Patrick Gamble
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EIFF 2012: ‘Never Too Late’ review
★★★☆☆ Former music video and television director Ido Fluk premiers his debut feature film, Never Too Late (2012), to UK audiences at this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival. A touching and sumptuously fashioned drama about a young man returning to Israel after spending eight years abroad, Never Too Late is an insular tale of self-discovery…
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EIFF 2012: ‘Chapiteau Show’ review
★★★★☆ Sergei Loban’s Chapiteau Show (Shapito-shou, 2010) is a sprawling, 207-minute epic tale of interwoven narratives, musical vignettes and surrealist comedy all set in a sun-drenched Crimean holiday resort. A daunting and challenging proposition for any film festival patron, yet one which richly rewards your patience and commitment. Four separate stories combine to create an…
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EIFF 2012: ‘The King of Pigs’ review
★★☆☆☆ South Korean director Yeon Sang-ho’s The King of Pigs (Dwae-ji-ui wang, 2011) is a dark and harrowing depiction of school yard bullying and one of only a hand-held selection of full-length animated features at this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival.Jong-Suk and Kyung-min are two childhood friends both experiencing problematic periods of their adulthood. They…
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EIFF 2012: ‘The Imposter’ review
★★★★★ Bart Layton’s The Imposter (2012) is a prime exponent of how fact can sometimes be far stranger than fiction. This delicately constructed documentary tells the remarkable true story of how French con artist Frédéric Bourdin duped a Texan family and the American government into believing he was Nicholas Barclay – a young boy missing,…
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EIFF 2012: ‘Young Dudes’ review
★☆☆☆☆ Yin-jung Chen’s Young Dudes (2012) is a Taiwanese comedy drama set against a dark, post-apocalyptic backdrop. However, despite being perfectly pitched for an open-minded film festival audience, this high concept sci-fi infused piece of surrealist cinema confounds far more than it intrigues.Aspiring rock musician Adam (Wang Po-Chieh) is obsessed with a forthcoming apocalypse, rumoured…
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EIFF 2012: ‘Tabu’ review
★★★★★ Portuguese director Miguel Gomes’ third feature Tabu (2012) is an impassioned love story which draws its influences from the early romantic era of 1930s Hollywood filmmaking. Already heralded by critics as one of the stand-out films at the 2012 Berlinale, Tabu is by far one of the most anticipated films at this year’s Edinburgh…
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EIFF 2012: ‘Rent-a-Cat’ review
★★★★☆ Naoko Ogigami’s Rent-a-Cat (Rentaneko, 2011) is a delightfully twee story of self discovery which successfully blends elements of Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Amélie (2001) with the sweet sentiment of Studio Ghibli. One of the most simplistic and accessible offerings at this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival, Rent-a-Cat is a delightfully refreshing palate cleanser compared to the more…
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EIFF 2012: ‘The Invader’ review
★★★☆☆ Belgium short filmmaker and visual artist Nicolas Provost brings his compelling and assured 2011 debut The Invader (L’envahisseur) to the Edinburgh International Film Festival. Acting as a refreshingly unbiased examination of illegal immigration and asylum seekers, Provost’s film is a surreal and demanding drama build around a sublime central performance by Issaka Sawadogo.Washed ashore…
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EIFF 2012: ‘Killer Joe’ review
★★★★☆ This year’s opening film at the Edinburgh International Film Festival is William Friedkin’s trashy, yet extremely provocative Killer Joe (2011). Starring Matthew McConaughey, Emile Hirsch and Juno Temple, Friedkin’s latest feature is a surreal, absurd and incredibly nauseating Texan film noir which will not only reshape your perception of McConaughey as a leading man…
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DVD Review: ‘Carnage’
★★★★☆ Roman Polanski’s Carnage (2011) sees the controversial director return to the minimalist cinematic stencil of his claustrophobic debut Knife in the Water. Adapted from Yasmina Reza’s play God of Carnage and starring Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, John C. Reilly and Christopher Waltz, Polanski’s latest foray into the bourgeoisie world of Manhattan is a perfectly…