Is this Meadows' best work? I've just finally watched This is England and after so much anticipation I do not feel this has outshone either A Room for . . . Or Dead Mans Shoes. I think personally i just love the Meadows/Considine collaberations so much that i really wanted him to be part of this too.
shareI know what you mean, mate. They work extremely well together. However, in order to fully appreciate This Is England, you have to accept that Paddy Considine isn't apart of the film because the truth is, This Is England is Shane Meadows' defining film. It's his best film so far and any film that follows it will have a hard time.
[deleted]
i have loved them all, but i'm with you on Dead Man's Shoes being the best of them, Romeo Brass after that, i still loved this is england, just not as complex or intesnse as the other 2.
shareNah. Romeo Brass the best, followed by 24/7 and Dead Man's Shoes. I, like a lot of people, found This is England a little soulless and overrated
shareThis Is England is ok, but very overrated. Dead Man's shoes is my fave so far, but that is only cause I haven't watched Romeo Brass or 24/7. I did however buy Romeo Brass on the weekend and I will watch it tonight. I hated Once Upon A Time In The Midlands and wish Shane Meadows never made it.
Mr White: "You shoot me in a dream, you better wake up and apologise!"
I'd go for Romeo.
It's an utterly classic film and so so memorable. The shift in tone when Morell reveals his true colours is pure cinema gold. Don't get me wrong, Dead Man's Shoes was great but this has something more to it. This is England was just ok.
[deleted]
Agree This is England is pretty over rated. Dead Mans Shoes is by far his finest hour and one of my all time favourites.
I've just watched Romeo Brass for the first time, and it's very good. Another mesmerising performance from Paddy Considine. A comfortable second place on the list. I think I am in love with Vicky McClure - we need to see more of her.
Last place goes to 24/7. It's been a while since I've seen it but I don't remember liking it one bit.
[deleted]
i've got a bit of a thing for Dead Man's Shoes since it's set in derbyshire, it pretty much feels like home ;) i'd hazard that Romeo Brass is a better film though, Paddy Considine makes the film for me, what a performance!
sharedead mans shoes is the weakest. romeo and this is england are both great but romeo i like because of the climax
shareRomeo Brass by a long long way, I think.
This Is England and Dead Man's Shoes I would put on an equal pegging - they are both truly insightful and visually striking films but, however good they are, ARFRB will always out-do them. In my opinion, the script alone makes the film truly memorable.
[deleted]
All of his films are absolutely great apart from Once Upon A Time In The Midlands. I think this lacks a truly emotionally shocking moment/turning point towards the end of the movie which his others have (hoskins almost killing bruce jones at the end of 24/7, considine with the hammer at the end of romeo, and so on).
shareI kind of have to take issue with anyone who says that This is England is 'soulless', we all know it was autobiographical and I think he plastered his own soul over every frame: He's a true Northern Soul (Which is another one worth checking out - hilarious performance from Tony Kebbell). This is England for me isn't just his finest achievment but the finest achivement by anybody in mainstream British cinema since Trainspotting, and possibly before. I'm saying that because as mesmerizing as Trainspotting is I think once you've seen it more than ten-twenty times it becomes little more than a stylishly made violent comedy, whereas the messages in This is England hit you every time if you let yourself think about them enough. Dead Man's Shoes and A Room for Romeo Brass are obviously films apart on their own, but they lack the serious, moving undertones of This is England and they also don't hammer home as much to English people (I've never met anyone quite like Morrell in real life but I imagine a few shivers were sent down spines whenever Stephen Graham cranked out the sinister, overly familiar scouse laugh in This is England). 24/7 was also great, very swish and similar to This is England in that it felt very real, but I would say that on repeat viewings it isn't quite as entertaining or riveting. All his films are superb for different reasons, I would just say that Romeo and Shoes are slightly more daft than the other two and don't have as much of a point to them, as well directed and acted as they are. It's not that the films themselves are unrealistic in their dialogue, locations etc, but the story that they revolve around maybe is a bit more fanciful than This is England. I'm not starting one of those petulant web slanging matches but if you're going to have the lack of insight to use a buzzword like 'Overrated', at least give a couple of reasons why!
They see a free individual, it's gon' scare 'em.
I agree. I have a bit of an issue with This is England being called "Soulless". This is England was terrifyingly real. It was so difficult to watch that child be sucked into the violent world of his new, older friends. It shows a time of political uncertainty adding to the social uncertainty of a teenage boy with no father and a clueless mother. I think people in this time can relate to that too. Every single blow hits hard every time you watch. The tv series is harsher. Each charecter was so well fleshed out that I felt every emotion that the actors were portraying. Meadows really came into his own and is now a household name among young Brits. Dead Man's Shoes, however, was upsetting. I was deeply effected by it for a long time. It was equally as powerful on 2nd watch. This is why Meadows is easily the best British director of our time. To say any of his films are "over rated" and "soulless" is ridiculous.
shareS'like having to choose your favourite child.
I love em all, but for different reasons.
Smalltime - Introduced me to Shane Meadows
Romeo Brass - Introduced everyone to Shane Meadows
Dead Mans Shoes - Made everyone sit up
Midlands - Showed Meadows how not to do it
This is England - Master of his craft
Favourite? - depends on which day you catch me !
Today - This is England, followed by a dose of Shane's World & a pint of Mungo Cola from Granny Baxter's :-D
X PEACE X
Hello I-I'm Harvey & I've come to give you jipshare
[deleted]
Dead Mans Shoes by a country mile
watched for the first time last month and its the best film i have seen in 10 years
What is a wedding?The Dictionary describes a Wedding as the removing of weeds from a garden
This + Dead Mans Shoes + 24/7 are some of my favourite films
brilliant stuff!
Dead Mans shoes is just unbeatable in my book
The Considine/Meadows combination is yet to find an equal,and although fantastic in 'A Room For Romeo Brass',I don't believe any movie can compare to 'Dead Mans Shoes'.
So,the gold medal winner is a given,the fight thereafter is for silver,with 'This is England' just about sneaking in there,pushing 'Romeo Brass' into 3rd place.
Dead mans shoes i feel is shanes' best work, the cast i thought was put together brilliantly.
Considine is in my opinion one of the best actors about at the moment,Kebbell will soon recieve the recognition he deserves also.
I also really enjoyed a room for romeo brass, it would be my second choice out of shanes' films.
This is England was also a great film, but something just sets DMS apart from the rest.
[deleted]
I still think it's probably this. This Is England is the only one that comes close.
_______
5http://tinyurl.com/37uu9kf