Paul Shelley Movies
- 1996
- R
A trio of women, off on a country holiday decide to enter an amateur talent show in this British comedy. Much of the fun comes from trying to watch them devise a suitable act. The rest comes from the show itself which is of course, perfectly dreadful. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
In this suspenseful horror movie, a lovely runaway and a helpful hero go looking for the fearsome "Headhunter," the ghoulish hooded killer who sawed off the heads of her parents. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Rydell, Asia Argento, (more)
- 1991
A sequel to John Mortimer's Paradise Postponed, the Thames Television miniseries Titmuss Regained detailed the further misadventures of bemused British bureaucrat Leslie Titmuss (here played by David Threlfall). As the new Conservative secretary of state for Housing, Ecology, and Planning, Titmuss tried to use his clout to scuttle a proposed property development near his own country estate. Against his better judgment -- not to mention his political convictions -- the Quixotic hero became emotionally involved in the situation, largely due to the presence of toothsome young Jenny Sidonia (Kristin Scott Thomas). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1985
In this sequel to the original miniseries, Lili (Phoebe Cates), having discovered the true identity of her mother, now begins looking for her father. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brooke Adams, Deborah Raffin, (more)
- 1982
In the third episode of the four-part story "Four to Doomsday," the Doctor (Peter Davison) is still imprisoned on an Urbankan space vessel, still at the mercy of two frog-like aliens who hope to conquer the world. Hoping to prevent this catastrophe, the Doctor enlists the aid of four earthling passengers, each from a different race and time period. Unfortunately, this foursome is not quite what they appear to be. First telecast January 25, 1982, "Four to Doomsday, Episode 3" was written by Terence Dudley. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Davison, Matthew Waterhouse, (more)
- 1982
In the conclusion of the four-part story "Four to Doomsday," the Doctor (Peter Davison) discovers that the alien Urbankans intend to wipe out humankind, then repopulate the earth with androids designed to resemble the planet's various ethnic types. Only by hoodwinking the androids into performing a series of frenzied ritualistic dances will the Doctor be able to prevent this cataclysmic disaster. Stratford Johns guest stars as the frog-like Urbankan Monarch. First telecast January 26, 1982, "Four to Doomsday, Episode 4" was written by Terence Dudley. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Davison, Matthew Waterhouse, (more)
- 1982
The Doctor (Peter Davison) and his companions materialize on a huge Urbankan space vessel. They soon learn that their frog-like "hosts" intend to attack and plunder the earth -- but at first, the Doctor does not know how this is going to be accomplished. Beginning its four-episode run on January 18 1982, "Four to Doomsday" was the first adventure to feature Peter Davison as the fifth Doctor, but was telecast second, after the season-opening "Castrovalva." It was written by Terence Dudley. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Davison, Matthew Waterhouse, (more)
- 1982
In the second episode of the four-part story "Four to Doomsday," the Doctor (Peter Davidson) and his companions are trapped aboard a space vessel commandeered by the frog-like Urbankans. Likewise in the same predicament are four other passengers, all apparently earthlings, each from a different race (Greek, Chinese, Mayan, and Aboriginal Australian) and different time periods. First telecast January 19, 1982, "Four to Doomsday, Episode 2" was written by Terence Dudley. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Davison, Matthew Waterhouse, (more)
- 1979
A revolution against the Federation takes place on the planet Albion. Blake (Gareth Thomas) and his crew arrive on the planet in hopes of soliciting the aid of Space Major Provine (Paul Shelley), who supposedly knows the location of the Federation's Central Control. First, however, a powerful bomb must be defused by Avon (Paul Darrow) -- a task complicated by the non-cooperation of Del Grant (Tom Chadbon), the embittered brother of Avon's former lover. "Countdown" was initially telecast on March 6, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gareth Thomas, Sally Knyvette, (more)
- 1976
James Herriot wrote several well-loved books about his experiences as a small-town veterinarian in the Yorkshire countryside of Britain in the 1930s. One of them gave its title to the film All Creatures Great and Small. That family movie was so successful that this movie It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet, or All Things Bright and Beautiful was made. All the stories told explore the richness of the interactions between humans and animals and the quirky wisdom which a young country veterinarian develops under the wise and eccentric tutelage of his senior in practice, Siegfried Farnon. These stories later inspired a popular BBC television series. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Alderson, Colin Blakely, (more)
Perhaps William Shakespeare meant to have Lady Macbeth perform her sleepwalking scene in the nude -- it was this X-rated scene and the film's much-publicized spurts of violence, rather than the brilliant performances of Jon Finch as Macbeth and Francesca Annis as his Lady, that lured crowds to Roman Polanski's 1972 adaptation of Macbeth. Only a few critics glommed onto the most impressive aspect of Polanski's version: as Macbeth and his wife sink deeper and deeper into the morass of their murderous ambitions, they age and wither before our eyes (Shakespeare's play does cover several years, but this is usually forgotten or ignored by many actors and directors). Macbeth was financed and released by Playboy, which naturally necessitated a fold-out spread on "the witches of Cawdor." The original Shakespearean text was adapted for the screen by Polanski and Kenneth Tynan. Despite an excellent first week, Macbeth ended up in the red, compelling Hugh Hefner to think twice about future motion-picture projects. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jon Finch, Francesca Annis, (more)
Oh! What a Lovely War is an every-man-for-himself adaptation of Charles Chilton's 1963 play, as staged in London by Joan Littlewood. The tragedy of World War I is redefined in bawdy music-hall terms, beginning with a verbal free-for-all involving the Crowned Heads of Europe. The war is presented as the "new attraction" at the Brighton Amusement Pier, complete with syrupy cheer-up songs, shooting galleries, free prizes and a scoreboard toting up the dead. Throughout the proceedings, the camera concentrates on a middle-class family, whose five sons end up as cannon fodder. The final image is a veddy proper British picnic on a graveyard. Of the many fleeting satiric images parading past the camera, one of the most indelible is the sight of several generals playing leapfrog as the world all around them goes to hell in a handbasket. The awesome all-star cast includes Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson, Maggie Smith, John Gielgud, Michael Redgrave, Jack Hawkins, John Mills, Susannah York, Dirk Bogarde and Phyllis Calvert. We haven't seen this many Englishmen in one place since the last Wimbledon match. The whole affair was supervised by Richard Attenborough, making his directorial debut (a question: why was he up to the challenge of this musical extravaganza, yet seemed helpless in the face of 1985's A Chorus Line?). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ralph Richardson, Meriel Forbes, (more)
