EIFF2008: Red

An old man seeks justice when a troublesome youth kills his dog but when going through the correct channels gets him nowhere, he sets in motion a chain of events that will see the incident elevate to a fullscale feud in which there can be no winners.

Based on Jack Ketchum's novel, the film has a lot in common with previous Ketchum adaptation and EIFF movie THE LOST - the dark underside of smalltown America, youth gone bad, the older generation driven to seek justice. RED is probably a better film however (not that THE LOST was bad to begin with).

Brian Cox is superb in the lead role, carrying the movie almost by himself; Tom Sizemore offers a memorable support role as the boy's dad, playing pretty much the usual kind of Tom Sizemore character; the script is tight and economical without cutting corners; and the film benefits from gorgeous photography and excellent music.

It's part thriller, part melodrama and borders on out and out horror. This difficulty in pigeon-holing it may result in a difficulty in marketing it, which is a shame because despite being a small independent movie it doesn't deserve the fate that most of them see. This is the best film I've seen so far and deserves to be seen by as many people as possible.

EIFF2008: Jeanne Moreau retrospective

I didn't manage to see either VIVA MARIA! or LE FEU FOLLET due to clashes with other films, but I did manage to see all the other films in the Jeanne Moreau retrospective. To be honest, most of them really didn't do it for me.

THE BRIDE WORE BLACK, a revenge film about a bride seeking the killers of her husband which Quentin Tarantino claims didn't inspire KILL BILL (honest), was pretty enjoyable.

TIME TO LEAVE was depressing but worth watching.

LIFT TO THE SCAFFOLD was cool and one of the better films on offer. Plenty of suspense and some nice twists. Great jazz score too.

JULES ET JIM, probably the most famous film on offer, is a bona-fide classic and also stood out, although it will be released in a brand new digital print this month if you missed it.

THE TRIAL, featuring Orson Welles, Anthony Perkins and very little Moreau was absolutely brilliant, easily the best of the retrospective.

But the rest? QUERELLE was beautifully shot but bloody awful; THE IMMORTAL STORY was only an hour in length but felt like more - another terrible effort; NATHALIE GRANGER was rubbish (nothing happens!) and only comes to life for a few minutes when Gerard Depardieu appears. The rest of the films not mentioned here didn't really do anything for me either way - I don't despise them but I'd never watch any of them again.

All in all, the retrospective left me with the impression that Moreau, whom I was largely unfamiliar with before the festival, is a very good actress who makes very dull films.

You can't win them all.

The rest of my Edinburgh round-up will arrive next week, after I've been to yet another festival.

EIFF2008: Somers Town

The latest film from Shane Meadows began as a 20-minute Eurostar promotion and somewhere along the line ended up a 75-minute feature. Reuniting Meadows with previous collaborators, most notably THIS IS ENGLAND's Thomas Turgoose, it's heading off in a different direction than his previous films. It's less angry, less downbeat, less autobiographical - it's more of a feelgood movie than anything else.

Taking himself and his crew out of his Midlands comfort zone, Meadows has filmed this latest effort in London, using black and white photography again, the film focusing on a young runaway (Turgoose) who ends up befriending a Polish immigrant.

While it's all wrapped up rather neatly, only the coldest of cynics could really complain. The only thing negative I could find to say about it was that I didn't like it as much as his last two films - but that's not so much a complaint as a reflection on how good they were. SOMERS TOWN is still a joy and worth your cash at the box office.

EIFF2008: Shiver

Another Spanish chiller this time but while it provides ample chills and a few decent frights, it's not really in the same league as recent Spanish efforts such as THE ORPHANAGE. In fact, it's not even as good as its fellow EIFF film THE APPEARED.

The story sees a young boy with a strong allergy to sunlight retreating to a country village with his mother to get away from it all, only to wander into another world of horror. I don't want to say too much that might give away the story, but I can't help remarking on one aspect, which is the boy's condition. It doesn't actually serve any purpose other than giving them a reason to move.

That's not so much of a problem in itself, but it does beg the question - why set up such a bizarre medical condition when ultimately it has very little to do with the pay-off? He could have had any old common or garden illness really.

The other problem I have is that many of the action scenes, particularly towards the finale, take place in a darkened forest and, combined with the shaky cam, it's almost impossible to see what's going on. It's a common problem with movies these days but that doesn't mean it's acceptable.

These flaws aside, this is still a strong enough horror to merit a recommendation, but it's not likely to get the kudos heaped on THE ORPHANAGE.

EIFF2008: Sleep Dealer

Mexican sci-fi isn't exactly a huge industry these days, but that hasn't stopped them trying. SLEEP DEALER offers a terrific concept in showing us a future where virtual reality networks allow Mexicans to work in the USA without having to cross the border. Unfortunately the execution isn't quite so terrific.

The characters are cardboard cut-outs, the acting second rate and the special effects rather cheap looking in many places. It's a shame but it ends up feeling like a wasted opporunity and resembles something that might have popped up as a made-for-TV effort on the Sci-Fi channel.

Nice try but no cigar, virtual or otherwise.

EIFF2008: Shane Meadows

The first of the "In Person" events I attended was this interview with the director of SOMERS TOWN, conducted by Damon Wise of Empire magazine.

It was an enjoyable, insightful look at possibly the best director currently working in Britain, offering insights into how he works, how he ended up in film despite being more or less a drop-out, how he's helped others in similar positions, etc.

Among the interesting revelations and discussions were his friendship and partnerships with Paddy Considine (they are currently working together on KING OF THE GYPSIES); just how much of his work was autobiographical and the kind of incidents that made it from his life onto the screen; the negative experience of ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE MIDLANDS, but the revelation that he is currently working on reclaiming the film and getting it somewhere approaching his own vision; and many more besides.

EIFF2008: Mum and Dad

An immigrant worker ends up being taken home to meet a family that can generously be described as eccentric. Unpleasant stuff ensues.

I have a small amount of respect for the cast and crew in managing to bring this one in on a budget of £100K and the fact that they actually got public money to make it. That, however, doesn't take away from the fact that while this film has its moments, it's just not that good.

The more offensive moments seem calculated to shock and a lot of the humour falls flat. It's like a British take on the so-called torture porn genre. Dank, dark, badly decorated room? Check. Needless and unpleasant torture of innocent victim? Check. Lack of anything interesting happening for much of the film? Check.

Unfortunately more of a missed opportunity than a flawed gem.

EIFF2008: Ray Harryhausen

The final "in person" event I attended was a delight, with the audience being treated to an interview with legendary effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen.

The interview took in his entire career and the odd aside too - being a Scot, I was particularly intrigued to hear of his contribution to Blantyre for a start.

A few guests popped up (including one of the original skeletons from the famous JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS scene) and much fun was had by all, particularly since the event ended up half an hour longer than it was supposed to be.

EIFF2008: No Regrets in the West

It's not often that I devote a blog entry to a short film - not an entirely sensible attitude when you think about it, but there you have it - but I felt that since (as I've mentioned briefly before) I've now seen Colm Quinn's NO REGRETS IN THE WEST at three different festivals it merits a post all of its own. Well, that and the fact that it's really good.

I spoke to one friend who was at the screening (it was shown before FAIRYTALE OF KATHMANDU) who didn't like it. He just didn't get it. And you know what? That's fair enough. The film, after all, is clearly a very personal one and any film that is so personal in nature is of course not going to reach out to everyone. I got it, he didn't. Perfectly understandable.

What can't be denied however is that the film is impeccably made. Considering that it must have been made (I am assuming) on a shoestring budget, the craft with which the film is shot, lit, scored, edited, etc. is wonderful. There were other films in the festival with six, seven, eight-figure budgets that did not look as good as this short.

It's far from unique however. This is just one example of the quality of output in short film at present (I can really only speak for the ones I've seen at various Irish festivals, though I'm given to believe that the regular events such as those held at Filmhouse display an equally promising outlook) and yet they're restricted to festivals, occasional short film events and obscure slots on TV when nobody's watching.

Surely there is no better time to set up a regular stage for short films? Start with the festivals - it's nice that there are short film showcases, and even nicer that some of them get to support features (thus ensuring they're watched even by people who don't attend short-specific events). So how about more of this? Get people used to it. Then, who knows, maybe we could actually start showing them regularly in front of plain old regular cinema releases?

It's not that crazy an idea, apart from the fact that the beancounters who run cinemas and distribute films are currently laughing at me from behind their cash registers. Nope, it used to be done regularly in the olden days after all. And what about those guys from Pixar? Every film that they release gets a short film in front of it - do people walk out in disgust or complain that the movie hasn't started yet? No, they don't - they sit there and enjoy the bloody thing because it's usually (a) very good and (b) perfectly suited to the tastes of those who are here to enjoy whatever the main feature might be. Is there any reason why this can't work on a wider scale?

I think not. Even now, it's happening, albeit on a very small scale. If you've been to the cinema much recently, you may have noticed that there's a short film airing in front of some of the features, the hilarious NEIGHBOR (yeah, that's not how I'd spell it either). Sure, it's dressed up as an advert for Mini, but I think corporate sponsorship is a fair price to pay for getting some guy's well-made short out in the cinema in front of a paying audience. I was certainly happy to see it, though disappointed to notice it's not becoming much of a trend - especially since for the most part the audience enjoyed the short too.

Am I really asking too much? Surely not. I've even seen a couple of shorts getting rewarded with just such a similar prize in Ireland, being paired up with limited releases of certain films. I've not heard anything about Irish cinema box office figures plummeting as a result. Come on, someone give it a chance. Surely it's preferable to the annoyingly patronising anti-piracy adverts that everybody just laughs at anyway?

The campaign for widespread showcasing of short films starts here! (Well, okay, it probably doesn't, I suspect that aspiring filmmakers and people more knowledgable than me have probably been asking for this for ages - but I'll add my voice to it all the same.)

In the meantime I guess I'll just have to keep dipping into them myself and spreading the good word... which reminds me, I'd better go and book some tickets for Galway, my next festival.

Apologies if you came here looking for my opinion on NO REGRETS IN THE WEST, as I appear to have just hijacked this post for a lengthy rant about short films. To return to my original point: it's very good.

EIFF2008: The Third Pint

Here's an odd one. A movie made from Super-8 film about a guy who becomes invisible while drinking his third pint of beer.

It's shot in such a way as to prove totally divisive to audiences. I found it hilarious, haunting and clever; others will be bored out their skull. Some will find fault with an Argentinean man speaking English in a really stilted accent - I found it added to the mood of the whole thing.

I have no idea how you will get to see this, as I certainly don't see it finding its way into a cinema (appropriately it was screening as part of "Under the radar") but however it shows up, if it does, you should definitely give it a chance. You might well walk out after ten minutes, but give it a chance all the same.

EIFF2008: The Visitor

The next film from Tom McCarthy, director of the excellent film THE STATION AGENT, covers similar themes to his first (miserable loner attempts to isolate himself, ends up making friends with other societal misfits) but this time takes on the more serious issue of asylum seekers in America. When a teacher (Richard Jenkins) retreats to his holiday home only to find two asylum seekers living there, a chain of events is set in motion that will see both friendships and tragedies.

Like THE STATION AGENT, the film has a very measured, ponderous pacing, allowing actors and characters the room to breathe. While it perhaps lacks the moments of whimsy that endeared the earlier film to so many, there are still moments of humour in what is otherwise a darker film.

Not excellent, but very good and worth a look.

EIFF2008: The Surprise Movie

Just in case you've not already heard, the surprise movie this year was comedy THE ROCKER, a tale of a washed-up almost-was rock star who sees his nephew's band as the opportunity to recapture his lost rock glory.

Directed by Peter Cattaneo (THE FULL MONTY) and starring, well, nobody in particular (Christina Applegate and Jane Lynch being the only two people I'd heard of in the cast), the film has some funny slapstick and the odd clever joke but for the most part did not leave me in stitches. The star of the show, Rainn Wilson, is not someone I'm familiar with but the majority of his comedy mugging left me thinking only that they obviously couldn't afford Jack Black.

I'm sure this will do okay at the box office and find a home with its intended audience (teenages mainly) but alas its intended audience probably isn't me.

EIFF2008: Mechanical Love

This documentary examines how far android technology has come, where it is going and how close to human it currently is. Featured in the documentary are a mechanical replica of a baby seal that is being used by a woman in a home for the elderly and a scientist who has built robotic replicas of himself and his child.

It's a fascinating documentary and it offers not just a look at this remarkable technology but also an insight into what it is to be human. The whole affair is given a wonderfully dream-like quality by the lush photography and light classical music.

It is also, however, a little bit scary - not just in terms of how close to human these things have become but also in the morally questionable decision by one scientist to involve his little girl in his experiments.

Worth a look.

EIFF2008: The Appeared

Two siblings embark on a road trip to find out about their dead father but end up falling victim to weird goings on in this latest film in the current trend of Spanish horror.

No cliche is left unturned and some of the twists are obvious well in advance of their ultimate reveals. Nevertheless it's an enjoyable enough film with some satisfying twists and chills, a lovely atmosphere of dread and competent performances.

It's probably a first to see a film that combines supernatural horror with the more terrifying brutality of the former Argentinean government, but it works well and sets up an absolutely killer final image (after we've got a really laboured September 11th point out the way).

Not great, but still a cut above your average American teen horror at the moment.

EIFF2008: Stone of Destiny

As always, I like to check out Scottish releases where possible and it's always nice to see one that is a piece of light and fluffy fun instead of portraying all Scots as alcholics, junkies, broken families and gangsters. This one is based on the true story of the daring theft of the Stone of Scone from Westminster Abbey by a group of Scottish nationalists back in the 50s.

It's interesting that a film like this finally gets made (ten years in the making apparently) now, after my comments on DOOMSDAY recently and the climate of Anglo-Scots relations, particularly as it adopts the BRAVEHEART approach of trying to make Scots leave the cinema bursting with pride and wanting to smash the English.

The irony then is that not only is the writer-director not a Scot (this isn't a problem), neither are the two main leads (which is). I don't believe that Scotland is devoid of acting talent and nor do I believe that the two stars in this film are so likely to add box office clout that they had to be included. It's a shame then, as their attempts (one English, one American) at the accents are the only thing that keeps pulling you out of the film. Perhaps not a problem for non-Scots, but for me it was distracting.

Despite that however, it's a fun little movie that skips along at a good pace and offers fun and excitement that should satisfy most. Lighthearted, escapist fun.

EIFF2008: Strange Girls

STRANGE GIRLS, showing in the "Under the Radar" section of cult-ish movies, follows a pair of twins who have been released from a mental institution (they're not the most outgoing people) and have to try and adjust to life on the outside world.

Naturally all does not go well and the girls do not become best friends with the rest of society. Murder and mayhem follow until the girls, virtually one person such is their synchronised existence, suddenly find themselves torn apart by the love of a local boy.

There are some funny moments and good ideas present in the film but ultimately it feels very much like a missed opportunity, a debut film that shows promise but not a finished article. It's neither good nor bad really, it's just there. Not enough wrong with it for me to slate it, but not enough of interest for me to exactly recommend it either.

EIFF2008: Standard Operating Procedure

Oscar-winning director Errol Morris was in town with his latest documentary, examining the story behind the infamous abuse photos from Abu Ghraib.

Shot in his usual style (talking heads interrogated by Morris himself interspersed with reconstructions of events) the film is one of the most powerful film on the war yet released - only time will tell if it's any more successful than the rest of the crop have been.

If you're wondering how anything new can be said about these incidents or whether its even worth listening to these people, Morris is here to put the record straight. What this film sets out to establish is that these people are not the monsters we've all decided they were; that you have to look at the context in which these photos were taken; and that the real culprits, the high-ranking officials, seem to have got away with it while the lackeys end up with jail sentences.

Whether the film achieves its aims will be entirely up to you; for me, the people involved come across certainly not as innocent, but at least as young, inexperienced, naive and yes, more than a little stupid. But I can't entirely disagree with the point of the film.

A very powerful film, and another highlight of the festival so far.

EIFF2008: Spike

How do you make a film about a half-man, half-porcupine without making it seem a bit daft? On the evidence of this one, you can't.

When a group of youths is attacked by said creature, it sets us up for a slasher/monster movie with a truly barmy opponent. What we end up with is a melodramatic beauty and the beast story, a kind of fairy tale devoid of any magic.

The whole movie is based on a ludicrous idea, so trying to make a serious love story was never going to work. The result is simply a badly thought out, badly acted piece of trash that manages one or two highlights or demonstrations of filmmaking ability mired in amongst an awful lot of pointless, meandering crap.

Avoid.

EIFF2008: Very Young Girls

I fell almost guilty for criticising this film given the serious nature of the problem, but I couldn't get into this at all. It's a documentary about the plight of American girls who have been lured into the world of prostitution, many of them at a shockingly young age.

Part of the problem is that while the subject matter is certainly worthy of coverage and should be publicised as much as possible, as a piece of filmmaking it's pretty pedestrian. The interviews seemed to feature an awful lot of uninteresting talking or else covered stories that were too similar, or jumped around without concentrating on any one aspect in particular.

The whole thing felt like it had been shot rather quickly and thrown together with little imagination, as if the unpleasant nature of the problem would be enough to keep us watching. It's a shame, as it's an important issue, but this just isn't the film to do it justice.

EIFF2008: Just Another Love Story

This Danish noir thriller begins with a man telling a little white lie to check up on a girl whom he helps following a car crash. Unfortunately, before he knows what's happening, the lie has escalated out of control and he finds himself dragged further into the girl's life while alienating his friends, family and pretty much everyone else he meets. It's classic noir territory as a man falls for the wrong woman and finds his life unravelling as a result of his own character flaws.

Acting is top notch, it's beautifully shot and the twists just keep coming - just as you think things can't get any worse for the poor guy, along comes another viewed-between-the-fingers moment of embarrasment or terror.

Another highlight of the festival which you should definitely seek out. I can only hope that this one will get the cinema release it deserves.

EIFF2008: Trouble Sleeping

A film from Theatre Workshop, this new Scottish movie (set predominantly in Edinburgh) shows the trials and tribulations of a community of asylum seekers in Edinburgh while serving up a story about what happens when buried secrets come to light.

I applaud the film for what it's attempting to do and it is competantly made. There are plenty of flaws however - it feels disjointed and abrupt in places, as if lots of it has ended up on the cutting room floor (which might well be the case, but alas I had to rush off before the Q&A so never found out). Only a few of the cast really stand out, with many looking very much like this is the first time they've been in front of a camera.

There are too many issues here to address in one film (a gay muslim marrying a disabled man - how many issues do you want to address in one go?) but to the film's credit they're all handled fairly and regardless of its flaws the film is surely destined to open the eyes of a few people regarding the plight of many of Scotland's minorites.

EIFF2008: Helen

Conceived in a unique way, intended as a work of art and as a community project using non-professional actors, it's difficult to critique this film in the same way as many others. Then again, the fact that it's dull and badly acted make me wonder.

It's a beautiful film no doubt, but it annoyed me in the same way that Carlos Reygadas annoys me. I'm happy for a director to employ long takes, barely-moving cameras and so on - but it frustrates me to see the same behaviour from people. It doesn't work and it's not aided by a wooden cast delivering dialogue that didn't exactly sparkle to begin with. The whole film just ends up feeling false and directionless.

The story, about a girl who takes place in a crime scene reconstruction and starts to assume the missing girl's identity, seems to have been thrown together as the film progresses and unfortunately never feels like it is going anywhere.

I'd love to see the directors (Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor) given a proper script to work with as they seem like they could work some magic with the right material. Unfortunately if they're going to continue churning out stuff like this I'll not be queuing up to see it.

EIFF2008: Jesus Christ Saviour

In the early 70s, Klaus Kinski embarked on a tour in which he told the story of Jesus, in his own particular style, to stadia full of thousands of fans. In one particular venue, a small group of fans took exception to his preaching, labelling him a fascist and a hypocrite among other things. Now, if you know Kinski, you'll know he's famous for being madder than a box of badgers, so naturally this did not go down well. Hijinks ensue.

Previously this footage was limited to a brief snippet in the Herzog documentary MY BEST FIEND, but now it has been assembled into this movie, presenting the almost complete picture, from the start of the show, through the heckling and attempts to restart it to the subdued aftermath.

If you're no fan of Kinski, you may well question what the fuss is about; alternatively you may be converted to the cause. If, on the other hand, you adore the man, his work and his legend, this film is something else. It's utterly captivating from start to finish, whether it's Kinski reading about Jesus or reacting furiously to upstarts in the crowd. You just can't stop watching, or at least I couldn't.

Another highlight of the festival. A word of caution if you end up watching it - the movie continues for quite some time after the closing credits. You've been warned.

EIFF2008: Encounters at the End of the World

The winner of the award for best documentary film, Werner Herzog's latest film treads some familiar ground as it once again offers insight into the lives of some bizarre characters. There's more to it than that however.

Turning up at the South Pole to interview a bunch of people who live there, Herzog again demonstrates his affinity for the more "eccentric" individual and again treats us to his wonderfully deadpan voice over. However, just as his GRIZZLY MAN offered a combination of Timothy Treadwell's barmy lifestyle and some stunning footage of bears in the wild, so too does his new film offer something more.

It's almost like two films in one. First of all there's the usual Herzog stuff about people being a bit weird and mad; but secondly it's a nature documentary, assaulting our senses with some simply stunning footage of nature at work at the South Pole.

If you liked GRIZZLY MAN, you should love this one too but if you are going to see it, do your best to see it on the big screen, where the awe-inspiring nature photography deserves to be seen.

EIFF2008: Fairytale of Kathmandu

Neasa Ni Chianan was an admirer of the poet Cathal O'Searcaigh and was delighted to get the opportunity to make a film about him, following him from his home in Ireland to his spiritual home in Nepal. However, as time goes by, she realises that the portrait she wanted to paint is not necessarily what she's capturing on film.

I was very pleased to have this documentary at Edinburgh this year as it was another film (like EDEN) that I'd very much wanted to see at Dublin earlier in the year but failed to. It doesn't disappoint, offering both a beautiful film and a controversial trigger for debate too. What Cathal is doing in Nepal may not be illegal per se, but it certainly raises some moral questions, questions that cannot be answered in the space of a single film.

It avoids sensationalism however and merely leaves us to wonder. It certainly seemed to provoke more discussion than most of the other documentaries I saw. Check it out if you get the chance.

EIFF2008: Eden

Adapted by Eugene O'Brien from his own play, directed (beautifully) by Declan Recks and with superb performances from all the cast (especially Aiden Kelly and Aileen Walsh in the lead roles), this Irish drama shows a week in the life of a married couple leading up to their anniversary.

That the marriage is falling apart is obvious to all; but while the wife tries to kick-start it, the husband (fuelled by booze) seeks action elsewhere.

A terrific film which criminally has yet to secure UK distribution as I write this, it's my favourite film of the festival and probably the best film I've seen this year. I made a point of telling this to producer David Collins during a very brief chat, since he appeared at last year's EIFF with ONCE, the film that turned out to be my favourite film of last year. That's not a bad record.

Actually, that just reminded me, I never did get round to coming up with a list of my favourite films of 2007. Well, maybe I'll still do it before this year's out, although I guess I just spoiled the ending.

But I digress. See EDEN any chance you get.

EIFF2008: Cadaver

This is the latest in the Korean horror genre and the plot this time involves some nonsense about medical students, ghosts and dead bodies.

It creates a reasonably spooky atmosphere and manages one or two effective fright moments but I'm afraid if anyone was looking for the lank-haired-girl horror genre to get a shot in the arm, it's not likely to be from this film.

See it if you're a fan of this kind of stuff - if not, it's all been done before, and better.

EIFF2008: Brian Cox

Scotland's greatest living actor (sorry Sean) took to the stage for this year's BAFTA Scotland interview at the EIFF and was a joy to listen to.

The interview, conducted by artistic director Hannah McGill, took in his upbringing in Dundee, his education (or lack of it) and how he fell into acting, before taking a very quick tour through a selection of his films, from small indie films (like RED, which I raved about a few days ago) to big blockbusters (his part in the BOURNE films).

An excellent hour and a half offered more entertainment that many of the films you're likely to see at the festival and was a reminder why this guy is just so brilliant.

RED is screening again on Sunday as part of Best of the Fest, so if you've not yet seen it, do so.

EIFF2008: Blood Car

The near future. Gas prices have increased so much that nobody drives anymore. One ecologically friendly and strictly vegan schoolteacher is trying to invent an engine that runs on wheatgrass when he makes a chilling discovery... a car that runs on human blood.

This film is as stupid as it sounds and more. Destined for cult status (appropriately enough given that it's in the new cult-ish "Under the Radar" section) it offers up all you can want in such a concept. By which I mean gruesome deaths, girls getting topless and dark, stupid humour.

The gore content isn't actually as high as you'd expect, probably through lack of budget more than anything else, but it more than makes up for it in its laugh-out-loud in-your-face attitude and anything-goes humour (not even kids or little puppies are safe).

Low in budget but high in charm, this might never see a cinema release but is ensured of its status as a Saturday-night-with-your-friends-round film for years to come.

A quick word for the short film that accompanied it - WEB SITE STORY. This is a musical about an online predator, set to the more famous songs from WEST SIDE STORY. If that sounds like bad taste, you're right. This is definitely not a film for readers of the Daily Mail. It's extremely funny however, and while short films don't exactly have much of a widespread outlet, check this one out if you get the chance.

EIFF2008: Trail of the Screaming Forehead

Larry Blamire's latest cult movie tribute to classic B-movies sees a race of alien foreheads invade Earth and enslave the population - but unknown to them, a leading scientist is currently investigating the mystical powers of the forehead and just might be the man to stop them...

If you're a fan of 50s B-movies involving rampaging monsters or alien invasions, this is a film for you. Blamire clearly loves the genre but has a great time mocking it for all it's worth. Some of the humour stems from quality slapstick but most comes from his curious slant on B-movie dialogue. You'd think it would get tired after an entire movie but the utterly straight delivery by the cast (including cameos from the likes of Kevin McCarthy) keep it fresh.

I'm not sure it would be as much fun on repeated viewings or on your own, but if you get the chance to see this one in a cinema or with a crowd of people you should easily get your money's worth from an hour and a half of lovable mayhem.

EIFF2008: Time Crimes

A man uncovers a crime that he himself may be about to commit. Sound weird? Good. This tremendously imaginitive Spanish thriller blends sci-fi and horror into a tense, exciting and totally mindbending time-travel thriller that you really, really want to be fully awake for. I really pity the folk who had to nip out from the screening to go to the toilet, as you really can't afford to miss a minute of this one.

A man stumbles across a crime; he is stabbed and chased by an unknown assailant, where upon he comes across a mysterious scientific establishment conducting weird experiments. And that's where the fun really starts.

For the first half of the film, events seem to be taking a pretty obvious and predictable route - the film however doesn't stop there, pulling the rug from under you with wild abandon and weaving an intelligent and complex tale that will drag you in and tie you in knots right up until the satisfying conclusion.

This is going to be a little more difficult to market than the rest of the Spanish horror output of late but if it does make it to a cinema near you, please support it. It's yet another of the highlights of the festival so far, and is sure to leave you with plenty to think about it while undoubtedly attaining cult classic status. It's been a long time since I left the cinema hearing so many people arguing about what just happened in the movie - make sure one of those voices is yours.

EIFF2008: Three Miles North of Molkom

Undoubtedly one of the more popular documentaries at the festival, and definitely one of the funniest.

The film follows a group of individuals attending a gathering that lies somewhere between religious cult and new-age hippy training camp. All seem to be focused on getting as much as they can from the trip - all except Nick, an Australian rugby coach who realises too late that this appears to be a pile of crap.

Although there are a couple of sections that drag on a little too long, the film makes a good job of immersing us in the camp and showing us all the sights that are on offer - some sensible, some very much inviting ridicule from us cynics. It also offers an interesting cast of characters gradually adapting to life in the commune, none more so than Nick as he begins to make an effort to fit in.

The real highlight of the film however is the humour, which stems from some daft situations but mainly from Nick's reactions as he voices the kind of sentiments that many of us in the audience are probably thinking.

Informative and intriguing, but above all amusing. See it.

Here comes EIFF 2008

If you're wondering why I just had posted a barrage of reviews, or indeed why I just went to see so many films in quick succession, it's because very shortly I'm going to be without time for either blogging or watching current releases.

For you see, that time is upon us once again, albeit a bit sooner than usual. Later this week the Edinburgh International Film Festival kicks off, and as always I'll be spending an unhealthy amount of time there.

I'd say that I'm going to blog regularly about all the films I'll see there, but I think we all know that's unlikely. What's more likely is that I have no time to do this and end up writing one big massive piece covering it all, by which time the festival will be over and people will no longer care what I think about any of the films anyway.

So I hope to pop in and post on what I'm going to see... but realistically, you'd probably be as well popping back in about a week and a half.

Bye for now.

Current release: IN SEARCH OF A MIDNIGHT KISS

This little indie was a big hit at last year's Edinburgh festival but the ability to miss all the favourites at every festival I go to is ingrained in my DNA, so I had to wait for the cinema release.

The end of the year. Two young people both recovering from heartbreak and/or failure meet over the internet and agree to a date. The deal is simple - they meet up on Hogmanay in LA, and have until midnight to see if they can make it work.

I applaud this low-budget romantic comedy-drama for avoiding the easy route (well, most of the time) in playing out its will-they-won't-they romance and relying predominantly on characters rather than daft situations (although there are a few nice touches there too). It's a little like Richard Linklater's BEFORE SUNSET and BEFORE SUNRISE but with the occasional CLERKS-style humour thrown in (without overdoing it).

What really stayed with me however, was the loving portrait of LA. While I stand by the above movie comparisons, I think that intentionally or otherwise, this film struck me as a kind of updated take on Manhattan - not just the romance angle but the fact that the city becomes a central character in the movie. I've seen plenty of films set in LA, but this is the first one I've seen that has really been an LA movie. I've never been there so I've no idea what kind of a portrait it paints in terms of accuracy, but it certainly felt genuine to me.

Touching, funny and unlikely to stay in cinemas very long during the summer I imagine. Another one worth seeing.

Current release: PRICELESS

Or, HORS DE PRIX if you want the original title of this French romcom.

Okay, let me get this out of the way first: BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S. I had to do that, as apparently it's impossible to write a review of this movie without mentioning it. Seriously, go and look at all the reviews in the papers and film mags. They can't do it, I'm telling you.

Anyway...

A high-class call-girl (Audrey Tautou) spends her time scheming her way into the hearts of rich old men to take them for all their worth; along comes the hotel worker (Gad Elmaleh) who fools her into embarking on an affair with him. She finds out, they break up, then lots of young people and old rich people spend the rest of the film double-crossing each other.

It's lightweight, innocent fun which keeps the twists and hilariously awkward moments coming; the leads make for a watchable couple (very watchable in the case of Tautou, who spends the entire film looking stunning); and, despite showing a degree of cynicism absent from today's Hollywood romcoms (I say that as if I actually know anything about them), it's still reminiscent of some of the classics, in particular films like... no, wait, I already covered that part.

Being quite a big French release, it might even pop up at one of your local multiplexes. If that's the case, give it a go. You'll probably enjoy it more than THE INCREDIBLE HULK. By which I mean that you'll enjoy this more than that film, not that you'll enjoy it more than the Hulk would enjoy it. I suspect that's true as well though. The Hulk would probably just smash the cinema up. To be fair to him though, I wouldn't blame him, as my heartrate wasn't that dissimilar to Mr Banner's when Audrey Tautou showed up. Have I even spelled her name right there? I've no idea. I can't pronounce it properly either. Not that this matters for a blog. Well, unless I start doing an audio version. Which I won't. Sorry, I've completely forgotten what I was talking about. It had something to do with a beautiful woman and a big green monster, I think.

Whatever. PRICELESS is quite good, is what I think I was trying to say.

Current release: TERROR'S ADVOCATE

When a film opens with the subject calmly explaining why the crimes of the Khmer Rouge aren't as excessive as you might think, you know you're in the company of a controversial figure. So it goes, as Barbet Schroeder's latest documentary pieces together a biography of Jacques Verges, a lawyer who has had involvement with a veritable who's who of controversial figures from Carlos the Jackal to Klaus Barbie.

I was impressed by the previous Schroeder documentaries I'd seen (GENERAL IDI AMIN DADA and KOKO, A TALKING GORILLA) so I'd been eagerly awaiting this new effort, once again concentrating on a controversial but important figure. For the most part, it doesn't disappoint.

Regardless of the beliefs and actions of the man in question, he's charismatic, intelligent and funny and as a result is endlessly fascinating to hear. The only downside therefore is that in trying to bring us up to speed on who all the supporting characters are, Schroeder ensures that Verges himself becomes a supporting player in his own film, and it's not quite the same when he's not on screen.

The film plays out as a fascinating portrait of a fascinating man, but despite the flaw mentioned above it's also an interesting look at the modern history of terrorism and war criminals. See it now before it disappears from the cinema.

Current release: THE HAPPENING

I really liked M Night Shyamalan's first two films, THE SIXTH SENSE and UNBREAKABLE. I thought that his third, SIGNS was good too, despite my friend Zog assuring me that it was the worst film ever made. I didn't see his fourth (Shyamalan's, not Zog's), THE VILLAGE. His fifth, LADY IN THE WATER, was one of the worst films I've seen in recent years. Car crash stuff.

I tried not to be influenced by the fact that I saw his latest, ecological sci-fi horror THE HAPPENING, in a pretty packed screening which served to remind me why I don't like multiplex crowds, because that's not Mr Shyamalan's fault. Nevertheless, this is not a good film. It's certainly not an outright stinker either though. Well, it is. But it isn't. Hang on, let me start again.

Perhaps it's because of just how horrendously bad I thought LADY IN THE WATER was, but did find that THE HAPPENING was an okay way to spend 90 minutes. I'm not sure I needed to sit through an entire third of that in advertising mind you, but that's me back moaning about the multiplexes again.

Despite this, I still have to admit that huge parts of the film either made no sense or were just laugh-out-loud funny - and not in an intentional way. So why did I enjoy it?

While I rejoiced at the absence of MNS in front of the camera (he has previously insisted on giving himself roles in his movies despite the glaring problem of not actually being able to act or emote in any way), unfortunately it turns out not to have made a difference since pretty much the entire cast were unimpressive in this regard, with the two leads in particular failing to register on any level except a hilarious one. Zooey Deschanel is very pretty and all, but really... the cast in this film have NOTHING. Nothing to offer and nothing to work with.

They're not helped by the director's insistence on trying to infuse every line with added dramatic weight by having it delivered in slow motion, but I guess we all know that's par for the course in a Shyamalan film now though. If nothing else, he's given me a pointless new pastime of trying to visualise everyday situations as they might occur if I was in one of his movies.
"I'd... like... a bottle... of cola..."
"That'll be..."
"What is it?"
"That'll be... 79 pence."
"My god."
Cue heavy music to emphasise how dramatic and profound buying a bottle of cola is.
Etc.

For the most part, the director's actually managed to maintain a reasonable amount of atmosphere and tension despite the rather silly nature of it all, but every so often there's some daft moment to ruin it all. On more than one occasion I found myself briefly swaying towards "you know what, I actually think this is supposed to be comedy!" before realising that nope, it's just bad writing or acting or whatever.

In fact the more I think about it, the more I'm coming round to the whole so-bad-it's-good appraisal. I think that's why I enjoy it. Not in the same way as DOOMSDAY was - that I loved and would defend; this one however, I merely enjoyed a little but would have no trouble at all switching off its life support machine in the event that it was run over by a train.

At first I thought I'd never revisit this movie, but now I suspect it could be perfect Saturday night viewing with likeminded friends (the same method that actually made a re-watching of ATTACK OF THE CLONES as enjoyable as it should have been in the cinema).

This has turned into a rather incoherent and pointless ramble, so I guess what I'm trying to say is this: THE HAPPENING is a pile of garbage - but I suspect you might have fun watching it.

Current release: THE INCREDIBLE HULK

I'm a comic geek. It's my duty to turn up to films like this so that I can either get a fanboy thrill out of seeing these things realised on screen or else just be really disappointed at how it doesn't really live up to the comic and then come home and moan about it on the internet. Unfortunately, I'm beginning to think that I'm turning up to all these superhero movies out of curiosity rather than because I think I'll enjoy them.

Every so often I'll see one that tries something new, or has a unique visual style to make it more interesting, but the majority of them are just, well, a bit samey. I'm looking forward to THE DARK KNIGHT, but otherwise I think I'm just getting bored of these films. ELEKTRA... FANTASTIC FOUR: RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER... the more recent IRON MAN... I didn't even get round to seeing these ones. I just can't muster up the excitement. Is it a comic geek thing? Have I finally realised that none of these films will ever live up to my expectations? Or is it nothing to do with that, and I'm just being hit by the same realisation that I suspect many other moviegoers, comic geek or otherwise, are probably being hit by - that these films just aren't that great.

I think part of the problem is that they're the epitome of films that I usually don't like - vapid storylines as an excuse to blow things up and have really cool special effects - but at the same time I feel compelled to treat these ones differently because they're from source material I love. The same thing could explain why I went to see I AM LEGEND (my favourite book ever) when I knew it would disappoint (though, I admit, not nearly as much as I expected it to).

So anyway, THE INCREDIBLE HULK more or less ignores Ang Lee's take from a few years ago, largely because very few people actually liked it, and starts off as a kind of sequel-but-not-really. Instead of referring to the original movie (this new one is completely recast for a start) it constantly refers to the TV series and comics, albeit not explicitly. You know the drill - man gets angry, man turns into big green monster, monster smashes things up.

Aside from offering nothing new as a superhero movie, THE INCREDIBLE HULK is hampered by the acting.

Norton is a charisma-free zone (I know that many think he's a Very Good Actor, but I just don't get it) and a rather drippy Liv Tyler is even worse. That's not a good start, given that a love story between the two is supposed to offer us some kind of heart to the film. On top of that, William Hurt is miscast and Tim Roth is only two steps removed from the pantomime villainy that he subjected us to in that bloody awful PLANET OF THE APES remake (sorry, I really shouldn't keep mentioning that).

On top of that, the effects are far from great too. A lot of the Hulk effects improve over the naff effects in Ang Lee's version, but many don't and the Abomination (the villain that Roth turns into) was just garbage. If the CGI flops from I AM LEGEND mated with Dick Durock's man-in-a-suit SWAMP THING, this character would be the result. Well, this character and a really disturbing movie sex scene.

Neither movies have been great, but I think Ang Lee's edges this one for at least daring to be different, and no amount of fanboy in-jokes or TV series references are going to change my mind. In fact, I'm reminded here of my experience of watching HOSTEL 2 - the appearances of several Euro-cult veterans only reminded me how much I'd prefer to be watching one of their movies than Eli Roth's nonsense. This film had much the same effect with each and every TV series reference. Norton is no Bill Bixby, CGI is no Lou Ferrigno and Liv Tyler is no... well, she's just nothing at all based on this evidence.

I guess if I want to be optimistic about it I should point out that the film has been a hit with plenty of folks. Aside from the fact that, as I write, it has a mindbogglingly high score on IMDb, the screening I went to did end up with lots of kids running out shouting "Hulk smash!" so I guess they enjoyed it.