Submarine (2010)

Richard Ayoade's directorial debut openly references and riffs on Wes Anderson and Michel Gondry in style. In several scenes, it blends two of cinema's most famous endings: The 400 Blows and Don't Look Down. It even borrows the iconic red coat from the latter film - the garment with which one of the main characters can be seen throughout. The protagonist's room is adorned with drawings of French cinema, from My Night with Maud to Le Samouraï. There is even a pencil-drawn portrait of Woody Allen by his bedside.

Yet, despite these obvious and subtle nods to films of days past, Ayoade's script manages to remain orginal, engaging and mostly interesting until the very end. There may be one or two indie songs too many (a Garden State influence, perhaps?), but this is a highly assured introduction to a first-time filmmaker's surprising maturity.

Retro Review: Dead Man's Shoes (2004)

I tend not to hide my admiration for Shane Meadows. As far as the pseudo-indie (or pseudo-studio, depending on your point of view) British filmmakers go, his films tend to get overlooked. Danny Boyle (deservedly) gets the mainstream vote, Mike Leigh (deservedly) gets the critical vote, and Ken Loach (deservedly) gets the political vote. Shane Meadows' films sort of occupy the middle of this triangle - they are accessible enough to be mainstream, masterly filmed to be critic favourites, and tend to carry enough political subtext to make you raise your fist against the injustices of the world. Perhaps none of his films capture this as well as Dead Man's Shoes.