Platicsco Good story, Not enough for a whole film

HottWwjdIam There is just so much movie here. For some it may be too much. But in the same secretly sarcastic way most telemarketers say the phrase, the title of this one is particularly apt.

Blake Rivera If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

StarWarsDisco I don't mind the insane and needless violence portrayed here. Young men full of testosterone who come from poverty or working class conditions is certainly a bad mix that leads to violence and anti-social behaviour in all societies. But what I don't understand is how a gang of idiots can unflinchingly assault police officers, or how one foot soldier can get his ass kicked for a while, then get up and slice a guy's face (or neck? possibly killing a guy?) in front of the police, and then walk away from it all. Is this really a believable situation in Thatcher-era northwestern England?

Theo Robertson This is has got to be one of the most bizarre movies I've seen in a very long time . It has the gloomy , gritty , realist kitchen sink drama you've seen a million times from every Ken Loach film . Somewhat conscious of this Pat Holden then introduces a contemporary soundtrack tothe film , a soundtrack that seems to go on and on . According to the wikipedia a grand total of 28 tracks are used throughout the running time . You can't get enough of doom laden nihilistic songs , tunes to slash your wrists to ? Then you'll probably enjoy AWAYDAYS . Oh and you're also a latent homosexual who can't catch enough homo erotic glances from male characters in a movie ? In that case you might just believe this is a gay , kitchen sink , pop video equivalent of GONE WITH THE WIND These aren't necessarily criticisms and AWAYDAYS would go down very well with film students wanting to discuss kitchen sink British drama or gay cinema or wider existentialist themes . Certainly the look and feel of the movie resembles that of many classic PLAY FOR TODAY dramas but the problem is there seems to be three different type of films trying to escape Certainly the best aspect of the film is its sense of time and place . Unlike Nick Love's remake of THE FIRM you really do believe the story is taking place in its chronological setting , so much so that Holden gives the impression that he owns a Tardis . The hairstyles and fashion and whole feel of the movie screams that it's 1979 Merseyside . However this is the only thing Holden manages to capture well and convey to the audience It's interesting how extreme some of the reviews on this page are and after watching AWAYDAYS you'll take on board both the praise and criticism . Both sides are right in their arguments and I'm sticking by my one line summary at the top of this review

FlashCallahan Another year, another film about football, and the cult that is hooliganism.This time, they have Stephen Graham in a del-boy jacket and cool moustache and a quite good soundtrack to try and sell the film. It all fails miserably.It's the everyday story of a young lad who is bored with life, is at a football match and sees some violence and wants in, and starts to ignore his family in favour of the football (or rather the fighting).it's your typically clichéd movie. and the one that stands out the most is the fact that the one who lets him into the group 'Elvis', is rejected by Carty halfway through.In the films favour though, it's realistically filmed, Bell is very good in his role,and Stephen Graham may as well change his name to Robert Carlyle, as now he will always be remembered for his role in 'this is england' as Carlyle is for Trainspotting.the story doesn't really go anywhere, we just see Carty sink deeper an deeper into the abyss, all the while not realising that Elvis is blatantly in love with him.there really hasn't been a good 'Firm' movie since Clarks TV drama 'the firm', and this is just another nail in the football movie coffin.give me when Saturday comes any-day

thesandfly77 There seems to be some ill-will towards this tidy little parable and I cannot understand why.Maybe the Joy Division fanboys feel the material is misplaced but I contend the great soundtrack is only used to set time and place and does not work in reverse like some latter day music vid.Nor is it a 'hooligan' movie.My own reaction was that this is a terrific effort, both from a committed cast and production side who nail the period in perfect British bleakness.The football hooliganism feels like it is intended - a fantastical sideshow and not the main thrust of the film which centres around a lower middle-class lad's attempt for acceptance by a pack of working-class hooligans and the unrequited homosexual love between him and the pack's coolest member.Carty, said middle-class lad, ultimately is a tourist, and the film conveys this superbly while whipping us along for the ride.Pay little attention to those attempting to fold this boisterous creation into a pigeon hole; it stands on its own as a potent reflection of a sentimentally grim time in British culture.Entertaining, admirable and bittersweet. Watch it.