This is England.... apparently!

Advantages: Dark, gritty & enthrawling
Disadvantages: A bit slow at times

...This Is England is the very successful British drama released 27th April 2007. It?s rated 18 as it contains extremely strong language, violence & racism. This Is England runs for approximately 101 minutes. It had a budget of £1,500,000 & grossed an estimated $8,069,240 at the box office. The film was extremely well received by the critics, infact around 93% of them gave the film a good review. The 18 rating became controversial as this film is mainly aimed at teenagers, however despite the controversy the film remained an 18 rating instead of being overturned to a 15. This Is England won the award for Best British Film at the 2007 British Academy Film Awards & Best Film Category at the 2006 British Independent Film Awards. This Is England is directed by Shane Meadows who?s considered to be a rising stars & one to look out...

Great_reviewer07 04.03.2009 · Read review
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Review of This Is England (DVD)

This WAS England!

Advantages: Very accurate
Disadvantages: The politics might not be everyones cup of tea

...This truly was England of the late 70's and early 80's, having grown up at that time in the Midlands I can confirm that life was like this and people were like this too. This film follows a short period in the life of Shaun whose father had just been killed in the Falklands War. He is bullied at school and befriended by a local Skinhead who takes him under his wing and Shaun is gradually accepted into the Skinhead group, happy to become one of them until their real leader is released from prison and starts to voice his racist views and inflict his National Front style influences which cause a split in the group. In sections this film is incredibly difficult to watch. And the reason for that is it's so accurate. The guy playing Combat must have known skinheads as a kid and he's right on the mark. All the actors in this are amazing...

atytyut2434 18.02.2009 · Read review
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Review of This Is England (DVD)

This is England

Advantages: Thomas Turgoose, British, nostalga, powerful, thought provoking
Disadvantages: Depressing

...Being a "Skinhead Movie" it is inevitable that This is England gets compared to American History X. Whereas Shane Meadows' epic portrayal of 1980s Britain isn't as much a social commentary about racism and how to overcome it as American History X is, it does, however, provide the perfect mix of nostalgia, individual insecurity, and violent bigotry that makes This is England a personal and powerful experience best approached with your grandmother's old English hanky. What a weird and wonderful era the 1980s was in Britain. If you're fortunate, or unfortunate, enough to remember a time when Roland Rat and Maggie Thatcher ruled our televisions then you'll find yourself bathing in a mix of nostalgic excitement and/or restraining yourself from smashing the TV to a pulp with the film's opening montage. This sets the menacing air...

andycarrington 10.02.2009 · Read review
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Review of This Is England (DVD)

This is England - This is Great English Cinema

Advantages: Poignant, powerful, great performances, great setting
Disadvantages: Not for you if you like beautiful film stars or if you don't like swearing

.... Shane's insistence on avoiding the money, celebrity and publicity of the London-centric film industry (with the exception of Once Upon a Time in the Midlands, which was critically acclaimed, but with which Shane was wholly dissatisfied) has kept his films unpolished and totally believable. Shane drew heavily on his own childhood experiences for 'This is England', which ensures authenticity - this is not an approximation of a certain time and setting, these are memories set to a story. ~~~Plot~~~ The film opens with a series of news reel and clips from the early 80s, starting with Roland Rat and the Royal Wedding, but moving into the more disturbing images of the Falkland conflict, NF marches and race riots. There's no question of when and where we are and the backdrop for the film. The story starts on the last day at school before...

sonic0209 07.10.2007 · Read review
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Review of This Is England (DVD)

This was England (in some parts at least)

Advantages: A thought provoking well crafted film
Disadvantages: None except it doesn't deal with nice subjects so be warned!

...So our rental DVD is sat on the doormat and I open it up eagerly expecting it to be one of my choices (we are very democratic in our house - my husband and I choose the films we want to watch individually and then alternate them on the list) but to my disappointment it was obviously one of my husband's choices as it was Shane Meadows' latest film This Is England (2006). Don't get me wrong I like Shane Meadows' films - there is something about them that makes them compelling watching but they're not the kind of film you put on for light entertainment. They are thought provoking, gritty and hard-hitting films with a wonderful grasp of human nature - you just have to be in the right kind of mood to watch it. Of course you never know when you will be in the right mood so I just said to my husband that I had some work to do so I'd sit tapping...

Suzela 02.11.2007 · Read review
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Review of This Is England (DVD)

Celebrating England

Advantages: looks cute
Disadvantages: retired

...Everybody my age had TY beanies, they were adorable! My close circle of friends and I were huge collectors and between us we have most, if not all, of them going! One of these is England the Bear. England: The name is pretty self explanatory. This bear represents the country England. Whether it is bought as a souvineer by a tourist in England, or by somebody whose home country is England and they are proud of that, this bear is there to represent it. Appearance: To look at, England from a distance seems plain, almost like a basic white bear. Indeed, his fur is white, which goes hand in hand with the whiteness of the England flag. Around his neck there is a little red, white and blue bow - the colours of the Union Jack. This alone is cute, and then on his chest you will notice a little England flag has been stitched on. This adds to...

Amy69 23.08.2009 · Read review
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Review of TY England the Bear

This England!

Advantages: Flawless production, superb acting, absorbing story
Disadvantages: None

...stories. The effect created is somewhat like the long pined-for idyllic England which John Major once eulogised. Ok, there are no bicycles or cricket bats but the meddlesome gossips of Cranford end up representing all that is finest in the English character: compassion, community, solidarity?even heroism. Everything comes together, there are happy endings, sad endings but the pervading sense is that you have witnessed a year in the lives of a community full of individuals which places the good of the community at the head of its priorities. Beautifully shot, with meticulously researched costumes and locations and with the clearest sound you can wish for, the flawless technical aspects of this production add to this being one of the BBC's most lavish and successful projects to date. Cranford is television of the highest order. Seldom...

JoePoirot 22.05.2008 · Read review
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Review of Cranford (DVD)

Same old Story, but this time England won

Advantages: England won! Afzaal looked good, for bringing in young players, and Butcher in the second innings was amazing. Vast improvement on England's last few tests.
Disadvantages: Australia are still a big threat, and will not be content with 3 wins, they want it all.

...England have already lost the Ashes to Australia, and now looking to desperately avoid a 5-0 whitewash in the series. Having lost the first three tests easily, England could only get better, while Australia seem unstoppable, outclassing their opponents in every department. Will this fourth test at Headingly, Leeds be any different? Read on for my match report and comments on the teams. The Teams England: England make a few forced and unforced changes, a factor that could have been a costly factor in their downfall, that no-one is sure of their place, and having to get used to new batting and fielding partnerships. Captain Nasser Hussain returns from injury to lead his side, but Graham Thorpe is forced to miss out. Croft is dropped, in favour of an extra batsman, and Craig White is removed with Alan Mullally taking his place as...

Chris_Padden 21.08.2001 · Read review
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Review of England

This is English cinema at its very best

Advantages: Nostalgic and overall a great film
Disadvantages: Violence and racism off-putting to some viewers

...Set during the summer of 1983, This Is England follows 13 year old tough kid Shaun, played by newcomer Thomas Turgoose. Disillusioned with life after the death of his Father in the Falklands war, Shaun becomes involved with a teenage skinhead gang and earns his number one haircut and Doc Martens alongside his first real friendship. Far from living happily ever after, the group is soon divided by the return of Combo (Steven Graham), a respected yet overtly racist jailbird who introduces Shaun to the seedy skinhead underworld of violence, racism and the National Front. Thankfully, This Is England lives up to the hype and proves an enjoyable and original coming-of-age story with a twist. Based on his own experiences growing up, Meadows delivers an honest and insightful view of Thatcher?s Britain without playing into the hands...

ivoryandgold 03.03.2009 · Read review
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Review of This Is England (DVD)

Run with the crowd, stand alone, you decide.

Advantages: See review
Disadvantages: See review

...THIS IS ENGLAND Intro It is surprising how few movies have been made on the subject of racism, especially seeing as how it's such a powerful topic. Before This Is England, the only films worth mentioning on racism are Mississippi Burning and American History X, two very noteworthy films, but ones that only really relate to the racism problems in the deep south of America and the Ku Klux Klan, none which were really relevant to the growing problem in Britain. This Is England is based on director Shane Meadows' own experiences growing up as a teenager under Maggie Thatcher's ministerial reign, when England was at war in the Falklands, and there was growing pressure from far-right parties and skinheads against the large number of Muslim immigrants entering the country. Seeing as how the country seems to slipping a similar way...

midpikyrozziy 28.09.2009 · Read review
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Review of This Is England (DVD)