Orlando Wells Movies

A writer displays a troubling streak of opportunism in his personal and professional lives in this British drama. As the Falkland Islands war rages, journalist and aspiring historical writer James Penfield (Jonathan Pryce) is working on a book that will examine the 1965 Suez crisis in a manner compatible with the current political climate. James is also pursuing Susan Barrington (Charlie Dore), a documentary filmmaker whose mother Ann (Rosemary Harris) is a noted expert on the Suez crisis and an outspoken leftist. While James has assured his publisher that his book will take a conservative view, he tells Susan and Ann that he's a socialist and that his book will reflect that position as he attempts to glean information from them. James also sleeps with Ann as his relationship with Susan hits a rough patch, but he isn't especially forgiving when he discovers that Susan has had a fling with Jeremy Hancock (Tim Curry), a tabloid journalist who has worked with both of them. The Ploughman's Lunch includes a sequence where the characters attend the 1982 Conservative Party conference, which was shot at the actual event (and includes a speech Margaret Thatcher delivered to the assembled Tories). ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A movie made by and for children, out of the Children's Film Unit of Great Britain, this story revolves around the efforts to restart an abandoned school in the countryside. Some parents bought the large structure but cannot raise the money to turn it into a viable, working school. Enterprising youngsters and their friends consider this dilemma and come up with a novel solution. When an elderly Grandma wanders into the building to pick up some of her things (left there from her old job), she is captured and held for ransom in a chapel. Since Granny seems to be having a pretty good time -- at last life got interesting -- and since people seem pretty generous regarding that ransom demand, maybe school bells will ring in the autumn after all. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Chaos and quirk reign in this sweetly funny film set in Latvia. An American's arrival in the Baltic country coincides with the Summer Solstice of the year, and he would rather be anywhere else in the world. As he searches for his half-sister, he encounters a cab driver who gives him fondness for this strange country. Midsummer Madness stars Pulp Fiction's Maria de Medeiros and Amelie's Dominique Pinon. ~ Kimber Myers, Rovi