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If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

The first must-see film of the year.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

No budget turd, unbelievable performances. Only thing good about this film is you can see how bad it is in the first two minutes so you can shut the thing off and stick it in the microwave on high before you die of boredom. Compare this film to a grade school play that your kid isn't in, so you don't have to watch it. The makers of this film ought to be embarrassed. They probably would have made more money by dancing in front of the bus station holding paper cups and calling for spare change. It sure would have been more entertaining to watch. Here is a tip for the makers: Next time you have an idea for a film, watch television instead, preferably reruns of "I Love Lucy". No reason we should be the only ones suffering. Avoid this refuse.

After seeing this film twice now, what becomes apparent upon the second viewing is the northern humour. well timed comic performances from Paul Bertwistle in particular are what give the audience respite from the dark, sinister and intense drama that unfolds upon the screen.To think that this film was made with such a low budget and in the spare time of the film makers is a credit to them and shows the commitment of everyone involved. 'Diary Of A Bad Lad' is certain to be a success amongst audiences everywhere and why the film has not been released yet defies logic. I challenge anyone to see the film and not have strong feelings towards it.

I invited the film to be shown at our festival, the Manchester International Short Film Festival in 2005. Essentially a short film festival, but we were doing a showcase of local directors who had made or were in the process of making a feature, so it was appropriate to do an event around a locally made feature film.When I saw the film, I was quite honestly gob smacked by it. It was a tremendous piece of low budget film making, made with such vigour and expertise, it was difficult to see how this could have been made for less than a million! Everything about it was good. Wonderful and witty script, tight acting, some great characters, excellent camera work and really good editing. Oh and great sound too. OK, one or two minor flaws but essentially a fine piece of film-making and one of the best I'd seen from a Uk film maker in a long time. I think the film drew praise from everyone who saw it, and when I showed Bruno Coppola (distant cousin of Francis FC) the film at my house during the festival, he couldn't stop raving about it. I think saying they "stole the show" at the 2005 kinofest - is appropriate.All in all these guys deserve to go places and I'm really glad they got a 80 print release deal going into to UK digital cinemas this Autumn. Thanks guys for a wonderful experience and the DVD has a highly visible place in my DVD collection now. Kino john

"He'll make you laugh, he'll make you think," sang Professor Fink in an episode of The Simpsons, and he could well have been talking about one of the folks behind Diary of a Bad Lad. The genius of this staggeringly-realistic faux documentary is that its black humour makes you laugh even as another part of you is thinking, "Oh my god - what these people are doing is horrific." It entertains hugely for an hour and a half, but leaves you with many unsettling thoughts on both the horrors of the crimes committed by the "Bad Lad" Tommy and the exploitative nature of the media and the ethics of journalists. These themes have never been more relevant than in these days of 24-hour news coverage when no-one thinks twice about broadcasting images of bleeding victims of terrorist attacks staggering into ambulances.I'm generally a fan of Hollywood-style movies with happy endings, slick camera-work, fun characters and traditional "good guys", so for a film that deliberately eschews all of these things to appeal to me is no mean feat - that it did is a testament to the quality of the writing, direction and performances. The illusion of the whole thing being a real documentary is damn-near perfect, with every scene written and performed in an utterly naturalistic fashion. This film desperately deserves a release.