So arrives the end of the 2010 Edinburgh International Film Festival. As my first-ever experience of attending a film festival, I have to say I quite enjoyed it although setting my expectations maybe a bit to high I felt a bit underwhelmed. Unless I just wasn't catching the right films, I never found myself thinking, "Ah yes, here's this year's 'The Hurt Locker.'" To think that Kathryn Bigelow's Oscar-winner had its world premiere at EIFF last year! Amazing. Nonetheless, I'm happy I got to see some of the great films I did. Below is a breakdown of the 20 films I reviewed and their respective star-ratings, and below the break is a wrap-up of the most note-worthy ones to keep in mind for later in the year when some of these start getting more distribution in the U.S. along with my Top 5 list from the festival.

4 Stars

The Illusionist
Winter's Bone
My Words, My Lies - My Love
Get Low

3 1/2 Stars

Son of Babylon
Pelican Blood
SoulBoy
Jackboots on Whitehall
The Extra Man
The People vs. George Lucas

3 Stars

Skeletons
Fog
Snowman's Land
HIGH School

2 1/2 Stars

Nénette
The Rebound
Third Star

2 Stars

Cherry Tree Lane
My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done?

1 1/2 Stars

None

1 Star

Outcast

1/2 Star

None

It's safe to say that "Winter's Bone" should be watched as an award contender because it's already getting some limited release in the U.S. and rave reviews from critics. I could see this one getting remembered even through to Oscar season. It's that good.

"Get Low" will be in limited release on July 30th in the U.S. and will be most notably remembered for Robert Duvall's powerful performance. Oscar nomination? Depends on what else happens later in the year, but it's definitely a possibility.

"The Extra Man" also gets a July 30th limited release, and I could see it eventually making a wide release perhaps capturing the Wes Anderson audience. As for awards, as much as I'd like to see Kevin Kline get recognized, it's unlikely.

I can see "The Illusionist" getting nominated for Best Animated Feature up against the likes of "How to Train Your Dragon" and "Toy Story 3." Not sure how wide the release on that one will get, though. Or maybe it's too connected to a Scotland culture for U.S. audiences to care. Only time will tell.

"My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done?" is already make it around the arts circuit in the U.S. I can only see this one sneaking into some independent theaters.

As much as "The Rebound" could be something for wide U.S. audiences to mindlessly consume, it looks like Brett Freundlich's movies have bad luck making distribution in the U.S. His 2005's "Trust the Man" didn't go anywhere.

"Jackboots on Whitehall" could maybe hit some independent theaters in the U.S. if it's lucky, but I'm not feeling a wide release for this one. It's just too embedded in British culture and humor.

One of the biggest stories of the festival I think, is the potential for distribution that "HIGH School" holds. I'd really, really like to see it make wide release and be a sleeper comedy sensation. We can only cross our fingers and hope.

EIFF 2010 Top Five:

1. Winter's Bone
2. The Illusionist
3. Get Low
4. The Extra Man
5. Jackboots on Whitehall

EIFF Premiere: "Third Star" (2010)

With "Third Star" as the closing night gala, directed by Hattie Dalton who won a BAFTA for her 2004 short "The Banker," the festival goes out with more of a whimper than a bang. The film is a buddy comedy but also a wrenching drama as four friends prepare for the passing of one among them who is terminally ill from cancer. When touching on such a subject, it's hard not to lean toward putting on the schmaltz, and Dalton's film skirts past that thin line just before falling over.

James (Benedict Cumberbatch) has been ill for quite some time, ten years or so, and while he still has enough strength, his three friends take him on a trip to his favorite place: Barafundle Bay. Miles (JJ Feild) almost didn't come on the trip to begin with, Bill (Adam Robertson) has issues committing to the women in his life and Davy (Tom Burke) is overprotective of James and has the insatiable desire to feel wanted. They all say their goodbyes and head off their way with a yellow cart for James, plenty of luggage and even someone's tall-standing plant.

Their trek along the country and seasides is gorgeously shot with frequent silhouettes of the four men and the cart against the magnificent scenery as they push their way along. A moment at an outdoor pub sets the tone nicely as the four men get into a brawl, and we realize we're essentially watching a group of 30-year-old men recapturing their youth. An encounter with a strange fisherman looking for brown Darth Vader action figures is a highlight along with a fireworks display with humorously disastrous results.

During the more intimate conversations between the men, the film begins addressing cancer as a realistic subject without playing to be too sentimental about it. It's a refreshing take, one that is exchanged between James and Miles. It's harsh but truthful as Miles tells James cancer is no excuse to be an ego-maniac. In moments like these, the four actors really shine; however, it would have been beneficial for the film to be a bit longer to dig even deeper into these characters to feel more invested in them. We never fully know any one of these individuals enough to compensate for what's to come.

More investment would have made the ending of "Third Star" much easier to take, which takes an abruptly sharp turn into sentimentalism that borderlines unintentional melodrama. The rest of the film's enjoyably bittersweetness did not prepare me to have my heartstrings tugged at so furiously, and it ended up evoking less of an impact than what was obviously intended. Still, the movie is a nice blend of comedy and pathos that falls just a little too heavy-handedly.

EIFF Premiere: "The People vs. George Lucas" (2010)

This is such a fun documentary to watch as it presents the fans' perspective of the "Star Wars" franchise along with the man behind it all, George Lucas, who, throughout the course of the film, becomes an icon and a metaphor for something greater than even himself. George Lucas is a man easy to love as well as a man who's easy to hate, and to these fans, it is strictly a love-hate relationship.

"The People vs. George Lucas" takes on a topic that has an endless amount of material to address, and it does so in a concise and inventive way that is not for one minute boring or tedious. Directed by Alexandre O. Philippe, the movie shows how "Star Wars" exploded into the dynasty it is along with the passionate and loyal fandom it sparked. It begins with the importance of what Lucas had created back in 1977 as a defining film in a culture that would soon explode.

There is an arc to the fandom story that goes from admiration to raging hatred back to admiration. The hatred started with the announcement of the special editions, the updated versions of the three original "Star Wars" films that provoked mass outrage among fans due to its changes that Lucas considered improvements while others certainly did not. From here the movie dives into a fascinating contemplation on the responsibility of the artist. At what point does a film become a product of the times that should not be tampered with? Does the public eventually own the rights to a product of its culture? Fans felt Lucas removed that very privilege by refusing to re-release the original versions stating that the special editions were the real "Star Wars" he had envisioned.

And then came the prequels. Fans took these as George Lucas smirking and spitting in their faces, especially with the introduction of Jar Jar Binks. But then again, the fans of the original "Star Wars" films were adults by then, and Lucas argues that these are children's movies. Is it truly generational, or should have the franchise grown up with its original fan base?

As one interview states, it wasn't that the fans were asking for more "Star Wars" that were good but just for more "Star Wars."

The movie is strung together with a series of a variety of talking heads providing an array of perspectives from fans, critics and filmmakers. Interspersed with these are clips from fan films of the original "Star Wars" and humorous fan edits of how fans thought the prequels should have been done. Before seeing this movie, I simply had no idea how much "Star Wars" merchandise and fandom there really is, and the wide range of it is displayed here.

One of the most compelling moments comes from footage of an old interview with director Francis Ford Coppola. He labels the making of "Star Wars" as the loss of an auteur and says George Lucas is unfortunately trapped inside the corporate machine that "Star Wars" has become. Take into consideration films like "THX 1138" and "American Graffiti" Lucas had made before this, and just think about what else he could have done if it weren't for this.

"The People vs. George Lucas" manages to circle back around to admiration even as fans sure may despise him because, yes, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" gets mentioned along with the "South Park" episode that parodied what it meant to fans when Lucas made it. In spite of this, though, they can't put behind them the great entertainment he provided them with the original "Star Wars."

While playful in tone, this documentary is insightful into how media can play into one's own representation and memory of childhood along with what it means to be an artist in terms of what kind of control they have against the public's digestion and consequential adornment of the work. So then, did George Lucas really rape the people's childhood?

EIFF Premiere: "Get Low" (2010)

There is a 1930s American folk tale about a reclusive old man named Felix Bush (Robert Duvall) who is feared by most people in town. There are legends surrounding him about the terrible deeds he has done and the men he has killed with his own bare hands. Felix arrives into town to begin planning for his funeral service, an event that all the townspeople are invited to attend. The catch is that it's a funeral party, and Felix will be there in attendance not dead but alive.

Aaron Schneider's "Get Low" is inspired by this tale, and the film does an excellent job of conveying the mood and feel of the old South. Set in rural 1930s Tennessee, the cinematography from David Boyd is frequently beautiful to look at. This is Schneider's feature-length directorial debut as he won an Oscar for his short film, "Two Soldiers," and he proves to have a keen sense of balance and timing. He is confident at telling this seemingly slight story that turns out to be emotionally involving and satisfying. With sly humor and quieter more intimate moments in equal value, Schneider and his writers strike a pleasantly restrained chord in this old legend and set the showcase for some compelling characters.

Upon hearing that Felix had come into town looking for a funeral, Buddy (Lucas Black), a young employee at Quinn's Funeral Home, heads out to Felix's lone cabin in the woods with his boss, Frank Quinn (Bill Murray). They quickly strike up a deal even with the odd request of throwing a party as Frank's eyes light up at the sound of a big payout because his funeral home business is failing. "What do you do when people won't die?" he asks. Frank and Buddy soon find out the type of man, and consequently man of legend, they're dealing with. Felix gets brought onto a radio show, and there he offers folks raffle tickets with his valuable property as the prize working as incentive to get people to show up. He knows people have stories to tell about him, and he wants to hear them all.

A soft-spoken widowed woman, Mattie (Sissy Spacek), comes back into town and is curious to hear that Felix is showing himself after so long. "There's nobody like him," she says. The scenes between Mattie and Felix are the movie's most heartfelt and sentimental as they mull over the ideas of loss, death and forgiveness. "The list of people going gets longer and longer," Mattie says. "I'm waiting for my name to be called." Turns out that Felix doesn't so much want to hear other stories at his funeral than he does want to tell his own. He's been carrying a burden of guilt for the past 40 years. Even an old friend of Felix's, Rev. Charlie Jackson (Bill Cobbs), is reluctant to speak for him at the funeral.

And I've yet to even mention Robert Duvall's astonishing, finely nuanced and downright Oscar-caliber performance as Felix Bush. He is a superb actor, and his work here is both humorous and sorrowful. Playing a cranky hermit could easily have led to a caricature, but Duvall sidesteps that and molds a fully-fledged man who may have a few screws loose but is also affectionate. Duvall is backed with an equally fine supporting cast. Spacek is sweet and lovely, Lucas Black is effective, Bill Cobbs is wise and solemn, and, most of all, Bill Murray is hilarious with all of his gestures, glances and snappy jokes.

Once the build-up of anticipation for Felix's funeral party is released, "Get Low" hits its stride. Duvall's delivery of Felix's confession will have you wiping your eyes dry, the signal of a masterful performance and ranking among the most powerful and memorable moments I've seen on-screen so far this year.