Tag: Edinburgh International Film Festival

EIFF 2013 Review: Breathe In (2013)

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Breathe In

The 67th Edinburgh International Film Festival opened softly last night with relationship drama Breathe In. Reuniting blossoming British actress Felicity Jones with writer and director Drake Doremus, whose last feature Like Crazy deservedly scooped the Grand Jury Prize at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, Breathe In may feel and look like a more adult effort, yet is ultimately depreciated by clichéd character stereotypes and a lack of believability. Continue reading “EIFF 2013 Review: Breathe In (2013)” →

EIFF 2013 Review: Frances Ha (2012)

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Frances Ha

Noah Baumbach and rising indie star Greta Gerwig combine their talented forces once more after the well-received Greenberg for Frances Ha, a thoughtful, witty and nostalgic portrait of twenty-something discontent. Filmed in black and white at the directors discretion and blending the old with the new, Frances Ha emerges as a true winner and Baumbach’s best in years. Continue reading “EIFF 2013 Review: Frances Ha (2012)” →

Anticipating The 67th Edinburgh International Film Festival Line-Up Announcement

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With the full line-up announcement only a day away, it’s hard not to speculate what films are likely to unspool at the 67th Edinburgh International Film Festival next month. In previous years, we’ve been way off mark, choosing bigger films over the usual smaller ones Edinburgh likes to promote. However, with the welcome regeneration the festival experienced last year, it’s only natural to feel optimistic about what might be on offer this year, and the revelations so far have only propelled this. Continue reading “Anticipating The 67th Edinburgh International Film Festival Line-Up Announcement” →

How The Edinburgh International Film Festival Got Its Groove Back

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With the Edinburgh International Film Festival over for another year, it’s time to look back over the twelve day event through rose coloured spectacles and assess whether or not the world’s longest continuously running film festival has managed to, under the leadership of a new Artistic Director and a brand new roster of some 121 feature films, make a decent stab at reclaiming its noble place, laying solid foundations for a bright future. Continue reading “How The Edinburgh International Film Festival Got Its Groove Back” →

EIFF 2012 Review: First Position (2012)

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The Youth American Grand Prix (YAGP) is an annual international ballet competition, in which over 5000 dance students aged between 9 and 19 years old compete for elite scholarships with some of the world’s most prestigious companies and schools. First Position tracks six ambitious young dancers – Aran, Gaya, Michaela, Mike, Rebecca and Joan – as they train, travel the world and overcome self-doubt and overwhelming pressure in a bid to secure their place at Continue reading “EIFF 2012 Review: First Position (2012)” →

EIFF 2012 Review: Sun Don’t Shine (2012)

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Crystal (Kate Lyn Sheil) and Leo (Kentucker Audley) are star-crossed lovers on the run to Tampa through desert-like conditions and sweltering heat in a battered car without air conditioning. As their trek becomes more arduous and their already tense relationship more fraught, their backstory filters out: a blurry, yet stirring picture of two emotionally disturbed people pitted together through wretched circumstances is formed. Continue reading “EIFF 2012 Review: Sun Don’t Shine (2012)” →

EIFF 2012 Review: Flying Blind (2012)

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Frankie (Helen McCrory) is a successful, smart and furiously driven aeronautical engineer and part-time lecturer who takes her work very seriously. When she strikes up a relationship with murky student Kahil (Najib Oudghiri), her work ethic decreases in favour of sex-fuelled infatuation. However, as Frankie starts to discover more and more about Kahil (he’s an illegal immigrant and seems eerily interested in fundamentalism), she becomes concerned for both her wellbeing Continue reading “EIFF 2012 Review: Flying Blind (2012)” →

EIFF 2012 Review: Berberian Sound Studio (2012)

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Gilderoy (Toby Jones), a reserved and modest British sound engineer, is hired by Italian schlock director Santini (Antonio Mancino) to score his latest film, slyly titled The Equestrian Vortex. Upon his arrival, he’s immediately intimidated by the Italians and baffled as to their unique approach to a variety of things, particularly the tools they use to create the film’s score and the lack of interest they have in reimbursing his travel expenses. As he attempts to put cultural Continue reading “EIFF 2012 Review: Berberian Sound Studio (2012)” →

EIFF 2012 Review: Unconditional (2012)

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Owen (Harry McEntire) and Kristen (Madeleine Clark) are twins living on a council estate caring for their disabled mother (Melanie Hill). When their already limited finances tumble further, Kristen arranges to meet loan shark Liam (Christian Cooke). Clearly smitten, Kristen makes it her intention to woo Liam, but it’s Owen who he has eyes for and, before he knows what he’s let himself in for, they embark upon a tumultuous, unorthodox love affair that sees them both Continue reading “EIFF 2012 Review: Unconditional (2012)” →

EIFF 2012 Review: The Fourth Dimension (2012)

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The Fourth Dimension is an anthology piece comprised of three short films contributed by three different directors – Harmony Korine, Aleksei Fedorchenko and Jan Kwiencinski. Spearheaded by Vice Magazine’s Eddy Moretti and partly funded by Grolsch Film Works, The Fourth Dimension sees each director tackling the open-ended concept of the fourth dimension – the next, higher existence of your soul – in their own unique ways, while adhering to a set of strict rules and Continue reading “EIFF 2012 Review: The Fourth Dimension (2012)” →