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 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 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 - 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)

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)

This is a good book

Advantages: Simple story
Disadvantages: none

...This is the Bear I do like this book, and have used it on many occasions in mainstream and special schools. It's a simple story which has also been enjoyed by my own three children. ~~Story and Illustrations~~ The best thing about this book is the simplicity of the story and the illustrations. The story focuses on three main characters who do appear in the other books by the same author. These characters are the boy, the dog, and the bear, and whilst they are usually very good friends, the story starts with dog pushing bear in the in. Bless- we actually see bear been lifted over the edge of the bin by dog. From here on, an adventure starts, with bear being picked up and put in the rubbish truck. Bear is put on the rubbish dump, and boy goes to find him?"This is the boy who took the bus and went to the dump to make...

danielalong 13.11.2007 · Read review
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Review of This Is the Bear - Sarah Hayes

This Is It ... The King Of Pop's Musical Legacy Lives On !!!

Advantages: A wonderful album featuring many of Michael Jackson's greatest hits and a few new surprises.
Disadvantages: Despite being a two disc CD the second disc only has three tracks ...

... ~ Introduction ~ As a teenager Michael Jackson was one of my favourite ?pop singers?. I had the album Bad on tape and my dad had most of the Jackson 5 albums in his record collection. I can remember receiving the 1987 Michael Jackson Calendar for Christmas and I was over the moon. Over the years my taste in music has changed but I have always remained a fan of Michael Jackson. When I heard the news that he had died I too was shocked and saddened ? On Saturday morning I bought a copy of Michael Jackson?s This Is It (having been to the cinema the night before to see the concert movie that the album itself is based on). For the last couple of hours I have been listening to the album whilst writing this review. I have never written a review of a music album before and, to be honest, was not entirely sure where to start...

jedimastergray73 04.11.2009 (05.11.2009) · Read review
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Review of This Is It - Michael Jackson

Wheres Mi Ben Sherman ?

Advantages: Script/ Nostalgia/ Performances/ Entertaining/ Tension
Disadvantages: ---

...This Is England Released : 27 April 2007 Director : Shane Meadows Cast : Thomas Turgoose (Shaun), Stephen Graham (Combo), Jo Hartley (Cynthia Fields), Andrew Shimm (Milky), Vicky McClure (Lol), Josepth Gilgun (Woody). Runtime : 100 minutes Cert : 18 'This Is England' is based on the early life of director Shane Meadows (Once Upon a time in the Midlands/ Dead Man's Shoes). The setting is Eighties England, a time when the Falklands crisis was in the headlines, Thatcher was Prime Minister, Roland Rat and Blockbusters were on TV, poverty was widespread and racial unease and racism were prevalent. Shaun is 11, his father has perished in the Falklands, he lives in poverty with his mother in a rotting coastal town. Shaun is a victim of the times. He's bullied remorselessly at school and his drab existence only seems to add to...

WormThatTurned 01.07.2007 · Read review
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Review of This Is England (DVD)