Perry Benson Movies

Dead Man's Shoes and This Is England director Shane Meadows takes the helm for this monochromatic childhood drama concerning two young friends living in London, and their efforts not to turn out like their aimless fathers. Tomo has just turned 16, and as a result he's no longer under parental care. Eager to escape the Midlands and seek out a better life in London, Tomo sets out for the big city and strikes up a friendship with Polish immigrant Marek while traversing the streets of Somers Town. Marek is a quiet and sensitive boy who harbors a growing interest in photography and still lives with his father. But Marek's father is a hopeless drunk, and doesn't even notice when his son invites Tomo to share their apartment. Most days, Tomo and Marek are content to pass earning some quick cash from an eccentric neighbor, wandering the streets, and admiring a pretty French waitress named Maria who works at a nearby café. Eventually, the two become obsessed with the girl and begin tracking her every move. But one day Maria simply vanishes, leaving the boys to feel as if they have lost their muse. Later that night, Tomo and Marek decide to dull their pain by sharing a bottle. Of course, it's this very same night that Marek's father discovers his son has taken in a new roommate, and Tomo is swiftly evicted. As a result, the growing bond between the two boys is put to the ultimate test. ~ 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

Following up on the critical drubbing of the Final Cut, the same cast and crew, TV comedians Dominic Anciano and Ray Burdis, along with Britpack hipsters Jonny Lee Miller, Jude Law, Rhys Ifans, and Sadie Frost, come together to make this crime comedy about guns, karaoke, and fart jokes. The film opens with bored postman Jonny (Lee Miller) in clown-face reminiscing about his mate Jude (Law), who introduced him to his crime lord uncle Ray Kreed (Ray Winstone). Though Jonny is hungry for some action, Ray is more interested in karaoke and his impeding nuptials with soap star Sadie (Frost). Bored, Jonny, along with Jude, bungle a credit card scam and then later really screw up by robbing high-grade blow from a South London gang headed by Sean (Sean Pertwee) and his sidekick Matthew (Ifans). Soon a gang war ensues. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

A man forces his friends to take a long, hard look at themselves in this unconventional British drama. Shortly after the death of Jude (Jude Law), his partner Sadie (Sadie Frost) invites a number of their friends to a wake at her apartment, where they gather to watch footage from a video documentary that Jude had been working on at the time of his death. The guests are shocked to discover that the "documentary" consists of hidden camera footage showing nearly every one of them at their worst. Several of the men are caught snorting cocaine, while another rummages through Sadie's laundry basked for her soiled underwear. Holly (Holly Davidson) takes money from the purse of her friend Lisa (Lisa Marsh), while Holly complains about her unsatisfying sex life with her husband John (John Beckett), who is confined to a wheelchair. John, meanwhile, is caught consorting with a prostitute. Eventually, the long parade of foul images of drug abuse, infidelity, and broken promises concludes with Jude making love with Lisa, which leads to his death at the hands of her husband Ray (Ray Winstone). Final Cut marked the debut of directorial duo Dominic Anciano and Ray Burdis, both of whom also act in the film. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Punk rock's first great embodiment of the motto "live fast and die young," Sid Vicious joined The Sex Pistols when they were already established as the most controversial rock band in British history; and it soon became apparent that he couldn't play his instrument, had a magnetic attraction to chaos, and possessed a dangerous thirst for booze, drugs, and violence. Sid and Nancy opens shortly after Sid (Gary Oldman) joined the band, when he meets an obnoxious American punk groupie named Nancy Spungen (Chloe Webb). Nancy claims that she can get drugs, and Sid naively gives her his money. Nancy doesn't show up with the goods, but when Sid runs into her a few days later, she has a tall tale about getting ripped off - and Sid sympathizes with her. Before long, Sid and Nancy have fallen in love, and while they argue with uncommon vehemence, they also depend completely on each other. When The Sex Pistols break up, Sid has few prospects and an increasingly voracious appetite for heroin, and Nancy's attempts to "manage" his career only hasten his downhill slide. Former Clash leader Joe Strummer wrote the film's theme song, "Love Kills," and The Pogues, The Circle Jerks, and Pray for Rain contributed to the soundtrack. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The inaugural season of the British satirical comedy series The Black Adder ended on July 20, 1983, with the episode titled "The Black Seal." Having exhausted all efforts to usurp the throne of England, Edmund (Rowan Atkinson) resorts to drastic measures -- which, characteristically, are really drastic. Planning to seize the throne by force, Edmund enlists the aid of the Seven Most Evil Men in the land -- among them such worthies as Three-Fingered Pete (Roger Slomon), Sir Wilfred Death (John Hallam), and Mad Gerald (played by "himself," though he bears a marked resemblance to character comedian Rik Mayall). After "The Black Seal," The Black Adder would go on a lengthy hiatus, not to be seen again until 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Scum refers to the label slapped upon reform-school inmate Ray Winstone. Such reformatories are called "borstals" by the British. When he isn't being beaten up by the other boys, Ray is being beaten down by The System. He rebels against this treatment and "wins" by becoming more vicious than any of his oppressors. Scum was originally filmed for British television, but rejected because of the bleakness of its outlook. In America, it went straight into theatres, where audiences had to strain to comprehend the "punk" jargon and thick provincial accents. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Miss MacMichael (Glenda Jackson) is a dedicated teacher. She needs to be, because her students are delinquents who are barely one step away from prison. She has a boyfriend, Martin (Michael Murphy) who would love to take her away from the chaos and heartbreak of the classroom by marrying her, but she doesn't want to leave. Her efforts to connect with the students are hindered by the school's principal (Oliver Reed), who puts on a kindly face to outsiders but believes that totalitarian techniques are good enough for these unruly students. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide