16 Years of Alcohol

2003 "Trainspotting meets A Clockwork Orange"
6.2| 1h42m| en
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16 Years of Alcohol is a 2003 drama film written and directed by Richard Jobson, based on his 1987 novel. The film is Jobson's first directorial effort, following a career as a television presenter on BSkyB and VH-1, and as the vocalist for the 1970s punk rock band The Skids.

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Reviews

Protraph Lack of good storyline.
FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.
Jonah Abbott There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.
Matylda Swan It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.
pcboss-gothwal All illicit drugs have a set of paraphernalia associated with them - tools that drug users use to carry, process or administer the drugs. These pictures can help identify various paraphernalia associated with illicit drug use. If you suspect someone is using drugs, finding any of these items could signal a problem. Alcohol and drug use can progress into abuse and even addiction so insidiously that sometimes people do not realize that it has become a problem for them and those around them. The following self-assessment tests can help you determine whether or not it may be time to get help.------------------------jems--------------------http://www.alcoholisminformation.org - http://www.alcoholisminformation.org
ed_two_o_nine This is a strange morose film. At times it felt like a full length student movie with little in the way of plot development but some interesting themes. It had some interesting points to make on alcoholism but was more a study of the drinking culture of the Scottish working class. The film was held together well by Andewr McKidd who occupies most scenes with some good supporting cast and a cameo from director Richard Jobson. A satisfying film though I am not sure I would want to watch it again. Judge for yourself is my strongest recommendation. All in all this is a good but not great film. Some of what saves the movie are the interesting camera shots and a great soundtrack that I will now definitely be seeking out.
spressarts I found this movie to be remarkable. I was captivated by the depth of each character from the beginning. The casting was superb. The dualistic forces evident in us all; the undertow of past conditioning and trauma and the propelling urge to transform, are pivotal in Frankie's story. Through the gifted performance of Kevin McKidd, I felt as if I was experiencing this developmental tension from the inside of him. Contrary to the title, alcoholism was rather a subtle subplot. There were no visits to a detox and in the one scene where we are led to a brief glimpse of an AA meeting, Frankie does not identify himself as an alcoholic. None the less, alcoholism provided a powerful back drop to the more obvious themes of rage, repression and the redeeming power of love and intention. Alcohol is portrayed as the catalyst to fuel the violence, betrayal and poor choices, the gage to measure the protagonist's progress and most important a means to pathologically cope with emotional pain and unresolved memories which thematically appear throughout the film. The richness and natural beauty of the women in the movie and the lighthearted romantic moments provided a welcomed balance to the intensity. The artful direction of incorporating stills with action as well as the thoughtful use of sound light and closeups further made this film worthy of high merit.
paul_a I feel like I've been had, the con is on, don't fall for it. After reading glowing reviews (the Director was a film reviewer with Sky for years so must have a lot of mates in the press ready to do him a favour by writing favorable reviews) I expected solid acting, atmosphere, suspense, strong characterization, an intriguing plot development and poetic moments. Sadly, 'Sixteen years of Alcohol', doesn't deliver on the critics promises, for the most part, sacrifices these qualities in lieu of cheesy low budget special effects (what was that clichéd cobweb scene in there for?), unrealistic fight choreography and mindless mind numbing narration, cliché edits and camera angles.'Sixteen years of Alcohol' starts off interestingly with some beautiful location shots in Scotland, but it's straight downhill from here. Unfortunately, instead of spending some time building atmosphere, creating characters we might care about, or building suspense - the director opts to begin driving you crazy with self indulgent heavy handed twaddle voice-over's. The lead characters are so unsympathetic and are so badly acted - the audience doesn't care what happens to them, desperate Actors do desperate things...like this movie!. To make matters worse, the 'homage's' (typical of a director trying to pay his dues to past masters) are either utterly cliché or unconvincing. The soundtrack is the only thing that lifted me and kept me in the cinema but even that failed to support the dramatic narrative other connecting a period of time to the action.For some reason the movie got increasingly flawed and to be quite honest annoying. I still watched the whole damn thing!I guess I liked the attempt at gritty realism in the film but even that was destroyed when they were often inter-cut with weird and abstract, sometimes pointless scenes. You don't need a huge budget to make truly moving film, so much has been said about how little money they had to make this film, half a million is not a little bit of money...SO NO EXCUSES! Sometimes I wonder what the actors...Or their agents were thinking!Pass on this turkey unless you're masochistic or mindless anyway....NOT MY THING1.5/10