Patrick Pearson Movies
- 1997
This 37-minute 3-D Imax film adaptation from E.T.A. Hoffman's story is a straight narrative fantasy rather than a ballet. Little Clara (Lotte Johnson) receives a Christmas gift of a nutcracker doll and that night witnesses toys expanding in size and coming to life. The Nutcracker Prince takes Clara to his enchanted sugar castle where she meets pastry chef Sugar Plum (Miriam Margolyes) who uses spun sugar to concoct the dancing Sugar Fairy (Tamara Rojo). ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Miriam Margolyes, Heathcote Williams, (more)
- 1994
This British gay drama explores the reaction of a British housewife who suddenly discovers that her husband Keith is having an affair with another man. Anna is devastated by the discovery. After her initial hysterical reaction, Anna begins to do some research about homosexuals and their practices. Still angry, she confronts Keith at home. She winds up telling him to quit messing around and throws a dildo at him. Time passes and Anna quickly finds herself becoming conscious of AIDS and therefore, more compassionate. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jane Asher, Tim Woodward, (more)
- 1993
Hostages is a made-for-cable film that chronicles the captivity of several Western hostages who were held in Lebanon for five years during the mid-'80s. Combining newsreel footage with re-enactment's, the film captures the horror of the hostages--Americans Terry Anderson, Thomas Sutherland, Frank Reed; British citizens John McCarthy, Terry Waite; and Irish teacher Brian Keenan--as they are held by the Muslim fundamentalist group, the Hezbollah. It also follows the trials and tribulations of their families, who struggle against government bureaucracy to free their loved ones. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kathy Bates, Colin Firth, (more)
- 1992
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Since two TV movies were inspired by the marriage of England's Prince Charles and Princess Diana, it is only logical that at least one made-for-TV feature would greet the decline and fall of that overexposed union. Charles and Diana: Unhappily Ever After, permitted the viewer the perverse delight of seeing Catherine Oxenberg, who'd previously played Diana in 1982's The Royal Romance of Charles and Diana, back again as the same (albeit older and wiser) character. Roger Rees costars as the redoubtable Charles, who despite his mile-wide character flaws comes off as relatively sympathetic. Other "royals" lurking about are Amanda Walker as Queen Elizabeth, David Quilter as Prince Philip, Benedict Taylor as Prince Andrew, and Tracy Brabin as "Fergie". Our favorite scene: Diana, dressed to the nines, sitting in the back of her luxurious limo and talking into her designer car phone, whining about how miserable her life is. Later retitled Charles and Diana: A Palace Divided, this gloriously trashy endeavor was first telecast December 13, 1992. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1991
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This informative look at T.E. Lawrence at the 1919 Paris Peace Conference, as he serves as the liaison to the Hashemite delegation in an effort to have the Allies agree to Arab independence. ~ Rovi
- Starring:
- Ralph Fiennes
- 1990
Pride and Extreme Prejudice was first seen January 17, 1990, on the USA Cable TV network. Brian Dennehy is atypically but effectively cast as an ageing CIA agent headquartered in West Germany. Dennehy has recently recovered from a nervous breakdown, and as a result he falls under the deadly scrutiny of both the CIA and the KGB. The weary "mole" is sent on a mission in the Eastern sector from which neither side expects him to return--in fact, they're hoping he won't. Just a tad outdated by late-breaking world events, Pride and Extreme Prejudice was written directly for television by Frederick Forsyth. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Brian Dennehy, Alan Howard, (more)
This kooky British comedy chronicles the zany and occasionally dramatic exploits of the Song and Dance Unit, Southeast Asia (SADUSEA, pronounced "sad-you-see") assigned to entertain troops stationed in the Malayan jungle during WW II. It is based on a play by Peter Nichols. The entertainers are led by the rigid Major Giles Flack. Much to Flack's discomfiture, most of his unit is gay and enjoys dressing up in drag. The film also contains a serious subplot about a treacherous cad in the group who gets the only real woman in the troupe pregnant and then abuses her. He also steals ammo and information to give to the enemy. In the end, a terrible battle ensues at his hands. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- John Cleese, Denis Quilley, (more)
- 1982
Created by David Butler, the British drama series We'll Meet Again took place during WWII. The members of the U.S. 8th Air Force, 525th Bomb Group, found themselves billeted in the Suffolk community of Market Wetherby. The locals weren't altogether thrilled by the presence of the "overpaid, oversexed, and over-here" Yanks, but along the way a few of the flyboys managed to make headway with some of the British lasses in the region. Rich with period detail, the series invoked warm nostalgic feelings within most viewers, even though much of the dialogue dealt with rationing, buzz-bombing, and other wartime iniquities. Opening with a 90-minute episode on February 19, 1982, We'll Meet Again quickly settled into a weekly 60-minute slot, proving so popular with British viewers that its story line was serialized in a national newspaper. The 13th and final episode aired on May 14, 1982. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Susannah York, Ronald Hines, (more)
