Happy New Year, Colin Burstead

I'm a big Wheatley fan, even though I think his films can be hit and miss. I had no anticipation for this film and watched it out of boredom really. The film has a constant underlined tension which you think will explode into a crescendo of violence that never happens. I look forward to rebecca.

The curious thing about this, from a young and supposedly edgy director, is how conventional it is - exactly the sort of thing that would be shown as a Christmas Play For Today 30-40 years ago, and has been done much better in films like The Family Stone. The characters' actions are often implausible, many of the characters themselves are superfluous (or there only to widen the demographic net) and, although if you persevere to the end it's not entirely negative, it is certainly drab and depressing. A lot of the dialogue sounds improv and, as another reviewer says, they seem to have thought that if they got a decent cast together and workshopped it something good would just magically emerge.

And what bloody awful musical taste the family has! We had to keep turning the volume down during the 'disco' scenes. I didn't mind the actual soundtrack music, though, and there are no 'Irish jigs' - it sounds more like the Elizabethan Session or something similar.

I had high hopes for this film as I loved 'Kill List' and 'Sightseers' but unfortunately it just came across as an artier version of Eastenders filmed on wobblycam. The premise was interesting but it didn't go anywhere and soon descended into pointless bickering characters which is the mainstay of lowbrow soaps. Sure, that's what happens when families get together, but it would have been good if we were amused or surprised at some point. Perhaps Julia Davis should have written the script for it. As it is, it stands as a failed improv experiment. I hope Ben Wheatley's next effort will be better.

I thought it was a terrific film, with very natural feeling acting. The chemistry clicked perfectly between this ensemblée. I caught it on the BBC at Christmas and loved every minute. Well worth a watch.

This little unheard of tragicomedy drama represents some of Ben Wheatley's best work to date. There's lots of characters here, and his script manages to integrate them all in interesting and sometimes amusing ways; the dialogue is sharp, with the actors adding bits and pieces when called for, and the tense family relations soon reaches a boiling point with appropriately awkward and tense confrontations after smart setup work.

As well as writer and director, Ben Wheatley also shows really impressive work as editor. Conversations are constantly cut up with other conversations, and the transitions are smooth, never losing us as the audience with the content of those exchanges, while also managing to keep us aware of where everyone is and what's on everyone's mind in a given moment.

Of course, when the focus is on dialogue, you need a good ensemble, and fortunately this British film is splendidly cast from top to bottom, with Neil Maskell demonstrating yet again why he deserves more leading roles with this incredible, impassioned display. Overall, 'Happy New Year, Colin Burstead' is an excellent acting, screenwriting, and editing showcase.

8/10.