Dylan Matthew's blog

I can tell you this year's EIFF has nearly taken it out of me. I decided to go for a swim this morning to try and remember what its like to not be in a cinema and to feel...well just to feel anything to be honest. In the last two weeks, my muscles for doing anything physical have atrophied into a sitting half awake position and consequently I sank to the bottom of the pool like a stone the second I jumped in.

I can’t hear anything this morning. My ears are bleeding thanks to Scotland’s premier psychedelic post rock band who didn’t just play very loudly last night at the HMV Picture House but played through speakers that were actually 747 aircraft engines. Well, it seemed that way to me.

A couple of hours after seeing Spread (see previous blog) I went to see what is probably the most anticipated film of the EIFF, a film that couldn't be further removed from the charming warm breeze of Ashton Kutcher if it tried. I have folks, survived the ordeal that is Antichrist.

A team of road maintenance specialists set upon my head this morning with a pneumatic drill accompanied by a klaxon like siren at the ungodly hour of 8am.

Apologies to anyone who’s been frothing at the mouth with anticipation for my promised daily pearls of wisdom from the EIFF but I have a small confession to make. I have a job. Another job.

Once more unto the breach my friends. I’m back and I’m ready for my annual cinematic adrenalin shot in the arm. The Edinburgh International Film Festival is back and the twain shall coincide once again.

Completely against my predictions (I plumped for Duane Hopkins Better Things), the prolific and ever popular Shane Meadows (having come close once before) wins the Michael

I have it on very good authority that to include the words 'Mae West' and 'Smelly Feet' into my blog and its title will ensure it thousands of hits in a matter of seconds so let's call this particular blog entry a social experiment. Now let's just skip that madness and get back to the real biscuit in hand - the very last official day

EIFF Blog - Day 10. I racked up another Michael Powell Award contender last night in the shape of Matthew Thompson's debut feature Dummy.

A quick update. Since scribing a few words back there in my last blog on Better Things, I ought to tell you that I also saw Helen, also in contention for the Michael Powell award and Wall-E

Well I have an hour to kill so I might as well kill it with a wee update. I'm racing now to finish seeing all the Michael Powell award contenders before the winner is announced

It's Day 8 of the Edinburgh Film Festival and time for another blog around the block. Yesterday proved to be a more fruitful venture with two great films in a row and a rain sodden rooftop party for the festival to thank Scottish Screen (the government funded agency for film in Scotland) for its continued support

Considering the few films I've managed to see between writing reviews and being tractor beamed unwillingly into various parties (such a chore), trying to predict festival winners at this stage would not only be foolish, but mathematically about the same as correctly predicting lottery winners.

Last night, once again, completely against my will (a man did have a gun to my head after all), I had to throw down the pad of paper and

Well, I've had a day off from the film festival as I could tell my body was shutting itself down against my will two nights ago.

Surely I'm not losing my touch?

This morning the usual panic induced coffee fuelled sprint across the city to see press screenings was halted by a phone call from my close friend Ruth who announced that she’s given birth to a b

I woke up this morning with a small green pixie stamping violently on my forehead

Well it's bucketing down with rain and naturally I'm in the middle of town without an umbrella and about to go off to the party for The Edge of Love, which I reviewed in an ear