Buy Weekend on DVD | Mr. Skin's Celebrity Nudity Movie Reviews

Weekend (Tom Cullen)

DVD More Info Region Code: 1 Languages: English Dolby Digital 2.0 (Primary)	PRE-ORDER: Available 08/21/2012	$26.99 (10% off) List Price: ~~$29.99~~
Blu-ray More Info Region Code: 1 Languages: English Dolby Digital 2.0 (Primary)	PRE-ORDER: Available 08/21/2012	$35.99 (10% off) List Price: ~~$39.99~~

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Synopsis

This sensual, remarkably observed, beautifully acted wonder is the breakout feature from British writer/director/editor Andrew Haigh (who made his debut with Greek Pete). Rarely has a film been as honest about sexuality - in both depiction and discussion - as this tale of a one-night-stand that develops into a weekend-long idyll for two very different young men (exciting newcomers Tom Cullen and Chris New) in Midlands England. It’s an emotionally naked film that’s both an invaluable snapshot of the complexities of contemporary gay living and a universally identifiable portrait of a love affair.

3 Reasons To buy this film

This movie wasn't just the most acclaimed gay film of 2011, it was one of the most acclaimed films period.
Weekend won the Audience Awards at both SXSW and Outfest 2011. It was also the opening night film selection of Brooklyn’s acclaimed BAMcinemafest.
Newcomers Tom Cullen and Chris New give charmingly natural performances that will hit you right where it counts: your heart. This is one of the best gay romances you're likely to see - and it's directed with brilliant simplistic skill by filmmaker-to-watch Andrew Haigh.

Review

I am such a fan of Weekend that I find it difficult to write about. There is a part of me that feels as though dissecting the film will take away from its magic and power. If you haven't seen it, stop reading now, order your copy and come to it with fresh eyes. The first time I saw it, I was by myself and had little-to-no expectations. I was so emotionally awestruck and uplifted that I immediately wanted to watch it again and share the experience with another person. Honestly, I think I have seen it about 12 times by now (with different friends) and I can say confidently that, with the exception of a poorly-written song that plays during the closing credits, Weekend is a PERFECT romance - especially for those of us who remain skeptical of love stories.

Two cute, gay, British hipster boys meet, share a one-night-stand and then start connecting on a deeper level the next morning. One of them, though, is leaving for school in Portland, Oregon at the end of the weekend. They only have that short period of time to spend together. The premise seems simple, but the emotions are complicated. The fact that these two guys, opposites at times, are so drawn to each other starts to make them question all other aspects of their lives and plans for the future. They quickly learn how to push each other's buttons, but come away stimulated by their interactions. These two clearly have a lot to learn from one another. On top of that, the sex (depicted graphically, but with great sensitivity and beauty) is pretty amazing too. With the time constraint looming over their early-stage romance, the pressure is on. Will these two throw caution to the wind and start planning a life together or are they destined to part ways with only a sweet, melancholy memory to show for their relationship? You’ll have to watch to find out!

Newcomers Tom Cullen and Chris New are so comfortable in the lead roles, delivering such wonderfully memorable, naturalistic performances that it’s easy to forget they are acting. Andrew Haigh, a director-to-watch if I ever saw one, manages to keep raising the emotional stakes while never betraying the realistic atmosphere that he creates. What begins as a dialog-driven character study, ends as an almost edge-of-your-seat experience that still values honesty, and the simple examination of finding love when you least expect it. Weekend is easily one of the most excitingly romantic movies I’ve seen in a long, long time. It totally blew me away and I hope it does the same for you.

-- Robert O'Neill

Awards

Best Achievement in Production — British Independent Film Awards
Most Promising Newcomer (Tom Cullen) — British Independent Film Awards
Audience Award — Czech Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
Best Screenplay — Evening Standard British Film Awards
Best Film — Ghent International Film Festival
Best Feature — Hamburg Lesbian and Gay Film Festival
Outstanding International Narrative Feature — L.A. Outfest
Breakthrough British Filmmaker (Andrew Haigh) — London Critics Circle Film Awards
Best Actor in a Narrative Feature (Tom Cullen) — Nashville Film Festival
Best Narrative Feature — Nashville Film Festival
MovieZone Award (Andrew Haigh) — Rotterdam International Film Festival
Emerging Visions Award — SXSW Film Festival
Audience Award — San Francisco International Lesbian & Gay Film Festival
Audience Award — Toronto Inside Out Lesbian and Gay Film and Video Festival

Media Quotes

"One of the truest, most beautiful movies ever made about two strangers." — Wesley Morris Boston Globe
"Bittersweet, achingly authentic, and so intimate it almost feels invasive." — Alison Willmore The A.V. Club
"Naturalistic without being ineloquent, heartfelt yet unsentimental, Weekend is the rarest of birds: a movie romance that rings true." — Eric Hynes Village Voice
"British filmmaker Andrew Haigh's background in editing (from Gladiator to Mister Lonely) is evident in the casual beauty of moments that only appear 'found,' giving Weekend an engrossing documentary feel." — Lisa Schwarzbaum Entertainment Weekly
"There is... a need for stories that address the complex entanglements of love and sex honestly, without sentiment or cynicism and with the appropriate mixture of humor, sympathy and erotic heat. Weekend, Andrew Haigh's astonishingly self-assured, unassumingly profound second feature, is just such a film." — A.O. Scott The New York Times
"So much movie can be made with so little plot, given sufficient humanity and dramatic tension. That's the case with Andrew Haigh's eloquent chamber piece." — Joe Morgenstern Wall Street Journal
"Weekend is such a smart, prickly, sexy, inventive film that it critiques itself and critiques its viewers, gay or straight, even as it spins an archetypal romantic fable." — Andrew O'Hehir Salon.com
"This is a smart, sensitive, perceptive film, with actors well suited to the dialogue. It underlines the difficulty of making connections outside our individual boxes of time and space." — Roger Ebert Chicago-Sun Times
"Earnest and understated, Weekend has the intimate look and feel of a two-character stage play." — Joe Leydon Variety
"Weekend manages to ride the line between character study, comedy, drama, and a host of other genres without feeling cramped." — James Renovitch Austin Chronicle
"What begins as a one-night stand deepens, over the next two days, into a genuine romance as the young lovers embark on an epic dialogue that touches on the most profound questions of love, commitment, honesty, and identity." — J.R. Jones Chicago Reader
"I hate to damage so fragile a work with overpraise, but, gay or straight, if you don't see yourself in this movie, you need to get a life." — David Edelstein New York Magazine

Product Format Information

DVD : $26.99

Availability: PRE-ORDER:
Available 08/21/2012
Region Code: 1

Studio : IFC Films, Criterion

Languages: English Dolby Digital 2.0 (Primary)
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen, 1.85
Features:
Original theatrical trailer
Bonus film: Cahuenga Blvd. (2003) - the first of two short films be Andrew Haigh.
Bonus film: Five Miles Out (2009) - the second of two short films by Andrew Haigh.
Booklet: A booklet featuring an essay by film critic Dennis Lim.
Digitally mastered: New high-definition digital restoration, approved by director Andrew Haigh and director of photography Ula Pontikos.
Featurette: New program featuring interviews with Haigh, Pontikos, producer Tristan Goligher, and actors Tom Cullen and Chris New.
Interview(s): Chris New interview with Andrew Haigh on the film’s sex scenes.
Behind-the-scenes footage: On-set video footage shot by New and others, and two scenes from Cullen’s and New’s auditions.
Featurette: Video essay on the film’s set photographers, Oisín Share and Colin Quinn.

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Blu-ray : $35.99

Availability: PRE-ORDER:
Available 08/21/2012
Region Code: 1

Studio : IFC Films, Criterion

Languages: English DTS-HD 2.0 (Primary)
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen, 1.85
Features:
Original theatrical trailer
Bonus film: Cahuenga Blvd. (2003) - the first of two short films be Andrew Haigh.
Bonus film: Five Miles Out (2009) - the second of two short films by Andrew Haigh.
Booklet: A booklet featuring an essay by film critic Dennis Lim.
Digitally mastered: New high-definition digital restoration, approved by director Andrew Haigh and director of photography Ula Pontikos, featuring 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray edition.
Featurette: New program featuring interviews with Haigh, Pontikos, producer Tristan Goligher, and actors Tom Cullen and Chris New.
Interview(s): New interview with Haigh on the film’s sex scenes.
Behind-the-scenes footage: On-set video footage shot by New and others, and two scenes from Cullen’s and New’s auditions.
Featurette: Video essay on the film’s set photographers, Oisín Share and Colin Quinn.