Lead animators and Pixar veterans Bobby Podesta and Mike Venturini visited Edinburgh International Film Festival this week for the UK Premiere of Toy Story 3. Screening only 24 hours after opening in the USA, it was the first chance to see the film this side of the Atlantic.

I met with Bobby and Mike to discuss the Festival, Toy Story 3, and their approach to animation.

“For me, I really love the approach to filmmaking that we have at the studio. We make films that resonate with us in one way or another, with good stories. That’s the most important thing,” says Bobby.

Edinburgh International Film Festival has hosted popular UK Premieres of Ratatouille, Wall-E, and Up. However, success was not a foregone conclusion, and Mike explained that, “we kind of know our audience, and when I say ‘our audience’ I mean our American audience. Sometimes, culturally, you don’t know how the audience will identify with the film you are making and you hope that there’s something genuine in there that everyone can identify with. So to come here and play for this audience and have them be able to identify with it and to enjoy it is great.”

Here’s a full transcript of the interview. I spoke with Bobby first.

Day 10
Friday has to be one of my favourite days at EIFF.

It began with Superhero Me at the Cameo - a.k.a. the comfiest cinema in the universe. Enveloped in its cozy red seats, we were swept away on a magical journey of cheap spandex, a novice superhero named SOS, and a network of eccentrics. Superhero Me is a documentary from Steve Sale, a first-time filmmaker who wondered - "Long before Kick-Ass!" -  what it would be like to become a superhero. Quickly taking action, he shot his forays into real life comic book filmmaking on home video equipment, camera phones, and whatever else he could get his hands on. It's an enjoyable romp, with a poignant message to be found in later scenes with an Orlando-based superhero named Master Legend. Unfortunately it was ill-projected, so we missed the subtitles while he spoke with an Italian vigilante and some other details. Not amazing, but certainly enjoyable.

After getting some work done(!) I met up with a friend from home and we returned to the Cameo for Mai Mai Miracle. Directed by Sunao Katabuchi, once assistant to Hayao Miyazaki, it's an autobiographical anime with Studio Ghibli flavour. Beautifully drawn, it has some sweet characters but does not quite develop into anything more than a parochial childhood tale.

Late that evening I caught the UK premiere of Get Low. Starring Robert Duvall and Bill Murray, it's the directorial debut of cinematographer Aaron Schneider. Equal parts real-life legend and folk tale, it's the story of a Southern hermit who threw his own funeral party. Set in 1930s Tennessee, the film explores what might inspire a man to do such a thing. Duvall is excellent as the misunderstood and curmudgeonly Felix Bush. Bill Murray provides comic relief in a strong performance as Frank Quinn, while Lucas Black makes a great appearance as his young protégé. Beautifully shot with excellent performances, it's a solid, enjoyable picture. Aaron Schnieder also appeared for a Q&A to discuss working with Duvall and Murray.

After a spot of bowling, some friends and I made our way to the Honeymooner party. Star of the film Gerard Kearns was in attendance - you'll recognise him as Ian Gallagher from Shameless. It was an interesting night to say the least, and perhaps the less that is said, the better. Let's just say the brandy cocktails were a bit of a knock-out.


Day 11
On Saturday morning, Tilda Swinton and Mark Cousins' flash mob took place, where they danced to Laurel and Hardy's Way Out West ditty. Shortly afterwards, their event and screening took place. The 8 1/2 Foundation was founded by Mark and Tilda as a project that encourages children to celebrate cinema by way of a new kind of birthday - their 8 1/2th. The event began with Mark, Tilda, and a group of friends dancing around Filmhouse 1 with signs, before waving a flag with "The State of Cinema" splashed across it while a spotlight raced around the room. Quite disorienting, but everyone involved had a blast.

It's rather a cool venture. By inviting children to celebrate film, it also encourages an active involvement from schools and clubs to become members and discover all kinds of films to which children might never have been introduced. The event rounded off with a screening of Jafar Panahi's The White Balloon.

It was a quiet evening, for which I was thankful, as it was soon time to make our way to the closing night party! It was a fantastic night at the Caves in Edinburgh, a maze of a venue. I spotted Brian Cox (cutting in line right in front of me, the cheek!) and Jonathan Ames, writer of The Extra Man. I also spoke briefly to Morag McKinnon, director of Donkeys, who said that she had been approached by a buyer, so keep an eye out!

A brilliant night was had all round.


Day 12
As predicted, Edinburgh was a ghost town on Sunday. The combination of the usual Sunday silence around the cinematic triangle (locals have a less PG name for the area) and the departure of delegates made the festival feel truly over.

The delegate centre was a sight to behold, and pretty much summed up how I felt after almost 2 weeks of hard festing. There were boxes of magazines all around, the lights were dimmed, and there were people strewn across couches, curled up on chairs, and falling asleep into their own cupped hands.

After lunch, I decided to catch one last film. The last day of EIFF is second-chance Sunday, when the picks for Best of the Fest are screened. I caught Hotel Atlantico, a Brazillian film by Suzana Amarel. If you've been reading about 'Slow Cinema' in Sight and Sound lately, you'll know the type. It's the story of a solitary alcoholic actor traveling through the south of Brazil. The meandering storyline involves all sorts of absurd situations and human relations. I was dozing off at the beginning, then it became somewhat more engaging through the middle and downright strange towards the end.

After an evening of packing and trying not to collapse in a heap, I rounded off my festival with a party at the delegate centre followed by a few hours at the Blue Blazer (the unofficial pub of the fest). It was a lovely way to finish up, and after some solemn goodbyes it was time to shuttle back home to Glasgow.

I hope you've enjoyed hearing about my EIFF adventures as much as I've enjoyed having them.

Check back soon for my interview with Pixar animators Bobby Podesta and Mike Venturini!

Day 8
Wednesday was a day of transitions – first-week guests left and second-week guests had not yet arrived, and the Filmhouse was like a ghost town as everyone took off to watch the World Cup.

Feeling listless after transcribing interviews for hours (lots to come, keep an eye out!), I caught the 5pm screening of Bored to Death. The HBO showcase featured 3 back-to-back episodes of one of their newest and best shows. Adapted from a short novel from writer Jonathan Ames, it’s the story of a novelist, aptly named Jonathan Ames (Jason Schwartzman) who is struggling to write his second book. His girlfriend has just left him, so he turns to Craigslist, advertising himself as an unlicensed private investigator.

The charming series set in Brooklyn and Manhattan co-stars Zach Galiafinakis and Ted Danson, and just wrapped its second season which will screen this autumn in the US. After the screening, Mr Ames was present to field questions from the audience. He discussed his previous work as an author and teacher and his transition into television. A film based on his novel, The Extra Man, is also screening at the festival. Look out for it!

It was a quiet day from there on out – I caught up with a few groups of friends for a drink and then dinner, and tottered off home for a well-deserved early night.


Day 9
Thursday was a little more eventful.

I began the morning with Ollie Kepler’s Expanding Purple World – a promising UK drama which the programme boasts as “Donnie Darko meets Billy Liar”. It’s a colourful film in which its protagonist, Ollie Kepler, is fascinated with star stuff. With beautiful colours and a strong first half-hour, it was a promising watch, but is a tough one to get through. Unfortunately it rather rambles through the middle, and loses track of its point as Ollie loses his marbles. Disappointing.

After work, I decided on a whim to catch a screening of the German picture My Words, My Lies – My Love, starring Daniel Brühl (Goodbye Lenin, Inglourious Basters) and acclaimed German actor Henry Hübchen. It’s a literary rom-com in which David (Brühl) goes from being a waiter to Germany’s biggest literary star – without ever writing a word. Though slightly predictable, it was an enjoyable film with plenty of giggles and an excellent cast. Good, light-hearted entertainment. Swiss director Alain Gsponer gave a Q&A session in which he discussed working with the stars of the film, the novel Lila Lila on which the film is based, and seeking distribution outside of Switzerland.

In the evening, I attended Nick Cave’s Irregular event held at Roxy Art House. Hosted by Canongate publishing house, the evening featured some poetry readings from the host Celena – whose work is both hilarious and sexy; a reading from BED; a performance from an excellent up-and-coming band who are currently called The Sea The Sea; and readings from Nick Cave from his upcoming novel. In association with EIFF, there were also screenings of 3 short films, including the hilarious award-winning The Archivist and a reading from Tilda Swinton. Not at all what I had anticipated, it was an unexpectedly excellent evening. There will be more Irregular events to come – I recommend you check one out.

As the festival begins to wind down, Day 10 (Friday) features Superhero Me and more.

As always, you can find my live updates on Twitter .

I met with director John Stalberg at Edinburgh International Film Festival to discuss his film HIGH School. Starring Adrien Brody, Michael Chiklis, and Colin Hanks, HIGH School is a comedy in which top-of-the-class Henry (Matt Bush) reconnects with his burn-out friend Travis (Sean Marquette) and do what Travis does best – get high. Soon after, the principal of their school announces that he is mandating a drug test of the entire student body.

The only logical conclusion? Everybody must get stoned.

Adrien Brody gives an outlandish performance as Psycho Ed, their drug dealer. The chaos that ensues is hilarious, with plenty of laughs peppered throughout. With a straight-laced Michael Chiklis as the school Principle and Colin Hanks getting loose as the cool vice-dean, it’s The Girl Next Door with drugs instead of porn.

How did you go about researching the film?
Oh, years and years of research… I did what most people do to research the topic of marijuana, I just went to college. I went to Boulder, Colorado, and I’m from L.A., so I’m kind of from the two weed capitals of the world. I met a bunch of characters along the way that were involved with growing, selling, smoking marijuana.

Your teens are quite realistic – how did you make them as real as possible and accurate for this time period?
I have a lot of friends who are in the skating world, and friends who own this shoe company [he points to his skate shoes]. So I just spent a lot of time with them and listened to the way that they talked. We’d go to barbecues and hang out, listen to the way they spoke. There’s one line where Travis says, “I can’t wait to have an ex-wife, man, I can’t wait for that s***!” That was just taken from this skater. He said that out of nowhere one night, it was a total non-sequitur. It struck a chord with me, like this urge to be an adult – to have adult problems. It was something that seemed very true of teenage kids, especially a kid like Travis who is constantly s*** on by authority figures. All I wanted as a kid was to become an adult so that authority figures had no control over me, so that’s kind of Travis’ dream. That was one thing. The same guy also said one night, at like 3 in the morning – he said “I’m going to go home, get changed, and then it begins.” So I put that line in the same scene.

So I just kind of pick things from people. You have to have a good ear. I’m constantly sniping people’s names and little bits of dialogue.

You mentioned authority figures. Did that play into how you wrote Colin Hanks’ character? He’s kind of an authority figure who doesn’t want to be.
Yeah. It’s interesting, I pitched him all this back story that doesn’t exist in the script. I said, “You’re the kid who did well in high school – was on the track team, had a good-looking girlfriend, really had it together. You went to college, you started smoking weed, took some harder drugs, and your life started falling apart. You had to go to rehab to get it together. You had this bright future and kind of messed it up. So you gravitated back towards the high school where things felt right, but now you’re in this lesser position and you have to take crap from the principal.”

He’s the guy who’s relatable with the kids, and is kind of the barometer for how stoned the school gets. In a weird way, he regresses back to his college years. There’s something a little bit kind of sad about his regression, and about him, period. He’s stuck in this banal, horrible job, listening to the meanderings of some idiot.

Adrien Brody is also a big presence in the film. Did you give him a lot of direction or did you just let him go all out?
We talked about it and figured it out. We have a very similar approach to filmmaking – he prepares, he gets it ready. When he shows up on set he’s ready to go. He knows exactly what he’s going to do, we’ve discussed it, and we try to get it to be as good as we can. Sometimes we would improvise a scene, and we’d riff. I’d almost be in the scene, working on things in the moment. I think there was only one idea that he had that I didn’t love – that’s how great he is at making the scenes better. Everything he suggested was great, and it makes me look good. That’s what makes him such a great actor – he’s not only good at what you give him to do. He was honestly like a dream come true. He’s so good, he’s so funny, he’s so collaborative.

What was your favourite scene to shoot?
I guess it was the scenes in the grow room, when the kids are trying to steal the stuff. There was one really quick moment where Psycho Ed (Brody) discovers that his keef is missing from the freezer. There’s a whole scene that takes place there that I cut out of the movie and used as a teaser trailer online. It’s like this whole There Will Be Blood style monologue that he does about karma, standing there surrounded by his weed.

I noticed there were elements of The Girl Next Door – the kid who gets dragged into temptation and has someone to repay, etc. Were there any films that you tried to emulate in some way?

Films like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and Risky Business. You know there’s the scene in Ferris Bueller where he’s racing home, and the girls are out sunbathing, and he stops to introduce himself? That’s kind of the opposite of Henry. He’d love to be able to say hi to this cute girl next door, but he’s not equipped with that at the beginning of the story. Those are the kinds of movies I tried to emulate – anything with a little bit of seriousness or paranoia or pressure about school – something that’s real about being a teenager. I drew on a lot of my own experiences.

In terms of high school movies, you managed to create some realistic characters.

I tried to make the two main characters realistic then have these three kind of bad guys who are kind of crazy – Dr Gordon, Psycho Ed, and Sebastian – who orbit around them. When the kids start to go downhill, these three start colliding with one another. I thought that if the kids weren’t realistic, I’d lose the audience.

HIGH School had its international premiere here at EIFF, and is currently seeking UK distribution.

Comic book writer and filmmaker Mike McCarthy's latest venture, Cigarette Girl, has its European Premiere at Edinburgh International Film Festival.

“Cigarette Girl is a dystopian noir, a graphic novel come to life. It’s the story of a girl who gives up smoking and starts killing people 3 days later,” says McCarthy, who is also working on a graphic novel which will be packaged with the film. “I will be drawing the comic book myself – so I think I’m the first person to do all three.”

Cigarette Girl takes place in a bleak but stylish future where smokers are confined to the outskirts of cities, and the underworld profits handsomely from the illicit trade in cigarettes.

Is Cigarette Girl a superhero? Sort of. “She’s a woman. Just by being a woman she’s superior to man. She’s already somewhat built to survive.”

McCarthy is no stranger to underground filmmaking himself, and Cigarette Girl may well mark his rise to the big time.

Day 6
Monday was a long but fairly quiet day. I went directly to the Cineworld to catch screenings of…

The Kid, another one of those A Child Called “It” type tales. An abusive childhood, being moved from foster home to foster home, more family drama, a troubled transition to adulthood, and all kinds of dirty dealings along the way. For me it was a bit like a pendulum swing, I cared, then I didn’t, then I was impressed, then I wasn’t. At once dramatic and melodramatic, it was a good story, but didn’t have much in it that you haven’t heard before. If you like those kinds of stories, it’s worth a watch.

After ducking into the wrong cinema for the title sequence of Lola (magical!), I quickly joined The Good Heart, which stars Brian Cox and Paul Dano. Set in New York (without the glitz), it’s the story of a curmudgeonly old man and the young homeless kid with a big heart who becomes his hospital roommate. It’s a humorous drama with a guest appearance from David Cross and – my favourite part – a pet duck. Need I say more? If you’re only going to watch one Dano film this year, I’d go with The Extra Man, but The Good Heart is a good shout.

After an afternoon of leisurely work and a damn good burrito, I headed over to Hair of the Dog at the delegate centre. It’s an hour for relaxing and networking, which on this particular day was followed by the Delegate Film Quiz. An excellent time as always, although my team, The All Day Breakfast Club, was in the lead until we blew an entire round on a gamble. Who knew George Clooney wasn’t the only superstar from Kentucky?


Day 7
A week in and still going strong! The summer solstice treated us to a frankly ridiculous 18+ hours of daylight but it was absolutely roasting.

It was a long afternoon with lots of work to be done, so I didn’t make it to any screenings until 5pm. In the meantime, though, I interviewed Mike McCarthy on Cigarette Girl, Amy Hardie on The Edge of Dreaming (one of the Best of the Fest to be rescreened on Sunday), and the incredibly cool John Stalberg, director of stoner-comedy HIGH School.

After all that, I headed down to the Cineworld for The Brothers Quay Animation Event. Despite having grown up in Pennsylvania and studying animation at Philadelphia College of Art, the identical twins reinvented themselves as esoteric animated filmmakers with a strong Polish influence. Three films were screened: a documentary and two animated films, followed by a discussion with Stephen and Timothy Quay. The event rounded off with a screening of their newly-finished film Maska.

Mr Nice followed, with a premiere screening and introduction from Howard Marks – notorious drug dealer and the subject of the film – alongside leading man Rhys Ifans, co-star David Thewlis, and director Bernard Rose. They also returned for a brief Q&A session after the film. The film itself didn’t quite live up to the hype for me. It’s a well-constructed biopic which glides through 25 years of Marks’ life; but the storyline was predictable with little tension and not much to set it apart from fictional films on the same topic. Ifans was excellent, though, and if it’s your kind of thing it may well be worth a watch.

As always, you can find my live updates on Twitter .

Celine Danhier’s debut film, Blank City, is a New York based documentary that reflects upon the underground movements of the late-1970s and the birth of ‘80s cool.

The gritty arts scene of downtown New York and Manhattan is the birthplace of the No Wave movement and Cinema of Transgression. Celine says, “They had a lot of freedom. What was great was that they weren’t just filmmakers, they were artists, musicians, writers, painters. They just wanted to do something new. A lot of them found some super 8 cameras for a couple of bucks and decided to shoot.”

The flashback film continues this trend into the modern age, which began as a grassroots project with three members: Danhier, the director, alongside producer Aviva Wishnow, and editor Vanessa Roworth. In true No Wave style, they swiped their credit cards to buy some equipment and began to shoot.

Danhier received a great deal of support for her original concept. “We didn’t want to make it nostalgic because [the underground scene] was just different,” she explains. “I had a list of 10-15 key people, and perhaps one of them would say yes. Some people did not want to be in the documentary at the beginning, so I didn’t take no for an answer. I was persistent. I ended up interviewing over 40 people.”

The film features many of the prominent figures of the 1970s scene, including cult directors John Waters and Jim Jarmusch, actor Steve Buscemi, Debbie Harry of Blondie, the avant-garde’s Nick Zedd and Richard Kern, and more.

Danier hopes that her documentary will garner interest in the work of filmmakers like Jarmusch, as well as his contemporaries whose films are not widely available.

“What I want to show is that it’s possible to do things like that. I hope that after the screening people will want to pick up a camera!”

Blank City had its UK premiere at Edinburgh International Film Festival this week.

Probably the most exhausting day I’ve had yet!

Despite predictions of rain, the sun continues its stunning conquest upon Edinburgh, and a few tan lines are beginning to show. Not really, as we’re all sitting in the dark enjoying the screenings…

The day began with HIGH School, a comedy in which top-of-the-class Henry (Matt Bush) reconnects with his burn-out friend Travis (Sean Marquette) and do what Travis does best – get high. Soon after, the principal of their school announces that he is mandating a drug test of the entire student body. The only logical conclusion? Everybody must get stoned. Adrien Brody gives an outlandish performance as Crazy Ed, their drug dealer. The chaos that ensues is hilarious, with plenty of laughs peppered throughout. With a straight-laced Michael Chiklis as the school Principle and Colin Hanks getting loose as the cool vice-dean, it’s The Girl Next Door with drugs instead of porn.

I also caught Peepli Live, a satire based in India where poverty is rife and farmers begin to contemplate suicide for a government payout that will settle their debts. One farmer decides that this will resolve his problems and announces that he will die for his family, sparking a massive media circus in his small village. Although inspired by statistics of farmer suicide rates, it felt as though something was lost in translation. Peepli certainly had its funny moments, but went on a little too long. Some great gags, though, and full of Indian charm.

The biggest and best part of my day was meeting Pixar! I practically skipped down to the Caledonian Hotel to interview senior animators Bobby Podesta and Mike Venturini. They are a fantastic pair and their passion for animation is outstanding, which is always lovely to see. The interview will be online shortly!

Day 6 includes screenings of The Kid and The Good Heart starring Brian Cox and Paul Dano.

As always, you can find my live updates on Twitter @.

The week is almost over, and I am dangerously close to losing track!

Day 4 brings us to Saturday, aka Toy Story 3 day! The UK press were all lined up for 9am to see the first and only press screening of the festival while delegates, staff, and non-UK press pouted and grumbled.

Not me, though! I had a busy morning and big plans for later on.

At about 1pm, I sat down to watch The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer. Directed by one of Britain's great directors, Kevin Billington, it was screened as part of the After the Wave retrospective. Billington was in attendance, and said a few words to introduce the film. It's an uproarious satire based on the life of one Michael Rimmer, a pollster who rises in the ranks and through the British political system. Starring Peter Cook and penned by the Monty Python crew, it also features John Cleese in a minor role and a cameo appearance from Ronnie Colbert. Despite having been produced in 1970, its political satire is still relevant. It's almost disturbing in its accuracy, yet subtle, confident and absolutely hilarious.

Kevin Billington returned to the stage after the screening for a Q&A session, but unfortunately I had to dash off…

After Michael Rimmer, I made my way over to the Delegate Centre to meet chic French director Celine Danhier. Blank city is her first film, a New York documentary that reflects upon the underground movements of the late-1970s and the birth of '80s cool. She describes the film as a flashback to the era that created movements like No Wave and Cinema of Transgression, as well as now-famous filmmakers and artists like Steve Buscemi, Jim Jarmusch, Debbie Harry, and John Waters. A full piece on the interview will go live in the morning.

Finally, finally, it was time to sit down to watch Toy Story 3! I will keep my big trap shut - suffice to say that it was amazing, I loved it, and I may or may not have cried a teensy wee bit! It's an absolutely delightful film that I'm certain will not disappoint.

After all that, I attended a party at the Traverse Theatre for SoulBoy, caught up with a few friends, and danced to some Northern Soul. A lovely ending to an excellent day!

Tomorrow is Day 5, featuring HIGH School, Peepli Live, and an interview with Pixar...

Another lovely day in Edinburgh! The sun shone and it was a great day for catching up with Fest-friends.


Though I missed it, the Donkeys press screening was a massive hit this morning. One to look out for this festival, it seems.

My first screening was Jackboots on Whitehall, a comedy with war puppeteering, star voices aplenty, and loads of face-melting explosions. Very well animated, the script didn’t quite live up to the animatronics but there were some real moments of brilliance.

After shuffling back to the Filmhouse to get some real work done, it was back to the Cineworld for the first press screening of The Extra Man. Starring Paul Dano and Kevin Kline, it’s based on the novel by Jonathan Ames, creator of HBO’s latest hit series Bored to Death (also being previewed at the fest next week). It’s a subtle comedy that, like its leading man, seems half-way trapped in the 1920s. Very enjoyable and definitely one of my favourites so far!

In the evening, I swung by the Delegate Centre for hair of the dog and caught up with some fellow Glasgonians. A quick dash home for dinner, then back to the Filmhouse to catch Monsters.

Director Gareth Edwards is the winner of an EIFF Trailblazer Award – he is a promising young director and new friend of the fest. Monsters is a 2-hander, starring Whitney Able and Scoot McNairy, a pair of Americans who were recently married and are here at EIFF on their Honeymoon. Aww!

The screening was the first at Edinburgh, and Gareth graced the stage alongside his producers, and most members of the small crew were present. The film itself is set in South America, where alien species are roaming across the land. As the borders are closed and quarantined, Samantha and Andrew undertake a long, harrowing journey home. It’s an impressive first feature with special effects far beyond what you’d expect, making great use of a small budget. While unfulfilling in some areas, it eschews the usual genre expectations and is fun to watch.

More updates to follow, and Day 4 is the big UK premeire of Toy Story 3! As always, you can keep up with my live tweets on Twitter @.

A charming film from Shimmy Marcus, SoulBoy is the story of Joe (Martin Compston, Sweet Sixteen), an aspiring cool guy in his late-teens. Life in Stoke-on-Trent becomes more exciting when a new girl in town (Nichola Burley) introduces him to the world of Soul. With his heart set on her, he throws himself into the Northern Soul music scene, making his first appearance at its epicentre: Wigan.

It would be easy to slap a “coming of age” badge on this film in the same way that the soul kids advertise their favourite artists on their leather bowling bags, but SoulBoy deserves a more nuanced description.
No issue is left untouched, giving Joe a place in the real world of relationships, role models, moral decisions, and demons. Its setting is tight in scope but universal in story as Joe tries to find his place in an established culture with customs, behaviours, and a strict social hierarchy.

The soul tunes set the tone with a bouquet of hits to reflect every occasion. Meanwhile, a subtle nostalgia is at play with the warm tones and smooth rhythms of the dance-floor.

An endearing British film that hits all the right notes.

Day 1 - Opening Gala, Red Carpet, The Illusionist & Opening 'Do.


Edinburgh International Film Festival's 65th year began in style last night with the classiest of red carpet events. The Opening Gala film, The Illusionist, attracted guests from Scotland and beyond. With showgirls, ladies on 6-foot stilts, strongmen, and a jazz band, the red carpet rolled out upon Nicholson Street in front of EIFF's newest venue, the Festival Theatre.

Guest stars included newly-Knighted Sir Patrick Stewart, Scotland's own Sir Sean Connery and Ewan Bremner, comedians Scott Hill and Ben Miller, a gorgeous America Fererra, and ex-Bond Girl Brit Ekland. Director of the opening film Sylvain Chomet looked delighted, taking in the spectacle and giving interviews. We live-tweeted some quick photos from the press pen, which you can see at the @ Twitter page.

As the guests sat down to enjoy some more festivities and the premiere screening of The Illusionist, I scurried off home to prepare for the opening party. The big news from the screening was Sylvain Chomet's announcement that, "Edinburgh is better than Cannes!" What a charming man!

The opening party was soon in full swing at the Teviot - part of the University of Edinburgh. It's a lovely old building and classic student union, full of winding staircases and hidden rooms that you only find when searching for a lost pal. Lots of press members were there. Chomet was the first one spotted, having a lively conversation on the staircase. Ewan Bremner and Mark Cousins were chatting away, and apparently Simon Murdoch passed by several times. Maybe next time!


Day 2 - Feeling Fragile, first screenings & Pelican Blood Red Carpet
It was a slow start this morning, with an ambient buzz around the filmhouse after last night's festivities. Many foreheads were clutched and the pace was a little more relaxed. A lovely morning and the sun had his hat on all day!

After convening at the Filmhouse, it was time to get in on the press screenings. The first up was SoulBoy, a charming slice of life film about the Northern Soul music scene of the 1970s in Wigan. Another spotting of Sir Patrick, who is captaining the Michael Powell Jury. SoulBoy is nominated for the Michael Powell award. Mark Cousins was also in attendance. A full review of SoulBoy will be up in the morning.


On the way there, we also witnessed Sir Sean Connery unveiling a plaque in his honour at a nearby building.

Next up, Jean Reno's latest French feature, 22 Bullets (L'Immortel). It's a frenetically paced gangster drama that rains bullets and makes the familial relationships in Godfather look like an awkward blind date. Positively fraught with tense energy with absolutely stunning cinematography and a blinding score from Klaus Badelt. Definitely one to look out for.

The Pelican Blood World Premiere was next - with an understated red carpet event at the Cineworld Fountainpark. Tipped as one of the best British Gala films, it is another nominee for the Michael Powell Award. Sir Patrick made another appearance in full Highland dress, took some photos and made his way in for the picture.

Tomorrow looks to be fairly hectic, with lots of first screenings of some of the festival's biggest (and silliest) films, including Jackboots on Whitehall, Superhero Me, and the world premiere of comedian Ben Miller's debut film Huge.

Check back for more blog updates, and you can follow me on Twitter @ for live updates.

Brooklyn's Finest marks Antoine Fuqua's return to the mean streets.

Though the trailer had a distinctive Training Day feel to it, the only real similarity here is that it stars Ethan Hawke.

The 3-strand plot follows three cops whose interpretations of justice and fairness are scattered, jaded, and deeply personal: street patrol Eddie (Gere) has only 7 days until retirement, drug raid specialist Sal (Hawke) scavenges for drug money, and Tango (Cheadle) is an undercover ex-con.

Though their professional roles create a feedback loop, there are no overarching attempts to link the characters in the mode of Crash. Rather the stories play out as three different films, intercut in what feels like real time. Only at cursory moments do they cross paths.

Cheadle plays against type, proving that he can roll with grittier characterisations, though his performance is more understated than those of his nefarious contemporaries. Straddling the line between renegade and cop brings turbulence when he is assigned the task of framing his best friend and former gang buddy.

Though Tango is not the most interesting character in his group, he far outshines Gere's Eddie, a jaded alcoholic officer. After 22 years on the force the only respect he gains is from the new kids, and even they will cross him. Lonely, cynical and hardened, he has not much to offer. Pathetic and generally unsympathetic, he is by far the dullest part of the film.

Most interesting is Sal, Hawke's family man, who has 5 kids and another on the way. In the opening scene we find him in a car, trading stories with a man whom he kills for a wad of cash. The man in the car tells him that a man will pay any price to save his own life. Sal, we soon learn, will do anything for his family. Tortured and praying for help over forgiveness, his moral compass points due "family" and he has no qualms about taking lives for what is rightfully theirs. An excellent performance from Hawke.


Brooklyn's Finest is the type of film Fuqua does best. Towards the end, though, the connection that draws all three cops into the same building is complicated and requires a little too much exposition.

Intense without pretence, but ultimately forgettable.

Brooklyn's Finest is released in the UK on Wednesday 9th June.

The Big Picture Magazine is, in its own words:

the new visually-focussed free film magazine that goes beyond the borders of the screen to reveal cinema's unique power to entertain, inspire and connect to each and every one of us.
The free magazine (and the accompanying website) offers an intelligent take on cinema, focussing on how film affects our lives. Aimed at the enthusiastic film-goer at large, The Big Picture provides an original take on the cinematic experience. Drawing from cinema's fundamental visual power, The Big Picture turns traditional magazine publishing on its head, allowing the powerful filmic images to do the talking rather than masses of text.

I picked up this magazine at my Glasgow Film Theatre in February and was instantly engrossed. The images are beautiful (no surprise, as editor-in-chief Gabriel Solomons is a designer) and the editorial pieces are wonderful.

Published by Intellect Books - who also publish journals like Film Matters and Film International - it's a brilliant free publication for film-lovers. If you've ever felt like Empire's mainstream content isn't cutting it, this is the magazine for you. As I flipped through its beautiful glossy pages, I thought about how it was the kind of publication I'd like to become invovled in.

So I did.

My Spotlight piece entitled Almost Human is currently on the homepage.

I'd be delighted if you read it.

If you are interested in picking up a copy of the magazine, there is a list of outlets here. You can also download it for free. New issues are released every two months.

What is your favourite film magazine?

[Image from TBPM website.]