Ian McNeice Movies

Helene Hanff's book 84 Charing Cross Road had previously been a TV program and a stage play before it was converted into this 1986 film. The scene is New York, 1949: Anne Bancroft plays a struggling writer and passionate bibliophile, who answers an advertisement from a rare-volumes bookshop at 84 Charing Cross Road in London. Thus begins a two-decade romance by correspondence between Bancroft and Briton Anthony Hopkins, the man in charge of the overseas department of Marks and Company. Though several meetings are arranged, Bancroft and Hopkins never come face to face thanks to mitigating circumstances. But Anne finally makes it to London, and finds that much has changed. 84 Charing Cross Road was produced by Mel Brooks, the husband of star Anne Bancroft. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The acclaimed Trainspotting trio (director Danny Boyle, producer Andrew Macdonald, scripter John Hodge) reunited for this update of '30s screwball comedies and '40s fantasies, such as Here Comes Mr. Jordan(1941), Angel on My Shoulder(1946), Down to Earth(1947), and the 1946 Stairway to Heaven (co-directed by Macdonald's grandfather, Emeric Pressburger). Tossed together for $12 million, the result is a combination salad, a surreal salmagundi with an added animated sequence for lagniappe. In Heaven, Gabriel (Dan Hedaya) sends angels O'Reilly (Holly Hunter) and Jackson (Delroy Lindo) down to Earth to make two people fall in love. If the angels fail, they must remain on Earth. The target couple: well-to-do Celine (Cameron Diaz) and impoverished, aspiring novelist Robert (Ewan McGregor), a janitor at the corporation owned by her wealthy father, Naville (Ian Holm). Robert loses his job, kidnaps Celine, and the two retreat to a mountain hideout where they discuss splitting the ransom. O'Reilly and Jackson plan to make Robert and Celine love each other by putting them in jeopardy, so the two angels get hired on by Naville as bounty hunters. Although Robert and Celine argue, they also sing and dance together at a local karaoke bar, a scene evocative of both Dennis Potter's Karaoke and the memorable karaoke performance by Cameron Diaz in My Best Friend's Wedding. The angels make few gains, but when Jackson is on the brink of killing Robert, Celine comes to his rescue. Naville cancels Celine's credit card, so she robs a bank. Robert is shot during the robbery, and Celine has dentist Elliot (Stanley Tucci) remove the bullet. Robert awakens, finds the two together, and knocks out Elliot, prompting an argument that leads Celine and Robert to separate. Plagued by their own problems, the angels kidnap Celine themselves, and as complications mount, Gabriel eventually has God intervene. Filmed in Utah, although Hodge originally planned the story to take place in France and England. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

Overnight sensation Jim Carrey reprises his role as the eccentric detective in this follow-up to the runaway blockbuster Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. The sequel finds Ace on assignment in Africa to prevent a tribal war by saving a white bat sacred to both sides. Along the way, he nearly sleeps with a seductive African princess before her wedding, experiences astral projection with an enlightened monkey, masturbates, collects bat dung and, last but not least, is birthed by a mechanical rhino (much to the horror of an American tourist family). Often short on taste, the film is nonetheless full of good spirit and plenty of genuine belly laughs -- particularly during the fight scene with a diminutive tribal champion (Tommy Davidson, who demonstrates a gift for physical comedy equal to Carrey's). Not for every taste, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls is either hilarious or insufferable, depending on the viewer's opinion of Carrey's unique brand of slapstick and sight gags. Please note: the opening sequence may be upsetting to younger viewers. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide

Stuart Urban's war film An Ungentlemanly Act transpires during the first few hours and days of the Falkland Islands War. Ian Richardson portrays the political head of the Falklands, who, surprised by the invasion by Argentineans, focuses on getting his wife to a secure location just as much as he does on protecting his citizens. Major Mike Norman (Bob Peck) leads an elite group of soldiers in combat against the enemy. Meanwhile, the citizens of the islands discover how their previously placid lives have been altered by the beginning of the war. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Based on author Helen Fielding's sequel to Bridget Jones's Diary, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason picks up four weeks after the original film left off, with Bridget (Renée Zellweger) emotionally satisfied at long last with Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), her barrister boyfriend. Stability in Bridget's life, however, quickly becomes a contradiction in terms. Though Mark is openly supportive of Bridget's eccentricities -- and there are many -- she is nonetheless threatened by Mark's young, nubile intern, not to mention irked at finding out that he is, among other less desirable qualities in her eyes, a conservative voter. Complicating issues further is the reentrance of her ex-lover, Daniel Cleaver (Hugh Grant), whom Jones, perhaps mistakenly, thought she had finally gotten over. Before long, the situation escalates into another series of embarrassing circumstances for Bridget, who is faced once again with a crippling feeling of self-doubt and has only her diary and friends to combat it. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

A pair of naïve newlyweds find their honeymoon taking an unexpectedly morbid turn when they arrive at a remote country hotel to find that it has been overtaken by the annual Undertakers Convention in a hilarious comedy mystery starring Rik Mayall, Nick Moran, and Steve Huison. Edward and Samantha have just exchanged their wedding vows, and now they're off to celebrate their nuptials with a romantic stay at a majestic country house hotel. Their quest for quiet and romance is suddenly curbed, however, when they discover that a group of fun-loving undertakers have overrun the stately estate. When the Head of the Funeral Director's Association perishes under most suspicious circumstances, the race is on to reveal his killer before the body count begins to multiply. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

In this British drama, the sorts of Britons who live in colonial encampments outside of Britain tend to be the most conventional people imaginable, recreating a little bit of home (and not the most interesting bits) in whatever uncouth foreign place they have landed in. In this story, they are living in Africa, and Johnny Deacon (Tom Bell) is so very tired of them. He's tired of his ex-girlfriend who married another; he's tired of his ex-girlfriend's mother, and he's tired of the men. Instead of coping with them any longer, he goes on a solo journey down the Dark River, and there is a good possibility (which he knows at the outset) that he will not survive the experience. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

They say that just because you're paranoid it doesn't mean someone isn't really out to get you, and a man learns the truth behind that little joke in this British thriller. Sean Veil (Lee Evans) was accused of the gruesome murder of a woman and her two children on the basis of circumstantial evidence, and when the case gained nationwide media attention, he found himself portrayed as a violent psychopath in the press, even though he was cleared of all charges. The constant scrutiny and bitter accusations had a profound effect on Veil, and now, deeply paranoid, he lives in a tiny basement apartment, where he obsessively videotapes his every move in order to have an alibi against future accusations, and even straps a camera to his chest whenever he ventures outside. When noted forensic pathologist Saul Seger (Ian McNeice) publishes a book about the murders, Veil finds himself back in the public eye, and vindictive police detective Emeric (Sean McGinley) decides to take a final stab at hanging the charges on Veil and making them stick. Veil becomes certain that someone is determined to put him away, a belief that gets stronger when parts of his video archive suddenly go missing. Freeze Frame was the first feature film from writer and director John Simpson. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A has-been '80s pop star whose phone stopped ringing some time ago, Paul Kerr (Craig Ferguson) is an alcoholic on a downward spiral. After crashing his motorcycle through a window and into a fountain in his estate, Paul is sent to a mental hospital on the assumption that he has become suicidal. When a woman named Rebecca (Jemma Redgrave) shows up one day with teenage Olivia (Charlotte Church), whom she claims is Paul's long lost daughter, both the girl and the depressed singer slowly begin find a new sense of purpose in their lives. Returning to his home to set his life straight with a little help from a former bandmate, a tentative romance develops between Rebecca and Paul. Subsequently discovering that his newfound daughter shares her father's talent for singing, it appears as if Paul may well be on his way to finally finding post-fame happiness in life. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A man from the future fights to survive in a society thrown back to the dark ages in this sci-fi adventure set in 2022. Capt. Robbins (Ray Liotta) is a military man who, after he's convicted of the murder of his superior officer, is sentenced to a high-tech prison ruled by the Warden (Michael Lerner), a cruel taskmaster who enjoys torturing his inmates. After a scuffle with the Warden, Robbins is transferred to a primitive island penal colony known as Absalom, where the civilization is dominated by two groups, the Insiders, a peaceful tribe led by the Father (Lance Henriksen), and the Outsiders, a pack of violent misfits led by Marek (Stuart Wilson). Robbins runs afoul of the Outsiders and is injured in a skirmish; he escapes to the Insiders' camp, where he plots his revenge. No Escape was based on the novel The Penal Colony by Richard Herley. ~ Mark Deming, 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

As the first season of Rome draws to a close, Vorenus (Kevin McKidd) and Pullo (Ray Stevenson) learn that they are heroes on the streets of the city, "symbols of brotherly love and redemption." On a trip to consecrate the land he and his wife have been given, Vorenus tells Niobe (Indira Varma) that Caesar (Ciarán Hinds) might exile him for disobeying his orders by helping Pullo. But Caesar later explains that it's politically unfeasible to punish the heroes, and if he does nothing, he'll appear weak, so, as part of a larger plan to incorporate (loyal) "plebs" and foreign citizens into the Senate, he makes Vorenus a senator. Of course, Caesar's ulterior motive is to have the "ferocious" Vorenus at his side so that no one will try to kill him. Pullo, near death, still manages to make his way from his sick bed, eager to reap the bounty of his newfound celebrity. Instead, he ends up collapsing at Vorenus' home, where Niobe assigns his care to Eirene (Chiara Mastalli), who contemplates murder. With Vorenus joined to Caesar on the Senate floor, the growing group of conspirators fears they will not have the opportunity to kill Caesar. While some would be content to poison him, or murder him in his bed, Brutus (Tobias Menzies) insists that the deed "must be done honorably." Then Servilia (Lindsay Duncan) realizes where she's heard Vorenus' name before, and sets a plot in motion to separate the hero from the dictator at the pivotal moment. While the plot is unfolding, Servilia invites Atia (Polly Walker) and Octavian (Max Pirkis) to her home, and tells them of her further plans for vengeance. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide