cactusx

It's difficult to list films that have had the same effect on their genre that Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels has. I defy any reader to name me a British gangster film made in the last ten years that does not have some resemblance to director Guy Richie's 1998 Magnum Opus.

But what is it, you may ask, that makes Lock Stock so excellent, so worthy of emulations? Well, let's start with the dialogue. Richie's script cracks with wit, humour and a strong sense of authenticity. The characters are well acted and larger than life, with household names of British cinema such as Jason Statham, Jason Flemyng and Frank Harper making their characters unique.

Plot also contributes greatly to the film's excellence. It revolves around professional gambler Ed (Nick Moran) and his friends, who seek an easy earner in an illegal poker game. Unfortunately, thanks to a spot of unfair play it goes awry, with the four owing money to local gangster, 'Hatchet' Harry Lonsdale. With a week to pay off the debt, the four stumble on a plan involving a large quantity of ganja, Ed's psychotic neighbours, privately educated drug dealers and a football mad psychopath with an afro...

Lock Stock also features a powerful, gritty soundtrack, with songs from Robbie Williams, James Brown and a host of other talents.

A truly harrowing film is a rarity in today's film industry. There's a difference between being brutally honest and just being melodramatic, and most films don't exactly get it right.

Then you have Nil By Mouth.

Gary Oldman's directorial debut stars Ray Winstone and Kathy Burke (who both deserve an Oscar) as husband and wife Ray and Valerie. The film is set on a council estate in New Cross, a particularly grim setting for a particularly grim film. The main issue of the film is domestic violence; Ray abuses Valerie both physically and emotionally, providing scenes that many will find hard to watch.

What makes the abuse more tragic is that Ray is just mirroring the way his own father acted towards him and his mother when he younger. The title Nil By Mouth is in fact a metaphor for the lack of relationship he had with his dad.

While Winstone is on blistering form as usual, Kathy Burke and Laila Morse (of Eastenders fame) steal the show as mother and daughter living under the shadow of Ray.

It'll leave a lasting impression on even the strongest viewer, but it's one of the best films you'll ever see.

Monkey Dust is a weird show. It must be said. The show's producers will do ANYTHING to get a laugh out of the audience. Sketches involving drug use, suicide, paedophilia may not be everyone's cup of tea and you need a strong stomach to sit through an episode. If you are a parent, don't let your kid watch it. If you are a kid, don't watch it in front of your parents (they'll have you back watching CITV before the end credits.) But aside from the various course swearwords and disturbing scenes there is a clever parody of British and London culture going on. The show's writers love mocking reality TV (Big Brother, I'm a celebrity, etc) and one frequent joke involves Monkey Dust's own reality TV show, People on the Toilet. There are funny sketches involving such popular tabloids as The Sun and the Daily Mail and their attitudes towards asylum seekers and paedophiles (eg the Paedo Finder General.) So watch Monkey Dust on BBC3-if you dare...