Edinburgh Film Festival 2011: Day 3 - Elite Squad 2, Project Nim, Page Eight

In a bid to appear well-prepared, I watched Elite Squad last night, the 2007 Brazilian crime movie, ahead of a screening of its sequel today. I enjoyed it, although it gives me pause: I understood why some people thought it glamourised police violence. I don€™t necessarily think it does, or not any more than GoodFellas glamourises gangster violence, but I do find the central character fairly repugnant; he€™s the leader of the BOPE, a special unit in Brazil brought in because the normal police force is so corrupt and ineffectual. The movie portrays them as fascistic and uncompromising; while the first Godfather movie is about how a reasonable person can be corrupted enough to become a gangster, here is a movie that shows how a reasonable person can be corrupted enough to become a cop. The second movie has already been released in Brazil, where it is the highest-grossing movie ever. Yes, including Avatar. This is partly based on the popularity of the first, which has a huge cult following in Brazil, but also because unlike most sequels it doesn€™t just try to repeat the first movie and takes the characters in some interesting new direction; this movie adds politicians to the list of the corrupt. Often in the two movies the BOPE, not the gangsters, are portrayed as the more violent and remorseless. The films walk a fine line, between endorsing and observing, but they are interesting, very well-made movies. I could do without the narration, which is overly simplistic and usually redundant; funnily enough I might have been more interested in the central character without it, as he€™d be more distant and ambiguous. However if you are a fan of the first movie then this one will not disappoint. I made a point of sitting near the front of the next screening, Project Nim because my viewing pleasure of Elite Squad 2 was impaired by a cretin at the end of the row who was a) using his mobile phone to illuminate his notepad, and b) clicking his pen constantly. That a Neanderthal man was able to write at all is impressive, I suppose, but I was fuming. There€™s an idea that goes around that critics use torches and light-up pens etc. when taking notes. I have only ever seen amateurs doing this. When press passes are issued, a quick test ought to be performed to see if you can write in the dark. It may require more decrypting after the movie, as you try to work out what the hell you wrote, but at least you won€™t be annoying everyone. I eagerly await the day when cinemas are policed by armed stormtroopers. Even if the illuminated imbecile had been nearby, however, I think I would have enjoyed the film, a documentary from the team behind Man on Wire. It concerns a chimpanzee brought up by humans in an attempt to test their communication skills, although it may tell you more about humans than chimpanzees. Animal lovers may find aspects of it upsetting; even in the critics€™ screening today there was quite a lot of sniffing going on. My full review is available on this site. The final movie I saw today starred Bill Nighy, whose face I believe appears in the dictionary under €˜sardonic.€™ It is a political thriller called Page Eight, and its impressive supporting cast includes Rachel Weisz, Michael Gambon, Ralph Fiennes, Judy Davis and Ewen Bremner. There is seldom a year at the Edinburgh Film Festival without at least one movie with Ewen Bremner, and he€™s particularly good here, as are most of the cast, which makes it a shame the film itself is so ordinary. Nighy plays an MI5 officer who is left a document by his boss, who dies soon after, with information in it that could incriminate top-level politicians. It is written and directed by David Hare, whose scripts for The Hours and The Reader have earned him Oscar nods, and his script here has some nice touches too; the characters are so used to lying that occasionally they catch themselves doing it unnecessarily €“ or, worse, catch themselves telling the truth. There€™s a supporting role for Tom Hughes, the most interesting of the young actors from Cemetery Junction; I have a feeling we€™ll see a lot more of him. But in the end it feels like so many other political thrillers; you€™d be better watching some of its influences, like All the President€™s Men, or The Ghost, or the TV series State of Play, which co-stars Nighy. The film itself was made by the BBC and will probably be on TV fairly soon; I imagine it will play better on TV. The Festival has made another late announcement: as well as the premiere of the Kings of Leon documentary Talihina Sky the Festival will be showing The Lion King in 3D. I like everything about that sentence except the last two words. I have no more interest in seeing The Lion King in 3D than I have in seeing a colourised version of The Maltese Falcon. Aside from the fact it was perfectly good in 2D, and designed that way, I€™m not sure exactly how hand-drawn animation will look in 3D. I am sorry to hear that the same thing is going to happen to Beauty and the Beast, one of my favourite Disney films. However I understand why the Festival is doing it; there€™s a notable lack of Pixar this year (previous Festivals have shown Ratatouille, WALL-E and, last year, Toy Story 3) so it provides something for children. But I wish Disney would stop trying to squeeze money out of old cash cows (or lions) and focus on something new. Adam Whyte, our man in the Highlands is attending the Edinburgh Film Festival. Check out all his reviews HERE.