Gwenllian Davies
- 2003
Ian Sharp's Mrs. Caldicot's Cabbage War concerns itself with Thelma Caldicot (Pauline Collins), whose life changes radically after the death of her husband. After her spouse dies, thanks to an errant cricket ball, Thelma is taken out of her home by her son Derek (Peter Capaldi) and her daughter-in-law Veronica (Anna Wilson-Jones). She is admitted to the Twilight Years Rest Home, which is run by Hawthorne (John Alderton). Upset with the care she and the other patients receive, Thelma leads a revolt. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pauline Collins, Peter Capaldi, (more)
- 2000
A local bingo emporium finds itself competing against the big boys in this easygoing comedy. The La Scala is a theater in Wales that has offered drama, music, and movies to local audiences over the years, but is now being used as a bingo hall. The hall's manager, Giovanni Anzani (Freddie Jones), serves up free pasta in a bid to keep his dwindling clientele happy, but when it's announced that a major national chain, Mega Bingo, is opening a brand new hall just down the street, things look grim for Anzani and his staff. Linda (Kelly Macdonald) is especially upset. She's deep in debt following her mother's death, and her boyfriend Gavin (Jason Hughes) has just taken a job as a caller for the new bingo hall. Desperate, Anzani cuts his staff's salaries and scrapes up the money to use La Scala as part of a National Bonanza bingo tournament. If one of his patrons wins the million pound jackpot, his share would pull the hall out of debt and put him squarely in the black. In the midst of all this, Linda has recently discovered that she has a sort of ESP that allows her to predict the numbers before they're pulled, though she's not sure if or how she should put this gift to work. House! was directed by Julian Kemp, a newcomer to feature films with a strong background in children's television. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Keith Chegwin, Gwenllian Davies, (more)
Another member of the Fiennes family leaves a mark in the film business, as Martha Fiennes makes her big-screen directorial debut with a screen adaptation of the verse novel by Aleksander Pushkin, with her big brother Ralph Fiennes in the leading role. Onegin (Fiennes) is a blase man who has grown weary of the social whirl of his life in St. Petersburg in the 1820s. Onegin's wealthy uncle has recently passed on, bequeathing him a large estate in the country, where the financially embarrassed Onegin has now chosen to live. Onegin makes fast friends with his neighbor Lensky (Toby Stephens), who introduces Onegin to his fiancée Olga (Lena Headley). Olga in turn introduces him to her mother (Harriet Walker) and her younger sister, Tatyana (Liv Tyler). Onegin finds Tatyana interesting, and she is strongly infatuated with him, finding him coolly attractive and enjoying his straightforward way of expressing himself. Tatyana makes her feelings known to Onegin in a love letter, but he calmly rejects her advances. Lensky senses Tatyana's attraction to Onegin and talks to him about her; Lensky is shocked when Onegin says he regards her as unintelligent, and in a moment of anger Lensky challenges his friend to a duel. Neither man wants to kill the other, but both are too stubborn to back down, and Onegin ends up shooting Lensky, forcing him to flee to parts unknown. Six years later, a older and more humble Onegin re-encounters the married Tatyana and begs her for a second chance. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ralph Fiennes, Liv Tyler, (more)
- 1984
In this British-made Welsh language film, a young alcoholic spends his life drinking booze. Despite the fact that it is ruining his life, the man cannot stop. In the end he truly hits bottom and loses his job and his family. In desperation he seeks the advice of a friend who involves him in Alcoholics Anonymous. The Welsh title of the film means The Happy Alcoholic in English. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dafydd Hywel, Gwenllian Davies, (more)
