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 @robotnic.
