Reviews

If you liked this film as a kid, whatever you do, don't watch it now... Unless you are gay. My friend Adam is, and he counts it alongside Top Gun as being one of the finest pieces of homoerotic cinema ever. Seriously.

I remember reading a critique of scorsese's work, and this person said that "watching his film's are like going to a gig, and wishing you were in the band." Damn right. I've never again seen a film so exhilarating. Pure breakneck speed entertainment. This is what cinema was invented for.

This film had a lot to live up to, but thankfully it far exceeded my expectations. Rather than sully the reputation of the franchise, this film builds on it and gives, I think, the most human film of the series. The action is still there by the bucketload, but it never falls into the Matrix Revoloutions trap of set peice after set piece doldrum. It's not quite as epic as T2, and not as taut as the original, but this film's ending kicks the sh*t out of both them. Roll on T4!

TV executives could do with watching this masterpiece, in the hope that they remember that not all British TV dramas have to be set in a hospital or a police station......And they don't have to be sh*t either. Boys... had top scripts, top acting and even the BBC weather forecast camerawork gives it an unparralelled sense of authenticity. Pure quality.

I saw this film just after Baise Moi. Having seen both films occupying the same tabloid column inches, I was expecting relatively similar films. They couldn't be more different. Baise Moi is Porn (Really Sh*tty porn) posing as art. Irreversible is a sterling example of excellent European cinema. It is brutal. exhausting and uncomfortable to watch, and in that respect I think it is quite similar to Requiem for a dream or even The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. It is also a fantastically acted and directed film that is worthy of the acclaim it has recieved. See this film now.

There's no way anyone could make a complete balls-up of an Ellis story, but also no way you could ever make a completely bang on translation either. Everyone seems to either think the sun shines out of this film's a*se, or that it's worse than a holiday in Baghdad. I'm gonna sit on the fence and say it's neither. Sure there are some good bits in this film, such as Jessica Biel in a see through baby doll outfit, Numerous references to porn, Fred Savage as a smackhead and pretty much everything Van Der Beek says is comic gold. However there were bits that annoyed the sh*t out of me. The coked-up dealer is THE most irritating b**tard in the history of cinema. I don't personally give a toss how much swearing someone puts in a film, but after you've heard this guy say "motherf***ing motherf***er!" for the hundredth motherf***ing time, you seriously want the bloke to die. Horribly. Eric Stoltz had been in the film for over half an hour before I twigged that he was supposed to be Irish. Yes, his accent is that bad. I,m sorry but if Sean can't get $500 out of a junkie with a rich family, then what business does he have being a dealer? None whatsoever. Finally, What annoys me most is Roger Avary's continual association with Tarantino. One of these directors has grown up. One definitely hasn't. Avary's direction reminds me of an episode of the Simpsons where Homer continually uses the star wipe function on a camera. The film could have been twenty minutes shorter or had twenty minutes worth of good material put in if Avary hadn't insisted on using that damn rewind tecnique. All in all, a mixed bag. 6 1/2 out of 10 Oh yeah, and the bit with the queens fretting over the overdosing kid is funny as hell!

The words "gritty", "British" and "drama" usually and rightfully condemn a film to the Guy "Windsor" Ritchie hall of excrement . Having seen these terms applied to Oscar contenders like "Goodbye Charlie Bright", "Rancid aluminium" and "Love, honour and obey", I wasn't really expecting much from this film. Saying I was wrong would be a huge understatement. "Nil by Mouth" is an awesome achievement. A razor sharp dissection of a working class south London family that delivers the required punch on so many levels that you need to have a wash after watching it. It covers a vast spectrum of emotions that will see you (especially if you're British) laugh, cry and more often than not, hold your head in despair at witnessing an all too true account of what it is to be at the bottom of the British class system. It is unflinchingly brutal and somewhat depressing, yet at the same time shows how with guts, determination and a healthy sense of humour, people can survive even the most bleak and hopeless of situations. Kathy Burke is outstanding and Ray Winstone is dependable as ever, but Gary Oldman's screenplay and direction are the stars of the show. This script could stand on it's own as a fine social commentary on par, and not dissimilar from John King's "The Football Factory" and "Headhunters". Thankfully Oldman has also realised that in terms of direction, "gritty" does not have to mean the static, cold and quite frankly boring as hell style that so many British films have. The camera moves with a documentary feel energy, yet the slick cinematography keeps it from ever looking cheap. Quite simply one of the greatest British films of all time. 9/10