Nicholas Ball Movies

A sophisticated London professional discovers that you can't pick your family when the uncouth sister she never knew interrupts her life in an attempt to locate their long-lost father, whom the former had always assumed to be dead. Catherine St. John-Burke (Isabelle Defaut) lives alone in London's Chelsea district. She's obsessed with status, but her recent affair with a married man reveals that she's still not entirely comfortable with her own lot in life. Then there's Shirley Zachary (Emily Corcoran), an uneducated Kiwi woman who never gives a second thought to issues of status and style. When Catherine returns home one day to find Shirley drinking beer in her living room, her first instinct is to scream for help. According to Shirley, the two polar opposites are half-sisters, and their father is still very much alive. Not only that, but in the wake of their mothers' recent deaths, he's currently attempting to make claims on both of their properties. Unconvinced, Catherine takes Shirley to get a DNA test and discovers that her half-sister is telling the truth. But how can Catherine and Shirley ever hope to find their father Jack (Nicholas Bell) when the elusive scammer is hiding out from the mob? Setting out on the trail of a mysterious figure named "Sir Crawford," the girls begin to suspect that they're on the right track and do everything in their power to get rightful ownership of their inheritance. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A man looks outside the law for justice and discovers the price was far higher than he expected in the drama Out of Depth. Paul (Sean Maguire) is a graphic designer who is furiously angry and appalled when a drunken thug beats up his mother (Rita Tushingham) and adds insult to injury by urinating on her. Paul vows revenge, but an old chum from school, Steve (Danny Midwinter), tells him he has connections with strong-arm men who would be happy to do the dirty work for him. Paul is introduced to Lenny (Nicholas Ball), an unscrupulous gangster who makes sure the low life who beat up Paul's mum is dealt with harshly. However, Lenny then demands pay back by forcing Paul to deliver some drugs for him, which leads him into unexpected danger. Out of Depth was based on an actual incident. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In a story powered by the songs on an LP by Mick Jagger, this film is really one long video clip advertising Jagger's album. The plot takes the music from one number to the next, and begins with the rock star and his wife having an argument in Rio which leads to his being mugged and taken to the interior of Brazil to work on a plantation. Once there, the lady of the manor chases him around, but he manages to escape back to Rio only to find that someone else has been impersonating him and making off with the big bucks. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Eager to escape her high-society life among the English elite, a woman falls in love with a young musician. Her husband, however, has other plans for her. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide

A minor installment in the BBC's otherwise superb Hammer House of Horror television series, this installment details the woes suffered by a suburban family whose house displays the usual earmarks of rampant poltergeistism -- ranging from body parts in the fridge to literal geysers of blood bursting from overhead plumbing during the daughter's birthday party. The setpieces are obviously derivative of The Amityville Horror, with the only original twists arriving at the ending -- which turns out to be quite a groaner. Released in the U.S. first to cable TV, then to the "Thrillervideo" label, with bumper segments hosted by buxom horror vixen Elvira, who peppers the proceedings with her usual banter -- to wit: "When a house starts bleeding, it's darn near impossible to get a tourniquet on that sucker." ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

Generous doses of newsreel footage highlight this British wartime drama. Tom (Brian Stirner) is a typical 18-year-old Briton who goes into military service early in 1944. The film follows the protagonist through the rigors of training and the shock of his first battle. Tom is killed on D-Day--hence the film's title, an allusion to "Operation Overlord." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide