John Light Movies
In a time when India and Pakistan are being torn apart, true love still manages to take root despite the fear and intolerance that blights the troubled landscape. The year is 1947, and as India and Pakistan are split into two separate states the rivers run red with blood. Gian (Jimi Mistry) is a Sikh and former soldier who risks his life to rescue young Muslim Naseem (Kristin Kruek) from a rampaging mob. As this unlikely pair begins to realize their true feelings for one another, the bond between them helps to heal the tender wounds of war. But what chance does true love really have against the destructive force or religious zealotry? ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jimi Mistry, Kristin Kreuk, (more)
In the tense days leading up to the Allied bombing of Dresden, a young nurse weighs her loyalty to the motherland against her deepest desires after discovering an injured British pilot in a hospital cellar. Anna (Felicitas Woll) is a compassionate nurse working in a German hospital, and Robert (John Light) is a British pilot who has become trapped behind enemy lines. When Anna discovers Robert hiding out beneath the hospital, her first instinct is to dress his wounds. But Robert is the enemy, and despite her growing attraction to him she realizes that the penalties for aiding an enemy combatant is severe. Now, as Anna schemes to conceal Robert's true identity and Robert does his best just to survive, the city of Dresden is suddenly consumed by the chaos of war. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Felicitas Woll, John Light, (more)
Forces of good and evil are in hot pursuit of a book with tremendous supernatural powers in the fifth installment of the The Prophecy franchise. A young woman named Allison comes into possession of an unusual book. Allison discovers the strange volume is the Lexicon, a book with great spiritual powers that will predict the coming of the Antichrist. Soon minions of both heaven and hell are chasing Allison, hoping to get their hands on the book; few mortals seem to believe her, though, with the exception of a lawman (Jason Scott Lee), who attempts to protect her against the agents of the afterlife. The Prophecy: Forsaken also stars Jason London, Tony Todd, and John Light. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
A handful of New Yorkers find their paths crossing in ways that force them to examine their lives in this contemporary drama produced by Ismail Merchant. Isabel (Elizabeth Banks) is a twentysomething photographer who is supposed to marry her boyfriend, Jonathan (James Marsden), in a month. But Isabel has found herself wondering if marriage is the right thing for her. Meanwhile, her mother, Diana (Glenn Close), a well-known film actress, has learned her husband has been seeing another woman, and while they have an open relationship, Diana finds this hurtful. Over the course of the day, Diana meets Alec (Jesse Bradford), a handsome young actor, and Isabel is introduced to Peter (John Light), a journalist, and both women begin to question their current relationships. The first feature for director Chris Terrio, Heights also stars Michael Murphy, Eric Bogosian, Thomas Lennon, and Rufus Wainwright. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Glenn Close, Elizabeth Banks, (more)
If you think the prophesies have all been written and humankind's fate forever sealed, you won't know just how wrong you are until you witness the ultimate war between heaven and hell in this supernaturally charged thriller that re-teams Hellraiser: Deader co-stars Kari Wuhrer and Doug Bradley. When an ancient, self-generating religious manuscript known as The Lexicon lands in the hands of an unsuspecting young woman, she is horrified to learn that the mysterious text continues to write itself -- forever revealing future predictions that, if discovered, could alter the course of history. Caught in an epic supernatural battle between fearless renegade angels determined to use the monolithic revelations of The Lexicon to achieve their own nefarious means, the young woman must protect the ancient text or risk eternal damnation for all of humankind. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
An elderly king must come to terms with his past as he plots his nation's future in this historical drama. In 1183, aging monarch King Henry II (Patrick Stewart) decides it is time to pick an heir to his throne, and he must choose one of his three sons -- John (Rafe Spall), Geoffrey (John Light), or Richard (Andrew Howard) -- to rule the British empire. Henry wants to announce his successor at a Christmas gathering of his court a few weeks hence, and in time for the event, he has decided to free his headstrong wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine (Glenn Close), who has been held in captivity for attempting to overthrow her husband's rule and expressing her displeasure with his mistress, Alais (Yuliya Vysotskaya). As Henry and Eleanor become re-acquainted, they are reminded of the love they share as well as the strife that drives them apart, and while Henry finds himself favoring his youngest son, John, for his post, Eleanor makes a strong case for her first-born, Richard, with Geoffrey attempting to consolidate influence in a bid for power. However, as the king looks back at his long past and short future, he comes to the sad realization that none of his sons are truly fit to rule. James Goldman wrote the screenplay for this, the second screen adaptation of his award-winning play, which finally came to fruition 5 years after Goldman's death. Peter O'Toole and Katharine Hepburn starred in the Oscar-winning 1968 version. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Glenn Close, Patrick Stewart, (more)
- 2002
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If one is to believe this made-for-cable biopic, America's most notorious turncoat Benedict Arnold sold out his country primarily for the love of a woman. Acknowledged as a hero of the Revolutionary War by his commanding officer, General George Washington (Kelsey Grammer), after bringing about the British surrender at Saratoga in 1776, Benedict Arnold (Aidan Quinn) is robbed of public acclaim by a glory-grabbing fellow officer and by the ceaseless politicking of the Continental Congress. Making matters worse, Arnold has lost what little money he has through misfortune and bad investments. At the urging of his Philadelphia-born fiancée (and future second wife), the pro-British Peggy Shippen (Flora Montgomery), Arnold decides to cast his lot with the Redcoats, ultimately entering into a plot to assassinate his former comrade-in-arms, Washington. Filmed in Ireland under the title Dark Eagle: Benedict Arnold, Benedict Arnold: A Question of Honor made its American TV debut over the A&E cable network on January 13, 2003, and within a month it had been released on VHS and DVD. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Aidan Quinn, Kelsey Grammer, (more)
An Internet entrepreneur looking to revolutionize the way the world wide web is utilized finds out that there's more to the saying "the road to hell is paved with good intentions" than he ever imagined in this tale of innovation soured, helmed by greedy dot-com cynic Alan Ari Lazar. As the personal home-computer revolution reaches a fever pitch, visionary tech innovator John Elias dreams of shattering national borders and changing the way computer users communicate with the outside world; and with Robert Jennings closing the deal, it appears as if Elias may finally have the opportunity to make his dreams a reality. As fast as the money starts rolling in though, Elias quickly loses himself to the intoxicating effects of success, isolating himself from his business partners and girlfriend and losing site of his original goals. Despite the fact that Elias let fame go to his head, where there's a will to succeed there's a chance for redemption, and before the book on his success story reaches the final chapter, the well-intending dot-com king may finally make amends for the pain his greed has caused to those he cared for most. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1999
Based on the first of Dorothy Gilman's popular novels about a senior citizen who joins the CIA, The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax stars Angela Lansbury as Emily Polifax, an elderly woman who feels out of sorts and unsure of what to do with herself after the death of her husband. Her doctor tries to cheer her up by telling her this is a perfect time to try new things and fulfill ambitions set aside earlier in life. Emily decides this is fine advice and takes a shot at the career of her dreams -- she writes a letter to her congressman asking how one goes about becoming a CIA agent. The letter is passed along and the CIA agrees to an interview. However, Emily is mistakenly sent on a mission to Morocco before anyone realizes she isn't actually an agent, and operative Jack Farrell (Thomas Ian Griffith) is sent out to keep an eye on her. When Emily and Jack are unexpectedly taken hostage, Jack discovers Mrs. Pollifax is far more clever and resourceful than anyone expected. The first in a proposed series of TV movies aimed to appeal to the large and loyal audience Lansbury attracted with the show Murder, She Wrote, The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax was produced for CBS television, who first aired it in May 1999. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Angela Lansbury, Thomas Ian Griffith, (more)
A sort of mannered, British version of The Odd Couple (1970), this drama won four of the seven major BAFTA Awards for which it was nominated. Albert Finney stars as Reggie Cunningham-Jarvis, a former Royal Air Force squadron leader who is utterly debilitated by the death of his wife, allowing his estate to decay. At the suggestion of a social worker, Reggie is paired with Roy Southgate (Tom Courtenay), a retired milkman, orderly homebody, and fellow recent widower. Roy moves in and begins caring for Reggie's manor, and an unlikely friendship between the two men develops, although Reggie treats Roy more as a servant than a roommate. Their relationship becomes tested, however, with the arrival of Lizzie Franks (Joanna Lumley), a shop owner hoping to seduce Reggie for his riches. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Albert Finney, Tom Courtenay, (more)
Based on a short story by Sherwood Anderson, I'm a Fool stars Ron Howard as a 1920s race-track groom. Told in bittersweet flashbacks, the story relates Howard's attempts to impress pretty debutante Amy Irving by pretending to be rich. If only he'd just been "himself"...but by the time he realizes this, it's too late. Previous adaptations of the Anderson story have included a 1954 GE Theatre half-hour starring James Dean. Shown in tandem with a dramatization of F. Scott Fitzgerald's Bernice Bobs Her Hair, the Ron Howard version of I'm a Fool was first telecast April 5, 1977, on PBS' American Short Story series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
