My Wrongs 8245-8249 and 117

... But then I do have a highly developed sense of humour . Did I tell you about the time when I was sitting at the breakfast table of the 2002 Greenpeace national skillshare conferance and the conversation got around to gay policemen ? Maybe some other time

It probably won`t come as much of a surprise that the people who didn`t like my sense of humour on that morning will detest the humour of Chris Morris . Okay I think he`s over rated myself and he often shoots himself in the foot by going out to shock rather than going out to make people laugh but with MY WRONGS 8245-8249 AND 117 Morris has got the balance right . If you`re some bleeding heart do-gooder you will find this grotesque , shocking and a blight upon the human race . If you`re an intelligent human being you might just laugh out loud at the scene on the bus , the scene at the park and the scene in the church . I know I did and I also know it`s not supposed to be a case study of mental illness so please watch it in the spirit as it was intended , and I hope to see more from Morris in the future

This is the debut film from satirist, surrealist comedian and cult phenomenon Chris Morris, whose fans have levelled criticism at the project as it is a reinterpretation of a story already featured in his dark, late-night sketch show 'Blue Jam'.

As a Morris fan myself, I was somewhat sceptical about the need for a retelling of this tale - a blackly comic piece about a man who is so depressed that he believes his dog is talking to him, and providing some frankly terrible advice.

So I'm happy to report that the film is indeed successful, at least for the most part, and this is largely due to Morris's skill as a filmmaker. The tone is stylish and experimental, and manages to breath new life into the story - Morris has clearly built upon what he started in his last TV series, 'Jam'. And as well as directing the film, Morris has also written the electro-ambient soundtrack, which interplays cleverly with the camerawork to create some neat moments.

However, some of the gags don't translate to the screen particularly well - and this is largely because cinema isn't the best medium to convey the protagonist's reasoning behind his erratic behaviour - described so effectively in the radio version. Therefore, if you plan to watch this film, I'd highly recommend listening to the original Blue Jam monologue on which it is based (included on the DVD now available), which provides some of the detail and il(logic) behind the character's actions.

Maybe next time then, a new story tailor-made for the screen would be more satisfying, but this is still an accomplished debut.

9/10

Being something of an aspiring filmmaker myself, I thought I was in for a treat when I took home "My Wrongs..." (according to the deliberately vague DVD cover, I had purchased "a short film including scenes"). I should have known better really, and avoided this insipid (and often offensive) piece of twoddle.

The scene in the church is repulsive to watch (especially for those familiar with Morris's warped attitude towards paedophilia from his notorious TV series, Brass Eye) and serves no purpose other than to shock. How this film is labelled a comedy I will never understand.

The runner's commentary sounds like a novel idea in principle (having worked as a runner myself, it's often an interesting and uninhibited perspective on the filmmaking industry), however this is sadly not the case here. Instead, we are treated to some public schoolboy ranting about dogs on film, before concluding that there are no really great movies starring dogs. This is all very interesting, but not worth a single frame of celluloid.

To say that this film goes nowhere would be an understatement. It relies far too heavily upon its heightened style, at the expense of plot, character and dialogue, leaving the viewer strangely perturbed and unfulfilled. Its over-simplified message - that man should take responsibility for his actions - is both glaringly obvious and poorly illustrated.

The film does have its moments of pseudo-Kafkaesque surrealism, but ultimately, it fails to convince, to entertain, to enlighten and just ends up being irritating. If you want to see a really great piece of short filmmaking, I strongly recommend "Franz Kafka's It's A Wonderful Life", by Peter Capaldi.

From Chris Morris, who would later go on to direct the acclaimed comedy on terror 'Four Lions', this short film is...something else. It definitely isn't perfect, but it is so weird and depressing and scary and hilarious that I cannot help but totally embrace everything about it w/great enthusiasm. When I really think about it, this is among the most sad and deranged short films I have seen in quite some time, but it is also one of the funniest, and this mixture of humor, horror, and tragedy is really what makes this a mad masterpiece of surreal pitch-black comedy. It is bleak and sick and so so so so so so dark and I love it!

the other comment was done by a complete fool. this short film by Chris Morris, originally from a sketch in his radio series Blue Jam is piece of highly interesting work to those who "get it". Many won't, which is frankly their problem, or more accurately their lack of imagination or intelligence. The film is not really about anything, it is more of modern surrealist painting in movie format. It's an enquiry into the nature of insanity and all relating things. In a way, it shouldn't be treated like you would treat other films, at least from a critical standpoint. You just have to ask yourself how it affected to you. What thoughts it conjured up. You can't compare it to anything or use conventional techniques for review such as the plot, dialogue etc. It simply has nothing in common with those things. If you're willing to open your mind and you have a vivid imagination then this short film will almost certainly be for you. If you think everything has a message, purpose, rightful meaning then you may as well just go to bed and not bother waking up.