Lorraine Pilkington Movies

A woman enjoys a day of luxury from a charming stranger until she finds out what strings are attached in this comedy-drama. Ashley (Lorraine Pilkington) is an attractive woman who has been trying to launch a career as a musician, but in the meantime she makes sandwiches in a deli in London to pay the rent. One morning, an obnoxious man propositions her while she's waiting for a bus, and when she brushes him off, he throws a cup of coffee at her. Moments later, Michael (Finlay Robertson) comes to her rescue; she recognizes him as a frequent customer at the deli, and he offers to take her out to lunch. Ashley is surprised when Michael takes her to a gourmet restaurant and cheerfully picks up the sizable check, and she's similarly taken aback when he also treats her to a stylish new outfit and a day at the hair salon. Ashley isn't certain just why a man she hardly knows is willing to lavish such time and money on her, but Michael keeps telling her that he wants her to have a really great day It's not until late in the day that he reveals his secret -- he isn't the one who had the idea (or the money) to give her such a holiday. In A Day was the first feature film from writer and director Evan Richards. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

William Shakespeare's King Lear is transposed into a modern-dress British crime drama in this tense tale of family ties and the lust for power. Sandeman (Richard Harris) is the elderly leader of a Liverpool crime syndicate who is fiercely loyal to his wife Mandy (Lynn Redgrave) and his daughters Jo (Emma Catherwood), Tracy (Lorraine Pilkington), and Kath (Louise Lombard). When Mandy is shot dead during a street robbery, Sandeman is shattered, and decides it's time to turn the business over to one of his daughters. Jo, the middle child, has long been Sandeman's favorite, and he decides to give her control of the business, as well as the lion's share of his estate when he dies. Loyal Jo, however, does not want to get involved in her father's dealings, which leads to a heated battle between Tracy and Kath over Sandeman's empire; adding fuel to the fire are Dean (Paul McGann), a strong-arm man for Sandeman who's married to Kath, and Jug (Jimi Mistry), Tracy's spouse and a notorious drug dealer. As a civil war rages among Sandeman's family and associates over control of his syndicate, police officer Puttnam (Aidan Gillen) and customs agent Quick (Tom Bell) make one last attempt to put Sandeman behind bars before he retires from his life of crime. My Kingdom isn't the first gangland drama to be based on the work of William Shakespeare; another of the Bard's tragedies received similar treatment in 1955's Joe Macbeth. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Vanessa Stewart (Janine Turner) has the soul of an artist, but her business tycoon father insists that she follow in his footsteps. As a result, Vanessa convinces herself that she wants to be a globetrotting executive, and also that she truly loves the man to whom she is engaged. But while in Venice on a business trip at the behest of her father, Vanessa meets and falls in love with adventurous Irish TV war correspondent Bill Fitzgerald (Paudge Behan). Deciding to kick over the traces, Vanessa is prepared to turn her back on her family obligations and plight her troth with Bill. But Fate, as it often does, takes a hand in matters when Bill is reported killed during a dangerous combat assignment. Based on a novel by Barbara Taylor Bradford (as if the full title of this made-for-TV feature left any doubt), A Secret Affair first aired October 27, 1999 on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Pierce Brosnan produced and co-stars in this Irish family drama, directed by Eugene Brady and set on the island of Inis Dara. Since farmer Tony Egan (Donal McCann) has had no contact with his sister over two decades, he's startled to find she married a black New Yorker and managed a Hell's Kitchen grocery, facts he learns when her son, artist Chad Egan-Washington (Hill Harper of Spike Lee films) arrives on the island to scatter her ashes. A romance between Chad and Aislin (Aislin McGuckin) disturbs her father, bartender Joe Brady (Brosnan), not for racial reasons, but because Joe once had an ill-fated love affair with Chad's mother. Chad's questions dig up other long-buried family secrets and tensions. Shown in the market section at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

With a nod towards the films of Aki Kaurismaki, this off-beat, whimsical directorial debut by British filmmaker Sue Clayton, centers on the mysterious disappearance of the titular Irish youth, who late one night, leapt from a freeway overpass and was never heard from again. Three years later, his family and his friend Danny still grieve. Matters are made worse when a pop song about Danny and the incident becomes a smash hit in Europe. Shortly after, Danny receives a phone call from Finbar who is in Scandinavia. Thus begins Danny's search for Finbar, a search that leads him to a tiny Lapland village located near the Finnish border. There he is taken in by an icy beauty named Abbi and soon begins to rebuild the life that was shattered by the disappearance of Finbar. When Finbar suddenly returns, problems arise. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

A young Irish lad bears witness to a miracle in this touching dramatic comedy set in a wee Irish village during 1954. Barry, a choirboy, is strongly influenced by Father McAteer. Barry finds an IRA fugitive in a barn and mistakes him for Barabbas. Father McAteer believes a miracle has occurred after Barry claims to have heard the Virgin speaking to him in the church. The naive Father believes Barry because he used language a 10 year old would not have known. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi