This has to be the worst film of the year. Possibly of any year. (Doubly insulting that it's set in my home town.) What was it supposed to be? Satire? Social commentary? A series of badly written sketches with no discernible story? How anyone can watch this codswallop and not find themselves screaming at the screen is beyond me. And to watch some decent actors struggle with this appalling script was agony.
I have to assume it was some sort of tax dodge for the Scottish film industry. No one with any understanding and/or experience of film-making would surely sanction such utter tripe for creative reasons.
And the director wins a Scottish BAFTA? Who decided that? The same people who funded it perchance? It's no wonder no-one outside of Glasgow takes the 'Scottish Film Industry' seriously if this is perceived to be some sort of pinnacle. The only sensible thing would be to have a bonfire with all existing prints on Calton Hill beside Edinburgh's original disgrace.
Update#1 : I've just read that this unspeakable piece of rubbish also won a British Comedy award beating The Incredibles and Sideways. I think a steward's enquiry is required. Update #2: I've since spoken to a couple of people who were involved in this production and they both reported that "no-one seemed to know what they were doing, and boy does it show. The film made a mere £82,230 at the UK box office (I pray it wasn't released abroad) Great return on the £700K the UK Film Council wasted on it. It's no wonder they're desperately trying to recoup their investment via DVD sales and rental. Makes you proud to be British, doesn't it? Update three (not that I'm obsessed). The comments of D_G below are interesting. I'm inferring that we in the vast majority (and not just on this site) who thought this film had all the artistic merit of raw sewage have somehow missed the point? It's apparently too much to ask of an alleged black comedy to have some er, comedy in it. And the argument that it must be good because Book Club was doesn't wash either. If anything this debacle of a film has shown up Griffin's remarkable paucity of talent. Get real.
I have to assume it was some sort of tax dodge for the Scottish film industry. No one with any understanding and/or experience of film-making would surely sanction such utter tripe for creative reasons.
And the director wins a Scottish BAFTA? Who decided that? The same people who funded it perchance? It's no wonder no-one outside of Glasgow takes the 'Scottish Film Industry' seriously if this is perceived to be some sort of pinnacle. The only sensible thing would be to have a bonfire with all existing prints on Calton Hill beside Edinburgh's original disgrace.
Update#1 : I've just read that this unspeakable piece of rubbish also won a British Comedy award beating The Incredibles and Sideways. I think a steward's enquiry is required. Update #2: I've since spoken to a couple of people who were involved in this production and they both reported that "no-one seemed to know what they were doing, and boy does it show. The film made a mere £82,230 at the UK box office (I pray it wasn't released abroad) Great return on the £700K the UK Film Council wasted on it. It's no wonder they're desperately trying to recoup their investment via DVD sales and rental. Makes you proud to be British, doesn't it? Update three (not that I'm obsessed). The comments of D_G below are interesting. I'm inferring that we in the vast majority (and not just on this site) who thought this film had all the artistic merit of raw sewage have somehow missed the point? It's apparently too much to ask of an alleged black comedy to have some er, comedy in it. And the argument that it must be good because Book Club was doesn't wash either. If anything this debacle of a film has shown up Griffin's remarkable paucity of talent. Get real.