Lenny Henry Movies

After directing the first two movies in the Harry Potter franchise, Chris Columbus opted to serve as producer for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and passed the baton to Y Tu Mamá También director Alfonso Cuarón. Though "immensely popular" is an understatement when it comes to Harry Potter, Azkaban is somewhat of a departure from its predecessors, and particularly beloved among fans for its surprise ending. Prisoner of Azkaban also marks the introduction of Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), who has escaped from the title prison after 12 years of incarceration. Believed to have been the right-hand-man of the dark wizard Voldemort, whom Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) mysteriously rendered powerless during his infancy, some of those closest to Harry suspect Black has returned to exact revenge on the boy who defeated his master. Upon his return to school, however, Harry is relatively unconcerned with Black. Run by Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) -- who is widely regarded as the most powerful wizard of the age -- Hogwarts is renowned for its safety. Harry's nonchalance eventually turns to blind rage after accidentally learning the first of Black's many secrets during a field trip to a neighboring village. Of course, a loose serial killer is only one of the problems plaguing the bespectacled wizard's third year back at school -- the soul-sucking guards of Azkaban prison have been employed at Hogwarts to protect the students, but their mere presence sends Harry into crippling fainting spells. With the help of his friends Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson), and Defense Against the Dark Arts professor Remus Lupin (David Thewlis), Harry struggles to thwart the Dementors, find Sirius Black, and uncover the mysteries of the night that left him orphaned. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

This collection of material from the BBC sketch comedy program French & Saunders focuses on the show's earliest episodes, from the late '80s. The duo's signature film and TV parodies are in short supply, although Dawn French does essay the role of Elizabeth Taylor as Maggie the Cat in a send-up of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Jennifer Saunders, meanwhile, performs a parodic show tune in the guise of Doris Day. Much of the rest of the material focuses on music and dance, from a deadpan Pet Shop Boys impersonation to a mock awards show in which a decrepit Ginger Rogers is forced to dance, despite her wheelchair, with a phalanx of Solid Gold-style dancers. As a framing device, French and Saunders parody girl groups of the ages, from flappers to hippies. The comedians also get their digs in at conceptual art, safer sex, Liza Minnelli, and the foibles of British schoolgirls. Additional performers include comedy duo Raw Sex. Those with sharp ears will also notice a joke about June Whitfield, the British actress who would go on to appear with Saunders in Absolutely Fabulous. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

This heart-warming made-for-television holiday comedy drama from Great Britain tells the tale of a recently unemployed art dealer whose every Christmas wish comes true after he finds a genie bottled up in a tarnished old lamp. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Charles Lane directed Andy Breckman's script, based on an old "Saturday Night Live" sketch of Breckman's that featured Eddie Murphy. Comic Lenny Henry takes Murphy's place in True Identity as a black man forced to don white face in order to save his life. Henry plays Miles Pope, an agreeable British actor whose luck sours when he finds out that businessman Leland Carver (Frank Langella) is actually a notorious underworld mobster. Carver now wants to rub Miles out and the only way that Miles can escape Carver's retribution is to disguise himself as a man named Frank LaMotta, the Italian-American killer that Carver has hired to kill him. During the story, Miles finds that he has to assume a variety of roles to keep from getting shot --a gay real estate agent, a British lord, James Brown's brother Val, and even Othello. But the biggest shock for Miles comes when he plays the white man and discovers that he is given preferential treatment --not only by whites, but also by blacks and Hispanics. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

This British concert documentary follows that country's very popular standup comedian and television performer Lenny Henry, who is largely unknown in the U.S. It was filmed in 1989 at London's Hackney Empire Theatre. In order to add interest to what might otherwise be a pedestrian performance show, there are backstage scenes in which Lenny impersonates such luminaries as Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy and Steve Martin, who all have advice for Lenny. ($Lenny Henry} is best known for lampooning musicians and the British music world, and his humor particularly addresses the situation of blacks in contemporary British society. In one skit, he plays a Lou Rawls-type crooner of sexually stimulating ballads by the name of "Theophilus P. Wildebeeste." In others, he plays the reggae star "Fred Dread," blues singer "Smith," and the small-time DJ "Delbert Wilkins." In character as "Smith," Lenny performs a duet with the legendary rock guitarist Jeff Beck. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

In this drama, a wealthy young heiress endeavors to discover if her life does indeed have any meaning after she participates in a far-from-harmless parlor game at an exclusive costume party held in a grand old mansion. Sasha, the heiress, has fallen into a deep depression following the suicide of her brother and is strongly thinking about joining him when she goes to the party and begins playing a card game in which the winner's reward is a drink of deadly poison. Unfortunately, Sasha wins and must now reconsider her rashness. The plot is based on a story from Robert Louis Stevenson. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In 1984, years before she gained an audience in the United States, Tracy Ullman scored a hit with British television viewers on the comedy series Three Of A Kind, which teamed her up with Lenny Henry and David Copperfield (no, not the popular magician) for a weekly mixture of sketch comedy, musical satire, and blackout routines. Three Of A Kind presents over eighty minutes of highlights from the run of the series. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide