Isla Blair Movies

Ian Sharp's Mrs. Caldicot's Cabbage War concerns itself with Thelma Caldicot (Pauline Collins), whose life changes radically after the death of her husband. After her spouse dies, thanks to an errant cricket ball, Thelma is taken out of her home by her son Derek (Peter Capaldi) and her daughter-in-law Veronica (Anna Wilson-Jones). She is admitted to the Twilight Years Rest Home, which is run by Hawthorne (John Alderton). Upset with the care she and the other patients receive, Thelma leads a revolt. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

The first film by Mick Davis, The Match is a contemporary romantic comedy set in the idyllic village of Inverdoune nestling in the Scottish Highlands. Wullie Smith is the shy milkman who carries the physical and emotional scars of a childhood tragedy and who is in love with Rosemary, the beautiful daughter of Bill Bailey, a local farmer with a curious affection for cows. Rosemary has returned briefly to Inverdoune after five years away at a university and intends to leave again to pursue her career in the big city. Wullie's impossible dreams are fueled by his friend Buffalo, a semi-alcoholic American who was left behind when his USAF unit moved on. The village has only one street, but two pubs: Benny's Bar, owned by Big Tam, meeting place of the eccentric clientele, and L'Bistro, a place of sterile modernity owned by narcissistic Gorgeous Gus. The soccer teams of each bar have been carrying on a feud for 99 years and Benny's Bar has been losing all the games. But it is the result of the centenary game that determines the future of Benny's Bar. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, Rovi

Francisco Lara Polop directs this adaptation of a dark tale from 18th-century literature. El Fraile concerns the quandary of a monk (Paul McGann) whose resolve is tested by the charms of the mysterious Matlilda (Sophie Ward). ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi

This full-blooded TV adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island was written, produced and directed by Frasier Heston. His father, Charlton Heston plays Long John Silver. Eschewing the cuteness of Wallace Beery and the unadulterated ham of Robert Newton, Heston plays the character as written: a cold, crafty, cunning rogue, by turns charming and deadly, but never to be underestimated. The plot adheres with utter fidelity to the Stevenson novel, beginning with innkeeper's son Jim Hawkins (Christian Bale) finding himself in possession of a treasure map from the doomed Captain Billy Bones (Oliver Reed). In the company of Dr. Livesey (Julian Glover) and Squire Trelawny (Richard Johnson), Jim ships out on the Hispaniola, in search of gold doubloons and pieces of eight. Hand-picking the crew for this mission is the ship's one-legged cook Long John Silver, who fully intends to mutiny, kill the treasure hunters, and claim the gold for himself. Featured in the cast are Clive Woods as Captain Smollett, Christopher Lee as Blind Pew, and Nicholas Amer as addled hermit Ben Gunn. Treasure Island premiered January 22, 1990, over the TNT cable network. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Part one of the two-part "The King's Demons" originally aired March 15, 1983. Written by Terence Dudley, this Doctor Who adventure finds the TARDIS materializing on earth in the year 1215 A.D. -- or to be more precise, the day before King John (Gerald Flood) is to sign the Magna Carta. The Doctor (Peter Davison) doesn't know it yet, but he will soon be forced into another confrontation with his old enemy, the Master (Anthony Ainley). And that is hardly the worst of it -- as the Doctor will discover in the conclusion of this pulse-pounding adventure. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Produced for the British Children's ITV network by Harlech Productions, the weekly, half-hour anthology Storybook International was per its title a collection of folk tales and fairy stories harvested from all over the world. Each episode was introduced by a troubadour who looked like a fox to some viewers and sounded like an old witch to others, and who would set the stage with a ballad. Filmed in such locales as Russia, Ireland and Scandinavia, the series' live-action playlets were based on stories which originated in England, Czechoslovakia, France, Romania, Turkey, Wales, Israel, Norway, China, Africa, India and elsewhere. A few of the stories were derived from the campfire legends perpetuated by such "original settlers" as the Native Americans of New England and the Maori tribe of New Zealand. Debuting in 1982, the series yielded 65 episodes, doled out in three separate "serials". Although its distribution was originally confined to Britain and Europe, Storybook International would enjoy extensive cable play in the US, Scandinavia and the Middle East in subsequent decades. Fitfully released on VHS throughout the 1980s and 1990, the full series was finally made available on DVD in 2006. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

With the Liberator's energy sources low, the crew is forced to lock into the orbit of a desolate planet. It soon turns out that this "dead" world is actually a gladiatorial arena for two hostile alien powers. Blake (Gareth Thomas) and Jenna (Sally Knyvette) are forced to square off against Travis (Stephen Greif) and his pilot in a grim duel to the death -- and woe betide Blake's crew if he happens to be the loser. A collaboration between two longtime Doctor Who associates (writer Terry Nation and director Pennant Roberts), "Duel" first aired on February 20, 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Created by James Mitchell, the long-running British drama series When the Boat Comes In was set in the decades between the two World Wars. Disillusioned by his wartime experiences in France, ex-sergeant Jack Ford (James Bolam) arrived in the town of Gallowshields on Tyneside in search of a job -- any job. Unfortunately, what with the nationwide financial recession, virtually no one in town had any employment to offer. Aligning himself with the equally impoverished Seaton family, Jack set about to improve his fortunes -- and somewhere along the line, he wed the lovely Jessie Seaton (Susan Jameson). An entertaining capsule of the confusion and sociopolitical upheaval in Britain after WWI, When the Boat Comes In was almost painfully accurate in its period detail, right down to the contemporary-sounding theme tune, performed by Alex Glasgow. Debuting January 8, 1976, the series yielded 51 episodes before folding in 1981. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

James Bond-flick director Guy Hamilton helmed this episodic, all-star World War II film. With Sir Laurence Olivier heading up an ensemble cast as flight commander Sir Hugh Dowdling, The Battle of Britain pays tribute to other nationalities instrumental in fending off the waves of Luftwaffe planes, notably the expatriate Polish and Czech pilots. Trevor Howard, Michael Caine, and Michael Redgrave also populate the cast. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Not to be confused with David Hewitt's abominable Dr. Terror's Gallery of Horrors (AKA The Blood Suckers), this clever horror omnibus is one of the better early anthologies from Amicus Productions, thanks to Freddie Francis' stylish direction and a tongue-in-cheek approach from writer Milton Subotsky (who would later apply the same sardonic treatment to the EC Comics-based productions Tales from the Crypt and The Vault of Horror). The framing story is set in a train car, where five passengers have their fortunes told by the all-seeing Dr. Schreck (Peter Cushing), who refers to his ominous tarot deck as his "House of Horrors." Their respective stories involve all manner of occult happenings: a jazz musician's involvement with a voodoo curse; an estate haunted by a werewolf; a doctor (Donald Sutherland) who suspects that his wife has become a vampire; a cottage besieged by a monster kudzu vine; and the most entertaining segment, in which arrogant art critic Christopher Lee is avidly pursued by a snubbed artist's severed hand. In the end, it doesn't take a jaded horror buff to deduce Schreck's true identity or the ultimate destination of the train passengers, but it's a fun ride nonetheless. Not all of the stories work (the vampire story's "twist" ending is rather silly, the voodoo tale painfully dated), and the effects are generally sub-par, but Francis keeps the pace snappy throughout, giving the entire film a throwaway, Halloween spook-house feel. Hammer horror fans will certainly find this a keeper on the strength of Cushing and Lee's performances. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi