Christopher Young Movies
Scottish producer Christopher Young is best known for his debut feature as the producer of Venus Peter, a low-budget but beautifully made adaptation of poet Christopher Rush's chronicle of life on Scotland's rugged Orkney Islands that won numerous international festival awards. At age 18, the Edinburgh-born Young studied Romance languages at Pembroke College, Oxford. During his time there, he and his brother helped found a traveling Shakespearean comedy troupe that presented the great plays to various British schools. He also found time to return home and work in the Edinburgh Film Festival two years in a row as well as teach English in Paris. Following his 1982 graduation, Young became a Scottish Film Trainee for one year. Working as an Art Department assistant, Young got his first film experience working on Michael Radford's Another Time, Another Place, in which he also made his acting debut in a bit part. Afterward, Young worked most frequently in documentaries, commercials, and in television shows. In 1983, he entered New York University's film school. After making several short films there, he went back to Britain to work as an assistant editor on such films as Roddam's The Bride (1985). Young founded his own film development and production company in 1986 and made his commercial debut with Briefcase (1989), a short film that was screened at various international film festivals. Following his success with Venus Peter, Young and his company produced director Ian Sellar's Prague (1993) which also went on to win several awards at international festivals. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
Based on the hit British TV series of the same name, director Ben Palmer's The Inbetweeners follows teenage losers Will, Jay, Simon, and Neil as they head to Greece for a wild vacation, but find their dreams of debauchery scuttled by an acute lack of funds and female interest. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- 2007
Filmmaker Simon Miller directs Scotland's first-ever Gallic-language film, a mournful and simultaneously fantastical tale of grandfather attempting to comfort a seven year old orphan and his siblings after the children are all orphaned in a tragic mountaineering accident. Realizing that the children are in dire need of a distraction, the concerned grandfather lovingly lavishes his young listeners with tales of a time when Scotland was a land of magical potions and mystical charms. Though confused pre-adolescent Aonghas is angered by the fact that he can't yet comprehend the stories being told to him, the meaning of these tales are sure to prove especially profound when he reflects on them much later in life. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Padruig Moireasdan, Aonghas Padraig Caimbeul, (more)
- 2005
Take a trip backstage at the renowned Edinburgh Festival to explore the curious egos of three emerging talents in the feature debut from director Annie Griffin. A stage-trained theater purist eager to share her talent and enthusiasm with the outside world, Faith (Lyndsey Marshall) has been honing her one-woman show about Dorothy Wordsworth to perfection. Laid-back Irish comic Tommy O'Dwyer (Chris O'Dowd) is not so purely driven. A veteran of the club circuit desperate to break big, Tommy takes to seduction as a means of securing a vote. Though the presence of established television comic Sean Sullivan (Stephen Mangan) at the festival indeed shakes the confidence of his less famous competitors, the resentment he shows to those who haven't yet become a household name leads to a bitter cycle of resentment that could quickly sink his reputation among his peers. It's not all about the laughs at Edinburgh though, and as Faith, Tommy, and Sean play cut-throat on the comedy scene an experimental Canadian theater troupe prepares an elaborate act that's sure to stun the crowd. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Three people attempt to bend justice for their own purposes in this drama based on the best-selling novel by John Grisham. After a man dies in a shooting incident, his wife files a lawsuit against the company that manufactured the gun, with her lawyer, Wendell Rohr (Dustin Hoffman), arguing that the firm in question knew the shop which sold the weapon was not following federal regulations pertaining to the sale of firearms. As the case goes to trial, the firearm manufacturer is taking no chances on the outcome of a potentially devastating case, and they hire as part of their legal team Rankin Fitch (Gene Hackman), a "jury consultant" who makes it his business to see that he knows enough about the jurors to be able to guarantee the result of the trial. Fitch and his team have learned incriminating secrets about nearly everyone hearing the evidence, but Fitch discovers two factors he wasn't counting upon -- Nick Easter (John Cusack), the jury member who appears to have an agenda all his own, and Marlee (Rachel Weisz), a mysterious woman who has her own plans regarding bending the jury to her will. Bruce Davison, Jeremy Piven, and Bruce McGill round out the supporting cast. Incidentally, in John Grisham's original book, the case was filed against a cigarette manufacturer, but the producers opted to adjust the story after several real-life trials against tobacco companies. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- John Cusack, Gene Hackman, (more)
- 2003
- R
Patrick Harkins makes his directorial debut with the satirical dark comedy The Final Curtain, written by screenwriter John Hodge (Trainspotting, Shallow Grave). Serious author Jonathan Stitch (Adrian Lester) accepts a job writing a biography of unscrupulous U.K. game show host J.J. Curtis (Peter O'Toole). Told in flashback, the story goes back to the '70s with the game show "The Big Prize." Curtis enters into intense competition with his television rival, the young newcomer Dave Turner (Aidan Gillen from Queer as Folk), who hosts a game show called "Current Account," where contestants give their loved ones electrical shocks. Also starring Julia Sawalha from Absolutely Fabulous as Dave's personal assistant, Karen. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter O'Toole, Adrian Lester, (more)
- 1998
- NR
Gregory Underwood is an idealistic teacher whose head is full of the columns of the liberal magazines he religiously reads. He feels he is a citizen of the world, but he does most of his living inside his head. Voluptuous music teacher Belle is crazy about him and determined to engage him in an adult relationship. But Gregory is infatuated with one of his brighter students, Frances. Inspired by Gregory's teaching, Frances gets involved in a campaign against global injustice and in particular against a suspected arms dealer and local businessman, Fraser Rowan. When she tries to get Gregory involved, his moral pomposity is put to the test. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, Rovi
- Starring:
- John Gordon Sinclair, Carly McKinnon, (more)
- 1992
This ambitious overview of the history of Prague provides a wealth of information about the city, both visual and verbal, but suffers from a one-note presentation. One note dominates the narration, that of continuity between past and present, and also the camerawork -- contrived to be as artful and art filled as the narration. Modern and ancient architecture and other cultural attributes of Prague, including scenes from the stage play Amadeus serve as a backdrop to the lecture on the nature of Prague history -- a non-stop "continuity of consciousness." ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Alan Cumming, Sandrine Bonnaire, (more)
- 1989
Produced for Scottish television, Venus Peter was financed by the Orkney Islands Council. The title character is transformed into a "sea child" when he is baptized with salt water. Though his family tries hard to accustom him to life on land, Peter (Gordon R. Strachan) yearns to go to sea -- or, at the very least, to escape his cloistered community. He finds a kindred spirit in Princess Paloma (Juliet Cadzow), the village "looney," who, alas, is eventually carted away to an institution. Briefly fascinated by poetry and music, thanks to his lovely teacher Miss Balsibie (Sinead Cusack), Peter is disillusioned when he finds his teacher in the arms of her lover (and out of her clothing). The final blow to Peter's idealism comes when his grandfather's ship is repossessed. Despite the bleakness of his surroundings and his seemingly dead-end existence, however, Peter never completely lets go of his dreams, and the film ends on a positive note. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Gordon R. Strachan, Ray McAnally, (more)
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