Joe O'Byrne (who plays the hard-as-nails Tommy Morghen) strikes a suitably menacing pose outside The Plaza.The magnificent Stockport Plaza was the place to be this Tuesday, when the gritty, no-holds-barred crime drama 'Diary Of A Bad Lad' had its big screen premiere. Several years in the making, the low budget movie, written by Jonathan Williams, and directed by Michael Booth, is gathering fabulous reviews from across the world. Deliberately setting out to 'tell it like it is', this is no Guy Ritchie gangster romp, but rather a disturbing, under your skin, 'mockumentary' that gets about as near to the real dirty, scummy underbelly of life on the street as I ever want to experience. There was certainly an element of black comedy about this film being screened in the opulent 1930s atmosphere of The Plaza, with its compliment of neatly-attired genteel elderly volunteer staff (who were all lovely, by the way!). A real clash of cultures, and a frightening reminder of the contrast between constructed fantasy and grim reality. As Jonanathan Williams said on stage during the inspiring Q & A session that followed the screening; this event can be seen as the beginning of the new wave of northern film-making. Showing that not everything happens in London, and that sheer will power plus talent CAN result in a fantastic movie. Ken Loach and Martin Scorsese need to see this film NOW. Somebody get a copy under their noses ASAP!
My review of the film can be seen here: http://fictionmaker.blogspot.com/2010/06/diary-of-bad-lad-dvd-review.html
The dvd has just been released, and you can pick up a copy in the high street shops or on Amazon. Do yourself a big favour, and buy it.
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