David Attwood Movies

Not to be confused with the 1960s British TV series of the same title, the BBC one-off drama Airbase nonetheless shares the same WWII trappings. The scene is an underground hangar in England, where a USAF bomber crew is billeted for the duration. Their movements severely limited by the exigencies of war, the American crew is suffering from acute boredom, with things reaching the boiling point early on. Airbase was first broadcast in 1987. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Filmed in Mexico and the Dominican Republic, this massive biography of Cuban leader Fidel Castro begins in the 1950s, when the title character, then a young and hungry lawyer, bristles at the iniquities and corruption of the Batista political regime. Inspired by the words by left-wing radio commentor Eddie Chibas (Hector Elizondo), Fidel becomes active in a revolutionary movement aimed at toppling Fulgencio Batista (Tony Plana). In 1959, Castro and his followers stage a spectacularly successful coup, one that is staunchly supported by thousands of idealists and Cuban expatriates in the United States. Unfortunately, to paraphrase cartoonist Bill Mauldin, no sooner has Fidel come down from the hills like Robin Hood than he begins behaving like the Sheriff of Nottingham, killing scores of his political enemies in round-the-clock executions, routinely snatching away the basic human rights that he had promised his followers, and embracing Communism with a fervent passion. Although the film does not shy away from showing the darker side of Castro, it is essentially sympathetic to its subject, balancing the Cuban dictator's political outrages with his many acts of benevolence, and attempting to provide "motivation" for what seem to be appalling contradictions. Victor Huggo Martin and Honorato Magaloni are cast respectively as the younger and older Castro, with Maurice Compte as his brother Raul and Gael Garcia Bernal as the ill-fated Che Guevara.Fidel was originally telecast in two parts over the Showtime cable network on January 27 and 28, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Written in 1712, Daniel Defoe's bawdy novel Moll Flanders was given a slick movie treatment with Kim Novak in the lead in 1965, then serialized for British television in 1975. Most 21st century viewers, however, are familiar only with the four-part Granada Television adaptation, which made its first British TV appearance on December 1, 1996. This time around, Alex Kingston was cast as the resourceful Moll Flanders, who, in her determination to attain the uppermost circles of 18th century British society, was not averse to hopping in a few beds in pursuit of that goal. Along the way, Moll got mixed up with highwaymen and other scoundrels, nearly meeting her doom at the end of a hangman's noose in the process. But if nothing else, Moll was a survivor, and a happy ending was never far from view. At the time of its first broadcast, Moll Flanders stirred up controversy by virtue (if that is the word) of its 17 -- count 'em, 17 -- sex scenes. By the time that American cable viewers were treated to this lavish and lurid miniseries, star Alex Kingston had attained network TV stardom as one of the regulars on NBC's E.R., a fact that served only to stir up additional interest in Kingston's full-blooded portrayal of the fearless Ms. Flanders. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A wealthy British couple living in Bangkok are so desperate to have a child they consider buying one on the Asian black market. This British drama chronicles their attempts. They tried adopting in England, but because they frequently travel about, were denied. Unfortunately, their first attempt to buy a baby is discovered and they are nearly arrested by the Thai government. Still the wife, Kate is terribly obsessed and so goes to cagey Jack Lee, who for $20,000 promises to bring her a child. He does, but then the couple learn that they cannot take it out of Thailand and they must give it back. She and Lee then conspire to purchase a Vietnamese orphan and smuggle it to Bangkok and then to England. She decides not to tell Michael, her husband, and she sneaks off to Saigon pretending to be Lee's wife. But once they get the baby, will she be able to keep it after all? ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Probably the most filmed of all Sherlock Holmes stories, Arthur Conan Doyle's 1901 novel The Hound of the Baskervilles was given another go-round with this BBC television production. Richard Roxburgh, best known as the libidinous nobleman in the 2001 theatrical feature Moulin Rouge, is cast as The Great Detective, with Ian Hart as Holmes' friend, assistant and chronicler Dr. John Watson. The game is afoot when Holmes and Watson head to gloomy Baskerville Manor near the forbidding Grimpen Moor, the new home of young Sir Henry Baskerville (Matt Day). A number of curious events have led the detectives to the conclusion that Sir Henry's life is in danger -- that, in fact, he may at any time be torn asunder by a gigantic, vicious hound. Is this the fulfillment of "The Baskerville Curse," brought about by villainous debauchery of Sir Henry's ancestor, or is the would-be murderer a human being, using the legend of the Hound as a smoke-screen? Taking quite a few liberties with the original, The Hound of the Baskervilles was a nonetheless entertaining "shorthand" version of the Doyle classic. Making its British broadcast debut on December 26, 2002, the film was curiously premiered over Canadian television some five weeks earlier, on November 18. In the United States, The Hound of the Baskervilles was first seen as part of PBS' Masterpiece Theatre anthology on January 19, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This slapstick romp chronicles the ups and downs of a London-based country western band made up of young Pakistani immigrants as they try to make it out of the ghetto and into the spotlight. Their major hindrance proves to be a contentious band of English punk rockers. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide