Paul Williamson Movies

Two young immigrants find themselves torn violently between traditional ways and the strong desire for independence, in director Vipul Amrutlal Shah's romantic drama Namastey, London. Jasmeet 'Jazz' Singh is an attractive Indian girl living and working in London; she has earned the disdain of her parents by rejecting her cultural heritage and the traditionally-accepted "arranged marriage" of her family's culture. Meanwhile, Jazz's best friend, the Pakistani immigrant Imran Khan (Upen Patel) is kicked out of the house by his parents when he informs them of his decision to move in with a Caucasian girlfriend. Jazz's father grows so desperate to force her into planned nuptials that he carts her off to India, where her path crosses with that of Arjun (Akshay Kumar), a local farmer instantly desperate to marry her. Jazz concocts a clever means of dodging this proposition, but the smitten Arjun refuses to take no for an answer, and follows Jazz back to London. As this unfolds, Imran suffers under the pressure imposed on him by his girlfriend's parents, who insist that he anglicize his name and his religion. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Calling to mind the whimsical, swinging London comedies of the 1960s, such as the Blake Edwards Pink Panther films and the collaborations of The Beatles with director Richard Lester, this frantic romantic comedy is an airy, pop example of the British New Wave. Dylan Dan Futterman and Jez Stuart Townsend are friends from opposite sides of the Atlantic using their special skills -- Dylan is a slick-talking American, while Jez is a humble British computer expert -- to bilk England's wealthy. Both orphans, they plan to accumulate enough pounds to buy the luxurious mansion home they never had as children. Their scams include selling phony voice-recognition software and reinstalling the same insulation into various homes. Into their lives comes Georgie (Kate Beckinsale), a beautiful girl engaged to a rich jerk. Dylan and Jez hire Georgie as a secretary and both fall in love with her, though Jez's feelings are a bit more sincere. At first appalled by her employers' scams, Georgie believes their lie that they intend to give the money to the poor. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Based on the novel by Jane Austen (who in the '90s seemed to be in the running alongside William Shakespeare and Stephen King for the honors of most adapted author in Hollywood), this period romantic comedy stars Gwyneth Paltrow as Emma Woodhouse, a young woman who imagines herself an authority on matters of the heart. With the best of intentions, Emma plays matchmaker for her friends, most notably her friend Harriet (Toni Collette), who Emma links up with the Reverend Elton (Alan Cumming), and her governess, (Greta Scacchi), who she introduces to her future husband, Mr. Weston (James Cosmo). However, Emma is not nearly as good at playing Cupid as she likes to imagine, and she spends so much time trying to solve everyone else's romantic problems that it takes her quite some time to realize that she's fallen in love with Mr. Knightly (Jeremy Northam). A television miniseries based on Austen's book appeared a year later, while a year prior to Emma, the story appeared in modernized form in the popular teen comedy Clueless. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Director Lawrence Kasdan and Frank Galati adapted their screenplay for The Accidental Tourist from Anne Tyler's novel. William Hurt plays Macon Leary, a well-known "travel advisor" headquartered in Baltimore. The tragic death of Leary's son causes him to withdraw from the world, which in turn prompts his wife (Kathleen Turner) to walk out on him. Recuperating from a broken leg, Leary moves in with his sister (Amy Wright) and brothers (Ed Begley Jr., David Ogden Stiers)-staid middle-aged intellectuals all. Discipline problems with his dead son's dog lead Leary to hire flaky professional dogwalker/trainer Muriel Pritchett (Geena Davis, who won an Oscar for her performance). The only non-uptight person within shouting distance, Muriel begins to melt Leary's self-protective shell. Once his wife realizes that she has some competition, she makes moves to get him back. But he has by now become accustomed to Muriel's unfettered lifestyle. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This spy outing hones in on secret agent Magnus Pym (Peter Egan). Having impersonated so many different people during his career as a British spy, Pym eventually lost track of who he really was -- a confusion compounded by the fact that he knew nothing of his actual past. Ultimately feeling that he could trust no one -- not even his so-called friends -- Pym turned his back on the British and began trading secrets with the Enemy. Filmed on location in England, Europe, and the U.S., the seven-episode A Perfect Spy originally aired in the U.K. in 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Based on Paul Scott's The Raj Quartet, Jewel in the Crown was an Emmy-winning 14-part presentation of PBS' Masterpiece Theatre. The story is set during the last two decades of British rule in India. The plot is set in motion by the disappearance of British woman Daphne Manners (Susan Woolridge); educated Indian Hari Kumar is implicated and eventually imprisoned. Carrying the throughline of the story is investigating police superintendent Ronald Merrick (Tim Piggott-Smith), whose own life experiences touch the lives of the several families--British and Indian--involved in this multigenerational tale of class and color consciousness. Originally presented during Masterpiece Theatre's 1984-85 season, Jewel in the Crown was successfully repeated in the summer of 1987. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Sam Neill stars as British super spy Sidney Reilly, the United Kingdom's top espionage agent during the Russian Revolution who found himself serving many sides in the line of duty, in this collection of the complete run of the acclaimed British television series Reilly: Ace Of Spies. This set includes the 90-minute pilot episode for the series, An Affair With A Married Woman, as well as all eleven episodes of the show's regular run: Prelude To War, The Visiting Fireman, Anna, Dreadnoughts and Crosses, Dreadnoughts and Double-crosses, Gambit, Endgame, After Moscow, The Trust, The Last Journey, and Shutdown.

~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A big black mamba snake that has gotten loose in a townhouse slithers through a kidnapping plot in this film. Based on a novel by Alan Scholefield, Venom features a big name British cast that seems to be slumming in a B-movie project. Dr. Marion Stowe (Sarah Miles) is a toxicologist who has brought the snake to London to study the properties of its deadly venom. It escapes and terrorizes the inhabitants of the townhouse, where an attempted kidnapping is in progress. Dave (Oliver Reed), Jacmel (Klaus Kinski) and Louise (Susan George) are the villains trying to hold the son of a wealthy family for ransom. Original director Tobe Hooper was replaced by Piers Haggard. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi

One of the most controversial works by author Dennis Potter, best known for Pennies from Heaven and The Singing Detective, the searing drama Brimstone and Treacle centers around the heavily troubled Bates family. The marriage between Mr. and Mrs. Bates is rocky, and both are suffering under the strain of caring for their mute, handicapped daughter Pattie. When a mysterious stranger arrives, they welcome him as a surrogate member of the family, especially pleased by his eagerness to help care for Pattie. Martin, however, is not all he appears to be -- indeed, the film ultimately suggests that he may be the devil himself. Potter uses the archetypal scenario of the supernatural visitor to explore the ambiguities of good and evil, as some of Martin's demonic acts have unexpectedly positive effects. Though originally made in 1976 by director Barry Davis, Brimstone and Treacle was subject to a last-minute ban by the BBC, which termed the film "diabolical." As a result, the film was not broadcast until 1987 -- 10 years after the script had been performed as a stage play and five years after the theatrical release of a lesser remake featuring Sting as the enigmatic stranger. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

In this espionage film, set just before the Germans invaded France, a chemist in Paris moonlights as a Soviet spy. To escape the Nazi invaders, the chemist and his wife steal government money and try to escape to South America. En route, their ship stops in Trinidad where they two cannot pass unless they fork over all of the money. Suddenly 24 years have passed and the man who obstructed them is still working as a British agent. He is investigating a formula that has leaked through to the enemy. This brings him in contact with the chemist again. This time, the agent helps the chemist escape the Soviet agents who pursue him. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi