:00, 18:35, 21:10, 22:45 Doctor Strange (12A) 13:30, 16:05, 18:40, 21:10, 23:40 Inferno (12A) 13:40, 16:10, 18:40, 21:10 Billion Star Hotel (TBA) 13:45 Arrival (12A) 14:00, 16:25, 18:50, 21:15, 23:40 A United Kingdom (12A) 14:00, 16:20, 18:40, 21:00, 23:20 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (PG) 14:00, 15:00, 17:10, 18:05, 20:00, 21:00, 23:00 Apparition Hill (TBA) 14:00, 16:25, 18:50, 21:15 The Girl on the Train (15) 14:00, 16:20, 18:45, 21:10 Sully: Miracle on the Hudson (12A) 14:05, 16:15, 18:30, 20:45, 23:00 Trolls (U) 14:10, 16:20, 18:25, 20:30 Victoria (15) 15:55 Botticelli Inferno (PG) 19:00 The Here After (TBA) 21:15 Empire Cinemas Bugibba Tel. 21 581787, 21 581909 A United Kingdom (12A) 11:00, 13:30, 16:00, 18:35, 21:00 Sully (12A) 11:15, 14:00, 16:05, 18:30, 20:45 Allied (15) 11:00, 13:30, 16:00, 18:35, 21:05 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (PG) 10:30, 13:15, 15:55, 18:35, 21:15 The Accountant (15) 15:55, 21:15 The Light Between the Oceans (12A) 10:30, 13:10, 18:35 Trolls (U) 11:15, 14:00, 18:30 Dr Strange (12A) 16:00, 21:00 Arrival (12A) 11:00, 13:40, 16:05, 18:35, 21:00 PLENTY of films have been adapt- ed from novels, but far fewer from short stories or novellas. Some no- table exceptions blow any signifi- cance attached to that statement right out of the water, though: Death in Venice (1971) and Bro- keback Mountain (2005) being two examples of just conducive shorter fiction can be to filmic re-appropri- ation. It makes sense, too: novellas especially are built to fit the perfect film-shape, being just about right in length for a two-hour film. Shrewd filmmakers will realise this, and Denis Villeneuve (Pris- oners, Enemy, Sicario) is possibly among the shrewdest of the lot among the living. For thanks in large part to his directorial efforts, we can count Arrival, adapted from 'Story of Your Life', the 1998 novel- la by Ted Chaing, as one of the best films of the year so far. Though the story may fall on the brief side – and to be fair, Ville- neuve and screenwriter Eric Heis- serer do some expansion work on Chaing's slim tale – it was never going to be an easy beast to wran- gle to the screen. It has the setup of an alien invasion, that ends up be- ing more of an enigmatic visitation. And its main protagonist, Louise (Amy Adams) is not a military jockey of some kind, but a linguist sent in to interpret just what the hell these 'heptapods' – who have installed their floating monoliths in various cities around the world – want or expect from the human population. But while she tries to decipher what the two aliens who land in America are trying to tell them – and whom, together with her phys- icist colleague Ian (Jeremy Ren- ner), she affectionately nicknames 'Abbott and Costello' – Louise is also contenting with memories about a beloved daughter, lost. But are these her memories at all? And how are they tied to the heptapods? While they may differ wildly in genre and even story structure, Ar- rival shares some key similarities with Villeneuve's previous film – last year's critically acclaimed and morally merciless Mexican drug cartel thriller Sicario. In both films, female protagonists are given a great deal of responsibility in a challenging situation, while preen- ing and jostling male superiors do their utmost to make things more difficult than they should be. But despite the looming threat of alien invasion, Arrival is a lot milder in tone, and its authority figures are either sympathetic but unwavering (Forrest Whitaker) or brittle and nervous (Michael Stuhlbarg) while the film favours Louise's emotional arc over the mechanics of the al- iens and their technological capa- bilities. There's something to encour- aging – nay, hopeful – about a tentpole film that places intellec- tual inquiry as its primary motor for drama and action. And Ville- neuve directs with the confidence and maturity of a true artist. The first act will appear slow to jittery filmgoers, but it also establishes a fine, moody pace that the rest of the film will exploit to great effect. Because although intellectual in- quiry animates the story, the payoff is an emotional one – and it packs a wallop. But it wouldn't have been possible were it not for Villeneuve's restraint… to say nothing of Ad- ams's dignified, yet still vulnerable performance. In the end, Arrival confirms two things: that Denis Villeneuve is the ascendant star of mainstream genre filmmaking, and that intelli- gent science fiction is still possible in today's cinematic atmosphere. Even if your name isn't Christo- pher Nolan. Crossed lines from the front line ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ARRIVAL ★ ★ ★ ★ ALMOST THERE ★ ★ ★ STAY ON TARGET ★ ★ ARE WE THERE YET? ★ DEAD ON ARRIVAL FILM By Teodor Reljic ARRIVAL (12A) ★ ★ ★ ★ Amy Adams gives a committed and moving performance in this ambitious slice of cerebral sci-fi The talking cure Brain buddies: Adams and Renner