David Haig Movies

A woman finds herself attempting to foil one office romance while debating if she should take a chance on another in this romantic comedy. Lucy Kelton (Sandra Bullock) is a top-flight attorney who has risen to the position of Chief Legal Counsel for one of New York's leading commercial real estate firms, the Wade Corporation. However, Lucy's job has one significant drawback -- George Wade (Hugh Grant), the eccentric and remarkably self-centered head of the firm. George seems entirely incapable of making a decision without Lucy's advice, whether it actually involves a legal matter or not, and while she's fond of George, being at his beck and call 24 hours a day has brought her to the end of her rope. In a moment of anger, Lucy gives her two weeks notice, and George reluctantly accepts, under one condition -- Lucy has to hire her own replacement. After extensive research, Lucy picks June Carter (Alicia Witt), a Harvard Law graduate determined to make a career for herself. Lucy soon begins to suspect, however, that June plans to hasten her rise up the corporate ladder by winning George's hand, leaving Lucy to wonder if she should warn George about his beautiful but calculating new attorney -- and whether she should tell George that she has finally realized she's in love with him. Two Weeks Notice was written and directed by Marc Lawrence, who had previously scripted two other box-office hits for Sandra Bullock: Miss Congeniality and Forces of Nature. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

After from escaping the clutches of his cruel master and making his way to a remote country railway station, a performing dog in Victorian England becomes a mascot for the local orphanage in this family friendly tale starring George Cole and Thomas Sangster. When the lonely but lovable pooch wanders on to a railway station on day, station porter Bob takes an immediate shine to the dog and names him Jim. Henry (Sangster) is a sad young boy from the local orphanage who longs for the train that will spirit him back to the long lost comforts of home. Though he never had anything to fight for in the past, Henry suddenly finds cause to stand up for himself and his fellow orphans when a malevolent businessman threatens to close the orphanage and steal their dog. To make matters worse, it seems that there's an assassin who's hatched a deadly plot to do away with the Queen. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Miraculously, the Gasforth soccer team makes it all the way to the semifinals. As a result, Inspector Raymond Fowler trains his staff to prepare for riots in the street. Neither the team nor Fowler could have picked a worse time for their individual "projects"; Mayoress Wickerham has launched a campaign to attract foreign investors to the community. "Come On You Blues" was first telecast on December 12, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Havoc reigns supreme when a BBC film crew elects to produce a documentary about the members of the Gasforth police squad. Not only do the filmmakers continually get in the way of due process, but their presence also sparks a vicious war of egos amongst the various inspectors and constables. No one is more starstruck than Inspector Raymond Fowler, whose camera-hogging must be seen to be believed. "Fly on the Wall" was originally shown on November 28, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Thin Blue Line launched its second season with the November 14, 1996, episode "Court in the Act." Inspector Raymond Walker of the Gasforth police squad faces a formidable new opponent in the form of the excessively politically correct Mayoress Wickerham (Lucy Robinson). Meanwhile, the rest of the officers are thoroughly confused by the station's new "time saving" electronic equipment. And while trying to help the CID trap a local drug dealer, Detective Inspector Grim is thwarted by one of his own men, Constable Kevin Goody (whose garish new uniform unexpectedly saves everyone's job!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Rowan Atkinson of Mr. Bean fame was the star of the BBC sitcom The Thin Blue Line. The setting was the tiny British town of Gasforth, where a squad of dedicated, but basically inept police officers held sway. Atkinson was cast as Inspector Raymond Fowler, whose self-absorption was matched by his clumsiness. Other members of the squad included Raymond's former live-in lover Sgt. Patricia Dawkins, chronically depressed Detective Inspector Grim, Constable Maggie Habib, and Constables Kevin Goody and Frank Gladstone. During the second season, two new characters were added to the mixture: Mayoress Wickerham, whose efforts at imposing "political correctness" at all costs only served to make bad situations worse, and CID Detective Boyle, whose efforts to work hand and glove with the squad usually resulted in botched arrests and public relations disasters. All of the episodes were directed by Atkinson's former Mr. Bean colleague John Birkin. Written and co-produced by Ben Elton, who admittedly patterned the program after the classic British comedy-ensemble series Dad's Army, The Thin Blue Line yielded 14 half-hour episodes between November 13, 1995, and December 23, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Though the traditional British "Rag Week" is hard to explain to American viewers, suffice to say that the annual ceremony involves elaborate pranks and practical jokes. On this particular Rag Week, the police officers at the Gasworth district house steel themselves for the usual onslaught of stunts and gags. As the other coppers contend with a recalcitrant telephone system, Inspector Fowler and Sgt. Patricia Dawkins get mixed up with a purportedly fake bank robbery. "Rag Week" was first shown on December 4, 1995. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Gasworth police squad faces a new onslaught of crises large and small in this episode written by series creator Ben Elton. WPC Maggie Habib develops a crush on a local fireman, only to find out that the object of her affections is more interested in Constable Kevin Goody! At the same time, Detective Inspector Grim does his best -- which is none too good -- to crack a case involving drug dealers. As for Inspector Raymond Fowler, he has his hands full with an inveterate practical joker. "Fire and Terror" first aired on November 20, 1995. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Advertised as a Christmas special when it originally aired on December 26, 1995, "Yuletide Spirit" was actually the final first season episode of the British sitcom The Thin Blue Line. Everyone at the Gasforth police station suffers when a disgruntled Inspector Raymond Fowler loses the starring role in an amateur Christmas pantomime. Worse is to come, as the station is transformed into a makeshift maternity ward for a homeless couple. Meanwhile, in keeping with the tenor of the season, Detective Inspector Grim and Detective Constable Kray chase down a gang of crooked carolers! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This acclaimed British comedy centers on the intermittent romance between a charming (if slightly bumbling) Englishman and a beautiful American woman, who seem to always run into each other at weddings. Indeed, it is at the first of the title's four weddings that Charles (Hugh Grant) and Carrie (Andie McDowell) meet, enjoying a brief but fleeting connection. The spark is rekindled several months later, when they unexpectedly meet at another wedding. Unfortunately, however, Carrie has become engaged to another, a fact that complicates matters for them both. The story may seem simple, but the film is elevated by screenwriter Richard Curtis' ear for witty dialogue and a colorful supporting cast. Director Mike Newell's sympathetic attention to character keeps the proceedings believable, and prevents the film's more serious moments from seeming mawkish. These elements, along with Grant's star-making performance as Charles, helped the film achieve unexpected international success, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide

Adapted from the autobiographical novel by Nigel Nicolson, the four-part British miniseries Portrait of a Marriage was inspired by the marriage of convenience between Nicolson's parents, historian Harold Nicolson and novelist Vita Sackville-West (Janet McTeer). Although the elder Nicolson was homosexual, his wife Vita was not only forgiving, but also obliging when he strayed from home and hearth to pursue partners of his own gender. After all, Vita was herself embroiled in a torrid -- and ultimately tragic -- affair with one Violet Keppel (Cathryn Harrison). The winner of a BAFTA award for Best Costume Design (Dinah Collin), Portrait of a Marriage was telecast in Britain and New Zealand in 1990, and in the United States two years later. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This depressing children's film may not meet good technical standards, and the acting is amateur, but then it is a product of the Children's Film Unit of Great Britain, funded to encourage children to create movies. The setting for this post-nuclear holocaust story is a bucolic valley where children till the soil because the adults are all dying off. Young Aron (Rory Macfarquhar) is curious enough about the unknown past to brave travel beyond the confines of his village, and what he discovers, as he meets his deformed sister for the first time, is that materialistic greed was the root cause of a disaster that no child can fully comprehend. Gloomy and foreboding, this is a surprisingly somber look at the future. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide