Peter Jones Movies

The first feature by Bill Brookfield, Milk is an offbeat British comedy about a family in mourning. The death of an 81-year-old woman sets the scene for this tale about family funerals and the difficulty of burying one's mother. Adrian is an unmarried, unworldly, and unstable dairy farmer dissatisfied with his life. He has had his share of youthful ambitions, but now all he is capable of doing is sloping after dairy cows. Between his filial duty to his bed-ridden cosmopolitan mother Lucy and his obligation to the dairy farm, he has never had a chance in life until his mother suddenly dies. Set in the Wiltshire countryside, the action begins when Adrian discovers her body and ends with its offbeat disposal 48 hours later. His first reaction is to execute his mother's pet parrot and confiscate her precious painting before his extended family swarms the dilapidated farmhouse to pillage her loot. They all want a piece of Lucy and they all have conflicting plans for the funeral. But Adrian intends to surprise them on both counts. The idea that a family member's death brings out the true nature of family dynamics is not a novelty in cinema, but Brookfield dabs the subject with local color, gently poking fun at the quarrels of people whose blood ties do not guarantee similarities of character. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide

Heat, both climatic and erotic, imbue this Australian thriller from first-time directors Colin South and John Tatoulis. The film takes place in mid-summer in the sweltering city of Melbourne and concerns a love affair between Wendy (Santha Press), a jazz singer, and Mack (Hugo Race), a knife-wielding punk who wants to be a rock star but is planning to rob a bank. Wendy's younger sister, 15-year-old JoJo (Rebekah Elmaloglou), has moved in with Wendy, and she is rapidly becoming sexually aware, because she is secretly observing her sister and Mack as they make love. Meanwhile, two cops -- Dinny (Dominic Sweeney), an inexperienced rookie, and Milas (John Flaus), a weary veteran cop -- are following Mack because he has an audiotape in his possession that shows evidence of government corruption. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Tipping the scales on the Monty Python-esque side of broad comedy, this outrageous and classically British farce is a series of episodes involving the U.S., a small Caribbean nation, the British government, and the military. The American president is a former clown who dies after asking someone to punch him in the stomach to prove how strong he is. The vice-president (Loretta Swit) takes over and heads for trouble right away. A British island has been invaded by a Caribbean dictatorship and the gay British admiral sent to command naval operations takes a warm-hearted, 1940s-style leave of his "spouse." A Princess working as a nurse overdoes it when asked to shave a sailor for an operation. The British Prime Minister decides that if the unemployment situation could be easily solves if the employed would only jump off a cliff. And so it goes on and on, with some of the skits delving into more violent and sacrilegious themes. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy began as a 1978 BBC radio series by Douglas Adams, who adapted the material into a bestselling novel in 1979. This six-part BBC television miniseries - a witty and farcical science-fiction send-up -- stars Simon Jones as gormless Arthur Dent, who wakes up one morning to discover that a demolition crew is preparing to destroy his house and put in a new highway bypass. Saddened by this news, Arthur accepts the offer of his buddy Ford Prefect to head down to the local pub for a drink, but is soon greeted by Ford's wild revelation that he is in fact not a human but a space alien from a small planet just outside of Betelgeuse, who has spent many years on the planet Earth in the guise of a human actor, doing background research for a book called 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.' Before Arthur can fully digest this news, a Vogon spaceship appears in the sky and blasts out the message that the entire Earth will soon be destroyed to put in an intergalactic superhighway. At the last moment, Arthur and Ford manage to board the spaceship to escape obliteration themselves. Arthur is soon ensconced in a strange space vessel festooned with all manner of confusing hardware, and jets through a series of increasingly off-the-wall adventures, where he meets such wild characters as three-armed galaxy president Zaphod Beeblebrox; Trillian, the latter's girlfriend; neurotic robot Marvin; and Veet Voojagig, a graduate student with a ballpoint pen fixation. Like Dr. Who and other BBC productions, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy took its US bow on PBS affiliate stations. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Because He's My Friend was directed for Australian television by American TV veteran Ralph Nelson. Karen Black and Keir Dullea play the parents of a mentally retarded teenager (superbly played by Warwick Poulson). The boy's condition effects the marriage both adversely and positively. The film takes on a happier aura when a normal teenager becomes the handicapped boy's close friend. Because He's My Friend is an effective companion piece to the like-vintage Australian TV movie Tim, as well as the 1977 ABC Afterschool Special presentation Hewitt's Just Different. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The long-running series of British "Carry On" comedies was nearing the end of the line when this 28th film in the cycle was released in 1976. Set in World War II, Carry On England explores what happens when the British military decides to set up an experimental mixed-gender anti-aircraft battery. While commanding officer Captain Melly (Kenneth Connor) is a stickler for military discipline, it soon becomes obvious that the interaction of male and female soldiers doesn't lend itself to a crack fighting unit, though it makes for plenty of broad physical comedy, especially with Major Bloomer (Windsor Davies), Melly's second-in-command, on deck. Judy Geeson, Patrick Mower, Jack Douglas, and Joan Sims lead the supporting cast. This feature was followed by That's Carry On (1977), a "greatest hits" collection of highlights from the series, and Carry On Emmanuelle (1978), which marked the end of the series until 1992's Carry On Columbus. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this ribald erotic comedy, brothers team up to promote a rock band. Even though the musicians are remarkably untalented and one of the brothers is an incredible klutz, somehow they manage to succeed. Unfortunately, the band's fall to the bottom is nearly as quick as its rise to the top, for the boys find themselves unable to resist the temptations of several, seductive and large-breasted women. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This comedy finds a veteran crook turning to modern computer technology to steal money from various companies. Even before he is released from jail Caesar (Peter Ustinov) is planning his high-tech heist. He cons American executive Klemper (Karl Malden) and sets up three bogus companies to receive funds from the corporate office. Klemper's faithful assistant Gnatpole (Bob Newhart) is suspicious and investigates the unusual activities. Smith (Robert Morley) gives Caesar the computer lesson that puts him on the fast track to thievery. Caesar marries Patty (Maggie Smith), who surprises her husband by earning more money than her crooked spouse by honest means. Cesar Romero is the smiling customs official who lets Caesar pass through with a bagful of money from the crime while Klemper's jar of instant coffee falls under suspicion. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

In this drama, a singer on her husband's weekly television show suddenly decides to begin a new life without him. She then quits her job and moves into the house of another man, a good friend, not a lover. When she learns that her husband is looking for a replacement singer, she does her best to stop him. The couple eventually reunites after the husband saves her from the attack of a lascivious drunken Australian during a wild party. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this English comedy, the trouble begins when a bumbling young man embarrasses his grandfather, the British Prime Minister, by selling newspapers on a street corner. Soon the fellow finds himself given a reporter's job and sent to cover a story in a tiny coastal village. There he soon finds himself entangled in a massive scandal. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

A golf course turns into a killing ground for an unfortunate British agent. Investigating, Steed and Emma discover that the course is actually a front (or, technically, a "top") for an enemy espionage base. The foresighted villains use satellite technology -- then very much in its infancy -- to relay secret information, obliging Steed and Emma to follow through for a few well-placed chip shots. Written by Tony Williamson, "The Thirteenth Hole" premiered in England on January 29, 1966, and in America on August 18, 1966. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this lively British comedy, a newlywed couple's quaint country cottage becomes a nightmare of repairs as they try to fix it up themselves. They originally purchased the ramshackle pile to escape the influence of the new wife's meddlesome father. Unfortunately, the place needs more help than they are able to give and they must reluctantly get her father's help. He brings in a bumbling builder and things only get worse from there. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Set in Canada at the turn of the century, Drylanders stars James Douglas as a veteran of the Boer War. Returning home, Douglas finds city life not to his liking, so he opts for the life of a wheat farmer. At first prosperous, Douglas' farm falls victim to a nationwide drought. He struggles to keep the business afloat, but dies before rain comes; his wife (Frances Hyland) valiantly carries on her husband's work. Originally written for television by M. Charles Cohen, Drylanders was prepared for theatrical release through Columbia Pictures--and thus became the first non-documentary feature ever produced by the Film Board of Canada. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide