Lord of the Fans

Best Of British: X 3

For a small island, Great Britain more than pulls its weight in terms of making quality films, year after year. While America blows its entire budget on explosions, actresses with more leg than talent and scripts constructed wholly from an MTV auto-cue, English film-makers continue to blaze the trail of progression.

Nothing could be further from American style movie-making than Mark Locke’s debut feature film entitled Crust (2002); made for a modest sum that a Hollywood extra would barely get out of bed for, Crust, in all its comic glory, tells the funny and tragic tale of a seven foot boxing shrimp, a pub landlord and a failed boxer. The film was never released in the UK, despite much critical acclaim. The film would later go on to inspire a slew of Japanese films such as Crab Goalkeeper.

My Summer Of Love—Emily Blunt’s first major film—is a much darker story, but that’s not to say it isn’t funny. Based on the novel by Helen Cross, the film is a black and disturbing tale of lust and adventure set in the Yorkshire countryside. Natalie Press plays Mona, a fun-loving care-free girl who gets about on a moped without an engine, bought from the ‘gypos oop at the maggot farm.’ Different to the book in every way but just as good, My Summer Of Love also featured Paddy Considine (The Bourne Ultimatum)

Surprise Brit shocker Eden Lake (2008) has been called by some ‘the most violent film in years’. Even the most hardcore horror fan can’t argue with that statement; the tale of a weekend’s camping trip gone horribly wrong, Eden Lake is a test of grizzly endurance that works a treat, providing you can get past the horrific torture scenes. Although it might make you think twice before going camping with your girlfriend for the weekend, it’s worth watching for the excellent performances of Michael Fassbender—of Inglorious Basterds fame—and the convincing Kelly Reilly.

So really quickly, I have something to admit. I love bill owen (sorry Gary). I was viewing the most recent season on dvd well into the night and the acting was brilliant! I would highly recommend this one to all of you…