Charles Cork Movies

A football fan tries to reconcile his obsessive love of the game with his job, his romantic relationships, and his life in general in this comedy/drama. Since he was a child in North London, Paul Ashworth (Colin Firth) has been a loyal fan of the Arsenal football team; he attended many a match with his father as a child, especially after his parents divorced, and Arsenal's annual season is one of the few emotional anchors in his life. Now in his mid-30s, Paul teaches English at a state-run school and has become involved with Sarah (Ruth Gemmell), a fellow member of the school staff. While she's pretty, bright, and in nearly all ways a good catch, Sarah doesn't care for football. This lack of interest unfortunately shows itself at a time when Arsenal seems poised to win their first championship in 18 years, and Paul hopes to buy a house near their stadium to make it easier to attend home games. When Sarah becomes pregnant and the long-term stability of their relationship becomes a crucial issue, she forces Paul to decide what he loves more: Sarah and their baby, or Arsenal? For Paul, the answer isn't as simple as one might imagine, as he weighs the joys and responsibilities of adulthood against the passionate enthusiasm that sustained him through his youth. Fever Pitch was based on the semi-autobiographical book by Nick Hornby, who has a cameo as a football coach. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

In "The Resident Patient," an episode of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (an excellent adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and produced in Britain for Granada TV), Sherlock Holmes (Jeremy Brett), aided by his companion Dr. Watson (David Burke), investigates the suspicious disappearance of a father and son. This exciting series, which is impeccably faithful to the original stories, will please even the most critical of Holmes fans because of its accurate dramatization of Victorian England. This series was followed by The Return, The Casebook, and The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, as well as several feature-length TV movie adaptations. ~ Linda Rasmussen, Rovi

A big black mamba snake that has gotten loose in a townhouse slithers through a kidnapping plot in this film. Based on a novel by Alan Scholefield, Venom features a big name British cast that seems to be slumming in a B-movie project. Dr. Marion Stowe (Sarah Miles) is a toxicologist who has brought the snake to London to study the properties of its deadly venom. It escapes and terrorizes the inhabitants of the townhouse, where an attempted kidnapping is in progress. Dave (Oliver Reed), Jacmel (Klaus Kinski) and Louise (Susan George) are the villains trying to hold the son of a wealthy family for ransom. Original director Tobe Hooper was replaced by Piers Haggard. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi

The autobiography of British prison-escapee John McVicar is given a no-frills screen treatment herein. Roger Daltrey, lead singer of the Who, plays McVicar, who after breaking out of prison reestablishes himself in London's seamy underworld. Another British singing star, Adam Faith, is second-billed as Probyn. Needless to say, McVicar contains quite a few songs--more than your usual gangster meller, anyway. In addition to starring, Roger Daltrey was one of the film's three producers. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this children's drama, a London boy is struck upon the head. When he regains consciousness, he discovers that he can foretell crimes before they are committed. With this gift he is able to lead the police to arrest a notorious criminal mastermind who is also a prominent, well-respected businessman. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi