Martin Matthews Movies
For the fourth installment of the BBC crime series Prime Suspect, the producers experimented with the show's format. Instead of following police detective Jane Tennison (Helen Mirren) through a single murder investigation over the course of four hours, Prime Suspect 4 includes three 90-minute, stand-alone mysteries. In "The Lost Child," Tennison investigates the disappearance of a child whose mother is unwittingly dating a convicted sex offender. In "Inner Circles," she traces the connection between the residents of a brutal housing development and the well-heeled denizens of an exclusive country club whose manager is brutally murdered. And "The Scent of Darkness" returns to the serial-killer investigation that made Tennison's career (in Prime Suspect 1) as additional murders with the same modus operandi bring up the possibility that she apprehended the wrong man. In addition to its new format, Prime Suspect 4 also depicts, in "The Lost Child," the first non-murder investigation of Tennison's career. Prime Suspect 4 originally aired April 30, May 7, and May 15, 1995, in the United Kingdom. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi
- Starring:
- Helen Mirren, Glen Berry, (more)
Roger Moore took a brief vacation from playing James Bond in this witty adventure drama. Rufus Excalibur ffolkes (Moore), who for some reason prefers not to capitalize his last name, is a scuba-diving adventurer for hire with a sharp mind, a quick wit, a fondness for cats, and a certain distrust of women. When terrorist Lou Kramer (Anthony Perkins) takes over an oil drilling platform in the North Sea and threatens to blow it sky high if his demands are not met, ffolkes is called in by Admiral Brinsden (James Mason) to foil Kramer's scheme before it's too late. ffolkes, also released as North Sea Hijack and Assault Force, was based on the novel Esther, Ruth, and Jennifer by Jack Davies, who also penned the screenplay ("Esther, Ruth, and Jennifer," incidentally, are the code names for the ship, drilling rig, and platform seized by Kramer in the film). ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Roger Moore, James Mason, (more)
- 1978
In the second episode of the four-part story "The Androids of Tara," the Doctor (Tom Baker) and Romana (Mary Tamm) arrive on the medieval planet Tara, in search of the fourth segment of the Key to Time. No sooner has Romana located the segment than she is seized by the minions of the wicked Count Grendel of Gracht (Peter Jeffrey). The reason? Romana happens to be a dead ringer for Princess Strella (also played by Mary Tamm), the reluctant bride-to-be of Prince Reynart (Neville Jason). Written by David Fisher, "The Androids of Tara, Episode 2" first aired on December 2, 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1978
In the conclusion of the four-part story "The Androids of Tara," the Doctor (Tom Baker) and Romana (Mary Tamm) are still mired in a medieval power struggle on the arborial planet Tara. Hoping to arrange a wedding between Prince Reynart (Neville Jason) and Princess Strella, then kill Reynart and wed the Princess himself in order to ascend to the royal throne, Count Grendel of Gracht (Peter Jeffrey) has forced Romana to pose as Strella, her exact double (both roles are played by Mary Tamm). As intrigue piles upon intrigue, the Doctor wonders if he will ever be able to retrieve the fourth segment of the Key to Time, thereby restoring the balance between Good and Evil throughout the universe. Written by David Fisher, "The Androids of Tara, Episode 2" first aired on December 16, 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1978
In the third episode of the four-part story "The Androids of Tara," the Doctor (Tom Baker) and Romana (Mary Tamm) have arrived on the planet Tara, where rests the fourth segment of the all-important Key to Time. Their mission is stymied by a power struggle between the evil Count Grendel of Gracht (Peter Jeffrey) and the soon-to-be-crowned Prince Reynart (Neville Jason). Series regular Mary Tamm not only essays the dual role of Romana and her Taran lookalike Princess Strella, but also both characters' android duplicates. Written by David Fisher, "The Androids of Tara, Episode 3" first aired on December 9, 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1963
Dot (Rita Tushingham) is a girl who marries motorcycle maven Reggie (Colin Campbell) to escape her parents' influence. The marriage gets off to a rocky start and completely slides downhill after the honeymoon is plagued by bad weather. Dot refuses to have anything to do with household responsibilities and cooks only canned beans. Reggie loses interest in sex with Dot because of her actions, and after moving in with his grandmother, he begins to hang around Pete (Dudley Sutton). The two friends ride their motorcycles and begin to spend even more time together, and eventually Reggie realizes that Pete is a homosexual. Dot tells Reggie she is pregnant in an attempt to get him back -- with no result, but when Reggie comes home to find his wife in bed with another man, he decides to go off to sea with Pete. Pete leaves Reggie shaken and alone when he goes off with a group of sailors out to satisfy their same-sex lust. The film was controversial at the time of its initial release. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Rita Tushingham, Colin Campbell, (more)
- 1961
After injecting new life into classic movie monsters Dracula and Frankenstein, Hammer Studios apply their Gothic touch to another monster genre with this excellent, stylish piece -- probably the best of the old school (i.e. pre-Rick Baker) man-to-wolf transformation films in the mold of Universal's The Wolf Man. The title curse surfaces when a mute servant girl bears a child on Christmas day after being raped by a bestial madman and first shows itself at the infant's christening, whereupon the holy water begins to boil. Things go downhill from there, as young Leon's development is marred by savage, violent behavior during a full moon. Upon adulthood, Leon's (Oliver Reed) only relief from his murderous impulses comes from the love of Christina (Catherine Feller)... but he soon begins to fear that this cannot contain the beast within. Liberally based on Guy Endore's The Werewolf of Paris (here relocated to Spain), this film represents Hammer at their early best, building tension through mood and character (Reed turns in a bravura performance) and saving the effective monster transformation for the climax. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi
- Starring:
- Clifford Evans, Oliver Reed, (more)
