EIFF 2007
Some reviews I’ve twittered of things I’ve seen appear below (I may update). It’s not txt speak but it’s very noticeable how hard I’m finding it to write these quickly in the small space Twitter gives you.
I’m a Cyborg But That’s OK: madcap fantasy. From the director of Oldboy. Scary under the surface but sweet.
Stardust: Yay. Good job; gotta love the di Niro typecasting.
Julie Delpy: Interesting. They seem to have sorted the technical problems which is a relief.
The Counterfeiters: Engrossing. Nice trick creatiing suspense by giving a large part of the ending away.
Tekkonkinkreet: The whole mystical thing just does nothing for me I’m afraid.
Weirdsville: “Satan is supposed to be helping us, bot plaguing us with midgets and junkies” Total class.
John Waters: This Filthy Life: yay. His advice for running a film society is spot on. I’ve *no* idea what the five minute walkouts expected
Once: aww. Low budget romantic drama about some musicians. Manages to be a realistic musical as a result.
Castels: Best. Team. Sport. Ever. These Catalans are insane.
Shrooms: Kids, doing drugs leads to poor crisis management.
Serpentine: Stylish and inventive revenge thriller. Darkly commercial as one would expect.
Manufacturing Dissent: Nice stuff; nothing new but it’s nice to see a bit of a Michael Moore job on the guy himself. Temptation for them… Someone nailed it ib the QA saying Moore is his own worst enemy for not engaging with people pulling him up.
Documentary Shorts: Started very slowly but some great stuff towards the end.
Breath: enigmatic korean drama.
The New Man: Drama about forced sterilisation in 50s Sweeden. Well made for those who like that kind of film.
Namikabashi Shorts: worth seeing these if you can; (mostly) spoof informational films about japanese customs.
Yo: Monosyllabic Catalan suspense drama. Builds to be very psychologically effective.
Brothers in Dreans: Four very different cinemas throughout the world and the people who eun them. Sweet and charming.
The Interpreter: Cold and measured Swiss-Russian thriller. Diverting but not going to set the world on fire.
LYNCH: beautiful. Certainly fascinating for Lynch fans, and I think it’d appeal to others too. Lynch is a fascinating person to watch
WAZ: Tough, brutal thriller up to near the end where it changes gear up. Lots of close, shaky handheld camera work. Above average.
What Would Jesus Buy?: lots of fun. Some structural problems but fun and nice message. Well worth seeing – http://www.revbilly.com/
It’s Gonna Get Worse: lo-fi drama aboiut slackers in Communist Czechoslovakia. Lovely, though not for the easily offended and some hard edges
Samantha Morton: funny, mostly anecdote based interview. Lots of problems with the sound.
Day Watch: I already saw Night Watch… Still love the way they’ve designed the subtitles into the film, doing FX and playing with them.
Yella: monosyllabic psychological drama. Interesting perspective on the world of business. Wish I could’ve stayed for more of the Q’n’A
Billy the Kid: great stuff. One of those films about a person who is open without beinging entirely aware; makes you question the morality.
Planet B-Boy: Wow. Impressive dancing, involving stories behind it and well filmed. Souta African crew called Ubuntu wearing light brown…
Doubletime: Um. Watch Planet B-boy instead. Much better made film, more involving stories and stunning performance.
Crazy Love: The first time I’ve been handed a large lollipop on the way into a film. One to watch: amazing, insane story, very well told.
Trader’s Dreams: different sorts of people using eBay around the world; interesting, not spectacular
The Hottest State: Good, involving drama. Starts out telling you there’s going to be heartbreak then lets you forget that for a while. All from a male perspective which makes an interesting change.
Tilda Swinton recommends working with people you like. Good interview; shame Hannah McGill looked so bored doing it.
Teeth: oh, my. I think there’s a reason the rings they use aren’t silver.
In Search of a Midnight Kiss: class – someone saw Before Sunset and some Kevin Smith movies and knew what to do. Adorable.
Beauty in Trouble: the headspace of this film is so Arab Strap.
Mr Vig and the Nun: above average; a bit slow but worth looking out for on TV.
Intolerance: Aged extremely well. Apart from being a tad direct and some outmoded beliefs it works. I wonder if Christ is supposed to be quite so vacant.
Hallam Foe: Go see. Nice sense of humour, tight plot and grit.