David Yates
- 2011
The second half of the final Harry Potter adventure comes to the big screen in this feature adaptation of the popular novel by children's fantasy author J.K. Rowling, with series veterans Steve Kloves and David Yates writing and directing, respectively. Part 2 follows up the first half, set for release six months previous. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, (more)
- 2010
The final chapter of the Harry Potter saga comes to the screen in this feature adaptation of the popular novel by children's fantasy author J.K. Rowling, with series veterans Steve Kloves and David Yates writing and directing, respectively. The Deathly Hallows will be split up into two films, with Part 2 set for release six months later. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, (more)
Adolescent wizard-in-training Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts for another year of schooling and learns more about the dark past of the boy who grew up to become Lord Voldemort in this, the sixth installment of the film series that originated from the writings of author J.K. Rowling. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, (more)
- 2007
- PG13
- AddHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenixto QueueAddHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenixto top of Queue
Young wizard-in-training Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) returns to Hogwarts for his fifth year of studies, only to find that the magical community seems to be in a curious state of denial about his recent encounter with the sinister Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) in the fifth installment of the popular fantasy film series based on the best-selling books by author J.K. Rowling. Rumor has it that the dreaded Lord Voldemort has returned, but Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge (Robert Hardy) isn't so sure what to make of all the hearsay currently floating around the campus of Hogwarts. Suspecting that Headmaster Albus Dumbledore (Michael Gambon) may be fueling the rumors regarding Voldemort's return in order to undermine his authority and lay claim to his job, Fudge entrusts newly arrived Defense Against the Dark Arts professor Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton) with the task of tracking Dumbledore and keeping a protective watch over the nervous student body. The young wizards of Hogwarts will need something much more effective than Umbridge's Ministry-approved course in defensive magic if they are to truly succeed in the extraordinary battle that lies ahead, however, and when the administration fails to provide the students with the tools that they will need to defend Hogwarts against the fearsome powers of the Dark Arts, Hermione (Emma Watson), Ron (Rupert Grint), and Harry take it upon themselves to recruit a small group of students to form "Dumbledore's Army" in preparation for the ultimate supernatural showdown. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, (more)
Produced for HBO, the Capraesque romantic comedy The Girl in the Café stars Bill Nighy as Lawrence, a mild and unprepossessing British civil servant assigned to his country's delegation at the G8 Summit in Reykjavik, Iceland. Although he'd resigned himself to a life of lonely bachelorhood, Lawrence finds himself drawn to Gina (Kelly MacDonald), a odd, outspoken young woman whom he has met in a café. On a whim, the shy Lawrence invites the decidedly un-shy Gina to accompany him to Reykjavik. The burgeoning relationship between these two seemingly mismatched souls is counterpointed by the political jockeying at the conference, where the avowed purpose of G8 -- to adopt the all-important Millennium Development Goals as a means of reducing world poverty -- is obscured by egomania, xenophobia, and foot-dragging. Ultimately, the time comes when both Lawrence and Gina must make crucial decisions, with not only their own future but also the future of humankind in the balance. Written by Richard Curtis of Four Weddings and a Funeral fame, The Girl in the Café first aired on June 25, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Nighy, Kelly MacDonald, (more)
The government's dangerous penchant for favoring corporate interests is put to the ultimate test after an ambitious politician's research assistant perishes under mysterious circumstances, and a crime that at first appeared unconnected with the death is exposed to reveal an intricate web of lies and deceit. Stephen Collins (David Morrissey) is a rising politician with everything to lose, and his ex-campaign manager Cal McAffery (John Simm) has recently risen to fame as a respected investigative journalist. On day, on her way to work, Stephen's assistant falls to her death in the London Underground. Later, just as it's revealed that Stephen and his assistant were having an affair at the time of her death, the body of a suspected teenage drug dealer is discovered. At first it appears that these two events are completely unrelated, but a closer look reveals some deeply disturbing information about political and corporate interests becoming hopelessly intertwined. Now, as the lies, manipulations, and deceptions gradually boil to the surface, lives will be lost and friendships put to the ultimate test. Bill Nighy, James McAvoy, and Polly Walker star in the award-winning BBC series that riveted television viewers all across the U.K. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Morrissey, John Simm, (more)
This made-for-TV British comedy begins at the turn of the century, as bumbling ironmonger Alfred Salteena (Jim Broadbent) meets a pretty girl named Ethel Monticue (Lyndsey Marshal) on a train and invites her to his London flat. Hoping to impress the girl, Alfred brags about all the "important" people he knows; swallowing the line whole, the covetous Ethel insists upon meeting Alfred's illustrious acquaintance. Enter Lord Bernard Clark (Hugh Laurie), a seedy nobleman who offers to train Alfred to be a social lion so that he'll be more acceptable to Ethel; what Lord Bernard doesn't tell Alfred is that he intends to keep Ethel for himself. Much of the humor arises from Alfred's experiences at a high-society "boot camp" run by an indigent aristocrat, the Earl of Clincham (Bill Nighy). The Young Visiters was written in 1890 by Daisy Ashford -- who was all of nine years old at the time! The book remained on the shelf until it was published, misspellings and all, in 1919, with a preface by James M. Barrie (whom many reviewers suspected of being the novel's true author). First telecast in the U.K. on December 26, 2003, the film won a BAFTA award for best original music. The Young Visiters premiered in the United States courtesy of the BBC America digital-cable service on November 2, 2004. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jim Broadbent, Hugh Laurie, (more)
The six-part British miniseries The Way We Live Now was adapted from the satirical 1875 novel by Anthony Trollope. The central character was Augustus Melmotte (David Suchet), a mysterious international financier of questionable parentage. Invading the uppermost circles of Victorian society, Melmotte inveigled a considerable number of prominent Londoners in a spectacular get-rich-quick scheme. Among those involved were the Carburys, an aristocratic but cash-poor family anxious to recoup their fortunes by whatever means necessary. Details essential to the plot include the somewhat one-sided romance between Melmotte's rebellious daughter Marie (Shirley Henderson) and caddish Sir Felix Cadbury (Matthew MacFadyen), the exploits of an American adventuress (Miranda Otto) with a predilection for shooting her lovers, and a high-born author of trashy romance novels. Though written in the late 19th century, the story line had a queasily contemporary significance to those burned by such financial peccadillos as the Enron scandal in the early 21st century. Originally telecast by the BBC beginning November 11, 2001, The Way We Live Now was shown in America (as a four-parter) on PBS' Masterpiece Theatre starting April 1, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Suchet, Matthew MacFadyen, (more)
- 2000
Unexpectedly sprung from prison before his sentence was up, former getaway driver Len Green (Pete Postlethwaite) was determined to leave his life of crime behind by accepting a position with the undertaking firm run by his Uncle Irwin (Frank Finlay). Alas, in each subsequent 50-minute episode of the British miniseries The Sins, Len's resolve is sorely tested by a variety of temptations, all of them linked to the Seven Deadly Sins of old. Making matters worse, Len was being nagged to return to his old gang, while his Gloria (Geraldine James), unaccustomed to living in poverty, had herself turned to thievery to make ends meet. The seven-episode The Sins was originally telecast by BBC1 beginning October 24, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1998
David Yates directed this $4 million fact-based British period drama, set in Victorian England and reminiscent of The Return of Martin Guerre and Sommersby. An elderly African-American man, Andrew Bogle (John Kani), dying in a London workhouse in 1895, reflects on the circumstances that led to this end. As a Tichborne family servant, Bogle was sent to Australia during the mid-1870s to locate the family's missing heir Sir Roger. Bogle selects someone (Robert Pugh) from several claimants, trains him in the proper behavior, and tutors him on the family background. Together, they will split the profits on the Tichborne estate. The family is convinced, but the sudden death of Sir Roger's mother (Paola Dionisotti) raises suspicions, leading to a rejection of the Claimant. With the support of Bogle, young lawyer John Holmes (Perry Fenwick), and entrepreneur Onslow (Dudley Sutton), the Claimant takes his case to the High Court, forum of the witty and clever barrister Hawkins (Stephen Fry). Until recently, this was the longest trial in British legal history. Shown at the 1998 Edinburgh Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Kani, Robert Pugh, (more)
