Dorothy Berwin Movies
A middle-aged man gives himself the challenge of a lifetime in this comedy drama from the U.K. Frank (Peter Mullan) has spent most of his 55 years working the same job in the shipyards of Glasgow until he's fired after business tapers off and technology makes his position unnecessary. While Frank tries to put on a brave face, he has no idea of what to do next or what sort of work he should find. Frank's embarrassment gets much worse when he applies for unemployment benefits, only to discover his sister-in-law Angela (Jodhi May) is working behind the corner. As Frank's anxiety grows worse, he begins having panic attacks, leading to sympathy from his wife, Joan (Brenda Blethyn), and son, Rob (Jamie Sives), which only makes him feel more humiliated. One of Frank's few respites from his troubles are his regular visits to a nearby community swimming pool, where he does laps with his pals Eddie (Sean McGinley), Norman (Ron Cook), and Danny (Billy Boyd). One day, one of them jokes about the possibility of swimming the English Channel, which is only 21 miles across at its narrowest point near Dover. However, Frank doesn't think the idea is so silly, and begins training to make the journey; while at first his family and friends think he's gone mad, his plans give him a drive and a sense of purpose he hasn't had since losing his job. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter Mullan, Brenda Blethyn, (more)
Following up on her 1998 opus Bedrooms and Hallways, Rose Troche directs this ensemble film about suburbia and its discontents. Once an up-and-coming singer/songwriter, Paul Gold (Joshua Jackson) now lies in a coma, attentively nursed by his mother Esther (Glenn Close), who dotes on her son to the exclusion of her husband and her daughter Julie (Jessica Campbell). Meanwhile, Jim Train (Dermot Mulroney) is a workaholic lawyer who is closer to his tortes than to his spouse Susan (Moira Kelly). Their son Jake has taken a morbid fascination with his sister's foot-high girl doll. At the same time, Paul's former lover Annette Jennings (Patricia Clarkson) is trying to pull her life and her family back together after a particularly brutal divorce. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi
- Starring:
- Glenn Close, Dermot Mulroney, (more)
Rose Troche (Go Fish) directed this British romantic comedy with various gay characters in London. Impish Darren (Tom Hollander) urges lonely Leo (Kevin McKidd of Trainspotting) to get a more active social life, as does neighbor Angie (Julie Graham). When friend Adam (Christopher Fulford) gets Leo to join the therapy group run by New Age-styled guru Keith (Simon Callow), Leo meets good-looking Irishman Brendan (James Purefoy), who's just ending a lengthy relationship with his business partner, Sally (Jennifer Ehle). Sally just happens to be Leo's high-school sweetheart. It's not long before Leo and Brendan pair off. Shown in the Market section at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kevin McKidd, Hugo Weaving, (more)
Stephen Griscz, the protagonist of The Wisdom of Crocodiles, is a handsome but enigmatic man of many talents. He is also an incurable womanizer, always searching for the perfect woman. But all his relationships end in tragedy, which arouses the suspicions of police officer Healey. One day, Stephen meets Anne, an engineer who is also a very strong woman and definitely much better than all the others. Anne is intrigued by Stephen's strange airs. But soon it becomes clear that only one of them will survive the relationship. Po Chih Leong, who launched his film career as an editor with the BBC and went on to become a television producer in Hong Kong, made his directorial debut in 1976 and has since directed over a dozen features in English and Chinese before this British production. The Wisdom of Crocodiles was screened at the Montreal World Film Festival 1999. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jude Law, Elina Löwensohn, (more)
A Manhattan woman struggles with loneliness in the face of her best friend's imminent marriage in this well-received independent comedy from first-time writer-director Nicole Holofcener. Amelia (Catherine Keener) feels isolated because her friend Laura (Anne Heche) has been devoting all her time to preparing for her upcoming wedding. Desperate, she resorts to the unthinkable: dating the nerdy, Fangoria-obsessed clerk at her local video store (Kevin Corrigan). This discouraging encounter, along with some awkward conversations with her former boyfriend, leave her even more depressed and jealous of Laura's good fortune. However, Laura soon reveals that she is having her own doubts about her future. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi
- Starring:
- Catherine Keener, Anne Heche, (more)
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