My Wrongs 8245-8249 and 117

I've never really been a big fan of 'shorts' (the films, not the clothes) so it was always going to take an artist whom I really respect to convince me to actually buy one, and - as you've probably guessed - Chris Morris is such an artist. Possibly the most interesting comic around, if you take into account his media-shy persona and the controversy that surrounded the Brass Eye special a while back, this film marks his debut on this medium, and is a corker.

Revolving around a depressed man who (probably, but nothing is certain here) has gone insane due to self-loathing, and his relationship with the dog who lives in the house that he is looking after, the film inspires equal parts of horror, dismay, and hilarity. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like this, and if I have, I've never found it this entertaining. Really highly recommended for anybody who is interested in art which pushes at the boundries of medium, form, and genre.

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

A depressed and paranoid man is looking after his girlfriend's house and dog for a weekend. The dog assures the man that he is the man's lawyer and will be representing him in court next week. They go out for a walk where the dog leads him into a fight with duck's in the park and deceives him at a christening.

I'm not a big fan of Chris Morris, but I am always interested enough in his material to give it ago. Sometimes his unique visions of life are funny or just weird enough to be engrossing. Other times they are simply desperate attempts to offend – like a cry for attention or something. Here the sketch (for that is what it is) is an extended version of one taken from Blue Jam. I questioned the value of this film while I was watching it as I wondered why Morris hadn't just remade this as another sketch rather than going for a whole film.

Regardless of this it worked quite well if you like Morris' typically dark view on dark subjects. It isn't very funny, so don't get your hopes up too much in that regard, but it is interestingly compelling. His actual point is lost on me but the telling is interesting. Morris himself provides the voice of the man's lawyer/dog.

Overall this is an interesting way to pass 15 minutes although don't assume it is a laugh riot, for it isn't. Instead it is a comic look at schizophrenia and depression which works simply because you have to keep watching to see where it is going. In terms of a second viewing, I doubt I'd bother.

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.

This is an ingeniously quirky short film. It may be slightly too strange for some viewers - the story and technique (in particular the sound) are barmy - but it cleverly succeeds in arresting the viewer's attention in its short space of time. The film creates a bizarre metaverse experienced from the point of view of Paddy Considine's lead character in which animals talk and think in more logical terms than their human counterparts. Obviously, we believe Paddy is slightly mad, leading to various scenes in which he comically finds it increasingly difficult to relate to the social etiquette he is expected to conform to.

Morris's directorial style makes it hard at times to laugh out loud - he refuses to allow his audience to dwell on "the funny bits" - but think about what you've seen and you'll probably wet yourself. This makes repeat viewings very rewarding, especially with such a sly, wink-wink denouement.