Synopsis
The Weekend has Landed!
Five twenty-something friends spend a drug-fueled weekend in Cardiff, Wales.
1999 Directed by Justin Kerrigan
Five twenty-something friends spend a drug-fueled weekend in Cardiff, Wales.
John Simm Shaun Parkes Nicola Reynolds Lorraine Pilkington Danny Dyer Dean Davies Andrew Lincoln Terence Beesley Jo Brand Richard Coyle Jan Anderson Carl Cox Stephanie Brooks Howard Marks Helen Griffin Danny Midwinter Justin Kerrigan Tyrone Johnson Larrington Walker Philip Rosch Peter Albert Menna Trussler Mark Seaman Lynne Seymour Patrick Taggart Anna Wilson Robert Marable Nick Kilroy Peter Bramhill Show All…
Human Traffic - Die Nacht ist nicht genug
Underdogs and coming of age Crude humor and satire Song and dance Relationship comedy teenager, school, friendship, funny or nerds dancing, choreography, songs, tune or musical band, songs, concert, musician or lyrics funny, comedy, humor, jokes or hilarious surfing, teenager, friendship, adolescents or kids Show All…
After finally killing The Doctor, The Master has no meaning in life. So he comes to Earth, wipes his own memory and changes his name to Jip. He then befriends Danny Dyer. Jip then realizes he has no meaning in his life so he runs for Prime Minister and wins under his real name, Harold Saxon. When The Doctor returns to Earth with Captain Jack Harkness and Martha Jones, Saxon remembers exactly who he really is and history repeats itself.
I never lived through the 90s but my god I wish I did. I actually loved this. It was gritty, funny, psychedelic, brilliantly made and just felt like one giant drug. It's clearly Trainspotting inspired but still feels great and it had Edgar Wright's 'Spaced' written all over it.
It's a trip into the nineties, with fun performances that include a great turn for John Simm. As for the narrative, it's pretty basic, a bunch of people who get tired of their mundane jobs/life and then go to escape on the weekend. Be aware it might have you bobbing along to the beat of the arm-flailing soundtrack.
The film itself is a drug trip, literally. It isn't groundbreaking but it is a fun experience that certainly induces some amusing moments.
Maggie's in the Mud: 80s and 90s British Cinema Project
I mostly hate drug films but there's a reason why Human Traffic worked with me and it wasn't just the soundtrack.
At least Human Traffic makes the efforts to chart the reasons why these people are doing them in the first place, the ups and downs, and there's actually a point to it. It's not Seth Rogen just crowbarring it into something for no other fucking reason than to show us that he likes drugs.
But yes, there's also the soundtrack. Stopping off at particular favourites Build It Up, Tear It Down by Fatboy Slim and Belfast by Orbital, it really does capture the music and clubbing scene as it…
Dire.
A catalogue of Friday night's pills and powder intake does not a movie make. Nor do five endlessly self-justifying bores constantly winking and nudging and screaming and sledgehammering the viewer with "THIS IS WHAT IT FEELS LIKE WHEN YOU'RE ON DRUGS! THIS IS EXACTLY HOW IT FEELS WHEN YOU ARE ON DRUGS! AM I RIGHT? AM I RIGHT?"
That it has the gall to reference TRAINSPOTTING, an immensely superior film which throws its own failings into almost comic relief, is just one of the many artistic decisions on director Justin Kerrigan's part which completely baffle me. Nothing quite so baffling though as the generally held view that it is something of a "British Cult Classic". A turgid mixture of nostalgia (the turn of the millenium setting always feels a bit anachronistic for a film centred on rave culture) and borderline propaganda. I've had comedowns that were more pleasant.
every second of Danny Dyer, the most charismatic man in Britain, chatting shit about Star Wars is absolutely essential
can't believe i used to be scared of this poster on the vhs cover in my dad's living room thinking it was a ghost or some shit and now mans fully just pogging
The world looks beautiful here man
Feel like shit, just want the clubs back
I mean, this is utterly emblematic of post-Guy Ritchie british cinema, but I’ve literally been on nights out exactly like this. This film absolute gets it, to a degree that’s painfully embarrassing, but also. a worth it great time. shot of Cardiff waking up to the sounds of Orbital is an all-timer
safe as fuck
I love that this still stands up because, when you consider the 90s, so much of the culture just doesn't. It was so laddish and yet here's a film that passes the Bechdal test and explores the sexual anxieties and inadequacies of men. It's also an unashamedly, mostly positive look at drug culture ("statistically you're more likely to die from choking on a cabbage leaf or an argument in the pub than dropping an E" ) and, as such, is a more accurate depiction of my 90s and early 00s than the perceived wisdom. Safe as fuck, indeed.
Also, given that everyone freely admits to approaching some scenes chemically, it's fun to try and guess which scenes. Spot the saucer-like pupils!
See previous review here.