Matt King Movies
British film and television actor Matt King specialized in characterizations with a slightly wild, hyperkinetic bent, often to great comedic effect. A stand-up comedian by stock and trade, King initially emerged as a star in Britain as the nutty, crack-addled Super Hans, a multiseason turn on the irreverent English mockumentary sitcom Peep Show (2003). Its success spurred King on to greater heights, including extensive big screen work for such directors as Guy Ritchie (as a hooligan in that helmer's 2008 crime comedy RocknRolla) and Nicolas Winding Refn (in the same year's biopic of British criminal Charles Bronson, Bronson). Also in 2008, King signed on to work with Iain Softley in the big screen children's fantasy Inkheart (2009). Off camera, the comedian/actor sustained a reputation for his caustic wit and irreverent, occasionally profane jests. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
As produced by heavyweight Stephen Woolley (The Crying Game) and headlined by Sally Hawkins (Happy-Go-Lucky) and Bob Hoskins (The Long Good Friday), this period docudrama brings to life a pivotal event from British history. In 1968, women's rights took a broad leap forward when workers at the Ford Dagenham automobile plant -- buckling beneath deplorable working conditions rightly perceived as gender discrimination -- suddenly stormed out into the streets and began to strike in protest of the unfair treatment levied at them. Little could they have foreseen the ramifications that this courageous and noble act would engender in successive years. Christopher Smith directs. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sally Hawkins, Bob Hoskins, (more)
American law student Alice (Maggie Grace) is studying in London when she's run down by a black cab and transported to a strange and shady underworld. With time-obsessed cabbie Whitey (Danny Dyer) to help her navigate this sordid new reality, Alice soon realizes that her only hope for getting back home is to fight her way through the pimps, gangsters, and violent drug dealers who are tracking her every move. Can Alice turn the tables on her pursuers long enough to make a clean getaway, or is she doomed to spend all eternity on the run from the tyrannical crime kingpin who controls the entire city? Malice in Wonderland presents a dark and twisted take on author Lewis Carroll's timeless children's tale. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Maggie Grace, Danny Dyer, (more)
Author Cornelia Funke's best-selling children's novel comes to vivid life on the big screen with this family-friendly tale about a bookbinder whose storytelling skills possess the curious power to transport the characters he speaks about into the real world. When a nefarious villain from a bedtime story that the father is currently reading to his daughter emerges to kidnap the stunned storyteller, it's up to the young girl and her adventurous friends -- both real and imaginary -- to bring dad back home and close the book on the dreaded fiend once and for all. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Brendan Fraser, Paul Bettany, (more)
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels director Guy Ritchie heads back to the London underworld for this hyperkinetic crime comedy concerning a shady land deal that leaves every schemer in the city determined to get rich or die trying. When a Russian mobster orchestrates a lucrative real estate scam, every criminal in London wants a piece of the action. Greed is the universal language, and everyone from unrelenting crime boss Lenny Cole (Tom Wilkinson) to street-smart criminal One Two (Gerard Butler), corrupt accountant Stella (Thandie Newton), and unpredictable punk rocker Johnny Quid (Toby Kebbell) seem to speak it fluently. As the bullets start to fly and the double crosses multiply, there's no telling who will walk away with the fortune after the gun smoke has cleared. Jeremy Piven, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, and Quantum of Solace Bond girl Gemma Arterton co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, (more)
The notorious life of the U.K.'s "most violent prisoner" serves as the subject of Pusher Trilogy director Nicolas Winding Refn's brutal biopic. Born Michael Peterson but later renamed by his fight promoter, Charles Bronson's sole ambition in life was to become famous. Surmising that the fastest means of accomplishing his goal with such limited opportunities was to cultivate a stylized persona as a hardened criminal, the ambitious do-badder embraced a desperate existence of extreme savagery. But who is the real man behind the warped persona? Seeing as how 28 of Bronson's 34 years behind bars were spent in solitary confinement, that's a difficult question to answer. The terror of the legend comes to vivid life, however, as director Refn explores the twisted alternate reality created by Bronson, and highlights precisely how the controversial criminal staged himself within that anarchistic world. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- 2007
Writer-director Darren Fisher's innuendo-laden romantic comedy Popcorn unfurls entirely within the confines of a British multiplex known as "Moovieworld," where 19-year-old Danny (Jack Ryder) accepts a job with the intention of wooing and winning over usherette Suki (Jodi Albert) - little realizing that it is her last day at the theater. Faced with a very short amount of time in which to act, a desperate Danny cooks up a host of wild schemes designed to catch Suki's attention. He is assisted in his pursuits by fellow worker and consummate movie addict Zak (Luke de Woolfsoon) who vows to teach him the tricks of the trade as illustrated in various romantic movies. Meanwhile, theatrical manager Kris (Andrew-Lee Potts) learns of a "management plant" at the theater making a bundle by reselling old tickets, and decides to reel in the culprit, red-handed. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jack Ryder, Jodi Albert, (more)
- 2004
The miserable lives and lost loves of London roommates Mark (David Mitchell) and Jeremy (Robert Webb) are conveyed via sophisticated sound and camera techniques that allow viewers to literally get inside the heads of the two protagonists as the British sitcom Peep Show enters its second season. This year, Jeremy, aka "Jez" (Robert Webb), tries to juggle two girlfriends: his longtime dream girl, Toni (Elizabeth Marmur), and an American lass named Nancy (Rachel Blanchard) -- who, much to Jez's dismay, is "saving herself" until marriage. Meanwhile, Mark continues trying to persuade Sophie (Olivia Colman) that she'd be happier with him than with her usual beau, Geoff (Neil Fitzmaurice); to this end, Mark attempts to prove to Sophie that he's no dullard by squiring other girls, with a marked lack of success. Elsewhere, aspiring pop star Jez finally lands a job with a band, but not the job he'd like; and Jez's manipulative buddy Super Hans (Matt King) adds crack addiction to his ever-growing list of shortcomings. The season ends as Nancy proposes to Jez for strictly business reasons, while Mark takes advantage of Geoff's public humiliation to swoop down on the supposedly available Sophie. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- David Mitchell, Robert Webb, (more)
The first season of the bawdily hilarious British sitcom Peep Show uses advanced camera and sound techniques to provide a "p.o.v." squint at contemporary manners and mores, as conveyed through the eyes and the innermost thoughts of two twentysomething losers. Mark (David Mitchell) works at a dull job in a duller office, where he obsesses over his co-worker Sophie (Olivia Colman) -- who, alas, prefers the company of go-getter Geoff (Neil Fitzmaurice). Mark's roommate, Jeremy, aka "Jez" (Robert Webb), aspires to be a pop star (his band has already gone through several names, among them Hair Blair Bunch and Spunk Bubble), but lacks such qualities as ambition and drive. Jez' dream girl is Toni (Elizabeth Marmur), the divorcée who lives next door. In the course of the season's six episodes, a third party threatens to disrupt Mark and Jez' friendship, prompting Jez to briefly consider moving in with his manipulative musician buddy Super Hans (Matt King) -- who repays this "compliment" by bedding Toni; Mark manages to embarrass himself in full view of Sophie, Geoff, and half of South London when he gets stoned at the wrong time and wrong place; and finally, Mark finally gets Sophie to go out with him to a funeral, while in a related development Jez uses the imminent death of his uncle as an excuse to lay hands on Toni. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- David Mitchell, Robert Webb, (more)
Ken Russell's Lair of the White Worm uses Dracula author Bram Stoker's final novel as the basic springboard into a surreal and dark-humored tale concerning a bizarre cult and a series of sacrificial murders in honor of an ancient pagan god. When archeologist Angus Flint (Peter Capaladi) discovers the mysterious scull of an undiscovered beast, further investigation reveals a bizarre myth concerning a medieval knight slaying a fearsome dragon. Soon making the acquaintance of Lord James D'Ampton (Hugh Grant), the conquering knight's descendant, Flint begins to learn of local lore surrounding the creature and soon discovers that, throughout the years, many unexplained disappearances have haunted the local populace. With all trails leading back to the elegant mansion of mysterious recluse Lady Sylvia Marsh (Amanda Donohoe), Lord D'Ampton makes Marsh's acquaintance amidst growing speculation that the strangely seductive siren may have something to do with a rash of recent disappearances. As Flint and D'Ampton's stories begin to strangely intersect, a surreal and horrific journey into the lair of an ancient god may hold they key to an age-old mystery. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Amanda Donohoe, Hugh Grant, (more)
