Andy Serkis Movies
Andy Serkis always wanted a future in entertainment. Growing up in Ruslip Manor, England, he visualized himself working behind the scenes in production. Today, he is an impressive British character actor with over 50 stage, television, and film credits, distinguished performances on both Masterpiece Theatre and Mystery!, and a highly coveted role in Peter Jackson's three-part adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy.Serkis began his acting career in theater. He has appeared on almost every renowned British stage -- the Royal Court, the Royal Exchange Manchester, the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Hull Truck, Dukes Lancaster, the Nuffield Studio, and Donmar Warehouse -- and in a host of popular plays. His resumé includes performances in King Lear, Othello, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Macbeth, Faust, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, and a star-studded production of Hurly Burly with Kelly MacDonald, Elizabeth McGovern, Rupert Graves, and Stephen Dillane.
The actor has fashioned a television career as prolific as his stage work. In 1987, Serkis made his small-screen debut in two episodes of the Rik Mayall vehicle The New Statesman. He then signed on as Sparky Plugs in the BBC series Morris Minor's Marvelous Motors (1989), a comedy about eccentric mechanics that specialize in fixing a type of car that no one in town owns. The next decade saw Serkis acting in several of Britain's heralded miniseries. In 1994, he appeared in the murder-mystery Finney. In 1996, he played Sergeant Corrigan in a television adaptation of Agatha Christie's The Pale Horse. In 1999, he starred in the Mystery! production Touching Evil as a grief counselor who tends to the husbands of women murdered by a brutal serial killer. In 2000, Masterpiece Theatre opened its 30th season with an adaptation of Oliver Twist that featured Serkis as Charles Dickens' terrifying loose cannon, Bill Sykes. That same year, the actor joined the international cast of Hallmark Hall of Fame's Arabian Nights, which included Dougray Scott, Mili Avital, and Rufus Sewell.
In between juggling theater and television work, Serkis made his feature-film debut in the thriller Grushko (1993). His big-screen performances include a part in Mike Leigh's Career Girls (1997), a memorable turn as a wacky choreographer in the director's Topsy Turvy (1999), and the portrayal of 18th century English poet John Thelwall in Julian Temple's raucous Pandaemonium (2000). Serkis' most demanding role, however, did not require him to appear onscreen. Serkis supplied the voice and movement for the computer-animated creature Gollum in all three installments of Peter Jackson's trilogy The Lord of the Rings -- The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Two Towers (2002), and The Return of the King (2003). The slithery Gollum, once a naïve hobbit, is driven mad by the force of the ring and displays emotions that range from childlike to menacing. Though Gollum only lurks in the background in the first film, he is of major importance to the rest of the trilogy. Serkis worked closely with technicians from Weta Workshop and Digital to produce an empathetic and palpable representation of Tolkien's character. He performed in a suit covered in reflectors that were tracked by a computer-driven camera. Animation was then superimposed over his movement, producing one of the most realistic computer-generated images in modern cinema.
After completing The Lord of the Rings, Serkis quickly returned to the London stage. In the summer of 2001, he starred with Sinead Cusack and Catherine McCormack in the U.K. production of Sam Shepard's A Lie of the Mind at the Donmar Warehouse. The play was one of the last productions overseen by the Donmar's former artistic director, Oscar winner Sam Mendes. The actor also began filming a WWI film with Billy Elliot's Jamie Bell, and wrote and directed his first short film, Snake. Besides starring his Hurly Burly co-star, Rupert Graves, Snake features Serkis' longtime partner, actress Lorraine Ashbourne. The couple has two children, Sonny and Ruby. ~ Aubry Anne D'Arminio, All Movie Guide
First-time feature filmmaker Jim Threapleton takes inspiration from the case of a Canadian citizen who was imprisoned and tortured in Syria for an entire year to tell this tale of a man who is abducted on the streets of London and placed into a nightmare world of seemingly endless solitary confinement. Zaafir Ahmadi (Omar Berdouni) is a UK citizen of Moroccan descent. One day, after being confronted by authorities in a local warehouse, Zaafir is approached on the street by an intimidating gang of thugs. Before he knows what has happened Zaafir has been drugged, transported to an unknown destination, and placed in a sea container for holding. Now alone in a world where nothing is as it seems, the frightened prisoner soon finds his thoughts drifting back to the days spent with his beautiful wife Ewa (Ania Sowinski) and teaching college courses on democracy and the origins of terrorism. But this is only the beginning of Zaafir's suffering, because upon arriving in an unspecified Mideast country he is interrogated by the vicious Maro (Andy Serkis), who accuses the prisoner of providing financial aid to radical Islam. Subsequently tortured in hopes that he will provide a confession, Zaafir is eventually released back onto the London streets, but remains so scarred by his experience that he cannot even communicate with his sympathetic wife. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Omar Berdouni, Andy Serkis, (more)
A jazz musician who once turned his back on the family business finds that cutting one's ties to the past may not be as simple as walking away in this U.K.crime drama starring David Morrissey and Andy Serkis. Stephen Finne (Morrissey) comes from a long line of career criminals, but despite the fact that violence runs in his blood, all Stephen ever wanted was to open his own jazz club. Years after Stephen thought he had escaped this sordid underworld, he receives news that his father has been murdered. Now, as his sister screams for vengeance and his psychotic brother (Serkis) targets a rival gang boss, Stephen realizes that his fate has been sealed for generations. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Morrissey, Andy Serkis, (more)
Screenwriter Andrew Davies' adapts Charles Dickens' tale of struggle and hardship in 1820s London. Returning to England after many years abroad, Arthur Clennam (Matthew Macfadyen) sees a sparkle in the eye of diminutive young seamstress Amy Dorrit (Claire Foy). But "Little Dorrit" works for his mother, and in digging for the truth about the mysterious girl he winds up at Marshalsea Debtors Prison. There, he discovers that the specter of debt follows the object of his affections like an oppressive shadow. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Courtenay, Matthew MacFadyen, (more)
Academy-award-winning actor Jim Broadbent portrays controversial British campaigner Lord Longford in this biopic that details the former government minister and then-House of Lords leader's notorious encounter with infamous Moors Murderer Myra Hindley (Samantha Morton). A lifelong Christian who approaches every person he meets with the goodness and innocence of a child, Frank Packenham (aka Lord Longford) receives a letter from convicted child killer Myra Hindley requesting that he drop by her prison cell for a visit. Despite the vehement disapproval of his wife, Longford casually accepts the invitation and forms an unexpected bond with the woman due in large to their mutual Catholic upbringing. When his established notions about Hindley are challenged during a subsequent visit with her demonically manipulative partner-in-crime Ian Brady (Andy Serkis), the humble social campaigner finds his faith put to the ultimate test as public outcry mounts as a direct result of his meeting with the despised couple. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jim Broadbent, Samantha Morton, (more)
- 1997
Jez Butterworth directed this adaptation of his own play about the 1958 rock scene in London's Soho. Silver Johnny (Hans Matheson) performs at the Atlantic Club where he catches the eye of big-shot Sam Ross (Harold Pinter). Ross invites Johnny and Johnny's manager Ezra (Ricky Tomlinson) for a meeting to discuss Johnny's jump to a bigger plateau. Skinny (Ewan Bremner), a member of Johnny's group, discovers Ezra sawed in half, and Ezra's associate Mickey (Ian Hart) announces that Ross intends to take over the Atlantic Club, setting the stage for major power struggles. Shown at the 1997 Venice Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ian Hart, Ewen Bremner, (more)
This 2000 television adaptation of Charles Dickens' Victorian classic was originally released as a six-hour, three-part miniseries on PBS. Adapted by Alan Bleasdale, this version of Oliver Twist gives viewers a new look at an old story, waiting 90 minutes to even introduce its eponymous hero (played by Sam Smith), and taking pains to establish the background of Oliver's parents, good-hearted Agnes Fleming (Sophia Myles) and all-around coward Edwin Leeford (Tim Dutton). All of the resolutely Dickensian touches are here, from greedy relatives to secret wills, to stolen lockets containing valuable information, and all are ably brought to life by a talented cast that includes Julie Walters as Mrs. Mann, Michael Kitchen as Mr. Brownlow, Lindsay Duncan as Elizabeth Leeford, Marc Warren as Monks, and Robert Lindsay as Fagin. As an added bonus, the miniseries' score, by Paul Pritchard, contains additional music by none other than Elvis Costello. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sam Smith, David Ross, (more)
Explore the influence of author J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings on modern popular culture in this revealing documentary narrated by Lord of the Rings star Dominic Monaghan. For over fifty-years fans of Tolkien's literary masterpiece have bonded over tales of brave hobbits and evil wizards, and with the release of Peter Jackson's awe-inspiring Lord of the Rings trilogy, even fans who had previously claimed a film could never do the book justice sat in stunned silence when the final credits of Lord of the Rings: Return of the King rolled. So sit back, kick up your feet, and take an intimate look at the die-hard fans affectionately known as "Ringers" and the worldwide community they have built on the foundation of one of fantasy fiction's most beloved titles. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1996
The film begins in a London park where a teenage girl wearing pig tails, a short, childish skirt and carrying an ice cream cone sits upon a bench beside an older man and promptly performs a sexual act for him. The girl is Stella and the "stranger" is her pimp, Mr. Peters. As harsh as it is bittersweet, this drama follows Stella as she struggles to escape her grim life as a prostitute. As she fights for her freedom, Stella's childhood in Glasgow unfolds via flashback. Also blending into her stories are her many youthful fantasies and hopeful daydreams. Stella makes the decision to escape after one of her friends is badly beaten by gang leader Fitz. She takes with her the drug-addicted Eddie, a member of Fitz's gang, but Peters does not let her off so easily and has her gang raped by his own henchmen as a sort of parting shot. Stella and Eddie return to Glasgow where she vows to get revenge upon the family members whose lack of caring led her to run away. She then settles down for a better life, only to find herself forced to again face her recent past when Peters suddenly shows up. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kelly MacDonald, Ewan Stewart, (more)
Actor-turned-director Gary Love makes his feature debut with this screen adaptation of co-screenwriter Dominic Leyton's acclaimed stage production Collision. Tom (Steven Mackintosh) is a middle class city boy who is currently scouring the back streets of London in search of an elusive and unnamed object. When Tom comes into contact with desperate young crack addict D (Ashley Walters), it looks as if he may have finally found what he's been looking for. Now, with time running out for Tom and D and psychotic local crime-lord Hoodwink (Andy Serkis) quickly closing in, the pair enter into a deadly game of cat and mouse that finds their mysterious goals gradually coming into focus as their hope to see another day glows ever more dim. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ashley Walters, Steven Mackintosh, (more)
- 1998
Stephen Bradley made his directorial debut with this Irish drama in which circus performer Sweety Barrett (Brendan Gleeson) loses his job swallowing objects and is hired by bootlegger Flick Hennessy (Tony Rohr) to do odd jobs in the port town of Dockery where the slow-witted Sweety meets Anne King (Lynda Steadman) and her six-year-old son Conor (Dylan Murphy). Anne's husband Leo (Andy Serkis) has been framed by deranged police chief Mannix Bone (Liam Cunningham), who often beats up various townsfolk whenever the psychopathic inspiration hits him. Bone has also forced Flick to cut him in on the whisky-running profits. Released from jail, Leo plots revenge, and violence erupts. Shown at the 1998 Toronto Film Festival and the 1998 San Sebastian Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brendan Gleeson, Liam Cunningham, (more)
- 2011
DreamWorks presents this computer-animated motion-capture adaptation of Georges Remi's beloved Tintin comic strip in this first installment of a planned trilogy. Steven Spielberg handles direction duties on the initial film, which is set to be followed by a second film helmed by Peter Jackson, who shares producing duties on the films along with Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy. Jamie Bell provides the voice of Tintin, with Daniel Craig, Andy Serkis, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Toby Jones heading up the rest of the cast. Edgar Wright, Joe Cornish, and Steven Moffat provide the screenplay. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jamie Bell, Daniel Craig, (more)
Scottish filmmaker Gillies MacKinnon directs the revenge thriller The Escapist. Escaped convict Ricky Barnes (Andy Serkis, Gollom in the Lord of the Rings trilogy) breaks into the house of commercial pilot Denis (Jonny Lee Miller) and kills his pregnant wife, Valerie (Paloma Baeza). The baby survives but Denis is too distraught to care for it, so relative Christine (Jodhi May) steps in to take over the parenting duties. Denis then stages an elaborate plan of revenge by faking his own death and turning into a criminal. After being caught and convicted, he makes several failed attempts at escaping prison in an effort to mimic his enemy, Ricky. Denis is taken to increasingly higher security prisons until he is at the same one as Ricky, leading to a violent conclusion. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jonny Lee Miller, Andy Serkis, (more)
Wedding bells break up the old gang -- and one of the gang members isn't the least bit happy about it -- in this British comedy-drama. A bunch of London drinking buddies call themselves the "Jolly Boys," and devote most of their spare time to swilling beer, goofing off, and generally pursuing unambitious good times. But one day, Spider (Andy Serkis), the group's de facto leader, announces he's decided to marry his girlfriend Annie (Rebecca Craig) -- and what's more, he's even vying for a promotion at work. Des (Milo Twomey), his best friend, agrees to be his best man; he also gets a camcorder so he can make a video about the club's exploits before matrimony lures Spider away. But then Vinnie (Sacha Baron Cohen) decides to follow Spider's example, proposing to his girlfriend Tina (Jo Martin), and Des starts wondering if he's documenting Spider's last days of bachelor freedom or the beginning of the end of the Jolly Boys. The Jolly Boys' Last Stand was shot on digital video, and later transferred to film for theatrical release in the United Kingdom. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andy Serkis
Agatha Christie's super sleuth Mark Easterbrook gets involved with a trio of contemporary witches while looking into the death of a priest. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Colin Buchanan, Jayne Ashbourne, (more)
This digital-video biopic uses the life of journalist, record mogul and club owner Tony Wilson to frame the story of the Manchester, England, music scene from the heyday of punk through the late-'80s "Madchester" era. As the founder of staunchly independent Factory Records, Wilson (Steve Coogan) shepherded the careers of doomed post-punk combo Joy Division, synth-pop superstars New Order and hedonistic louts the Happy Mondays. Along the way, he helped bring rave culture to Britain under the aegis of the legendary Hacienda nightclub. 24 Hour Party People follows Wilson from his conversion to punk at a seminal Sex Pistols concert through the suicide of Joy Division singer Ian Curtis, the overwhelming success of New Order and the eventual dissolution of the Factory empire thanks to bad business decisions, underworld ties and the hedonistic excess of the Happy Mondays. Directed by Michael Winterbottom and written by frequent collaborator Frank Cottrell Boyce, 24 Hour Party People features cameos from a large number of Manchester music luminaries. The supporting cast includes Shirley Henderson and John Simm, both of whom appeared in Winterbottom's Wonderland, while the film's title comes from a Happy Mondays song. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steve Coogan, Shirley Henderson, (more)
- 1998
- R
Simon Beaufoy, of The Full Monty, scripted this British romantic comedy-drama. Like The Full Monty, this is also set among the working class of Sheffield, England. With his pal Steve (James Thornton) and others, Ray (Pete Postlethwaite) paints electrical pylons across the Yorkshire countryside, and that work separates him from his wife. When young Australian hitchhiker Gerry (Rachel Griffiths) wants to join the paint crew, Ray signs her up. Despite the age gap, it's not long before they're a twosome. Gerry moves in with Ray, and at one point, they both run about nude in an abandoned nuclear power plant. When Gerry decides to seduce Steve, triangular tensions escalate. The BBC's Sam Miller made his feature directorial debut with this film, shown at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pete Postlethwaite, Alan Williams, (more)
Mike Leigh's first film after his international success Secrets and Lies was this comedy-drama about two former college roommates spending a weekend together -- the first time they've seen each other in six years. As teenagers, Annie (Lynda Steadman) was painfully shy, terribly nervous (so much so that it manifested itself in a severe facial rash) and in desperate need of self-esteem. Hannah (Katrin Cartlidge), on the other hand, had strong opinions about everything and a habit of blurting them out regardless of the hurt they would inflict upon others. Years later, Annie has gained a certain confidence and poise (and her face has cleared up), but she's yet to learn how to relax, while Hannah is still incapable of letting a quiet moment speak for itself. As they spend the weekend hunting for apartments (Annie's looking for a new place to live), they're constantly reminded of their past together -- how far they've come, and how far they still have to go. Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who won acclaim for her role as the daughter given up for adoption in Secrets and Lies, co-wrote the musical score for this film. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Katrin Cartlidge, Lynda Steadman, (more)
Lost deep in the enemy territory of the western front during World War I, allied soldier Private Charles Shakespeare (Jamie Bell) and eight other British soldiers from the Y Company seek refuge in maze of an abadoned German trench. Winding through the twisting tunnels through piles of corpses and hungry rats, the exhausted soldiers decide to hold thier position and await a rescue team. As the soldiers begin to fall prey to an unseen force, one by one thier numbers dwindle and thier suspicions of one another grow. A young soldier who illegally entered the armed forces at the tender age of sixteen, Private Shakespeare must now summon the courage to face an evil greater than he could ever imagine. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jamie Bell, Ruaidhri Conroy, (more)
A minor-league criminal suddenly finds himself in deep trouble in this thriller. Billy "Shiner" Simpson (Michael Caine) is a man who has spent much of his life making a living by skirting the law, but he thinks he may finally have a legitimate path to the big time managing his son Eddie (Matthew Marsden), an up-and-coming boxer nicknamed "Golden Boy." Eddie is set to fight an American champion in a prizefight, and Billy is convinced Eddie can't lose. Even after Billy's daughter Georgie (Frances Barber) tips off the cops that he has been staging illegal underground brawls, Billy is able to convince the police not to arrest him until after Eddie's big bout. But Eddie loses in the second round, and Billy flees the arena with his son in tow. Billy and Eddie are followed by a gunman who shoots and kills the young fighter, and a distraught Billy becomes convinced someone got to Eddie and forced him to take a dive. As Billy tries to avoid both the law and the bookies with money on Eddie, he challenges a number of people he believes might know what really happened, including Eddie's coach Vic (Gary Lewis), the down-on-his-luck American promoter Frank Speeding (Martin Landau), Mel (Andy Serkis), one of Billy's henchmen (who can't say where he was when Eddie was killed), and Georgie and her husband. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Caine, Martin Landau, (more)
A criminal scheme gone wrong is just the start of a string of life-threatening bad luck in this darkly comic thriller. David (Andy Serkis) and Peter (Reece Shearsmith) are a pair of second-rate criminals who are eager to make a big score and think they've come up with the formula for a perfect crime. David works for a wealthy local businessman named Arnie who dotes on his teenaged stepdaughter Tracey (Jennifer Ellison), and so with the help of Arnie's slacker son Andrew (Steven O'Donnell), he and Peter kidnap the girl and demand a hefty ransom for her safe return. But Tracey puts up far more of a fight than David and Peter ever expected, and when Andrew picks up the ransom only to discover they've been given a decoy instead of cash, the would-be kidnappers have no clue what to do next. But this problem seems like small potatoes when the owner of the seemingly abandoned cottage where they're holed up unexpectedly returns -- he turns out to be a hideously deformed lunatic with a murderous temper and a bitter hatred of trespassers. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andy Serkis, Reece Shearsmith, (more)
Thirteen-year-old Jenna (Shana Dowdeswell) has had enough with the trials of adolescence. In addition to being saddled with a devoted-but-nerdy best friend, Matt (Sean Marquette), she falls victim to one of the dangers of playing Seven Minutes in Heaven with the coolest kids in school: being stranded without a willing make-out partner. Humiliated, Jenna buries herself in the aformentioned make-out closet, wishing she could skip the whole adolescence bit and move straight into adulthood, and miraculously wakes just weeks away from her 30th birthday. Of course, a lot has changed since going to bed the night before, not the least of which being an impressive set of womanly curves. The new, older Jenna (Jennifer Garner) is a successful magazine editor with friends in high places and a lion's share of potential suitors -- including a hockey-playing boyfriend and a swarthy married man. The problem is that her mind hasn't matured with her body; Jenna not only finds living on her own more terrifying than cool, but is quick to dismiss any male over the age of 14 as "gross." Half excited, half mortified, Jenna seeks out Matt (Mark Ruffalo), whom she learns she had spurned as a teenager in an effort to join the popular crowd. Gary Winick directed, from a script by Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa; Gina Matthews produced. Choreographer Michael Peters - who died in 1994 - received posthumous credit, as his choreography from the Michael Jackson Thriller video is used in one scene. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jennifer Garner, Mark Ruffalo, (more)
One of the greatest adventure stories in Hollywood history gets a new interpretation in this action drama from Academy Award-winning director Peter Jackson. In the early 1930's, Carl Denham (Jack Black) is a daring filmmaker and adventurer who has gained a reputation for his pictures documenting wildlife in remote and dangerous jungle lands; despite the objections of his backers, Denham plans to film his next project aboard an ocean vessel en route to Skull Island, an uncharted island he discovered on a rare map. Correctly assuming his cast and crew would be wary of such a journey, Denham has told them they're traveling to Singapore, but before they set sail, his leading lady drops out of the project. Needing a beautiful actress willing to take a risk, Denham finds Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts), a beautiful but down-on-her-luck vaudeville performer and offers her the role; cautious but eager to work, Darrow takes the role, and onboard the ship she strikes up a romance with Jack Driscoll (Adrian Brody), a respected playwright hired by Denham to write the script for his latest epic. When Denham and Company arrive on Skull Island, the natives react with savage violence, but they happen to be the least of their worries. Skull Island is a sanctuary for prehistoric life, and lording it over the dinosaurs and other giant beasts is Kong, a twenty-five-foot-tall gorilla who can outfight any creature on Earth. The natives kidnap Darrow, giving her to Kong as an offering to appease the giant beast; Denham and his men set out to find her, with Driscoll bravely determined to save the woman he loves. Eventually, Driscoll finds Darrow and Denham outwits Kong, intending to take the giant ape back to New York for display. But Kong has bonded with Darrow, and his attraction to her proves to be his undoing. Andy Sirkis, who provided the body movements for Gollum in Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings pictures, performed similar duties on King Kong, studying gorillas so he could mimic their actions, which were then used as the basis for the special effects crew's digital animation of the great ape. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Naomi Watts, Jack Black, (more)
- 2000
- PG13
The troubled friendship and occasional rivalry between two of England's greatest poets, Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth, is explored in an unorthodox light in this historical drama from renegade director Julian Temple. As Coleridge (Linus Roache), Wordsworth (John Hannah), and Lord Byron (Guy Lankester) await the news of who will be Great Britain's new poet laureate in 1816, Coleridge finds himself thinking back to 1795, when he and Wordsworth were two struggling writers involved in radical politics. Embracing the ideal of an agrarian society, Coleridge moves to the country, accompanied by his wife Sarah (Samantha Morton) and their infant son. Wordsworth soon follows, joined by his often argumentative sister Dorothy (Emily Woof). However, the two writers discover the hard work of maintaining a farm is not as conducive to their literary endeavors as they might have imagined, despite taking most available opportunities to shock the local bourgeoisie. It's not until Coleridge discovers laudanum (a tincture of alcohol and opium) that he finds the inspiration to create his first masterpiece, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Wordsworth soon finds his friend's fame is far surpassing his own, which brings an uncomfortable jealousy into their relationship; Coleridge, meanwhile, has developed a dangerous fondness for opium, which threatens to drown the creative spirit that it once sparked within him. Pandaemonium received its North American premiere at the 2000 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Linus Roache, John Hannah, (more)
- 2001
- PG13
- Add The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring to QueueAdd The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring to top of Queue
New Zealand filmmaker Peter Jackson fulfills his lifelong dream of transforming author J.R.R. Tolkien's best-selling fantasy epic into a three-part motion picture that begins with this holiday 2001 release. Elijah Wood stars as Frodo Baggins, a Hobbit resident of the medieval "Middle-earth" who discovers that a ring bequeathed to him by beloved relative and benefactor Bilbo (Ian Holm) is in fact the "One Ring," a device that will allow its master to manipulate dark powers and enslave the world. Frodo is charged by the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) to return the ring to Mount Doom, the evil site where it was forged millennia ago and the only place where it can be destroyed. Accompanying Frodo is a fellowship of eight others: his Hobbit friends Sam (Sean Astin), Merry (Dominic Monaghan), and Pippin (Billy Boyd); plus Gandalf; the human warriors Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) and Boromir (Sean Bean); Elf archer Legolas (Orlando Bloom); and Dwarf soldier Gimli (John Rhys-Davies). The band's odyssey to the dreaded land of Mordor, where Mount Doom lies, takes them through the Elfish domain of Rivendell and the forest of Lothlorien, where they receive aid and comfort from the Elf princess Arwen (Liv Tyler), her father, Elrond (Hugo Weaving), and Queen Galadriel (Cate Blanchett). In pursuit of the travelers and their ring are Saruman (Christopher Lee) -- a traitorous wizard and kin, of sorts, to Gandalf -- and the Dark Riders, under the control of the evil, mysterious Sauron (Sala Baker). The Fellowship must also do battle with a troll, flying spies, Orcs, and other deadly obstacles both natural and otherwise as they draw closer to Mordor. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) was filmed in Jackson's native New Zealand, closely followed by its pair of sequels, The Two Towers (2002) and The Return of the King (2003). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, (more)
