Michael Apted

Michael Apted's documentary Married in America 2 follows up on the nine soon-to-be-wedded couples he interviewed five years previously for the first film in this ongoing series. He revisits each of the couples, quizzing them about how married life satisfies, surprises, and challenges them. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

One man's role in the long battle to outlaw slavery in the United Kingdom sets the stage for this historical drama from director Michael Apted. In 1784, 21-year-old William Wilberforce (Ioan Gruffudd) was elected to the British House of Commons, and soon established himself as a politician with a conscience. Several years later, his close friend William Pitt (Benedict Cumberbatch) became prime minister, and together they made a bold plan to introduce a bill banning slavery before the English legislature. Wilberforce was aided by anti-slavery activists Olaudah Equiano (Youssou N'Dour) and Thomas Clarkson (Rufus Sewell); however, pro-slavery hard-liners Lord Tarleton (Ciarán Hinds) and the Duke of Clarence (Toby Jones) spearheaded a hard-fought opposition to the legislation, and despite Wilberforce's best efforts, his bill went down in defeat. In 1797, Wilberforce left politics due to poor health and a battered spirit; staying at the country home of his friends Henry and Marianne Thornton (Nicholas Farrell and Sylvestra Le Touzel), he became acquainted with Barbara Spooner (Romola Garai), a beautiful woman with progressive views. Spooner became deeply infatuated with Wilberforce, and she encouraged him not to give up on his noble goals; with her help, Wilberforce launched a second campaign to persuade England's lawmakers to end the slave trade. Amazing Grace made its North American premiere as the closing-night gala attraction at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Caesar (Ciarán Hinds) sends the gruff Mark Antony (James Purefoy), back to Rome to serve as People's Tribune. Vorenus (Kevin McKidd) and Pullo (Ray Stevenson) accompany him, and are charged with returning Octavian (Max Pirkis) to his mother, Atia (Polly Walker). Invited to dine at Atia's home, Vorenus expresses his strong belief in the divinity of the Republic, while, prompted by Octavian's astute appraisal of Caesar's mindset and the state of the empire, Titus proclaims that he would follow Caesar if he rebelled against the Republic. Vorenus returns home to his wife, Niobe (Indira Varma), whom he has not seen in more than eight years. He finds her cradling an infant, and immediately assumes the worst. She tells him that the baby is his grandson by his eldest daughter, who is now 13. Pullo spends his first day in Rome whoring and gambling, and runs into some trouble deep in Pompeian territory. Pullo murders a man who cheats him at dice and is critically injured in the ensuing melee. He makes his way to Vorenus' home, and Vorenus brings in a doctor who performs a gruesome operation on Pullo's skull. As he recovers, Niobe confides in Pullo, telling him how much she's missed her husband, but bemoaning the lack of affection Vorenus has shown his family since his return. Antony meets with Pompey (Kenneth Cranham) and members of the Senate at Atia's house, and insults them with Caesar's demands, according to the general's plans. Pompey decides to issue an ultimatum to Caesar in the Senate, and enlists the reluctant Cicero (David Bamber) in his cause. Caesar is ordered to surrender or be declared an enemy of the Republic. The senators are counting on Antony's veto, but pandemonium erupts before Antony can say his piece. Caesar decides to march on Rome. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

As HBO's Rome opens, Gaius Julius Caesar (Ciarán Hinds) is reaching the end of his war against Gaul, and his popularity in the republic has reached a new high, arousing the concern of Pompey Magnus (Kenneth Cranham) and others in the senate that he will attempt to seize power. During the ultimate battle, a Centurion, Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd), upbraids one of his men, Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson), for breaking ranks. Pullo is later flogged and jailed for his disobedience, and misses out on some sacking. Caesar gets word that his daughter, married to Pompey, has died during childbirth. Both Pompey and Caesar see this as a further threat to their longstanding alliance. Caesar sends word to his conniving niece, Atia (Polly Walker) to offer Pompey a new bride on Caesar's behalf. Atia chooses her own daughter, Octavia (Kerry Condon), despite the fact that Octavia is already happily married. Atia convinces her to divorce, and offer herself to Pompey. Meanwhile, in Gaul, Caesar's standard, a golden eagle, is stolen, and he tasks Mark Antony (James Purefoy) with its recovery. Caesar also manipulates his young friend, Brutus (Tobias Menzies), the son of Servilia (Lindsay Duncan), his erstwhile lover, to report back to Rome that the eagle's been stolen, so that his enemies there will think Caesar is weak. Atia sends her son, young Octavian (Max Pirkis), to Gaul to deliver a white horse to Caesar, before the great man arrives back in Rome and everyone is giving him gifts. Octavian's party is assaulted, the horse stolen, and the boy abducted. Vorenus, assigned by Antony to the seemingly futile task of tracking down Caesar's standard, selects Pullo to assist him. The two have a stroke of amazing luck when they come across the party that captured Octavian. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

A Cinderella story turns into a nightmare when a former waitress' perfect marriage gives way to adultery and physical abuse in this combination of domestic drama and revenge thriller. Motherless young woman Slim (Jennifer Lopez) works in a San Francisco diner with her best friend, Ginny (Juliette Lewis). After almost succumbing to the slick flirtation of an insincere customer (Noah Wyle), she is rescued by another dashing diner named Mitch (Bill Campbell). A few years later, the now happily married couple seem to have it all -- a perfect house, a precocious daughter (Tessa Allen), and a comfortable life. Then, Slim discovers that Mitch is actually a lothario who has been sleeping with other women behind her back. When she protests, he slaps her around and uses daughter Gracie as leverage to keep her in line. Slim enlists the help of her friends to escape with her child, though Mitch attacks and very nearly kills her in the process. Going on the lam, Slim adopts a series of new identities, wigs, and residences to avoid the goons Mitch has sent to retrieve her. Along the way, she receives help from Joe (Dan Futterman), a friend and old flame from college. Ultimately, Mitch and his unexpected allies so terrify Slim that she must turn the tables and transform herself from hunted to hunter. In doing so, she receives some surprise assistance of her own -- from Jupiter (Fred Ward), the rich father who abandoned her mother years ago. Although the soundtrack to Enough features the music of star J. Lo, the title song was written especially for the film by Magnolia tunesmith Aimee Mann. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

The true story of a major breakthrough in intelligence technology created during World War II provides the backdrop for this blend of mystery, romance, and espionage, based on the novel by Robert Harris. Tom Jericho (Dougray Scott) is a gifted mathematician who is working with the British government on the development and maintenance of the Enigma machine, an electronic device that allows Allied intelligence agents to decode scrambled messages sent by Germany military officers. But the emotionally fragile Jericho is buckling under both the pressure of his work and the collapse of his relationship with Claire Romilly (Saffron Burrows), a co-worker with whom he's fallen deeply in love. After suffering a minor breakdown, Jericho is sent on a leave of absence, but when he returns to work, a crisis awaits: it seems the Germans have instituted a new code that the Enigma is not yet able to crack, and Jericho is needed to help unravel Axis communiqués before an important convoy of troops and materiel sets sail. It is also suspected that a German undercover agent has infiltrated the Enigma project, and Wigram (Jeremy Northam) is determined to ferret them out. In the midst of all this, Jericho receives troubling news that Claire has gone missing -- and that a file of German messages waiting to be decoded was found at her home. As Jericho works against the clock to crack the new German code, he forms an initially uneasy alliance with Hester Wallace (Kate Winslet), Claire's roommate and a fellow member of the Enigma project, as they try to discover Claire's whereabouts. Enigma was co-produced by Mick Jagger, who has a keen interest in the history of the real-life Enigma project, and even owns one of the original Enigma decoding machines. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In 1964, England's Granada Television produced a documentary called 7 Up, in which 14 seven-year-old British children from a wide variety of social and economic backgrounds were interviewed about their ideas and opinions on the adult world. In 1971, director Michael Apted tracked down the same youngsters for a follow-up, 7 Plus 7. Since then, Apted has revisited his subjects every seven years in a series of remarkable films that allow us to watch these children grow into adults before our eyes. In the sixth film in the series, we visit eleven of the now middle-aged kids (three have chosen not to participate), as they settle contentedly (for the most part) into mid-life and contend with the growing maturity of their own children and, in some cases, the infirmity and death of their parents. Tony, who once dreamed of being a jockey, now drives a cab, does a bit of television acting, and admits to being unfaithful to his wife. Suzy, who at 21 was bitter and cynical with no intention of having kids, is now a happy mother who works part-time as a bereavement counselor. Neil, who has struggled through years of mental illness, poverty, and homelessness, was elected as a Liberal Democratic representative to the Hackney council in London and seems to have found stability. Paul, who was raised by divorced parents and suffered from poor self-esteem as a child, now has a fine home in Australia and has been happily married for 23 years. And Simon, a West Indian immigrant raised in a children's home, is happy, middle-class, and raising a four-year-old of his own. Ironically, Apted's latest installment in this compelling but low-key ongoing project was set for international release within months of the highest-profile film of his career, the James Bond adventure The World Is Not Enough. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Michael Apted (Gorillas in the Mist) directed this Walter Mosley script adaptation of Mosley's short story collection, Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned. Ex-con Socrates Fortlow (Laurence Fishburne) returns to L.A., looks for work, becomes friends with Right Burke (Bill Cobbs), is told he's too old for a construction job, helps youngster Darryl (Daniel Williams), and romances cafe-owner Iula Brown (Natalie Cole). Socrates provides a moral uplift to the neighborhood, while Burke's voiceover narration has a Sunset Boulevard twist. The TV movie premiered March 21, 1998 on HBO. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

The first installment of this magazine on DVD compiles a variety of short subjects. Highlights include Some Folks Call It A Sling Blade, directed by George Hickenlooper; an interview with filmmaker Michael Apted; Goreville by Seth Henrikson and Dave Sarno; and Henry Rollins: Easter Sunday in NYC by Albert Watson. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide

Boris Grebenshikov, popular folk singer, spoke for his generation in the same way as did his American counterpart, Bob Dylan, to whom the Russian musician has been likened. This documentary tells the story of his life and music, which was banned in his native land. An interview with the singer gives insight into his personal and political beliefs, and musical influences. The film finds him at work in Los Angeles, New York, London, and at home again in the city then called Leningrad. He is accompanied in the musical numbers by Annie Lenox and Dave Stewart. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide

In Blink, a woman regaining her eyesight after a double cornea transplant operation glimpses the killer of her upstairs neighbor and then must fight for her life as the killer stalks her. Emma Brody (Madeline Stowe), a musician in an Irish folk-rock band was blinded as a result of childhood abuse by her mother. Her doctor, Ryan Pierce (Peter Friedman) performs an operation to restore her vision, but soon Emma is suffering from retroactive hallucinations in which she sees things that have happened hours, or even days, before. As she was the only witness to the murder, her credibility soon comes into question, but she is believed by Detective Hallstrom (Aidan Quinn) who has been tracking what he believes to be a serial killer. Hallstrom also believes that Emma may hold the key to the murderer's motives. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide

This British documentary explores the indomitable Chinese democracy movement that despite an almost paralyzing loss in the 1989 massacre in Tiananmen Square, continues to grow. The film accomplishes its exploration through a detailed profile of former student Li Lu, formerly among the top twenty on the Chinese government's most wanted list. Li, now a U.S. emigre, was interviewed in his new home. Interspersed with interviews are never-seen archival film clips. Some of the other rebel leaders, still living in China, are also interviewed. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide