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.
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