Jonathan Melville: A week in the life of the EIFF

By Jonathan Melville
Published on 28/06/2012 15:18

IT only feels like yesterday that chicken drumsticks became off-limits for anyone who watched Edinburgh International Film Festival opener Killer Joe, and already we’re nearly at the end of another year’s event.

The buzz has remained constant for the last week, with comments on Twitter, the go-to place if you want the consensus on anything in pop culture these days, suggesting people are still discovering new films and filmmakers, thanks to an eclectic programme.

I’ve still got a few more titles to see before I pass full judgment on this year’s line-up, and I’ve been unlucky with a few of them, but it does feel like there’s something for everyone.

Apart from the shocking and hilarious Killer Joe, I made it along to Shadow Dancer, the Clive Owen IRA thriller, and found it a solid effort that didn’t really give us anything new.

Berberian Sound Studio, the 1970s-set drama that followed a British sound effects man as he travelled to an Italian horror film studio, was memorable, but not in the way I was expecting. My brain gave up trying to work out what was happening two thirds of the way through, but I still enjoyed it. I think.

Elsewhere, ‘found footage’ horror, V/H/S, was a huge disappointment, the unknown cast given dull scripts that did nothing new with the genre.

I’ll have more to say on the EIFF next week but in the meantime I’m told Tabu and The Imposter are worth checking out, if you can.

Finally, keep an eye on my Twitter feed at @jon_melville for coverage from the red carpet of Brave on Saturday night, it promises to be a big night for Edinburgh film fans looking to spot a few celebrities.

@jon_melville

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