Another year, another Rotten Tomatoes Critical Consensus Award, which we’re proud to announce is part of the official awards ceremony at this year’s Edinburgh Film Festival.
The Critical Consensus Award was first presented last year, to Swedish vampire flick Let the Right One In, which went on to become one of the year’s best-reviewed movies. The award celebrates the best of the Director’s Showcase section of the festival, and is voted on by a panel of film critics made up of freelancer Anna Smith; Wendy Ide of The Times; Charles Gant of Heat Magazine; Dave Calhoun of Time Out; David Edwards of The Mirror; Joe Utichi, UK editor of Rotten Tomatoes; and Chris Tilly, UK Entertainment Editor for IGN.com.
This year’s nominees, drawn from a shortlist prepared by RT and EIFF artistic director Hannah McGill, are:
– Adventureland (Greg Mottola)
– Humpday (Lynn Shelton)
– I’m Going To Explode (Gerardo Naranjo)
– The Missing Person (Noah Buschel)
– Stella (Sylvie Verheyde)
“I think they are all very accomplished films,” says panelist Anna Smith. “They’re all accessible despite coming from very different genres, and it was genuinely hard to choose between them this year.”
“This year, all the world was in Edinburgh,” comments Dave Calhoun. “This year’s selection was pleasingly diverse, ranging from Godardian antics in Mexico in I’m Going to Explode to the tragic-comic experiences of a suburban romantic in Adventureland and the memoir of a French filmmaker’s 1970s childhood in Stella.
The winner will be announced on Sunday at the festival’s official awards ceremony and we’ll have more from that event when it happens. Tonight, the Rotten Tomatoes Party will kick off in Edinburgh, where we’ll invite nominees, filmmakers and critics to raise a glass in celebration of the award.
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 Trip – Screening at 13:00, Filmhouse 1
Scripted by Jack Nicholson (yes, that Jack Nicholson), Roger Corman’s controversial LSD movie offers a surprisingly balanced account of the psychedelic experience and great counterculture cast: Peter Fonda is encouraged to experiment with LSD by drug guru pal Dennis Hopper and helped through his trip by caring beardie Bruce Dern. Given that the images are based on Corman’s own trip, Fonda’s hallucinations naturally resemble outtakes from the director’s gothic horror films, though there is a noble attempt to get weirder than usual. A highlight is Fonda’s freak-out when Dern’s use of the phrase ‘the living room’ persuades him that the lounge has come to life.
Today’s Highlights
Keep an eye out for these films amongst those playing at the festival today, Thursday 25th June.
– The Crimson Wing — Screening at 18:00, Cineworld
Disney’s Nature imprint kicks off with this documentary about flamingoes.
– The Missing Person — Screening at 18:30, Cineworld
Noir with a post-911 twist as Michael Shannon is a private detective searching for a missing husband.
– Giallo — Screening at 22:15, Filmhouse 1
Dario Argento has fallen out with his producers on this latest of his trademark horrors, this time in English and starring Adrien Brody. Word is this might be the film’s only festival appearance. Don’t miss it.
To book tickets for these films, click here. Join us again soon for more on these films and the Edinburgh Film Festival 2009.
