Audrey Gardiner Movies

Set largely in England (but filmed in Canada), Four Minutes is the story of Sir Roger Bannister, doctor by profession and runner by preference -- and the first man to run under a four-minute mile. Played by Jamie Maclachlan, Bannister is accurately depicted as a brilliant Oxford medical student, who in the years following WWII gains a reputation as England's fastest runner, but who regards his sports accomplishments as merely an adjunct to his studies, and thus avoids formal athletic training. Only after he fails to win a medal at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics does Bannister come to realize how important he has become as a morale-booster for a postwar Britain plagued by shortages, rationing, and unemployment. Shouldering this spiritual responsibility, Bannister submits himself to a grueling (but surprisingly scientific) training regimen imposed by disabled ex-athlete Archie Mason (Christopher Plummer). Originally slated for release in 2004 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Roger Bannister's "great run," Four Minutes was not seen until it was picked by the ESPN2 cable service on October 6, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This weekly, 60-minute Canadian TV series was a spin-off of the popular Neverending Story feature films, which used an expert combination of live action and puppetry to convey the vital message that "Reading Is Fun -- and Good for You Besides." As in the films, the TV version focused on a young boy who, upon discovering a remarkable, mystical book, began reading the volume and allowing his imagination to run riot. In this instance, the 12-year-old protagonist, Bastian Balthasar Bux (Mark Rendall), used the book as his ticket into the wondrous land of Fantasia. Alas, Bastian's new home was threatened with extinction by an evil force known as the Nothing. Combining forces with handsome warrior Atreyu (Tyler Hines), Bastian endeavored to save both Fantasia and its ailing ruler, the Childlike Empress (Audrey Gardiner), who could only be "reborn" when she was given a suitable new name. The series' lavish special effects were provided by Big Bang Animation, while the whole affair was assembled in Québec by Muse Entertainment. In the United States, Tales From the Neverending Story debuted over the Hallmark cable network on October 6, 2001, around the same time that two similarly themed theatrical features, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Lord of the Rings, were raking in big bucks at the box office. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi