God Bless America (15)
HH
Dir: Bobcat Goldthwait
With: Joel Murray, Tara Lynne Barr
Running time: 104 minutes
AT the bleak heart of this crime comedy is Frank (Joel Murray) who has had more than enough of modern American life, from TV talent shows that exploit the vulnerable for laughs, to the selfishness of his noisy neighbours and their crying baby. Frank, frankly, is mad as hell and isn't going to take it any more. What he does about it may not be that surprising to fans of writer-director Bobcat Goldthwait's extreme brand of comedy, and that's the trouble – it's all too predictable and heavy-handed. The bad taste comes as an unwanted extra.
Cameo, Edinburgh, Wednesday, Friday, 8.20pm; and Saturday, 3.30pm, Cineworld Fountainbridge, as part of the EIFF.
California Solo
HHH
Dir: Marshall Lewy
With: Robert Carlyle, Alexia Rasmussen
Running time: 93 minutes
ROBERT Carlyle, pictured, plays a Scots music star now living the simple life down on a Californian farm. Burdened by events in his past, Lachlan never wants to see the old country again. A run-in with the police, however, means he might have to get on a plane home if he can't think of a solution to his immigration problem. Writer-director Marshall Lewy keeps the story straightforward, relying on Carlyle's charisma to keep us watching. He duly does what is needed, throwing in some Begbie-style anger while he's at it, but for all the rock star strands to the tale it's rather dull. Rocking scenery, though.
Tonight, 6.10pm, and Saturday, 1pm, Cineworld Fountainbridge.
Eddie – The Sleepwalking Cannibal
HH
Dir: Boris Rodriguez
With: Thure Lindhart, Alain Goulem
Running time: 83 minutes
BEWARE films with titles that promise much. See Snakes on a Plane, the hype and disappointment, for more details. This time it's Boris Rodriguez's turn to heighten expectations with this tale of a Danish painter who decides to up sticks to Canada for a job at an art school. It's while teaching there that he encounters the mysterious Eddie and his bizarre ways. Smile-worthy in places; otherwise, predictable and for a late-night student crowd only.
Tomorrow, 10.45pm, Filmhouse; and Saturday, 8.30pm, Cineworld Fountainbridge
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