Andy Harries Movies

Felicity Jones and J.J. Feild star in this made for television adaptation of Jane Austin's easygoing parody of gothic fiction concerning a hopeless romantic drawn into a mysterious relationship. Catherine Moreland (Jones) longs for the day that a dashing gentleman will finally sweep her off her feet. Upon receiving an invitation to a lavish medieval home deep in the countryside, Catherine allows her most lurid fantasies to wash over her. Later, as Catherine sets out to explore the sprawling mansion, she forms a friendship with Henry Tillney (Feild) - the youngest son of the estate. Much to Catherine's disappointment, however, their blossoming romance is soon stifled under shadowy circumstances. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Robbie Coltrane returns as the mentally unsettled criminal psychologist Edward Fitzgerald in Cracker: A New Terror. Fitz returns to his home country after a decade in Australia, taking up the case of a psychologically disturbed veteran of the battles with the IRA who killed a man after the events of September 11, 2001. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

A loving couple suffering through an emotionally exhaustive case of empty nest syndrome offers temporary shelter to a pair of girls from Belarus who have been displaced as a result of the Chernobyl disaster. Bob (Alun Armstrong) and Julie Jenkins (Lindsey Coulson) are in a bittersweet position; their daughter has finally come of age and struck out on her own - which is a wonderful accomplishment for both parent and child - yet now the couple has no one in their home to nurture and care for. While Bob is content just to enjoy their time together, Julie makes the decision to offer shelter to a pair of young girls from Belarus. Belarus was one of the countries most affected by the Chernobyl disaster, and youngsters Nadia and Nelli are only two of countless Belarus children in need of a place to call home. Over the course of their time with the girls, Bob and Julie gradually rediscover the ability to laugh and love again - never realizing how heartbreaking it will be when they finally have to say goodbye. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A simple lie yields deadly consequences in writer/director Joe Ahearne's drama about two parents who lie about their religion to get their daughter into a high performing Catholic school. Ten year-old Lucy has just witnessed a deadly knife attack at school, and now her parents Stewart (Christopher Eccleston) and Alison (Susannah Harker) are desperate to ensure her safety. If they could only get Lucy into a respected Catholic school, Stewart and Alison could finally rest easy, but in order for that to happen they will have to lie about their religion. At first it seemed like a simple deception, but soon this little white lie will spiral into a deadly cycle of fraud, blackmail, and murder. In order to prepare for an intimidating interview with the school's tough principal (Lesley Manville), Stuart and Alison enlist the aid of a priest (David Warner) who's willing to verify their story and give young Lucy a quick lesson in Catholicism. But this crucial bit of help has a high price, and by the time Stewart discovers the priest's dark secret it may already be too late. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

John Galsworthy's epic tale of love, conflict, and dark secrets continues in this made-for-television adaptation of To Let, the final novel in Galsworthy's "Forsythe" trilogy. The Forsyte Saga: Series 2 focuses on Fleur (Emma Griffiths Malin), daughter of Soames Forsythe (Damian Lewis), and Jon (Lee Williams), son of Irene Heron (Gina McKee), who was once married to Soames. Fleur and Jon's friendship has blossomed into love, but while they're aware of the bad blood between their divorced parents, they have yet to uncover the secret that has led to the long-standing bitterness between the Forsythe and Heron families. A tremendous hit on British television, The Forsyte Saga: Series 2 was first aired in the United States as part of the award-winning anthology series Masterpiece Theatre. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

First telecast in the U.K. on February 17, 2002, the five-part British miniseries The Jury probes the workings of justice from the viewpoint of the 12 men and women chosen to determine the fate of a Sikh teenager, accused of murdering a white classmate with a ceremonial sword. This racially volatile situation is first placed in the hands of renowned attorney George Cording (Derek Jacobi), who is defending young Duvinder Singh (Sonnell Dadral), and relentless crown prosecutor Gerald Lewis (Antony Sher), better known as "The Bastard of the Bailey." But as mentioned, the focus is on the jurors, as diverse a group as one is ever likely to meet. Among the selected dozen are Rose (Helen McCrory), an unhappily married beautician; Johnnie (Gerard Butler), a recovering alcoholic; Marcia (Nina Sosanya), a single mother who tends to allow herself to be intimidated into making snap judgments; Peter (Michael Maloney), a brusque self-made businessman; Charles (Stuart Bunce), a Catholic seminarian uncertain of his calling; Elsie (Sylvia Syms), a lonely old widow; and Jeremy (Nicholas Farrell), a chronic gambler. How will the jurors' personalities affect the outcome of the case -- or, for that matter, the dissemination of facts? For its United States premiere on April 6, 2003, The Jury was beamed out by PBS as part of the Masterpiece Theatre anthology. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Boris Pasternak's Nobel Prize-winning novel of love and betrayal amidst the Soviet Revolution is given a new interpretation for the small screen in this made-for-television adaptation. Yury Zhivago (Hans Matheson) is a young man who is sent to live with his aunt and uncle, Anna and Alexander Gromeko, (Celia Imrie and Bill Paterson) after his father takes his own life as a result of the machinations of his corrupt business partner, Victor Komarovsky (Sam Neill). As Zhivago grows to manhood and studies to be a physician, he falls in love with his cousin Tonya (Alexandra Maria Lara), but one day he sees a beautiful woman and immediately becomes deeply infatuated. Zhivago learns that the woman in question is Lara Guishar (Keira Knightley), whose mother is the lover of Komarovsky. Eventually, Zhivago marries Tonya, and Lara weds Pasha Antipov (Kris Marshall), a passionate Bolshevik. As World War I breaks out, Zhivago once again crosses paths with Lara, who has become a combat nurse and is searching for her missing husband. After Zhivago is severely wounded, Lara nurses him back to heath, and along the way the two fall deeply in love. However, after the end of the war, the reality of Zhivago's marriage to Tonya puts a halt to their romance, and the explosive impact of the Soviet Revolution changes the shape and character of the land they knew, especially when Lara discovers that her husband is not dead, but has become a powerful and calculating leader of the new regime. Doctor Zhivago had its American debut on the acclaimed PBS anthology series Masterpiece Theatre. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Unlike other TV documentaries on organ transplants, The Kindness of Strangers focuses not on the operation or the recipients, but on the families of recipients and donors alike. In the course of the film, the viewer is shown how the decision to donate the vital organs of deceased family members is a means of keeping the decedents alive in the hearts and minds of their loved ones. Additionally, the film details the tension and anguish attending the long wait for recipients to reach the "top of the list." Underwritten by the James Redford Institute (Redford, son of film star Robert Redford, was himself a liver-transplant survivor), The Kindness of Strangers made its HBO cable bow on September 23, 1999; thereafter the film was exhibited theatrically, winning the Crystal Heart Award at the Telluride Film Festival. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this British-French comedy of manners, Parker Posey stars as Margaret, an award-winning writer of bawdy novels who's grown vaguely dissatisfied with her life in Manhattan -- and her marriage to Edward (Jeremy Northam), a junior poetry professor. Engrossed in the sexually charged 18th century French diary she's adapting for her next book, Margaret heads on a research trip to France only to discover that the chateau at which the diary was written has been turned into a nunnery full of singing sisters. Nevertheless allowing her fertile imagination to get away from her, Margaret experiences the events of the diary as a series of naughty daydreams, simultaneously becoming besotted with Martin (Patrick Bruel), the French music producer who's currently cutting an album with the nuns. When Margaret returns to New York, Martin follows, setting the stage for all sorts of romantic entanglements in Margaret's lofty social circle, which includes Till (Elizabeth McGovern), her playwright sister, and Lily, a bisexual socialite. The feature debut of documentarian Brian Skeet, Misadventures received only a belated video release in America, excised of much of its overt sexuality, including a full-frontal shot of an entire soccer team. What remained, however, was still quite sexy and grown-up. London pop combo Saint Etienne's music didn't fare as well. Although the group's 20-song soundtrack eventually came out in Japan under the title The Misadventures of Saint Etienne, only a few tracks made it into the actual film; in fact, a different subset was included in the American and continental releases. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

The creators of such docudramas as The Queen and Frost/Nixon re-team for this period sports chronicle set in 1974. In England, the Leeds United players retain a status as the preeminent champions of their football league. Unfortunately, the manager to whom the team owes much of its success, visionary Don Revie (Colm Meaney), promptly leaves the unit to take over the England team. His replacement, the slick and confident Brian Clough (Michael Sheen), is publicly known as a vociferous critic of the team's approach to games. Clough has some experience and success to back him up -- in flashbacks, the film details how he and his business partner Peter Taylor (Timothy Spall) coached Derby County from the bottom of the Second Division to the League Championships, though they had much less success working with the Brighton team later on. For various reasons, Taylor refuses to accompany Clough to his new post in Leeds, so Clough must go it alone. Clough wastes no time aggressively attempting to modify the playing style of the team -- he dictates that they play more attractively, and less violently. This clashes with the intentions of the team members, however. When the players hit the field, they find it extraordinarily difficult to adapt to the mandates of their new coach, which sets the stage for a series of losses and puts Clough's reputation on the line. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

A courageous group of soldiers plot their escape from the well-fortified Colditz compound in this World War II adventure drama starring Jason Priestly, Damian Lewis, and Sophia Myles. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The British prime minister and the Royal Family find themselves quietly at odds in the wake of a national tragedy in this drama from director Stephen Frears. On August 31, 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales died in an auto accident in Paris; despite the controversial breakup of her marriage to Prince Charles, she was still one of the most famous and best-loved women in the world, and the public outpouring of emotion over her passing was immediate and intense. However, given the messy circumstances of Diana's breakup with Charles, official spokespeople for the Royal Family were uncertain about how to publicly address her passing. It didn't take long for the media to pick up on the hesitation of Buckingham Palace to pay homage to Diana, and many saw this as a sign of the cool emotional distance so often attributed to the royals, which in this case was widely seen as an insult against Diana and the many people who loved her. Prime Minister Tony Blair (played by Michael Sheen) saw a potential public-relations disaster in the making, and took it upon himself to persuade Queen Elizabeth II (played by Helen Mirren) to make a statement in tribute to the fallen Diana -- an action that went against the taciturn queen's usual nature. The Queen was released the same year that Helen Mirren played Queen Elizabeth I in an acclaimed miniseries for British television; The Queen also gave Michael Sheen his second opportunity to play Tony Blair after portraying the prime minister in the television film The Deal. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide