Barbara Flynn Movies

The Beiderbecke Tapes is the second entry in playwright-screenwriter Alan Plater's Beiderbecke Trilogy (following 1985's The Beiderbecke Affair and preceding 1988's The Beiderbecke Connection). The British television miniseries follow the crime-solving adventures of a jazz-loving schoolteacher, Trevor Chaplin (James Bolam), and his environmentally conscious significant other, Jill Swinburne (Barbara Flynn), as they play amateur sleuths in the Yorkshire countryside. In this second installment, the lovers find themselves in danger when they accidentally obtain a cassette tape of top-secret government information. ~ Sandra Bencic, All Movie Guide

After the success of the British mini-series The Beiderbecke Affair and its sequel The Beiderbecke Tapes, the BBC followed with The Beiderbecke Connection, the final installment of the trilogy. The lives of jazz lovers Trevor (James Bolam) and Jill (Barbara Flynn), now married and raising their first child, become more complicated after they agree to take in a friend who has recently fallen on hard times. Though at times it seems their unexpected house guest be more trouble than they bargained for, he is, at least, a fellow jazz fan.

~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

Bill Murray co-directed (along with Howard Franklin) this mixture of The Out-of-Towners and After Hours, concerning Grimm (Bill Murray), a frustrated city planner who is fed up with the corruption and venality of New York City. Getting together a couple of accomplices -- Phyllis (Geena Davis), who admires Grimm for his audacity, and Loomis (Randy Quaid), a follower to Grimm's leader since grade school -- Grimm decides to rob a bank, pocket the money, get out of town and take off to tropical splendor. Dressing in a clown suit, Grimm devises a unique way to rob a bank -- taking a group of hostages at the bank and inviting the police to surround the bank. Amazingly, although pursued by a police chief (Jason Robards), the trio manage to pull off the robbery. However, the problems really start when they try to get from the bank to the airport -- which proves to be more difficult than the robbery. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Of all the characters in TV's "unlikely detective" genre, the leading character of the British cop series Cracker may well have been the unlikeliest. Robbie Coltrane starred as Dr. Eddie "Fitz" Fitzgerald, a brilliant psychologist -- not to mention a chronic gambler, alcoholic, chain smoker, overeater, and serial philanderer. Despite these shortcomings (and others too numerous to mention), Fitz was much revered by the local constabulary for his talent as a "cracker," using his professional skills to solve crimes so complex that they invariably left the official police totally baffled. Others in the cast included Barbara Flynn as Fitz's long-suffering wife, Judith, Geraldine Somerville as Fitz's police contact and sometimes lover Det. Sgt. Jane Penhaligon, and his other colleagues DCI Charlie Wise (Ricky Tomlinson) and Det. Sgt. Jimmy Beck (Lorcan Cranitch). When Beck was murdered at the outset of season two, he was replaced by DCI David Bilborough (Christopher Eccleston). Debuting September 27, 1993, on ITV1, Cracker originally aired in a weekly, one-hour format, with its storylines taking up two to three consecutive episodes. These were re-edited as "TV movies" when Cracker was subsequently rebroadcast in the United States. The series ended after three seasons and a one-off special, "White Ghost," which first aired on October 28, 1996. An American TV version of Cracker, starring Robert Pastorelli in the old Robbie Coltrane role (rechristened Gerry Fitzgerald) was briefly telecast by ABC in 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Season two of the gloomy, cynical British cop drama Cracker opens with the three-part mystery "To Be a Somebody," in which abrasive, self-destructive psychologist Eddie "Fitz" Fitzgerald (Robbie Coltrane), working in concert with the local police, manages to collar a demented middle-aged "political activist" -- this despite the fact that Fitz has suffered a mild heart attack. In the course of events, Fitz's police officer colleague Det. Sgt. Jimmy Beck (Lorcan Cranitch) is murdered, and is replaced by DCI Charlie Wise (Ricky Tomlinson). The season winds up with another three-parter, "Men Should Weep," which focuses on Fitz's efforts to trap a serial rapist. Things get personal for Fitz when his casual lover, Det. Sgt. Jane Penhaligon (Geraldine Somerville), is herself raped -- though the most likely suspect may not be the culprit. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Ian Holm delivers an Emmy-nominated performance in this filmed adaptation of the classic Shakespearean tragedy King Lear. From director Richard Eyre (Stage Beauty), the film traces the events that follow the titular monarch's decision to make his three daughters vie for his kingdom. Originally broadcast on the BBC, it was later shown in the U.S. on PBS as part of the Masterpiece Theatre series. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

Strongly recalling the film noir feel and labyrinthine plot twists of The Usual Suspects (1995), this German production featuring an all-English cast is a madcap caper flick about a quartet of dull-witted would-be bank robbers. The film opens with the police surveying the bloody aftermath of a botched robbery. The sole survivor, Jo Simpson (Claire Skinner), is carted off not by the cops -- to the surprise of Inspector Badger (John Benfield) -- but by the ultra-secret Cyclops Institute, where she is interrogated. Piece by piece, the investigators learn about her three accomplices, Eddie (Rhys Ifans) and Ian (David Schneider), two young losers who were obsessed with becoming famous, and the older, more experienced con man Michael (John Hurt). The investigators also learn about the mysterious way in which the criminals get caught up in schemes not of their own making, by way of an anonymous package containing a videotape and blueprints of the bank. It is eventually revealed that Simpson's memory is not as reliable as it might appear. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

The central figure in this two-part British miniseries was Julie (Michelle Collins), a nurse who loved weddings. She loved them so much, in fact, that she couldn't wait to have her own. And when it was done, she decided to relive the splendor by having another wedding, and another, and another.... Only trouble was, she never bothered to go through the inconvenience of a divorce. Alternately hilarious and heartrending, Perfect was seen in the U.K. on April 23 and 30, 2001. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The true story of the woman who created some of the most beloved characters in children's literature comes to the screen in this drama leavened with elements of comedy and romance. Beatrix Potter (Renée Zellweger) is a imaginative but gently eccentric woman living in the socially and intellectually confining circumstances of Victorian England. Potter's wealthy parents are eager for her to marry a successful man and settle down, but she has ideas of her own, and has been writing and illustrating a series of stories for children centered around a character she calls Peter Rabbit. Potter's efforts to find a publisher for her stories prove difficult, but in time she finds a firm who agrees to give her book a chance, and Norman Warne (Ewan McGregor) is put in charge of the project. While Warne is new to the publishing game, he believes Potter has great talent and potential, and throws himself into the work with enthusiasm. A strong personal bond grows between Potter and Warne, and in time he asks her to marry him; however, Beatrix's parents do not approve of Norman, and she is forced to choose between her mother and father and the man she loves. Norman's sister Mille (Emily Watson) urges Beatrix to follow her heart, and she accepts Norman's proposal, but fate has other plans. Miss Potter was directed by Chris Noonan, who created an international sensation with his first feature film, Babe. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Award-winning screenwriter Andrew Davies adapts author Allan Hollinghurst's Booker Prize-winning novel for the screen with this three-part saga of love, sex, class, and money set against the backdrop of the Thatcher era. As the conservative government rises to power in the turbulent 1980s and four years of tragedy and transformation are set into motion, a young gay male living in Britain experiences everything from the ecstasy of falling in love to the agony of the emerging AIDS epidemic. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide