Once there was a modest film blog, and it began with a review of an in-person event: Mark Kermode's It's Only a Movie book tour.

Well, we've come full circle, and much sooner than I had expected.

This weekend, I popped through to Edinburgh to take in the festivals and visit the bequiffed film critic on the first stop of his latest book tour. A follow-up to It's Only A Movie: Reel Life Adventures of a Film Obsessive; The Good, The Bad and The Multiplex examines blockbuster culture. Poking holes in the film distribution model, key rants include the existence of Michael Bay and why Pearl Harbour is one of the highest-grossing, worst films of all time. Kermode also discusses the reasons why Inception negates every excuse for the persistent dumbing down in blockbusters, and the notion of "diminished expectations".

Bonus features from the interview in Edinburgh also included a eulogy on the lost craft of projection - which gleefully coincided with a love-letter to Zac Efron (particularly his hair).

If you saw him on his last tour and listen to the Wittertainment radio show or podcast, there's not much new material here, but if you enjoy Kermode's trademark diatribes and eloquent written pontification, his presentation is always a joy.

An excerpt from the book was published in this week's Observer, and is available to read on the Guardian website. The book itself is released this .

Mark Kermode's The Good, The Bad and the Multiplex book tour continues in Shetland, Belfast, and various cities cross England throughout September. Click here for the full schedule.


Read more: The Art of Geting By review; Days of Heaven Giveaway

The Art of Getting By is indie film in a straight-jacket. Freddie Highmore returns to the screen as George Zinavoy, a fatalistic 17 year-old with a chronic lack of motivation. Preferring cultural pursuits like reading and painting to doing homework and preparing for college, he's the weird trench-coated figure you never got to know at school... with, presumably, better bathing habits. (Oh, and sit tight, the reason for the ridiculous surname will be revealed later.)

When he meets girl-next-door Sally (Emma Roberts) on the roof and takes the fall for their on-campus smoking habits, they become friends and - yes, well done - totally fancy the pants off of each other. Her friends think him a curiosity and her Mum's a bit of a hussy, so it's the perfect recipe for a terrifyingly realistic pretty girl with problems storyline.

At 1 hour 23minutes, it should be a cinch to get through, but it ekes out of the screen at something that feels closer to 123 minutes. An ambitious script spans from tricky student-teacher relations, family troubles, to a side of friendly backstabbing. Though neatly packaged, some storylines are abandoned too long in favour of others, creating a confusing timeline. Nonetheless, it's packed with enough nihilistic fodder to further anyone's existential crisis.

It's good to see Highmore back on screen, but his boots are heavy with over-characterisation, giving him little space to play with the more complex side to George that's almost certainly hidden in the subtext of earlier drafts. He is stuck between predeterminism and clueless crushing, leaving little room for personality in the middle. Emma Roberts adds little life to proceedings, ambling around in search of affection without the slightest charming feature and laughing unconvincingly at George's social idiosyncrasies. As their under-satisfied, over-privileged pals join the fray, it's clear that this is a film that's speaks more about the entrapment of adolescence than one man's crusade against his own overwhelming pessimism.

I recommend having your own existential crisis instead.

The Art of Getting By is released in UK cinemas this Friday 2 September.




Also in cinemas on 2 Sept: Terrence Malick's Days of Heaven (Giveaway)

Read more: One Day review

As you may recall, several few months ago I posted a rather tepid review of David Nicholls' One Day. I stand by it but, curiously, the film was not as bad as I had suspected. I haven't re-read it at the time of writing, so let's see how they compare, shall we?

One Day takes place over the space of a 20-year friendship between one Emma Morley (Anne Hathaway), an academically accomplished Yorkshire lass, and the loveable yet drama-prone Dexter Mayhew (Jim Sturgess). We meet the pair in their often separate lives every year on 15th July - a concept that completely passed me by until the film's release.

The first port of call is, inescapably, Hathaway's take on the Yorkshire accent which, though surprisingly not disastrous, is completely inconsistent. One moment she's an unremarkable middle-Englander, the next she's stepped into an episode of Emmerdale. Regardless, her inability to look as clever as she does pretty despite a parade of terrible haircuts and wonky glasses prevails. Sturgess is excellent as the handsome, playful but mortally unstable Dexter. Gliding through the years like the victim of an unstoppable bender, he's the true timeline of difficult years upon which the story rests.

The film, though, belongs to director Lone Scherfig, best known for her work on An Education. Partnered with Nicholls' own screenplay, it's a fitter, more pared down version of the book (which, at 400 pages instead of 250, was often interminably heavy on the "oh look he's gone alcoholic" moments). Edinburgh, London and, indeed, Paris glisten with the Scherfig sheen of cinematic nostalgia, adding sentiment to overwrought emotional scenes. One cannot escape that this is an story leaden with the disappointments of ageing, lost potential, and the sheer strain of human relationships. Having a visual key to the pair's ability to cling to one another through the years holds more true on screen than on the page. With a commendable sense of timing and a fantastic eye for locations, Scherfig's double decade is consistent and, particularly when reaching the noughties, surprisingly accurate.

A stand-out performance from Rafe Spall as Emma's hapless mid-way boyfriend Ian brings the true embarrassment of age. His bindingly sweet but slightly useless wannabe comedian beats out the radiant Patricia Clarkson for fringe character of the film. All players give good performances despite miserably drawn out disappointments and the film's veritable buffet of endings.

Beter suited to screen than scroll, One Day is uncomfortable viewing but really rather worth a watch, actually.


Read more: Giveaway - Terrence Malick's Days of Heaven at the BFI

I'm becoming a bit of a re-release obsessive. With recent re-releases of Apocalypse Now, Gilda, and Taxi Driver (to name but a few) I find myself glued to the Park Circus website and checking the GFT and Filmhouse programmes for upcoming classics.

After the massive fuss of The Tree of Life earlier this year, the BFI is reviving Terrence Malick's earlier classic, Days of Heaven, with a new restored print and this beautiful poster.


The film is screening across the country at cinemas including the BFI Southbank and, up here, Edinburgh Filmhouse. Full listings are available on the BFI website.

The lovely folk at the BFI have kindly offered one poster to giveaway to a lucky Uncultured Critic reader.

To enter, answer the following question in the comments:

• Which film would you most like to see back in cinemas?

The winners are: , , and !

And whaddya know, they're all bloggers - give 'em a follow at , Jaffa Films, and NeilRolland.com.

Thank you to everyone who entered the competition to win Animal Kingdom on DVD!

I'm hoping to run another giveaway very soon - in the meantime you can keep up-to-date with Uncultured Critic via , , or .

Read on: Comic Con Round-Up

Hey, did I mention I was going to Comic Con?

Last week, I decamped from Fresno to San Diego and, more specifically, Hall H. The biggest hall at the San Diego Convention Centre, it's where all of Hollywood's studios tout their latest movies with teaser trailers, first-look clips, and panels. This year opened with panels for Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1, Aardman Studios' Pirates! and Arthur Christmas. Pee Wee Herman also stopped by for a visit, while and 20th Century Fox showed off Prometheus and a whole lotta genre-riffic delights. But the real highlights arrived on Friday and Saturday with The Amazing Spider-Man, Tintin, and Twixt.