Adrian Hodges Movies
- 2006
Director Gillies MacKinnin and screenwriter Adrian Hodges team to adapt Victorian author H.G. Wells' intimate drama about a man who has forsaken his dreams to lead a life of suffocating mediocrity. Alfred Polly (Lee Evans) was once a man with truly extraordinary dreams, but unfortunately Alfred has chosen to walk the comfortable path of convention. Now saddled with a nagging wife (Anne-Marie Duff) and a failing business, Alfred becomes consumed by his own desperation. But no one who strives for a life of simple contentment will ever achieve anything truly extraordinary, and only when Alfred decides to take violent action will he finally realize what it takes for a gutless milquetoast to embrace his inner hero. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee Evans, Anne-Marie Duff, (more)
- 2006
As directed by Brian Percival and adapted by scenarist Adrian Hodges from the bestselling period novel by Philip Pullman, the BBC production The Ruby in the Smoke recounts the 19th Century adventures of Sally Lockhart (Billie Piper), an aggressive and determined young Brit. Wielding a loaded pistol, fluency in Hindustani, and a fundamental knowledge of military maneuvers, Sally is anything but a typically submissive, Victorian Era girl. The tale finds her embarking on a quest to uncover the reasons for her father's premature death, and the reason why three seemingly harmless words from her mouth - "The Seven Blessings" - lead to the sudden demise of her father's associate. The film co-stars Robert Glenister, David Harewood and screen veteran Julie Walters as the vile Mrs. Holland. The film marks the first installment in a planned series of BBC productions based on Pullman's series of novels about Sally Lockhart. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Billie Piper
A financial consultant enlists the aid of a skilled detective in tracking down the missing money of a wealthy client, in the process stumbling into a sinister plot hatched by a ruthless industrialist in this mystery adapted from author Philip Pullman's popular novel of the same name. The year is 1878, and Sally Lockhart (Billie Piper) has just gone into business as a financial consultant. Sally's job quickly becomes complicated, however, when she receives news that the unexpected collapse of the Anglo-Baltic shipping line has cost her client Miss Walsh a fortune. Determined to discover why so many ships on the Anglo-Baltic line have vanished without a trace and hopefully get Miss Walsh's money back in the process, Sally calls on her close friends Frederick (J.J. Field and Jim, who have recently opened their own detective agency. Their first mission is to discover the fate of the Ingrid Linde, a sizeable steamship that simply disappeared. It seems that a stage magician named Alistair MacKinnon may somehow be involved in the disappearance of the Ingrid Linde, but why has he become the target of thugs, and what's his connection to a psychic medium rumored to be tapping into unsavory business dealings? Their investigation eventually leading them to cruel industrialist Axel Bellmann, the sleuthing trio soon discovers that Bellmann's highly successful business is built on a dark and sinister secret. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Cumming
- 2005
In the Senate, Cicero (David Bamber), feeling that he has no choice, calls for Caesar (Ciarán Hinds) to be made emperor. Brutus (Tobias Menzies), also under tremendous pressure, speaks passionately in favor of the motion, and it passes unanimously. Caesar exhorts the senators, "Join with me in building a new Rome, that offers justice, peace, and land to all its citizens." Posca (Nicholas Woodeson), Caesar's slave, coaches Vorenus (Kevin McKidd) as he campaigns to be magistrate of the Aventine district. When Vorenus grows weary of studying laws and such, and wonders if they should wait and see if he's elected first, Posca lets him know that his opponents in the election are "straw men." Pullo (Ray Stevenson) wants to march in Caesar's Triumph, but is told that he can't because he's no longer a soldier. At a loss, he impulsively decides to free Eirene (Chiara Mastalli) so that he can marry her and move to the country. Vorenus agrees to help him, but his plans go badly off-course. An innocent man is murdered in a moment of passion, and a severe rift develops between Pullo and Vorenus. Octavia (Kerry Condon) has run away and sought shelter with a religious order, but Octavian (Max Pirkis) goes to retrieve her in time for the Triumph. Octavia still believes (and rightly) that Atia (Polly Walker) was responsible for Glabius' death. Servilia (Lindsay Duncan) gains a new ally against Caesar when Quintus (Rick Warden) arrives on her doorstep, looking for Brutus. With help from Quintus and Cassius (Guy Henry), Servilia composes a screed against Caesar's tyranny, to which she puts Brutus' name. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
Filmed in London and Wales, this two-part adaptation of the oft-dramatized R.D. Blackmore novel Lorna Doone was praised for its realism, though one or two nitpickers pointed out that the costumes were not all "in period" for 17th century Scotland. This time around, Amelia Warner starred as the titular Lorna, whose romance with young John Ridd (Richard Coyle) was imperiled by the bloody, long-standing feud between the Doones and the Ridds. The show was stolen by Martin Clunes in the flashy role of the redoubtable Jeremy Stickles. Lorna Doone aired over BBC1 on December 24 and 26, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Made for British television, this two-part adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's adventure-fantasy novel The Lost World adroitly combines a straightforward retelling with an abundance of slyly satirical grace notes--not to mention deliberate echoes of such earlier films as Jurassic Park, Planet of the Apes and even Apocalypse Now. The basic plotline details the efforts of feuding scientists George Challenger (Bob Hoskins) and Summerlee (James Fox) to prove that dinosaurs still exist on a remote plateau somewhere in the Amazon jungles. They succeed in this endeavor, and also stumble upon a lost tribe of primitive humans, whose hearts and minds are captured by a mad missionary (Peter Falk). Though the film does not flinch in the special-effects department, there is still plenty of time left over for a quaintly old-fashioned romantic triangle involving sportsman Lord Roxton (Tom Ward), the lovely Agnes Mooney (Elaine Cassidy) and dashing Edward Malone (Matthew Rhys). And while there is action aplenty, the film remains scrupulously within the "suitable for children" category. Originally broadcast as the 2001 Christmas offering by BBC1, The Lost World premiered in the US over the A&E cable network on October 6 and 7, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A distinguished cast highlights this made-for-TV adaptation of one of Charles Dickens' best-loved novels. Young David Copperfield (Daniel Radcliffe) is loved by his mother Clara (Emilia Fox), but does not get along with his foul-tempered stepfather, Murdstone (Trevor Eve). After biting Murdstone during a fight, David is forced to attend a boarding school operated by the vicious and humorless Mr. Creakle (Ian McKellen). After Clara suddenly dies, David is sent to work; while his labors are tiring and poorly compensated, he finds a benefactor in the good-hearted Mr. Micawber (Bob Hoskins) and his wife (Imelda Staunton). However, Micawber does not manage money well, and winds up in a debtors prison. Left to his devices, David sets out to find one of his few surviving relatives, his eccentric Aunt Betsy (Maggie Smith). The years pass, and the grown-up David (Ciaran McMenamin) has struggled to build a better life for himself, with the help of Betsy's attorney, Mr. Wickfield. David also becomes friendly with Wickfield's daughter Agnes (Amanda Ryan), but he finds a nemesis in the lawyer's clerk Uriah Heep (Nicholas Lyndhurst). David also marries a simple woman named Dora (Joanna Page), but their union brings him little happiness. David Copperfield was a co-production of the BBC and WGBH Boston. It received its American premier on the acclaimed anthology series Masterpiece Theatre. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Hoskins, Maggie Smith, (more)
- 1998
In this four-part British miniseries, successful builder George Brunos (Jonathan Cake) was sent to prison, accused of participating in a bank robbery and murder. Protesting his innocence, George claimed that he could be cleared by the very informant who turned him in; alas, that informant had died under suspicious circumstance. Believing her husband's story, George's wife Donna (Susan Vidler) engineered a scheme to help him escape from prison. Only too late did Donna discover the awful truth behind George's protestations -- and by then, both she and her husband had been targeted for extermination by certain unsavory characters. A co-production of Warner Sisters and ITV, the first hour-long episode of The Jump was seen in Britain on September 6, 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
An embittered ex-IRA soldier and widowed father finds his efforts to keep his family together crumbling due to his own tyrannical approach to parenting in director Tom Cairns' adaptation of the novel by John McGahern. Michael Moran (Tony Doyle) has witnessed enough death and destruction to last a lifetime, and now that his wife is gone Michael is desperate to keep the family together. But Michael's daughters are bound together by fear of their brutal father, and his sons long for the day they will never have to endure another beating. As his children strike out on their own, a failed father is left to deal with his broken heart all alone. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Doyle, Ger Ryan, (more)
- 1997
- R
- Add Metroland to Queue
An unexpected visit causes a man to wonder what path he should have taken in life in this drama. In 1977, Chris (Christian Bale) and Marion (Emily Watson) are a staid married couple living in a working-class community near the outskirts of London, where the Metro tube line dead-ends. While Marion is reasonably happy, Chris is bored and restless, and he often daydreams about how his life could have been different. Chris and Marion first met in Paris in 1968, when revolution was in the air and they were both footloose bohemians exploring the world. Chris was briefly in love with Annick (Elsa Zylberstein), a wild, beautiful, and high-spirited young woman, but he married Marion instead, and he frequently wonders if he made the right choice. One day, Chris receives a telephone call from his old buddy Toni (Lee Ross), who was his best friend back in his days in Paris. While Chris has joined the working class, Toni is still following his muse around the world, drifting through Europe, America, Africa, or anywhere else the breeze takes him. Toni is visiting England and invites Chris to leave Marion behind and join him in his travels. Already in an unsure state of mind, Chris finds himself calling practically every aspect of his life into question -- he even wonders if Marion might be attracted to Toni, whom she's never cared for. Metroland was adapted by Adrian Hodges from the novel by Julian Barnes. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christian Bale, Lee Ross, (more)
Willem Dafoe stars as groundbreaking early 20th century American poet T.S. Eliot in this biopic focusing on Eliot's disastrous marriage. Young Tom Eliot meets the flamboyant Vivienne Haigh-Wood (Miranda Richardson) while they are both students at Oxford University in England in 1914. Eliot is studying under the famous writer and philosopher Bertrand Russell (Nickolas Grace). Tom and Viv elope after a very brief courtship, without the consent of her parents and against the advice of Viv's brother Maurice (Tim Dutton). On the honeymoon, Tom learns that Viv suffers from a severe hormonal imbalance which causes frequent menstruation. She is under the care of a doctor who calls her problems emotional and prescribes medications which worsen her condition. Viv is moody, often despondent, and frequently drunk. While Tom works as a bank clerk and tries to establish himself as a writer, Viv serves as his secretary and sometimes his muse, but more and more often she embarrasses them in public with her behavior. Yet her influence prevents Tom, who wants to become thoroughly British and a member of the Church of England, from becoming too staid. Eventually, Tom reluctantly commits his wife to a mental asylum and their troubled marriage continues to plague his life and color his work. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Willem Dafoe, Miranda Richardson, (more)
- 1991
Middle class Victorians tended to get a lot of mileage out of their peccadillos -- first, by having scruples before engaging in them, then by feeling guilty during the act itself, and finally by endless self-castigation and self-analysis afterward. In this costume romance, Isobel Heatherington has come to the countryside with her three daughters while her husband continues to attend to business in the City (London). She is persuaded to be a model in a painter's landscape scene, and before long she and the painter are having an affair. When her husband joins the scene, the affair ends, but jealous fellow that he is, he can't help but notice that both parties are behaving in a decidedly peculiar, guilt-ridden fashion. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Saskia Reeves, David Patrick O'Hara, (more)
