Nuts in May

I kind of doubt that any film so perfectly conveys my experiences with the English countryside and people therein.

If words can even start to describe how this film so thoroughly rocked my world, then I will try my best. Most of my totally bemused friends have written off this BBC teleplay as a boring travelogue of an even more insufferably boring, nattering "middle-upper-class" couple who really don't do a hell of a lot. Even the most inane visual detail (a close-up of a walking meter strapped around an ankle), or inconsequential, throw-away line of dialogue has me rapt with inexplicable awe. I genuflect.

Fantastic.

An incredibly quirky, often hilarious, sometimes horrifically cringe-worthy, and well acted film that hits an excellent balance between cheerfulness and borderline misanthropic cynicism, but is still a suitable watch for the whole family.

Mike Leigh's absolutely hilarious film made for the BBC's "Play for Today" depicts a civilized couple bringing a city way of living into the country, and then breaks down any barriers of civility. Sloman is fearless in inhabiting on of the most unpleasantly hilarious characters in Leigh's filmography.

when i described SIGHTSEERS as 'mike leigh does natural born killers', i didn't know wheatley was remaking this specific film with the violence more overt. that one works because he's a cynical asshole, whereas i rarely find derision suits leigh too well, and the quality of his films is inversely proportional to how much screentime the objects of that derision are given. still hilarious ("you seem to have a morbid obsession with where the dungeons are") and truthful in places, as always.

An amazing mix of absurdity and grounded reality with single lines scattered throughout that carry extreme depths of character with ease. It all remains delicately balanced despite the continuous addition of extra layers throughout. It's a British staple and rightly so. Highly recommended.

One of my favorite Mike Leigh "movies" is this low-budget made-for-TV movie.

Well, it's better than Portlandia, you can at least say that.