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24 7: Twenty Four Seven, a review by Jon

24 7: Twenty Four Seven ***** Year: 1997 Director: Shane Meadows Rating: 15 Length: 93 Min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles:

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GIVING IT, TAKING IT, LIVING IT, MAKING THE BEST OF WHAT YOU'VE GOT... TWENTY FOUR HOURS A DAY, SEVEN DAYS A WEEK. That's the philosophy Alan Darcy (Bob Hoskins) teaches the bored Nottingham youth he sees wasting their lives on rundown Council estates when he forms a local boxing club. As the club gets noticed with coverage in the papers and an important match against a rival outfit, Darcy gives the troubled teens something worth fighting for and a dream to believe in for the first time ever. Acclaimed as "The Best British Film of the Year", with Shane Meadows hailed as the most exciting young director of his generation, Twenty Four Seven is a life-affirming experience full of genuine humour, courage and hope in the human spirit.

This film is magic. That's the only real sensible explanation! It was made for next to nothing, in black and white, with a cast of largely unknowns (aside from one). It's rough around the edges and feels unassuming, yet it is in turns poetic, hilarious and moving. It has a sting in the tail but is an uplifting and emotional story. It's an astonishing piece of work that, to be honest, makes the star rating look silly.

It's the story of Darcy (Bob Hoskins), a lonely but enthusiastic man who starts a boxing club for the local teenagers to try and build up their self respect. He drags them up from nothing and gives them a reason to exist. Several of the young boxers have their demons and the various threads of their stories come together in that little club with Darcy's own little tale running through the middle. It's a great screenplay with loads of mileage, told in a flashback device that gives it a lyrical, melancholic air, yet feels so relaxed the humour and honesty just roll out. Bob Hoskins is marvelous and all credit to him for doing it in the first place. He is absolutely convincing as Darcy and he'll make you hope there are real people like him. I loved the scene where he drags one drug-addled loser (called Fagash!) to his court appearance, despite his protest he's rather go back to bed!

As for the rest of the cast, it's tough to single anyone out. They all seem real, like they walked straight off an estate and onto the set, with a comaraderie you just can't fake. They're actors, so I know how silly that statement is, so watch it if you don't believe me! English viewers will enjoy spotting a couple of well-known soap stars and even James Corden, now very well known as an exceptionally talented writer, comedian and actor makes his debut here. Gavin and Stacey is his big hit and I know a few of you enjoy British sitcoms, so I recommend you look it up. Actually, now I think about it, I wouldn't be surprised if Meadow's writing was a direct influence on Corden as I can think of some similarities, especially in the big family scenes.

If the film is magic then Shane Meadows is a magician. He's a Nottingham film-maker and 24-7 was his first feature film. His most recent is This Is England, which was followed by a brilliant TV series. He could surely have had his pick of projects, yet he has stayed committed to small budgets and fledgling casts from drama groups. Long may he continue because his is some of the most important work being done for British film. His secret might be in the way he composes any one scene, letting the actors play it out and choosing his focus carefully. A sequence in Wales is stunning. And this remember, is on cheap film with little definition, so no Blu-Ray vistas to enjoy! He just knows how to make something truly beautiful. That doesn't prepare you for how dynamic his brief action moments are, such as the scenes in the ring or an awful explosion of violence that will shake you to the core.

I hope to eventually include his other films here, but don't wait for my say so. Just start for yourself with 24-7 and don't be put off by it's cheap look. It's wonderful. This trailer is not a good representation of the actual quality, the film does have more clarity! But maybe you'll get a taste of what I'm trying to show you.



(From "Fancy the pictures, me Duck?": The British Film Marathon on February 15th, 2011)

Summer Wars, a review by dfmorgan

Summer Wars

Part of

Summer Wars / The Girl Who Leapt Through Time

Year: 2009
Director: Mamoru Hosoda
Cast: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Nanami Sakuraba, Mitsuki Tanimura
Overview: Kenji is your typical teenage misfit. He's good at math, bad with girls, and spends most of histime hanging out in the all-powerful, online community known as OZ. His second life is the only life he has until the girl of his dreams, Natsuki, hijacks him for a starring role as a fake fiance at her family reunion. Things only get stranger from there. A late-night email containing a cryptic mathematic riddle leads to the unleashing of a rogue AI intent on using the virtual world of OZ to destroy the real world, literally. As Armageddon looms on the horizon, Kenji and his new family set aside their differences and band together to save the worlds they inhabit in this "near-perfect blend of social satire and science fiction". AinItCoolNews

Watched: 2nd Apr. 2011
My Thoughts: A lovely enjoyable romp. A bright and colourful update to the premise of Wargames. This time a malevolent AI is loose in the cyber-world of OZ and because practically everything in the world is run through OZ accounts the whole world is in danger.

My Rating: A thouroughly enjoyable 4

ETA: Part of

(From Dave's DVD/Blu-ray Reviews on April 3rd, 2011)

Tom's Buffy and Angel Marathon, a review by Tom

Buffy the Vampire Slayer
7.16 Storyteller
Writer: Jane Espenson (Screenwriter)
Director: Marita Grabiak
Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Emma Caulfield (Anya), Michelle Trachtenberg (Dawn Summers), James Marsters (Spike), Alyson Hannigan (Willow), Danny Strong (Jonathan), Adam Busch (Warren), Tom Lenk (Andrew), Iyari Limon (Kennedy), Sarah Hagan (Amanda), Indigo (Rona), DB Woodside (Principal Wood), Alan Loayza (Stressed Out Boy), Corin Amber Norton (Crying Girl), Sujata DeChoudhury (Shy Girl), TW Leshner (Feral Teen)

A fun Andrew episode. With some really funny scenes.

Rating:



Buffy the Vampire Slayer
7.17 Lies My Parents Told Me
Writer: David Fury (Screenwriter), Drew Goddard (Screenwriter)
Director: David Fury
Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Emma Caulfield (Anya), Michelle Trachtenberg (Dawn Summers), James Marsters (Spike), Alyson Hannigan (Willow), Anthony Stewart Head (Giles), Tom Lenk (Andrew), Iyari Limon (Kennedy), Indigo (Rona), Caroline Lagerfelt (Anne), K. D. Aubert (Nikki Wood), Juliet Landau (Drusilla), DB Woodside (Principal Wood), Damani Roberts (Young Robin), Ira Steck (New Vamp)

Here we get some great flashbacks to Spike's past.

Rating:



Buffy the Vampire Slayer
7.18 Dirty Girls
Writer: Drew Goddard (Screenwriter)
Director: Michael Gershman
Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Emma Caulfield (Anya), Michelle Trachtenberg (Dawn Summers), James Marsters (Spike), Alyson Hannigan (Willow), Anthony Stewart Head (Giles), Eliza Dushku (Faith), Nathan Fillion (Caleb), Tom Lenk (Andrew), Iyari Limon (Kennedy), Indigo (Rona), Clara Bryant (Molly), Sarah Hagan (Amanda), Kristy Wu (Chao-Ahn), DB Woodside (Principal Wood), Mary Wilcher (Shannon), Dania Ramirez (Caridad), Rachel Bilson (Colleen), Carrie Southworth (Betty), Christie Abbott (Helpless Girl)

Faith is back!
She has some great scenes with Spike. Also this is the start of Nathan Fillion's appearances as a villain.

Rating:

(From Tom's Buffy and Angel Marathon on May 1st, 2011)