EIFF Day 12

This is officially the final day of the Film Festival as far as delegates and the press are concerned, with Sunday being dedicated to the public and their chance to catch The Best of the Fest – the films that created the most buzz amongst the attending professionals and the public.

For those who submitted films, or were invited, the Awards are a vital part of the Festival not only for the accolades and prestige, but also for the cash prizes that are always welcomed, especially by the independent filmmakers. With the Festival shifting its focus more towards independent film from next year, with its new date, it was encouraging to see that the indies won, even in the Audience Award, especially as there were some big studio pictures like Ratatouille to compete with. What is even more impressive is the Audience Award was won by a documentary. It was no surprise that Control won two prizes, but the rest were anyone’s guess. Here are the winners:

Michael Powell Award for Best New British Feature Film, sponsored by the UK Film Council
Control – directed by Anton Corbijn


PPG Award for Best Performance in a British Feature Film
Sam Riley – Control


Standard Life Audience Award
We Are Together directed by Paul Taylor

Sky Movies Best Documentary Award
Billy the Kid directed by Jennifer Venditti
Special Jury Commendation to The Monastery: Mr Vig and the Nun directed by Pernille Rose Gronkjaer

Skillset New Directors Award
Lucia Puenzo - XXY

European Film Academy Short Film 2007 - Prix UIP
Soft by Simon Ellis
Special mention to Final Journey by Lars Zimmermann and Ottica Zero by Maja Borg

UK Film Council Kodak Award for Best British Short Film
The One and Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island by James Griffiths
Special mention to – Dog Altogether by Paddy Considine

Short Scottish Documentary Award Supported by Baillie Gifford
Breadmakers by Yasmin Fedda
Special mention to How to Save a Fish From Drowning by Kelly Neal

McLaren Award for New British Animation in Partnership with BBC Film Network
Over the Hill by Peter Baynton


The closing night film was Julie Delpy’s Two Days in Paris, which she wrote, directed, starred in (along with her parents), edited and even did some of the music. It is a film along the same lines as Before Sunrise and Before Sunset, in that it is a walkie-talkie movie, except this has less romance and more angst and humour. It is on general release from August 31.

So that’s it for another year and with next year’s Festival moving to June (one of the hottest topics of the Festival) Hannah and her team certainly have their work cut out. And my opinion of the change? I think they are going to lose a huge amount of audience, especially from those attending the other festivals in Edinburgh who want to catch a non-commercial film as a break from all the live shows on offer. I will miss having the chance to do the opposite and catch some comedy as a break from watching films all day, although it will mean I might actually get some sleep.

Coming next: Raindance and London.

Day 11

Today was spent doing interviews with Billy Ray, co-writer and director of Breach and actor Chris Cooper, who appeared in two of this year’s big studio movies, Breach and surprise movie, The Kingdom. Billy Ray was eloquent and modest with a lot to say about filmmaking and the state of US politics. Chris Cooper was a laconic as many of the characters he plays, and spoke a lot about the craft of acting as well as politics, as well films have strong political content.



In the afternoon was Chris Cooper: In Person, which traced his career, accompanied by clips of some of his more memorable roles.


Straight from this I had to rush down to do another interview with Alan Moyle, director of one of my favourite movies of the festival – Weirdsville. Alan is a fascinating character in the vein of the maverick indie directors of the seventies and eighties, such as John Landis and Lloyd Kaufman.


These interviews still need to be transcribed and edited and will appear in future editions of Film and Festivals Magazine or on their website.

Day 10

Festival fatigue is starting to settle in. Press screenings have pretty much come to an end and apart from a couple of films I want to catch in the videotheque that's about it for this year, apart from the Awards.

Breach red carpet at Cineworld with Director Billy Ray and actors Chris Cooper and Ryan Phillippe.

Day 9

It still seems a bit strange going to watch movies at nine in the morning, although with festival fatigue now starting to settle in I don’t know what day it is half the time never mind the time. What is even stranger is watching a horror movie early in the morning, however Shrooms is only just a horror movie.


This is an Irish American co-production about a group of American teens going to Ireland to partake in some of the local shrooms or mushies (magic mushrooms). Local head Jake (Jack Huston – of that Huston family) takes the five American teens for a camping trip in a forest so they can better experience the effects of the drugs. Tara (Lindsey Haun) has a crush on Jake whom she’d met previously. The other four members of the party are in relationships. After gathering the shrooms, and being warned by Jake not to pick a particularly toxic variety, Tara eats one, causing her to have premonitions. That evening they sit around the fire as Jake recounts a local legend of evil forces, by morning the legend has become a reality and the body count starts.

There is lots of screaming and running through the forest pursued by shadowy entities, all accompanied by shakey camerawork and appropriate mood music. The only real deviation from formulaic teen slasher movies is it is set during the day. Although it is competently acted, shot and directed there are no real scares or moments of terror. Most of the time you don’t even care if the characters survive or not. Although there is a surprise twist at the end it was one where you just go, “OK”. Interestingly, it is about third or fourth film I’ve seen with emasculation. There seems to be a pattern emerging…

Shrooms is showing at Cameo 1 on Thursday 23 at midnight and Saturday 25 at 22:15


From horror, straight into anime with Tekkonkinkreet. I’m really fussy about the anime I watch mostly because I get sent a lot of it to review and in general it is either puerile or self-indulgent. What I do like about them is they are one of the last bastions of 2D line animation filled with artistic vision and Tekkonkinkreet is certainly a prime example of this. The story, based on a manga by Taiyo Matsumoto, is of two orphaned brothers trying to defend their city from developers and gangsters, who want to turn into a giant theme park. Being an anime it is full of extreme emotions and exaggerated action but the story is absorbing but it does become secondary to the visuals, which are some of the most stunning of any in recent years. Eschewing the traditional look of the genre everything, particularly the characters, are highly stylised. Every shot is filled with incredible detail and colour. It is a pity this is a subtitled version because you spend too much time looking at the bottom of the screen rather than stunning artwork. If I wanted to read I would buy the manga.


Even if you aren’t a fan of anime go and see this film for its sheer artistry.

Tekkonkinkreet is showing at Cameo 1 on Friday 24 at 21:30 and Saturday 25 at 15:30.

Make Your Mark In Film is part of the Mark Your Mark initiative to encourage entrepreneurship amongst the young and supported by various government and private industry organisations. The Make Your Mark in Film campaign was launched at last year’s EIFF. In the ensuing year a competition for a script was run, won by Judy Upton’s My Imprisoned Heart. After that ten teams nationwide had to pitch their proposals for how they would produce one of the ten episodes of the screenplay. Each of the winning teams was given three days to shoot their episode in their own location for which they were supplied three lead actors and two props. Everything else was up to them.



The final movie had its first public screening today, giving the teams a chance to see on a big screen what the others had done and how the story played out. Remembering that these were nearly all first time filmmakers each episode looked surprisingly good, even when the DV footage was blown up on the big screen at the Cameo. After the screening it was time to party, thanks to the sponsors at Cobra Beer.

Find out more at www.makeyourmarkinfilm.org or visit www.lovefilm.com to see all the episodes.

Apart from emasculation there are two other recurring themes I’ve noticed in the films I’ve seen so far, romance and stoners, which in the case of Knocked Up featured all three, even if the emasculation was only metaphorical.


Weirdsville falls well and truly into the stoner group as two hopeless junkies (are there any other kind?) get themselves involved in a hilarious and highly improbable comedy of errors, involving drug dealers, wannabe Satanists, dwarf mediaeval role players and millionaire hippies. To explain it anymore than that would spoil the surprises. This is probably one of the funniest films at the festival, apart from Knocked Up, which is more mainstream. Weirdsville has the look and feel of a cult film and will no doubt garner that status. Reminiscent of 80s films such as those of John Hughes or John Landis’s Into the Night. In fact, director Alan Moyle already has cult films Pump up the Volume and Empire Records to his credit.

With only a few days to go I would highly recommend seeing this is you want a good (if slightly bizarre) laugh.

Weirdsville is showing at Cameo 1 on Friday 24 at 23:50, Saturday 25 at 18:00 and Sunday 26 at 12:30 as part of Best of the Fest.

One of the highly anticipated events of the Festival is the surprise movie. This is an unannounced film known only to a small handful of the Festival elite. It is a film that won’t always appeal to every taste and has to have a rating of below 18; last half the audience walked out within the first ten minutes. Trying to guess what it is is a popular point of discussion, and knowing the age restriction discounted any possibility of it being Planet Terror, to complement Death Proof. This year’s film, The Kingdom, didn’t get the same reaction as last year’s Keane, although some people did leave, but it was a gripping action thriller and the first public screening in the world.


When the compound of US oil workers in Saudi is attacked by terrorists, four FBI agents (Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner) and talk their way into going to help with the investigations despite diplomatic pressure for them not to do so. Although the film doesn’t delve very deeply into the politics of the area in the way Syriana, The Seige or The Three Kings did, in certainly turns on the bloody action in the final act, which always makes for good entertainment.

The Kingdom will be on general release in October.

Day 8

This morning was one of those inevitable screening clashes, two films I wanted to see showing at the same time. Shrooms, the Irish horror film, and Gus van Sant’s highly regarded Paranoid Park, which had been rescheduled from Sunday. I opted for Shrooms, hoping to catch the other film in the evening. When I arrived at the Cameo I was told the screening had been postponed until the next day, clashing with another film I wanted to see. So with ten minutes to spare I legged it down to Cineworld, arriving just in time for the start. By the end of the film I was wondering if it was really worth the effort.


I’m not sure what the movie is supposed to be about. There is a death and there are lots of teen skater boys and girls getting angsty. It uses the fragmented timeline, like Memento, jumping backwards and forwards as it follows Alex (Gabe Nevins) as he writes a self-confession of his involvement in the death of a security guard. The use of non-professional actors didn’t always work, although Nevins did do a great job of internalising his emotions and conflict. Although the film won the 60th Anniversary Prize at Cannes I personally can’t see what the fuss was all about. All the elements I found annoying others found boldly original. Each to their own.

Paranoid Park is showing at Cineworld on Thursday 23 at 22:30


Just one other film today, Breach. This is a slow-paced spy thriller, the complete antithesis of Bourne Ultimatum. Based on a true story of an FBI agent who sold secrets to the Russians, the ending is revealed in the opening shot. This is more of a character study than your stock-standard thriller. Chris Cooper is excellent as Robert Hanssen, the disgruntled agent nearing the end of his career, seemingly ignored by his superiors and colleagues in spite of his experience and knowledge in matters of security. Ambitious rookie Eric O’Neill, a surprisingly good Ryan Phillippe, is planted as Hanssen’s new assistant to report back to the lead investigator (Laura Linney). O’Neill soon starts developing a respect for Hanssen, which does divide his loyalties and cause a rift with his young wife.

The cast do an excellent job but the story is just too slow to fully engage and although you can develop sympathy for Cooper’s character, in the end you don’t really care what happens to any of them. I spent most of the movie thinking what a bunch of deluded hypocrites these government agencies are and the words “secrets and lies” kept springing to mind for what they do.

It is certainly an antidote for Bourne’s hyperactive antics but I’d still rather go with the action.

Breach is showing at Cineworld Fountain Park on Thursday 23 and Friday 24 19:00 ahead of its general release.

Day 7

Today was almost like having a day off. With no planned screenings I had a bit of a lie in, caught up on my various reviews and strolled down to the delegate centre to watch some films in the Videotheque.


What Would Jesus Buy? is a documentary produced by Morgan Spurlock of Super Size Me fame, that addresses the US’s rampant consumerism at Christmas. The film follows Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping Gospel Choir as they take their mission to prevent the Shopocalypse to the malls of America. At the outset it is not clear that Reverend Billy is a fictitious character, especially given all the strange tele-evangelists in the US. But once it is made clear the film becomes a lot more fun rather than slightly disturbing. This is not a religious campaign but rather a moral one. From a British viewpoint some of the scenes are absolutely mindboggling in the excesses of rampant materialism. There are messages about sweatshops and human rights although they could be explored further and possibly from both sides of the argument. What I found particularly disturbing, and which was not pursued is how the group were not allowed to protest. Whenever they turned up at shopping malls or stores they were quickly, and physically ejected. In the so-called land of the free it seems you have freedom of speech as long as it isn’t against consumerism and corporate greed.

Although the film took a lighthearted look at the subject it really needed to be more hard-hitting if the producer wants to make any serious impact on the masses. But it’s a start.

I tried to watch Lovely by Surprise but it was trying to be too clever for itself and I switched it off after 15 minutes, which meant I’d gone past the crucial first 10 minutes and was left unconvinced.

After that last failed attempt I decided to call it a day and went for a bit of light relief at the Fringe, taking in Patrick Monahan’s stand-up show, Feel the Love at the Underbelly. His performance is infectious and his interaction with the audience is superb, which he manages to integrate nicely with his material about being an Irish Iranian growing up on Teeside. He must be one of the few comedians on that can still get a laugh without having to swear or be rude.


Jury members for the Michael Powell Award gather at The Filmhouse. From left: Jonathan Coe (writer), Jan Weissberg (film critic), Natalie Priest (actress), Kate Dickie (actress) and Chair Geoff Gilmore (Director of Sundance Film Festival).


Jury members for Sky Movies Best Documentary from left: Penny Woolcock (Director), Chair Jeffrey Blitz (Director), Pawel Pawel Pawlikowski (Director)

Day 6

Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest, but not for the film industry here. Nine o’clock screenings were going ahead as usual and it had to be one of the films I wanted to see – Stardust.

Based on a Neil Gaiman story it is a classic fantasy tale in the vein of Princess Bride. I did go into this screening with a slight prejudice because I find Gaiman’s reputation is a bit overrated. His stories are imaginative but lack any real punch. Mirrormask worked more because of Dave McKean’s imagery and direction and the performances than the story itself, and this seems to be the case again with this new film.


The story involves a hapless youth who happens to be the prince of a magical kingdom, although he doesn’t know it and works in a shop in a small English village, where he has fallen in love with the most beautiful girl in the village. In order to win her hand he promises to retrieve a fallen star, which turns out to be yet another beautiful girl. But there are also a trio of witches who want to capture the girl because eating her heart will give them eternal life. As the youth enters on his quest he also has to combat against the sons of the dead king who want to retrieve a necklace that hangs around the neck of the fallen star so they can claim their right to the vacant throne.

The screenplay is co-written by Jane Goldman (Mrs Jonathan Ross) and director Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake), which is certainly a departure from his previous London gangster films. It really does look lavish and the production details make it all quite believable. The CGI, in particular, is seamless most of the way through. Vaughn has gathered a suitably star-studded cast with Clare Danes as the fallen star, Michelle Pfieffer as the wicked witch, Robert De Niro as a camp pirate with image issues, Ricky Gervais as a fence (not the wooden sort – but he is basically playing it as any of his other characters). Other cameos include Peter O’Toole, Rupert Everett and Sienna Miller.

As far as fantasy films go it is entertaining enough, especially for younger audiences, but it certainly doesn’t break new ground and is quite predictable, apart from a dragged-up De Niro.

Stardust is showing at Cineworld Fountain Park on Tuesday 21 and Thursday 23 ahead of a general release in October.

In the afternoon I went to the Samantha Morton talk. It was a bit of a strange affair. Apart from a problem with the mics reverbing so everything was being heard twice, it was a conversation between two rather reticent women. Hannah McGill certainly does not have the presence of her predecessor and Samantha isn’t always forthcoming with her answers, although once she does get talking she is both interesting and funny.


Tonight was also the UK premiere of Knocked Up with writer/director Judd Apatow and actors Seth Rogen and Leslie Mann in attendance.


In the evening I finally caught the movie everyone is raving about, Control. This is the story of Ian Curtis and Joy Division. Shot in black and white by photographer Anton Corbijn, who shot many of the photos of Joy Division during their brief existence. When they say “it’s grim up north” this film certainly shows that Manchester in the seventies was not a happy place. The attention to detail in recreating the era is great and you can almost smell the damp flats filled the odours of fried food and stale cigarette smoke. The screenplay, based on Deborah Curtis’s book, really captures the forthright humour of the Mancunians, especially the band’s manager, Sam Riley is mesmerising as Curtis and certainly captures the empathy of the audience. Morton, as Debbie, his wife, is her usual intense self. Although it will be of more interest to fans of Joy Division it should be seen by anyone who grew up in that era and also for anyone interested in rock music of any era. The film’s impact on the audience was apparent as everyone sat quietly motionless as the credits rolled, instead of the usual scramble for the exit.

Day 5

A nice slow start to the day, screening wise, although I was still up early trying to catch up on getting this blog up to date. Watching films all day is great, especially when the weather is lousy, but the more I see the more I have to wrote and the less time I have to write.

First film of the day was w∆z. This is essentially a British production, but made as an American film. It’s set in New York and all the actors speak in American accents. The producers are obviously aiming to try and capture a US audience, but it does seem a bit of a cop out. Or maybe they were thinking that a dark serial killer movie wouldn’t work in a UK setting. Whatever the reason, the international cast have created a fairly convincing if rather derivative thriller. In inevitably draws comparisons with Seven, for its dark, gritty setting, brutal killings and cryptic clues although the screenplay is no match for Seven’s. We find out quite early who the killer is and their motive, and although others threads and motivations are woven in, mostly they don’t really add to the suspense.


As a hard-boiled thriller it is satisfactory and the casting is good. Stellan Skarsgard as the typically cynical old cop with a secret is good and Melissa George as his young rookie partner supports him well, although she does seem too beautiful for the part. So Solid Crew’s Ashley Walters is surprisingly good even if slightly typecast and Paul Kaye definitely transcends his Dennis Pennis days. The best performance, though, comes from Selma Blair and is quite a break away form what she has done before.

Visually it uses all the standard tricks of low light, hand-held camera and fast cuts which don’t break new ground or improve on the old. Sometimes it would be nice to see a thriller that is not so frenetic. Where the director and his crew have put a lot of effort is in the make-up effects for the victims and some of the scenes are truly brutal, or at least give that impression because they never show anything actually happening and they should be complimented for that.

The writer has added some scientific motivations for the killings, to do with love and survival, which are being presented as the central theme of the film, Although this is an attempt to give it some originality, in the end it is just another cop thriller and if you like those types of films and want to see something with more graphic violence than you get on TV then it is worth catching, but there are plenty of better examples of the genre out there.

w∆z is showing at Cineworld Fountain Park on Monday 20 and Tuesday 21.

After that it was out into the grey and wet of Edinburgh to get back to the delegate centre for the press conference for Control, Anton Corbijn’s film on Ian Curtis from Joy Division. Unfortunately I didn’t get to see the film beforehand so it did feel a bit strange not knowing exactly what they were talking about.


After the press conference it was another long walk in the rain to see Paranoid Park only to discover that the print hadn’t arrived. It was almost satisfying to know that even film festivals of this scale aren’t without their glitches.

This year there was a party just for the press. I don’t know if this has been a regular event but it was the first time I received an invitation. Held in the penthouse of the delegate centre with its views over Edinburgh and looking up at the mist-shrouded castle. It was not crowded and it was a chance to meet up and talk with other journalists and writers, or at least try as the DJ insisted on playing loud music when no one had any intention of dancing. After it was mostly old hacks up for the free booze. Unlike the opening night party this finished at 10 so it gave me the chance to dash out into the rain again and go to a comedy gig. It seems such a pity not to take advantage of what the Fringe has to offer while I’m here.

Day 4

One of the great things about film festivals is getting to see films before they make the general rounds. For example, I had a moment of deja-vu when I saw a poster for Sherrybaby at the Cameo cinema the other day, when I saw it in the same cinema at last year’s festival. Being a film journalist also affords you the privilege of preview screenings, although it is for practical purposes it does sometimes feel a bit like one-upmanship. Seeing big studio pictures at festivals just ahead of their commercial release does seem like a bit of a cop out but it does give the general public a chance to taste the exclusivity of industry professionals – for what it’s worth.

This morning I watched Knocked Up, which is on general release at the end of the month. It is a film a probably wouldn’t normally go and see as I have almost got out of the habit of paying to go to the cinema, but I am glad I did see it.


Knocked Up is Judd Apatow’s follow-up to 40-Year-Old Virgin, and it is hilarious. The story is simple. stoner-slacker Ben (Seth Rogen) goes to a nightclub where he meets beautiful Alison (Katherine Heigl) out celebrating her promotion as a TV presenter. They get drunk, have sex and she gets pregnant. Then it is all about both of them coming to terms with the situation and their relationships with each other and the people they live with. The stoner humour is brilliant and will make you laugh as much as actually participating in one of their bong sessions. In contrast to this is the often poignant, bittersweet look at couples in long-term relationships in the form of Alison’s sister and her husband. It is presented in a way that I’m sure many married men could relate to, and probably married women too.

The film is also about growth as human beings, not only just inside the womb but also with the main characters. Yes it does have the safe, happy Hollywood ending, but it is supposed to be entertainment and it would be pointless putting any other sort of finish to it after so much fun. Although there is plenty of live comedy from the country’s best performers happening on the Fringe this film will give you just as many laughs.

Knocked Up is showing at Cineworld Fountain Park on Sunday 19 at 18:30 and Monday 20 at 21:40.

Between films I managed to grab an interview with Alex Holdridge director of low budget feature In Search of a Midnight Kiss. We chatted for almost an hour and I’ll try and get it transcribed for this blog, time permitting. Although the screenings have finished here it will be showing at this year’s Raindance Festival.

After the funny ho ho of Knocked Up I went to the funny peculiar of I’m a Cyborg, but that’s OK from respected Korean director Park Chan-wook. This is quite a departure from his previous films like Old Boy and Lady Vengeance.


Young-goon thinks she is a cyborg, although her family is not as convinced and has her committed to an institution. As a cyborg she cannot eat normal food and tries to recharge herself from the batteries she carries with her. It is only the intervention of fellow inmate Il-sun that she is able to eat again. This is rather an oversimplification of the plot but it has so many things going on it is difficult really know what is happening.

Visually it is stunning and filled with ideas but it is not really gripping. I spent most of the time wondering what was going on and why. The final pay-off was quite sweet but it is a long wait. There are a lot of people that enjoy these quirky Asian films, but I’m not one of them.

I’m a Cyborg, but that’s OK is showing at the Cameo on Sunday 19 at 22:00 and Wednesday 22 at 17:30.

Day 3

Today was the sort of 9 to 5 job people must dream about because I spent the whole day watching good films, only punctuated by brisk walks between the two different cinemas. The day was off to a bit of a harrowing start with A Mighty Heart. That is not to say the movie was bad, quite the contrary, it was a brilliantly acted film shot with graphic realism by Michael Winterbottom and it was that realism that was the hardest part to take. Even knowing the outcome of the story of Daniel Pearl’s kidnapping in Pakistan didn’t lessen the overall impact. Shot in a documentary/news style with lots of handheld camera suited the way the story unfolded. It also perfectly captured the atmosphere of Pakistan, even if most of it was shot in India. In this sixtieth year since the Partition it is a reminder that there is not really any difference between the two countries apart from their religious beliefs.


The film doesn’t really go into any of the fundamentals of fundamentalism that led to the kidnapping but instead works more as a standard police procedural of the investigation. In fact, it doesn’t seem to have any particular political bias in it at all. Where a Hollywood film could quite easily take an extreme anti-terrorist stance and pump it full of sentimentality, Winterbottom simply sticks with the facts, as presented in the source material. Where it does excel is in Angelina Jolie’s role as the wife. Although she already has a Supporting Actress Oscar, she could quite easily be a contender for Lead Actress with this role. With her high profile celebrity status, a rather public coupling with Brad Pitt, and not to mention Lara Croft, it is quite easy to forget she is a very good actress. She was able to play subdued where necessary and pour on the emotion when it was needed and all done with an incredibly convincing French accent. Irffan Khan (seen recently in The Namesake) as the police captain was also excellent.

This is definitely a film to see, just not early in the morning.

A Mighty Heart is showing on Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 ahead of a general release on September 21


After that reality shock it was time to escape into a bit of fantasy in the form of Day Watch, the sequel to the hit Russian movie Night Watch. This film has been a long time coming to western screens, having been out in Russia for two years but fans of the first film won’t be disappointed. At the end of the first film Anton, a Light Other operative for the Day Watch (the good guys), loses his son to the Dark Others (the bad guys), and it looks like the fragile truce is set to fall apart and the apocalypse is on its way. It does help if you have seen the first film although it is briefly summarised at the beginning. I saw a dubbed version of the film earlier in the year and when the introduction started in English I was preparing to leave, but thankfully it went into subtitled Russian when the film proper started. I am happy to watch dubbed films on occasions, especially anime, but I was particularly interested to see if Fox had put the same effort in the subtitling as they did with Day Watch, unfortunately they haven’t. There are still some nice touches like those in the original film but they are fairly sparse. Luckily the film itself is as much of a visual treat and the story is equally as absorbing and although it seems to be resolved at the end of the film there is still a third episode to come.

Day Watch is showing at the Cameo on Saturday 18 at 23:45 and at the Filmhouse on Saturday 25 at 21:30 ahead of a general release.


As entertaining as it is Day Watch is still a rather dark and intense film so I opted for something much lighter for my next film: Ratatouille, the latest film from Pixar. I must say that I am a big fan of Pixar films although I do await each new release with some trepidation in case they finally lose their magic winning streak. When Cars came out I was dubious but was actually pleasantly surprised and although it was no match for The Incredibles is was still miles ahead of most of the other CG animation around. But a story about a French rat that wants to be a chef!! I was almost convinced this was going to be the one finally did it, even with Brad Bird directing, but my faith has remained intact. It is a charming and funny film that manages to maintain the stylised characterisation of 2D animation with the gloss of 3D that has become the studios trademark, particularly with the Parisian scenery. What is particularly impressive is they managed to capture the atmosphere of a restaurant kitchen and the passion for cooking, in a realistic way - and showing that rats aren’t just the dirty vermin they are usually perceived as (they really do make nice pets). This is definitely going to be a family crowd pleaser when its on general release in October but this is a great chance to catch it early. As with all previous Pixar features it is prefaced with a short, and this one about two aliens is hilarious and reminiscent of the classic Warner Brothers cartoons, and is almost worth the admission price in it self.

Ratatouille is showing at Cineworld Fountain Park on Saturday 18 and 25.


Final film for the day was Quentin Tarantino’s contribution to Grindhouse – Death Proof. For some reason, undoubtedly financial, the UK is not going to get the double bill that it was originally planned to show as. Tarantino’s film has received a lot of bad press, and word of mouth, which may be another reason why it is showing separately to Robert Rodriguez’s better-received Planet Terror. For me Death Proof was not a disappointment, possibly because I was expecting the worst, in fact I found it highly entertaining. OK it is a slightly self-indulgent homage to the grindhouse exploitation films of the seventies, but it does exactly what it says on the label and is not pretending to be anything else. Or maybe it’s because I’m old enough to remember many of the movies it references, such as Vanishing Point and Dirty Mary and Crazy Larry. For whatever reason the film was fun.

The film itself is almost two films. In the first half, three hot chicks are planning a weekend away in a lakeside cabin but stop at a bar, run by Mr Tarantino, where they meet Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell in Snake Pliskin mode). Mike drives a stunt car, which is where the film gets its title from, because it is made death proof. Let’s say that Mike’s intentions towards the girls is far from honourable.


The second half of the film is set over a year later in a different state, with four different girls who are working on a movie. One of the girls is a stuntperson (Zoe Bell, playing herself) who is really keen to drive a car the same as the one in Vanishing Point. When she finds one for sale near the movie set she decides to take it for a test drive and use it to perform a high-speed stunt, except Stuntman Mike is waiting for them with other plans. This leads to an adrenaline pumping car chase.

Tarantino obviously loves the genre and has recreated it in astonishing detail, complete with scratch faded film, jumps, colour shifts and everything you expect to see on a movie that has been abused by bad projectors. Tarantino has obviously put as much effort into making this film look genuinely bad as Soderburgh did in making The Good German look lush. But it goes beyond just the look. It has all the usual pop-culture referential dialogue that got him noticed in the first place and plenty of visual references that geeks will be able to talk about for hours.

It is very much a blokes film in the sense that it has lots of beautiful women and fast cars, but the women are strong and in the end are not exploited as they were in the original movies of the genre.

Death Proof is showing at Cineworld on Saturday 18 and Monday 20 at 21:30 ahead of general distribution.

Day 2

Day one of the Festival proper and it’s dedicated to locally set film Hallam Foe. It’s the only film showing, apart from the rounds industry screenings. Due to a bit of bad planning and slight stupor from a lack of sleep I only managed to catch the day’s main film, and, thanks to the videotheque, a small screen version of one of the films I missed yesterday. But to the main event…

Hallam Foe, based on the novel by Peter Jinks and directed by David Mackenzie from his own screenplay, is the tale of the titular youth. Withdrawn after the death of his mother he has taken to being a voyeur, not so much as in a perverted way but as a distant, impassive observer of life around him. Although his proclivity may be considered almost psychotic, it is no worse than watching Big Brother on the television and probably even better. And when you consider that we are constantly under surveillance from CCTV cameras, a little personal observation seems quite harmless.

After an argument with his father and stepmother, Hallam leaves their large country home for Edinburgh with a backpack and nowhere to stay. After an early run in with the police Hallam discovers the city’s rooftops from where he sees Kate, a young woman who bears an uncanny resemblance to his mother. Kate runs HR at one of the city’s biggest hotels and Hallam manages to convince to give him a job as a kitchen porter. Despite his shyness he soon starts a close relationship with Kate, while still watching her from afar.


Jamie Bell is stunning in the lead role, proving that Billy Elliot was no fluke. He never overplays the character’s quiet intensity or his swings into strong emotions and evokes nothing but empathy from the audience. The physical agility he showed as Elliot is in full display as he clambers across the city’s roofs. His co-star Sophia Myles, as Kate, complements Bell and shows herself to more than the proper lady she usually portrays with a gutsy performance. The rest of the cast give excellent support but it is really Bell and Myle’s film.

It is obviously going to be a huge hit with the local crowd but this is a strong British film that should attract audiences around the world with its story of human emotions.

Hallam Foe is on general release from August 31.

What is fascinating about Edinburgh is how low-key it is. The opening night red carpet event did not have all the glamour of festivals like Cannes or London. There was even camaraderie among the press and photographers, and a chance to catch up with people from previous years. The PR people even came over and chatted with us as we waited for the stars to arrive instead of running around being officious. This is definitely one of the charms of the Festival that keeps bringing me back.




For those lucky enough to get an invite, there were parties that went on until the early hours of the morning.

Edinburgh Film Festival Day 1

Not a good start for the festival. Staying with a group of comedians means late nights as their working day doesn’t start until eight in the evening and I made the mistake of staying up too long ahead of an early start. For the press and delegates screenings start at nine but those first sessions aren’t usually that well attended. With ten movies to choose from at any one time it can be really difficult selecting a film with such a huge choice. Day one started with The Hottest State, the latest offering from writer/director/actor Ethan Hawke.


This is a love story that starts in Texas then transfers to New York and follows struggling actor William (Mark Webber) as he falls in and out of love with aspiring singer Sarah (Catalina Sandino Moreno). Like Before Sunset, which Hawke co-wrote with Julie Delpy, whose latest film, Two Days in Paris, closes the Festival, this is very much a talky. At almost two hours long it tries to put too much into a story that doesn’t have a lot to tell, which made it fell more like three hours. This is a real pity because the quality of the acting from both the two leads and their supporting actors is superb, as is the dialogue, which captures a very natural way of talking and even injects some moments of humour, although for the most part it fluctuates between joy and angst, but not nearly as well as Delpy’s fine, which has even more humour.

For fans of slow-paced romantic dramas this is an excellent example but for those wanting something a little more upbeat then Two Days in Paris would be a better choice, or Sparkle if you want something British.

The Hottest State is showing at Cameo 1 on Thursday 16 August at 21:30 and 17:10 on Friday 17


For a change of pace the next film I caught was Teeth. Having read the blurb on this film I knew what the conceit was and to a certain extent it did ruin the unfolding of the story, but being in the know also added some extra humour to the scenes. What starts out as a gentle teen comedy about Dawn (Jess Weixler), who is doing everything she can to assert the purity of relationships without sex, soon shifts into black comedy areas. As a variety of young men, including her goth step-brother, rise to the challenge of impressing their manhood upon Dawn they soon discover that there is something more than just chastity that makes her different. Her bite is definitely worse than her bark. Directed by Michell Lichtenstein (son of Roy) it is a film of surprises, and while it is not technically brilliant and the acting isn’t always convincing its originality and humour make up for it. Ginger Snaps is a cult favourite and Teeth is actually better so if it can draw an audience it deserves to get similar recognition.

Teeth is showing on Thursday 16 August at midnight at Cameo 1 and again on Sunday 19 at 21:45 at Filmhouse 1.


Sparkle is a British romantic comedy drama with a great cast and a convoluted story worthy of Bollywood. Sparkle is the stage act of wannabe club singer and single-mum Jill Sparks (Lesley Manville). Her son Sam, a charismatic Shaun Evans, wants to leave Liverpool and move to London and a chance meeting with Vince (Bob Hoskins) gives the opportunity when a flat becomes vacant in his house, but his Mum wants to go with him. Vince also helps Sam get a job as a waiter, and the ever the opportunist Sam meets Sheila (Stockard Channing) who runs her own PR company and before long Sam has a job and is sleeping with the boss (not necessarily in that order). It starts to get complicated when Sam meets young, vivacious Kate (Amanda Ryan) at one of Sheila’s parties. Meanwhile Vince has developed a crush on Jill. Before long all their paths intersect and collide making for what could have easily developed into a farce, but the superb performances from Channing, Hoskins and Evans give it depth that elevate it beyond being just another British rom-com and it will even wring out the odd tear.

Sparkle is showing on Thursday 16 and Friday 17 at 20:00 at Cineworld, Fountain Park.