John Baskcomb

Based on a novel by Muriel Spark (The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie), the British TV drama Memento Mori boasts an impressive cast of veterans, including Maurice Denham, Cyril Cusack, Sir Michael Hordern, Renee Ashershon, and Maggie Smith. The story concerns an eccentric group of senior citizens who are being plagued by a cryptic phone caller. The mystery man (or woman) says only "Remember, you must die!" before hanging up. For a while, it seems as though the domineering Ms. Smith is the instigator of the crank calls, but don't be too sure. Memento Muri premiered in the US as a two-part installment of Masterpiece Theatre, telecast October 25 and November 1, 1992. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The second sequel to the 1976 horror hit The Omen finds Damien Thorn assuming the full mantle of the Antichrist and preparing for a final, all-out battle with "the Nazarene." Now in his thirties, Damien (Sam Neill) has elevated the family business, Thorn Industries, into the world's biggest multinational corporation. A little bit of black magic paves the way for Damien to become ambassador to England and the head of an international youth council. He soon uses this platform to amass an army of followers to do his bidding. But when Damien notices the confluence of three stars in the sky on March 24, he gets worried about the second coming of Christ. So he orders his minions to kill all the babies born on that day, warning them: "Fail, and you will be condemned to a numbing eternity in the flaccid bosom of Christ." Damien even orders his faithful private secretary, Harvey Dean (Don Gordon), to commit infanticide on his own kid, just because the guy's wife gave birth on the wrong day; a nasty incident involving laundry-room implements soon follows. Meanwhile, Damien romances Kate Reynolds (Lisa Harrow), a beautiful television anchorwoman who feels like a moth drawn to Damien's charismatic flame -- even after he brutally sodomizes her to show her how the world looks through his eyes. Things come to a head when Brother DeCarlo (Rossano Brazzi), one of a secret cabal of monks who have assembled the seven Daggers of Meggido in hopes of assassinating Damien, reveals to Kate that the Antichrist has taken her son (Barnaby Holm) under his wing. Although The Final Conflict was the final theatrical installment of the Omen series, the made-for-TV Omen IV: The Awakening appeared a decade later. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

The Darwin Adventure stars Nicholas Clay as 19th century British naturalist Charles Darwin. The film covers the whole of Darwin's life, with emphasis on his volatile evolutionary theories. The "adventure" of the title is Darwin's 1831 fact-finding voyage on the good ship Beagle, in search of nature's secrets in the darker corners of South America. The story ends in Darwin's declining years, during which time many of his theories have been adopted and refined by younger, more broad-minded naturalists. The Darwin Adventure plays like a Cliff's Notes version of the subject's life, packing far too much into its 91 minute running time to be properly digested by the average filmgoer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the second episode of the four-part story "Terror of the Autons," the Doctor (Jon Pertwee) continues his investigation of the disappearance of the last Nestene Intelligence Energy Sphere. Having previously escaped death at the hands of the Nestene's Auton warriors, the Doctor is naturally on his guard. That guard intensifies when the hero is warned that his arch rival Time Lord, the Master, has arrived on earth. Roger Delgado makes the first of many appearances as the redoubtable Master. Written by Robert Holmes, "Terror of the Autons, Episode 2" originally aired on January 9, 1971. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Inspired by Charles Dickens' novel Oliver Twist, Lionel Bart's 1961 London and Broadway musical hit glossed over some of Dickens' more graphic passages but managed to retain a strong subtext to what was essentially light entertainment. For its first half-hour or so, Carol Reed's Oscar-winning 1968 film version does a masterful job of telling its story almost exclusively through song and dance. Once nine-year-old orphan Oliver Twist (Mark Lester) falls in with such underworld types as pickpocket Fagin (Ron Moody) and murderous thief Bill Sykes (Oliver Reed), it becomes necessary to inject more and more dialogue, and the film loses some of its momentum. But not to worry; despite such brutal moments as Sikes' murder of Nancy (Shani Wallis), the film gets back on the right musical track, thanks in great part to Onna White's exuberant choreography and the faultless performances by Moody and by Jack Wild as the Artful Dodger. The supporting cast includes Harry Secombe as the self-righteous Mr. Bumble and Joseph O'Conor as Mr. Brownlow, the man who (through a series of typically Dickensian coincidences) rescues Oliver from the streets. Oliver! won six Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, and a special award to choreographer Onna White. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide