Four Lions (2010) - Chris Morris

Possibly one of the best films to come out of Britain and made by Film4 for years. Also, Riz Ahmed is one of the British actors to watch in the future. He owns the screen. You mark my words: the boys a star! A near-perfect comedy film, even if the subject matter is a little risqué.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Submarine (2010) - Richard Ayoade

Following on from the other day's rewatch of Moonrise Kingdom (2012) - Wes Anderson and sticking with the theme of young love in indie films, I got the family to watch this British modern classic. I think they preferred this one, due to it's setting in the 80s when my parents actually grew up, and its humours a lot more mainstream and atypically British. Obviously, they're both amazing films, but for different audiences.

I think, overall, I prefer Submarine, due to its self aware narration format, which I like, particularly when one looks at the in jokes with camera technique, for example, 'the biopic of my life will only have the budget for a zoom out' (cue zoom out from Oliver). Craig Roberts, who plays Oliver, is also a reason why this film is brilliant. He plays pubescent teen so perfectly and with so much feeling, yet ever so subtley.

Also, something I never noticed before is that there is a poster in the background, when Jordana and Oliver go to the cinema, advertising one of Sight and Sound magazine's top ten films of all time: La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc [The Passion of Joan of Arc] (1928) - Carl Theodor Dreyer (not a prequel to a Mel Gibson film). Just a nice little spot, was that.
On first watch I've never got the thrill of the music in this film, but this watch, I would like to hail Alex Turner as the genius he is, both for this soundtrack and his bands!

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 

Olympus Has Fallen (2013) - Antoine Faque

Gerard Butler is a genuinely cool guy. Love a good Brit playing an American hero. Makes me feel good about my country! Yay! Also, this is a really good film, and very relevant with the recent North Korea crisis.

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Red Dawn (2012) - Dan Bradley

Before you all wonder, all one of you that reads these anyway, I haven't seen the original (1984) - John Milius. I know of it, we have it in work, and I know it's the Soviets rather than the North Koreans that are invading. I liked it, I thought it was very good. It does make me wonder though, what would a British filmmaker have done differently? In our country, I think we wouldn't be allowed to make this movie: calling another nation an enemy and inferring their weapons are to take us out. Just a thought.

 ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

Layer Cake (2004) - Matthew Vaughn

This was brilliant. It was very Guy Ritchie styled, but Matthew Vaughn has gone on to some really brilliant films since this first directed by him, and you can see why. It keeps you gripped, and its many characters is only rivalled in the aforementioned Ritchie and possibly, Quentin Tarantino, only Vaughn is British, so even better!

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Dead Man's Shoes (2004) - Shane Meadows

Brilliant film. British classic. Better than This Is England (2006), and deserves more recognition as a benchmark of excellence.

 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★