I didn't think I'd find anyone to come and see this film with me, but strangely last Wednesday I had a selection of Orange Weds partner offers. In an attempt to look vaguely straight going to see such a film, I took up the offer from an attractive lady. This being A Single Man, and the cinema being in Brighton, there are no exciting stories of chavs in the back row of the cinema shouting anything I'm afraid - it was a wholly uneventful cinema trip!

Anyway the film. I wanted to see this film purely because the reviews had been so positive and I have to say I'm very glad I did. Everything I'd read was true. This film is wonderful. There are two different reasons that I leave the cinema thinking films were great - far more than good. One is because I've been interested by plot, because it was intriguing / clever / exciting and interesting. The other, and reason why I loved this film, is simply because I was captivated by them, because I left with a feeling of wow! The last film to do this so well was There Will Be Blood. So many times in both I was just watching enthralled by a beautiful emotional scenes.

So to be more specific there are two important things that make this film so captivating and they are Colin Firth's acting (who has just rightfully IMHO won the BAFTA for best actor) and Tom Ford's directing.
Firstly Mr Firth: Well I'd only really seen him in Mr Darcy roles or similar. In most things he just seemed to be playing versions of Mr Darcy. Here he is a totally new person - he really acts. And most impressively his face quite often takes up the whole screen quite effortlessly conveying his anguish and emotion. Understated and yet still powerful. And Tom Ford: Well he's created lovely clothes for many years, but now it seems he can make lovely films too. The whole film looks like a perfume ad, which although a bit strange at first you get used to quite quickly. He uses various filters very effectively to show the different moods of the film, each looking more sublime that the previous. It simply looks beautiful all the way through. No matter what your sexuality, I'd be surprised if you can take your eyes off Nicholas Hoult. If you aren't sure about your gayness then this film might scare you, or confirm what you always suspected!

The film is basically based around a man played by Colin Firth, whose boyfriend has recently died and we follow him on the day he has decided to commit suicide. It's a morbid premise, but one that still has room for love, joy, beauty and plenty of comedy. There's not much more say really about the plot. It's that simple, but the people who Colin Firth interacts with are brilliant, each of the them different and Tom Ford has picked out some amazing features of each to highlight.

Quite simply a fucking good film. I'm sure Drunkenmaster has got something to say about the fucking book - but fuck the book. I haven't read it. I'm not going to. But I loved the film.

The best perfume ad I ever saw out of 10.