The stars of the indie film world descended on Edinburgh last night as two of the highest-profile films of the festival took their spot in the limelight. Jesse Eisenberg flew over to premiere Adventureland, while the Mexican contingent of Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna and Alfonso & Carlos Cuaron came to celebrate Rudo and Cursi.
Adventureland is the tale of a young man (Eisenberg) and his summer at a theme park in the eighties. Set to a kicking soundtrack and co-starring Kristen Stewart and Ryan Reynolds, it’s a comedy for the Juno generation and is drawn from the real-life experiences of director Greg Mottola.
Eisenberg, who told Rotten Tomatoes that he thought Edinburgh was the most beautiful city in the world, was pleased to learn critics were very excited by his film. Adventureland is, in the words of Kenneth Turan, “the kind of adventure we could all use more of.”
Roger Ebert agrees. “Director Greg Mottola, who made the rather wonderful Superbad, is back now with a sweeter story, more quietly funny, again about a hero who believes he may be a virgin outstaying his shelf life.”
With 88% on the Tomatometer it’s a Certified Fresh treat, but not all were so forthcoming in their praise. For Todd McCarthy, writing in Variety, Adventureland struck a sour note. It’s “a rather ordinary account of youthful summer misadventures.”
Rudo and Cursi hasn’t had quite the same welcome. It’s something of a reteam for Bernal and Luna, who played together in Y Tu Mama Tambien for director Alfonso Cuaron, and this time they’re being directed by his son Carlos. Rudo and Cursi are a pair of footballing brothers who hit it big only to let their habits and their egos jeopardize their careers. Clearly a comic portrait of the Mexican soccer leagues, it’s full of rich belly laughs and original humour.
But the critics found it to be fairly average. “Bernal and Luna bring the same casual and endearing spontaneity they showed in Y Tu Mama Tambien to the fore again here,” writes Amber Wilkinson for Eye for Film, but Chris Hewitt of the St. Paul Pioneer Press counters, “the movie lopes along behind the characters, both of whom are unlikable and neither of whom is interesting.”
Sitting at a modest 67% – even those down on the film agreed Carlos Cuaron shows promise his first time out — Rudo and Cursi hits UK cinemas this weekend.
What’s On Today
Roger Corman Retrospective by Kim Newman
Every day during the festival, Edinburgh will be showing one of B-movie legend Roger Corman‘s classics, leading up to a Q&A with the man himself — hosted by our very own Kim Newman – on Wednesday 24th. In celebration, Kim will be reviewing each of the films playing as part of our coverage of the festival.
– The Secret Invasion – Screening at 13:00, Filmhouse 1
A WWII rethink of Roger Corman’s Western Five Guns West, this beat Robert Aldrich’s Dirty Dozen to the screen with a tale of convicts pardoned in order to pull off a near-suicide mission. Stewart Granger is the pukka commander, and this mid-budget effort stretches only to a ‘filthy five’ — including Mickey Rooney as an IRA bomber who acts like a middle-aged leprechaun and Henry Silva as a cold-eyed killer out for redemption. It has a lot of guts — one character deliberately bleeds to death to distract hungry Nazi guard dogs while his comrades break into an Italian castle and another accidentally suffocates a baby.
Today’s Highlights
Keep an eye out for these films amongst those playing at the festival today, Monday 22nd June.
– Dubplate Drama — Screening at 16:30, Cineworld
The groundbreaking drama which began life online comes to the big screen. Two endings have been shot and the audience will decide which one screens.
– Spread — Screening at 20:30, Cineworld
Ashton Kutcher is the LA chancer who seduces the rich to live in luxury, but all comes tumbling down when he meets his female equivalent.
– The September Issue — Screening at 21:40, Filmhouse
What goes into the production of US Vogue’s biggest issue of the year? Blood, sweat and heartbreak as this doc gets unprecedented access to Anna Wintour’s crew.
To book tickets for these films, click here. Join us again soon for more on these films and the Edinburgh Film Festival 2009.
