Dawn French

A young girl walks through a secret door and discovers a parallel reality that is eerily similar to the life she already knows in director Henry Selick's animated adaptation of Neil Gaiman's international bestseller. Upon first glance, Coraline (voice of Dakota Fanning) begins to believe that the alternate version of her life is even better than the real thing, but when her parallel-universe parents attempt to keep her forever, the young girl must summon her resourcefulness and bravery in order to find her way back home and save her family. Teri Hatcher, Ian McShane, Dawn French, and Jennifer Saunders co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A hyperactive and high-fashion American transplant living in London and working for Vogue magazine does her best to enhance the lives of those around her while remaining blissfully unaware of the man who longs to profess his true love to her in an ultra-modern romantic comedy produced by Luc Besson and David Fincher and directed by Alek Keshishian. Emily Jackson (Brittany Murphy) lives a charmed life. Always on the go in her Mini Cooper and able to talk until the sun comes up and then some, her fast-paced lifestyle belies a sensitive soul who takes great joy in playing matchmaker for her many friends. It's Emily's gay roommate and constant companion, Peter (Matthew Rhys), who usually becomes the subject of the quirky Cupid's frequent pairings, and when handsome new photographer's assistant Paolo (Santiago Cabrera) arrives at the Vogue offices, Emily makes it her mission to bring the two men together. Unfortunately for the contemporary Holly Golightly, Emily is so busy arranging a love connection between Peter and Paolo that she remains completely blind to the obvious torch carried for her by the one suitor who longs to provide her the with the loving companionship that she so cheerfully arranges for others. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Four siblings -- Edmund (Skandar Keynes), Lucy (Georgie Henley), Peter (William Moseley), and Susan (Anna Popplewell) -- are sent from their London home to the country estate of an eccentric professor in order to ensure their safety during World War II. The house is very dull, except for a large, ornate wardrobe discovered by young Lucy during a game of hide-and-seek. Venturing inside of it in the hopes of finding a hiding place, Lucy is transported to a snowy alternate universe: a magical world called Narnia. The land is populated by talking animals and ruled over by the benevolent lion god Aslan (voiced by Liam Neeson), but sadly, the world is also in a state of perpetual winter. The white witch Jadis (Tilda Swinton), lustful for power and governed by narcissism, has cursed Narnia with a tyrannical decree that it will always be winter but never Christmas. Now, the children must fight alongside Aslan for the salvation of Narnia, but one of them, seduced by the charisma of the white witch, may choose to fight on the wrong side. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide

After directing the first two movies in the Harry Potter franchise, Chris Columbus opted to serve as producer for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and passed the baton to Y Tu Mamá También director Alfonso Cuarón. Though "immensely popular" is an understatement when it comes to Harry Potter, Azkaban is somewhat of a departure from its predecessors, and particularly beloved among fans for its surprise ending. Prisoner of Azkaban also marks the introduction of Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), who has escaped from the title prison after 12 years of incarceration. Believed to have been the right-hand-man of the dark wizard Voldemort, whom Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) mysteriously rendered powerless during his infancy, some of those closest to Harry suspect Black has returned to exact revenge on the boy who defeated his master. Upon his return to school, however, Harry is relatively unconcerned with Black. Run by Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) -- who is widely regarded as the most powerful wizard of the age -- Hogwarts is renowned for its safety. Harry's nonchalance eventually turns to blind rage after accidentally learning the first of Black's many secrets during a field trip to a neighboring village. Of course, a loose serial killer is only one of the problems plaguing the bespectacled wizard's third year back at school -- the soul-sucking guards of Azkaban prison have been employed at Hogwarts to protect the students, but their mere presence sends Harry into crippling fainting spells. With the help of his friends Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson), and Defense Against the Dark Arts professor Remus Lupin (David Thewlis), Harry struggles to thwart the Dementors, find Sirius Black, and uncover the mysteries of the night that left him orphaned. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

This compendium of material from the BBC sketch comedy program French & Saunders pokes fun at everything from Baywatch and the Batman franchise to Björk and Ingmar Bergman, stopping along the way to mock British tennis players and postcolonial biddies. Most of the material dates from the early to mid-'90s; all of it features future Absolutely Fabulous writer/actress Jennifer Saunders and Vicar of Dibley star Dawn French, who parody pop culture figures (Liam Neeson and Mel Gibson in a faux Braveheart/Rob Roy crossover) and inhabit their usual assortment of original characters. Guest players include supermodel Kate Moss and singer/actress/celebrity wife Patsy Kensit. The title refers to the duo's parody of Madonna's Truth or Dare, which, bowing to that film's British title, is called "In Bed With French & Saunders." Other French & Saunders collections include French & Saunders: At the Movies, French & Saunders: Gentlemen Prefer, and French & Saunders: The Ingenue Years. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

In this light comedy directed by British writer-comedian Ben Elton, Sam and Lucy Bell (Hugh Laurie and Joely Richardson) are an upwardly mobile London couple who are trying desperately to conceive a baby. Along for the ride, which is laden with sperm-count and hormone-injection jokes, is a cast that reads like a Who's Who in British comedy. Rowan Atkinson makes an appearance as an obstetrician, Dawn French and Joanna Lumley show up as an Australian nurse and Lucy's snooty boss, and Emma Thompson has a stint as a New Age health freak. Adrian Lester and Tom Hollander also co-star, the latter as a Brit-loathing Scottish director. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide

This French & Saunders special from May 1999 features an extended parody of the BBC TV drama Silent Witness. Here the program becomes "Witless Silence," and Jennifer Saunders steps into the forensic-pathologist part played by Amanda Burton in the actual series. In another segment, "Acting Masterclass," another BBC actress actually guest stars. Helen Mirren, known to legions of British TV viewers as London police detective Jane Tennison, here plays an actress very much like herself who's come home to teach an actor's workshop with a pair of far less successful fellow drama school alumnae: Maggie Moffit (Dawn French), who's done more work for Actor's Equity than actual acting, and Tillie Dickerson (Saunders), a housewife who once guest-starred on Doctor Who. Three additional sketches feature parodies of musical performers: teen pop group Boyzone, Welsh rock band Catatonia, and Canadian singer/songwriter Alanis Morissette. The entire special is framed by "F&S TV," a mock shopping-channel program hosted by the titular comediennes. French & Saunders: F&S TV is included as a bonus on the DVD edition of French & Saunders: Gentlemen Prefer. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

After the advent of Absolutely Fabulous and The Vicar of Dibley, Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders stopped producing regular seasons of their eponymous show in favor of a series of holiday specials. This edition, from Christmas 1999, is based around an extended parody of Star Wars: Episode 1 -- The Phantom Menace in which Jedi Knights French and Saunders are forced to fight Darth Maul with licensed toy merchandise instead of real lightsabres. Individual Star Wars sequences alternate with additional parodies, including a send-up of Spice Girl Mel C's "Northern Star" video. Ally McBeal's sylph-like physique, Madonna's British affectations, Diana Ross's airport customs problems, and The Matrix's special effects also provide punch lines. Other performers include frequent guest star Janette Krankie, one-half of the comedy duo the Krankies. Dominic Brigstocker directed, although Steve Bendelack stepped in to helm "Public Schoolgirls," a segment about Christmas holidays at a snooty boarding school. Although it has received no video release of its own, French & Saunders: The Phantom Millennium is included as a bonus on the DVD edition of French & Saunders: At the Movies. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

Season Two of the British comedy series The Vicar of Dibley yields four new episodes, the first of which, "ngagement", finds Dibley's boisterous female Vicar "Gerry" Granger (Dawn French) helping to smooth the course of romance for Dibley's two most timid citizens, Alice Tinker (Emma Chambers) and Hugo Horton (James Fleet). Next up is "Dibley Live", in which the selfsame Alice and Hugo--still unattached--help out when Gerry sets up a local radio program. In "Celebrity Vicar", Gerry gets in trouble with her parishioners after being interviewed by Terry Wogan on BBC's "Food for Thought." And in the season finale "Love and Marriage", good old Alice and Hugo are prepared to plight their troth, but a last minute crisis imperils their future happiness--not to mention the happiness of Gerry, who has been smitten by Dan Cupid herself. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Young Jim Hawkins and the pirate Long John Silver race to find the same treasure located on a mysterious map in this animated adaptation of the timeless classic by Robert Louis Stevenson. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This collection of skits from the fourth series of French & Saunders lives up to its title. Although the comedic duo takes aim at British culture, BBC TV, pop stars, and the Middle Ages, most of the material focuses on Hollywood parody. Dawn French takes on a pair of box-office villains as she pokes fun at Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs and Kathy Bates in Misery; partner Jennifer Saunders, meanwhile, essays the Jodie Foster and James Caan roles, respectively. French experiences the familiar progression from face-hugger to stomach-exploder in a send-up of Aliens that also features Kathy Burke standing in for Jenette Goldstein as Pvt. Vasquez. Thelma and Louise also gets the patented F&S treatment. Other sketches include faux music videos for the Mamas and the Papas, Guns N' Roses, and Shakespear's Sister; "Lucky Bitches," a parody of celebrity sisters Joan and Jackie Collins; and an elaborate re-creation of the historical soap House of Eliott, in which the show's original stars, Stella Gonet and Louise Lombard, appear. The DVD edition of French & Saunders: At the Movies also includes the duo's 1999 Christmas special French & Saunders: The Phantom Millennium, an elaborate parody of Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

The third series of French & Saunders, which originally aired on the BBC in 1990, produced the various clips assembled as French & Saunders: Gentlemen Prefer French & Saunders. Gone With the Wind, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, The Exorcist, and Dangerous Liaisons provide fodder for Hollywood parodies, but much of the material focuses on original characters. Chat show hosts and pundits, cleaning ladies with attitude, women in prison -- Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders embody them all. Elsewhere, the duo aim their satiric sights at both the publishing and PR industries. Ladies' magazines and late-in-life hangers-on of Andy Warhol also get their due. There's also an opera documentary in which dueling divas belt out Kylie Minogue's "I Should Be So Lucky" and a feminine twist on the dirty-old-men characters who have been one of the show's staples from the beginning. "Modern Mother and Daughter," the sketch that provided the basis for Absolutely Fabulous, is included, with French originating the role that would be played by Julia Sawalha in the actual series. Sharp-eared viewers will catch a snippet of Inner City's Detroit techno classic "Good Life" in "Modern Mother"; sharp-eyed audiences, meanwhile, will notice that Eleanor Bron, who would go on to play Patsy's poetess mother in Absolutely Fabulous: Birth, appears as an over-the-top academic commentator in the Warhol segment. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide