Al Burgess Movies
The fourth film to chronicle the life of fourth-century B.C. ruler Alexander the Great, Oliver Stone's Alexander stars Colin Farrell as the titular Macedonian conqueror. The film follows the young king as he leads his forces on a bloody empirical conquest across the known world, taking large parts of Asia and the Middle East to amass a giant empire, all by the time he turned 25. Anthony Hopkins co-stars as Ptolemy I along with Rosario Dawson as Roxane, Angelina Jolie as Olympias, Jared Leto as Hephaistion, Val Kilmer as King Philip II, and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers as Cassander. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Colin Farrell, Angelina Jolie, (more)
Television commercial director and music video maker Marcus Adams directs the U.K. thriller Octane, shot entirely in Luxembourg. Madeleine Stowe stars as overprotective mother Senga Wilson, who doesn't want her teenage daughter Nat (Mischa Barton) to get into trouble. While driving down the road with her mother one night, Nat jumps out of the car and escapes with a bunch of backpackers. It turns out the crowd she's running with is really an evil cult that's out for blood, led by a freaky guy they call The Father (Jonathan Rhys Meyers). In order to save her daughter, Senga embarks on a thrilling journey into a rave/dance underworld of violent twentysomethings while she copes with her own past. The techno soundtrack was provided by Orbital. Octane premiered in the U.S. at the 2003 CineVegas International Film Festival and was renamed Pulse for its eventual video release. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Madeleine Stowe, Norman Reedus, (more)
A minor-league criminal suddenly finds himself in deep trouble in this thriller. Billy "Shiner" Simpson (Michael Caine) is a man who has spent much of his life making a living by skirting the law, but he thinks he may finally have a legitimate path to the big time managing his son Eddie (Matthew Marsden), an up-and-coming boxer nicknamed "Golden Boy." Eddie is set to fight an American champion in a prizefight, and Billy is convinced Eddie can't lose. Even after Billy's daughter Georgie (Frances Barber) tips off the cops that he has been staging illegal underground brawls, Billy is able to convince the police not to arrest him until after Eddie's big bout. But Eddie loses in the second round, and Billy flees the arena with his son in tow. Billy and Eddie are followed by a gunman who shoots and kills the young fighter, and a distraught Billy becomes convinced someone got to Eddie and forced him to take a dive. As Billy tries to avoid both the law and the bookies with money on Eddie, he challenges a number of people he believes might know what really happened, including Eddie's coach Vic (Gary Lewis), the down-on-his-luck American promoter Frank Speeding (Martin Landau), Mel (Andy Serkis), one of Billy's henchmen (who can't say where he was when Eddie was killed), and Georgie and her husband. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Caine, Martin Landau, (more)
To Oxford University's rowing team, the annual competitive boat race holds more potential glory than the Olympics. When their long-running winning streak is shattered by the skilled Cambridge athletes, the shattered but determined Oxford rowers begin the long and arduous journey to reclaim their title at next year's race. Matters are complicated when the Oxford team's unconventional methods of preparation clash with the long-standing traditions of the Ivy League school, and the rivalry between old and new threatens to sink their chances of victory. If Oxford is to reclaim their title of boat race champion from their fierce archrivals at Cambridge, they must put aside their differences and row harder than ever before to restore the pride of their beloved school. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Josh Lucas, Dominic West, (more)
- 1994
This two-part British miniseries chronicled the misfortunes of meek solicitor Henry Farr (Robert Lindsay), trapped in dead-end suburban domesticity and saddled with a feminist virago of a wife named Elinor (Alison Steadman). Finally able to stand no more, Henry plotted to do away with Elinor by means of poison. Alas, his scheme had a few glitches, and before long virtually everyone in the town of Wimbledon had dropped dead except for Elinor. Meanwhile, the local constabulary, led by Detective John Rush (Philip Jackson), tried to figure out what was causing the unusually high mortality rate. Played as much for laughs as for thrills, The Wimbledon Poisoner originally aired in 1994. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Lindsay, Alison Steadman, (more)
- 1987
- R
A humble Irish farmer decides that it is high time to move that big old stone in his field that has been there seemingly since the dawn of time. This gory horror film, an adaptation from one of noted British-author Clive Barker's short stories, follows what happens next. No sooner does he move the rock when out rushes an enormous, blood-thirsty pagan demon, Rawhead Rex, who immediately goes berserk and begins biting people left and right. Among the bitten is the son of an American professor of history and anthropology. His father immediately begins researching the angry old god and plotting his demise. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Dukes, Kelly Piper, (more)
- 1982
- NR
Jack Thompson plays Stan Graham, a tragic and notorious figure of New Zealand's war years. Not the most easygoing person in the world to begins with, Graham is pushed over the edge when his farm is foreclosed. With seemingly no other options, he turns into a homicidal maniac, killing everyone he considers an enemy -- in short, everyone who crosses his path. Graham's murder spree plays right into the hands of Nazi propagandists, notably British turncoat Lord Haw-Haw. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Thompson, Carol Burns, (more)
