Little to add to the first review here but on BAFTA night to single out Sam Riley. I was shocked by his exclusion from most of the awards, let alone the whole movie in other categories, when nominations were first announced; after watching his performance a second time, my mind simply boggles. I honestly think this whole movie belongs up there with the likes of There Will Be Blood and No Country for Old Men this year, and his performance up with Day Lewis and Depp, not to mention the cinematography … it of course baffles me even more that it’s excluded from so many categories at the BAFTAs, and I hope it wins all that it’s up for.

November 27th, 2007:

I really didn’t know how I’d fare with this one, not really being a huge fan of Joy Division nor really even knowing much of their story or music except for what was touched on by the brilliant 24 hour Party People ... to illustrate how little, I didn’t know anything about Ian Curtis’ epilepsy. And I’ll admit, in light of 24 hour Party People, I did find myself wondering about the need for this movie.

It didn’t take long for me to realise this was one of the best movies of the year, though. I can be pretty picky about movies like this if they don’t feel like they gel as a whole from the start – the ensemble, the design, the authenticity, especially these days when it’s so much more possible, everything has to be right about these movies – and if nothing else, this one is certainly the best “period” movie of the year technical-wise up with Zodiac and American Gangster. This one betters both those by far though with the other less technical stuff – the stuff that makes cinema get inside you. The performances are all perfect, believable – I think it says it all that even Craig Parkinson’s turn as Tony Wilson works following Steve Coogan’s, at the time, seemingly irrepeatable take on the guy.

The soundtrack, of course, is perfect. Mark Kermode has said all that needs to be said about how right the decision to have Sam Riley do his own singing was – the cool thing I think he didn’t mention though is how the band sounds too. Like I said, I’m not a Joy Division fan – I’m one of those people who know the songs but wouldn’t immediately name the artist … at best I’d be, like, “ummm … someone from the Manchester thing?” lol. But in addition to being a portrait of a doomed young artist to rank up there with The Doors, to a lesser extent Last Days, etc, this actually made me for the first time want to listen to the music too. The black and white photography is simply beautiful, it’s the kind of movie where almost every frame is an art print, and it’s far from being all misery like it could’ve been. It’s one of the best British films in ages, and I haven’t done my double bill recommendation thing in ages … even if it’s obvious, I can’t think of a better pair than this and the aforementioned Party People.

This is one of my favourite recent British movies. I just read a review that compared Coogan’s Simon Garden to Inspector Clouseau – I’d never made that comparison before but it’s spot on… in fact, I’d personally say Coogan is funnier.

The Parole Officer borrows from a whole bundle of movies but comes out being better probably than any of them. All the characters are lovable in their own way and you really care about them in the end. There’s a whole load of hilarious scenes – from the rollercoaster to the art museum – and they all have great lines to go with them. They’re mostly very simple gags, but it’s Coogan that finds the freshness in them – even in the pre-credits sequence, when he falls off his chair, he does it in a way only Coogan can. If you listen to him on any of the DVD commentaries he’s done, he’s actually a fairly serious guy about comedy – he definitely is interested in the theory behind what works, and it really shows when he’s onscreen.

Finally Emma Williams – she’s hardly the star of the movie or a major character but I always notice her. A year or two following the movie she played Truly Scrumptious onstage in the West End “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” and it’s always amazing to me how different she both looks and acts in this movie. She’s got a hell of an infectious smile and really lights up all the scenes she’s in… even the one she spends most of simply yelling, “Bollocks!” My personal favourite.