Tony Doyle Movies

Though Adventures in Dinosaur City predates We're Back, the two films make good companion pieces. The "live action" characters-a bunch of precocious pre-teens-are zapped back to prehistoric times. We've established that the kids idolize a group of animated TV-series dinosaurs, so guess who they meet in the flesh (so to speak)? In the manner of the "Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm" segments of the various 1980s Flintstones revivals, the kids help the dinosaurs solve Jurassic-era crimes. It's all a great deal of fun, but at 88 minutes it may be a bit too wearing for very small children. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The cadaverous Graham Crowden is top-billed in Beloved Enemy. The film bears no relation to the Hollywood-produced 1926 and 1936 romantic melodramas of the same name. There's little romance in this one, but there's melodrama in abundance. The story is set at a major multinational corporation, where all sorts of internal espionage is afoot. Terry Doyle costars in this British TV movie, which was released to America in 1984 via the ARTS cable-TV service (later known as Arts and Entertainment). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Adapted from Josephine Hart's spare novel by British screenwriter David Hare and French director Louis Malle, this brooding erotic drama concerns the obsessive sexual relationship between an English politician and his son's lover. Stephen Flemming (Jeremy Irons), an up-and-coming member of Parliament, has a beautiful and loving wife, Ingrid (Miranda Richardson), and two children, including son Martyn (Rupert Graves), a successsful journalist. Sparks fly, however, when Stephen meets beautiful art-world denizen Anna Barton (Juliette Binoche), Martyn's new girlfriend. A measured, seemingly passionless man who believes that life can be controlled, Stephen suddenly finds himself unable to resist brief but intense liaisons with the mysterious, melancholy Anna. Eventually she explains the palpable air of sadness that hangs over her: When she was 15, her beloved older brother committed suicide because he could not possess her. "Remember," Anna warns Stephen, "Damaged people are dangerous. They know they can survive." Drawn to Anna and the passion she engenders in him, Stephen tries to justify his betrayal by telling himself Martyn isn't serious about Anna; he is stunned, then, when the two announce their engagement. On the advice of Anna's mother (Leslie Caron), who sees right through the charade, Stephen tries to break things off. But soon the affair resumes with full force, eventually destroying several lives. Although Damage's stark, frank sex scenes were trimmed to attain an R rating for theatrical release, the original, uncut version is available on video and DVD. Richardson received an Oscar nomination for her work. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

Escher (Jurgen Prochnow) wanders through the South Sea islands after his partner Quinn (Tony Doyle) is murdered in this drama taken from a novel by Joseph Conrad. When he checks into the Grand Pacific Hotel, Escher encounters a variety of memorable guests. Included are the perverted Mr. Jones (Sam Waterston), the sinister innkeeper Schomberg (Mario Adorf), and Julie (Suzanna Hamilton), a saxophone player in an all-female band. Escher helps Julie escape from the lecherous intentions of the philandering Schomberg. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Hostages is a made-for-cable film that chronicles the captivity of several Western hostages who were held in Lebanon for five years during the mid-'80s. Combining newsreel footage with re-enactment's, the film captures the horror of the hostages--Americans Terry Anderson, Thomas Sutherland, Frank Reed; British citizens John McCarthy, Terry Waite; and Irish teacher Brian Keenan--as they are held by the Muslim fundamentalist group, the Hezbollah. It also follows the trials and tribulations of their families, who struggle against government bureaucracy to free their loved ones. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

This caper film stars Martin Sheen as Stephen Booker, an unemployed American architect in London who needs to jump-start his finances. Enter criminal mastermind Mike Daniels (Albert Finney), who gathers a group of thieves together to rob an impregnable London bank of millions by coming in through the sewers. Needing the money and the chance, Stephen, when offered, willingly joins the gang in their robbery attempt. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

The famous Irish writer Samuel Beckett (1906-1989) is not interviewed in this documentary on his life and work, but the film was made with his cooperation. Excerpts from his plays, perhaps the most well-known being Waiting for Godot, are performed (in archival footage) by such thespians as Billie Whitelaw and Patrick Magee, and Beckett's early years in Ireland with his family are shown in black-and-white photographs. Beckett's inherently reclusive and obsessive nature is brought forward in the visual and written source materials. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Based on the classic novel by James Joyce, this drama deals with the life of an impotent married Jewish man, his wife and a student/poet in Dublin. Focusing more upon the characters' thoughts and fantasies than upon their actions, it features some of Joyce's previously banned prose. This drama was filmed in Ireland with a largely Irish cast and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Screenplay. ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi