Many of cinema’s hard men are notorious softies in real life. Ray Winstone may well be one of those, even if he admits to not looking particularly approachable.
“My wife always says to me, ‘Why do you look like you’re going to kill someone when you walk into a room?'” he tells Variety. “But I don’t mean to!”
Winstone’s long-standing status as the go-to man to depict violent approach-with-caution individuals or British mob bosses continues to serve him, however, as “The Gentleman” — Guy Ritchie’s eight-part Netflix spinoff of his 2019 gangster comedy feature of the same name — proves. In the series, awash in the classic Ritchie mix of guns, drugs, violence, aristocrats, boxing and tweed, Winstone stars as a gangland patriarch and head of a massive weed-growing empire. Because of course he does — who else would you cast as an elder statesman than the actor...
“My wife always says to me, ‘Why do you look like you’re going to kill someone when you walk into a room?'” he tells Variety. “But I don’t mean to!”
Winstone’s long-standing status as the go-to man to depict violent approach-with-caution individuals or British mob bosses continues to serve him, however, as “The Gentleman” — Guy Ritchie’s eight-part Netflix spinoff of his 2019 gangster comedy feature of the same name — proves. In the series, awash in the classic Ritchie mix of guns, drugs, violence, aristocrats, boxing and tweed, Winstone stars as a gangland patriarch and head of a massive weed-growing empire. Because of course he does — who else would you cast as an elder statesman than the actor...
- 3/8/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
With three new projects shortly to be released, the screen’s favourite hardman gets stuck into politics, family, Sunday lunch and ‘cockney morality’
The actor Ray Winstone, who is best known for his depictions of men muddled in criminality, has a torso so large and legs so thin that seeing him enter the breakfast lounge of a London hotel is like watching a barrel walk in on stilts. Winstone is 67 now. In real life he resembles the characters he has spent a career perpetuating on screen. He maintains the east London accent he developed in childhood. He swears gruffly and nonstop. He chuckles at calling people “fuckers”. It would surprise no one if he were voted film and television’s most specific brand. When, partway through our discussion, I ask if he’s ever troubled by people considering him professionally one-dimensional, he replies, “Not one fucking bit – you typecast yourself.
The actor Ray Winstone, who is best known for his depictions of men muddled in criminality, has a torso so large and legs so thin that seeing him enter the breakfast lounge of a London hotel is like watching a barrel walk in on stilts. Winstone is 67 now. In real life he resembles the characters he has spent a career perpetuating on screen. He maintains the east London accent he developed in childhood. He swears gruffly and nonstop. He chuckles at calling people “fuckers”. It would surprise no one if he were voted film and television’s most specific brand. When, partway through our discussion, I ask if he’s ever troubled by people considering him professionally one-dimensional, he replies, “Not one fucking bit – you typecast yourself.
- 2/25/2024
- by Alex Moshakis
- The Guardian - Film News
John McVicar died on 6 September 2022 of a heart attack, aged 82. He was a seasoned ex-convict who turned his hand from armed robbery to a career in journalism, writing about crime and justice for the Guardian, the New Statesman and Spiked. However, this biopic is not about McVicar, the autodidact. Instead, it is a crime film about McVicar’s 1968 prison break that’s told with an austere, turn-of-the-’80s aesthetic comparable to Scum, The Black Panther and The Long Good Friday.
Roger Daltrey’s presence may raise questions about McVicar’s seriousness, but this isn’t a lazy rock star vehicle — Daltrey assumes the role with a sinewy attitude that doesn’t want for credibility. Credible too are McVicar’s fellow inmates and the staff who corral them at Hmp Durham, where life is stark but not without goodwill. There is a fair amount of camaraderie, in fact, with conflict rarely going beyond coarse words.
Roger Daltrey’s presence may raise questions about McVicar’s seriousness, but this isn’t a lazy rock star vehicle — Daltrey assumes the role with a sinewy attitude that doesn’t want for credibility. Credible too are McVicar’s fellow inmates and the staff who corral them at Hmp Durham, where life is stark but not without goodwill. There is a fair amount of camaraderie, in fact, with conflict rarely going beyond coarse words.
- 9/8/2023
- by Jack Hawkins
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
An activist protesting sexual violence against women in Ukraine has been removed tonight from the Cannes red carpet for George Miller’s Three Thousand Years Of Longing.
The naked and screaming woman had paint daubed on her body in the colours of the Ukrainian flag and the words ‘Stop Raping Us’ across her chest and stomach. She had the word ‘Scum’ written on her back.
There is mounting evidence of summary executions, rape and torture carried out by Russian forces in Ukraine.
The French activist group Scum has just posted an explanation on Twitter.
Une activiste Scum s'introduit sur le tapis rouge du festival de #Cannes2022 pour dénoncer les violences sexuelles infligées aux ukrainiennes dans le contexte de la guerre.#cannes2022redcarpet pic.twitter.com/cGEJDghD2k
— Scum (@scum_officiel) May 20, 2022
Scum was a radical feminist manifesto published in the 1960s. However, the above Twitter handle only came into existence last month.
The naked and screaming woman had paint daubed on her body in the colours of the Ukrainian flag and the words ‘Stop Raping Us’ across her chest and stomach. She had the word ‘Scum’ written on her back.
There is mounting evidence of summary executions, rape and torture carried out by Russian forces in Ukraine.
The French activist group Scum has just posted an explanation on Twitter.
Une activiste Scum s'introduit sur le tapis rouge du festival de #Cannes2022 pour dénoncer les violences sexuelles infligées aux ukrainiennes dans le contexte de la guerre.#cannes2022redcarpet pic.twitter.com/cGEJDghD2k
— Scum (@scum_officiel) May 20, 2022
Scum was a radical feminist manifesto published in the 1960s. However, the above Twitter handle only came into existence last month.
- 5/20/2022
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Stars: Keira Lane, Neal Ward, Segun Akinwoleola, Siobhan Bayford, Cassandra French, Kelly Goudie, Tiana Hoath, Paul King, Megan Lockhurst | Written and Directed by Darren James King
Directed by Darren James King, April is a stark and somewhat grim reminder of what an unshackled British director can produce. Movies like Scum, The Firm, This is England and Dead Man’s Shoes. You know, true “cheery” Brit flicks! Films that are few and far between these days on account of… well that’s another conversation for another day. Here we have a director who, while somewhat restricted by budget, is unwavering in his commitment to telling us a grim story with its grim reality. A project that for any father watching will set your mind racing, all capped with a “If I am doing this I’m getting lost in the moment” performance from Neal Ward. This is British low budget at its...
Directed by Darren James King, April is a stark and somewhat grim reminder of what an unshackled British director can produce. Movies like Scum, The Firm, This is England and Dead Man’s Shoes. You know, true “cheery” Brit flicks! Films that are few and far between these days on account of… well that’s another conversation for another day. Here we have a director who, while somewhat restricted by budget, is unwavering in his commitment to telling us a grim story with its grim reality. A project that for any father watching will set your mind racing, all capped with a “If I am doing this I’m getting lost in the moment” performance from Neal Ward. This is British low budget at its...
- 5/20/2022
- by Kevin Haldon
- Nerdly
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds have announced B-Sides & Rarities Part II, a second collection of rare and unreleased tracks that the group recorded over the past decade and a half.
The band released their first B-Sides & Rarities compilation in 2005. Since then, he and the Bad Seeds have recorded two more discs’ worth of B-sides and rarities, both released and unheard.
In total, the 27-song B-Sides & Rarities Part II boasts 19 unreleased tracks — compiled by Cave and Bad Seeds member Warren Ellis — including the first recordings of album cuts like “Skeleton Tree,...
The band released their first B-Sides & Rarities compilation in 2005. Since then, he and the Bad Seeds have recorded two more discs’ worth of B-sides and rarities, both released and unheard.
In total, the 27-song B-Sides & Rarities Part II boasts 19 unreleased tracks — compiled by Cave and Bad Seeds member Warren Ellis — including the first recordings of album cuts like “Skeleton Tree,...
- 8/19/2021
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
The writer/director of Martha Marcy May Marlene and The Nest takes hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante on an exploration of his favorite cinematic endings.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)
The Nest (2020)
Citizen Kane (1941)
The Cowboys (1972)
The Parallax View (1974)
Three Days of the Condor (1975)
Limbo (1999)
Nashville (1975)
The Long Goodbye (1973)
3 Women (1977)
Chinatown (1974)
Some Like It Hot (1959)
The Third Man (1949)
Do The Right Thing (1989)
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)
Our Idiot Brother (2011)
Shoot The Moon (1982)
Parasite (2019)
The Wild Bunch (1969)
The Ice Storm (1997)
Kramer Vs. Kramer (1979)
The Brood (1979)
The Graduate (1967)
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
The Candidate (1972)
The Sixth Sense (1999)
The Birds (1963)
The Firm (1989)
Scum (1979)
The Firm (2009)
The Vanishing (1988)
The Vanishing (1993)
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
Repulsion (1965)
Pirates (1986)
What? (1972)
Blowup (1966)
Blow Out (1981)
The Long Good Friday (1980)
Other Notable Items
Jude Law
Carrie Coon
Quentin Tarantino
John Wayne
The Pure Cinema Podcast
The Film Forum
Warren Beatty
Tfh Guru Howard...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)
The Nest (2020)
Citizen Kane (1941)
The Cowboys (1972)
The Parallax View (1974)
Three Days of the Condor (1975)
Limbo (1999)
Nashville (1975)
The Long Goodbye (1973)
3 Women (1977)
Chinatown (1974)
Some Like It Hot (1959)
The Third Man (1949)
Do The Right Thing (1989)
Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)
Our Idiot Brother (2011)
Shoot The Moon (1982)
Parasite (2019)
The Wild Bunch (1969)
The Ice Storm (1997)
Kramer Vs. Kramer (1979)
The Brood (1979)
The Graduate (1967)
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
The Candidate (1972)
The Sixth Sense (1999)
The Birds (1963)
The Firm (1989)
Scum (1979)
The Firm (2009)
The Vanishing (1988)
The Vanishing (1993)
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
Repulsion (1965)
Pirates (1986)
What? (1972)
Blowup (1966)
Blow Out (1981)
The Long Good Friday (1980)
Other Notable Items
Jude Law
Carrie Coon
Quentin Tarantino
John Wayne
The Pure Cinema Podcast
The Film Forum
Warren Beatty
Tfh Guru Howard...
- 11/10/2020
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Acclaimed stuntman and action director extraordinaire Jesse V. Johnson joins us to discuss the U.S. based action films and filmmakers that have influenced him the most.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
On The Waterfront (1954)
Fultah Fisher’s Boarding House (1922)
Undisputed (2002)
Undisputed II: Last Man Standing (2006)
Undisputed III: Redemption (2010)
Boyka: Undisputed (2016)
The Killer Elite (1975)
Convoy (1978)
The Osterman Weekend (1983)
Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia (1974)
Le Cercle Rouge (1970)
Straw Dogs (1971)
The Wild Bunch (1969)
Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
The Birdcage (1996)
Cross of Iron (1977)
Electra Glide in Blue (1973)
Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry (1974)
Easy Rider (1969)
Fail Safe (1964)
The Cincinnati Kid (1965)
Ride The High Country (1962)
Major Dundee (1965)
Jinxed! (1982)
Beowulf (2007)
Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019)
The Girl Hunters (1963)
Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)
Point Blank (1967)
Falling Down (1993)
M (1951)
M (1931)
The Black Vampire (1953)
The Roaring Twenties (1939)
Scum (1979)
Elephant (1989)
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), possibly Joe’s favorite John Ford...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
On The Waterfront (1954)
Fultah Fisher’s Boarding House (1922)
Undisputed (2002)
Undisputed II: Last Man Standing (2006)
Undisputed III: Redemption (2010)
Boyka: Undisputed (2016)
The Killer Elite (1975)
Convoy (1978)
The Osterman Weekend (1983)
Bring Me The Head Of Alfredo Garcia (1974)
Le Cercle Rouge (1970)
Straw Dogs (1971)
The Wild Bunch (1969)
Mr. Holland’s Opus (1995)
The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
The Birdcage (1996)
Cross of Iron (1977)
Electra Glide in Blue (1973)
Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry (1974)
Easy Rider (1969)
Fail Safe (1964)
The Cincinnati Kid (1965)
Ride The High Country (1962)
Major Dundee (1965)
Jinxed! (1982)
Beowulf (2007)
Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
Once Upon A Time In Hollywood (2019)
The Girl Hunters (1963)
Los Angeles Plays Itself (2003)
Point Blank (1967)
Falling Down (1993)
M (1951)
M (1931)
The Black Vampire (1953)
The Roaring Twenties (1939)
Scum (1979)
Elephant (1989)
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), possibly Joe’s favorite John Ford...
- 3/24/2020
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
As a fan of Scum and Villainy lists in X-Wing 2.0 and as someone with no history of the original X-Wing, I am often excited to by the sheer weirdness of the new ships that this faction offers. I generally field squadrons of large ships with a lot of strange attachments including the Yt-300 Light Freighter with it’s escape craft and the Slave 1 with it’s unique ability to shoot both forwards and backwards.
The new Hounds Tooth ship (based on the Yv-666 Light Freighter) is another ship that fits this brief perfectly. Familiar to fans of the Star Wars lore as the ship of bounty hunter Bossk, the Hounds Tooth has a formidable nine hull and three shields, whilst also firing with three dice on a 180 degree forward arc. Particularly pleasing to me is that with the “Hounds Tooth” title card, the ship can house a Z-95-AF4 starfighter upon destruction,...
The new Hounds Tooth ship (based on the Yv-666 Light Freighter) is another ship that fits this brief perfectly. Familiar to fans of the Star Wars lore as the ship of bounty hunter Bossk, the Hounds Tooth has a formidable nine hull and three shields, whilst also firing with three dice on a 180 degree forward arc. Particularly pleasing to me is that with the “Hounds Tooth” title card, the ship can house a Z-95-AF4 starfighter upon destruction,...
- 1/27/2020
- by Matthew Smail
- Nerdly
James Marsh’s heist-caper “King of Thieves” reunites beloved British actors for a story that’s familiar yet still surprising. In a rat pack that includes Michael Caine, Jim Broadbent, Michael Gambon, Tom Courtenay and Ray Winstone, these mild-mannered gents play retired criminals who unite for one last tantalizing score: the chance to steal over £200 million in jewels and money.
Brian (Caine) is the reluctant leader of this grizzly pack, breaking his promise to his late wife to leave his notorious days behind him. But he knows a score too good to pass up, and when timid, but criminally minded whippersnapper Basil shows him a way into a high-security vault holding millions worth of goods, Brian rallies his troops for one last show. Basil ingratiates his way into their company as an expert in wiring and as the person who knows everything there is to know about their target.
Their crew is a motley one.
Brian (Caine) is the reluctant leader of this grizzly pack, breaking his promise to his late wife to leave his notorious days behind him. But he knows a score too good to pass up, and when timid, but criminally minded whippersnapper Basil shows him a way into a high-security vault holding millions worth of goods, Brian rallies his troops for one last show. Basil ingratiates his way into their company as an expert in wiring and as the person who knows everything there is to know about their target.
Their crew is a motley one.
- 1/25/2019
- by Monica Castillo
- The Wrap
I’ve come to expect pure madness from Devolver Digital. Publishers of games like Hotline Miami, Shadow Warrior, and Enter the Gungeon, the only overarching classification I can come up with is “high-quality indie alternative.” For Devolver, over the top is their baseline, and they just go up from there. Irreverently pushing the line of the sane […]
The post Scum Is An Insane Game Made By Croatian Madmen appeared first on Dread Central.
The post Scum Is An Insane Game Made By Croatian Madmen appeared first on Dread Central.
- 7/10/2018
- by Ted Hentschke
- DreadCentral.com
If you ask “Scum’s” Creative Director Tomislav Pongrac, he’ll say the survival game genre is basically dead.
Where once for him playing a survival game opened his eyes to an new world with a million possibilities, now the number of those types of games is shrinking rapidly.
“Nothing’s happening in that genre,” Pongrac said speaking of the latest trend that has swept Early Access games over the past year. “Eventually, it’s all getting reduced to Battle Royale.”
It’s with that mentality that Pongrac brought his game to E3. Developed by Gamepires, produced by Crotean, and published by Devolver, “Scum” is a “super max survival sim” set in a reality TV show about prisoners trying to escape from an island. In a brutal landscape, the online multiplayer game challenges players to survive, gain renown from the show’s viewers, and perhaps escape. But it’s so,...
Where once for him playing a survival game opened his eyes to an new world with a million possibilities, now the number of those types of games is shrinking rapidly.
“Nothing’s happening in that genre,” Pongrac said speaking of the latest trend that has swept Early Access games over the past year. “Eventually, it’s all getting reduced to Battle Royale.”
It’s with that mentality that Pongrac brought his game to E3. Developed by Gamepires, produced by Crotean, and published by Devolver, “Scum” is a “super max survival sim” set in a reality TV show about prisoners trying to escape from an island. In a brutal landscape, the online multiplayer game challenges players to survive, gain renown from the show’s viewers, and perhaps escape. But it’s so,...
- 6/13/2018
- by Peter Clark
- Variety Film + TV
Starring Andrew Robinson (Dirty Harry, Charley Varrick), Clare Higgins (Hellbound: Hellraiser 2, Silent Witness), Ashley Laurence (Hellbound: Hellraiser 2, Lurking Fear), Sean Chapman (Made in Britain, Scum) and directed by Clive Barker (Nightbreed, Lord of Illusions), Hellraiser is returning to cinemas and receiving a gorgeous Blu-ray Steelbook just in time for Halloween!
That’s right folks Pinhead and his Cenobites are back in the cinema to celebrate the big 30th year anniversary and guess what… The folks at Arrow Films/Video are releasing a beautiful steelbook on October 30th too! If your a horror hound this is a must buy steelbook and a must revisit in the cinema. The 30th Anniversary re-release of Hellraiser – appropriately debuting on Friday 13th October – gives audiences a chance to see it once more in all its gory big screen glory and for the uninitiated to have their souls torn apart for the first time!
For those who are unfamiliar with Hellraiser,...
That’s right folks Pinhead and his Cenobites are back in the cinema to celebrate the big 30th year anniversary and guess what… The folks at Arrow Films/Video are releasing a beautiful steelbook on October 30th too! If your a horror hound this is a must buy steelbook and a must revisit in the cinema. The 30th Anniversary re-release of Hellraiser – appropriately debuting on Friday 13th October – gives audiences a chance to see it once more in all its gory big screen glory and for the uninitiated to have their souls torn apart for the first time!
For those who are unfamiliar with Hellraiser,...
- 10/16/2017
- by Kevin Haldon
- Nerdly
Skinheads, hit men, cops, criminals, cops-posing-as-criminals, princes, junkies, executioners, politicians, supervillains, an 18th-century fop, a 19th-century impressionist painter and a 21st-century psychotic chimp – you name it, and there's an extremely good chance that Tim Roth has played it. The 56-year-old British actor has the sort of varied, overstuffed resumé that suggests a reserved spot in the steadily-working-character-actor canon, and has not one but two projects hitting TV screens at the moment: Tin Star, an Amazon thriller that about an expat cop living in Canada that starts as a quirky fish-out-of-water...
- 9/29/2017
- Rollingstone.com
Louisa Mellor Sep 8, 2017
Tim Roth leads an excellent cast in unpredictable new Sky Atlantic revenge drama Tin Star, out now…
“It’s the disposal,” says Tim Roth. “The killing isn’t the problem, it’s the disposal that’s the problem. You run out of space.” The storage issues faced by serial killers aren’t something to which many of us will have devoted much thought. Roth has. Reassuringly, he’s had reason to thanks to his recent sinister role as real-life murderer Reg Christie in BBC drama Rillington Place. “Charming fella” he jokes.
See related 26 new UK TV shows to look out for Life On Mars: revisiting a terrific UK crime drama Line Of Duty series 4: creator Jed Mercurio interview
Roth is back on UK television on the other side of the law in new Sky Atlantic drama Tin Star, which has already been renewed for a second series.
Tim Roth leads an excellent cast in unpredictable new Sky Atlantic revenge drama Tin Star, out now…
“It’s the disposal,” says Tim Roth. “The killing isn’t the problem, it’s the disposal that’s the problem. You run out of space.” The storage issues faced by serial killers aren’t something to which many of us will have devoted much thought. Roth has. Reassuringly, he’s had reason to thanks to his recent sinister role as real-life murderer Reg Christie in BBC drama Rillington Place. “Charming fella” he jokes.
See related 26 new UK TV shows to look out for Life On Mars: revisiting a terrific UK crime drama Line Of Duty series 4: creator Jed Mercurio interview
Roth is back on UK television on the other side of the law in new Sky Atlantic drama Tin Star, which has already been renewed for a second series.
- 9/7/2017
- Den of Geek
Scum At Cinefamily | 611 N Fairfax Ave.
Beginning Friday, a new Dcp restoration of British director Alan Clarke’s harrowing 1979 film Scum comes to Cinefamily for a well-deserved weeklong run. Set in an anonymous British borstal, a youth detention center for only the most violent and unrepentant of young men, Scum follows the arrival and uneasy integration of three new inmates played by Ray Winstone, Julian Firth and Alrick Riley. In short, brutal order, sides are taken and the tenuous dynamic collapses, and through a series of gripping set pieces Clarke presents an unflinching vision of damaged masculinity at...
Beginning Friday, a new Dcp restoration of British director Alan Clarke’s harrowing 1979 film Scum comes to Cinefamily for a well-deserved weeklong run. Set in an anonymous British borstal, a youth detention center for only the most violent and unrepentant of young men, Scum follows the arrival and uneasy integration of three new inmates played by Ray Winstone, Julian Firth and Alrick Riley. In short, brutal order, sides are taken and the tenuous dynamic collapses, and through a series of gripping set pieces Clarke presents an unflinching vision of damaged masculinity at...
- 7/2/2017
- by Jordan Cronk
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Since any New York City cinephile has a nearly suffocating wealth of theatrical options, we figured it’d be best to compile some of the more worthwhile repertory showings into one handy list. Displayed below are a few of the city’s most reliable theaters and links to screenings of their weekend offerings — films you’re not likely to see in a theater again anytime soon, and many of which are, also, on 35mm. If you have a chance to attend any of these, we’re of the mind that it’s time extremely well-spent.
Quad Cinema
Films by Fosse, Visconti, Chabrol, and Ed Wood play as part of “Quadrophilia: Queer Edition.”
Maurice and Funeral Parade of Roses continue playing.
Metrograph
The restoration of Alan Clarke’s Scum, a must-see, is now screening.
“Welcome to Metrograph A-z” continues, including multiple showings of Todd Haynes’ Safe.
A Father’s Day special occurs this Sunday.
Quad Cinema
Films by Fosse, Visconti, Chabrol, and Ed Wood play as part of “Quadrophilia: Queer Edition.”
Maurice and Funeral Parade of Roses continue playing.
Metrograph
The restoration of Alan Clarke’s Scum, a must-see, is now screening.
“Welcome to Metrograph A-z” continues, including multiple showings of Todd Haynes’ Safe.
A Father’s Day special occurs this Sunday.
- 6/16/2017
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Though released nearly four decades ago, the impact of British director Alan Clarke’s stripped-down, visually matter-of-fact-yet-enrapturing “prison” drama Scum can still be felt in ripples throughout modern cinema, from the dirt-caked musings of the excellent Starred Up, to the philosophical discussion posed between a beaten Bobby Sands and stubborn priest in Steve McQueen’s Hunger. Shrouded in controversy upon its release, Scum has sat for years under the sort of “banned film” title that lends to a certain morbid fascination, which itself overlooks potential (or inherent) cinematic value. But Scum lives up to its title to this day, its manic energy balanced with an assured and naked openness that creates a searing level of realism and, as such, savagery.
Scum is set in a juvenile-offender institution that is more akin to youthful hell than a chance at redemption for its sordid inmates, who struggle, fall, and brawl in the...
Scum is set in a juvenile-offender institution that is more akin to youthful hell than a chance at redemption for its sordid inmates, who struggle, fall, and brawl in the...
- 6/14/2017
- by Mike Mazzanti
- The Film Stage
Alan Clarke‘s little-seen prison drama Scum has already been available on Blu-ray via Kino Lorber for a few years now, but they’ll finally be giving the 2K restoration a theatrical run later this year, and with this news comes a inventive new trailer. Playing with the film’s Banned label, the trailer features only stills from Scum — some tantalizing or provocative — and reviews from critics, read aloud by the hard-bit narrator.
Starring a young and spry Ray Winstone, Scum tells the story of life in a brutal British prison, where there’s no easy way out. While it seemingly had clause for a ban in the 70’s, what is perhaps most interesting is if it still contains shock value in today’s climate. See the trailer below, with a nod to Blu-ray.com.
A landmark expose of Britain’s violent reform schools, Alan Clarke’s Scum is a controversial shock to the system.
Starring a young and spry Ray Winstone, Scum tells the story of life in a brutal British prison, where there’s no easy way out. While it seemingly had clause for a ban in the 70’s, what is perhaps most interesting is if it still contains shock value in today’s climate. See the trailer below, with a nod to Blu-ray.com.
A landmark expose of Britain’s violent reform schools, Alan Clarke’s Scum is a controversial shock to the system.
- 3/8/2017
- by Mike Mazzanti
- The Film Stage
Kino Lorber continues their run of re-releasing interestingly obscure films with their newest addition, Alan Clarke’s 1979 film “Scum,” arriving with a fresh 2K restoration. The Ray Winstone starring film follows young violent thug Carlin as he arrives at a British reform school. While at the school, he rises through the ranks using violence and intimidation, eventually reaching the top of the school pecking order.
Continue reading Trailer For Alan Clarke’s Newly Restored, Controversial ‘Scum’ Starring Ray Winstone at The Playlist.
Continue reading Trailer For Alan Clarke’s Newly Restored, Controversial ‘Scum’ Starring Ray Winstone at The Playlist.
- 3/7/2017
- by Christian Gallichio
- The Playlist
Houda Benyamina [pictured], Jessica Hausner and Rebecca Daly among directors due to attend the festival.
The Les Arcs European Film Festival will champion female filmmakers at its eighth edition unfolding in the heart of the French Alps Dec 10-17.
A sidebar titled The New Women of Cinema will screen features by 10 female directors including Houda Benyamina’s Caméra d’Or-winning Divines, Rebecca Daly’s Mammal and Rachel Lang’s Baden Baden.
Older titles such as Jessica Hausner’s Lourdes, Agnes Kocsis’ Fresh Air and Nanouk Leopold’s Brownian Movement are also included in the line-up
The initiative is an extension of the festival’s Femme de Cinema award introduced in 2013, the recipients of which have included Bosnian director Jamila Zbanic and Poland’s Małgorzata Szumowska.
Alongside the screenings, there will also be a presentation on a specially-commissioned study of emerging female directors, as well as round-tables and a master-class by one of the attending female directors.
The programme...
The Les Arcs European Film Festival will champion female filmmakers at its eighth edition unfolding in the heart of the French Alps Dec 10-17.
A sidebar titled The New Women of Cinema will screen features by 10 female directors including Houda Benyamina’s Caméra d’Or-winning Divines, Rebecca Daly’s Mammal and Rachel Lang’s Baden Baden.
Older titles such as Jessica Hausner’s Lourdes, Agnes Kocsis’ Fresh Air and Nanouk Leopold’s Brownian Movement are also included in the line-up
The initiative is an extension of the festival’s Femme de Cinema award introduced in 2013, the recipients of which have included Bosnian director Jamila Zbanic and Poland’s Małgorzata Szumowska.
Alongside the screenings, there will also be a presentation on a specially-commissioned study of emerging female directors, as well as round-tables and a master-class by one of the attending female directors.
The programme...
- 11/8/2016
- ScreenDaily
Houda Benyamina [pictured], Jessica Hausner and Rebecca Daly among directors due to attend the festival.
The Les Arcs European Film Festival will champion female filmmakers at its eighth edition unfolding in the heart of the French Alps Dec 10-17.
A sidebar titled The New Women of Cinema will screen features by 10 female directors including Houda Benyamina’s Caméra d’Or-winning Divines, Rebecca Daly’s Mammal and Rachel Lang’s Baden Baden.
Older titles such as Jessica Hausner’s Lourdes, Agnes Kocsis’ Fresh Air and Nanouk Leopold’s Brownian Movement are also included in the line-up
The initiative is an extension of the festival’s Femme de Cinema award introduced in 2013, the recipients of which have included Bosnian director Jamila Zbanic and Poland’s Małgorzata Szumowska.
Alongside the screenings, there will also be a presentation on a specially-commissioned study of emerging female directors, as well as round-tables and a master-class by one of the attending female directors.
The programme...
The Les Arcs European Film Festival will champion female filmmakers at its eighth edition unfolding in the heart of the French Alps Dec 10-17.
A sidebar titled The New Women of Cinema will screen features by 10 female directors including Houda Benyamina’s Caméra d’Or-winning Divines, Rebecca Daly’s Mammal and Rachel Lang’s Baden Baden.
Older titles such as Jessica Hausner’s Lourdes, Agnes Kocsis’ Fresh Air and Nanouk Leopold’s Brownian Movement are also included in the line-up
The initiative is an extension of the festival’s Femme de Cinema award introduced in 2013, the recipients of which have included Bosnian director Jamila Zbanic and Poland’s Małgorzata Szumowska.
Alongside the screenings, there will also be a presentation on a specially-commissioned study of emerging female directors, as well as round-tables and a master-class by one of the attending female directors.
The programme...
- 11/8/2016
- ScreenDaily
Llinos Cathryn Thomas Aug 5, 2016
Thirty years since it ended, we revisit much-loved 80s historical fantasy series Robin Of Sherwood...
The Robin Hood legend has been retold in countless ways, but one of the most memorable of modern times is Richard Carpenter’s hugely influential 1980s imagining, telling the story of Sherwood’s band of outlaws with a combination of realism and luminous fantasy with its roots in British folklore.
Made by Htv in association with production company Goldcrest Films (which was also behind Chariots Of Fire and Gandhi), its 26 episodes ran on ITV from 1984 to 1986, garnering a positive critical reception and inspiring a fan following that’s still enthusiastically active today.
Much of the success of the show was down to the spot-on casting and the chemistry between the performers. Michael Praed’s charismatic-yet-otherworldly presence as Robin was the perfect match for the show’s aesthetic, and the more down-to-earth Little John,...
Thirty years since it ended, we revisit much-loved 80s historical fantasy series Robin Of Sherwood...
The Robin Hood legend has been retold in countless ways, but one of the most memorable of modern times is Richard Carpenter’s hugely influential 1980s imagining, telling the story of Sherwood’s band of outlaws with a combination of realism and luminous fantasy with its roots in British folklore.
Made by Htv in association with production company Goldcrest Films (which was also behind Chariots Of Fire and Gandhi), its 26 episodes ran on ITV from 1984 to 1986, garnering a positive critical reception and inspiring a fan following that’s still enthusiastically active today.
Much of the success of the show was down to the spot-on casting and the chemistry between the performers. Michael Praed’s charismatic-yet-otherworldly presence as Robin was the perfect match for the show’s aesthetic, and the more down-to-earth Little John,...
- 8/2/2016
- Den of Geek
In 1982, Scum director Alan Clarke cast David Bowie in an adaptation of Bertolt Brecht’s early play for the BBC. Baal was Brecht’s first full length play, written in 1918 (reworked in 1926). Bowie stars as the title character, an outcast poet/musician who has a series of affairs and is involved in a killing. Bowie, who had recently performed in The Elephant Man on Broadway, acted and sang the lead role, alongside a cast that included Jonathan Kent and Zoë Wanamaker. This exclusive clip comprises the first full minute of the film, including the “ichthyosaurus” monologue and the first two verses of Bowie’s rendition of Baal’s Hymn.
Baal is included in the Blu-ray box set Dissent and Disruption: Alan Clarke at the BBC (1969-1989) and in the DVD box set Alan Clarke at the BBC, Volume 2: Disruption (1978-1989), out this week1982 archive article: Nancy Banks-Smith’s...
Baal is included in the Blu-ray box set Dissent and Disruption: Alan Clarke at the BBC (1969-1989) and in the DVD box set Alan Clarke at the BBC, Volume 2: Disruption (1978-1989), out this week1982 archive article: Nancy Banks-Smith’s...
- 6/9/2016
- by Guardian Staff
- The Guardian - Film News
The director of Scum, Made in Britain and The Firm made films that were brilliant, disconcerting and radical – and set the template for others to follow
I’ve been thinking about Alan Clarke recently. That’s not unusual: he’s a director I love, and his glorious, bristling films mean a lot to me. So it was his name that I first came up with when I started work on six short videos about the mavericks of British film. Maverick is a tricky word to parse, but if it meant anything at all, then Clarke – off on his own path, sparring with authority – has to be the benchmark.
Although we start in 1964 with Peter Watkins’s Culloden, four of the subjects are still alive and making films. All the same, it was hard not to feel a pang while we worked, and Clarke was why. Part of that was simply...
I’ve been thinking about Alan Clarke recently. That’s not unusual: he’s a director I love, and his glorious, bristling films mean a lot to me. So it was his name that I first came up with when I started work on six short videos about the mavericks of British film. Maverick is a tricky word to parse, but if it meant anything at all, then Clarke – off on his own path, sparring with authority – has to be the benchmark.
Although we start in 1964 with Peter Watkins’s Culloden, four of the subjects are still alive and making films. All the same, it was hard not to feel a pang while we worked, and Clarke was why. Part of that was simply...
- 6/8/2015
- by Danny Leigh
- The Guardian - Film News
Shot over 2 weeks in London and the South Coast, Blood And Carpet is a 1960’s influenced, kitchen sink, comedy thriller. Directed by Graham Fletcher-Cook and starring Annie Burkin (Zebra Crossing), Billy Wright (Betsy And Leonard) and Frank Boyce (Tony) it features supporting roles from Nicola Stapleton (EastEnders, The Rise Of The Krays) Julian Firth (Scum) and Andrew Tiernan (300, The Pianist). !
London 1967 and Ruby and Lyle have a problem. A … Continue reading →
Horrornews.net...
London 1967 and Ruby and Lyle have a problem. A … Continue reading →
Horrornews.net...
- 2/9/2015
- by Horrornews.net
- Horror News
BAFTA’s latest Life In Pictures conversation featured British screen icon Ray Winstone, who proved a big draw despite the unseasonably warm October afternoon. With no new title to stump for (although he did mention his upcoming childhood-focused autobiography Young Winstone), the veteran instead entertained the crowd with a freewheeling look at his four-decade-long career, which includes prominent roles in films such as Noah, The Departed, and Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull.
While he had plenty of quips about his adventures in Hollywood – including an uncanny Martin Scorsese impression – Winstone spoke passionately about his work in British cinema.
Famous for playing East End tough guys – “My wife asked me why I always walk in a room looking like I’m going to kill someone” – Winstone waxed lyrical about Gary Oldman’s work directing him in the gritty 1997 drama Nil By Mouth.
That film unflinchingly looks at...
While he had plenty of quips about his adventures in Hollywood – including an uncanny Martin Scorsese impression – Winstone spoke passionately about his work in British cinema.
Famous for playing East End tough guys – “My wife asked me why I always walk in a room looking like I’m going to kill someone” – Winstone waxed lyrical about Gary Oldman’s work directing him in the gritty 1997 drama Nil By Mouth.
That film unflinchingly looks at...
- 10/5/2014
- by Ali Jaafar, Special To Deadline
- Deadline
The U.K.’s most famous cinematic hardman, Ray Winstone, reflected on his life and career at a special BAFTA Life In Pictures event held in London on Sunday. In a good-humored Q&A, the actor spoke humbly about his first theatrical steps, revealing that his breakthrough debut role as a teenager in Scum, Alan Clarke’s gritty and violent 1977 drama about life in a British young offenders’ prison, had "nothing to do with acting." "It was the way I walked down a corridor," he said, adding that his leading role of Carlin had been written for a
read more...
read more...
- 10/5/2014
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
British star of Sexy Beast and Noah to talk on stage about his screen career.
British tough-guy actor Ray Winstone is to discuss his craft and career at a BAFTA A Life In Pictures event on Oct 5. The event will take place at BAFTA’s headquarters in London’s Piccadilly.
Winstone’s association with BAFTA goes back to 1980 when he was nominated for Most Promising Newcomer for one of his earliest roles in drama That Summer!.
The actor first made an impact in 1977 playing a young offender in the controversial television drama Scum. He went on to star in British cult classics Quadrophenia, Nil By Mouth (for which he received his second BAFTA nomination), The War Zone and Sexy Beast.
The past decade has seen Winstone star in Hollywood blockbusters including The Departed, Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull, Beowolf and more recently Darren Aronofsky’s Noah.
His TV work has included BAFTA-winning Great Expectations, Emmy-winning Henry VIII...
British tough-guy actor Ray Winstone is to discuss his craft and career at a BAFTA A Life In Pictures event on Oct 5. The event will take place at BAFTA’s headquarters in London’s Piccadilly.
Winstone’s association with BAFTA goes back to 1980 when he was nominated for Most Promising Newcomer for one of his earliest roles in drama That Summer!.
The actor first made an impact in 1977 playing a young offender in the controversial television drama Scum. He went on to star in British cult classics Quadrophenia, Nil By Mouth (for which he received his second BAFTA nomination), The War Zone and Sexy Beast.
The past decade has seen Winstone star in Hollywood blockbusters including The Departed, Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull, Beowolf and more recently Darren Aronofsky’s Noah.
His TV work has included BAFTA-winning Great Expectations, Emmy-winning Henry VIII...
- 9/3/2014
- ScreenDaily
From fizzy drink sizes to video nasties to employment law, we look at the films that had an impact on legislation as well as culture...
Some films appear in the cinema, entertain their audience, make their money, and then dutifully shuffle off into the mists of history, only to be wheeled out now and again on TV. But occasionally, one comes along that has a lasting impact, and every so often, a movie has at least some influence on an eventual change in the law.
Here, we're going to look at a few examples of that, as we examine a selection of films that have had an impact more lasting than how much they made at the box office...
Scum
Originally conceived as a BBC Play For Today, Alan Clarke's Scum was pulled by the corporation from its broadcast schedules. Undeterred, Clarke and writer Roy Minton reworked it as a film,...
Some films appear in the cinema, entertain their audience, make their money, and then dutifully shuffle off into the mists of history, only to be wheeled out now and again on TV. But occasionally, one comes along that has a lasting impact, and every so often, a movie has at least some influence on an eventual change in the law.
Here, we're going to look at a few examples of that, as we examine a selection of films that have had an impact more lasting than how much they made at the box office...
Scum
Originally conceived as a BBC Play For Today, Alan Clarke's Scum was pulled by the corporation from its broadcast schedules. Undeterred, Clarke and writer Roy Minton reworked it as a film,...
- 8/28/2014
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
★★★★☆The young male inmate rallying against the system is hardly untapped territory in film, but with Starred Up (2013) writer Jonathan Asser and director David Mackenzie have succeeded in putting a fresh spin on that schema, bolstered further by a powerhouse performance from Skins graduate Jack O'Connell. It's no surprise that the likes of Tom Hardy (Bronson) and Ray Winstone (Scum) have used the sub-genre in the past as means of launching their big screen careers. It's the kind of milieu which seems primed to showcase an actor's abilities and O'Connell more than rises to the challenge here. For the first ten minutes our lead doesn't even utter a word, yet somehow completely commands the screen.
- 8/4/2014
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Jack O'Connell gives an electrifying performance as a violent teenager forced to confront parental authority in prison
When inspirational director Alan Clarke cooked up an authentic television portrait of incarcerated British youth in the late 1970s, the resultant film was so alarming that it was promptly banned by the BBC. Clarke subsequently remade Scum for the cinema, and both the small- and big-screen versions of his most notorious work have since cast long shadows over their respective mediums. Plaudits, then, to David Mackenzie for fashioning a tough but empathetic (if uneven) prison drama which marks out its own territory in an arena in which Clarke's epochal work is still the daddy, even now.
Shot (but not set) in Northern Ireland on a tight schedule and even tighter budget, this eye-catching and frequently pulse-pounding drama finds high-risk young offender Eric (Jack O'Connell) being moved up to an adult prison where he...
When inspirational director Alan Clarke cooked up an authentic television portrait of incarcerated British youth in the late 1970s, the resultant film was so alarming that it was promptly banned by the BBC. Clarke subsequently remade Scum for the cinema, and both the small- and big-screen versions of his most notorious work have since cast long shadows over their respective mediums. Plaudits, then, to David Mackenzie for fashioning a tough but empathetic (if uneven) prison drama which marks out its own territory in an arena in which Clarke's epochal work is still the daddy, even now.
Shot (but not set) in Northern Ireland on a tight schedule and even tighter budget, this eye-catching and frequently pulse-pounding drama finds high-risk young offender Eric (Jack O'Connell) being moved up to an adult prison where he...
- 3/23/2014
- by Mark Kermode
- The Guardian - Film News
Jack O'Connell gives an electrifying performance as a violent teenager forced to confront parental authority in prison
When inspirational director Alan Clarke cooked up an authentic television portrait of incarcerated British youth in the late 1970s, the resultant film was so alarming that it was promptly banned by the BBC. Clarke subsequently remade Scum for the cinema, and both the small- and big-screen versions of his most notorious work have since cast long shadows over their respective mediums. Plaudits, then, to David Mackenzie for fashioning a tough but empathetic (if uneven) prison drama which marks out its own territory in an arena in which Clarke's epochal work is still the daddy, even now.
Continue reading...
When inspirational director Alan Clarke cooked up an authentic television portrait of incarcerated British youth in the late 1970s, the resultant film was so alarming that it was promptly banned by the BBC. Clarke subsequently remade Scum for the cinema, and both the small- and big-screen versions of his most notorious work have since cast long shadows over their respective mediums. Plaudits, then, to David Mackenzie for fashioning a tough but empathetic (if uneven) prison drama which marks out its own territory in an arena in which Clarke's epochal work is still the daddy, even now.
Continue reading...
- 3/23/2014
- by Mark Kermode
- The Guardian - Film News
Warner Home Video
Mobsters, mafioso, hoodlums, gang-bangers, capos, love, betrayal, drugs, murder and money; it is all here. The very fact that organised crime has its own genre is a testament to how loved Gangster films are.
The fascination with a world that is beyond comprehension for most that watch, is something that has always been apparent in the cinematic world and thankfully it has always been brimming with incredible films to compliment the obsession.
Here, compiled for your humble discretion (with Huge spoilers), is an attempted order of the iconic moments from the very best the movie world has to offer when it comes to Gangster movies…
20. Yes, Yes, Yes! – Sexy Beast (2000)
FilmFour
Brutal Gangster boss Teddy Bass (McShane) sends Don Logan (Ben Kingsley) to persuade retired Gal Dove (Ray Winstone) into one last job, and hilarity ensues! In all seriousness, this film is a joy to watch, with...
Mobsters, mafioso, hoodlums, gang-bangers, capos, love, betrayal, drugs, murder and money; it is all here. The very fact that organised crime has its own genre is a testament to how loved Gangster films are.
The fascination with a world that is beyond comprehension for most that watch, is something that has always been apparent in the cinematic world and thankfully it has always been brimming with incredible films to compliment the obsession.
Here, compiled for your humble discretion (with Huge spoilers), is an attempted order of the iconic moments from the very best the movie world has to offer when it comes to Gangster movies…
20. Yes, Yes, Yes! – Sexy Beast (2000)
FilmFour
Brutal Gangster boss Teddy Bass (McShane) sends Don Logan (Ben Kingsley) to persuade retired Gal Dove (Ray Winstone) into one last job, and hilarity ensues! In all seriousness, this film is a joy to watch, with...
- 1/26/2014
- by Shaun Lappin
- Obsessed with Film
A visceral, swaggering performance in the prison drama is set to help propel the former Skins star to stardom. He reveals why 2014 is lining up to be his big year – and why he's ready for it
Jack O'Connell is not pissing about. These are his words. He has just put in the performance of his career in prison drama Starred Up, he's shooting Angelina Jolie's Unbroken – an account of the life of Olympic runner and second-world-war hero Louis Zamperini – in which he again takes the lead, and he's about to tackle a blockbuster with Zack Snyder in 300: Rise of an Empire. He has been acting for 10 years. He's done with partying – he's ready to justify himself. He's intense and focused, older and wiser than the kid who came up through the ranks of the E4 teen drama Skins. He's 23 years old.
I meet O'Connell at the tail end...
Jack O'Connell is not pissing about. These are his words. He has just put in the performance of his career in prison drama Starred Up, he's shooting Angelina Jolie's Unbroken – an account of the life of Olympic runner and second-world-war hero Louis Zamperini – in which he again takes the lead, and he's about to tackle a blockbuster with Zack Snyder in 300: Rise of an Empire. He has been acting for 10 years. He's done with partying – he's ready to justify himself. He's intense and focused, older and wiser than the kid who came up through the ranks of the E4 teen drama Skins. He's 23 years old.
I meet O'Connell at the tail end...
- 1/3/2014
- by Henry Barnes
- The Guardian - Film News
'The closest I've come to death? I drove off the edge of a 1,000ft cliff'
Ray Winstone, 56, was raised in Essex, where his parents ran a fruit and veg business. He studied acting at Corona Theatre School in London before being cast by Alan Clarke in the BBC play Scum in the late 70s. In 1997, he played the abusive husband in Gary Oldman's film Nil By Mouth, winning an award for his role. His subsequent movies include Fanny And Elvis, Sexy Beast, Cold Mountain, The Departed and Snow White & The Huntsman. Tonight and tomorrow, he appears in the TV drama Moonfleet, on Sky 1 HD.
When were you happiest?
When my three kids were born.
What is your greatest fear?
Not being around long enough to see them grow up properly and have kids of their own.
What is your earliest memory?
Sitting on the step at my mum and dad's house in Plaistow,...
Ray Winstone, 56, was raised in Essex, where his parents ran a fruit and veg business. He studied acting at Corona Theatre School in London before being cast by Alan Clarke in the BBC play Scum in the late 70s. In 1997, he played the abusive husband in Gary Oldman's film Nil By Mouth, winning an award for his role. His subsequent movies include Fanny And Elvis, Sexy Beast, Cold Mountain, The Departed and Snow White & The Huntsman. Tonight and tomorrow, he appears in the TV drama Moonfleet, on Sky 1 HD.
When were you happiest?
When my three kids were born.
What is your greatest fear?
Not being around long enough to see them grow up properly and have kids of their own.
What is your earliest memory?
Sitting on the step at my mum and dad's house in Plaistow,...
- 12/28/2013
- by Rosanna Greenstreet
- The Guardian - Film News
It's been 10 years since Kathy Burke stuck two fingers up at stardom. Here she talks about loving theatre, hating writing – and why Richard Dawkins gives her the hump
'Don't write about how much I'm chain-smoking," grumbles Kathy Burke. "Everyone opens with, 'After the fourth cigarette … ' and it's boring. So don't be doing that, Ryan, else I'll say you're just the same as everyone else." She releases a tight laugh and takes another puff. I mean: takes another sip of rosehip tea.
We're up on the roof of London's Tricycle theatre, sitting on two rickety chairs beneath a blank November sky. Downstairs, Burke has spent the morning directing a new production of Once a Catholic, Mary J O'Malley's comedy set in 1957 at Our Lady of Fatima convent school. Burke is a versatile actor, adored for her populist, prickly comedy: she was Linda, the voracious ginger foghorn with porthole specs in...
'Don't write about how much I'm chain-smoking," grumbles Kathy Burke. "Everyone opens with, 'After the fourth cigarette … ' and it's boring. So don't be doing that, Ryan, else I'll say you're just the same as everyone else." She releases a tight laugh and takes another puff. I mean: takes another sip of rosehip tea.
We're up on the roof of London's Tricycle theatre, sitting on two rickety chairs beneath a blank November sky. Downstairs, Burke has spent the morning directing a new production of Once a Catholic, Mary J O'Malley's comedy set in 1957 at Our Lady of Fatima convent school. Burke is a versatile actor, adored for her populist, prickly comedy: she was Linda, the voracious ginger foghorn with porthole specs in...
- 11/13/2013
- by Ryan Gilbey
- The Guardian - Film News
Dear Danny,
Among other things, Tiff is a place for getting rid of aesthetic prejudices. I often drag my feet going to experimental projects—you know, from our conversations, that I’m far more of a narrative guy—and yet I always marvel at the beauties I find in them. Imagery and rhythm are self-sufficient pleasures, and the three-part Wavelengths program we saw showcased plenty of these elements. Following Un conte de Michel de Montaigne, João Pedro Rodrigues’ The King’s Body also uses a statue as a recurring image—not the smilingly contemplative Montaigne of Jean-Marie Straub’s splendid recitation, but the armored-for-battle Afonso Henriques, Portugal’s first conquering monarch. There their similarities end, however: whereas Straub gets his mysterious effects from sun-dappled tableaux punctured by darkness, the rustling of leaves and Barbara Ulrich’s reading of the text, Rodrigues envisions a different form of performance through a parade of sinewy beefcake.
Among other things, Tiff is a place for getting rid of aesthetic prejudices. I often drag my feet going to experimental projects—you know, from our conversations, that I’m far more of a narrative guy—and yet I always marvel at the beauties I find in them. Imagery and rhythm are self-sufficient pleasures, and the three-part Wavelengths program we saw showcased plenty of these elements. Following Un conte de Michel de Montaigne, João Pedro Rodrigues’ The King’s Body also uses a statue as a recurring image—not the smilingly contemplative Montaigne of Jean-Marie Straub’s splendid recitation, but the armored-for-battle Afonso Henriques, Portugal’s first conquering monarch. There their similarities end, however: whereas Straub gets his mysterious effects from sun-dappled tableaux punctured by darkness, the rustling of leaves and Barbara Ulrich’s reading of the text, Rodrigues envisions a different form of performance through a parade of sinewy beefcake.
- 9/17/2013
- by Fernando F. Croce
- MUBI
Strike a light, guv – here are five of cinema's most memorable cockneys. Who else belongs on the list?
Cockneys have been a part of the cinematic landscape for years – see Ealing comedies such as Passport to Pimlico (1949), which had more than enough born-and-bred Londoners for a fine old knees-up round the Joanna.
There are many types of cinematic cockney – they're not merely one-dimensional east Londoners, born with rhyming dictionaries stored away in their loaves of bread. To prove this, here are five different types of cockney. A cockney compendium, if you will.
Please be aware that some of the clips contain a few rude words. Not Mary Poppins, obviously.
1. Alfie – Sir Michael Caine
Even though he was born south of the river, in Camberwell, Caine epitomised the newly-fashionable working-class Londoner; this was the movie that made him a star.
Reading on mobile? Watch the clip on YouTube
2. Kill List – Neil Maskell...
Cockneys have been a part of the cinematic landscape for years – see Ealing comedies such as Passport to Pimlico (1949), which had more than enough born-and-bred Londoners for a fine old knees-up round the Joanna.
There are many types of cinematic cockney – they're not merely one-dimensional east Londoners, born with rhyming dictionaries stored away in their loaves of bread. To prove this, here are five different types of cockney. A cockney compendium, if you will.
Please be aware that some of the clips contain a few rude words. Not Mary Poppins, obviously.
1. Alfie – Sir Michael Caine
Even though he was born south of the river, in Camberwell, Caine epitomised the newly-fashionable working-class Londoner; this was the movie that made him a star.
Reading on mobile? Watch the clip on YouTube
2. Kill List – Neil Maskell...
- 6/26/2013
- The Guardian - Film News
Complaining about being taxed too heavily for being a highly paid film star does scant justice to actor's work
It verges on comical, Ray Winstone's complaint about high tax. Wasn't he paying any attention when he was starring in Robin of Sherwood? More seriously, Winstone has also acted in films such as Nil by Mouth and Scum – brilliant examples of British social-realist cinema. He nevertheless has so little insight into the current state of this country that he reckons this is a good time to complain about being "raped" by high taxes. Not that there's ever a good time to suggest that you've been raped by anyone or anything apart from, let's see … Yes, a Rapist. Like in, say, Scum. Watch one or two of those movies you've been in, loving your work while you are being well rewarded for it, Ray, and learn something from them. The rest of us watch them,...
It verges on comical, Ray Winstone's complaint about high tax. Wasn't he paying any attention when he was starring in Robin of Sherwood? More seriously, Winstone has also acted in films such as Nil by Mouth and Scum – brilliant examples of British social-realist cinema. He nevertheless has so little insight into the current state of this country that he reckons this is a good time to complain about being "raped" by high taxes. Not that there's ever a good time to suggest that you've been raped by anyone or anything apart from, let's see … Yes, a Rapist. Like in, say, Scum. Watch one or two of those movies you've been in, loving your work while you are being well rewarded for it, Ray, and learn something from them. The rest of us watch them,...
- 3/16/2013
- by Deborah Orr
- The Guardian - Film News
The Sweeney
Written by Nick Love and John Hodge
Directed by Nick Love
UK, 2012
Consisting of four series and two feature film spin-offs during the 1970s, police drama The Sweeney was significantly influential in British media, popularising elements of gritty realism and morally dubious protagonists that television hadn’t been quite so prone to including before. Since then, its place in pop culture has most notably been deconstructed in the BBC series Life on Mars, particularly with its caricature Gene Hunt character, a cocky, outspoken, hard-drinking, politically incorrect hurricane of a law enforcer.
Nick Love’s 2012 film opts out of Life on Mars’ period setting, transplanting The Sweeney’s lead characters to contemporary London; it also avoids any of that show’s knowing commentary. The film certainly maintains tough enforcement methods inherent in its source material and the various works it inspired, but there’s not so much moral dubiousness...
Written by Nick Love and John Hodge
Directed by Nick Love
UK, 2012
Consisting of four series and two feature film spin-offs during the 1970s, police drama The Sweeney was significantly influential in British media, popularising elements of gritty realism and morally dubious protagonists that television hadn’t been quite so prone to including before. Since then, its place in pop culture has most notably been deconstructed in the BBC series Life on Mars, particularly with its caricature Gene Hunt character, a cocky, outspoken, hard-drinking, politically incorrect hurricane of a law enforcer.
Nick Love’s 2012 film opts out of Life on Mars’ period setting, transplanting The Sweeney’s lead characters to contemporary London; it also avoids any of that show’s knowing commentary. The film certainly maintains tough enforcement methods inherent in its source material and the various works it inspired, but there’s not so much moral dubiousness...
- 9/15/2012
- by Josh Slater-Williams
- SoundOnSight
Paul van Carter's crime drama shows that youth custody is still failing because we can't decide what we want from it
Many applauded the firm response to last summer's riots that saw an unprecedented influx into England's youth custody system. Fewer may have wondered how the new arrivals fared. In fact, according to the chief inspector of prisons, some were subjected to attacks by fellow inmates and some embraced gang culture themselves for the first time; at one youth jail, the number of new prisoners on suicide watch trebled.
This may come as little surprise to those who've seen Offender. Violence, suicide, bullying, drug-taking, bent screws and rioting are rife in the establishment in which it's set. Understandably, incarceration therein does nothing to divert Tommy, the film's once worthy young hero, from the wayward course on which he's embarked.
Filmgoers may wonder whether things are really this bad in such places,...
Many applauded the firm response to last summer's riots that saw an unprecedented influx into England's youth custody system. Fewer may have wondered how the new arrivals fared. In fact, according to the chief inspector of prisons, some were subjected to attacks by fellow inmates and some embraced gang culture themselves for the first time; at one youth jail, the number of new prisoners on suicide watch trebled.
This may come as little surprise to those who've seen Offender. Violence, suicide, bullying, drug-taking, bent screws and rioting are rife in the establishment in which it's set. Understandably, incarceration therein does nothing to divert Tommy, the film's once worthy young hero, from the wayward course on which he's embarked.
Filmgoers may wonder whether things are really this bad in such places,...
- 8/13/2012
- by David Cox
- The Guardian - Film News
Set against the topical background of the 2011 riots, Offender has the not unfamiliar plot of a man getting himself sent to jail in order to exact vengeance on some incarcerated criminals. In this case, a London teenager infiltrates a young offenders' institution to track down the gang who violently assaulted his pregnant girlfriend to prevent her giving evidence in a murder trial. The detail is realistic and it's a decent enough genre piece. But unlike its acknowledged model, Alan Clarke's Scum, the 1979 movie that launched Ray Winstone's career, Offender has little revealing or useful to say about the appalling conditions in juvenile prisons.
CrimeDramaPhilip French
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds...
CrimeDramaPhilip French
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds...
- 8/11/2012
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
They say Cannes "stays in your blood" and it's true! Three weeks later, here's the final interview from my trip. I wanted to finish my interview tour of the movie business with a real blue collar film festival so I sat down for a drink with Rachel Richardson-Jones, aka "Lady Grimm"; a film producer and director of the Grimm Up North International Film Festival of Horror and Cult Films.
How long has your festival been running and how did it get started?
Grimm is now in its fourth year and was born out of shameless self promotion for our first feature "Splintered". Sadly our executive producer Clive Parsons, a veteran British film producer who made such classics as Scum and Gregory's Girl and I might add was a true gentleman, passed away shortly after completion, leaving us without a clue of how to get distribution in our own territory. So we decided to put on a little showcase of three movies over one day in our home town of Manchester and call it Grimm up North. After a successful week in London I managed to not only acquire distribution for Splintered, but also a number of movies to screen from various distributors and Grimm Up North turned out to be three crazy days of 28 movies, twelve of which were premiers, not to mention a plague of Cenobites. Although we vowed "never again" the day after the festival, there did seem to be a lot of love for it and we've been growing steadily each year.
What brings you to Cannes?
This was an extremely exciting year for us, as it was Grimm Up North's first year as a buyer at Cannes, we were looking for films to screen at the festival in October. In addition to this we have also raised the bar with our brand new distribution label Grimm Entertainment. We have partnered with Koch media in the UK and have already acquired rights to several films which we are releasing in Early October 2012. We are to release a minimum of eight movies in our first year so we were looking for movies that would play well at the festival and also have UK rights available for distribution.
So what's the ultimate goal with the festival? Do you plan on growing into a market or another Sundance?
It would be an interesting idea to grow Grimm to the stage whereby, if you produce, write, sell, buy, promote or just love to watch genre material, people can come to Manchester to do just that and get to cuddle lots of lovely northern folk, as we are very friendly in the North.
What kind of films do you like personally?
Wow my taste is so diverse, I do have a penchant for Sci-Fi, but also love to watch films from all over the world, I love films with a great story, so for me it can be any genre from ‘The Lives of Others’ to ‘Martyrs’ to ‘How to Train Your Dragon’.
How many submissions do you normally get and how do you go through them all?
This year we had over 100 submissions. We have a dedicated team of volunteers who help us view material. But essentially it comes down to Myself, Simeon Halligan who is co-director of the festival and Steve Balshaw our film programmer and founding member of Grimm who make the decisions, and if we can't all agree on a film it doesn't go in the festival.
A lot of people say the festival process is inherently political, what are your thoughts on that and do you have advice for filmmakers?
This is a very good point, running our own festival has really given us a great insight as filmmakers of how important it is to make sure either the producer or sales agent make a big noise about a film. It is essential to get it into the press and give your movie as much profile as possible. There are so many films to watch you end up being drawn to the ones listed in the trades and there starts the merry go round, with all the usual suspects being shown in all the various festivals. Whilst we at Grimm do like to have a number of festival circuit films we have seen at the markets, we do get quite excited by the submissions we get to the festival. Steve Balshaw was a big advocate of the Soska sisters' submission ‘Dead Hooker in a Trunk’ it got great coverage at Grimm and really helped to build a following for them in the UK. Similarly we hope to do the same with Ryan Levin’s 'Some Guy Who Kills People' which screened really well at last year's festival and that we will be releasing later on in the year under the Grimm label.
Did you have a "Cannes moment"?
Meeting Zack Coffman at the Estonian Drinks Party and scoffing all their chocolate which we just couldn't get enough of!
Well, there you have it. I've finally worked Cannes out of my system.
Written by Zack Coffman. Follow Zack's film marketing tips and adventures @choppertown on Twitter.
How long has your festival been running and how did it get started?
Grimm is now in its fourth year and was born out of shameless self promotion for our first feature "Splintered". Sadly our executive producer Clive Parsons, a veteran British film producer who made such classics as Scum and Gregory's Girl and I might add was a true gentleman, passed away shortly after completion, leaving us without a clue of how to get distribution in our own territory. So we decided to put on a little showcase of three movies over one day in our home town of Manchester and call it Grimm up North. After a successful week in London I managed to not only acquire distribution for Splintered, but also a number of movies to screen from various distributors and Grimm Up North turned out to be three crazy days of 28 movies, twelve of which were premiers, not to mention a plague of Cenobites. Although we vowed "never again" the day after the festival, there did seem to be a lot of love for it and we've been growing steadily each year.
What brings you to Cannes?
This was an extremely exciting year for us, as it was Grimm Up North's first year as a buyer at Cannes, we were looking for films to screen at the festival in October. In addition to this we have also raised the bar with our brand new distribution label Grimm Entertainment. We have partnered with Koch media in the UK and have already acquired rights to several films which we are releasing in Early October 2012. We are to release a minimum of eight movies in our first year so we were looking for movies that would play well at the festival and also have UK rights available for distribution.
So what's the ultimate goal with the festival? Do you plan on growing into a market or another Sundance?
It would be an interesting idea to grow Grimm to the stage whereby, if you produce, write, sell, buy, promote or just love to watch genre material, people can come to Manchester to do just that and get to cuddle lots of lovely northern folk, as we are very friendly in the North.
What kind of films do you like personally?
Wow my taste is so diverse, I do have a penchant for Sci-Fi, but also love to watch films from all over the world, I love films with a great story, so for me it can be any genre from ‘The Lives of Others’ to ‘Martyrs’ to ‘How to Train Your Dragon’.
How many submissions do you normally get and how do you go through them all?
This year we had over 100 submissions. We have a dedicated team of volunteers who help us view material. But essentially it comes down to Myself, Simeon Halligan who is co-director of the festival and Steve Balshaw our film programmer and founding member of Grimm who make the decisions, and if we can't all agree on a film it doesn't go in the festival.
A lot of people say the festival process is inherently political, what are your thoughts on that and do you have advice for filmmakers?
This is a very good point, running our own festival has really given us a great insight as filmmakers of how important it is to make sure either the producer or sales agent make a big noise about a film. It is essential to get it into the press and give your movie as much profile as possible. There are so many films to watch you end up being drawn to the ones listed in the trades and there starts the merry go round, with all the usual suspects being shown in all the various festivals. Whilst we at Grimm do like to have a number of festival circuit films we have seen at the markets, we do get quite excited by the submissions we get to the festival. Steve Balshaw was a big advocate of the Soska sisters' submission ‘Dead Hooker in a Trunk’ it got great coverage at Grimm and really helped to build a following for them in the UK. Similarly we hope to do the same with Ryan Levin’s 'Some Guy Who Kills People' which screened really well at last year's festival and that we will be releasing later on in the year under the Grimm label.
Did you have a "Cannes moment"?
Meeting Zack Coffman at the Estonian Drinks Party and scoffing all their chocolate which we just couldn't get enough of!
Well, there you have it. I've finally worked Cannes out of my system.
Written by Zack Coffman. Follow Zack's film marketing tips and adventures @choppertown on Twitter.
- 6/22/2012
- by Zack Coffman
- Sydney's Buzz
Offender is a contemporary tale of love, crime and retribution set within the confines of a young offenders unit. Having recently begun post-production, we were lucky enough to get a glimpse of some early scenes before sitting down with director Ron Scalpello and writer/producer Paul Van Carter to chat about the origins of the film and the challenges of the shoot.
HeyUGuys: Could you tell us a little about Offender?
Paul: It’s set around Central London during last year’s riots and concerns a hard-working, working class 20-year-old called Tommy. Some criminals he doesn’t know take the opportunity during the riots to carry out a serious robbery where someone ends up getting killed. The gang in question get away with it but their probation office (who is Tommy’s girlfriend) suspects them and they attack her to keep things quiet. She’s pregnant and loses the baby,...
HeyUGuys: Could you tell us a little about Offender?
Paul: It’s set around Central London during last year’s riots and concerns a hard-working, working class 20-year-old called Tommy. Some criminals he doesn’t know take the opportunity during the riots to carry out a serious robbery where someone ends up getting killed. The gang in question get away with it but their probation office (who is Tommy’s girlfriend) suspects them and they attack her to keep things quiet. She’s pregnant and loses the baby,...
- 4/4/2012
- by Adam Lowes
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
It's a lack of pretension that makes Ray Winstone so likable – so long as we don't start getting fancy notions of him as 'an actor'
I suspect Ray Winstone usually knows a good film from a bad one, but he has a world-weary calm that sees no need to let us in on the secret. Perhaps he has an inkling of how pleased we are to see him, and since he has had to declare bankruptcy twice so far as a professional actor he may take a certain gloomy pleasure in just being employed. There are actors well versed in elaborate, erudite answers to the question, "Why did you take this part?", but Winstone has the battered patience of a bloke who has seldom believed in "taking" a part rather than having the good/bad luck of ending up with it. It is that lack of pretension that leaves him so natural and likable,...
I suspect Ray Winstone usually knows a good film from a bad one, but he has a world-weary calm that sees no need to let us in on the secret. Perhaps he has an inkling of how pleased we are to see him, and since he has had to declare bankruptcy twice so far as a professional actor he may take a certain gloomy pleasure in just being employed. There are actors well versed in elaborate, erudite answers to the question, "Why did you take this part?", but Winstone has the battered patience of a bloke who has seldom believed in "taking" a part rather than having the good/bad luck of ending up with it. It is that lack of pretension that leaves him so natural and likable,...
- 11/18/2011
- by David Thomson
- The Guardian - Film News
'Doing EastEnders wasn't exactly suffering for my art, but my soul's not in TV. We all have to live, don't we?'
What got you started?
A lady called Anna Scher. She used to go around the London schools in the holidays, doing theatre workshops. My friend Paul's sister was going, so we turned up one day when I was about 13. There were some nice-looking girls there, so we carried on going.
What was your big breakthrough?
Doing a play called Class Enemy at the Royal Court when I was about 16. It was about a classroom of kids left with no teacher, so each of them gives a lesson about what they know.
Do you suffer for your art?
Doing EastEnders wasn't exactly suffering, but my soul's not in quick-fix TV. Theatre doesn't pay like TV work pays, though. We all have to live, don't we?
You've played a lot of "geezer" roles.
What got you started?
A lady called Anna Scher. She used to go around the London schools in the holidays, doing theatre workshops. My friend Paul's sister was going, so we turned up one day when I was about 13. There were some nice-looking girls there, so we carried on going.
What was your big breakthrough?
Doing a play called Class Enemy at the Royal Court when I was about 16. It was about a classroom of kids left with no teacher, so each of them gives a lesson about what they know.
Do you suffer for your art?
Doing EastEnders wasn't exactly suffering, but my soul's not in quick-fix TV. Theatre doesn't pay like TV work pays, though. We all have to live, don't we?
You've played a lot of "geezer" roles.
- 8/29/2011
- by Laura Barnett
- The Guardian - Film News
With a predicament almost identical to last month’s The Veteran, Screwed’s protagonist, Sam (James D’Arcy) is an ex-squaddie back from Iraq, and once again finding it hard adjusting to life on civvy st. With a wife and kid to support and little in the way of employment, he reluctantly takes a job as a prison guard.
Getting off to a shaky start, he soon strikes up a bond with his fellow screws, but as the corruption and harsh realities of the job soon begin to take hold of him, he starts to seek solace in booze and drugs, neglecting his family and opting instead to party with co-worker Deano (Frank Harper) and make (what appears to be) daily jaunts to his colleague’s favourite strip bar, chased down by the obligatory, end-of-night “Ruby Murray”. To make matters worse, he also clashes with the corrupt governor Keenan (a...
Getting off to a shaky start, he soon strikes up a bond with his fellow screws, but as the corruption and harsh realities of the job soon begin to take hold of him, he starts to seek solace in booze and drugs, neglecting his family and opting instead to party with co-worker Deano (Frank Harper) and make (what appears to be) daily jaunts to his colleague’s favourite strip bar, chased down by the obligatory, end-of-night “Ruby Murray”. To make matters worse, he also clashes with the corrupt governor Keenan (a...
- 6/4/2011
- by Adam Lowes
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Sometimes in this series of articles, we’re going to focus on specific filmmakers who deserve a spot within the Criterion Collection. Especially those the public might not even be that aware of or the impact they’ve had in the art of cinema in general. Alan Clarke is one such filmmaker. Most people when you mention the name Alan Clarke, they will wonder who you’re speaking about. When you mention the actors they helped usher in and a fraction of the future filmmakers they influenced, you’d start to really want to know who this man was.
Alan Clarke primarily worked in television in England, primarily adaptations of plays (such as George’s Room by Alun Owen and Which of These Two Ladies is He Married To? by Edna O’Brien) and various television shows via Itp productions. It wasn’t until he combined his skill and vision...
Alan Clarke primarily worked in television in England, primarily adaptations of plays (such as George’s Room by Alun Owen and Which of These Two Ladies is He Married To? by Edna O’Brien) and various television shows via Itp productions. It wasn’t until he combined his skill and vision...
- 3/7/2011
- by James McCormick
- CriterionCast
Ray Winstone has been invited to Prince William's wedding. The "Scum" actor and his wife Elaine McCausland will be among the 1,900 guests when the British royal marries long-term partner Kate Middleton on April 29, their actress daughter Jaime Winstone has revealed.
However, the "Made in Dagenham" star insists she isn't upset at not receiving an invitation herself. She said, "I don't think I'd be interested in going."
While the 25-year-old actress doesn't fancy mingling with the royal family, Jaime is keen to work on a movie project alongside British rapper Plan B. She added, "I love his work, everything he does it great. So my ambition is to work on a film project with him."
Ray isn't the only high-profile name to be attending the royal wedding. David Beckham and Victoria Adams have also reportedly been invited after the soccer star befriended William when they led England's failed bid host the 2018 soccer World Cup,...
However, the "Made in Dagenham" star insists she isn't upset at not receiving an invitation herself. She said, "I don't think I'd be interested in going."
While the 25-year-old actress doesn't fancy mingling with the royal family, Jaime is keen to work on a movie project alongside British rapper Plan B. She added, "I love his work, everything he does it great. So my ambition is to work on a film project with him."
Ray isn't the only high-profile name to be attending the royal wedding. David Beckham and Victoria Adams have also reportedly been invited after the soccer star befriended William when they led England's failed bid host the 2018 soccer World Cup,...
- 2/23/2011
- by celebrity-mania.com
- Celebrity Mania
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.