Vernon Lawrence Movies

Adapted from the novel of British writer C.S. Forester, Hornblower is the story of a 17-year-old novice, Horatio Hornblower (Ioan Gruffudd), who becomes one of the most formidable figures in naval history once he is over his first experience of getting seasick while on a boat docked in a harbor. Little by little, Hornblower proves himself daring and inventive, until no battle or adventure is big enough for him. Presented as four two-hour episodes, Hornblower is an action, adventure drama that would find its best audience among teenage boys. Ioan Gruffudd received the FIPA d'Or (Golden FIPA) for "Best Actor" for his role as Hornblower at the Festival International de Programmes Audiovisuels (FIPA) 1999 in Biarritz, France. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide

Playwright Neil Simon made one of his periodic forays into serious themes with the drama The Gingerbread Lady, and while this screen adaptation adds a bit more wit to the proceedings, it remains a change of pace from his usual breezy comedies. Georgia (Marsha Mason) is a successful actress who has just spent 90 days in a rehab clinic in an effort to beat her addiction to alcohol. A number of crises are waiting for Georgia upon her return; her teenage daughter Polly (Kristy McNichol), whom she neglected as a child, wants to move back in, though they still have a ways to go in repairing their relationship. And her ex-husband David (David Dukes), a writer, has just penned a new drama that he wants her to star in -- a fictionalized version of their often-combative marriage. Georgia also has to tend to her best friends, bitter socialite Toby (Joan Hackett) and Jimmy (James Coco), a gay actor who drowns his sorrows in food. Only When I Laugh garnered Oscar nominations for Mason, Coco, and Hackett, while the latter won a Golden Globe for her performance. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

British comedian/game show host Les Dawson held court over this long-playing, freewheeling collection of sketches and monologues, which was popularly known as Sex Les, though it bore such titles as The Les Dawson Show and The Dawson Watch. The project was assembled over a seven-year period, broken up into 11 individual "series." The first group of six half-hour programs were seen over Yorkshire Television from April 30 to June 18, 1969; the second six aired from September 10 to November 19 of the same year. Four more episodes were shown from August 16 to September 6, 1971, with an additional six from January 13 to February 17, 1972, six more that same year from July 29 to September, and yet another six from October 30 to December 4. The calendar year 1973 yielded seven episodes from July 28 to September 8 and a Christmas special on December 26, while 1974 offered 14 programs, seven from January 25 to March 8, and an equal number from June 8 to August 9. Finally in 1976, Sez Les showed up in the form of a January 2 New Year's special, a three-part miniseries from February 25 to March 10, and a climactic seven shows from October 19 to November 30, 1976. Common to all these series was the antic visual humor of star Dawson (his "piano battles" were nationally famous), as well as the star's familiar catchphrases ("Ey up! It's the wife's mother") and such recurring characters as gossips Ada and Cissy, played in drag by Dawson and Richard Barraclough. Additionally, each successive series featured a recurring guest star, including the likes of Brian Glover and John Cleese. Sez Les was briefly and unmemorably revived by the BBC in the mid-'80s; Dawson himself passed away in 1993. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide