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Irishman, De Niro, Don Cardi, Turnbull, JG, SC, RRA, VercettiI originally posted this in the Movies thread, but that might not get as much exposure as its own thread, and I posted in there recommending to everyone. Shane Meadows's is an English filmmaker, whose fifth feature,
This Is England I just saw yesterday on the big screen.
I'd be very, very interested in seeing how this guy's work goes down on these boards. He makes powerful, hard-hitting films; his last two,
Dead Man's Shoes and
This Is England are both very good; the former is brilliant. Fans of Scorsese should take note (though I don't think he's as good, but he
is positively influenced by him).
I recommend these often violent, often funny, films to Irishman, De Niro, Don Cardi, Turnbull, JG, SC, RRA, Vercetti, and, if the links and images pique your interest, anyone else.
I'm not preaching that I love these films with all of my heart, or that I hold all of them in high-esteem (I think
Once Upon a Time in the Midlands is awful), I'm in no position to prevent anyone else enjoying them, though I am in a position to see trends and tastes on these boards - and since I think you lot would like them, I'd love it if you got to them pronto and got back to me with thoughts.
Only
Dead Man's Shoes and
Once Upon a Time in the Midlands are available (I believe) on Region 1 DVD; check both out.
Meadows's feature films, in order:
TwentyFourSeven (1997)
A Room For Romeo Brass (2002)
Once Upon a Time in the Midlands (2002)
Dead Man's Shoes (2004)
I'd rank them thus:
1. Dead Man's Shoes
2. This Is England
3. A Room For Romeo Brass
4. TwentyFourSeven
5. Once Upon a Time in the Midlands
Dead Man's Shoes and
A Room for Romeo Brass feature sterling performances from Paddy Considine, a tremendously talented actor who's actually just showing signs of making it big after starring in these smaller-budgeted films. Like I said in my review of it, he's not in
This Is England, and I actually went into it with caution because when he's not in Meadows's films, they tend to suffer somewhat... but Stephen Graham, whose face you may recognised from
Snatch (see below), is magnificent. Considine (see below below) is in
Cinderella Man, if you've seen it (I haven't).
^^ Stephen Graham, who's ferocious in
This Is England.
^^ Paddy Considine, one of my favourite actors currently working.
Check them out asap, guys!
