Andrew Maclachlan Movies

Director Terry Gilliam adroitly applies his Monty Python sensibilities upon the "career" of famed German prevaricator Baron von Munchausen. Played herein by John Neville, the baron is seen quelling a war that he himself started, flying into the stratosphere on the back of a cannonball, ballooning to the moon, exploring the innards of a volcano, being swallowed by a whale....In short, all of Munchausen's fabulous lies are here presented as "truth," played out in full view of nonplussed witnesses Eric Idle, Charles McKeown, Jack Purvis, and Sarah Polley. Fringe benefits include several loving medium shots of jaybird-naked Uma Thurman as Boticelli's Venus and an extended unbilled cameo by Robin Williams -- that is, by the head of Robin Williams -- as the King of the Moon. Filmed under considerable duress on a budget eventually exceeding 45 million dollars, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen never quite caught on with moviegoers, though it has enjoyed a lucrative afterlife on videocassette. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

An unusually principled young Viking becomes increasing uncomfortable with all the killing and plundering that goes with the job, and sets out on a magical journey in order to bring about world peace. Former Monty Python member Terry Jones attempts to have his story of Erik's seemingly hopeless quest operate as both witty, lunatic satire and sincere children's fantasy. However, despite a good cast and some interesting design elements, the film fails to completely succeed at either of its goals. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide

This comedy was inspired by the true story of Cynthia Payne, a former waitress who gained fame as England's best-known (and best-liked) madame. Christine Painter (Julie Walters) is a working-class single mother who sub-leases a few inexpensive flats as a way of bringing in extra money. Christine has no particular interest in selling her body, but when she finds herself in a tight spot financially -- and notices that the prostitutes who rent her apartments are the only ones who consistently pay on time -- she decides to open a brothel. With the help of Shirley (Shirley Stelfox), an experienced prostie, and Morton (Alec McCowen), a former RAF commander with a fondness for women's undergarments, Christine opens a little place where elderly businessmen can indulge their fondness for kinky lingerie and being spanked by younger women. Soon Christine's business is booming and everyone is happy -- until the police pay her a visit. Personal Services was directed by Terry Jones, best known as a member of the Monty Python troupe; the real-life Cynthia Payne served as a technical advisor. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

From its humble beginnings as a four-character short story, Agatha Christie's Witness for the Prosecution matriculated into a long-running London and Broadway stage hit, as well as a masterful 1957 film version directed by Billy Wilder. The 1982 TV version of Witness was overseen by Briton Norman Rosemont, who made remakes of earlier films his life's work in the 1980s (Hunchback of Notre Dame, Little Lord Fauntleroy). Sir Ralph Richardson heads the cast as prominent barrister Sir Wilfred Robarts, who takes on the case of Leonard Vole (Beau Bridges), a likeable chap accused of murdering a rich old lady. Sir Wilfred is shocked to discover that Vole's German-born wife (Diana Rigg) is prepared to divorce her husband and appear as witness for the prosecution; it is the first of many surprises for the aging lawyer, the cleverest of which occur just minutes before the end of the story. Deborah Kerr costars as Sir Wilfred's remonstrative nurse--a character that appears in neither the original story nor the play, but was created for Elsa Lanchester in the 1957 film version (which starred Lanchester's husband Charles Laughtonas Sir Wilfred). For playing an eleventh-hour addition, Ms. Kerr was awarded with an Emmy. Another reliable British favorite, Wendy Hiller, appears briefly as a post-deaf witness. Adapted for television by John Gay, Witness for the Prosecution was originally a Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A young boy joins a group of renegade dwarves on an unpredictable journey through time in this humorous fantasy. Monty Python animator Terry Gilliam mostly achieves a tricky balancing act in his second feature as sole director, creating a dark, irreverent comedy disguised as a family adventure. Particularly amusing are the boy's encounters with various historical figures, including an entertainment-starved Napoleon (Ian Holm), a powerful Agamemnon (Sean Connery), and a surprisingly stuffy Robin Hood, embodied by Gilliam's Python cohort John Cleese. Episodic by nature, the film is less successful when dealing with the larger narrative, which concerns the pursuit of the dwarves and their time-traveling map by the Supreme Being. However, the combination of Gilliam's visual exuberance and the witty script (by Gilliam and Michael Palin) ensures an entertaining, if erratic, journey. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide

On a midnight clear 2,000 years ago, three wise men enter a manger where a babe is wrapped in swaddling clothes. It is an infant called Brian...and the three wise men are in the wrong manger. For the rest of his life, Brian (Graham Chapman) finds himself regarded as something of a messiah -- yet he's always in the shadow of this other guy from Galilee. Brian is witness to the Sermon of the Mount, but his seat is in such a bad location that he can't hear any of it ("Blessed are the cheesemakers?"). Ultimately, he is brought before Pontius Pilate and sentenced to crucifixion, which takes place at that crowded, nonexclusive execution site a few blocks shy of Calvary. Rather than utter the Last Six Words, Brian leads his fellow crucifixees in a spirited rendition of a British music-hall cheer-up song "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life." The whole Monty Python gang (Chapman, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Eric Idle, and Terry Gilliam) are on hand in multiple roles, playing such sacred characters as Stan Called Loretta, Biggus Dickus, Deadly Dirk, Casts the First Stone, and Intensely Dull Youth; also showing up are Goon Show veteran Spike Milligan and a Liverpool musician named George Harrison. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide