What do you think? A couple of questions.

[locksley]

Hi Everybody

Firstly, let me say a big hello to you all as it's my first thread, and also let me say that Dead Man's Shoes is my favourite film of all time.

Everything about this film is totally unbelievable. The setting, the story, the characters, the acting, the atmosphere and last, but definitely not least, the brilliant music, make it THE perfect film for me.

I was told about DMS by Gary Stretch's mum. She mentioned that he was playing this gangster (her words, not mine) in a british film and it was called Dead man something or other, so naturally, I forgot all about it. However, when i was flicking through the sky channels one night, the scene with Richard in the gas mask banging on the door was on, and it had me hooked. I watched it, and it left me with a feeling I've never felt after watching a film. Shock, awe... I don't know what it was, but it made me go out the next day and hunt the film down.

I now own 2 copies on DVD, the soundtrack (Both CD format AND bought on itunes!) and my lovely wife got me the Blu ray for Xmas!!!! I also own a copy of the limited print Comic book that I would LOVE to have signed by cast members.

Well, back to my thread title.

Question1: I would love to know what people think makes this film so bloody good? I have all Shane's work on DVD, and I love Romeo Brass and This is England, but Dead Man's Shoes seems to have a certain "something" that those don't!!! Does anyone agree? Just exactly what is the "it" that DMS has?

Question 2: My other 2 favourite films are The Orphanage and Pan's Labyrinth. Those films are totally stunning pieces of cinema, and the Orphanage in particular is the only film that reduced me to tears at the end. Both are spanish, and both involve Guilermo Del Toro in some shape or form.

What I want to know is, has anyone on this forum (Shane in particular) saw these films and if so, what did they think of them?

Cheers

[GR]

Hello.

I haven't seen either of the films you mentioned in your second question, but I'll try to answer your first...

For me, DMS stands out as my favorite Meadows film because it seems to strike a perfect balance of drama, suspense and dark humor.

[tonyyeboah]

I prefer Break Dance 2: Electric Boogaloo to the Orphanage. It has a much stronger plot

[locksley]

Dec 29, 2009 12:53:05 GMT tonyyeboah said:

I prefer Break Dance 2: Electric Boogaloo to the Orphanage. It has a much stronger plot

Hmmmmmmmmmm

[Tash]

I have seen all of them, pretty much love them!!! And like you, DMS is my fav movie of all time, and yeah hahaha...I have DVD, soundtrack and graphic novel (REAAAAALLY want a poster too...will hunt when I hit England)...and I know I must be a bit OCD about this movie because I'm seriously considering g etting the UK edition of the DVD (the one I have is the US edition, the cover's all wrong!! ), but I'm actually curbing myself here.

Question 1, I have a tough time answering...read my thread in this section to see me bumbling all over my words to try and get it out and I still do a piss-poor job of it. To put it simply, it can't be put into words. It's a feeling.

Say, did you like The Devil's Backbone??

[locksley]

Dec 29, 2009 14:15:32 GMT Tash said:

Question 1, To put it simply, it can't be put into words. It's a feeling.

Say, did you like The Devil's Backbone??

That's a brilliant answer to my question. You're right, it is a feeling.

As for the Devils Backbone, I've not saw it yet, but I've just ordered it off the internet. Is it any good?

Cheers

[Tash]

Definitely worth checking out, you're not wasting your money.

I must say, right now, the Spanish are owning the ghost story, and the French are the reigning kings of gore.

[Bill Edwards]

Welcome locksley and a Happy New Year to you. And to everyone else too!

My thoughts on your first question are that the 'something' that DMS has might be quite obvious. Without going into spoiler-land I'll just say... zwimmy-noo. But maybe that's too obvious.

I saw it knowing next to nothing about the film. Filmed in Matlock, Derbyshire. Cool. It's set around that Riber Castle where that zoo used to be (went there when a kid). Interesting. It's got that guy in it who was in that other film set in Derbyshire – he's from Burton. Paddy Consdinine? Constantine? And the director's from Nottingham (that's what I'd heard anyway) Didn't he do that other film? Once Upon A time In The Midlands? I know now that he did.

A friend had seen it and said to me, quote "It starts off a comedy and turns into a horror film." That's all he said bless him. He's no film buff so new not about spoilers and stuff but that's all he said.

I might check it out then...

I had one of those epiphanies as the film got under way. It quickly dawned on me that I was watching some special. I sat up in my seat and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. DMS has got one of the best openings in the history of film.

And it just got better and better. I was almost distracted by my own thoughts about the film. My movie geek analysing of shots and edits and composition etc.

And then the denouement. KERPOW! WHAT THE FUCK!?!? Just hold on a cotton pickin' moment...

I think the 'something' that DMS has is that that it's a very very clever film disguised as a Fish Tank style Brit flick. DMS doesn't prance around saying, "Oooh ark at me. Arn't I clever?" It just delivers it's message as cold and as brittle and as raw as it dares. It's just so understated and is an amazing example of 'less is more'.

And it just gets better and better each time I watch it.

I've seen one of the films you ask about, Pan's Labyrinth and I enjoyed it a lot. Check out Let The Right One In if you've not already. I think you'd enjoy it.

[baz1701]

DMS is the best British film of the 00's. Nuff said.

As to Guillermo Del Toro, I also really liked Devil's Backbone, but Pan's Labyrinth is a must see for any self respecting film buff. I can't wait to see what he does with The Hobbit, especially as Peter Jackson is writing and producing it.

[filmferret]

I can answer the first question. I saw Dead Mans Shoes for the first time on Filmfour one night and didn`t know what I had switched over to. I went from the opening credits to the scene where the 2CV stops on the road beside Richard without sitting down but that scene shook me from head to toe and put me on my seat. I watched the rest of the film feeling some kind of mixture of suspense, anticipation and horror, and it left me stunned for about an hour after it had finished (I even checked my kettle before I made a cup of tea). I bought the DVD a few days later and its been my favourite film of all time since. Its a film that takes you to another place, a very dark one!

[mmc1uk]

my answer to question one is, paddy as richard scares me. i dont mean scares me like, a horror movie monster or anything like that, no, he scare me in a real life terrifying way. i wont say what scenes but, theres a few bits in the film where i get a pure fight or flight feeling, my stomach twists and and i get a huge adrenal dump. everytime i watch the film i get the same, even though i know its coming. paddy was just awesome playing this part.

i noticed you said you had the graphic novel, lucky you, im a comic collector and have only been able to find one which was in a poor state, so never bothered. i really want to read this.

[steph4shane]

Answer to question 1: it's just SO bloody clever. I thought it was just going to be a standard British slasher film when I first heard of it, not knowing it was by Meadows, but as I watched it, and the twist at the end, and it is just SO GOOD! It really touched me, genuinely pulled my heart out of my chest. It's just sensitive filmmaking isnt it. Amazing.

Answer to question 2: I LOVE GUILERMO DEL TORO. literally love him. Pans Labyrinth is by far one of my favourite films. Orphanage - amazing. terrifying AND beautiful, you rarely see that kind of genius in films these days. have you seen any of Jean Piere Jeunet's films? if you like quirky european, he is amazing. also the science of sleep that is another one of my all time favourites. Have you seen Del Toro's The Devil's Backbone? Not quite as good as the others but still very good, very sad, it will definitely touch you if you apreciate well made cinema <3

[niftyshoes]

I agree, Tash's answer is brilliant, it's a feeling. However, there are a couple of stand out moments - Richard squaring up at the side of the road and the meeting up with the kids / playing with the knife scene. The first gives me goose pimples, still. The second is just genius, it's utterly chilling and yet on the face of it nothing much happens - genius. Many seem to think that This Is England is better - it's also brilliant, but no, it's not better. Shawshank Redemption? Debate.

[Bakema]

Dec 28, 2009 22:46:48 GMT locksley said:

Hi Everybody

Firstly, let me say a big hello to you all as it's my first thread, and also let me say that Dead Man's Shoes is my favourite film of all time.

Everything about this film is totally unbelievable. The setting, the story, the characters, the acting, the atmosphere and last, but definitely not least, the brilliant music, make it THE perfect film for me.

I was told about DMS by Gary Stretch's mum. She mentioned that he was playing this gangster (her words, not mine) in a british film and it was called Dead man something or other, so naturally, I forgot all about it. However, when i was flicking through the sky channels one night, the scene with Richard in the gas mask banging on the door was on, and it had me hooked. I watched it, and it left me with a feeling I've never felt after watching a film. Shock, awe... I don't know what it was, but it made me go out the next day and hunt the film down.

I now own 2 copies on DVD, the soundtrack (Both CD format AND bought on itunes!) and my lovely wife got me the Blu ray for Xmas!!!! I also own a copy of the limited print Comic book that I would LOVE to have signed by cast members.

Well, back to my thread title.

Question1: I would love to know what people think makes this film so bloody good? I have all Shane's work on DVD, and I love Romeo Brass and This is England, but Dead Man's Shoes seems to have a certain "something" that those don't!!! Does anyone agree? Just exactly what is the "it" that DMS has?

Question 2: My other 2 favourite films are The Orphanage and Pan's Labyrinth. Those films are totally stunning pieces of cinema, and the Orphanage in particular is the only film that reduced me to tears at the end. Both are spanish, and both involve Guilermo Del Toro in some shape or form.

What I want to know is, has anyone on this forum (Shane in particular) saw these films and if so, what did they think of them?

Cheers

Hey, hello there.....this will be my first post...

I stumbled upon this forum while looking out for the Dead man's shoes graphic novel. I recently found out this was in existence and I'm an avid comic book collector with over 40 000 comics in my collection. So this one, Dead man's shoes, is something that belongs right there, I must have it......the search is on, lol.

Short intro....I'm a 41 year old dad with a 12 year old son and a girlfriend with a 6 year old son........so, it's us 4 all living together. I'm a pharmacy store manager and my hobbies are movies, music, comics, games and books. And while comics take up the largest part, the other hobbies aren't exactly lacking in volume.....when I have a hobby, I have a hobby...and it gets out of hand. Ah well, girlfriend still loves me despite all the baggage, hehe.


Answer to question 1 :

Aaah, where to begin.....omfg what a movie !!!
I have a subscription to Filmnet channels over here in the Netherlands and just one day, couple of years ago I was zapping around and fell smackdab in the middle of Dead man's shoes. I watched a little and got very intrigued. Usually I hate coming in at the middle of a movie, but I had to watch this, I just had to. I could piece together most of what went on before, sat out the movie and sobbed at the ending.....this was one hell of a movie, why didn't I hear of it before? Now I just had to wait until it aired again or was on demand to see the whole movie. I watched it again....and again......and this was an instant top 10 movie of all time on my list. Of course I found the dvd afterwards, goes without saying.

So what makes this movie so good? Of course that's subjective, to each his own. People are moved by movies I wouldn't want to watch or only by force or something. Movies that are dear to me, are in my personal top 10 so to speak, are ones that move me. I'm a sentimental kind of guy, a rather big bloke with a tiny heart inside. So it was just something that hit home with this movie, this one got me to the gut.
First of all it's very different from the usual Hollywood movies. And while there's nothing wrong with Hollywood movies (generally speaking), there is something different about the approach in "other" movies. So this Dead man's shoes has its own feel to it. It starts out slow and keeps you guessing, just what is going on, what is going to happen? And I never saw it coming that Richard's brother was already dead, just on screen as a part of his imagination. So the whole build-up leading to that revelation and just how his brother came to his end is executed perfectly......it's really an enormous blow to the gut finding out the reasons behind Richard's actions. And then Richard himself, obviousley as troubled as someone can be. His time in the army was probably no picnic and then what happened to his brother, getting his bloody revenge......with the scene where he exclaims he was sick and tired of his "retard" brother........that hurt, really did. So he got tired of his brother from time to time or maybe a lot of times, but yeah, it was his brother, so it's just logical to exact vengeance upon those that led him to his death. It's the darkest corner you can go to in your mind to come to actions like these, but I can relate to it, understand it, maybe even go so far as to say that maybe justice has been served. Of course, it's wrong to mete out your own justice, but I can understand people doing it, in a case like this, would it be real. And that's a dark thought as it is. So it's a movie that makes you think about things like that, think hard.....

And the setting is the unusual.....little village in England with native blokes that somewhere down the line made a terrible mistake. The thing that makes it real is these guys could be your neighbours.......these are not bigtime movie baddies that get it at the end. It's all really down to earth. And yes, very funny at times. All these losers in one little car.....it made me laugh really hard and it's another something that sets this movie apart from the regular revenge movies. The bad guys are regular around the corner guys, kind of sad losers just wasting their lives away.....a lot of us know people like this. But somewhere in the past they did something very wrong.....and they are going to pay for it.

The whole story and the way it's executed really got to me......the movie is perfect, one of the best ever made as far as I'm concerned. One you watch and stays in the back of your head for a long while, one that leaves you with a very unhappy feeling, a knot in your stomach, one that makes you think...........because of that I "enjoy" it very much, which is strange to say actually.
My girlfriend for example doesn't like movies like this, she rather wants happy feelings after viewing a movie, this is too close to home for her likes, too real.

This is my top 10 of all time.....which is hard to make, because there are a lot of great movies.

1. Once upon a Time in the West (1968)
2. Legends of the Fall (1994)
3. Papillon (1973)
4. Fountain, The (2006)
5. Dead Man's Shoes (2004)
6. Twelve Monkeys (1995)
7. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The (2003)
8. Rocky (1976)
9. Ying Xiong (2002), Hero
10. Enemy at the Gates (2001)

So, long post......and if anybody knows something about where I can get my hands on the graphic novel I would be happy to hear where exactly.

[jill]

Welcome to the forum Bakema.

Interesting post. Sorry, can't help with the graphic novel. There were a few floating about on the net a couple of years back-I held off buying and now it looks like its too late Guess you could keep trying e-bay. Not a massive fan/collector like you, though do like some graphic novels-my favourite is Laika.