Mark Dexter Movies
English actor Mark Dexter's career peaked onscreen during the 2000s, and he began to specialize in portrayals of dashing but far from untainted young men, including the lecherous painter Prince Edward in the Hughes' brothers period horror opus From Hell (2001); the prince in Alliance Atlantis' revisionist telemovie version of the Cinderella story Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister (2001), and Samuel Tuffley in NBC's adventure-themed miniseries Crusoe (2008), adapted from Daniel Defoe's classic novel. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide- 2008
Oliver Goldsmith's classic comedy of errors comes to life on the big screen in this release of the five-episode series starring Mark Dexter, Roy Marsden, and screen newcomer Susannah Fielding. A lighthearted farce set in and around a lavish Jacobean manor house, She Stoops to Conquer tells the playfully convoluted tale of well-bred squire's daughter Kate (Fielding), who poses as a barmaid in hopes of charming her stuffy suitor Charles Marlow (Dexter). As the plot begins to twist and turn, the conniving cast of characters who inhabit the estate learn some hilarious lessons about the true nature of love. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mark Dexter, Roy Marsden, (more)
Author Daniel Dafoe's timeless novel gets the small screen treatment in this television series following a young traveler who winds up shipwrecked on a secluded tropical island for twenty-eight years. Robinson Crusoe left his one true love behind in order to seek out adventure on the open seas, though his travels were cut short when he became hopelessly shipwrecked. His former life drifting further away with each passing day, Crusoe clings to sanity by dreaming of the day he will be reunited with his beautiful wife, and confiding in his new best friend Friday. As the days stretch into months, Crusoe and his new companion must brave the elements while standing their ground against formidable foes and violent marauders. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Philip Winchester, Sam Neill, (more)
The curious career of English songwriter Peter Warlock (aka Philip Arnold Heseltine) serves as the subject of this musical biopic starring Mark Dexter as the composer who elevated hedonism to a virtual art form. Present day: As two prospective members of the Peter Warlock Society arrive at an Eaton terrace pub to discover the truth about the notorious songwriter, their thoughts drift back to 1920s-era England, where Warlock and his cronies mingled with such famed composers as Augustus John and Harry Cox. Juggling relationships with his ex-wife Puma, his girlfriend Barbara Peache, and his spiritual soul mate Winifred Baker, the talented outcast wrestles to with the depressing realization that he will never be accepted by the musical elite. By 1930 Warlock had all but quit composing, remaining a sizable thorn in the side of the musical and literary establishments despite ceasing to be a formidable creative force in his own right. Back in the present, the Chairman of the Peter Warlock Society impresses the new recruits by recalling the specifics of Warlock's tragic suicide in vivid detail. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mark Dexter
A vicious shark terrorizes the New Jersey shore in this tale of terror at the beach starring Colin Egglesfield and John Rhys-Davies and based on the actual events that inspired Peter Benchley's Jaws. The year was 1916 and the citizens of New Jersey dared not step in the water for fear of meeting a grim fate in the jaws of a great white shark. For 12 days, the bloodthirsty beast would stalk the normally serine shores of New Jersey awaiting the next victim to tempt fate by taking a swim, and as the most sustained series of shark attacks in recorded history shook an entire community, the power of the perfect predator proved that humankind isn't always at the top of the food chain. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Rhys-Davies, Colin Egglesfield, (more)
- 2002
Based on the (somewhat darker) novel by Gregory Maguire, the made-for-TV movie Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister offers a refreshing revisionist spin on the old Cinderella legend. Having squandered her late husband's fortune, 17th century widow Margarethe (Stockard Channing) moves from London to her native Holland, in hopes of snagging wealthy tulip merchant Van Den Meer (David Westhead) as Hubby Number Two. Going along for the ride are Margarethe's two daughters, Iris (Azura Skye) and Ruth (Emma Poole), whom their mother regards as hopelessly homely and awkward -- especially when compared to Van Den Meer's gorgeous, aloof, and chronically agoraphobic daughter Clara (Claire Harrison). Though unattractive by her mother's idiotically exacting standards, Iris glows with beauty from within, especially when her artistic soul is unleashed by a wise old mentor known as the Master (Jonathan Pryce) (who, without giving too much of the game away, bears a remarkable resemblance to the great Rembrandt). When Margarethe selfishly attempts to marry off Iris to a handsome Prince, ignoring the girl's growing fondness for the Master's humble apprentice Casper (Matthew Goode), Iris formulates a plan to draw Clara out of her shell and prepare her unofficial stepsister for a royal marriage. Deftly challenging still-prevalent notions of "ugly," "beautiful," "good," and "evil," Confessions of an Ugly Sister was a Canadian-Luxembourg coproduction, filmed in 2001 and first telecast as part of ABC's Wonderful World of Disney anthology on March 10, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
- Add The Infinite Worlds of H.G. Wells to QueueAdd The Infinite Worlds of H.G. Wells to top of Queue
In this tribute to the man considered by many to be the father of the science fiction genre, a reporter interviewing author H.G. Wells makes a startling revelation that could forever change mankind's relationship with the universe. Upon arriving at Wells' London home on a fog enshrouded evening in 1946, newspaper reporter Ellen McGillivray is regaled with tales of time travel dating back to Wells' days at London's Imperial College of Science. It seems that Wells and colleague Jane Robbins stumbled across a previously undiscovered rift in time during a series of midnight experiments, and though the pair swore to keep the discovery a secret, the experience forever bonded the adventurous scientists. When Ellen accepts Wells' outlandish tales at face value, his shock at her lack of disbelief is countered by the revelation that she is an underground government agent posing as a reporter in hopes of discovering the secrets of a crystal orb rumored to hold the secrets of the entire universe. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
The true-life horror story of Jack the Ripper gets a new spin in this screen adaptation of the acclaimed graphic novel by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell. In 1888, a ruthless and cold-blooded killer begins hunting prostitutes in East London, and while the murderer's work is savage, the mutilation of his victims suggests the fiend has an extensive medical background. Amidst a background of political unrest and barely contained scandal among the royal family, the murderer's grisly exploits shock and frighten all of England, and one of Scotland Yard's top inspectors, Fred Abberline (Johnny Depp), is put on the case, along with his partner, Peter Godley (Robbie Coltrane). Abberline, depending on one's viewpoint, is either blessed or cursed with second sight, and while he blurs his ability to see future events with opium and other drugs, he still has an uncanny ability to ferret out dangerous criminals, which is put to the test as he and Godley search for the Ripper. As Abberline and Godley investigate the neighborhood where the crimes occur, they become acquainted with the prostitutes and street people who were friends and compatriots of the victims, and Abberline finds himself falling in love with Mary Kelly (Heather Graham), a beautiful Irish streetwalker. As Abberline tries to identify the killer before Mary Kelly can become the next victim, he and Godley have to contend with Sir Charles Warren (Ian Richardson), their superior who is keen to pin the murders on a culprit who isn't British, and Sir William Gull (Ian Holm), a respected physician who has his own ideas about the murders and the benefits of psychosurgery. From Hell marked a change of pace for Albert Hughes and Allen Hughes, the sibling directorial team best known for their gritty depictions of America's urban underground in such films as Menace II Society and Dead Presidents. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Depp, Heather Graham, (more)
