What do you do when you discover the culprit of a drugs ring dealing crazy-ass smack to orphans is the president of the United States? It's a quandary troubling Michael Jai White as the titular star of Black Dynamite, an hilarious spoof of Blaxsploitation cinema that played in Edinburgh yesterday.

"Jai White perfectly embodies the exaggerated characteristics of heroes of the genre like Shaft, Sweet Sweetback, and Super Fly," says Scott Collura of IGN. "But while much of this stuff is funny and engaging, it all starts to feel too familiar at about the halfway mark, leaving us with the sense that this entire concept would've worked better as a short film rather than a feature."

It's a view shared by many of the critics on the ground in Edinburgh, who agreed that while it's full of ample guffaws for much of its runtime, the joke soon wears off.

Sam Rockwell in Moon.

Impressing critics instead was Duncan Jones' Moon, starring Sam Rockwell as an astronaut in a base on the titular rock who's days away from completing a three-year stint and is keen to get back to Earth to his wife and daughter. Suffice to say, all doesn't go to plan, and in its low-budget/big-idea setup, it's a powerful debut film in the minds of many critics. Indeed, after a rollout in the US the film is Certified Fresh with 85% on the Tomatometer.

"Moon really gets under the skin as it probes the nature of humanity while keeping us on the edge of our seats," writes Rich Cline for Shadows on the Wall while Roger Ebert delivers a fine verdict for the film. "Moon is a superior example of that threatened genre, hard science-fiction."

Jones, a self-confessed RT addict ("you're one of the sites I visit religiously. I'm on almost daily,") told us that he was humbled to see the positive reviews. "I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but it's something that Sam and I wanted to make. It's a kind of science fiction film that doesn't get made much anymore, and we missed it."

And if you're reading, Duncan, we'll make sure we get that Certified Fresh trophy your way soon...

What's On Today

Roger Corman Retrospective by Kim Newman
Every day during the festival, Edinburgh will be showing one of B-movie legend Roger Corman's classics, leading up to a Q&A with the man himself -- hosted by our very own Kim Newman - on Wednesday 24th. In celebration, Kim will be reviewing each of the films playing as part of our coverage of the festival.

- The Raven - Screening at 13:00, Filmhouse 1
After reshuffling the ingredients of the Poe series four or five times, Roger Corman decided to try self-parody -- forcing the plummy Vincent Price to play opposite inveterate scene-stealer Peter Lorre and a dignified Boris Karloff as three mediaeval magicians double-cross each other in a series of sorcerous duels. Price addresses the eponymous bird with 'when shall I see again the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore?' only for it to answer, in Lorre's inimitable whine, 'how the hell should I know? What am I, a fortune teller?' With a young Jack Nicholson as Lorre's boob of a son/sidekick.

Today's Highlights
Keep an eye out for these films amongst those playing at the festival today, Sunday 21st May.

- Adventureland -- Screening at 18:15, Cineworld
Warm-hearted comedy in the Juno vein starring Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart and Ryan Reynolds.

- Rudo y Cursi -- Screening at 20:45, Cineworld
Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna reunite to tell the story of two soccer-playing brothers in Mexico from director Carlos Cuaron.

- Outrage -- Screening at 21:00, Cineworld
Documentarian Kirby Dick exposes closeted politicians campaigning against the LGBT community.

- The Calling -- Screening at 21:15, Cineworld
Brenda Blethyn and Emily Beecham expound on life inside a convent.

To book tickets for these films, click here. Join us again soon for more on these films and the Edinburgh Film Festival 2009.