Josie Lawrence Movies
- 1995
Edina (Jennifer Saunders) moves into a commune but chafes at the paternalistic attitudes of the charlatans who run it; she spends her time impatiently waiting for her turn with "the talking stick," dejected over her separation from best friend Patsy (Joanna Lumley). Pats, meanwhile, finds that her well-worn fashion-world aphorisms don't fly in straight-talking New York. Professional ally Magda (Kathy Burke) sympathizes but offers no help, leaving Pats to the tender mercies of fashion barracudas Candy (Ruby Wax), Gina (Suzanne Bertish), and Sante (Sean Chapman). After chance encounters with a trio of transvestites and with Bo (Mo Gaffney) -- the sometime girlfriend of Eddy's ex-husband, Marshall -- Pats wanders up to the rooftop of the magazine to smoke and think. Suddenly a helicopter flies by, a familiar face waving from the passenger seat, and soon the world doesn't seem so terrible anymore. After the closing credits, a 25-years-later epilogue then provides a glimpse into the future exploits of Pats, Eddy, Gran, and Saffy. Originally broadcast on BBC1 on May 11, 1995, Absolutely Fabulous: The End marked series three, episode six of this popular Brit-com. The next installment would be the 1996 two-part TV movie Absolutely Fabulous: The Last Shout; regular episodes would not appear again until series four in 2001. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi
Produced for Central Television, the British sitcom Outside Edge was based on Richard Harris' 1982 TV play of the same name. The stories dealt with the relationship between two couples, united only by the fact that both played for a Sunday League Cricket Team. Wealthy Roger Dervish was imperious and self-absorbed, while his wife Miriam was the long-suffering anchor (and occasional doormat) in the marriage. Their opposite numbers were the Costellos: slovenly Kevin and his outgoing, sexually supercharged wife, Maggie . Others in the cast included two Doctor Who veterans, Dennis Lill and Michael Jayston. Making its British TV debut on March 24, 1994, Outside Edge toted up 21 half-hour episodes and one 60-minute special before ending its run on February 13, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Brenda Blethyn, Timothy Spall, (more)
Previously filmed in 1935 with Ann Harding, Enchanted April, a romantic novel by Elizabeth, was remade in 1992. The first film skips along superficially at 66 minutes: the second, directed by the always intriguing Mike Newell, runs 101 minutes, allowing for richer characterizations and a bottomless reserve of brilliant dialogue. Two cloistered, married English women (Josie Lawrence, Miranda Richardson) impulsively rent an Italian villa and embark upon a vacation without their spouses. They are joined by two other ladies: the high-flown aging widow Joan Plowright, and elegant upper-crust beauty Polly Walker) whom they've never met. Under the spell of an exotic new location, the foursome are in for quite a few life-altering experiences, many of them amusing, and not a few very surprising. Impeccably accurate in its recreation of European manners and mores in the 1920s, Enchanted April is sheer bliss from fade-in to fade-out. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Miranda Richardson, Joan Plowright, (more)
- 1990
A genial spoof of the Indiana Jones film series, the weekly British children's program Jackson Pace: The Great Years focused on a teenaged explorer-adventurer. Keith Allen starred as Jackson Pace, whose exploits took him all over the world and brought him in contact with a colorful array of beautiful ladies and sinister villains. Nothing, of course, was meant to be taken seriously -- nor could it have been, given the series' meager budget and modest production values. Written by veteran teen-show scrivener Daniel Peacock (who also played a key supporting role), Jackson Pace: The Great Years was originally telecast from October 11 to November 15, 1990. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Keith Allen, Daniel Peacock, (more)
- 1990
The satirical Kingsley Amis novel The Green Man served as the basis for this three-part BBC2 miniseries. Albert Finney headed the cast as Maurice Allington, the libidinous, money-grubbing owner of a quaint British bed-and-breakfast hotel. In hopes of attracting customers, and also desirous of bedding every eligible woman in the region, Allington began spreading rumors that his hotel "the Green Man" was haunted by the ghost of a notorious 17th century occult scientist. The hero was hoist on his own petard when it turned out that the ghost actually did "reside" on the premises -- and with several companion ghosts in the bargain. The Green Man was originally broadcast from October 28 to November 11, 1990. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
A group of radical Vietnam vets become broadcasting pirates and take on a Presidential candidate in this crazy comedy. The vets and their leader, "Captain," are television raiders flying all over the country in a B-29 they turned into flying broadcasting station S&M TV, jamming the airwaves wherever they go. Their self-assigned mission for the past 20 years is to keep the public informed about government activity to stop them from launching another foolish war like Vietnam. To do this they monitor the broadcasts of other television stations and when they don't like what they hear, they bust in and expose the lies. The bulk of the story centers around their final mission: an all-out attempt to keep Mrs. Willa Westinghouse, an ultra-conservative Presidential candidate and strong proponent of the Cold War and military strength, from winning the election. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dennis Hopper, Michael J. Pollard, (more)
