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: 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: 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: Trouble Sleeping

A film from Theatre Workshop, this new Scottish movie (set predominantly in Edinburgh) shows the trials and tribulations of a community of asylum seekers in Edinburgh while serving up a story about what happens when buried secrets come to light.

I applaud the film for what it's attempting to do and it is competantly made. There are plenty of flaws however - it feels disjointed and abrupt in places, as if lots of it has ended up on the cutting room floor (which might well be the case, but alas I had to rush off before the Q&A so never found out). Only a few of the cast really stand out, with many looking very much like this is the first time they've been in front of a camera.

There are too many issues here to address in one film (a gay muslim marrying a disabled man - how many issues do you want to address in one go?) but to the film's credit they're all handled fairly and regardless of its flaws the film is surely destined to open the eyes of a few people regarding the plight of many of Scotland's minorites.

EIFF2008: Helen

Conceived in a unique way, intended as a work of art and as a community project using non-professional actors, it's difficult to critique this film in the same way as many others. Then again, the fact that it's dull and badly acted make me wonder.

It's a beautiful film no doubt, but it annoyed me in the same way that Carlos Reygadas annoys me. I'm happy for a director to employ long takes, barely-moving cameras and so on - but it frustrates me to see the same behaviour from people. It doesn't work and it's not aided by a wooden cast delivering dialogue that didn't exactly sparkle to begin with. The whole film just ends up feeling false and directionless.

The story, about a girl who takes place in a crime scene reconstruction and starts to assume the missing girl's identity, seems to have been thrown together as the film progresses and unfortunately never feels like it is going anywhere.

I'd love to see the directors (Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor) given a proper script to work with as they seem like they could work some magic with the right material. Unfortunately if they're going to continue churning out stuff like this I'll not be queuing up to see it.

EIFF2008: Fairytale of Kathmandu

Neasa Ni Chianan was an admirer of the poet Cathal O'Searcaigh and was delighted to get the opportunity to make a film about him, following him from his home in Ireland to his spiritual home in Nepal. However, as time goes by, she realises that the portrait she wanted to paint is not necessarily what she's capturing on film.

I was very pleased to have this documentary at Edinburgh this year as it was another film (like EDEN) that I'd very much wanted to see at Dublin earlier in the year but failed to. It doesn't disappoint, offering both a beautiful film and a controversial trigger for debate too. What Cathal is doing in Nepal may not be illegal per se, but it certainly raises some moral questions, questions that cannot be answered in the space of a single film.

It avoids sensationalism however and merely leaves us to wonder. It certainly seemed to provoke more discussion than most of the other documentaries I saw. Check it out if you get the chance.

EIFF2008: Eden

Adapted by Eugene O'Brien from his own play, directed (beautifully) by Declan Recks and with superb performances from all the cast (especially Aiden Kelly and Aileen Walsh in the lead roles), this Irish drama shows a week in the life of a married couple leading up to their anniversary.

That the marriage is falling apart is obvious to all; but while the wife tries to kick-start it, the husband (fuelled by booze) seeks action elsewhere.

A terrific film which criminally has yet to secure UK distribution as I write this, it's my favourite film of the festival and probably the best film I've seen this year. I made a point of telling this to producer David Collins during a very brief chat, since he appeared at last year's EIFF with ONCE, the film that turned out to be my favourite film of last year. That's not a bad record.

Actually, that just reminded me, I never did get round to coming up with a list of my favourite films of 2007. Well, maybe I'll still do it before this year's out, although I guess I just spoiled the ending.

But I digress. See EDEN any chance you get.

EIFF2008: Brian Cox

Scotland's greatest living actor (sorry Sean) took to the stage for this year's BAFTA Scotland interview at the EIFF and was a joy to listen to.

The interview, conducted by artistic director Hannah McGill, took in his upbringing in Dundee, his education (or lack of it) and how he fell into acting, before taking a very quick tour through a selection of his films, from small indie films (like RED, which I raved about a few days ago) to big blockbusters (his part in the BOURNE films).

An excellent hour and a half offered more entertainment that many of the films you're likely to see at the festival and was a reminder why this guy is just so brilliant.

RED is screening again on Sunday as part of Best of the Fest, so if you've not yet seen it, do so.