Shane Meadows Movies

Shane Meadows' improvised, low-budget comedy follows the titular characters, embittered roadie Le Donk (Paddy Considine) and aspiring rapper Scorz-ayz-ee (Dean Palinczuk), as they hit the road in an effort to get the latter a guest slot at an upcoming Arctic Monkeys concert. Fifteen years ago Le Donk was on top of the world; these days he's struggling just to claw his way up though the dirt. Scorz-ayz-ee knows he could break big if he could just make the right connections. This trip could change both of their lives forever. Before they hit the stage, however, the pair stops off to see Le Donk's ex-wife Olivia (Olivia Coleman), who's now shacking up with a vanilla nice guy (Richard Graham). Insecure Le Donk takes great delight in insulting Olivia's new lover, and nearly sabotage's his best friend's big shot at stardom due to his overwhelming jealousy of Scorz-ayz-ee's genuine talent. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

British filmmaker Shane Meadows looks back at his own youth in this semi-autobiographical comedy drama that examines skinhead culture in the U.K. It's the summer of 1983, and Shaun (Thomas Turgoose) is a 12-year-old boy edging into adolescence without a father, his dad having lost his life the year before in the Falkland Islands War. A gang of skinheads -- tough guys in their teens and early twenties who shave their heads, wear Ben Sherman polo shirts, and Dr. Martens boots, and listen to ska music -- walk the streets in Shaun's neighborhood, and one day they start picking on him. Shaun, however, shows he can give as good as he gets, and gang leader Woody (Joe Gilgun) takes a liking to the boy. Woody takes Shaun under his wing, and he starts hanging out with the skins, getting advice on dressing right from Woody's girlfriend, Lol (Vicky McClure), and learning about Jamaican music from West Indian skinhead Milky (Andrew Shim). However, the gang begins to change when Combo (Stephen Graham) is released from prison and returns to the neighborhood; like many skinheads, Combo has been recruited by the National Front, an openly racist right-wing political party, and soon the gang begins to fracture, with Combo taking one faction toward violence and petty crime against blacks, Indians, and Pakistanis, while Woody and his friends follow a more benign path. This Is England received its North American premiere at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Acclaimed director Shane Meadows (Dead Man's Shoes, This is England) offers a glimpse into the life of a most unlikely professional wrestler in this mockumentary charting WWE-obsessed aspiring grappler Mark Sherbet's quest to make a name for himself in the ring as "The Purple Salamander." For the last twenty years, Sherbet's life has revolved almost entirely around the WWE; his room is filled with ostentatious replica belts, his shelves are lined with hundreds of wrestling figures, and his walls are plastered with images of Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock, and Hollywood Hulk Hogan. Sherbet has planned his rise to fame as "The Purple Salamander" down to the last details, including his signature moves "The Checkerboard" and "How d'ya like them apples." But despite all of Sherbet's ambition, the fact that he weights only nine stone and has the pain threshold of a young child makes him an unusual pretender to the throne of wrestling greatness. Still, until Sherbet has his chance to fail on his own terms, he isn't about to give up the dream. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A group of outsiders and misfits find each other -- with mixed results -- in this comic drama. Romeo (Andrew Shim) and Gavin (Ben Marshall) are neighbors in a working-class neighborhood in Nottingham. Romeo is a short, stocky, but tough black kid who's about 13; he lives with his no-nonsense mother Carol (Ladene Hall) and older sister Ladine (Vicky McClure) after the departure of abusive husband and father Joe (Frank Harper). Gavin is the same age, but he is taller, thinner, and walks with a bit of a limp; he's an only child who lives with his overprotective mom (Julia Ford) and weak-willed father (James Higgins). The boys make friends with a strange local character named Morell (Paddy Considine), who helps them in a fight with other boys and has an eye for Ladine. After Gavin plays a prank on Morell, he flies into a rage and cuts all ties with Gavin. When Romeo, however, finds that Morell has nowhere to stay, he offers him a room in his house, partly for friendship and partly in hopes it will keep his father away. The more Romeo hangs out with Morell, the less he sees his old friend Gavin (who is recuperating from surgery on his leg), but when Ladine loses interest in Morell, he becomes increasingly unstable until finally he finally erupts in violence. Bob Hoskins makes a cameo appearance as Gavin's tutor, while director Shane Meadows plays a fish and chips salesman. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Crime pays, but not very well for a handful of burglars in this drama with comic overtones. Jumbo (Shane Meadows) heads up a gang of very-small-time thieves in an economically crippled British town near Nottingham. Jumbo and his mates Malc (Mat Hand), Willy (Jimmy Hynd), and Bets (Leon Lammond) are having a hard time unloading their latest score -- a large supply of dog food -- which generates a significant amount of tension between the hoods and their usual fence, Lenny (Tim Cunningham). Meanwhile, Malc's girlfriend Kate (Gena Kawecka) is getting tired of the way Jumbo slaps around his significant other, Ruby (Dena Smiles) and forces Malc to choose between staying with the gang or staying with her (and their child). Small Time marked the feature-length directorial debut for writer, director, and star Shane Meadows; it was shown theatrically with one of Meadows' earlier short subjects, Where's The Money, Ronnie? ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide