Junkhearts (2011)

Touches You

A Masterpiece!

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Had me screaming at the TV by the end - the story swirls deeper and deeper down and pulls everything with it. A real snowball! Part of the film's grasp on me was its realism, very well done. There is an awkward tension between Frank and Lynette, especially when they first meet, and it is interesting to watch their relationship develop as they gradually loosen up around each other. Marsden's performance as Frank is fierce and brutal, sometimes a bit gross - he really gave it his all. The story seems to thicken quite naturally and film is very good at making the viewer empathetic to its heavy story lines. The story is bleak but sincere.

Junkhearts is just about the best sci-fi/paranormal activityesque film I've seen all week. My favourite scene is where the aliens descend and take away our anti-hero (eddie marshan) for some serious self-analysis to try and get his head better after returning home war-down. I think the director did a great job with the CGI effects on Eddie's looks... he kinda looks like something that Wes Craven never used in The Hills Have Eyes (1 and 2). I must admit, some of the outer space scenes seemed a little unrealistic, and the scene where Danny (Tom Sturridge) and Christine (Romola Garai) had a passionate embrace on mars just didn't work for me. Still, sci-fi and genre aside, this little British jewel does have its serious side, taking us deep inside the mind of a mentally deranged soldier who is battling his urge to drink by going to war. With no more wars left, only those raging in the outer reaches of the galaxy, our marinated antagonist hits the bottle big time and that's when help (from a very unlikely source) arrives. It's here where I have what is probably my biggest problem with the film... the little props and scenery. The vodka looked like water and when the spaceship took off for the final time the cups in Christines house seemed empty and glued to the table. But this is a minor gripe considering just how great this film is. I guess when something is faultless you search out errors. It's like what My Physics teacher (Mr Knapton) once told me: "You'll NEVER get a 100% mark in your exam... 99.9%, yes, but NEVER 100. The markers will always find some error, no matter how irrelevant!" Well, I guess that speech hit me deeper than I thought, because here I am, 20 years later, proving Mr Knapton's theory 'One Star Down' theory correct. But back on subject, and to sum this hard-hitting, low budget Brit-flick up, I'd say it's the best Sci-fi pic I've seen this side of insanity. The director done well with limited budget and ex-Craven rejects and managed to pull of a stupendous action/effects film... all without a drop of blood anywhere!9 outta 10!!! Two thumbs up from Tristram Spencer!

Eddie Mardsen and Tom Sturridge are great as you would expect Sturridge acts against type and is really sinister with a sense of menace and suppressed violence Candice Reid is a brilliant new actress in my view- great to see a newbie given such a key part and really pulling it off. She hold the film together and you care about her fate and fear for her on the streets of East London The central characters are convincing and hold your attention throughout The place is Brick Lane and this part of London is really another character in the film If you know the place it enhances your enjoyment of the film Didn't really see enough character development in the Romola Garai role for that bit of the film to work for me But overall this films will hold your attention and make you care about the people-esp Candice Reid

This was an unexpected treat, a bunch of us were shown this movie. as part of a literature group. We are a mixed bag of folk, who have certainly seen our fair share of the kind of life experience on show here in this movie. we were told nothing of this film, but most of us agreed it was as authentic a depiction of addiction, alcoholism, crime, homelessness and p.t.s.d. (post traumatic stress disorder) as any other, in any movie ever. yeah it was ugly in places, but the beauty in i felt lay in the way that even these supposedly lowlife characters, could find some kind of dignity and redemption in their lives. I found a film full of honesty, humour and hope. a real treat indeed, the fact that the dirtector tinge came along to our humble group for the showing and a post screening discussion, also showed how the filmmaker's really cared about their creation and the audience.