John Thomson Movies

The fifth and final season of the British "dramedy" Cold Feet was originally telecast between February 23 and March 16, 2003, yielding four 90-minute episodes. The three couples that seemed to be so happy at the outset of the season have all broken up. Fay Ripley briefly returns to the role of Jenny, ex-wife of Adam (James Nesbitt), who since his divorce has undergone an even briefer marriage to Jo Ellison (Kimberly Joseph). Likewise separated are David and Karen Marsden (Robert Bathurst, Hermione Norris), thanks largely to David's affair with Robyn Duff (Lucy Robinson). And after a brief period of optimism and contentment, live-in couple Adam Williams (James Nesbitt) and Rachel Bradley (Helen Baxendale) have been torn apart by the simple iniquities of everyday life. ~ All Movie Guide

Season three of the British "dramedy" Cold Feet was originally telecast between November 12 and December 31, 2000. In this season's eight episodes, married couple David (Robert Bathurst) and Karen (Hermione Norris) discover that becoming parents again (this time it's twins) has not done much to improve their relationship; young marrieds Pete (John Thomson) and Jenny (Fay Ripley) wonder if their love is strong enough to survive Peter's adultery; and the romance of live-in couple Adam (James Nesbitt) and Rachel (Helen Baxendale) is rapidly deteriorating as well. A major bone of contention during the third season is the presence of Karen's alcoholic mother (Mel Martin), who has insisted upon moving in to help with the babies. This is the final season in which co-star Fay Ripley appears on a regular basis. ~ All Movie Guide

Season two of the British "dramedy" Cold Feet was originally telecast between September 26 and October 31, 1999. In this season's six episodes, young live-in lovers Adam (James Nesbitt) and Rachel (Helen Baxendale) toy with the notion of dating other people; new parents Peter (John Thomson) and Jenny (Fay Ripley) start questioning the stability of their marriage; and older married couple David (Robert Bathurst) and Karen (Hermione Norris) undertake a variety of methods to keep their union intact. The principal complication during the series' second season is Peter's brief fling with a young woman named Amy (Rosie Cavaliero). ~ All Movie Guide

John Godber scripted and made his directorial debut with this adaptation of his 1984 play about an amateur rugby team. Decorator and ex-Rugby League player Arthur (Gary Olsen) accepts a high-stakes bet from Reg Welch (Tony Slattery), manager of the tough Cobbler Arms team. Arthur must train a team to beat the Cobbler Arms, and he chooses the weak Wheatsheaf Arms losers, a motley crew who would rather quaff at the local pub. They're uncooperative -- until Arthur introduces them to their new fitness instructor, attractive gym-owner Hazel (Samantha Janus of the Game On comedy series). The training sessions get underway, with Arthur keeping his big bet a secret from all concerned. Set in West Yorkshire, the film was actually shot in Cardiff, Wales. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

This British comedy anthology consisted of four short plays, each written by and starring Lee Evans in the zany tradition of Rowan Atkinson's Mr. Bean. The playlets placed Evans in a variety of universally recognizable situations, enabling him to gracefully (?) segue into visual and verbal slapstick. The first episode, telecast June 2, 1995, consisted of two 15-minute sketches: "The Late Shift" and "Meet the Folks." The remaining installments of The World of Lee Evans were made up of three half-hour plays: "Off the Rails," "One Late Night," and "Mr. Confidence." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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

Based on the true story of Graham Young, a young British psychopath of the 1970s, this is the offbeat feature film debut of writer-director Benjamin Ross. Hugh O'Conor plays Young, who narrates the story in a sullen voice-over. He is an isolated, studious young adolescent who is increasingly absorbed in his chemical research projects and estranged from his annoying family. After his greatest experiment blows up, he seeks revenge on his stepmother, who has falsely accused him of hiding pornographic magazines. The boy poisons her chocolates and then his sister's eye drops, partially blinding her. He next poisons his stepmother's stomach medicine. Graham lets her discover the notebook in which he has documented his work, but she can no longer speak, and she dies unable to communicate the truth. Young then starts to poison his father -- but lets himself be discovered and is sent to an insane asylum. There, he is befriended by a psychologist, Dr. Ziegler (Anthony Sher), an optimist who hopes for a recovery by exploring Young's dreams. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide

Jon Amiel directed this satire on mistaken-identity thrillers and the spy genre, scripted by Robert Farrar, Tim John, and Oliver Butcher from Farrar's unpublished novel, Watch That Man. In the female lead, Joanne Whalley returned to films after a three-year absence, choosing to do so with director Amiel. Farrar's Hitchcockian-style story focuses on naive Blockbuster Video clerk Wallace Ritchie (Bill Murray) who travels from Des Moines, Iowa, to London to celebrate his birthday with his wealthy younger brother, James (Peter Gallagher). When he turns up on the same night that James has plans to attend a high-profile client dinner party (that he hopes will bring him millions from a German investment firm), James needs to keep Wallace away during the evening, so he gives Wallace a ticket to the participatory Theater of Life. The theater game requires Wallace to assume a character and interact with actors portraying people in dramatic situations.

At the corner phone booth, the initial call should begin the evening of innocent fun. However, the phone instructions Wallace receives are actually intended for an assassin, part of a scheme to end the current UK regime and revive the Cold War. The real assassin gets the call from the Theater of Life. Blissfully unaware, Wallace walks without fear into a complex web of intrigue involving defense ministers, call girls, and Russian hitmen. For Wallace, all the world's a stage, and he's amazed at the skill of the actors, including beautiful enigmatic Lori (Joanne Whalley) -- while Wallace's pursuers are mystified by their adversary's fearlessness in the face of threats, torture and bullets. Farrar got the idea for this comedy from a chance remark at a party: "The inspiration came from a dinner party, when somebody told me about these strange live theater performances which were all the rage in England in the '80s. The idea was to telephone for instructions if you wanted to take part. My immediate reaction was, 'Wouldn't it be fabulous if somebody got the wrong number, and it all went hopelessly wrong?'" Filming took place in London's East End (Three Mills Studios), at a variety of London locations, and just outside London at the Elstree Film Studios. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide