Frankly Mr Shankly Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 Well that's fair enough, and I'm not going to change your opinion of it because you've firmly nailed some manner of colour to some manner of mast. Personally, I think your gripes are quite small ones. The focal point of the story was about the young lad, so to give too much exposure to the other characters (like the girl who kisses him for example) wouldn't have been right. And that's what it was, a kiss just to symbolise that particular stage in his development - you're not meant to know about her character in depth, just like you're not meant to know about any minor character in a classicly written film. The whole movie was cut quite a bit as well (to fit in with agreed running times) so perhaps more was written about other characters so it could be an editing thing? Anyway, like I said, to me it was more of a 'time capsule' film, about a young boy growing up in a particular age with dark, unpredictable people. The film is self autobiographical, so who's to say you have to follow with "what normally happens" in scenarios where Combo goes radio rental on Milky? That would be quite boring, no? This may have actually happened like it was acted out and written, and Combo sobbing like a child at the end of it seems to me like he's overcome with guilt (adding weight to the unstable/unpredictable element). You mention the "most mental skinhead" (I assume you mean Combo's mate, the big bloke) but can't quite get where you're coming from on that as he says nothing during the entire film and doesn't really erm, do anything mental. Just stands about looking moody for most of it. Combo for me did his role justice. He was unpredictable, you were never sure what he was going to do next. The way he 'befriended' milky in order to get him back to the flat and do him in was a classic 'ambush' scenario, and written/acted superbly. But yeah, my opinion and all that. I kinda wanted to see why you thought it was badly written, but your explainations don't hold much water, so it's not really about opinions. It's not a magical film by a long chalk, but if anything lets it down it's the accent-mix and perhaps other minor details. It's not Meadows' best film either, but for attention to detail, grim feel and acting (especially by Turgoose, who is astonishing for a mere 10 or 11 year old) you won't see much better anywhere else, which I feel overcomes any minor flaws it does carry. How you can call his character bland seriously makes me question what you've said. Seeing the world through Combo's eyes would have been bland and wrong but seeing it through a child's eyes at a bleak time to be in Britain was how I wanted to see it. So yeah, my take on it and all that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diego_Sideburns Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 (edited) ‘This is England’ won the South Bank Show Film Award tonight. Nominated along with 'Atonement' and 'Control' - well done Shane! Burton's very proud of you. Edited February 3, 2008 by Diego_Sideburns Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diego_Sideburns Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 (edited) 'This is England' has now won the BAFTA Best British Film Award in competition with 'Atonement', 'Control', 'The Bourne Ultimatum' and 'Eastern Promises' featuring Burton's Paddy Considine. Great scene of joy between Shane Meadows and Paddy when the result was announced. Another feather in your cap Shane and another great acceptance speech. Edited February 10, 2008 by Diego_Sideburns Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oafc_ok Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 'This is England' has now won the BAFTA Best Film Award in competition with 'Atonement', 'Control' and 'Bourne Ultimatum' featuring Burton's Paddy Considine. Great scene of joy between Shane Meadows and Paddy when the result was announced. Another feather in your cap Shane and another great acceptance speech. I didn't see it. Really pleased for them both. It only seems like yesterday that they were running round the streets of Burton in afros filming spoof seventies cop shows. They obviously had a talent, but I never expected them to do so well. They deserve it, good blokes and two of the funniest people I know, particularly when they are together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diego_Sideburns Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 I didn't see it. Really pleased for them both. It only seems like yesterday that they were running round the streets of Burton in afros filming spoof seventies cop shows. They obviously had a talent, but I never expected them to do so well. They deserve it, good blokes and two of the funniest people I know, particularly when they are together. Not to be outdone by Shane Meadows, Paddy Considine won the Best Short Film BAFTA for his directorial debut 'Dog Together' in contention with 'Hesitation', 'The One And Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island', 'Soft' and 'The Stronger'. A good night's work for the Burton lads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diego_Sideburns Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 ....Another feather in your cap Shane and another great acceptance speech. I didn't see it. Shane Meadows (director of Best British Film 'This is England') said: "This is the third time I've been nominated and the previous two times I took a regime on at Christmas of press-ups and sit-ups to get myself in shape. This year I gave up on that idea, so I've come with man boobs this year. It's turned my luck around, which is fantastic." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankly Mr Shankly Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Shane Meadows (director of Best British Film 'This is England') said: "This is the third time I've been nominated and the previous two times I took a regime on at Christmas of press-ups and sit-ups to get myself in shape. This year I gave up on that idea, so I've come with man boobs this year. It's turned my luck around, which is fantastic." Aye, and superb that he dedicated the film to Thomas Turgoose who was the films shining light and an amazing young actor. His next film is going to be "King Of The Gypsies" apparently, which is about a 70's local prize fighter. Well done Shandy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slurms mckenzie Posted February 17, 2008 Share Posted February 17, 2008 I finally got round to seeing it. Firstly, the soundtrack was pretty p1ss poor saved only by the UK Subs Warhead. The earlier comments regarding the writer's poor recollection of the St George's Cross and Union Flag were spot on - look at any skinhead music from the time and it was all Union Flag, not St George's cross. This is proven by the Angelic Upstarts' England song from 1981 has the lyrics "England oh England the country so great, the land that is so fair and so true, there'll never be any colours like the red white and blue". The casting was odd, with a myriad of different accents. Also, the relationship between the 12 year old main character and the 16 year old girl so completely miscast it was ridonkulously funny. I did think it was interesting that Combo was played by an actor who is half caste, maybe a purposeful move by Meadows, or sloppy casting, who knows. It wasn't a patch on the classic Dead Man's Shoes or the quirky Room for Romeo Brass, as it lacked the acting ability of Paddy Considine, but it was OK. All in all, it was a reasonably interesting film, although for a much better film covering roughly the same subject matter, watch "American History X" a far slicker movie, with a better script. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankly Mr Shankly Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 I finally got round to seeing it. Firstly, the soundtrack was pretty p1ss poor saved only by the UK Subs Warhead. May be down to your music tastes perhaps? I thought Toots and The Maytals and the cover of the Smiths song were spot on myself. I did think it was interesting that Combo was played by an actor who is half caste, maybe a purposeful move by Meadows, or sloppy casting, who knows. Half caste? Are you sure. Last time I checked Stephen Graham certainly wasn't half-caste. Decent points about it being sans Paddy. He did make the previous films come alive but I thought Stephen Graham did a fairly decent job. And the different accents was a bit sloppy. This is supposed to be Grimsby, yet the accents were from all over the shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oafc_ok Posted March 3, 2008 Share Posted March 3, 2008 Not to be outdone by Shane Meadows, Paddy Considine won the Best Short Film BAFTA for his directorial debut 'Dog Together' in contention with 'Hesitation', 'The One And Only Herb McGwyer Plays Wallis Island', 'Soft' and 'The Stronger'. A good night's work for the Burton lads. 'Dog Altogether' is being shown on Film Four at 23:05 tonight, followed by 'Dead Man's Shoes' and 'Shane's World'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oafc_ok Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 'Dog Altogether' is being shown on Film Four at 23:05 tonight, followed by 'Dead Man's Shoes' and 'Shane's World'. Shady Shane Meadows' "Once Upon A Time In The Midlands" is on Film4 on Sunday at 21:00 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slurms mckenzie Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 May be down to your music tastes perhaps? I thought Toots and The Maytals and the cover of the Smiths song were spot on myself. Half caste? Are you sure. Last time I checked Stephen Graham certainly wasn't half-caste. Decent points about it being sans Paddy. He did make the previous films come alive but I thought Stephen Graham did a fairly decent job. And the different accents was a bit sloppy. This is supposed to be Grimsby, yet the accents were from all over the shop. He is mixed race. Poor casting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oafc_ok Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 He is mixed race. Poor casting. His Grandad was Jamaican. His father was mixed race. As I it wasn't obvious whilst watching it didn't affect my enjoyment of the film. The accents issue has been a slight problem in a number of Shane's films, to be fair. In Once Upon a Time In The Midlands Robert Carlyle and Kathy Burke are brother and sister - I keep wondering how they managed to have different accents despite this! Mind you, if I was Shane at that stage in his career I wouldn't have liked to make the choice which actor to say "Sorry, (Robert/Kathy), can't use you - the accents all wrong" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oafc_ok Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 This is England is being shown on Film Four tonight at 9pm. I saw Paddy Considine with his kids at a local park the other week - he's going to do a film called 1980, set in Yorkshire at the time of the Ripper murders. His band, Riding the Low, are playing in Derby in a few weeks. Also on the bill are my sister's band and a couple of special guest DJs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diego_Sideburns Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 .....a couple of special guest DJs Modesty forbids both of us from naming them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeslover Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 Modesty forbids both of us from naming them. I hope there isa nice comfy armchair somewhere away from all the hullabaloo at the front. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diego_Sideburns Posted June 2, 2008 Share Posted June 2, 2008 I hope there isa nice comfy armchair somewhere away from all the hullabaloo at the front. That only happens down South when in the hands of Southerners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diego_Sideburns Posted November 24, 2008 Share Posted November 24, 2008 The film is being shown on Channel 4 at 10:00pm tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Ritchie Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 I thought this is England was decent but very flat in places. Easily Meadows’ weakest film that I have seen (I have yet to see Somers Town). There are also a lot of mistakes throughout the film. Another problem I had with it was that you could not place the town due to the differing accents (Bury, Oldham, Grimsby) and there is no indication of where it is meant to be set. As mentioned earlier if you haven’t already watch Dead Mans Shoes. A Room for Romeo Brass is well worth a watch as is Once Upon A Time In The Midlands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThaiLatic Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 I thought this is England was decent but very flat in places. Easily Meadows’ weakest film that I have seen (I have yet to see Somers Town). There are also a lot of mistakes throughout the film. Another problem I had with it was that you could not place the town due to the differing accents (Bury, Oldham, Grimsby) and there is no indication of where it is meant to be set. As mentioned earlier if you haven’t already watch Dead Mans Shoes. A Room for Romeo Brass is well worth a watch as is Once Upon A Time In The Midlands. I don't think that the accents matter that much as it could be set in anytown (in the northern half of England) during that period. Which, I think, is probably the whole point. After all the film is called, 'This Is England' and not 'This Is Grimsby'. A lot of Kitchen Sink dramas from the late'50's and early '60's also had similar issues. 'Saturday Night and Sunday Morning' is definitely set in Nottingham but I can only recall hearing about two of the characters speak with anything like a local accent. The rest were Salford, Scouse (!!), Yorkshire, Lancashire and 'stage' Northern!!! Agree with you about it not being his best though (Dead Man's Shoes for me) but still a great film that brings back a lot of memories for me.............old codger that I am ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankly Mr Shankly Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 I read somewhere that it is filmed and set in Grimsby. Quick question... is this the first time it's been shown on council telly or has it been on before? By the way, I've seen Somers Town. It's a lovely little feature, great acting (again by Thomas Turgoose) and 'just right' at an hour in length. I think his next one is Le Donk (Considine playing the titular roadie for the Arctic Monkeys). Shandy posts quite a lot on his messageboard about future projects in the can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Ritchie Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 I don't think that the accents matter that much as it could be set in anytown (in the northern half of England) during that period. Which, I think, is probably the whole point. After all the film is called, 'This Is England' and not 'This Is Grimsby'. A lot of Kitchen Sink dramas from the late'50's and early '60's also had similar issues. 'Saturday Night and Sunday Morning' is definitely set in Nottingham but I can only recall hearing about two of the characters speak with anything like a local accent. The rest were Salford, Scouse (!!), Yorkshire, Lancashire and 'stage' Northern!!! Agree with you about it not being his best though (Dead Man's Shoes for me) but still a great film that brings back a lot of memories for me.............old codger that I am ;) Suppose so. Shame he couldn’t afford the original and had to opt for a Smiths cover as the parting song. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leeslover Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 but still a great film that brings back a lot of memories for me.............old codger that I am ;) Flaired trousers and Ben Sherman shirts I hope Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankly Mr Shankly Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 Flaired trousers Flaired? Anyway, yeah, Meadows' is contemplating making a couple of series worth of a follow-up to TIE. One set in 1986, and the other set in 1990, basically chronicling Shaun in the years directly following the film. I defo agree with the keep it lean, keep em keen philosophy. I think two series would be perfick. The first in 86 and then the final one being set in 1990 - Madchester, E, Flares and Bowl Hairdoos all over the shop! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeykieran Posted November 25, 2008 Share Posted November 25, 2008 A room for romeo brass is by far the best offering, the latest one about the polish kid was lacking depth massively in compariosn to previous efforts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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