IslandGuru Who payed the critics

Actuakers One of my all time favorites.

Teringer An Exercise In Nonsense

Hulkeasexo it is the rare 'crazy' movie that actually has something to say.

Sindre Kaspersen English screenwriter, author and director Philip Ridley's third feature film which he wrote, premiered at the 9th London Fright Fest Film Festival in 2009, was shot on locations in London, England and is a United Kingdom production which was produced by producers Pippa Cross and Richard Raymond. It tells the story about a photographer named Jaime Morgan who lives with his mother in an area of London where the residents are disturbed by a terrorizing gang of youths who are wearing hoods. Jaime spends some of his time with his 17-year-old nephew named Lee and his older brother who runs a studio, but Jaime is somewhat alienated due to a distinct mark in his face and disenchanted by the world he lives in. One day he notices a picture of a model named Tia whom he takes a liking to, but then something happens.Distinctly and finely directed by British filmmaker Philip Ridley, this finely paced fictional tale which is narrated mostly from the protagonist's point of view, draws a instantly intriguing and heartrending portrayal of a shy man with a heart-shaped birthmark across his left eye who after beginning to see strange skeleton-like faces in his photographs and being attacked by a gang whilst on his way home with his mother, is contacted by a man who offers him a life-altering deal. While notable for it's colorful and atmospheric milieu depictions, sterling production design by production designer Ruby Eyres, cinematography by cinematographer Matt Gray, make up by make-up artist Jaqueline Fowler and use of light, this character-driven story depicts an in-depth study of character and contains a great score by English composer David Julyan.This modestly romantic and horror-ish drama which is set in East London, England in the late 2000s and where a man who wishes to become "normal" misses his father and has a feeling of living parallel lives, is impelled and reinforced by it's fragmented narrative structure, substantial character development, philosophical undertones, various characters and the fine acting performances by English actor Jim Sturgees and French actress Clémence Poséy. A dramatic, surreal, existentialistic and atypical thriller which for the exception of a few scenes which becomes a bit comical and without exaggerating use of violence, manages to create a significant sense of horror.

GL84 Tired of living in a squalid section of London, a man with a deformed birthmark makes a deal with a demonic figure to get through his terrible life but finds the deal changed and must confront the results of the changed deal.Utterly intriguing and inviting effort that gets so much right that it's far more enjoyable than expected. Utilizing a far more accurate and realistic depiction of a squalor than most of the types out there, with an urban Hell of gangs running unchecked, a lack of police presence despite their constant appearance, fires, burglaries and gun-use which create a very threatening atmosphere upon which the horror starts up. Far, far more brutal in tone than expected, though the execution is lacking somewhat but there's enough there to leave an overall impression. Once it changes over and gets the deal executed which renders him a lot more normal and strips away the urban Hell of the early stages, it looses it's footing and concentrates on far more useless areas, such as the tepid adoption angle or the clichéd romance that takes up way too much time, is dragged out far beyond it's usefulness and makes the far far longer than it needs to be, moreover the fact that this section is played with a touch of black humor that clashes so jarringly with the gritty realism of the beginning that it really snaps you out of the film and thus this section constitutes it's only true flaw. While it again breathes some nice points with a pretty good finale and some overall nice touches, the middle segment keeps this down somewhat.Rated R: Extreme Graphic Language, Graphic Violence and children-in-jeopardy.

MrGKB ...but with a beat that's arrhythmic at best, "Heartless" suffers from a distinct case of artsy-fartsy pretension and disjointed storytelling. Jim "Across the Universe" Sturgess is quite good as the doomed protagonist who strikes a Faustian deal in search of release from inner torments, but writer/director Philip "The Krays" Ridley indulges in far too much easy symbolism to deliver a satisfying morality play; he needs a brush-up lesson with Syd Field. Truthfully, there's a lot to like about "Heartless," but the simplistic, muddled plot isn't really dark enough (or clever enough) to properly illuminate the psychodrama its creator wishes to convey. All the elements are there--nice DP work, a decent supporting cast (with the possible exception of the romantic interest), an evocative score and soundtrack--but it all boils down to the unsatisfying script. Worth the free watch I enjoyed courtesy of my local library, but sadly I can't recommend searching this one out; there are simply so many better thematically similar films out there. "Jacob's Ladder" springs instantly to mind.

mirzahat The "waste of time" reviews are a bit naive. The movie is a parable about the modern man's fears:Fear of life in a huge city - Fear of losing love and other things you cant live without - Fear of being different, defective (just like the main character)But at the end, hope and courage prevail and despite tragic scenes, the movie leaves you at the end with a feeling of optimism instead of despair.Facing own fears, accepting yourself the way you are, hope in love are in my opinion the main topics of the movie.And most important, its fun to watch! :-)