Heartlands

There is a real and wonderful visual artist behind HEARTLANDS, but I am not certain if it is the director--or his director of photography. This movie is so beautiful to view in terms of composition, clarity and color that I found myself trying not to blink for fear of missing something. (Even the beginning, set in a heavily "industrial" neighborhood, manages to look interesting. Then, two-thirds of the way through, there is a "grainy" section in an amusement park, and damned if THAT isn't beautiful, too!) I don't recall director Damien O'Donnell's "East is East" as being anything special visually, so perhaps the beauty is due to the photographer. Whatever: "Heartlands" is utterly lovely to look at--and more. It's that rare movie in which kindness takes a front seat, and you find yourself increasingly joyful due to the simple, caring things that one person does for another.

The main character here is a poor schlub who wife soon leaves him. Played beautifully by Michael Sheen (of the OCD-driven "Dirty Filthy Love"), this guy seems borderline feeble (particularly when he tries to tell a certain story/joke and can't begin to manage it: the writer and director go a bit too far here). But as he begins to re-order his life, he--and the movie--just gets better and better.

In its quiet and thoughtful way, this one left me feeling buoyant--on some non-drug-induced "high"--as any film I can remember in a long while. I hope it'll have the same effect on you.

To be honest I only got this film (on my Xmas list!!) as I have become somewhat of a Kate Rusby anorak over recent months!! Knowing that the beautiful Barnsley lass featured in a cameo and contributed to much of the soundtrack (along with her hubby the incredibly talented John McCusker) was enough for me to get the film, expecting everything else to be incidental. The music is wonderful (as you would expect from Ms Rusby!) and to see the lady herself singing was an added bonus.

However, the film itself surpassed all of my expectations and left me sitting there at the end just thinking "what a really lovely film", yet without being twee. In many ways it came across to me as an example of what British film can do best; quietly humorous, great characters and a rolling story that gently unrolls from a simple plot. Man loses wife, man sets out to find wife, man finds wife.

I genuinely warmed to the main character Colin (especially after he got his hair cut!!) which was superbly acted by Michael Sheen as he set out on his moped to win back his wife. The scenery (and music!) were wonderful and the simple but real characters he came across during his quest added up to a superbly crafted film. The Eric Bristow obsessed darts playing newsagent seemed an unlikely character to warm to but this film achieved that with ease.

A lovely, warm, amusing film that far exceeded my expectations and one that I would recommend to anybody that appreciates good quality British films.

Heartlands is wonderful. It is beautifully shot and, as I have come to expect of Mr. Sheen (Colin) at least, remarkably well acted. The movie made me laugh out loud - twice - without having to resort to potty jokes or sloppy slap stick humor. It also made me cry, not because it is an intrinsically sad film, but because it is in part the story of Everyman. Unless a person is remarkably dull or a recluse, there will be moments in this film that could have been taken from the pages of anyone's life. Granted the characters and situations are a bit larger, if not more colorful, than one might typically expect to encounter, it is Mr. Sheen's ability to humanize them that touches.

Without spoiling things for people who haven't seen the film, there is a scene in this movie that will stick with me forever. It is so full of simple, unburdened joy that anyone who sees it will be instantly both amused and completely charmed.

Call me Quixote, as I am off in search of windmills.....

Story: Cuckolded shopkeeping darts enthusiast, Colin, sets off cross country to win back his wife. Out of his routine life and familiar home town and passing through the beauty of the Peak District to the brashness of Blackpool, Colin meets with a series of people and incidents that shape his new life. Funny and very human.

How this film got zero publicity (apart from a few dismissive reviews) at the time of its cinematic release and is still not available on video/DVD is a mystery. It is witty, charming, beautifully shot, with excellent performances. The seven day structure to the story, in which a simple man's simple life is utterly transformed, underlines the foregoing monotony of the lives of all of the characters. The fabulous cast play their roles for all they are worth with out hamming it up. There are grotesques, but overall it is a subtle portrayal. The Northern setting allows for drab urban to glorious country to kitch seaside backdrops, and the provincial anonymity is used to indicate the everyman nature of the protagonist, not to present him as a local curio. The are any number of excellent cameos, not least Kate Rusby's set of folk songs, and the red moped!

I was recommended this film by a chap who doesn't watch a lot of films, so i expected it to be not great. However I really enjoyed it,the film reminded me of a book that i read called the alchemist, which was about a boy who is searching for something and realises at the end that he had already found through the journey what he was looking for.

This film has a very similar premise and thats what the film is about the journey to blackpool, how you can change your life in a small amount of time and how you can learn things from other people.

All the characters in the film are warm and all have a different perception on life. The main character also seems to learn something from each of them. Its quite a clever little film. If you've seen everything you want to see then give this film a chance I reckon you'll like it