David Essex Movies

Economics and music are the twin focal points of this comedy/drama about a community in crisis. The small British town of Grimley has long been dominated by the coal mine where most of the men work, and the town's greatest source of pride is the Grimley Colliery Band, a brass ensemble that's won a number of nationwide competitions. Danny (Pete Postlewaite) is a retired miner in poor health who directs the band; a national championship is coming up, and Danny is determined that Grimley will walk away with a trophy. But many of his musicians have other things on their minds: word has it that the mine may soon close down, and, in a city already suffering an economic downturn, this is just short of a death sentence. Adding to the intrigue is the return of Gloria (Tara Fitzgerald), who used to live in Grimley and is back in town for a while on an assignment. While the band has traditionally been all-male, Danny considers bending the rules to allow Gloria in the band, as she's a fine fluglehorn player, but her presence is bad news for the town: she works for the government and is investigating the feasibility of closing down the mine. Ace trumpeter Andy (Ewan McGregor) also has mixed feelings about Gloria; they were once a couple, and he still has feelings for her, but he's not sure he wants to set himself up for another breakup. The real-life Grimethorpe Colliery Band performs on the soundtrack. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Coming in around the middle of the pack, this so-so drama about motorcycle racing features David Essex, the British pop star, as Nick Freeman. Nick's brother has died before he is able to test and race the motorcycle he developed, and now Nick has inherited that responsibility. In spite of a series of tough setbacks, including the loss of his girlfriend, Nick goes into the big race he has been waiting for with all his energy and concentration bent on winning. An underhanded American racer (Beau Bridges) is among the competition, so there may be trouble before the finish line is crossed. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

All This and World War II is a fascinating but singularly pointless "musical documentary". Virtually all the footage has been culled from the vaults of Fox Movietone News, and edited in a linear manner in order to visually trace the history of World War II. Complementing this priceless newsreel film is a relentless musical score, comprised of Beatles tunes (though not sung by the Fab Four). Evidently all this effort was expended to make some sort of antiwar statement. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Long before Grease was even thought of, the British came out with That'll Be The Day, the story of a young man (David Essex) growing up in the dreary working-class world of Britain who comes of age and finds his proper outlet in the first outgrowths of the rock-and-roll world in Britain. This film and its accompanying album were extremely successful in Britain. Along with an excellent (and nostalgic) soundtrack, it features acting performances by rockers David Essex, Billy Fury, Keith Moon and Ringo Starr. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

A scientific expedition to a remote Mexican fishing community discovers unhealthy amounts of radiation in the local waters. They also find a small mutant octopus with nearly-human eyes that can crawl on land and make mewling sounds like a baby. In order to receive further funding for their project, Dr. Rick Torres travels back to the States to make a deal with circus owner Johnny Caruso, who is interested in the bizarre mutation as a carny act. They return to the camp to discover that their crew has been slaughtered by someone (or something) and the octopus specimen is missing. A young man from the village says that a local legend about a creature said to be half man and half sea serpent is true, and offers to take the scientists to the lake where it is purported to live. What they find is a seven foot tall walking octopus with amazing strength and a lust for killing, and soon the expedition realizes that the monster is now hunting them. ~ Fred Beldin, Rovi