Hey, welcome to a little blog about British Directors, their films and even a little quiz to keep you on your toes :) Enjoy!

Tuesday 29 March 2011

Answer's to Quiz

Try not to look here until you have done the Quiz :P
Here are the answers to the quiz, how well did you do?

1. Danny Boyle
2. Last King Of Scotland
3. Glasgow Film Festival
4. Ken Loach
5. Happy-Go-Lucky
6. Danny Boyle
7. Anthony Hopkins
8. Ben Kingsley
9. Christopher Lee
10. Helana Bonham Carter

Soo be honest, how many did you REALLY know? :)

Who is this Ken Loach???

Time and time again when I type British directors, or Glasgow film scene into google, this guys name constantly comes up. He seems to be linked to everything British but who is he. I can safely say that he is not a name that many people know, but do in fact we know him better than we realise?

He is the director of over 40 films, written 7, and produced 5. He studied at St Peter's College, Oxford and unlike many other directors, he has managed to avoid the Hollywood limelight. Well known in the theatre circles for his work there, his movies are world wide and well liked, though most people probably do not even know that he is the director. His first ever movie that he directed was Black Jack in 1979 followed swiftly by The Gamekeeper in 1980. His career blossomed, having him spill out films on average every year.

I guess your age and taste in film will influence what Ken Loach film you have seen, if any. One of his more popular films that continually pops up in searches is Sweet Sixteen, made in 2002. The story of a reckless teenager's quest to raise money and rescue his mum from her drug pushing boyfriend and even worse grandfather once she is released from prison, where she is serving time for a crime her boyfriend committed.



His most recent accomplishment is in-fact Route Irish released in 2010.  It is the story of a security contractor in Iraq who does not believe the official explanation of his friends death, and, like any good friend would, sets out to find the real reason his friend died. This of course would attract a whole other type of film lover than Sweet Sixteen would have. Mainly because of the gritty atmosphere, its story of loyalty, the setting or just the general idea of the plot. He covers a wide range of genres, while staying true to his british roots, not influenced by Hollywoods big bucks

He may not be a name that we recognise, but he is certainly one that we should take a look at more often. His films are widely enjoyed and even though he may not get the recognition he always deserves, he manages to stay true to the film and does and excellent job, no matter what the challenge is.

Quiz time :)

Right lets test your British movie knowledge :) AND NO CHEATING! :P

Part 1

1. Who directed Trainspotting?
2. Kevin Macdonald directed which film - Last King of Scotland or The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button?
3. The Eagle premiered at which British festival?
4. Which British director filmed Sweet Sixteen?
5. Mike Leigh directed which feel good film starring Sally Hawkins?

How do you think you did? Suprisingly most people won't have done to well on their own knowledge and would have to look things up on IMDb, or Wikipedia. Now try Part two :)

Part 2

6. Cillian Murphy starred in 28 Days Later and Sunshine by which director?
7.Which British actor starred in Hannibal?
8. Well known in the movie industry this British actor has starred in films ranging from Thunderbirds and Sherlock Holmes to Schindler's List and Oliver Twist. Who is he?
9. The Star Wars Saga, and The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy are massive franchises, which British actor has had the luck of starring on both?
10. Again, Harry Potter is a massive franchise, along with Sweeny Todd and Planet of the Apes being well received films, which British actress managed to get a part in all of these?

I can guess that the actor questions were a lot easier to answer of the top of your head than the director ones. It's not that I expect everyone in Britain to be well up on their knowledge of directors, but without them we wouldn't have the amazing films that we have today. They deserve some credit at least. So next time you watch a movie, take a minute to glance at who took their time to make it for you, it will only take a second :)


Answers up next time

Monday 14 March 2011

Kevin MacDonald Bio

Name - Kevin MacDonald

Age - 44

Occupation - Director/Writer/Producer.



Directed - The Eagle, The Last King Of Scotland, Touching The Void, State of Play
Produced - Kindertransport, My Enemy's Enemy, Senna, Shoot Out in Swansea: The Making Of 'Twin Town'
Wrote - My Enemy's Enemy, Chaplin's Goliath, The Making of an Englishman

Did you know?

He is the grandson of legendary filmmaker Emeric Pressburger, who, with partner Michael Powell, wrote, produced and directed such films as Black Narcissus, The Red Shoes, A Matter of Life and Death and 'I Know Where I'm Going!'
You learn something new everyday :)

Monday 7 March 2011

Danny Boyle

Right Danny Boyle is without a doubt one of the most talented directors I have ever come across. His talent ranges from all sorts of genres, from horror to thriller. No matter what he is handed he tackles it head on
Now for those of you who do not know who Danny Boyle is, let me enlighten you. His career started in 1987 with his first movie Scout, which was shown on the television. From there he ended up directing a total 21 movies so far, and he still continues to do so. Now some of his best loved movies are possibly some of his best work. First there is Trainspotting, a tale of a group of people in Edinburgh surrounded by the allure of drugs and pressure from friends. His next massive hit was The Beach, a story again of drugs but in an entirely different setting of a solitary tropical island. After these, and a few films later came 28 Days Later, a horror film about a virus let loose in the world, causing 99% of the human race to turn into violent zombies.


Danny Boyle is possible my favourite director, mainly because he directed one of my favourite thrillers Sunshine. The story of the sun dying and a group of astronauts flying towards the sun to re-ignite it. His take on this interesting sorry is his own and is what gives the film the gritty feeling that I love. As you can see his career is flying and it gets higher with the release of Slumdog Millionaire. It was a low budget film set in India about the Indian version of who wants to be a millionaire, and the film took off. It was extremely popular, rocketing the actors to stardom and giving an even bigger boost to Danny's career.


His most recent achievement is his take on the true story of a man whose hand gets, well stuck under a boulder while canyoning alone near Moab, Utah, for 127 hours. This film, completely different from his previous action and horrors, still managed to draw the crowds as soon as it was released. Danny Boyle is certainly a perfect example of the great British talent in the movie industry and his talent is something for future British directors to aspire to. Being able to work with acting talents such as Ewan McGregor, Chris Evans and James Franco, yet still manage to hold on to his British values is something to be admired, and if you still don't recognise any of these films by this talented director then you don't get out enough.

The Glasgow Film Festival

Well there is certainly a lot of buzz going around about this festival. Movie fans everywhere, well within the local area at least, will be ready for the annual film event in Glasgow.

Glasgow may not be known for a lot of things but this film festival is certainly one of them. With directing and acting talent from all around, the movies screened are due to bring the crowds. Unlike the Edinburgh festival, the Glasgow one focuses more on the directing talents of the British population, keeping with heritage and giving local directors the honour of having their film screened.

One such director is Kevin MacDonald. Most renown for his directing talents in films such as The Last King Of Scotland and Touching The Void, he is also the director of the film The Eagle. Now you may not recognise it but you should. Not only is it an incredibly film with award winning actors such as Channing Tatum, it was also the opening film to the Glasgow Film Festival. Now the Glasgow Film Festival, not only has a wide variety of films, but the opening film to kick it all off was directed by Kevin MacDonald who is also from Glasgow. (Take a look at my previous blog on this director)


And if for some reason you decide to come to the festival and  don't want to watch a film then the festival gladly provides lots of extras such as workshops, question and answer times with directors, meetings about certain films. And they are open for all people of all ages. Whether you want to see an action, romance, horror or just turn up to a meeting with one of the directors of a film to ask questions, the festival provides entertainment for all tastes, so go and have fun.

Sunday 6 March 2011

Great British Directors.

I know this says Glasgow Film Scene, but trying to find 10 directors that are from Glasgow was difficult. So I did my best. Lets see how many of these fine talented directors you recognise

1. Alfred Hitchcock
2. Shane Meadows
3. Mike Leigh
4. Danny Boyle
5. Ken Loach
6. John Schlesinger
7. Michael Winterbottom
8. Ridley Scott
9. Stephen Frears
10. John  Boorman

Did you recognise any? These are directors from Britain and Glasgow and there films are some of the most popular around. Any you don't recognise, take a look below.

1. Alfred Hitchcock of course renown for his horror films such as Psycho and The Birds.
2. Shane Meadows for films like This Is England and Dead Man's Shoes
3. Mike Leigh for films such as Happy Go Lucky and Another Year
4. Danny Boyle for of course Trainspotting and Sunshine
5. Ken Loach is well known for films such as Sweet Sixteen and My Name Is Joe
6. John Schlesinger for films such as Marathon Man and The Next Best Thing
7. Michael Winterbottom for films such as A Cock And Bull Story and The Trip
8. Ridley Scott for famous films such as Black Hawk Down and Gladiator
9. Stephen Frears for films such as The Queen and Dangerous Liasons
10. John Boorman for films such as Excalibur and The General

And if you didn't recognise the films then...you should start watching British films for a change because they are just as good as Hollywood ones, if not better.