Edinburgh Film Festival 2010

The Annual Apology

As you may have noticed, I only managed three full days of blogging last year, which is an appalling FAIL on my part. Obviously I was just having too much fun, so I'll try very hard not to have as much fun this year. One of my reasons for starting the blog in the first place was so that I'd have mini-reviews (that could easily be knocked up into ViewLondon reviews) all ready to go when the films eventually got released, so it was actually a massive pain in the arse to have to review several of last year's films from memory (Boogie Woogie) and in some cases (Spread, My Last Five Girlfriends) I had to actually see the films again, because I couldn't remember a single thing about them. On a similar note, I am intending to go back over last year's blog and at least fill in a few interview links on the films I ended up reviewing when they came out, but I think we both know how likely that is.

The Story So Far

Anyway, I've been here since Sunday afternoon and apart from being an Annual Special Guest on Duncan's team at the monthly FilmHouse Film Quiz (we came third, destroying our perfect record, at least as far as the June quiz was concerned) I've mostly been trying to get a stack of reviews done before the festival starts on Wednesday. So far: two down, thirteen to go. Argh.

A Few Random Thoughts

1) As is tradition, I spent the four and a half hour train journey going through the programme and sorting out my screening schedule. I've highlighted a list of 60 films I really want to see (eight more than last year and the year before that) but I know from the year I actually did see 60 films in 13 days (Edinburgh's 60th anniversary - it seemed like a good idea at the time) that that's next to impossible, so I'll settle for the more usual 42. The only problem is deciding which 18 films not to see, if you see what I mean.

2) I'm staying at the Budget Backpackers hostel again this year. I had hoped, what with this being my 10th Edinburgh in a row (and also covering it for ViewEdinburgh for the third year running) that some kind soul might have offered me a Guest Of The Fest hotel room, but no such luck. Still, it's not all bad - Budget Backpackers have free wi-fi now (well, £1 for 7 days, but close enough), which should help things enormously.

3) Like last year, I'll be doing a review per day for ViewLondon's sister site ViewEdinburgh.co.uk, but I'll also be posting links to them here, along with potted reviews of basically everything I see while I'm up here. Aiming to manage more than three days of blogging this year but, well, I say that every year. Still, hope springs eternal and all that.

4) And finally, the same bit of pedantry as last year (and the year before). In previous years, I've called the first day of press screenings "Day One", but that's confusing when the festival actually starts a day later. In 2008 and 2009 I called the first day of screenings "Day Zero" and no-one died, so I'm doing the same again this year.

5) With Budget Backpackers, the newly-discovered sockets in Monbodo and my genius system for sneakily using the power sockets in the FilmHouse, I think I may have found the Holy Grail of quiet places to work with both sockets and free wi-fi. Whether this translates into actual productivity remains to be seen.

6) EastEnders Watch: Sanjay's here every year, Mel (Tamzin Outhwaite) was here in 2003 or so, I interviewed Mas last year and apparently Zoe Slater: Terminator (aka ManHands) is turning up for the Huge premiere. Goal for this year: Interview Zoe Slater.

7) No press screening as yet for Mr Nice, even though every single other filmhas a press screening. Very annoying. Sort it out please, E1. No press screening = no reviews.