EIFF2008 - the last few films

Yes I know it finished several weeks ago, but here's the rest of my EIFF round up anyway. Let's be honest, if you read this regularly you expect me to be late anyway and if you don't read it regularly, well, you're probably about to leave to go and read more interesting blogs anyway. My write-up of the Galway Film Fleadh might appear sometime within a month too, who knows.

The last day of the EIFF, when they show lots of extra screenings under the banner "Best of the Fest" gave me the opportunity to catch a few more films before it all comes to a close.

BETTER THINGS has received a lot of good press and some attention at other festivals (it played Cannes too). On the plus side, it's well put together and it's British. On the downside - everything else. Some old people sit about looking at each other; some young people take drugs and get angry; lots of stuff happens to a bunch of uninteresting people in really uninteresting ways. I'm not wasting any more bandwith talking about it. TURD.

MISS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY sees Frances McDormand conning her way into the life of famous movie star Amy Adams in England during WWII. Hilarious hi-jinks, melodrama and romance ensue. At the risk of sounding sexist, it's a woman's film. On the plus side though, it's an enjoyable woman's film, like the ones Hollywood used to make a long, long time ago - you know, the ones that starred Carole Lombard and people like that. McDormand and Adams are both terrific and ample support is provided by the likes of Ciarin Hinds and Shirley Henderson. An endearing throwback to the golden age of movies.

Earth is a post-apocalyptic wasteland where a lone figure prowls, speaking hardly a word but trying to make the world a better place. Nope, it's not a new MAD MAX film, it's Pixar's latest effort, WALL-E. Believe everything you've read - it's bloody brilliant. Despite the rather dark concept, it's still unrivalled family entertainment that will have kids and adults alike laughing and falling in love with a rusty little robot who doesn't even have a proper face. See it now.

A FILM WITH ME IN IT is an Irish comedy in which two layabouts with movie ambitions attempt to make a film but struggle with the script. However, they're then involved in a serious of unbelievable mishaps that might just provide them with inspiration. Dylan Moran and Mark Doherty star, providing plenty of laughs through both their own comic talent and the ludicrous, though very dark, twists that fate has in store for them. A dark comedy indeed.

By this time, the festival was pretty much over and as most people are away home it's a little bit depressing. It gets even more depressing however if you go and see a film like CRACK WILLOW.

Every so often I see a film at a festival that makes me wonder if the programmers are taking the piss. This is it. A fat man from Yorkshire talks to his dad, eats some chips, urinates in the bath. Weirdness suddenly happens. Then it's back to that bloke again. It's tosh of the worst kind and I am absolutely gobsmacked that it made it into the festival, far less got an extra screening. It's not even like BETTER THINGS, which was rubbish but beautifully shot. This is just a bloke with a camcorder eating some chips.

It's the kind of film that makes me wish I could travel back in time just to prevent cinema ever being invented. Avoid like the plague.

Oops, it's gone a bit weird

Apologies if you're trying to follow my EIFF posts as they're going a bit weird, i.e. new ones are appearing further down the blog than older ones. I think, as far as I can tell without being a techy person, that this is because I created a load of draft templates first and have been filling them all in and posting them gradually. Alas, the posts appear to be popping up in the order I created the draft versions rather than the order I actually posted them in. Oops.

At some stage I will add a feature to the blog where you can get the latest posts emailed directly to your mailbox anyway (thus saving you that annoying moment when you come here to check it, only to discover that once again I've been too lazy to do anything for a couple of weeks). Until then, apologies for the inconvenience.

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.