Film Review: Sightseers

A dull black comedy, Sightseers is a letdown. There are no real laughs to be found in Ben Wheatley’s film.

Despite her mother’s remonstrations, Tina is excited about her trip with boyfriend Chris. He intends to show Tina his world by taking her on a caravan tour. When something goes wrong early on, events take an unusual turn…

Ben Wheatley’s Kill List was not perfect, but it was a promising film. Sightseers, however, does not work at all. As a black comedy, Sightseers simply is not funny. There is not one line or incident that will generate more than a slight titter. The pinpointed jokes are not funny.

With the absence of humour, Sightseers needed a decent story to fall back on. Unfortunately the film fails on this count too. The narrative is dull, it never really goes anywhere, or builds to any heightened finale. The film never fully engages the audience as a result. Sightseers has a mundane beginning, then a twist to proceedings. After this, however, it just plods along until the film reaches its conclusion.

There are some rather graphic depictions in Sightseers. The film is certainly not for the squeamish. Even the acts of violence do not bring any macabre comedy though. The film uses some well known songs, but these do little for the non-existent mood. Performances by Alice Lowe and Steve Oram are fine, it is a pity their screenplay was so lacking.

Sightseers starts off with an aggravating opening sequence and does not really improve from this. One to avoid.

Sightseers is being screened at the London Film Festival in October 2012.

Film Review: Kill List

An atmospheric thriller, Kill List boasts a great ending. There are a few small problems with the film, but overall it is a worthwhile watch.

Shel is frustrated with her husband Jay as money is tight and he has not worked for eight months. When his best friend Gal and new girlfriend Fiona come to dinner, Jay reluctantly agrees to do another ‘job’. After being given a list of targets, Jay and Gal set about completing their task. As they make their way through the list, the men go off track as they witness something horrifying that leads them to an even darker place…

A thriller that transforms into a horror movie at certain points, Kill List makes a lasting impression primarily for its ending. The film begins as a crime film, seemingly concerned with two contract killers and the necessity to complete their task. In the background, there is the fact that Jay and Gal are army veterans as well as some unexplained past trauma.

Kill List relies on the combination of apprehension and a sense of the unknown to grip viewers. Director and co-writer Ben Wheatley is successful for the most part in maintaining this tension. There are a few occasions in the first half of the film that the atmosphere wanes slightly, but Kill List recovers from this.

The narrative of the film is interesting, although there are too many things that are left unexplained. Perhaps this feeds into the mystery, but the film would have been more cohesive if the varying elements had slipped together in a succinct manner. Wheatley and co-writer Amy Jump have produced a good script. The dialogue is natural, and the interactions and banter between Jay and Gal come across as authentic.

Wheatley is clearly a fan of abrupt editing, as this is used several times in the film, not least in the initial scene where viewers are catapulted into the midst of a blazing row. The camerawork and lighting are also effective, particularly in the film’s later night scenes.

Performances in the film are good. Neil Maskell and MyAnna Buring are suitably cast as Jay and Shel; their rows are believable and uncomfortable. Michael Smiley brings some lightness as Gal, while Emma Fryer appears a little restricted in her expressions as Fiona.

The film’s ending is very well constructed, and is likely to stay with viewers after they leave the cinema. Kill List‘s violence is considerable, but it is the climate of the film that leaves a lasting impression.

The Empire Big Screen Diaries – Day 2

After staying up last night writing my diary entry, I decided to do it throughout the day. We await with baited breath what film distributors Entertainment One have to show us. Clips of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 are rumoured to be screened. Having not seen any of the previous films, this means nothing to be, but I hear the series is pretty popular. Empire editor Chris Hewitt is currently introducing the day on stage. Paul W.S. Anderson is up first introducing The Three Musketeers. The clip was in 3D which was quite exciting, but I think I would prefer a feature-length version of the Dogtanian and the Three Muskerhounds cartoon.

MyAnna Buring has just introduced The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 trailer. We are awaiting clips. MyAnna was a massive fan of the series apparently. No clips have been screened after all. [Edit] Twilight footage has been found! First clip is of Edward and Bella on their honeymoon. I think there is some unintentional humour. Edward calls Bella “Mrs Cullen”. Second clip was of the werewolves have a facing off. Now Ghost Rider 2 trailer, which has a very amusing ending.

Warner Bros Showcase up next with Sherlock Homes: A Game of Shadows. Waiting for Guy Ritchie to get his mike fixed. Guy Ritchie just introduced a short featurette on the sequel. The director is talking about how eager he was to make a follow-up to Sherlock Holmes. Jared Harris is fantastic as Moriarty, apparently. An extended clip of Contagion was screened next, along with the trailer for Happy Feet 2. Peter Jackson introduces a video blog from the set of The Hobbit. Cast and crew seem to be having a lot of fun on set. The Dark Knight Rises teaser trailer follows. Nothing new hear, but it is good to see it on the big screen. The Final Destination 5 opening sequence is so much fun, cannot wait to see it!

At this point, I received a verbal bitch-slapping from security for having my laptop out. After several minutes of indecision (and despite the best efforts of the lovely publicists), we had to put our laptops away, hence the delay in updating this post. With all the kerfuffle, I missed the beginning of the Optimum Showcase. Kill List was discussed, after which clips of Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark was screened. It is difficult to ascertain too much, but the film seems incredibly atmospheric.

The Sony Pictures Showcase was next, with a plethora of trailers and clips. First up was Arthur Christmas, with screenwriter Peter Baynham appearing to discuss the film. The film features a stellar cast of mostly British actors voicing the characters. Peter Lord, director of The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists was next on stage to talk about making the animated film. The trailer was screened, as well as brief clips of the main characters.

Sony’s packed showcase continued with a series of trailers, beginning with Friends with Benefits introduced with a video message from Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis. The trailer of the Straw Dogs remake was screened next, as well as Moneyball and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Next up was a clip from 30 Minutes or Less, introduced with a video message from Jesse Eisenberg and Aziz Ansari. Following this Len Wiseman introduced (again via video) some footage of Total Recall, due for release in 2012. The clip was pretty interesting; the fact that it was unfinished suggests how ‘in production’ the film is.

Roland Emmerich took to the stage to talk about his upcoming film Anonymous. Following this brief discussion, a lengthy clip of the film was screened. With phones confiscated and without a watch, I am not really sure how long this clip was. It felt at one point as if we were watching the entire movie, but not from the very beginning. The film is rather a daring take on a much-loved British icon (Shakespeare) so it will be interesting to see how it will be received. Finally, footage from The Amazing Spider-Man was screened, after a video introduction from Marc Webb, Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. The first clip focused on Peter Parker, while the second featured his nemesis in the new film, The Lizard. The footage certainly worked well to wet the appetite for next year’s release.

The shortest break only allowed me to snack on prawn cocktail crisps in the press room; every restaurant and cafe in the O2 seemed full to the rafters. Dashing back to the Indigo2, the Icon Showcase was brief and to the point, focusing solely on Drive. Nicholas Winding Refn was interviewed on stage about the film. The project was initially introduced to the director by star Ryan Gosling. A clip of the film was screened – it looks amazing. This is one I am really looking forward to.

After the showcases were done for the day, we queued for the Memories of Raiders event. There were many fans trying to get in for this, but my silver-tongued friend managed to gain us entry when the event looked full. Robert Watts, one of the producers of Raiders of the Lost Ark, delighted audience members with his tales of working with Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. What was great about Robert’s discussion was that he was modest as well as entertaining. Despite having worked on some of the biggest films of the late 1970s and 1980s, he remained down to earth when talking about the films.

We languished in the corridor outside after the talk, trying to ascertain the possibility of getting into the secret screening. Alas, it was not to be, and a group of us ended up going to The Change-Up screening instead. The film was watchable but not overly exciting (review to follow).

After a long long day, we decided to go for a quick drink. On our way to one of the bars in the O2, we noticed that everyone seemed to be dressed in white. Rather than a hoodless Klan meeting, it was for some dance event being held there. Unperturbed, we had a drink before deciding that our bodies required some much needed nourishment. Armadillo was our next port of call, where we had chicken skewers and bacon and cheese toasted sandwiches. I also got a chocolate milkshake served in a pint bottle, but for the first time in my life I couldn’t finish a milkshake. This lead me to reevaluate my life for a quick minute. Thus, the day was ended.