Rosalind Ayres Movies
Katsuhiro Otomo, director of the groundbreaking anime feature Akira (1988), returns with this visually striking fusion of the past and the future. It's the Industrial Age in England, reimagined, and various and sundry inventors and scientists are arriving in Britain to hawk their products while capitalism rears its ugly head. A gadget-happy British lad named Ray (voice of Anna Paquin) receives a mysterious package from his grandfather Lloyd Steam (Patrick Stewart) -- a tiny ball that turns out to be an engine toting immense power. As it happens, several of these little balls run the O'Hara pavilion, a massive, mobile fortress. Ray later discovers that his dad and grandfather are located inside of the pavilion; his dad, Eddie, has become mesmerized by O'Hara and subject to their whims, while Lloyd suspects that O'Hara may want to use the balls for nefarious purposes, and tries to put a definitive end to those plans. Indeed, the O'Hara people soon take over the Great Exhibition and turn it into a veritable circus for weapons dealers. Meanwhile, Ray starts to develop feelings for a young girl named Scarlett O'Hara. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anne Suzuki, Manami Konishi, (more)
Ray (Tim Vahle) has just returned from college to run a Native-American ski lodge. A laid-back place where employees' children play in the lobby and the handyman has a habit of macking on guests, the lodge isn't exactly four-star travel guide material. So when Ray learns that a travel guide representative is coming to make an inspection, he makes an executive decision to make the lodge a professional place of business. In addition to keeping his father, who happens to be the hotel's former manager, out of his way, he also has to contend with his somewhat eccentric staff, which includes an emotional vegetarian chef (Graham Greene) who takes a certain pleasure in informing his diners of the names he has given the animals they're eating. Despite Ray's exhaustive preparations, something, of course, goes wrong: something that, in this case, turns out to be a case of mistaken identity: when Tina, a comely Mohawk woman, shows up at the lodge, Ray assumes her to be the representative, and sets about giving her the royal treatment while the actual representative (M. Emmet Walsh) is ignored and must contend with a hefty dose of hotel mismanagement. Christmas in the Clouds was an audience favorite at the 2002 Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Timothy Vahle, MariAna Tosca, (more)
Australia is home to a great number of natural wonders, but none may be as impressive as the one that you can't readily see. Along 1,200 miles of the Australian coast stretches one of the world's most precious and fascinating ecosystems, the Great Barrier Reef. This coral reef is teeming with sharks, exotic sea plants and fish species that display more color than a home improvement store showcase. The trouble is most people have neither the physical capacity or money to go diving into the crystal blue to see first hand the splendor of the reef; hence, The Great Barrier Reef. This film was originally produced for the IMAX screen (an extra large screen that is bowed, giving viewers the perception of being in the middle of the action -- like a 3D movie, but without the glasses) for the average person that may never get the chance to peek beneath the surface. But since IMAX movies are shown only where an IMAX screen is available (typically at a museum or amusement park, Slingshot Entertainment has converted this amazing documentary to DVD and VHS for wider appreciation. Directed by IMAX veteran George Casey and narrated by Philip Clark and Rosylind Ayres, this film is sure to thrill with its spectacular portrayals of life in the reef. The DVD version is also equipped with alternate language options and a link to the Internet for further exploration by those that find themselves enthralled and wanting more from down under. ~ Ed Atkinson, All Movie Guide
Jasmin Dizdar's debut feature takes place in London on October 13, 1993. England is to play against Holland in a critical World Cup qualifier. The Bosnian war is at its height, Sebrenica is besieged, and the UN is preparing relief airdrops. Serbian Dado Jehan and Croatian Faruk Pruti meet on a London bus. Recognizing each other as fellow refugees from the same village in Bosnia, they try to beat each other up. The subsequent crazy chase through the streets of central London sets the scene for a highly charged dark comedy. Beautiful People draws a portrait of the multicultural life of London where lives of British families are inadvertently linked with the lives of the refugees. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlotte Coleman, Charles Kay, (more)
- 1996
Yasmine Bleeth is cast very much against type in this made-for-TV melodrama as Emily Gilmore, a meek, mild woman with a hideously scarred face. Receiving no help or support from her alcoholic mother and gorgeous sister, the easily led Emily falls in with a bad crowd, and before long she is sent to prison for a robbery she didn't commit. Once behind bars, Emily is able to get plastic surgery, emerging as stunningly beautiful--and totally unrecognizable. Upon her release, the no-longer shy and retiring Emily assumes a new identity--the first step in a chilling scheme of revenge, aimed at settling the score with the man (James Wilder) who framed her. Originally telecast March 11, 1996 by NBC, A Face to Die For has been released to video as simply The Face. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The fourth screen adaptation of Anna Sewell's classic novel is, in some ways, the most faithful and accomplished. Screenwriter and director Caroline Thompson recounts the life of Black Beauty, an aging, handsome stallion living in Victorian England. The film is narrated by Alan Cumming as the voice of Black Beauty, who spends a happy childhood on a rambling country estate before being ravaged by illness and surviving a horrible stable fire. However, the worst is yet to come as Black Beauty's new owners subject him to life as a horse for rent and, later, as a taxi puller in working-class London, before he can retire in peace. The original novel was written to draw attention to the cruel treatment of animals in 1877 England, and the issue's continued relevance today adds poignancy and gravity to this affecting tale. The film is episodic, as was the book, and the topic is handled with sensitivity and care. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sean Bean, David Thewlis, (more)
Clichéd, slow-paced, and with a well-worn storyline, this melodrama revolves around the sad tale of Olivia (Lisa Eichhorn), a woman who falls in love with Rollo (Michael York), a married man, and then suffers torment when she becomes pregnant and realizes she has no choice but to abort the baby. Predictable from the very beginning, this mediocre film is raised up several notches by Lisa Eichhorn's interpretation of Olivia. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael York, Lisa Eichhorn, (more)
- 1976
Filmed in Austria, this British-made musical retells the story of Cinderella as it is found in books of fairy tales. The Prince, Edward, is played by Richard Chamberlain, Cinderella by Gemma Craven. In her role as the Prince's witty mother, Dame Edith Evans provides many of the movie's highlights. The musical score and songs written by Richard Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, who also provided the music to the movie Mary Poppins, were nominated for Academy Awards. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Chamberlain, Gemma Craven, (more)
- 1974
Stardust was the sequel to That'll be the Day, a 1973 film à clef about the rise of a Beatles-like rock group. Real-life rock star David Essex plays singer Jim Maclaine (read: John Lennon), whose sudden rise to fame has enriched him beyond his wildest dreams. His perspective and sense of values skewered by sex, drugs, and booze, Maclaine becomes little more than a singing cipher, outwardly successful but hollow inside. Ironically, Keith Moon of the Who, whose own life paralleled the fictional Maclaine's in many ways, appears in a supporting role. Dave Edmunds, who appears in as Alex, co-wrote the film's pulsating musical score with Lord David Puttnam (the film's producer). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Essex, Adam Faith, (more)
- 1974
Little Malcolm is playwright David Halliwell's brilliantly vicious attack on the hollowness of the 1960s protest movement. Booted out of art school, misfit John Hurt uses his anger to organize a radical anti-establishment organization with two fellow malcontents. What seems at first attractive and trendy turns out to be a dangerous neo-fascist movement. David Warner costars as Hurt's erudite political foe, who finds it hard to stand up against the raw persuasive energy of demagoguery. Ex-Beatle George Harrison produced this searing sociopolitical tome. The film was originally released as Little Malcolm and His Struggle Against the Eunuch. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Hurt, John McEnery, (more)
Long before Grease was even thought of, the British came out with That'll Be The Day, the story of a young man (David Essex) growing up in the dreary working-class world of Britain who comes of age and finds his proper outlet in the first outgrowths of the rock-and-roll world in Britain. This film and its accompanying album were extremely successful in Britain. Along with an excellent (and nostalgic) soundtrack, it features acting performances by rockers David Essex, Billy Fury, Keith Moon and Ringo Starr. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Essex, Ringo Starr, (more)
- 1973
- PG
The multipart From Beyond the Grave features Peter Cushing as the owner of a sinister antique shop. Utilizing the various artifacts in his establishment, Cushing metes out retribution to customers who try to bamboozle him. The quartet of horror playlets included herein are "The Gate Crasher," "An Act of Kindness," "The Elemental," and "The Door"; all originally appeared in short-story form in Ronald Chetwynd-Hayes' The Unbidden. The British cast includes David Warner, Donald Pleasence, Ian Bannen, Diana Dors, Nyree Dawn Porter, Ian Carmichael, Ian Ogilvy, Lesley-Anne Down, and Margaret Leighton. This Amicus production was also released as Creatures and The Creatures from Beyond the Grave. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
