Sam Kelly Movies
After a rather decided departure with his 1999 homage to Gilbert and Sullivan, Topsy-Turvy, Mike Leigh returns to his usual form for All or Nothing, a melancholy look at the day-to-day lives of a dysfunctional lower-middle class British family called the Bassetts. Timothy Spall and Lesley Manville (familiar to fans of Leigh's previous films) star as Phil and Penny, a common-law husband and wife who toil their gloomy days away as a cab-driver and grocery-store cashier, respectively. When the couple come to realize the growing emptiness in their relationship, an unexpected emergency within their family brings them closer together and offers the possibility of reigniting the long-extinguished spark in their marriage. Hoping to repeat the Palm D'or win of Leigh's 1996 film Secrets and Lies, All or Nothing was screened in competition at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Timothy Spall, Lesley Manville, (more)
- 1999
Arguably the most successful program ever to emerge from New Zealand network television, The Tribe was set several years after a mysterious virus wiped out the entire adult population of the Earth. The only humans left were those aged 18 and under, who, in order to survive, formed their own small tribes, most of them predatory and violent in nature. The series focused on a tribal group comprised of basically good kids who roamed the empty streets, decaying office buildings, and deserted shopping malls in search of food, clothing, and the necessary technology to stay alive. Such vicious rival gangs as the Demon Dogs and the Locusts regularly pounced upon the characters whom the audience cared about, and there was never any forewarning as to who would still be standing at the end of each episode. Not unexpectedly, several of the young actors on The Tribe proved to be extremely popular with teen and preteen viewers, though this did not in any way prevent the demise of several "likable" characters if the scripts so demanded. Debuting in New Zealand on April 24, 1999, The Tribe was originally telecast two times per week, with each half-hour episode picking up where the previous one left off. The program went on to air in the U.S. via the MoviePlex cable service. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Beth Allen, Meryl Cassie, (more)
Released in the US on cable television, Blue Ice stars Michael Caine as an older, tireder version of his 1960s "Harry Palmer" character (his name, in fact, is Harry Anders). An M16 agent-turned-nightclub owner, Caine is a man of steadfast loyalties. Thus he takes it personally when several friends from his espionage days are mysteriously killed. Caine investigates on his own, which brings him in very close proximity with enigmatic consul's wife Sean Young. Befitting the fact that Caine's character is a jazz fancier, Blue Ice boasts an evocative musical score by Michael Kamen, of Lethal Weapon and Die Hard fame. Watch for jazz great Bobby Short and an unbilled Bob Hoskins. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Caine, Sean Young, (more)
- 1986
The central character in this British sitcom was middle-aged Les Brooks (Sam Kelly), who after several years at the same job was suddenly rendered "redundant" (that is, he was given the boot). In order to keep food on the family table, Les hatched a number of get-rich-quick schemes, all of which quickly fizzled. Meanwhile, his more level-headed wife Maureen (Marcia Warren) landed a job at a local pub. The six-episode We'll Think of Something was telecast from September 1 to October 13, 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sam Kelly, Marcia Warren, (more)
- 1983
Moving as methodically as the old curmudgeon Arthur tending his cricket grounds, this drama about age and values is a steady, well-focused story that still might move too slowly or narrowly for some viewers. Arthur (Jimmy Jewel) has been taking care of the greensward for the cricket team since time immemorial and is at odds with the perennially losing team's board of directors. Len Draycock (Michael Elphick) and others want Arthur to shape the pitch to give the home team an advantage -- like every other home team. They would also like him to retire so they can install a modern system to tend the grounds and use his salary for needed amenities. Arthur's battles with Len and the board (and internally, himself as well) intensify when he is given an underprivileged young black man as an assistant. This was award-winning cinematographer Freddie Young's first (and last) directorial experience -- he was 90 when he directed this film. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jimmy Jewel, Jean Boht, (more)
Made for British television by filmmaker Mike Leigh, Grown Ups is a detailed slice-of-life drama about a married, working-class couple in Canterbury, England. The film begins with the young couple, Dick and Mandy, moving to a new, rather small home and becoming neighbors to Mr. Butcher, an abrasive, ill-humored man who they once had as a schoolteacher. This rather awkward living situation soon becomes even more uncomfortable, thanks to the near-constant presence of Mandy's older sister, Gloria. (Gloria is portrayed by Brenda Blethyn, who 17 years later would win recognition and an Oscar nomination for her work in Leigh's Secrets and Lies.) Gloria's eccentricity and desperate, child-like neediness leads her to become increasingly dependent on the young couple, showing up at all hours and rarely leaving. Her behavior grates on the already sour Dick and comes to test Mandy's patience as well. When Mandy's efforts to politely discourage her sister's visits prove fruitless, the extended family is forced into a painful, emotionally charged confrontation. Leigh purposefully alternates the film's more immediate dramatic elements with careful, real-time portraits of daily life, giving equal weight to both traumatic arguments and extended conversations about home decor and vacuum cleaners. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- 1979
Doing Time is the American title for the British-made Porridge. Based on a popular TV sitcom, the film stars Ronnie Barker as the unofficial leader of a group of cut-up inmates in Slade Prison. These lovable lawbreakers engineer the escape of a timorous first offender who has been railroaded into a long sentence. Barker accidentally winds up "outside" with the escapee--and spends the rest of the film struggling to break back into jail. British fans of Porridge weren't happy with this film version, citing attenuated material and repetition as its chief shortcomings. For the record, Porridge was the basis for a brief American sitcom titled On the Rocks, which ran (not without resistance from the National Association for Justice) from September 1975 to May 1976. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ron Barker, Richard Beckinsale, (more)
- 1975
- R
This threadbare "Carry On" comedy is set in the 18th century and concerns a fellow with a dual identity: by day, he's the Reverend Flasher; after dusk, he moonlights as the treacherous highwayman Dick Turpin. (Both are played by Sidney James). Dogooders Captain Desmond Fancey (Kenneth Williams) and Sgt. Jock Strapp (Jack Douglas) search for this elusive scoundrel who is robbing travelers every evening. Adding fool to the fire is Mme. Desiree (Joan Sims) and her entourage of doxies. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sidney James, Barbara Windsor, (more)
