Genres

Visitors Review

2012-05-19 05:36:31

To AA or not to AA

Short Attention Span Summary (SASS):1.This is a movie adaptation of a play by David Hare2.It centers around three characters3.It deals with alcoholism and infidelity4.But mostly it's a debate on the value of the AA programme5.I would have fallen asleep, but zinc beds are too darned uncomfortableSlow moving, rather dry British movie fails to hold the viewer's interest despite the efforts of Jonathan Pryce as a somewhat annoying wealthy businessman and Uma Thurman as his trophy wife. Paddy Considine's character runs the gamut from boring to blotto to bewildered, stopping just a tad short of believable.I've read that the original play is bewitching, but the magic certainly hasn't transferred to the big screen.Recommended only as punishment for alcoholics and cheaters. Amanda Richards, April 10, 2009

Gordon-11 2012-05-18 17:57:16

A waste of time, even considering it is less than 80 minutes long

This film is about a psychological tug of war between a rich guy andtwo recovering alcoholics.The first half of the film is just plain dialogs between people who donot even have any body gestures. To make matters worse, the scenes wereshot with a statically positioned camera. The dialogs are probablymeant to be sharp, crisp and challenging, but they turn out to be dull,repetitive and pretentious. Furthermore, the whole plot is somonotonous, pointless and narrow. It only repetitively talks aboutPaul's desire to stay abstinent despite Victor's challenges. And whydid Victor challenge Paul in the first place? The filmmakers shouldhave at least spend a little effort on character development."My Zinc Bed" is a huge waste of time.

Jizdenky 2012-05-12 19:00:18

My Alcoholic Bed

Packed in a tight 75 + minutes, 'My Zinc Bed' follows a pretty simplestructure. The film is mostly a chambre piece that is told through aseries of conversations between three people: a recovering alcoholicpoet, a businessman and his trophy wife. The director tackles thethemes of alcoholism and desire through complicated relationshipsbetween the three characters. The tension is mostly built throughdialogue. Paddy Considine, Jonathan Pryce and Uma Thurman deliverexcellent performances as they get under the skin of the characters.Had lesser actors been cast, this would have been a borefest. Eventhough I find 75 minutes to be too short a time for a film's duration,I liked that the writer stays focused on the main story and itsprinciple characters. Due to the complex themes, 'My Zinc Bed' may notbe everybody's cup of tea and it has been an interesting and involvingwatch.

GoFudgeYourself 2012-05-11 20:20:09

You will not get addicted to this TV movie

I watched My Zinc Bed last night on BBC2. I had high hopes for thisone-off drama but quite frankly it was a truly awful piece ofTelevision. It was clearly made for American TV. Everything about itfelt fake: the over the top acting, the shots and the music. It was aadapted from a play, but why? It was boring.The story focuses on an alcoholic poet (Paddy Considine) who startsworking for a millionaire businessman (Jonathan Pryce) after they meetfor an interview. The poet then meets his wife (Uma Thurman) and thepair fall in love.Every conversation was about the same thing. Being addicted to drink.The characters just kept winding each other up, which led to me beingwound up and wanting to stop watching it. It tried to be so clever andintelligent but it was just dull. I think it failed because it went forthe "less is more" strategy: one conversation between Uma Thurman (whatattracted her to this TV movie in the first place?) and Paddy Considineled to them kissing and then being in love. And the only way that theaudience knew that was through the weak narration.Surely the BBC can do better in future.

Jay Fox 2012-05-08 06:25:11

Outstanding!

I registered on IMDb simply so I could share my appreciation of thismarvellous production.The three main characters were performed to perfection by the brilliantcast. Thank you for bringing this wonderful play to our screens. Goodin all things except perhaps the extent to which it felt more like astage production than a televisual one.Paddy Considine particularly was spellbinding as his performance rangedfrom a man teetering on the brink of self annihilation, convinced hisslightest misstep would result in his end, to conflicted. Presentedwith the stark depiction of a safe life without passion or a passionatelife doomed to disaster his inner turmoil was made clear to us, and wefelt his turmoil, fear and excitement.

Andrew Stephenson 2012-05-07 19:27:25

Three-hander about the nature of addictive obsession

A quiet but tense piece, definitely not for those who hope for blatantexcitement, being more a study of characters, each in his/her ownprivately nightmarish situation. Essentially a three-hander betweenPryce, Considine and Thurman, all of whom turn in excellentperformances of a solid script with many well observed turns of phraseand personality. Main weakness is how it dwells, for around 70 minutes,on alcoholic addiction to the exclusion of most else; but, if you knowthat going in, maybe you can handle it. Conversion from stage to screenworks okay.FWIW, the end credits show it as co-production of BBC and HBO.

RitchCS 2012-05-06 14:22:44

WOW! What a huge surprise!

I've been an avid movie fan for half a century and try to keep up withnew releases. Tuesday is Neflix/Blockbuster online day IF I can findenough titles that interest me. I read a brief description of 'MZB' andnoticed the cast...especially Paddy Considine and figured if UmaThurman, Jonathan Pryce, AND Paddy had chosen to be in this movie, itMUST have some merit. I watched five DVD's before I put this one intothe player. FIRST, I was astonished to see it was an HBO Film. HBO whodoesn't miss and HBO who offers some of the best entertainment in theworld. I was caught up in the plot during the first sixty seconds andmy eyes stayed glued to the TV for the next seventy-two minutes.Perhaps a seventy-three minute film is not the usual box office fare,but this was one of the most brilliantly written, acted, and directedfilms I've seen all year. It could be Uma Thurman's best acting ever.Paddy Considine only gets better with each movie and has become one ofmy favorites. The problems of addiction to alcohol and love wereequally expressed and portrayed by this wonderful small ensemble. DavidHare, who wrote the stage play, adapted it for the movie and did amagnificent job. IF you're looking for sex and action, leave this oneon the shelf of your favorite video store...but if you're a lover ofserious drama...PUT THIS ONE ON YOUR LIST TO SEE! I can't wait to seenew comments appear on this message board once the film has beennoticed by the American audiences!

libs-1 2012-05-06 01:47:22

A play which will make you think again

I disagree that this film was a waste of time. This piece was gloriouswith so many depths and the most wonderful acting, how could anyone notcome away from this piece without feeling challenged. I love JonathanPryce and he was at his usual best but I felt all three characters roseto the challenge and pulled you into there world. At the end I went tobed debating The whys and therefore of why they had all needed to meetand realised the cleverness of a torn mans need to know his loves realfeelings. You realise that in all the sadness the alcohol is the truebaddie and just want to watch on to see a happy ending for the forlornpoet. Uma Thurman is beautiful in her desperation and need to be lovedand the ultimate love story in all this is truly sad but compelling.one for the greatest drama lists.