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Edinburgh Fringe 2008: 6 August

Posted on August 7th, 2008 by bryan.
Categories: Films, Theatre.

Wednesday 6 August

Today started with a check-up at the dentist and the news that I needed a filling. Great - just what you want to hear when you’re on holiday! Thankfully he could see me the next day, but still …

Anyway, I was in Edinburgh to enjoy myself. G and I met at The Beehive Inn, a well-known pub in Edinburgh’s Grassmarket, one of my favourite areas in the city. After a quick drink (more to shelter from the rain than anything else), we headed over the road to the Apex City Hotel, the obscure venue for our only show today.

‘A Brief History of Scotland - We Done Loads!’ (venue: Sweet Grassmarket) is a humorous look at Scotland’s contribution to culture, science, art and religion, from Adam and Eve through to Neds and Weegies (via Bonnie Prince Charlie). Although at times painfully stereo-typical, it is a good laugh - and you even get to see five men in kilts! Rating - ***/5.

We had planned a wander round the Fringe venues, but the weather was awful - rain bouncing two feet off the ground and heavy flooding. So instead we had a Chinese buffet at Chinois China China, before going to the cinema to watch The Dark Knight. This latest outing for Batman and The Joker was eagerly anticipated and I think the best. Christian Bale as Batman is good, but nothing special. Heath Ledger’s The Joker, on the other hand, is excellent - dark, funny and very seriously disturbed. There have been reports that the film will leave children brain damaged, but this does not credit them with any ability to contrast fact from fiction. Yes, at times, things get violent - but there are much worse films and the guts and gore are left to the imagination. Comply with the BBFC 12A classification, ignore the cheesy ‘invasion of privacy’ argument between Bale and Morgan Freeman and don’t take the plot too seriously, and you are sure to enjoy this film. Rating - ****/5 (and an Oscar nomination - but not award - to Ledger).

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