This heart warming comedy stars Brenda Blethyn (Little Voice, Secrets & Lies) as Grace Trevethan whose idyllic life on the Cornish coast is turning upside down.
Gary Oldman took a break from acting to write and direct this unflinching family drama out of the kitchen-sink British school. Oldman doesn't appear in the film, instead handing the heavy lifting to the remarkable Ray Winstone (Sexy Beast, Cold Mountain) and Kathy Burke, who won a prize at the Cannes Film Festival for her work. The scummy drug trade of lower-class London is Oldman's turf, but he puts special focus on the miserable cycles of violence that fuel a family's struggle within this world. The results are not always easy to watch, but they are devastating (and the final sequence is chilling). Oldman may be guilty of indulging his actors a bit, but it's forgivable, given the big, roaring performances. --Robert Horton
A frighteningly real exploration of the tribal culture of football hooligans from the Brit director of "Goodbye Charlie Bright."
Gangster No. 1 is without doubt the most stylish British violent crime thriller from the many produced at the end of the 20th century. For all the pop-video glamour of Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, neither have anywhere near as much a sense of danger as is shown here. Paul Bettany ignites the screen with a fury that explodes far more than it smoulders beneath his tautly kept temper. The tale concerns his ascent to the titular position of primacy in 1960s London, told in flashback by his present-day self (an equally riveting Malcolm McDowell). A lust for power won't allow anything to stand in either incarnation's way, especially the foppish posturing of established crime boss Freddie Mays (David Thewlis). What distinguishes this from many other tales of greed is that the never-named Gangster actually wants to be Freddie, not simply replace him. Saffron Burrows plays the suffering trophy moll in the middle of this personality clash and provides about the only level head and gentle tongue in what is otherwise a super-violent and super-profane script. This is what The Krays should have been, and therefore not for the squeamish. --Paul Tonks
Oscar-winner Roman Polanski brings the classic Charles Dickens tale to life.
Just as he's about to get out of the game entirely, a drug dealer gets drawn back in to the doublecrossing world of the London mafia in this refreshing British thriller.
A frighteningly real exploration of the tribal culture of football hooligans from the Brit director of "Goodbye Charlie Bright."
There are surprises, twists and revelations galore as Sharon, Tracey and their man-eating friend Dorien return for this hilarious third series - guest-starring Martin Kemp, Jamie Foreman and Kate Williams, and includes scripts by series creators Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran. The series begins with the discovery that Darryl, Tracey's ex-husband and father to Travis and Garth, has died doing what he loved burglary! Unfortunately his funeral brings the ladies into contact with some undesirable local characters... Further inappropriate adventures include a visit to an infamous drag club to recover Dorien's stolen clothes, Auntie Vera causing domestic unrest and Sharon and Dorien being temporarily turfed out of the nest when Tracey's patience finally snaps!
Typically filled with tips on how to eke out one's pocket money, reports on the dangers of cigarettes and alcohol, wickedly accurate personality profiles, creative prose, poems and reviews, the school magazine offered a uniquely adolescent perspective on life during the 1970s. This ATV drama series for teenagers follows the progress and pitfalls of a group of fifth-formers at Oxford Lane Comprehensive School who, appalled by the blandness and timidity of their school's official effort, decide to launch a punchier alternative...A Bunch of Fives, starring Jamie Foreman and Lesley Manville, was devised by John Sichel with Colin Rogers and mostly written by BAFTA-winning writer Paula Milne. Every bit as hard-hitting and humorous as its BBC contemporary Grange Hill (which debuted inbetween series one and two of A Bunch of Fives) this release comprises both series, originally screened in 1977 and 1978.Pupil Chris Taylor is accused of something he didn't do and, in exasperation, writes about the incident for the school magazine. When games master Mr Buck refuses to print the article, Chris and some of the other fifth-formers decide to pool their journalistic talents: putting together their own magazine, 'A Bunch of Fives', they begin to seek out more relevant stories from the community in which the children live.
United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), English ( Mono ), SPECIAL FEATURES: Interactive Menu, Scene Access, SYNOPSIS: Macabre, fantastical and a benchmark production for children's television in the 1970s, King of the Castle was created by Doctor Who stalwarts Bob Baker and Dave Martin as one of the run of outstanding children's dramas HTV produced in that decade. Featuring strong direction and a script which expertly melds fantasy and reality, the series boasts solid performances from genre stalwarts Fulton Mackay, Milton Johns and Talfryn Thomas as well as Philip Da Costa as the series' hero, Roland. SCREENED/AWARDED AT: BAFTA Awards, ...King of the Castle - Complete Series
A new comedy set in and around a London council estate, that sees how the lives of four teenage friends are changed forever during the course of one long hot summer.
Break is a 'rags to riches', feel good story. The film follows the exploits of Spencer Pryde (Sam Gittins), a gifted, inner-city kid, wasting his talents on petty crime. After witnessing the brutal murder of his pal Denis and finding himself in debt to a drug dealing thug named Ginger, it seems Spencer's life is spiraling out of control, until one day, a chance encounter with a Chinese stranger and former eight-ball pool champion named Vincent Quiang (David Yip) presents him with an opportunity to turn his life around. But in order to make a new life for himself, Spencer will first need to break away from peer pressure of his friends, his environment and all the negative influences of his current life.
Layer Cake: Matthew Vaughn the producer of 'Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels' and 'Snatch' steps into the director's chair for the first time with 'Layer Cake'. Based upon JJ Connelly's London crime novel 'Layer Cake' is about a successful cocaine dealer (Daniel Craig) who has earned a respected place among England's Mafia elite and plans an early retirement from the business. However big boss Jimmy Price (Cranham) hands down a tough assignment: find Charlotte Ryder the
In the new film from the director of "Get Carter," Clive Owen plays a former London gang leader who is dragged back into the "business" to avenge the death of his brother.
Stephen Dorff stars as an opportunistic thief in this gore/comedy hybrid. What can go wrong does go wrong and in a horrible way.
Vince is the nightclub manager of The Grind in Hackney, East London and having fought his way to a decent living and respectable lifestyle he is determined to settle down and take life easier. Bobby, Vince's best friend from school, is released from prison and their friendship soon falls apart. Bobby's addiction to cocaine and gambling spirals out of control and he now owes a huge amount of money to Vince's boss, Dave, owner of The Grind and an East End loan shark. Vince's life takes a dramatic turn for the worse.
The Baseline is the centre of the East London grime club scene where Danny works on the door. After rescuing Terry the club owner and local gang leader from a hitman Danny is suddenly plunged deep into an underworld he had tried so hard to avoid.
When Carl, a work-obsessed man reluctantly agrees to a weekend away with his disgruntled wife and disruptive children, a leisurely trip to the country becomes a fight for survival as a convoy of road-weary travellers, confront and force the family off of the road, and then engage them in a series of terrifying mind games in an abandoned roadside diner. Carl watches in desperation as the ones he loves are brutalised and humiliated; will he be able to find a way for them all to escape, or are they destined to disappear without trace?
Grow up a Cutler and you don't have to worry about career plans. The real family business is crime and extortion. When the Cutlers take over a high class restaurant Joey sees a way to step back from the violence and get involved in a legitimate business that will keep his wife and kids safe. In an atmosphere of jealousy betrayal sibling resentment and deeply hidden secrets it's clear that family tensions within the Cutler firm are more sinister and threatening than anything rival gangs can hit them with.
Remember A Day is a film narrating the acid excesses of a late Sixties rock star turned recluse Roger Bannerman a man 'going far further than you ever could imagine' a character not unlike Pink Floyd founder Syd Barrett. Despite having effectively retired Bannerman is being stalked by an unhinged fan who's determined to 're-launch' Roger no matter what it takes no matter how many laws are broken... Laced with black humour drugs psychedelic imagery groupie sex and featuring a stunning soundtrack - that includes works by the Pink Floyd Captain Beefheart and The Sex Pistols. Remember A Day is an early seventies period piece shot by the people who's story it essentially is.
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