Art Malik Movies

A Passage to India, director David Lean's final film (for which he also received editing credit), breaks no new ground cinematically, but remains an exquisitely assembled harkback to such earlier Lean epics as Doctor Zhivago and Ryan's Daughter. Based on the novel by E. M. Forster, the film is set in colonial India in 1924. Adela Quested (Judy Davis), a sheltered, well-educated British woman, arrives in the town of Chandrapore, where she hopes to experience "the real India". Here she meets and befriends Dr. Aziz (Victor Banerjee), who, despite longstanding racial and social taboos, moves with relative ease and freedom amongst highborn British circles. Feeling comfortable with Adela, Aziz invites her to accompany him on a visit to the Marabar caves. Adela has previously exhibited bizarre, almost mystical behavior during other ventures into the Indian wilderness: this time, she emerges from the caves showing signs of injury and ill usage. To Aziz' horror, he is accused by Adela of raping her. Typically, the British ruling class rallies to Adela's defense, virtually convicting Aziz before the trial ever begins. Though he is eventually acquitted due to lack of evidence (in fact, director Lean never shows us what really happened), Aziz is ruined in the eyes of both the British and his own people-as is Adela. Woven into these proceedings is a subplot involving Adela's elderly travelling companion Mrs. Moore (Peggy Ashcroft), who through a series of plot twists too complex to describe here becomes a heroine of the Indian Independence movement. A Passage to India was nominated for several Academy Awards, scoring wins in the categories of Best Supporting Actress (Peggy Ashcroft) and Best Original Score (Maurice Jarre). A theatrical version of A Passage to India, written by Santha Rama Rau, was previously adapted for television by the BBC in the mid-1970s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

It's 3 a.m. -- do you know where your condoms are? That's one of the dilemmas befalling the characters in this raunchy comedy. Rushon (Tommy Davidson) is a mild-mannered Buppie who has been going out with his girlfriend Nikki (Tamala Jones) for about seven weeks; they seem to like each other well enough, but the relationship has been mainly platonic, and Nikki isn't so sure that she wants that to change. Rushon asks Nikki out to dinner, but Nikki wants to bring along her tart-tongued friend Lysterine (Viveca A. Fox). Rushon has to find a date for her, and he comes up with his rude-boy buddy Bunz (Jamie Foxx). Lysterine and Bunz soon hit it off, and, to Rushon's surprise, Nikki decides it's time for their relationship to move to the physical level. Only one problem: this is the '90s, and all parties involved want to be sure they're practicing safe sex. Which means Rushon and Bunz have to find some condoms fast, before the evening's mood evaporates. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The epic saga of the Queen of Egypt gets yet another retelling in Cleopatra, a four-hour, two-part spectacular produced for television. Leonor Varela plays Cleopatra, the Egyptian monarch who uses her wisdom, charm, ruthlessness, and seductive powers to work her way into the heart (and bed) of Roman leader Julius Caesar (Timothy Dalton). But Cleopatra shifts her romantic alliances to Marc Anthony (Billy Zane) just in time for Caesar's death and Anthony's rise to the throne. When Rome goes to war, however, Cleopatra realizes that she can only remain in power for so long, eventually making a late date with an asp when things get especially grim. This is at least the 12th film based on Cleopatra's life (the best-known being the infamously expensive 1962 version starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton). Produced by Hallmark for NBC television, this version first aired as a two-part miniseries in May 1999. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Multiple Oscar nominee Peter O'Toole adds yet another offbeat role to his long resume with the mystical comedy-drama Dean Spanley. Adapted from Lord Dunsany's popular novella My Talks with Dean Spanley and helmed by Toa Fraser, the film stars O'Toole as Horatio Fisk, an irascible, cantankerous septuagenarian living out his final days at the turn of the 20th Century. Despite his distant and slightly strained relationship with his son Henslowe (Jeremy Northam), Horatio willfully joins the young man on regular outings; the tedium and monotony of these routines eventually grow so overwhelming, however, that the two decide to attend a lecture on the Transmigration of Souls by a visiting Hindu Swami. At the meeting, their paths intersect with the eccentric Dean Spanley (Sam Neill), and a friendship blossoms between Spanley and Henslowe. When Spanley joins Henslowe for a private dinner, and accepts his invitation to sample a rare Hungarian wine known as the Imperial Tokay, Spanley instinctively brings forth reminiscences of a prior life lived out as a canine - and his recollections hold a rather bizarre connection to Horatio's familial past. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Director/screenwriter Gerald McMorrow makes his feature debut with this ambitious psychological sci-fi drama set between contemporary London and the dystopic Meanwhile City, where the separation between church and state has been obliterated to make way for a religion-dominated society. As atheist vigilante Jonathan Preest (Ryan Phillippe) prepares to seek revenge against Meanwhile City's powerful leader, privileged artist Emilia (Eva Green) finds her cynicism and depression accelerated by the difficult relationship she shares with her mother. Meanwhile, sensitive Milo (Sam Riley) attempts to recover from a recent heartache, just as deeply religious Peter (Bernard Hill) arrives in London to search for his missing son, a haunted Gulf War veteran. As the narrative shifts between the real and imaginary worlds, McMorrow explores the complex relationships between fantasy, faith, and love. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

This direct-to-video thriller stars Sam Neill as a British secret agent who wants to retire--much to the dismay of his superiors, who decide instead to have him killed. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

Not a religious program, the British mystery miniseries Messiah nonetheless contained Biblical elements, albeit sinister ones. London Detective Red Metcalfe (Ken Stott) and his crack team of investigators tackled the case of a serial killer who removed the victims' tongues and replaced them with silver spoons. It didn't take Metcalfe long to realize that the victims all had names that were strikingly similar to the names of Jesus' 12 disciples. Racing against time, Metcalfe attempted to prevent further killings, but the fanatical murderer always seemed to be a step or two ahead of him -- almost as if someone in Metcalfe's own circle of acquaintances was providing "inside information." Adapted from a novel by Boris Starling, the two-part Messiah was seen over the BBC's Northern Ireland service beginning May 26, 2001. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A woman comes to terms with her sexuality while trying to save the family business in this flavorful romantic comedy. Nina Shah (Shelley Conn) is the daughter of an Indian expatriate family who settled in Glasgow and run an Indian restaurant, the New Taj Mahal. While Nina was always close to her father, when he insisted she wed a man she didn't love as part of an arranged marriage, she left Glasgow and began a new life in London. However, word of her father's passing brings her back to Glasgow to look after her mother and help run the New Taj. Nina learns that the restaurant is deep in debt and needs a sharp increase in business if its to stay open; shortly before his death, father arranged for the New Taj to take part in a televised cooking competition to find the best Indian food in Glasgow, and so Nina and the restaurant's head chef Lisa (Laura Fraser) are on the spot to come up with something special. As Nina and Lisa spend many hours in the kitchen together, they begin to develop a personal relationship as spicy as anything on the menu. As Nina tries to decide how to explain her new romance to her family, she finds emotional support from her very out of the closet friend Bobbi (Ronny Jhutti) and her younger sister, who has developed a passion for Scottish folk dancing. But Nina's effort to save the New Taj may become a grudge match when she learns that her biggest competition comes from a new eatery run by Sanjay (Raji James), the man Nina refused to marry. Nina's Heavenly Delights also stars Art Malik as Sanjay's father. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Love and larceny cross paths in an unexpected way in this direct-to-video thriller. Sarah (Melanie Griffith) is a U.S. expatriate living in Paris, where she makes a good living as a courier on the black market, smuggling for several clients including art collector Walter Shrenger (Malcolm McDowell). She is involved in a May-December romance with American Jack, but he betrays her by falling in love with Jenny (Rachael Leigh Cook), a beautiful American woman who works for an upscale jewelry store and knows how to access their safe. Jack begins an affair Jenny, setting up a dangerous and potentially explosive love triangle between the three; meanwhile, one of Sarah's smuggling jobs goes horribly wrong. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The Living Daylights represents the first appearance by Timothy Dalton as "Bond...James Bond." Based very, very loosely on an obscure Ian Fleming short story, the film finds Bond assigned to aid in the defection of KGB agent Jeroen Krabbe. 007 must prevent an unknown sniper from killing Krabbe before he can reach the West. The mysterious assailant turns out to be the luscious Maryam d'Abo, who like practically everyone in the film except Bond is Not All That She Seems. The plot wends its way through a scheme to trade several million dollars' worth of diamonds for weapons, which will be shipped off to mercenaries worldwide. The climax takes place high above the clouds in a cargo plane loaded with opium. Dalton would play Bond one more time in License to Kill (1989) before handing the franchise over to Pierce Brosnan. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide