iLL Manors
Let's face it British movies have always been great but over the last decade or so we have seen Brit movie, actors and directors really make an impact outside of this country.
This week Ben Drew makes his directorial debut with iLL Manors which is another slice of gritty urban British cinema for us all to enjoy.
So with iLL Manors hitting cinemas we take a look at some of the best British movies over the last decade.
- 28 Days Later (2002)
This is one of two Danny Boyle movies that have really set the bar over the last ten years as it reinvigorated the zombie movie genre as well as changed the face of British horror movies.
And it is the opening scenes that are perhaps the ones that live longest in the memory as Boyle shot Cillian Murphy walking round a deserted London - those scenes look just as good today as they did when we saw them for the first time ten years ago.
Written by Alex Garland the movie followed the aftermath of society breakdown after the accidental release of a rage virus. Those not infected struggle to survive as they leave behind the life they once knew.
The movie was a critical and commercial hit in the UK and went on to be a surprise success in the States as it took $45 million after a limited release.
28 Days Later really breathed new life into the British horror genre and showed just what could be achieved on such a small budget.
- Shaun of the Dead (2004)
In 2006 Simon Pegg and Nick Frost but a new spin on the zombie genre as they teamed up with director Edgar Wright for a comedy.
Pegg penned the script with Wright and teamed up with his old mate Nick Frost in what has become a formidable partnership.
The movie follows Shaun who decides to turn his moribund life around by winning back his ex-girlfriend, reconciling his relationship with his mother, and dealing with an entire community that has returned from the dead to eat the living.
Shaun of the Dead has a fast paced and incredibly witty script and it helped launch the Hollywood careers of both Pegg & Frost.
But no other movie in the comedy/horror genre has rivaled Shaun of the Dead in the last ten years and it remains one of the greatest Brit movies.
- Casino Royale (2006)
You can't talk about British movie without giving a little nod to James Bond and in 2007 it was Daniel Craig's turn to take up the mantle of 007.
And while there was some controversy surrounding the casting of Craig all those people were silenced when Casino Royale hit the big screen.
Casino Royale served as a re-boot to the franchise as it saw Bond right at the beginning of his 00 career and there is a real modern and up to date feel with this movie.
Also Bond is painted as a man who is fuelled by aggression and Casino Royale is the most physically violent of all the Bond movies, which works incredibly well.
The movie went on to become the biggest grossing Bond movie of all time as well as cementing Craig as the right man for the job.
- Son Of Rambow (2008)
Son Of Rambow is one of those movies that you just can't help but fall in love with and urge anyone who hasn't seen this film to check it out.
The movie is a great coming of age movie that really introduced us to the talents of Will Poulter and Bill Milner as two boys try to make a movie inspired by First Blood.
Son Of Rambow is a heart warming and touching tale of family troubles and deep childhood friendship that you can't help but reminisce and get lost in the story.
Garth Jennings really is becoming a filmmaker of great talent as he paints a picture of the early eighties focusing in the fantasies of his youth
- Slumdog Millionaire (2009)
Slumdog Millionaire sees us once again talking about a Danny Boyle movie as the adaptation of the Vikas Swarup novel won everybody over three years ago.
The movie launched the careers of Dev Patel and Freida Pinto in a movie that followed central character Jamal Malik who appears on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? and does better than everyone expected.
Slumdog Millionaire is a modern fairy tale that you will be left thinking about long after the credits roll.
Danny Boyle has crafted a truly beautiful movie that contains nothing but heart. Here is a movie that is both harrowing and touching without going over the top on both whilst bring India to life.
The movie stormed the 2009 Academy Awards as it was nomination for ten gongs and took home eight including Best Picture and Best Director.
- Moon (2009)
Moon was one of the movies not to miss back in 2009 as Duncan Jones made his big screen directorial debut.
This may have been a low budget movie by a first time director but it was one of the most thought provoking sci-fi films in a very long time.
Starring Sam Rockwell, who turns in a fantastic performance, the movie follows astronaut Sam Bell who is living on the far side of the moon, completing a three-year contract with Lunar Industries to mine Earth’s primary source of energy, Helium-3. But all is not as it seems when he comes face to face with himself.
So many movies take the trip into space but you have never seen an off world move quite like Moon, it really is a journey that you will never forget.
It’s a powerful central performance from Sam Rockwell, and bearing in mind that he has virtually no interaction with any other character makes his turn even more impressive.
The movie won over audiences left right and centre and made Jones a director that everyone was incredibly excited about.
- Tyrannosaur (2011)
Last year Paddy Considine showed that he was just as great a talent behind the camera as he was in front if it with his fantastic directorial debut Tyrannosaur.
Considine also penned the very emotive and powerful script and Peter Mullan and Olivia Coleman were on hand to bring it to life.
The movie follows Joseph, a man plagued by violence and a rage that is driving him to self-destruction, earns a chance of redemption that appears in the form of Hannah, a Christian charity shop worker.
This is brutal and electrifying as well as charming and heartfelt and there is something so genuine about that central relationship and this movie is an absolute must see.
But there are just a few of the great British movies that we have had the chance to see over the last decade with the Harry Potter films, Layer Cake, Snatch and Dog Soldiers being some of the others.
iLL Manors is out now
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw