Greg Brenman Movies

Prime Suspect writer Allan Cubitt adapts U.K. sportswriter Simon Carr's autobiographical novel about a successful sports journalist who is suddenly saddled with the responsibility of raising two sons from different marriages, and whose unusual parenting philosophy "just say yes" brings them closer together than ever before. A quick witted rogue with a talent for covering sports, Joe Warr (Clive Owen) never took life seriously -- until the day his beloved wife died in the blink of an eye. But while Joe is absolutely overwhelmed with grief after losing his spirited soul mate, his six-year-old son, Artie (Nicholas McAnulty), is taking it even harder. Artie can't accept his mother's passing, and his troubling means of expressing his grief are only serving to make a bad situation worse. Suddenly, into the chaos of Joe's and Artie's lives wanders rebellious teenager named Harry (George MacKay). Harry is Joe's son from a previous marriage, and he's come from England to live with his father and stepbrother. Upon realizing that he's neither emotionally prepared nor equipped to take on the responsibility of being a single parent, Joe decides to throw the rules out the window and "just say yes" to every question his sons pose. The result is a household that's full of jubilance and energy, but constantly on the verge of calamity. Somehow, in the midst of all the chaos, something incredible happens -- the bereaved father and his two sons find the courage to move past their grief, and rediscover the joy of living. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Three residents of a 1950s-era U.K. town experience apocalyptic events that transport them 50 years into the future, where they encounter a trio of time travelers who inform them that their entire lives were a work of fiction created by a popular comedy troupe called The League of Gentlemen. Saucy German Herr Lipp (Steve Pemberton), psychotic butcher Hilary Briss (Mark Gatiss), and unassuming businessman Geoff Tipps (Reece Shearsmith) were fleeing fireballs in fictional Royston Vasey when they ran into a church crypt, and emerged a half-century later in the real town of Hadfield. Later, as the hapless time travelers struggle to get their bearings, they encounter posh zookeeper Edward (Shearsmith), mysterious Tubbs (Pemberton), and imposing voodoo chief Papa Lazarou (Shearsmith) - who shock them with the news that they and their hometown are, in fact, entirely fictional. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Probably the most filmed of all Sherlock Holmes stories, Arthur Conan Doyle's 1901 novel The Hound of the Baskervilles was given another go-round with this BBC television production. Richard Roxburgh, best known as the libidinous nobleman in the 2001 theatrical feature Moulin Rouge, is cast as The Great Detective, with Ian Hart as Holmes' friend, assistant and chronicler Dr. John Watson. The game is afoot when Holmes and Watson head to gloomy Baskerville Manor near the forbidding Grimpen Moor, the new home of young Sir Henry Baskerville (Matt Day). A number of curious events have led the detectives to the conclusion that Sir Henry's life is in danger -- that, in fact, he may at any time be torn asunder by a gigantic, vicious hound. Is this the fulfillment of "The Baskerville Curse," brought about by villainous debauchery of Sir Henry's ancestor, or is the would-be murderer a human being, using the legend of the Hound as a smoke-screen? Taking quite a few liberties with the original, The Hound of the Baskervilles was a nonetheless entertaining "shorthand" version of the Doyle classic. Making its British broadcast debut on December 26, 2002, the film was curiously premiered over Canadian television some five weeks earlier, on November 18. In the United States, The Hound of the Baskervilles was first seen as part of PBS' Masterpiece Theatre anthology on January 19, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this two-part British TV drama, Trina Lavery (Sarah Lancashire) returned to her hometown of Stoke after 20 years, there to look after her ailing mother. Upon her arrival, Trina discovered that Bernard Cleve (Lorcan Cranitch), the man who had been arrested for the murder of Trina's best friend, was likewise living in Stoke, his case having been tossed out of court. Though a free man in the eyes of the lawy, Bernard was unable to escape suspicion when another local girl was killed. This time around, however, Trina had a feeling that Bernard was not responsible -- and in setting out to prove her theory, she risked becoming Victim Number Three. Hampered by an unsatisfying conclusion, My Fragile Heart nonetheless enjoyed a large viewership when it was aired by ITV on September 17 and 18, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Brassed Off meets My Name Is Joe in this gritty coming-of-age drama about a young son of a poor English coal miner who dreams of being a ballet dancer. The film is set during a 1984 miners' strike in Durham county, where angry clashes between picketers and cops in riot gear are nearly daily occurrences. Among the most vociferous protestors are Tony (Jamie Driven) and his dad (Gary Lewis), who nags his youngest son Billy (Jamie Bell) into taking boxing classes. Though the kid can do some fancy footwork, he can't take a punch. One day at the gym, he notices a ballet class taught by hard-bitten Mrs. Wilkinson (Julie Walters), whose young daughter dares him to join. When his father gets wind of this less-than-manly pursuit, he pulls him from the class. Sensing a raw and natural talent, Mrs. Wilkinson offers to teach the lad for free in preparation for the local auditions to the Royal Ballet School. When Tony gets in trouble with the cops, Billy is forced to miss the trials, leading to a confrontation between Billy's pop and Ms. Wilkinson. Though at first he steadfastly refuses to consider his son's desires of going into ballet, he comes to realize that this might be the one shot that Billy has in order to escape the danger and grinding tedium of a miner's life, so he sets out to earn the money by any means necessary to send his son to London. This film is the directorial debut of renowned British stage director Stephen Daldry. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

Produced by Tiger Aspect for Britain's Channel 4, Shockers was a trio of 65-minute "urban thrillers," originally telecast from October 19 to November 2, 1999. The first episode, "Déjà vu," was about a couple (Kerry Fox, Lennie James) trying to put the pieces together after their son was killed in a car accident. In "The Visitor," a mysterious "cousin" caused a chain of bizarre events in a flat occupied by three longtime friends. And in "Dance," widowed father Mike (Douglas Hodge) entered into a romance with Deborah (Christine Tremarco), with startling consequences. After its official 1999 run, Shockers was briefly revived with the one-off 2001 thriller "Parent's Night," wherein a mother gets revenge on the bullies who goaded her son into suicide. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi