Not Long To Go Now!

So, I'm still surviving the festival season in Edinburgh. Haven't punched anybody yet but I've been sorely, sorely tempted. I've even deigned to go and see a few shows, though most of them in the first weekend when everything is cheap. I still think they should have a cheap couple of days at the end of the festival, at least if you can produce your council tax bill!

The best thing I've seen this year was Fuertabruza in the big black tent at Ocean Terminal. I can't even describe what this show was, except for a sensory feast. Unfortunately Kirsi and I arrived late for the performance so we had to traverse the dark blackness ourselves, which was quite scary. We eventually found ourselves in the centre of the tent, standing with the rest of the audience, gazing up at what looked like a large tin tea tray with a man suspended on one side and a lady on the other. The tray thing was spinning around and the couple were... for lack of a better word - performing on either side. There was loud techno music and lighting effects as well. I'm sure it sounds godawful but it was one of the most mesmerising spectacles I've ever seen. The rest of the show was much of the same confusing spectacles for spectacle sake but I thoroughly enjoyed all of it.

Naomi and I went to see Richard Herring doing his show (see above) and I laughed my ass off. It's all about how he's reached 40 and is questioning how much longer he can get away with not growing up. A question I know I ask myself and I'm hoping the answer is a whole heck of a lot longer! He's got a blog that I keep meaning to check out but I haven't got around to it. Forking Facebook! Hey Nat, maybe you should check his blog out now that you need to find alternative things to keep you busy at work? He's very funny.

Shakespeare for Breakfast was up to its usual silly standard. The premise this year was a bunch of Shakespearean characters on a plane which has crashed on a desert island... Puck decides to cause mayhem amongst MacBeth, King Lear, Cleopatra (coming at ya!), Hamlet and the nurse from Romeo and Juliet. Hi jinks do ensue with Lear sporting a pair of donkey ears and Hamlet wandering around being indecisive (there's a surprise!). And there was, as always, the free coffee and croissant as a reward for dragging your ass to see Shakespeare (no matter how silly) at 10 o'clock in the morning.

Apart from that I've seen one film in the Film Festival, a proper festival experience at that. A low-budget Scottish effort called My Life As A Bus Stop. It's based in Edinburgh and is about several characters who are trying to make it in the movie business. A producer who has no script, a director who has no money and a couple of actors who have no talent. I did enjoy this movie but I think I would have been more enthusiastic if it had been based anywhere except Edinburgh. The horrible people seemed even more horrible because there was the slight possibility that if they were real you might run into them somewhere. Edinburgh is a very small place! Apart from that I am glad to have given my hard earned cash to support Scottish film makers. If I'd taken a chance on something else and had the same reaction I may have grudged the ticket money more. That's the trouble with the festivals - you are not guaranteed value for money. Sigh.

However, I have tickets to see Ratatouille on Saturday and Stardust on Sunday and I think it's a safe bet that I will enjoy both of those. Manolo the Shoeblogger gave enthusiastic praise for Ratatouille when he saw it and Stardust has Robert DeNiro as a flying pirate. Oh hells yeah! I'm sold right there :o)