Frederick Warder Movies
Robert Louis Stevenson's classic tale of a young orphan who becomes involved with pirate Long John Silver is given the Muppet treatment in this vibrant children's musical. As in The Muppet Christmas Carol, the film stays loyal to the original storyline but casts the well-known puppets in many of the supporting roles. Young Jim Hawkins remains human, as does Long John Silver, played by an amusingly exaggerated Tim Curry. However, Captain Smollet is played by the evergreen Kermit the Frog; Miss Piggy, Gonzo, and Rizzo the Rat serve as roving narrators; and numerous other Muppets assume smaller roles. The familiar adventure plot is enlivened by the Muppets' good-natured, winking sense of humor, and a number of anarchic musical numbers are reminiscent of the original Muppet Show. Long-time followers of the Muppets may find the film less fresh than Jim Henson's original creations, but the combination of old-fashioned storytelling, intriguing design, and clever humor will undoubtedly amuse younger audiences. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim Curry, Jennifer Saunders, (more)
Based on the novel by H.E. Bates, this period drama stars Embeth Davidtz as Bella Ford, a woman living in rural England during the Victorian era. Bella fell victim to Arch Wilson (Greg Wise), a unprincipled man who claimed to be from the nearby village. He seduced her only to vanish without a trace when she became pregnant. When she is outcast after her child is stillborn, a kindly villager named Ben Wainwright (Tom Bell) allows her to stay with his family in exchange for helping with the chores. However, the presence of a young and beautiful woman in the house creates a certain amount of tension between Ben, his wife (Gemma Jones), and sons Jedd (James Purefoy), a soldier; Matty (Kent Anderson), a shoemaker; and Con (Ben Chaplin), a homebody and social misfit. Con takes a shine to Bella and eventually proposes marriage; Bella accepts, but matters become complicated when she discovers that the dastardly Arch has returned to the village. Ismail Merchant served as executive producer. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Embeth Davidtz, Ben Chaplin, (more)
- 1994
- Add The Neverending Story III: Escape from Fantasia to QueueAdd The Neverending Story III: Escape from Fantasia to top of Queue
Young Bastian again seeks refuge from the problems of the real world in the mystical land of Fantasia in this second, inferior sequel to the sleeper 1984 hit The Neverending Story. The set-up is familiar, as Bastian Bux (here played by Jason James Richter), who has moved to a new town, again rediscovers the magical book that serves as the portal to Fantasia and finds solace in the power of imagination. Unfortunately, Bastian is having problems with a group of bullies known as the Nasties, who discover the boy's secret and steal the book. Their meddling wreaks havoc, ultimately releasing Fantasia's bizarre creatures into Earth's dimension. Naturally, it's up to Bastian to retrieve the book and return the Luck Dragon, Rock Eater, talking tree, gnomes, and other assorted creatures to their rightful home. Visually less impressive than its predecessors, and extremely distant from the Michael Ende book that was the series' original inspiration, The Neverending Story 3 made little impression on audiences or critics, who generally agreed that the film was the weakest of the series. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason James Richter, Melody Kay, (more)
- 1989
- PG
In this English drama, set during World War I, a strange, deaf man, known to all as "The Birdman" (Paul Scofield), must enlist the help of young Daniel Pender (Max Rennie) and Gracie Jenkins (Helen Pearce) to prevent the narwhal whales from suffering abuse at the hands of the local islanders. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Scofield, David Threlfall, (more)
- 1989
- PG13
Jason Robards plays an older Jewish man who returns to Stuttgart, Germany which he left in 1933 during the onslaught of the Third Reich. He reunites with a German man who, as a boy, was his childhood friend. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Robards, Jr., Christien Anholt, (more)
The Living Daylights represents the first appearance by Timothy Dalton as "Bond...James Bond." Based very, very loosely on an obscure Ian Fleming short story, the film finds Bond assigned to aid in the defection of KGB agent Jeroen Krabbe. 007 must prevent an unknown sniper from killing Krabbe before he can reach the West. The mysterious assailant turns out to be the luscious Maryam d'Abo, who like practically everyone in the film except Bond is Not All That She Seems. The plot wends its way through a scheme to trade several million dollars' worth of diamonds for weapons, which will be shipped off to mercenaries worldwide. The climax takes place high above the clouds in a cargo plane loaded with opium. Dalton would play Bond one more time in License to Kill (1989) before handing the franchise over to Pierce Brosnan. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Timothy Dalton, Maryam D'Abo, (more)
- 1985
- R
Laurence Olivier trots out his late-career German accent once again, playing Rudolf Hess in this sequel to Wild Geese. Richard Burton was set to star in the film, but when he died, Edward Fox was brought in as a replacement, playing Burton's younger brother. (the film is dedicated to Burton). The story concerns John Haddad (Scott Glenn), who is hired by a television company to engineer the kidnapping of Rudolf Hess from Spandau prison. Helping him with his assignment are the brother and sister team of Kathy (Barbara Carrera) and Michael Lukas (John Terry). The mercenaries hopes to force Hess to divulge hidden Nazis secrets left unrevealed since World War II. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Scott Glenn, Barbara Carrera, (more)
- 1983
- R
The Keep is an ambitious visual feast from director Michael Mann, whose previous effort was the moody, stylish Thief, and who would soon produce the quintessential pastel-colored '80s TV series Miami Vice. Adapted from the novel by F. Paul Wilson and set in German-occupied Romania of 1943, the film introduces the invaders to the dark presence lurking within the walls of an ancient fortress in the Carpathian Alps -- a presence which doesn't take well to unwanted guests. When soldiers under the command of Captain Woermann (Jurgen Prochnow) begin to die horribly, he receives the unwanted assistance of Nazi Major Kampffer (Gabriel Byrne), who immediately assumes command and forcibly enlists the aid of the local expert on ancient languages, the Jewish Doctor Theodore Cuza (Ian McKellen), in the translation of the cryptic writings left near a murdered soldier's body. When Cuza comes face-to-face with the Keep's ancient resident -- an ethereal creature which gains strength by draining the life-force from its enemies -- he forms a pact with the creature in the hope that it will escape and destroy Hitler's armies. When a mysterious stranger (Scott Glenn) arrives at the nearby village and befriends Cuza's daughter Eva (Alberta Watson), he reveals the true nature of the beast within the Keep, as well as his intent to destroy it before Cuza can release it -- a task which, if failed, will spell doom for all mankind. The film's fever-dream-logic casts a hypnotic spell -- ably assisted by Tangerine Dream's pulsating, ethereal music (including electronic variations on a theme by Thomas Tallis) -- with a story that seems to play by the Keep's own eerie supernatural rules. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Scott Glenn, Alberta Watson, (more)
Perhaps inspired by the success of PBS' Shakespeare Plays series, Bard Productions Ltd. Came out with this diverting if not very cinematic adaptation of the Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra. Timothy Dalton plays Marc Antony, while Lynn Redgrave is uncharacteristically alluring as Queen Cleopatra. The all-TV cast includes Nichelle Nichols, Anthony Geary, Walter Koenig, and Brian Kerwin. Also making a cameo appearance is John Carradine, giving his all to the brief part of the Soothsayer. At three hours, Antony and Cleopatra has some trouble getting bookings outside the "art" houses. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Timothy Dalton, Jane Lapotaire, (more)
Heroic earthling Flash Gordon saves the world from the nefarious Ming the Merciless in this lavish, intentionally campy adaptation of the famous sci-fi comic strip. The story is as basic as space operas get: Ming (Max von Sydow) has developed a plan to destroy the Earth, and Flash (Sam J. Jones) and his attractive companion, Dale Arden (Melody Anderson), are called upon to stop him. Along the way, Flash must battle Ming's goons and the temptations of a luscious space princess. Previously the basis for a more straight-faced 1930s adventure serial, Flash's story is mined here for exaggerated, cartoon humor by screenwriter Lorenzo Semple Jr., a central figure in the similarly campy '60s Batman television series. The simplistic plot mainly serves as an excuse for spectacular sets and cartoonish action sequences, all set to an appropriately over-the-top rock score by Queen. Certainly not a film to turn to for serious excitement, fine performances, or character development, Flash Gordon has nevertheless developed an appreciative cult of fans who admire the film's humorous approach and the detailed, colorful production design. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sam Jones, Melody Anderson, (more)
