TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews Jude is dead(and not in this all that much). At his funeral(note that there are almost no real introductions, you're just there and you gradually figure out what is going on, what you're seeing), his widow Sadie asks that the group of friends and couples sit down and watch the movie he was working on, and that they allow themselves to be filmed(and for some reason, while they do behave like there's a camera near them some of the time(and these operators appear to not know how to zoom, so they shove it into their subjects face instead), about half the time, they apparently completely forget it; yeah, some of this utterly falls apart beyond restoration when you stop to think about it). It turns out to be a documentary, assembled largely from footage captured with hidden recorders(there are a few interviews), and that is what we follow, as well... the two layers of fiction pretending to be fact. It'd probably work better if there were more reaction shots. Anyway, secrets come out and we see how their relationships are(are they playing themselves? Possibly). I should clarify something; this didn't bother me from the cruelty of the stunt, and the "different" style didn't ruin this for me... make your piece however you feel it should, and don't let people complain just because it isn't mainstream. The thing is, this really had potential... and still does. I'm sure this wanted to make some significant point, though it didn't get there. Yes, this is nihilistic and cynical... I didn't mind that. Others will. The pace is uneven and this comes off rather unfocused. You know, what little exposure to reality shows(yes, I hate them; that wasn't my issue with this) I've had, they actually do have plot lines and encourage continued viewing... this comes off as not wanting you to watch. I mean, you feel bad about it. OK, maybe that was the idea. If it was either real, or credible through the entire thing, maybe it would still work. Or if it didn't eventually go for a coherent story structure, at the end when it also stops being believable(and don't get me started on the anti-climax). The "twist" is so predictable you're sitting there wondering if they're serious. Winstone dominates this unchallenged... and yes, he(and the other men in this) delivers a great performance(good thing, because the women do *not*). The man is quite imposing... but you need counterweight. Some of these characters *really* don't need to be there, you could cut them out and you wouldn't miss them at all. None of them are wholly likable. This has a lot of improvisation and they used the first takes(they would add content if something was reshot... it shows). The editing is reasonable. This has odd framing and this feels "natural"(...a bit of the way, at least), with fast talking and slang(you'd better be British or have better subtitles than the copy I got as a gift did). There is a ton of strong language, a little bloody violence, disturbing content(this is gross at times) and sexuality and brief male nudity in this. The DVD comes with 8 trailers for different flicks, one of them for this. I recommend this low-budget 87 minute(sans credits) indie to those who merely want to see the concept of witnessing humanity's true ugliness... regardless of how well-executed it is. 6/10

Fuelish I am a huge Jude Law fan and have seen most of his movies. I bought this movie from Amazon.com used and was sadly disappointed. There was no real plot and the acting was sub-par. Jude was barely in the "movie." This was more of a documentary then a movie, with the plot being a man making a movie of his friends from hidden cameras throughout his home. At certain points is was borderline nauseating as a woman sits on the toilet tinkling for well over a minute. Honestly I can't believe that Jude subjected himself to this punishment since the opening was his obituary and wake! If you are a Jude fan or even if you aren't my advice would be not to waste your time and money with this movie. Even if Jude Law wasn't in this movie I would call it one of the worst movies ever made.

Pete-228 I knew nothing at all about this film before I went to see it, so I was very surprised by it's content. Basically, a group of friends gather at the wake of one of their friends who has died. At this wake, they are shown a video that he has produced consisting of secret film taken of them all. This video gives away some of their deepest and darkest secrets, as well as giving an insight into what they really think of each other. For about the first fifteen minutes I found myself lost as to what was going on, but then it all starts to become clear and leads up to the sting at the end. Be aware though that the language is very strong and some of the actions in it are quite explicit. Despite this, though, I found it very enjoyable and I was absolutely hooked to it for most of the time. As an aside, if you've ever watched 'Operation Good Guys' on BBC you will recognise a lot of the cast.

razasyed Absolute drivel. I was really psyched about this movie because the posters had a great tagline -- JUDE IS DEAD -- but the actual film on display was terrible. It's this quasi-verite retroactive murder mystery -- superficially like THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT in a lot of ways, and that's sorta the problem. BLAIR is so damn good that this terrible, pretentious, fake, and causally barren film pales -- understatement -- by comparison. The characters are one-note and inscrutable, and the emotions on display are contemptibly stuck-on and just plain awful.