Gareth Hunt Movies

The starring cast of the hit A Fish Called Wanda reunited for this farcical comedy, which star and co-screenwriter John Cleese described as "not a sequel, but an equal." When London's Marwood Zoo is purchased by Octopus, Inc., the multi-national holding company run by New Zealand publishing tycoon Rod McCain (Kevin Kline), the staff is given a firm order: if the zoo is not turning at least a 20% profit soon, it will be shut down. Willa Weston (Jamie Lee Curtis), who was recently hired by McCain to oversee another firm that bit the dust, is assigned to keep a watchful eye over zoo director Rollo Lee (Cleese), who gets the idea that since people seem to enjoy aggressive, violent entertainment at the movies, the zoo should round up and execute all the cute, benign animals and replace them with more vicious specimens to boost attendance. Needless to say, talkative zookeeper Adrian "Bugsy" Malone (Michael Palin) is appalled at this suggestion and attempts to disguise the more timid beasts with fake fangs and daubings of artificial blood. Meanwhile, Rod and his son Vince (also played by Kevin Kline) want the animal displays to be more spectacular, and they hope to boost income by introducing corporate sponsorship with logos pasted on the cages, the staff uniforms, and even the animals themselves. An already complex situation is further tangled by the efforts of Vince, Rod, and Rolo to seduce Willa, whose obsession with the bottom line is compromised by her fondness for the gorillas. Fierce Creatures was originally shot in 1995, but when the original version tested poorly, producers John Cleese and Michael Shamberg opted to reshoot part of the film (most notably the ending), with director Fred Schepisi replacing Robert Young for the revised sequences. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A Ghost in Monte Carlo is based on one of the millions of romance novels penned by Barbara Cartland. True to the Cartland canon, the story is set long ago (1875) and far away (The Riviera). Sarah Miles is top-billed as a pompadoured former madam, while Oliver Reed dispenses tons of Armor Star as a lascivious rajah. Christopher Plummer struts about bedecked with medals as a military hero, and Samantha Eggar is a mystery woman shrouded in black. But the story is carried by Lysette Anthony, the niece of Sarah Miles, who tries to break into upper-crust society--a goal impeded by a long-standing thirst for vengeance on the part of one of the older stars. A Ghost in Monte Carlo was produced in Europe by Sir Lew Grade, and first seen in the US over the TNT Cable Network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This half-hearted avant garde feature is a thinly disguised exploitation feature for the British synth-pop duo The Pet Shop Boys (Neil Tenant and Chris Lowe). They travel though London where they encounter a variety of colorful characters. Several songs appear as well, including the title track, "West End Girls", and a song with the legendary Dusty Springfield, "What Have I Done To Deserve This?". ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Hazard of Hearts was adapted for television from a 1948 bodice-ripper by Barbara Cartland. Set (where else?) in 1810 England, the film stars Helena Bonham Carter as the obligatory innocent young lass with a dynamite figure. Falling in love with a Rochester-like Marquis (Marcus Gilbert), Helena is whisked off to the mysterious Castle Mandrake ("played" by England's Belvoir Castle and Burghley House). Here, our heroine is menaced by Diana Rigg, the Marquis' evil, possessive mother. First broadcast December 27, 1987, Hazard of Hearts was buried in the ratings by NBC's repeat showing of Terms of Endearment (1983) and ABC's telecast of Stir Crazy (1980). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

An old building falls victim to the wrecker's ball. When the dust clears, the demolition crew discovers the three-centuries-old remains of a satanic cult. Barbi Benton, Gareth Hunt and Brian Deacon (in a dual role) head the cast of this British TV movie. And the Wall Came Tumbling Down debuted in American over the USA cable network on January 5, 1985, in tandem with another British import, Last Video and Testament. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This weak, unevenly plotted story of a con artist and his helper features Gregg Henry as Ben who works as a lounge pianist in a London hotel, and Elizabeth Daily as Cass, a fellow American out looking for some fun in life. The two team up to fraud hotel guests by stealing and using the guests' credit cards, with Ben showing Cass the tricks of the trade. Their scam is not foolproof, so the daring duo may be living free on borrowed time unless they just happen to change their ways. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

An international swindler intends to destroy Steed (Patrick MacNee) by framing him as a turncoat and a murderer. Somehow or other, a fake spiritualist, Victoria Stanton (Sue Holderness), picks up on the villain's plans and warns Steed. It would seem that Victoria is able to anticipate the bad guy's every move--but can she be trusted? And if not, what new dangers lie in store for our bowled-hatted hero? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Larry Doomer (Martin Shaw), ex-fiancee of New Avenger Purdey (Joanna Lumley), is determined to get even for the death of his father. To this end, Doomer has targetted an Arab diplomat for assassination. Unfortunately, Doomer's misguided missile will not only wipe out the diplomat, but all of the Parliament as well. Guest stars Martin Shaw and Lewis Collins) were later reteamed on the popular British action-adventure series The Professionals. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The title character in this episode is Purdey (Joanna Lumley), who has been abducted by the Other Side. In order to save Purdey's life, Steed (Patrick MacNee) must agree to hand over top-secret allied defense plans. Unaware that Purdey is in danger, Gambit (Gareth Hunt) reluctantly sets about to "terminate" Steed as a traitor and a murderer. Simon Oates, here cast as Spellman, also played John Steed in a British stage adaptation of The Avengers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of the two-part story, a malfunctioning Soviet satellite has reactivated Russian "K" agents throughout France and England, transforming the agents into homicidal zombies. The New Avengers think they can rest easy upon confirming that all 250 K agents are dead--until they learn that there were actually 252. Once they have disposed of Number 251, our heroes must somehow prevent the last, unknown K agent from assassinating an equally unknown but very high-profile official, thereby launching World War 3. Parts one and two of K is for Kill were telecast in the US as a "feature film" on March 23, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the second of four New Avengers episodes filmed in Canada, a rogue KGB agent has trained a band of mercenary criminals to destroy a top-secret security installation, thereby hurtling the Canadian Intelligence system back to the 1950s. Worse still, the bad guys are all-powerful and virtually invulnerable. Steed (Patrick MacNee, Gambit (Gareth Hunt) and Purdey (Joanna Lumley) must find a way to stop these modern-day gladiators, who have already left behind a trail of murdered secret agents. This episode was briefly banned from British TV due to "excessive violence." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide