Nick Moran Movies

Actor Nick Moran brings his and James Hicks's play Telstar to the screen, portraying the rise and fall of '60s songwriter Joe Meek, played by Con O'Neill, who returns to the role after a successful stint on-stage in the West End. Kevin Spacey co-stars in the ensemble as Meek's business advisor, Major Banks. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

Inspired by the timeless hymn from which it takes its instantly recognizable name, director Jeta Amata's epic drama tells the remarkable tale of John Newton, a British slave trader who was moved to pen one of the world's best-known spiritual songs after traveling to Nigeria in 1748. The time was the 18th Century, and slave trading was at an all time high. John Newton had recently taken over as the captain of The Greyhound, and was making his way towards the Nigerian port of Calabar. A once-righteous man who had turned his back on religion after becoming caught up in the lucrative slave trade, Newton was now course in manner, and ruthless in trade. But Newton's barbarous ways would soon come back to haunt him, however, when after burning down a Nigerian village and rounding up his latest "cargo," his ship is nearly destroyed - and his life nearly lost - in a particularly violent storm at sea. The only reason his life was spared, claimed Newton, was due to the grace of God. Oddly enough, it wasn't this close brush with death that prompted Newton to abandon the slave trade, but a remarkable display of compassion from one of the slaves he had so callously dismissed as sub-human in the past. Subsequently devoting his entire life to religion, Newton recalls the melody of a traditional African song he had heard while back in Calabar, folds in his own lyrics, and creates one of the most famous religious hymns ever penned. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The title of writer-director Hadi Hajaig's Byzantine occultly thriller Puritan refers to Simon Puritan (Nick Moran), a phony London clairvoyant and the inhabitant of an oddball 17th-century estate once occupied by Satanist Aleister Crowley -- allegedly a site of visitation for numerous apparitions over the centuries. As a heavy drinker, Puritan spends his days staging faux psychic readings. When he imbibes a bit too much alcohol and grows intoxicated, Puritan nearly slips and falls beneath a train, but a deformed stranger, Jonathan Grey, calls out to save him at the last moment. Through Jonathan, Puritan becomes acquainted with Ann, a gorgeous young woman unhappily married to a wealthy American, Eric Bridges (Starsky & Hutch's David Soul); Simon and Ann lapse into a torrid affair, but Ann's resolve to leave her husband for Simon leads to Eric's accidental death -- and the suggestion that Ann may be double-crossing Simon. To complicate matters, Simon is then badly disfigured, and mysteriously hurtled back in time to encounter a number of the strange occultly events that have plagued his house. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Desmond (Nick Moran) and Frank (Phil Davis) are ill equipped to handle the 20,000 pounds in mob money that they acquire: before they know it, a beautiful woman seduces it away from Frank, and now they have henchmen banging down their door. There's only one way that they'll escape with their lives and their legs -- they need to come up with 20,000 pounds. Luckily for them, an aging criminal who is spending the rest of his life behind bars is in a vulnerable position. In order to inherit his millions, he needs to produce an heir. He regularly sends a container of his sperm to his mistress, but if Desmond and Frank intercept and hold the "baby juice" for ransom, it could solve their problems. Unfortunately for them, it could also create many more. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide

The Soccer Dog series of family-oriented, animal-starring sports pictures continues with this installment, which features a distinctly cross-Atlantic setting. Soccer Dog: European Cup opens with the titular hero, Kimble, escaping the clutches of an evil scientist, bent on performing animal experiments. Our plucky canine hero then falls into the hands of Zack (Jake Thomas), an American boy who's been brought to Scotland after the death of his mother to be reunited with the father he never knew, Brian (Nick Moran). After a bumpy introduction, father and son eventually connect by playing soccer together, and when the unusually nimble Kimble storms onto the field one day, their lives change forever. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide

A pair of naïve newlyweds find their honeymoon taking an unexpectedly morbid turn when they arrive at a remote country hotel to find that it has been overtaken by the annual Undertakers Convention in a hilarious comedy mystery starring Rik Mayall, Nick Moran, and Steve Huison. Edward and Samantha have just exchanged their wedding vows, and now they're off to celebrate their nuptials with a romantic stay at a majestic country house hotel. Their quest for quiet and romance is suddenly curbed, however, when they discover that a group of fun-loving undertakers have overrun the stately estate. When the Head of the Funeral Director's Association perishes under most suspicious circumstances, the race is on to reveal his killer before the body count begins to multiply. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A scandalous murder case that was the talk of England in the 1920s is brought to the screen in this period drama based on fact. In 1913, Edith Graydon (Natasha Little) was a young woman living with her family -- good-natured father (Michael Bertenshaw), emotionally distant mother (Imelda Staunton), and shy younger sister (Rachael Stirling) -- in a fading middle-class neighborhood in London. While not especially bright or ambitious, Edith wanted more out of life than her family's situation would provide, and with this in mind she accepted the marriage proposal of her boyfriend Percy Thompson (Nick Moran). While Percy was a bit better off than Edith's family, he was not an especially interesting or exciting partner, and after several years Edith began to grow restless with their marriage. Long regarded as something of a flirt, in 1921 Edith renewed her friendship with Freddy Bywaters (Ioan Gruffudd), a good-looking and worldly former beau who had just returned to England after serving in the Queen's Navy. Edith and Freddy were not destined to remain just friends for long, and as they began to enter into a passionate affair, Edith began writing a series of letters to her lover in which she confided her ardor for Freddy, her fatigue with Percy -- and her belief that murdering her husband would solve a great many problems. Shot in 1999, Another Life did not receive a theatrical release until 2001, when it arrived in British theaters and earned enthusiastic reviews for Natasha Little's performance as Edith. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Undercover cop Terry Martin (Nick Moran) has spent six months getting close to unctuous playboy kingpin Simon Bacig (Stephen Lang) and gathering evidence that will bring the brutal mobster to his knees. But when Bacig has a birthday party, Terry and his wife are invited, and attendance is not optional. There's a small problem: Terry doesn't have a wife, but he's been using one as an excuse to get out of tight situations with Bacig. With the help of his police commander (Mick Kaposa), Terry is paired with policewoman Susan Reese (Jennifer Esposito), a lovely cop with ambition and courage but no undercover experience, to attend the party as his bride. Terry, already nervous about the deadly fate awaiting him should Bacig discover he's a cop, now has real problems, as naïve Susan decides to pursue an affair with Bacig to help the case. To complicate Terry's fragile ruse, the FBI decides to close its own investigation of Bacig with firepower despite the danger to Terry and Susan. Furthermore, Susan's affair with Bacig seems to be turning serious even as her feelings for Terry heat up. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide

Duncan Roy wrote and directed this British horror-comedy about popular celeb TV cook Clancy (Mark Aiken), a bisexual caught between his girlfriend and his boyfriend. As his fame grows, so does his paranoia that leaks about his homosexual life could ruin his career, prompting a plan to ditch the boyfriend and marry the girlfriend. But everything goes askew after he accidentally kills a pet dog owned by a homophobic psycho. Shown at the 1998 Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

British writer Guy Ritchie made his feature directorial debut with this crime-caper comedy-drama set in London's East End and heavy on the Cockney dialogue (with one scene in subtitled Cockney rhyming slang). A big-bucks scheme goes awry: Cardsharp Eddy (Nick Moran) and pals Bacon (Jason Statham), Tom (Jason Flemyng), and Soap (Dexter Fletcher) scuffle to pile up enough money to put Eddy at the card table opposite gangland porn lord Hatchet Harry (P.H. Moriarty). Unfortunately, the whole plan backfires, leaving Eddy owing Harry a huge sum, payable within the week. In truth, Harry hopes to acquire the bar run by his rival, J.D. (Sting), who is Eddy's father. To raise the cash, Eddy sets out to steal from a marijuana business run by Winston (Steven Mackintosh), but the inevitable gunplay doesn't make for an easy heist. World premiere at the 1998 Edinburgh Film Festival (Focus on British Cinema). ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide