Extremely disappointed by this movie ):

Rating: 3/10 (21 November 2012)

I was really disappointed by this movie. I have been watching many British and irish independent films that I haven't seen before. This film won several British Independent Film Awards, and I am really surprised by these accolades. The film, for me anyway, was dull and unexceptional. The performances were monosyllabic (slow slow slow). I didn't particularly care about any of these characters and I wanted to do so. I was particularly shocked that Toby Kebbell somehow won the supporting actor/actress BIFA award - where is he in this movie? His Rob is only in the movie for 3 or 4 minutes, as far as I can tell - his one-liners fall flat to me and there is no character development whatsoever. I've enjoyed Samantha Morton so much in so many wonderful movies but she's dull and lifeless here. I was especially disappointed in Sam Riley's central performance - he has no charisma. Either the camera loves you or it doesn't (for example, I saw The History Boys on stage and Samuel Barnett radiated stage performance energy; then I saw the movie, and the camera simply loved Dominic Cooper - it's the whole Marilyn Monroe thing, when she can't remember her lines but the camera loves her so much it doesn't matter). The music isn't my type of music but it's O.K. I didn't hate the music. Has Anton Corbijn directed any more movies? He won both the best director BIFA award and the Best Debut director award as well - but why? All four of the other films that were nominated for Best Independent Film were exceptionally good: Eastern Promises, Hallam Foe, Notes On A Scandal and When Did You Last See Your Father? Sarah Gavron's direction of Brick Lane was lyrical and beautiful and the other 3 nominees were David Cronenberg for Eastern Promises, David MacKenzie for Hallam Foe (seek this movie out, it's a real gem starring Jamie Bell of Billy Elliot fame), and Anand Tucker for When Did You Last See Your Father? (this last one is the most traditional and seems more mainstream to me). But I didn't start to watch this movie thinking I wouldn't care for it; I almost always stick with it (although I didn't with In The Loop, which I hated hated hated). It's interesting to read the different opinions on here about these movies. If there were a heaven, for me it would be getting to see all the movies, theatre, and listen to all the music I haven't gotten around to in this lifetime! (: