Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.
... View MoreGo in cold, and you're likely to emerge with your blood boiling. This has to be seen to be believed.
... View MoreGreat story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.
... View MoreA terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
... View MoreI just loss 83 mins of my life.. 83 mins I could have done something worth while like, cutting grass, sleeping, cleaning the house... This was a waste of time, and I hope to never ever watch this again for the rest of my life. The director should never work on a film ever again. He tried to be witty but failed at every step. There was nothing at all good to say about this film. I thought Simon Amestell was a cross dresser or Pre Op transvestite till I looked him up on Wikipedia... I even hated this film the second time I watched it. an outter waste of time and film, why was it even made, does anyone like this shitty ass movie? i don't know a single person thats even seen it let alone like it.
... View MoreTom (Chris Langham) and Sophie (Amanda Hadingue) have an ordinary upper-middle-class British life; having raised two daughters to adulthood, they perhaps don't have much to say to each other any more, but they are rubbing along more or less comfortably, companionable at least in their care of their three-legged dog Boy. One afternoon, Tom is walking in the neighbourhood woods and comes across Blake (Colin Hurley), an apparently odd but gentle and perhaps sad man with some strange story-telling ways; on an impulse, Tom invites Blake home for tea, and he ends up staying for the weekend. At the end of which time, unfortunately, Blake has died at the family table; even more unfortunately, news of this gets out to the British tabloids, who accuse the family of being murderers. How they got to that point, and how to straighten it all out again, is the focus of "Black Pond." The story is told documentary-style, with the family members all being interviewed, along with family friend/kind-of mascot Tim Tanaka (Will Sharpe), himself rather confusedly in love with both daughters. As a result, we know at the beginning that Blake will be dead at some point. The way that events unfold is shown in flashbacks, while each family member has an entirely different take on what is going on and on who Blake is, as well. We never fully know who any of these people are, except that they are all quietly unhappy in that snarky, sometimes vicious British way. But they are all generally good people, with the definite exception of Eric Sacks (Simon Amstell), a self-styled "psychotherapist" whom Tim visits, only to be subjected to merciless, mean-spirited mockery. Only at the very end do we find out what really happened, and it turns out to be, in its way, rather beautiful.This is a short film at 82 minutes; it's got a lot of biting dialogue that co-writers Tom Kingsley and Will Sharpe have honed to a fare-the-well, and the actors are quite wonderful, especially Langham as Tom and Hurley as Blake - there's a lovely, poetic sense of connectedness between these two men who have been strangers up until 10 minutes ago, and the two actors do a terrific job of bringing that relationship out. If you're not fond of British family (melo)drama, this might not be for you, as the marital relationship in particular is quite harsh and mean at times, but there's much to be said for the simple connections that are also present in the film; one wants to know how these people will be getting along 5 years down the road, or 10. I don't know if there are any release dates set for North America (the showing at FantAsia 2012 was the Canadian premiere), but it's well worth looking out for if it comes your way.
... View MoreBlack Pond is not normal. It is odd. It is patchy. It is padded-out with an unnecessary but not unamusing performance from Simon Amstell. It is sometimes confusing and incoherent. It is also hilarious and memorable and brilliantly-performed. Chris Langham (yes, that Chris Langham) is on top form: "It's sheer lunacy to eat a banana at this time of night." There are so many great bits: the "I love you - both of you" in the car. The "phenomenal tw*t" line. Don't miss it. It's excellent. Yes, it feels overlong and underdone, somehow - it might have been better as a short, but even so, there is more imagination and wit on display than in most "quality" movies that stink up the multiplex on a regular basis.
... View MorePlease don't let the IMDb summary,and indeed the film's own trailer deceive you. This film is not really about a murder,except that's what they are accused of.It's about a dysfunctional couple(with two away from home daughters) and how their lives are changed,and indeed turned upside down by the entry into their lives of a clinically depressed neighbour called Blake. It's one of those films that will benefit from repeat viewing,as it has many nuances that you just cannot pick up in one time. A good thought provoking,and at times moving film. Do give it a try.I am not sure how this film will go down in the US,as although they have the same family problems there,they also have a different way of looking at things.
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