 |
 |
 |
EMPIRE loves Le Donk, Shane Meadows' latest
 Posted on Sunday June 21, 2009, 18:53 by Nev Pierce in Empire States
 One of the most anticipated films of this year’s festival is Le Donk & Scor-zay-zee, the third feature-length collaboration between Shane Meadows and Paddy Considine. It does not disappoint. Pre-screening hubbub focussed on the fact the improvised docu-style feature was shot in a mere five days… which left me worried, frankly – as if the low-budget, micro-schedule might be used to excuse a dip from the pair’s usual quality (Dead Man’s Shoes, A Room For Romeo Brass). The concerns were ill-founded; this is an actor and director at ease but not at rest: Le Donk is very funny and oddly touching and features a brilliant performance from Considine. He’s an actor perhaps best known for the sense of edge he can give characters – an unpredictable, feral presence – but Le Donk, a roadie and wannabe music manager, is a lighter creation, daft instead of dangerous and vulnerable beneath his bloke-ish bluster. He’s got a big weekend coming up – the birth of his first child, plus a chance to break unlikely-looking rapper Scor-zay-zee (unlikely, but real – and talented) as support for the Artic Monkeys… So he allows Meadows to follow him, albeit with remarkable ill-grace; rowing with the filmmaker and associates (“Candypants!” is an insult that will live in history) and inadvertently revealing his true nature. To say much more about the dialogue or incidents would spoil the movie and the official EMPIRE review will go into more (spoiler-free) detail in due course. Just know that it’s very, very funny and you should check it out in October. Other films, in brief… The Maiden Heist pertains to be a comedy and stars Christopher Walken, Morgan Freeman and William H Macy as gallery security guards who decide to steal their favourite works before they’re moved to Denmark… Life is too short to write much about it: the quality of the cast ensures it’s not entirely unwatchable, but the script almost makes it so. Much more entertaining is b-boy documentary Turn It Loose. Now, I didn’t know what a b-boy was before entering the screening, so hardly have my finger on the yoof-culture pulse, but watching the world championship of break-dancing – intercut with the back-stories of some of those competing – proved surprisingly involving. There were elements I would have liked to see explored – the murky judging process, for one – but I liked how careful editing ensured your allegiances shifted throughout the competition, as more was revealed about each real-life b-boy. Finally, a short from sibling writing & directing team Blake and Dylan Ritson. Love Hate stars Perfume’s Ben Whishaw as a charity worker – well, a charity-mugger, as direct debit-seeking street charity workers have sometimes been dubbed – whose sweet-nature allows people to trample all over him. Then a mysterious woman (Hayley Atwell) appears and he discovers his dark side… Crisply shot and superbly acted, it’s also a sly comment on repression and everyday insanity. It will be great to see what the Ritsons do next.
Login or register to comment.
Comments
| 1 |
Acho Posted on Monday June 22, 2009, 01:43
I think Shane Meadows and Paddy Considine are a great team. Sounds good about Le Donk.
Great work on the blogs all round - between the three of you, we're getting well looked after! |
|
| 2 |
rev stan Posted on Sunday June 28, 2009, 08:34
I really want to see Love Hate but can't find out if it's on anywhere. Any clues? |
|
|
 |
RECENT COMMENTS |  | Screen To Stage: Once "Good blog, i will Subscription the blog and also welcome care for my blog ouwen smith's blog." kilymom Read comment What Are Your Cinematic Affectations? "In one of my proudest moments, a friend kept referring to his current relationship as "ridiculo" abiggerboat84 Read comment What Are Your Cinematic Affectations? "...And LOTR obviously: "Give them a moment, for pity's sake!" (whilst affecting bad Northe" Cookiedough Read comment What Are Your Cinematic Affectations? "Ooh - good one! Here goes: "Great Scott!", "Bo! There's a bomb on the bus!", &qu" Cookiedough Read comment Screen To Stage: Once "It's funny, I was a bit wary about going to see it because I really love the film, and I really want" jencat Read comment Screen To Stage: Once "Saw this a few months ago in Dublin, right around the corner from the place they shot the opening bu" nmc1007 Read comment What Are Your Cinematic Affectations? "Only two i can think of, my wife and I tend to go WHAAAAA? like Moe the bartender in simpsons, and o" jedi_theforce Read comment What's Your Favourite Harry Potter Plot Hole? "I have read all the books, so it's probably the lack of explanation in the films that is causing a l" Animatorpete Read comment What Are Your Cinematic Affectations? "I end up saying 'Honestly, who throws a shoe?!' from Austin Powers an awful lot for anything bizarre" jencat Read comment What Are Your Cinematic Affectations? "For years now (to amuse myself but not family) I like to utter Darth Vader's lines KURGAN007 Read comment |
|
|
|
|
|
 |