Hugh Futcher Movies

Glenn Close goes to the dogs once again in this sequel to 101 Dalmatians, Disney's 1996 live-action adaptation of their beloved animated classic. After three years in prison, Cruella De Vil (Close) is judged to have paid her debt to society and is set free, as she pledges to have nothing to do with animal fur (especially dogs) ever again. Meanwhile, Kevin (Ioan Gruffudd) operates an animal shelter that has fallen on hard times; unless he's able to find new financial support, the lost dogs he's been caring for will have nowhere to go. Kevin and his girlfriend Chloe (Alice Evans), who happens to be Cruella's parole officer, get the idea of bringing their plight to the people through the press, but media reports of the shelter's problems attract an unlikely benefactor -- Cruella. While Ms. De Vil claims the purest of intentions, it seems the shelter is housing a large number of dalmatians, and in cahoots with mad fashion designer Monsieur Le Pelt (Gérard Depardieu), she plans to turn the puppies into haute couture. 102 Dalmatians was the first live-action feature for director Kevin Lima, who previously helmed two animated features for Disney, A Goofy Movie and Tarzan. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Making its debut on February 26, 1972, the six-part Doctor Who story "The Sea Devils" is a sequel to the seventh-season adventure "Dr. Who and the Silurians." Though he has finally been thrown in prison by the Doctor (Jon Pertwee), the renegade time lord the Master (Roger Delgado) is still very much a threat to the well-being of the universe. Having effectively taken over the prison, the Master sets in motion his plan to conquer the world, with the help of some sea-dwelling "cousins" of the reptile-like Silurian race. "The Sea Devils, Episode 1" was written by Malcolm Hulke. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this bitter drama that takes place in the immediate aftermath of World War II, British Major Giles Burnside (David Niven) is assigned to a Austrian refugee camp, his orders to send the masses of displaced civilians to either the Russian or the American zone. Burnside is a by-the-books commander but has trouble making himself understood in the gaggle of different languages. But one of the refugees, Janovic, (Topol), is energetic and can speak many languages and Burnside hires him as his interpreter. Janovic quickly conveys Burnsides's directives and gets the way station running efficiently. Janovic even has time to romance a lovely innkeeper, Maria (Anna Karina). But Janovic's love for Maria hits a brick wall when he finds that she is carrying on an illicit affair with Burnside. As the remaining refugees are being dispatched to the different zones of occupation, Janovic is found to be a Russian deserter who must be returned to the Russian mainland to be executed. Burnside offers to help him escape, but Janovic can't decide whether to trust Burnside or not. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Nigel Kneale's Quatermass TV series spawned a brief film series produced over an eleven-year period; 1967's Quatermass and the Pit, released in the US as Five Million Years to Earth, was the third and (until 1979's Quatermass Conclusion) last. As in previous chapters in the Kneale saga, the film begins with a baffling scientific discovery. This time it's a bunch of prehistoric skulls, discovered during a subway excavation in the heart of London. Sequestered in a lab, the skulls start to emanate a bizarre force over the populace, resulting in death and destruction. Professor Quatermass (Andrew Keir) concludes that the skulls are the residue of an extraterrestrial invading army -- a theory which (as usual) is scoffed at by the authorities until it's almost too late. Blessed with superb special effects and an expertly sustained tension level, Quatermass and the Pit is easily the best of the short-lived "Quatermass" series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Britain's long-running (some would say interminable) series of "Carry On" comedies managed to satirize virtually every film genre ever conceived over three decades. Since espionage dramas were hot in 1964, it was inevitable that the unwary world would be treated to Carry on Spying. The "maguffin" in this yarn is the top-secret Formula X, which has been pilfered by that insidious organization S.T.E.N.C.H. (Society for Total Extinction of Non-Existent Humans). Enter the heroes, the men and women of British Operational Security--better known as B.O.S.H. The good guys are understaffed, thus novice agent Kenneth Williams is put in charge of smashing the evil machinations of Dr. Crow (Judith Furse) and The Fat Man (Eric Pohlmann). The level of wit in Carry on Spying is sustained by the character name of leading lady Barbara Windsor, who plays the delectable Daphne Honeybutt. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide