Hooray! It’s a Holiday: Review of Sightseers

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Sightseers

Director: Ben Wheatley

By Alex Watson

When people think of a typical serial killer film, they tend of think of it being a very grizzly and unpleasant experience where there will be bullets and blood by the bucket load. But no one ever think that it could be in the least bit funny and that humour can be found in even the most bizarre circumstance. This week we turn to Ben Wheatley’s follow up to his already cult classic Kill List, where he gives us a very British view on murder mixed with a caravan holiday in Sightseers. This week I was privileged to catch an exclusive screening at the Cornerhouse Cinema in Manchester!

Tina (Alice Lowe) lives with her domineering mother who still blames her for the death of their beloved dog Poppy. Desperate for an adventure and to escape her mother’s grasp, Tina takes off on a romance caravan holiday with her new boyfriend Chris (Steve Oram). As the pair views the countryside, a darker side to her man appears and very soon a series of nasty deaths will take place with various tourists who ‘ruin their holiday’ all the while testing the relationship.

Sightseers is a film of rare quality and it is brought to life through the brilliant direction by Ben Wheatley and the script by stars Lowe and Oram shines brightly! Through its very unusual premise, the laughs keep coming by the bucketful. But it’s the casual depict of violence that makes this film really shine. However, it’s the fact they are merely killing people who have annoyed them is such minor ways which provides the laughs. In particular when Chris bludgeons a man to death after he ticks them off for not picking up their dogs ‘excrement’ he justifies his bloody demise with “He’s not human… he’s a Daily Mail reader!”

At its centre, there is a very British feel to it as the pair visits such odd tourist spots as the Crich Tramway museum and Ribblehead Viaduct. With its road trip feel and a female who is desensitised to violence, this is almost like the British version of Badlands!

But like Wheatley’s predecessor Kill List, the film also possesses a surreal edge to it and this is exemplified in a quite disturbing dream sequence where Chris chases after a woman in white which then hints at some potentially life changing events. It almost seems like the after events of the ending of Kill List. When the death scenes come they are indeed shocking and often gruesomely played out, but there is such a gleeful and upbeat feel to them which gives these moments a

The development of Chris and Tina as a couple gives Sightseers its beating heart. Tina is a woman who is trapped in life by her bulling mother (who openly tells her she was accident!) and at first she seems to relish the freedom. But even in the face of the terrible deeds that Chris does, she seems to be drawn to it. The parallels between the two are what draw us to them; Chris simply wants his perfect holiday to run on schedule and tends to lose his rag when people spoil it. Tina’s character goes from simply hitching a ride, to stacking up a body count of her own!

As the pair nitpick about their attempts to outdo one another it provides for some classic British film moments because these two are like so many couple’s we have met while camping and after this we will always be suspicious of who we let in our caravans! Though their ending will divide viewer because much like the end of Kill List- more questions remain!

Oram and Lowe make for a compelling pairing in Wheatley’s film and their unusual chemistry stands out. Already well known on the comedy circuit, the two use their skills to give us one of the best and most humorous scripts of the year. Hopefully we will see them on the BAFTA list come next year!

I cannot praise this film highly enough and I can simply finish by saying- Please See This Movie! Ben Wheatley is one of the most offbeat directors that Britain has and we can only wonder what he has in store for us next, Sightseers is probably the best British film we will see all year will also be the most unusual yet painfully experiences you will ever have in cinema. Remember when going on a road trip, always pick up your litter because you never know who may be paying attention!

I’ve Been Everywhere: Review of On the Road

On the Road

Director: Walter Salles

By Alex Watson

Jack Kerouac’s novel On the Road has personified the ‘beat generation’ and its depiction of living free in the age of Jazz  has inspired a whole wave of artists such as singers Bob Dylan and Jim Morrison and notably novelist Hunter S Thompson.  But in today’s popular culture how will Kerouac’s novel translate onto the big screen, and can The Motorcycle Diary’s director Walter Salles bring a generation back to life again?

The plot follows budding novelist Sal Paradise (Sam Riley) who at a time of his life where he feels lost meets wandering soul Dean Moriarty (Garrett Hedlund) and his teenage wife Mary Lou (Kristen Stewart), together they will embark on a cross country trek across the United States which will teach them all many lessons about life, music, love and most of all, friendship!

On The Road is one of the most beautifully shot films of the years and Salles’ lavish direction eye once again provides us with some stunning road scenery, but more than anything it is his representation of the 1940’s jazz scene that impresses most because Salles here doesn’t attempt to water down any elements and we have a first-hand look at how casual sex and drug use became a normal thing in people’s lives.

Through these showings we see a group of young people trying to expand their minds by tripping on Benzedrine and smoking pot which initially provides great fun, but you can feel the repercussion coming and very soon the party comes to a juddering halt as lines are crossed and relationships become increasingly complicated!

The portrayal of the friend of Sal and Dean is the part that keeps us hooked because here you have two men who might as well be brothers and seem to have a great time together. But Dean is the very definition of a party animal and will simply wander from place to place to find his next good time, even if it means leaving you behind! This includes skipping out on Mary Lou and his other wife Camille (Kirsten Dunst) because there are other women who are wilder and he will return to them when he fancies

As the pair travels across The US and sometimes beyond, you get the vibe that Sal is becoming both Dean’s compulsive need and his burden, this is exemplified when he asks Sal to take him Mexico to continue the party then promptly abandons him in a hospital when he is sick because the situation simply doesn’t interest him!

Although is an excellently portrayed film, you get the feeling that this adaptation has perhaps taken too long to come to the screen and as a result the slickness that should have been there gets lost in translation. Because of this delay, the feel of Kerouac’s novel will be probably lost on the younger generation who will feel this is an overlong road movie!

This would have been a perfect picture in the 1970’s at the hands of Hal Ashby or Robert Altman but although Salles gives us a wonderfully acted and solid picture, it’s probably not going keep On the Road die hard’s truly happy.

Sal Riley’s excellent performance drives the film forward and through his narration it adds suaveness to him, Riley’s talent was evidence in Anton Corbin’s Joy Division film Control and it seems that this man is destined for big things. Garrett Hedlund brings the charisma of Dean to life through a slick and smooth turn, already an established name through films like Tron: Legacy, Hedlund proves he’s an able actor without the special effects.

Kristen Stewart is a good choice as Mary Lou and does well in the part, although she doesn’t spend a little too much of her screen time taking her clothes off (which will no doubt excite male admirers), in a cameo appearance Viggo Mortensen is outstanding as Old Bull Lee, a morphine addict who the boys visit, in his brief time on screen, Mortensen makes his presence felt and you can only wish there was more of him in it!

In spite of Salles’ best efforts, this adaptation of Kerouac’s On the Road is probably not going to be among the nominees at the end of year award ceremonies (though Riley probably deserves a nominated), a visual pleasure and a pacy story line cannot make up for this feeling somewhat incomplete, like the novel itself- time will show if this sticks in the memory.