Rock'N'Love

Tonight You're Mine is nothing truly original, boy and girl meet, they dislike each other but are forced to spend time together and then they find that they do like each other, at least romantically. But the smart and witty banter isn't too over the top in a way that makes you say "people don't talk like that" and the chemistry is fantastic. The storyline is a very laid back one, the two bands are hanging out at the "T in the Park" festival and having a good time in between their performances while the leads to each are handcuffed together.

Natalia Tena is an under-used actress with so much potential. She gets really into character and pulls you in, in a way that makes you think that that is her true personality. She was lively, boisterous and sweet in this role and it fit her perfectly. I've never heard of Luke Treadaway before but his acting seemed to be on par for me, and he seemed really natural with his co-star.

I thought that actually filming the movie at and during the "T in the Park" festival was ingenious. They got so much production value out of it, real true things that you can't duplicate even with the most experienced set designer and director. Overall the movie is a real good time; you have fun watching it, wanting to go out and party afterwords. I don't have anything bad to say about this movie and I give it a 6.0 because its just a fun film, nothing too serious but not so un-serious.

Thank heavens for "Tonight You're Mine" (or its original title in the U.K.: "You Instead"), a movie that manages to exceed my expectations for a story like this. Undeniably sweet, magical and occasionally funny at times, this rock and roll gem will surprise you from start to finish. It's also the kind of movie you can watch on a rainy day and you can still have a good time. Luke Treadaway from the "Clash of the Titans" remake and "Attack the Block" stars as Adam, one-half of the American rock band "The Make". His day is not starting to go well. He's supposed to perform at the "T in the Park" music festival in Scotland. While that happens, he happens to be handcuffed, thanks to a scheming minister, with Morello (Natalia Tena, Nymphadora Tonks from the "Harry Potter" film series), the band leader for the British female rock group "The Dirty Pinks", (who also have to perform at the festival) after some bitter arguments. All of this takes place at that festival and throughout the movie, Adam and Morello has to find a way to break out of those cuffs, play their gigs, and---possibly---make a magical connection that might find themselves in love. I know you think that this is another one of those groan-inducing rom-coms, but trust me, this is much different than that. Clocking in a rather fast time of 80 minutes, "Tonight You're Mine" has a heart that pulsates with energy and a soul that rollicks with a staggering sweetness. It's hard to believe that Treadaway (with a very solid American accent) and Tena are very talented (Singing and playing guitar/keyboard) on- and off-screen. But they are and they accomplished that in spades. Their chemistry together is incredible. The music in the film is amazing. It's like listening to a mix tape that you made before, but never listened to it until now and it happens to be a very eclectic mix tape filled with many different sounds. (One of the standouts of that mix tape is Adam and Morello performing "Tainted Love" on stage.) I give director David Mackenzie (of the sexually charged "Young Adam", the Ashton Kutcher disaster "Spread", and the mind-boggling "Perfect Sense") credit for taking us inside the actual "T in the Park" festival. It must have been very difficult to shoot in the festival for 4-5 days, bringing a lot of pressure on the actors. But it feels very authentic, real and organic. What also works is that Mackenzie and screenwriter Thomas Leveritt gives the characters a lot of humanity, including Adam's model girlfriend (Ruta Gedmintas), Morello's on-again, off-again boyfriend (Alastair Mackenzie, the director's brother), Adam's other half Tyko (Mathew Baynton) and the sleazy manager (Gavin Mitchell), who nearly hits on women when he's drunk. Yes, there are no surprises. But there's nothing to be surprised about anyway, except for a couple of them. That's why "Tonight You're Mine" is really magical in many ways possible. You won't be disappointed. Give this film a go.

You Instead is as close as it gets to being at a music festival without actually being there. Right from the start the audience is wholly immersed in the festival atmosphere. This is, in part, down to the crew shooting the entirety of the film at the T in the Park event in Scotland and featuring the artists performing there (Biffy Clyro and Joe Mango to name two).

Director David Mackenzie took the two actors and their supporting cast and literally dropped them in it. Up to their knees in mud at times and performing amongst a genuine crowd of revellers from start to finish. Luke Treadaway and Natalia Tena are more than convincing as frontmen of their respective bands, largely helped by Tena's burgeoning career as a musician with her group Molotov Jukebox.

You Instead takes brilliant advantage of an environment where the rules of daily life no longer apply. The result is a film populated with larger than life characters in a world we rarely get a glimpse of, and it's a great fun place to spend an hour and a half.

It must have been an absolute nightmare to try to shoot a watchable film at a wet festival over one weekend. There's the odd really lovely piece of camera-work tucked away in here and the whole thing beautifully captures the festival experience with a surprisingly unobtrusive but mesmerizing music score. Great to see a cast of more or less unknowns, putting to shame bigger names and far bigger budgets. Not every film has to shock or nudge the audience into exploring some hidden dark side of themselves. Sometimes films are there just to record the lighter side of life, and this is one of them. A pleasant stroll through T in the Park ..... nothing wrong with that.

For anyone who loves music and music festivals this film is a treat. It's a great premise; make a film about a love story during a actual huge outdoor music festival. You have to keep in mind that the logistics of doing this had to have been a b**ch. This is not a cult film, or a classic, or a carefully crafted under control movie. It is what it is: a simple rock and roll fantasy, probably sketched out in general and then written as filming progressed to take advantage of what was going on at the event. I applaud the filmmakers for having the b*lls to attempt this, and then coming away with a sweet story with fun characters and a good feel of the festival spirit.