Will the Noughties be the worst decade ever for British Film?

[Aaryk Noctivagus]

name='Wolfgang']Two years to go but this [the Noughties] could well be first decade to not produce one single classic.

Wolfie wrote that in the 'Could the 80s be the worst decade...' thread...



So the question is asked whether or not there are any notable British movies since the turn of the Century?



I'd say there have been several notable British movies...



'Chicken Run'

'Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit'.

'The Descent'

'Dog Soldiers'

'Casino Royale'

'Keeping Mum'

'The Queen'

'Shaun of the Dead'

'Billy Elliot'

'Young Adam'

'Girl with a Pearl Earring'

'Sexy Beast'

'Freeze Frame'

'Notes on a Scandal'

'Enigma'

'Snow Cake'

'United 93'



Among others which some consider good, but I've been warned off of seeing... '28 Days Later' anybody?

[oxfam1uk]

"Girl with a pearl earrring" was superb - one of the few films that my wife and I both enjoyed (usually one of us hates whatever-it-is)



But could it seriously be called a British Film?

[Steve Crook]

name='Aaryk Noctivagus']...



Among others which some consider good, but I've been warned off of seeing... '28 Days Later' anybody?

Why? It's very good. An interesting idea, a good script, well filmed and well acted



Steve

[Third Man]

'28 Days Later' was very original just look how many films copied it, even the zombie maestro Romero did.





Simon

[D Cairns]

Er, I'd be interested in any explanation of what Romero borrowed from 28 DAYS LATER.



I don't think that film had a good script AT ALL, and have been known to go on at boring length about its many inanities and insults to the intelligence.



I'd add MY SUMMER OF LOVE to any list of good recent Britflicks.



I watched FESTIVAL last night, and while I didn't find it particularly brilliant, it was certainly of respectable intelligence and entertainment value. If we had five films of that quality a year, plus one excellent one, we'd be doing nicely. But we usually don't get any excellent ones and very few decent ones.

[christoph404]

name='Third Man']'28 Days Later' was very original just look how many films copied it, even the zombie maestro Romero did.





Simon

I enjoyed "28 days later" though Im sure you are being ironic in saying that Romero borrowed from it ! The opposite being the case on my viewing........

[Aaryk Noctivagus]

name='oxfam1uk']"Girl with a pearl earrring" was superb - one of the few films that my wife and I both enjoyed (usually one of us hates whatever-it-is)



But could it seriously be called a British Film?

Its a co-production involving the UK Film Council... so I believe it qualifies

[DB7]

Snow Cake wasn't a patch on Layer Cake.



I feel it's hard to judge the decade just yet as so many films go from ignored/cult standing to recognised classics years later. There's films like My Kingdom, Seperate Lies, Plots with a View etc that no doubt stiffed at the box office but have actors I admire and were enjoyable in some way.

[Third Man]

name='christoph404']I enjoyed "28 days later" though Im sure you are being ironic in saying that Romero borrowed from it ! The opposite being the case on my viewing........

Yes, irony was present especially in the word ‘copied’ but there is a certain style and tone with films like ‘Land of the Dead’(2005) and ‘Dawn of the Dead’(2004) that stem from the film ‘28 Days Later’, that cannot be denied, can it?



Of course I accept that ‘28 Days Later’ most probably got inspiration from, for one, Romero’s ‘Day of the Dead’ (1985) the similarities with the soldiers being holed up in a bunker in ‘Day’ for one and a mansion in ‘28’ are there for all to see, if they care to look. I do like the way that in ‘28’ when the group come across a supermarket though, they take the goods and run, while as in ‘Dawn of the Dead’(1978) the escapees decide to take refuge in a massive supermarket/mall for much of the duration of the film, perhaps a little inside joke there?



Boyle has always stated that '28' was not a zombie film and I would agree with him, so why is it that in 'Land' (2005) and 'Dawn' (2004) zombies can suddenly run, was it because of the success of '28 Days Later' ?



Simon

[Aaryk Noctivagus]

name='DB7']Snow Cake wasn't a patch on Layer Cake.

But 'Layer Cake' was not nearly as refreshing

[Wolfgang]

I think "28 Days Later" is probably closer in tone to Romero's 'no zombie' zombie film, "The Crazies". I quite liked it when I saw it, but thought it lost its sense of purpose when Cillian Murphy went Rambo. It should have finished when those squaddies took Murphy outside to execute him, leaving his female companions without any hope whatsover, nicely juxtaposed by Christopher Eccleston's eloquent speech about 'hope' and what that means to his men in practical terms. I think they pandered to their American financiers too much, but still certainly one to watch from this decade.

[Cheeky Bob]

Here's the list I posted in another thread:



Gosford Park, 24 Hour Party People, Control, 28 Days Later, The Descent, London To Brighton, The Queen, Girl with a Pearl Earring, Vera Drake, The Wind That Shakes The Barley, Last Resort, My Summer of Love, The Last King of Scotland, Atonement, Touching the Void, Bend It Like Beckham, Billy Elliot, Red Road, This Is England, Dead Men's Shoes, Bridget Jones's Diary, Sexy Beast, Casino Royale, Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit, A Cock and Bull Story, Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Sweet Sixteen, The Magdalene Sisters, Finding Neverland - and a couple of the Harry Potter films weren't too bad either.



I'd say the Noughties is definitely ahead of the 1980s and 1990s in terms of worthwhile films, and the 1910s wasn't considered an outstanding Britfilm decade either.

[Aaryk Noctivagus]

name='Cheeky Bob']...and a couple of the Harry Potter films weren't too bad either.

I'm afraid I only rate the latest Harry Potter... and then not awfully highly. I've been entertained only by two of them... however, none are as totally awful as the first.

[christoph404]

name='Third Man']Yes, irony was present especially in the word ‘copied’ but there is a certain style and tone with films like ‘Land of the Dead’(2005) and ‘Dawn of the Dead’(2004) that stem from the film ‘28 Days Later’, that cannot be denied, can it?



Of course I accept that ‘28 Days Later’ most probably got inspiration from, for one, Romero’s ‘Day of the Dead’ (1985) the similarities with the soldiers being holed up in a bunker in ‘Day’ for one and a mansion in ‘28’ are there for all to see, if they care to look. I do like the way that in ‘28’ when the group come across a supermarket though, they take the goods and run, while as in ‘Dawn of the Dead’(1978) the escapees decide to take refuge in a massive supermarket/mall for much of the duration of the film, perhaps a little inside joke there?



Boyle has always stated that '28' was not a zombie film and I would agree with him, so why is it that in 'Land' (2005) and 'Dawn' (2004) zombies can suddenly run, was it because of the success of '28 Days Later' ?



Simon

I really love the 1978 "Dawn of the Dead", its just so relentless and scary! I loathed the remake and the fact that the zombies can now run somehow reduces the tension and scare factor because it would seem if you can run faster you can escape whereas before in the original film there was no escape from the relentless onslought of slow moving zombies and running was no use because they will eventually catch up..... and you can't run forever...that was a much scarier scenario! Maybe todays audiences are so used to fast cuts and flashy camera movements etc that the zombies are required to run to supposedley add more excitement.....I think it has the opposite effect. And yes I think that scene in "28 days later" where they raid the supermarket is a definite nod to the Romero film.

[Third Man]

name='Wolfgang']I quite liked it when I saw it, but thought it lost its sense of purpose when Cillian Murphy went Rambo.

Was the likening of Murphy to Rambo by yourself a first time feeling when you saw the film for the first time or on a repeat viewing because the first time I saw it, at the cinema, I thought he had been infected which was very effective .



Simon

[Wolfgang]

Neither I suppose, just how I view it looking back. It did not occur to me he was infect because he seemed to be too much in control of his actions. That segment at army base started off very well indeed - that sense of salvation mixed in with sense of unease - as you gradually realise they have jumped from frying pan into fire. They have escaped madness to only be caught by insanity. It really didn't need that action climax at all - that's what you expect (and expect to be limited to) in Hollywood blockbusters. There were scenes in there that packed some powerful punches - it doesn't get much bleaker than 11 year old girls trying to OD because they are going to be raped!

[PS68060]

name='Cheeky Bob']Here's the list I posted in another thread:



Gosford Park, 24 Hour Party People, Control, 28 Days Later, The Descent, London To Brighton, The Queen, Girl with a Pearl Earring, Vera Drake, The Wind That Shakes The Barley, Last Resort, My Summer of Love, The Last King of Scotland, Atonement, Touching the Void, Bend It Like Beckham, Billy Elliot, Red Road, This Is England, Dead Men's Shoes, Bridget Jones's Diary, Sexy Beast, Casino Royale, Wallace & Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit, A Cock and Bull Story, Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Sweet Sixteen, The Magdalene Sisters, Finding Neverland - and a couple of the Harry Potter films weren't too bad either.

Reading that list, what strikes me is that so many of those films didn't attract me to the cinema. Although I love films, I am not a great cinema goer. I grew up in a town where they had just closed the last cinema and so I hate trekking miles to get to the popcorn soaked multiplex (Bring back the local picture palace). The thought of doing so to spend 3 hours watching a weepie or horror doesn't appeal.



I did see a few TV trailers for the films above but as usual I was left asking "what is it about ?" this seems to be a common problem with film trailers these days, that and "deep-voiced american voice-over man".



Sorry for the rant :-)

[rskershaw]

Whether the Zombies are Romero's or not, 28 Days Later wouldn't exist if it wasn't for John Wyndham.

[hjs45]

I can't really comment on whether the Noughties will be the "worst decade" for British cinema, since I am at the tender age of 20 and therefore don't really qualify.



However, I am willing to second any criticism of the "general mould" of British film at present. There are too many films coming out that attempt to "recapture" some apparently timeless quality of '60s and '70s Britain, and turn out to be little more than saccharine farce-fests. I find it difficult to believe that films such as "Sixty-six" received such heaps of accolades... the acting was appalling, the script laughable and the photography mediocre.

[HIPPIEDAVE]

The Noughties will def be worst era for Television.D