Tag: EIFF
-
Iona.
Scott Graham’s Iona references both the film’s setting and its central character. Iona and her teenage son wash up on the shores of Iona, running from a violent past in Glasgow. It’s instantly apparent that Iona is returning rather than arriving. For Iona, the island is a place filled with happy memories but also a…
-
Learning to Drive.
When her 20 years of marriage comes to an abrupt and painful end, Wendy finds herself heartbroken and unable to move forward – in more ways than one. The process of beginning to move on from her failed marriage is linked to her attempts to learn to drive. Two decades of dependency on someone else…
-
Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon.
The clue’s in the title. Documenting the rise of the National Lampoon magazine and its prominence within outrageous humour and American pop-culture, Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon is the tale of one of contemporary American comedies most prolific outlets. Beginning with the satirical journalism and later looking at the presence…
-
Sunshine Superman.
Werner Herzog’s Grizzly Man meets James Marsh’s Man on Wire in this triumphant documentary about one man with one intense passion for throwing himself off of cliffs; the art of BASE jumping. For Carl Boenish, sky-diving just wasn’t enough of a thrill. His passion for heights and adrenaline enabled him to carve out a career in…
-
Manglehorn.
An unsettling study of one man’s loneliness, in the wake of his many mistakes, Manglehorn is the uncertain but occasionally gripping new Al Pacino movie. Director David Gordon Green doesn’t manage to maintain the tenacity or conviction he showed at last year’s Edinburgh Film Festival with Joe. Still, developing greatly from his Pineapple Express days, Green…
-
Welcome to Me.
Kristen Wiig’s performance in The Skeleton Twins mesmerised me at last year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival. She returns this year in Welcome to Me – a satirical comedy about the narcissism of American daytime television culture by director Shira Piven. Maintaining a constant absurdity but also delighting with some serious straight-faced, dry wit, Welcome to Me is a…
-
Maggie.
Henry Hobson’s debut Maggie is an indie zombie-drama about an unshakeable bond between a father and daughter. We first meet Midwest farmer Wade as he’s searching for his oldest child. Once reunited we quickly learn that he’s been looking for her for a fortnight. His efforts to bring his daughter home pay off, but only temporarily.…
-
She’s Funny That Way.
She’s Funny That Way follows in the success of Birdman, another comedy about the chaos of putting on a theatre piece. Unlike the Oscar hit, the new film from Peter Bogdanovich spends more time outside the theatre than in it; back-tracking through the earlier moments in the lives of all involved. Like a bad Woody…
-
Love and Mercy.
A musical biopic with a twist, Love and Mercy portrays The Beach Boys genius Brian Wilson at two different points in his life. A younger Wilson (played by the terrific Paul Dano) struggles to lead the band in an agreed direction. Trying to create great, innovative music whilst dealing with signs of concerning mental health problems…
-
Amy.
As so many had to be with the singer herself, be patient with Amy. Spanning over two hours, Asif Kapadia’s new documentary explores the life and career of jazz singer Amy Winehouse. Incorporating archive footage, home movies and voice-over interviews with those entangled in her life, Amy focussed on the talent and troubles that consumed the…
Hannah McHaffie 