Edinburgh Book Festival 2008 appearance.

Just another reminder that I will be appearing at an interview session as part of the Edinburgh Book Festival 2008 on Friday August 15th. Event starts at 4.30pm and lasts an hour and there will be a sketching and signing opportunity afterwards in the bookshop area. Seats are free but limited so you would be best to get in touch with the organisers quickly to guarantee a place. Details are to be found here.

The interviewed will be conducted by Hanna Sommerseth and focus mainly on Dare and Vertigo work. We will also cover most of the last twenty years of my career and there will be a Q&A for any attendees wishng to hear some industry gossip. Should be fun and I hope to see you there.

This was a last minute event and doesn't show in the main printed programme. You will have to search the Edinburgh Book Festival site to confirm details.

Dark Knight on IMAX.

Finally saw the IMAX version of Dark Knight at the Glasgow Science Centre last week. Defintely recommended! The film features five sequences shot in the IMAX format while the rest of the movie is upconverted by the DMR process, maintaining a high quality throughout. If you haven't experienced a proper and pure IMAX feature (previous movies have been DMR processed only) then the Dark Knight is a must. The majority of the film is shot in a traditional 2.25 ratio with the IMAX sequences (or framing shots) in the full almost square format. Not as distracting as you may think. If anything, it opens out the picture so much as to extend beyond your peripheral vision and really draws you into the movie. Wonderful!

The opening bank heist is all the more stunning for it's attention to detail and clarity. Near 3D effect with the close ups. The city flyover establishing shots (Hong Kong in particular) are near vertigo inducing. Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine get their 'moments' presented in the highest quality. The Batmobile/ Joker chase is a tour-de-force! A must see! For comic fans and film fans alike this is an amazing experience and the bonus opening trailer for Watchmen just rounds off a wonderful viewing opportunity.

Worth the extra price of a ticket? A resounding 'yes'! Just don't sit too close! Four rows from the front is terrifying! Especially with Heath Ledger's Joker face taunting you in close up.