best british movie of all time and have you seen any decent ones lately ?

[Steel Icarus]

I was at a talk by Mark Herbert (producer of DMS) a while ago and he mentioned that up until the scene where the characters Richard and Sonny first meet (when sonny is driving past in the 2CV) neither of them had actually met each other IRL up until that point, and both had been getting wound up by the rest of the crew about how mad each of the other was. I think Sonny already had a reputation as a hard man due to being a boxer IRL.
The dialogue between them in that scene was also improvised.

It's brilliant, too. Cos it's not aggressive, not really. Even the "I was that close to slicin' it" line is fairly matter-of-fact.

 

[discokermit]

Mike Leigh's Meantime.

i remember seeing this when i was about twelve and thinking the phil daniels character was unbelievably cool.

 

[Steel Icarus]

i remember seeing this when i was about twelve and thinking the phil daniels character was unbelievably cool.

Aye. He is, though. It's like...well. You see so few films about "us". It's why I feel really strongly about the This is England film & spin off series. es. es. It's about me; my people, my mates. Wasn't a skinhead gang but a gang nevertheless. So much else on telly or at the pictures is about other people's lives.

 

[Johnny Vodka]

I was at a talk by Mark Herbert (producer of DMS) a while ago and he mentioned that up until the scene where the characters Richard and Sonny first meet (when sonny is driving past in the 2CV) neither of them had actually met each other IRL up until that point, and both had been getting wound up by the rest of the crew about how mad each of the other was. I think Sonny already had a reputation as a hard man due to being a boxer IRL.
The dialogue between them in that scene was also improvised.

It's not just the hard man part of the performance that's ace. I love the emotion in the final scene and also the 'Bon Jovi' discussion with his brother. It's actually a very simple film story-wise, but endlessly rewatchable to me because of some of the performances.

 

[Badgers]

Watership Down

 

[Sirena]

'The Wrong Arm of the Law' is on telly at the moment. I know it's not a classic but it has Graham Stark in it and he always tickles me....

I haven't checked but I would be willing to bet Sam Kydd is in it too.

 

[Voley]

This thread has been excellent for my Lovefilm list, ta. Particularly like the look of 'Skeletons'.

 

[Reno]

The Medusa Touch.

Not exactly a great film but an underrated and strangely compelling one: a one-off genre hybrid of police procedural, supernatural horror and disaster film, three of my favourite things. Starry cast too, with Burton hamming it up like nobody's business and Lino Ventura doing his best Inspector Clouseau impression.

 

[Nine Bob Note]

Horror: I'm going with Hellraiser. I like the endless sequels too, but the first had an original (if budget) look, and it has Garak from DS9 in it! It would have been a great loss to the genre if Doug Bradley had taken up plumbing or something instead of acting.
Romantic Slush: Beautiful Thing. Summed up by someone somewhere sometime as "Teenage scallies bumming in a towerblock". Yep.
Musical: It was to have been Shock Treatment, as it's my most favouritest film in the whole world, but I've just checked, and it's classed as American. Fuck. Have to go with the Rocky Horror Picture Show, then.
Bond: Much as I love View to a Kill, I know nominating it would be like Homer going for 'Football in the groin,' so I'll opt instead for Goldeneye. Brosnan is my Bond, plus it has Tina Turner warbling through it, computer nerds and an armoured train.
Comedy: Don't laugh, but Dad's Army. All film versions of sitcoms get panned, but I think this one is really good. The plot flows well without repeating the tv show, it's very funny and it makes no drastic changes.

 

[DJ Squelch]

Talking of Richard Burton the 1971 gangster film Villain is worth a watch, with Burton playing a Kray twin inspired gangland leader planning a robbery.
Robbery (1967), based on the Great Train Robbery is a gem of a Brit gangster flick too.

 

[Ted Striker]

Bugsy Malone
Wild Geese

 

[Sirena]

Talking of Richard Burton

 

[jelavicroad]

 

[Frances Lengel]

Watership Down

Christ yes.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Yep anothef vote for watership down. A fully worked out rabbit creation myth. Marvellous.

 

[DotCommunist]

the same animators also brought us another adapt of a Richard Adams book: Plague Dogs. If you thought WD was a bit harrowing...

the book has a happy ending. The animation, not so much.

Its about two dogs who have been sold to a place that does scientific research on animals. The labrador is used in drowning experiments while the terrier has part of its bran sliced off to see what will happen. Its gim.

theres a top notch musing on the nature of freedom in the book. 'The tyrant wasn't a bad old bugger, even in his rages he never killed so many as died in yesterdays battle for freedom' etc

 

[AverageJoe]

Has anyone mentioned Boston Kickout yet?

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

The commentary on Room for Romeo Brass is brilliant, i could listed to Paddy and Shane talk for hours

I might try that later, I have never listened to the commentery on any of his films and Romeo Brass could do with a rewatching.

 

[jelavicroad]

 

[Frances Lengel]

i remember seeing this when i was about twelve and thinking the phil daniels character was unbelievably cool.

I can't remember who played who in that film, but I remember watching it as a kid and thinking the skinhead guy with his daft hat, tight round the arse jeans and slightly too small MA1 looked like a proper mincer. I liked the bit where he was in the lift and that black man called him a peelhead and he shat himself though.

Still a good film though, that time in the early 80's was a period of transition where estates weren't what they used to be but weren't yet what they've since become - I thought Meantime did capture that quite well.

 

[Steel Icarus]

I might try that later, I have never listened to the commentery on any of his films and Romeo Brass could do with a rewatching.

Well, I dunno if that has a commentary on the DVD cos I don't have it (yet) but This is England film and series is fab to listen to. I never bothered listening to commentary on films until very recently and not I always do, it can sometimes be surprising. Last week watched Escape from New York - commentary by John Carpenter and Kurt Russell from 2000, and it's interesting and funny as fuck.

 

[Steel Icarus]

I can't remember who played who in that film, but I remember watching it as a kid and thinking the skinhead guy with his daft hat, tight round the arse jeans and slightly too small MA1 looked like a proper mincer. I liked the bit where he was in the lift and that black man called him a peelhead and he shat himself though.

When he grew up to be Dracula he was fuckin' NAILS though.

 

[Steel Icarus]

The cast in Meantime is pretty fucking ace, they all went on to fame and fortune to varying degrees except the dad I think. Alfred Molina, Tim Roth, Gary Oldman, Phil Daniles (who was already well-known I think), Pam Ferris. Even the dude that comes round to investigate the ant infestation turned up later in Naked and of course as one of the two dodgy coppers in Early Doors.

 

[Belushi]

I really loved Alan Clarke's stuff when I was a teen. Rita, Sue and Bob Too has been mentioned but also Scum, The Firm, Elephant and Made in Britain.

 

[DotCommunist]

The cast in Meantime is pretty fucking ace, they all went on to fame and fortune to varying degrees except the dad I think. Alfred Molina, Tim Roth, Gary Oldman, Phil Daniles (who was already well-known I think), Pam Ferris. Even the dude that comes round to investigate the ant infestation turned up later in Naked and of course as one of the two dodgy coppers in Early Doors.

all the way to the dizzying heights of being a baddie in Rob Roy and the main baddie in 'Abe Lincoln: Vampire Hunter'

 

[Reno]

all the way to the dizzying heights of being a baddie in Rob Roy and the main baddie in 'Abe Lincoln: Vampire Hunter'

That was Rufus Sewell.

Roth plays a gangster in the soon to be released The Liability, which is rather good.

 

[Frances Lengel]

<snip>


Comedy: Don't laugh, but Dad's Army. All film versions of sitcoms get panned, but I think this one is really good. The plot flows well without repeating the tv show, it's very funny and it makes no drastic changes.

My grandad was in the home guard during WW2 and him and his mates were posted on Avro's roof with wooden fucking tommy guns.
Mind you, they all did rebel when the sargeant or whatever tried to get them all to swim across the canal as part of some bullshit excersize type thing.

 

[DotCommunist]

ah yes. similarly pointy features

 

[jelavicroad]

 

[Sirena]

I really loved Alan Clarke's stuff when I was a teen. Rita, Sue and Bob Too has been mentioned but also Scum, The Firm, Elephant and Made in Britain.

When I was younger, I watched the Alan Clarke-directed 'Road' by Jim Cartwright on BBC. It was repeated once on the beeb and then forgotten. An absolutely stunning and grim collection of scenes, some of which have been rescued from oblivion and are on youtube