Critical Week: Back in the UK

After two trips out of London in the past month (to Edinburgh and Los Angeles for film festivals and a bit of California holiday sunshine), I'm back home now and working to get my weekly screening schedule back up and running. It's always a challenge juggling communications with literally dozens of film press officers to make sure I cover as many movies as possible, and my diary is already starting to fill up.

As for the non-festival movies of the past three weeks, there have been a few stand-outs, including Michael Mann's elegantly understated Public Enemies, featuring especially vivid performances from Johnny Depp, Marion Cotillard and Bully Crudup; Bruno, featuring more hysterically biting comedy from the outrageously full-on Sacha Baron Cohen (pictured); the eye-catching new Disney-Pixar movie Up, which is literally a flight of imagination; and Woody Allen's Whatever Works, a very funny observational comedy about a grumpy genius.

In the next week I'll catch up with Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (I missed the first press screening while in L.A. last week), Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler in The Ugly Truth, Kim Basinger and Mickey Rourke in The Informers, Paul Bettany in Creation, Will Ferrell in Land of the Lost, Isabelle Huppert in Home, Lars Von Trier's Antichrist and Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus, aka Heath Ledger's last film.

Fest Day 12: Wrap-up

Well my two weeks of movie madness is over, as both the Edinburgh and Los Angeles film festivals came to a close yesterday. I saw 42 films over this past month - not too bad! Here are my favourite 10 films from both fests...

1. Mary and Max (Edinburgh) - pictured above
   
2. Garapa (Edinburgh)
3. The First Day of the Rest of Your Life (Edinburgh)
4. Fish Tank (Edinburgh)
5. Cold Souls (Los Angeles)
6. Amreeka (Los Angeles)
7. In the Loop (Los Angeles)
8. Big River Man (Edinburgh and Los Angeles)
9. Soul Power (Los Angeles)
10. Paper Heart (Los Angeles)

Awards were handed out at both festivals yesterday...

Edinburgh International Film Festival:
Michael Powell Award for Best New British Feature Film: MOON
Best Performance in a British Feature Film: Katie Jarvis (Fish Tank)
New International Feature Award: EASIER WITH PRACTICE
Audience Award: THE SECRET OF KELLS
Documentary Award: BORIS RYZHY
Critical Consensus Award: HUMPDAY
New Directors Award: Cary Joji Fukunaga (Sin Nombre)

Los Angeles Film Festival:
Audience Award: THE STONING OF SORAYA M
Audience Award - doc: SOUL POWER
Audience Award - intl: BORN WITHOUT
Filmmaker Award: Sam Fleischner & Ben Chace (Wah Do Dem)
Documentary Filmmaker Award: Juan Carlos Rulfo and Carlos Hagerman (Those Who Remain)
Outstanding Performance: Shayne Topp (Dear Lemon Lima)
Dream in Color Award: LIPSTICK

And now I'm taking a break for 10 days to recover. There are still a few films to be seen (aren't there always?) and reviews to write, but I think lounging on the beach might be a priority for a change.....

Fest Day 11: Friends and quirky lovers

Festivals in both Los Angeles and Edinburgh are winding up this weekend, and I'm looking forward to taking some time off to recover from my continent-hopping time at both festivals. I'll be back on Monday with the best of the festivals as well as the award winners. Here are a few films that are highlights of this weekend, including the Edinburgh closing film Adam (pictured). The first three films below are at Edinburgh, the last four at Los Angeles...

Adam
dir Max Mayer, 09/US **
Hugh Dancy stars in this strained and over-cute romance about a guy with Asperger's who strikes up a friendship with a neighbour (Rose Byrne) that leads to romance. The script is badly over-written, with dialog that's too smart and sweet for its own good and a plot that's so structured that there's no room for real life in it. Some moviegoers will fall for the quirky charm and pushy sentimentality, but others will find it nearly unbearable. > FULL REVIEW

Mary and Max
dir Adam Elliot, 09/Australia *****
My favourite film from both festivals, this animated movie for adults comes from the genius behind the short Harvie Krumpet. It's about a little girl in Australia who feels like an outcast and starts a pen pal relationship with a middle-aged man with Asperger's in Manhattan. The film combines raucous comedy and heartbreaking emotion, as these two people become an integral part of each other's lives over the decades - and each other's only real friend. The claymation-style imagery is simply stunning, but it's the characters wo win our hearts, beautifully voiced by Toni Collette and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs
dir Carlos Saldanha, 09/US ****
The first two films were nothing to get that excited about, but this one is actually more fun - with a stronger adventure-style plot and a couple of terrific new characters who bring some badly needed sharpness to the otherwise bland gang. First is Scratte, a female foil for our hero squirrel-rat Scrat, who provides both competition for that elusive acorn and a bit or silly romance. The second is the swashbuckling weasel Buck (voiced by Simon Pegg), who leads the "herd" on an action-packed odyssey to rescue the silly sloth Sid from a possessive T-rex mother. It's still corny and prone to sappiness, but the animation is better than ever. > FULL REVIEW

Hollywood Je T'Aime
dir Jason Bushman, 09/US ***
This feature feels almost like a sequel to Bushman's short Serene Hunter, which also starred the almost unbearably charming Eric Debets as a gay Parisian with relationship problems. In this film, a bad breakup sends his character to Los Angeles to start his life over - and in unnaturally quick succession he finds a place to live, a circle of friends and a great job. But part of the point is that, even if everything goes well and you're in the sunniest place on earth, you still have to deal with your personal baggage. The film is likeable and often very funny, but also recognises the dark side of things.

Cold Souls
dir Sophie Barthes, 09/US ****
Paul Giamatti plays an amusing version of himself in this surreal, Charlie Kaufman-esque comedy thriller about a middle-aged actor who puts his soul in storage so he can concentrate on playing Uncle Vanya. Yes, he feels a liberating lightness, but his talent disappears and his relationship with his wife (Emily Watson) is badly strained. But there's a nasty wrinkle when he tries to get his soul back, and he gets intangled with a gang of Russian soul traffikers. Witty and inventive (writer-director Barthes says the script was based on a dream), the film gives Giamatti one of his best roles ever. And beyond the riveting plot, it cleverly addresses issues of identity and humanity.

Amreeka
dir Cherian Dabis, 09/Canada *****
This insightful immigration drama is packed with fantastic characters and razor sharp observations. It's the story of a mother and son who emigrate from Palestine to Chicago to live with her sister (the fabulous Hiam Abbas) and family. and nothing goes as expected. Set in March 2003, the film examines American attitudes toward Arabs in a fresh, provocative way that really catches our attention. Even when the plot takes some slightly obvious turns, the characters are so vivid that we are always fully engaged with them.

Paper Heart
dir Nicholas Jasenovec, 09/US ****
This is such a sharply inventive mock-doc that it can't help but win us over. Yes, it's quirky and goofy, but it also has some interesting things to say about love and relationships. At the centre is comedian Charlyne Yi, who sets out to examine the reasons why she's incapable of falling in love by interviewing people all across the country. In the process of making the film, she meets actor Michael Cera and the two start a tentative relationship, which the filmakers within the film think will make a perfect counterpoint to her doc. The result is sweet and hilarious, and extremely well played by the cast.

Fest Day 10: A momentous day

The highlight of the L.A. festival yesterday was a 40th anniversary digital restoration of Midnight Cowboy followed by a wonderfully entertaining Q&A with Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman, during which they told raucous stories for more than an hour about making the film together. Meanwhile, outside the cinema, helicopters circled over the neighbouring hospital where Michael Jackson died yesterday afternoon - and Farrah Fawcett had died in the morning only a couple of miles away. A seriously surreal day.

Here are a few highlights from yesterday and today - the first two film films are at Edinburgh International Film Fest, the third and fourth are at Los Angeles...

Kicks
dir Lindy Heymann, 09/UK **
Two Liverpool teens freak out when their beloved football star is traded to Madrid, but instead of just sobbing themselves to sleep, they concoct a drastic plan to change his mind, kidnapping him and taking him to an abandoned caravan. From here, the film turns into a low-key thriller, as these girls don't quite know what to do next with the man they have loved so long from afar. The problem is that the film feels a bit made up as it goes along too - with contrived plot elements and no real sense of pace. But the three central cast members (Kerrie Hayes, Nichola Burley and Lee Doyle) are very good,

I'm Gonna Explode
dir Gerardo Naranjo, 08/Mexico ***
A combination of teen-angst drama and on-the-run road movie, this stylish Mexican film keeps us gripped through its unpredictability. At the centre is the privileged teen son of a right wing politician who links up with a working class girl while in detention. They concoct a brazen fake kidnapping scam that not only rattles the establishment but also gives them a taste of life outside the pressures of society. The dark, energetic story that follows has an anarchic Pierrot le Fou/Bonnie & Clyde tone to it, intriguingly told from a teen's point of view. > FULL REVIEW

Mid-August Lunch
dir Gianni DiGregorio, 08/Italy ****
We don't often see films that centre around characters who are middle-aged or older, but this charming comedy-drama keeps us engaged with sparky personalities and recognisably real situations. Writer-director DiGregorio plays a man who stays home in Rome with his mother while the rest of Italy goes on holiday. He reluctantly ends up watching three other mothers and aunts of two other people, and while they drive him round the bend, he also rises to the challenge with warm humour. There's not much plot, but the underhanded dialog and witty situations keep us smiling while making a lovely point. > FULL REVIEW

Passenger Side
dir Matt Bissonette, 09/US ***
This gently quirky drama centres on two brothers (well played by Adam Scott and the director's brother Joel Bissonette) who spend a day driving around Los Angeles on some sort of ill-defined quest. The premise is extremely simple, but effectively examines the relationship between these two men through sardonic dialog and snappy wit. Meanwhile, director Bissonette shoots the film in a slightly askance style that keeps us on our toes. It's a little meandering, and there's a loud clunk of plotting when things all come clear in the end, but it's an enjoyable journey.

Fest Day 9: Summer movie parties

Jonathan Caouette presented his new film All Tomorrow's Parties last night here in Los Angeles at a gorgeous screening under the open sky at the Ford Amphitheatre. The film was preceded by Spike Jonze's hilariously surreal new short We Were Once a Fairytale, starring Kanye West. Meanwhile in Edinburgh, All Tomorrow's Parties premiered to that festival crowd followed by a Mogwai concert.

Here are some other festival highlights from yesterday and today - the first two films are in Edinburgh, the second two are in both Edinburgh and L.A., and the last one was in L.A. only...

The Hurt Locker
dir Kathryn Bigelow, 09/US ****
Gritty and raw are the best words to describe this Iraq battlefield drama, in which Jeremy Renner plays the leader of a bomb squad team (which includes Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty). It's an anecdotal film, made up of a series of blisteringly tense set pieces. The through line is pure emotion as we watch these three men cope with the pressure in very different ways. Great cameos from Ralph Fiennes, Guy Pearce, David Morse and Evangeline Lilly. > FULL REVIEW

Garapa
dir Jose Padilha, 09/Brazil ***** After his gritty Berlin-winning Elite Squad, Padilha turns to a startlingly pure doc format for this film about hunger, following three poor families through their everyday life in a small city, a small town and an isolated rural village. Without making any commentary, Padilha just presents the images for us to see - and it's gorgeously shot in black and white, which makes it look like an Apu movie, or perhaps Italian neorealism. Utterly unforgettable. > FULL REVIEW

35 Shots of Rum
dir Claire Denis, 08/France ****
Here's another impressionistic drama from Denis and her ace cinematographer Agnes Godard. It centres on the relationship between a fatehr and daughter, both of whom find romance in unexpected places as the extremely loose story continues. As usual, Denis is looking at moods and emotions and connections, rather than a defined plot. But more adventurous filmgoers will find plenty to love about this beautifully observed film. > FULL REVIEW

All Tomorrow's Parties
dir Jonathan Caouette, 09/UK ***
Five years after his remarkable debut Tarnation, Caouette is back with this clever documentary about the unstructured UK festival. It's a collage-style film made up of both new footage and scenes shot by the fans - and it captures both the fantastic music (including the Gossip, Sonic Youth, Mogwai, Iggy Pop and Patti Smith) and the raucous, free-spirited atmosphere at the events over 10 years. But for those unfamiliar with the ATP movement, it feels like a bit of an inside perspective.

El General
dir Natalia Almada, 09/Mexico *** Filmmaker Almada starts with a series of audiotapes recorded by her grandmother, talking about growing up as daughter of the norotious Mexican strongman President Calles. From here, Almada examines issues of memory and history in evocative, intriguing ways. The film includes a wealth of old footage (including beautiful scenes from Eisenstein's Mexican films), and instead of trying to nail down a firm history of her great-grandfather's life, she instead examines the intriguing difference between the politician and the father - and also between Mexico's past and present. Intriguing, but a bit open-handed.

Fest Day 8: The big guns

After what felt like an interminable flight (due to shrieking baby behind me and ludicrous queues at LA Airport), I arrived at the Los Angeles Film Festival last night just in time to see the start of the cleanup after the star-studded premiere of Michael Mann's Public Enemies. (Pictured above, in case you don't recognise them, are Johnny Depp, Marion Cotillard and Christian Bale).

The sun is shining here in California, of course, but I will still be diving into darkened cinemas to see what I can find at this festival. Here are a few highlights from today's programme - the first film is both here in L.A. and at Edinburgh Film Fest. The other three are all at Edinburgh today...

Big River Man
dir John Maringouin, 09/US ****
Essentially, this film documents Slovenian Martin Strel as he attempts to swim the entire length of the Amazon (he had previously conquered the Mississippi, Danube and Yangtze). Narrated by his son, the film actually captures a remarkable tale of tenacity and madness, as the son watches his father lose his mind during the gruelling ordeal. Just as remarkable is the technical achievement of the film crew, which remains off screen and makes the doc into a gorgeously shot and edited drama that's utterly gripping.

Rudo & Cursi
dir Carlos Cuaron, 09/Mexico ****
Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna reunite for this lively Mexican film examining issues of fame and the economic divide. They play brothers who are drafted into the professional football leagues and deal with their success in very different ways. It's an energetic, extremely well-made film that sometimes feels a bit fragmented but really gets under the skin of the characters, who are extremely well played. > FULL REVIEW And Garcia and Luna are also at the LA Film Fest tonight to present a series of films about Mexico.

The September Issue
dir RJ Cutler, 09/US ****
Centring on the production of the September 2007 issue of Vogue, its largest issue ever, this documentary follows editor Anna Wintour on her globe-hopping job checking out fashion shows, overseeing photo shoots and picking out which photos are in and which are out. The film occasionally finds crasks in her ice-queen facade, but what makes it even more unmissable is the counterbalance of her colourful and brilliant creative director Grace Coddington. The tension between these women is both hilarious and sharp. > FULL REVIEW

Fear Me Not [Den du Frygter]
dir Kristian Levring, 08/Denmark ****
Ulrich Thomsen and Paprika Steen are terrific as a married couple stretched to the breaking point when the husband takes a leave from work and gets his brother-in-law to let him test some new anti-depressants. His changes of mood give him a creepy inner life that he completely hides from his wife and daughter, even as things get very, very scary. The film intriguingly asks whether the drugs give him an excuse for his erratic behaviour - and if there's any way back. Sleek and cool, and pretty scary too.

Fest Day 7: Family values

Kierston Wareing, Katie Jarvis, director Andrea Arnold and Harry Treadaway turned up for the premiere of their film Fish Tank at the Edinburgh International Film Festival yesterday. The Cannes-winner is a major candidate for a couple of awards here.

Meanwhile, I'm flying all day today - off to L.A. to attend the final days of the Los Angeles Film Festival. I always hate leaving London when it's this sunny and gorgeous here - but California sunshine isn't such a bad trade-off, eh? Besides, if you're going to sit in a darkened cinema, what difference does it make what's going on outside?

Here are a few highlights from the Edinburgh fest today...

The First Day of the Rest of Your Life
dir Rémi Bezançon, 08/France *****
This beautifully written, directed and performed drama traces the life of a family over 12 years - with scenes set on five key days over that period, each one centring on one family member. It's a simple idea, but the way it's put together is remarkably effective, as the film bristles with energy and humour, as well as some very dark emotions. And in the end, it's almost overwhelmingly moving in all the right ways. > FULL REVIEW

El Niño Pez (The Fish Child)
dir Lucia Puenzo, 09/Argentina ****
After her remarkable film debut XXY, Puenzo returns with an intriguing film that seems on the surface like a genre thriller, but is actually something much deeper. Her excellent lead actress Inez Efron is back as a rich girl who falls in love with her indigenous maid, and the two plan a daring escape from society, Thelma & Louise-style. But things don't go to plan, and when the girls are separated, their individual journeys actually bring them closer together. They also highlight some extremely serious social and racial issues in Latin America. And Puenzo shoots and edits it together like a lush dream. > FULL REVIEW

Easier With Practice
dir Kyle Patrick Alvarez, 09/US ****
This is Brian Geraghy's second film at the Edinburgh fest (he also stars in The Hurt Locker), but this is a much bigger role: he plays a nerdy writer who is paralysed by fear at the thought of meeting a woman. So when a mystery girl with a sexy voice calls him one night, he launches into what he thinks is a real relationship - but without ever meeting in person, isn't it just about phone sex? The film is one of those slightly over-quirky American indies that annoys us as much as it engages our sympathies (and makes us laugh at these oddball people). But there are some solid twists and turns in the plot, some terrific side characters and a surprising sting in the tail.