Barry Lynch Movies

Renowned theatrical director Adrian Noble directed the Royal Shakespeare Company's mid-'90s stage production and helmed this film adaptation of that version. Its 1999 video release was apparently to coincide with Michael Hoffman's higher-profile feature of the same year. The setting is very theatrical in nature, with nearly all of the scenes taking place on a theater stage. The story is also bookmarked by a child (Osheen Jones), who is apparently dreaming all of the events, and also appears frequently in most of the scenes. Hyppolyta/Titania (Lindsey Duncan) and Theseus/Oberon (Alex Jennings) drive the plot with their romantic bickering, which stems from the romantic foursome of Demetrius (Kevin Doyle), Hermia (Monica Dolan), Lysander (Daniel Evans), and Helena (Emily Raymond). Lysander and Hermia are in love, but Hermia is promised to Demetrius by Hermia's father, Egeus. Helena, who is Hermia's best friend, is in love with Demetrius, but Demetrius loathes her. As one would expect, Lysander and Demetrius are very hostile towards one another. Hyppolyta feels strongly for Hermia and Lysander' case and becomes angry with Theseus when he takes Egeus' part in the predicament. Lysander and Hermia flee, Demetrius pursues, and is, in turn, pursued by Helena. The foursome then encounter the fairy kingdom, led by Oberon and Titania. Oberon orders his lackey, Puck (Barry Lynch), to cast a spell on Titania as a form of retribution for an argument the royal pair are currently having. Oberon also commands Puck to place the same spell on Demetrius, whom he has witnessed scorning Helena. However, due to miscommunication, Puck enchants Lysander instead. The scene becomes hectic, with enchantments and miscommunication abounding. At one point, Helena becomes the focus of love from both Demetrius and Lysander, while Hermia assumes the scorned woman role. Meanwhile, Titania has been forced to become infatuated with a mortal named Bottom (Desmond Barrit), whom Puck has enchanted with an ass head. By movie's end, however, all is straightened out. The fairy rulers reconcile and the mortal couples are united in marriage. At the wedding party, Theseus and his minions are entertained by the Pyramus and Thisbe play as performed by the rude mechanicals headed by Bottom. The Pyramus and Thisbe play-within-a-play is traditionally one of the highlights of the piece, but seems to lack some focus in this treatment. As films go, this is standard fare, technically speaking. In relation to other filmed versions of A Midsummer Night's Dream, however, few are more enjoyable. ~ Ryan Shriver, Rovi

An attempt to overthrow the President of the United States is the subject of this made-for-cable conspiracy-thriller. Forest Whitaker stars as Colonel Mackenzie Casey, a loyal member of President Foster's (Sam Waterston) inner circle. When Casey discovers a plot by his superior (Jason Robards) to stage a coup during military exercises, he teams up with Foster to thwart the plans before it's too late. The story was based on a novel by Charles W. Bailey and Fletcher Knebel, and Whitaker was nominated for a SAG Award for his lead performance. ~ Bernadette McCallion, Rovi

Part of the long-running British mystery series based on the stories by Colin Dexter, Inspector Morse: Twilight of the Gods first aired in the U.K. in 1993. Inspector Morse (John Thaw) and Sergeant Lewis (Kevin Whately) investigate the murder of a journalist who was reporting on the activities of millionaire Andrew Baydon (Robert Hardy). During the opening celebration of Baydon's new building at Oxford University, a sniper takes a shot at the gala's more distinguished guests. Opera singer Gwladys Probert (Sheila Gish) is injured, but Morse suspects she wasn't the sniper's intended target. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

An early, derivative effort from Charles Band's incredibly prolific direct-to-video outfit Full Moon Productions, this is an undercooked stew of a dozen horror plots, particularly Child's Play and Night of the Living Dead. A tough lady-cop (Tracy Scoggins) is forced to curtail her task of collaring a pair of sleazy gun-smugglers in an abandoned toy warehouse when the toys suddenly spring to life at the command of a murderous demon-child. While the policewoman tries vainly to organize the hapless humans trapped in the warehouse (pudgy rent-a-cop, transient, chicken delivery boy), the possessed playthings move in for the kill. The silly proceedings are helped along by whirlwind editing, the attractive, butt-kicking Scoggins, and a colorful assortment of monsters -- including a fanged jack-in-the-box, a laser-shooting robot, a ferocious teddy bear and the potty-mouthed "Baby Oopsy-Daisy." Though pretty slick overall, the entire exercise is flattened by the script's dreadful attempts at humor -- particularly from the demon himself, whose stupid Freddy Krueger-isms are like nails on a blackboard. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

In this actioner, young people become a crack team of elite commandos and head for Central America to save the life of a kidnapped American ambassador's daughter who happens to be a friend of theirs. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi