This is my final review from this year’s EIFF. It is a film that I had hoped to see earlier in the fortnight, but the screenings kept clashing with other movies that I wanted to see more. I got to it in the end though. And now I’m going to get some much-deserved sleep while you read on.
Back to the Festival today, and time for a spy thriller that is actually thrilling, unlike some we have seen recently. For tomorrow, I need your help. There are two movies I would like to see screening at the same time, and I want you lot to help me pick which one to see. The first is California Solo, starring Robert Carlyle as a former Brit-pop musician (think Oasis’ Noel Gallagher) now living in a commune in Cali, and the other is a new portmanteau, found footage horror called V/H/S. The screenings are at 1pm BST, so let me know in the comments as early as possible. If you guys don’t help me, I’m going to have to ask the Bouncy Rubber Ball of Destiny, so I really need you to come through for me on this. But that’s for tomorrow. Today, it’s time for…
As it turns out, I did get to see a documentary today. So this is Day 175 as well.
As well as these two movies below, I also managed to get a last-minute ticket to a screening of a new print of William Friedkin’s 1971 masterpiece The French Connection this evening, with the man himself in attendance. As an example of the crime thrillers of the time – muscular, focussed, relentless – it is still second to none. One of the all-time great man movies, and it would make a solid double-bill with Killer Joe.
This is also day 171 of 5-Word 365, for those keeping track at home.
And so begins this year’s Edinburgh Film Fest. The fest proper starts in a couple of days, and this one is going to be the big black-tie kick-off, but I’m bringing it to you early. Don’t say I’m not nice to you lot.
Every once in a while circumstances, or technology, or my own confounded nature will conspire to make the day almost over before I get to see a film. This of course greatly limits the time I have to write about the film before I pass out from exhaustion. On these occasions, I must resort to watching the film and writing about it at the same time. I call this the run-and-gun, for no other reason than I think it sounds cool. Anyway, today is one of those days.
Today’s column took quite a bit longer than usual to write. I got some new shampoo today and I can’t stop smelling my hair. It’s really quite pleasant. Sorry about that. I feel like I should start talking about boobs and football now. Read More
I’m running a little late tonight, because I made the mistake of rewatching this flick immediately with the DVD commentary. I also fell into a bit of a YouTube hole when I got home from the office. I would say I need to stop turning on my computer as soon as I get in from work, but these columns won’t write themselves. More’s the pity. Read More
After yesterday’s light and fluffy high school basketball movie, the karma police decided that I needed a gut-punch. This one was pinned to my virtual suggestions board by Mr Unfocused Frames himself. If any of the rest of you fine people out there in internet land have anything you want me to watch, just let me know. Read More
Have you heard of The Dice Man? It’s a novel from 1971 written by Luke Rhinehart, about a man named Luke Rhinehart who started living his life by the roll of a die. I read that book when I was at University and it kind of stuck with me (I also read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, but I was smoking a lot of weed that month). It always seemed like such an interesting and care-free, not to mention dangerous, way to live; that transference of all responsibility for your own actions onto a little cube of plastic. What doors would that open up in your psyche, I wondered. What would you find out about yourself, and your limits? Unfortunately I don’t have any dice in the house so I used a bouncy rubber ball to choose today’s film. My psyche remains unaffected. Read More
Five Word Movie Reviews 