Ian La Frenais Movies
After nearly a half-a-century of silence, the final secret of Josef Stalin reveals itself to a former Oxford historian who is currently attending a Russian conference for the newly opened Soviet archives in a tense international thriller starring Daniel Craig (Casino Royale). Fluke Kelso (Craig) is on his way out of Russia when an unexpected visit from an ex-officer of the Soviet Secret Police offers hints of a deadly scandal. Later, when the mysterious former agent is found brutally slain, Kelso enlists the aid of the man's daughter Zinaida in finding the answer to a mystery that was presumably buried along with the Soviet Union dictator back in 1953. When Fluke and Zinaida travel to the remote Russian seaport of Archangel in search of the elusive truth, the vengeance of both the Russian authorities and the dangerous underworld threatens to silence them both and keep Stalin's secret buried for yet another half-a-century. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Craig, Yekaterina Rednikova, (more)
- 2002
The purpose of this PBS documentary is to show that the true villains of the Hollywood Blacklist were not always "evil" politicians and fat-cat studio moguls. Filmmaker Lionel Chetwynd (ironically a lifelong staunch conservative) has chosen his mentor, screenwriter Carl Foreman, as the hero of the piece. The narrative focuses on 1952, the year that Foreman wrote the script for the classic Western High Noon. Even as his film is being lauded by the critics and the public alike as a masterpiece, the politically "dangerous" Foreman cannot find work in Hollywood, and the State Department is endeavoring to seize his passport. It is hurtful enough that old friends shun him, out of fear that they too will be "tainted"; but when even Stanley Kramer, the self-avowed liberal producer of High Noon, turns his back on Foreman, it is too much to bear. Chetwynd's teleplay is based upon an impassioned letter written by Foreman to influential film critic Bosley Crowther -- a desperate effort on the part of the screenwriter to state his case before the public, and, as it turns out, a futile gesture. At the time of its original telecast in September 2002, Darkness at High Noon: The Carl Foreman Documents incurred the wrath of Stanley Kramer's widow, Karen Sharpe Kramer, who insisted that her late husband was being unfairly maligned; thus it was that Chetwynd was forced to add a disclaimer to the document, begrudgingly stating that his thesis was merely "one version of the story." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Gansberg, Ray Huggins, (more)
- 1979
Doing Time is the American title for the British-made Porridge. Based on a popular TV sitcom, the film stars Ronnie Barker as the unofficial leader of a group of cut-up inmates in Slade Prison. These lovable lawbreakers engineer the escape of a timorous first offender who has been railroaded into a long sentence. Barker accidentally winds up "outside" with the escapee--and spends the rest of the film struggling to break back into jail. British fans of Porridge weren't happy with this film version, citing attenuated material and repetition as its chief shortcomings. For the record, Porridge was the basis for a brief American sitcom titled On the Rocks, which ran (not without resistance from the National Association for Justice) from September 1975 to May 1976. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ron Barker, Richard Beckinsale, (more)
- 1977
Diana Rigg was virtually the whole show on this flexible British anthology series. In each of the six half-hour episodes of Three Piece Suite, Rigg portrayed three different women in three separate sketches. The story material, written by some of British TV's top wordsmiths, ran the gamut from sentimental drama to gut-busting comedy. Telecast by BBC2, Three Piece Suite was seen from March 8 to April 12, 1977. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Diana Rigg
- 1976
Likely Lads was inspired by the popular British television series of the same name. Returning to their TV roles after an absence of several years are Rodney Bewes and James Bolam, playing a pair of Northern English screw-ups. With their girl friends in tow, Bewes and Bolam embark on a motor trip, running into one comic dilemma after another. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This British sitcom made excellent use of a brace of future TV and film stars named Bob Hoskins and John Thaw. While serving a three-year prison stretch for burglary, George (Hoskins) was unexpectedly paroled one day before the completion of his sentence. Upon returning to his home in Fulham, George was somewhat taken aback to discover that his wife Annie (Pat Ashton) had spent the past three years shacking up with his best friend and partner in crime, Stan (John Thaw). Adopting a surprisingly philosophical stance, George allowed Stan to remain in his home, leading to a hilarious menage a trois. Debuting June 1, 1974 over ITV's London Weekend Television service, Thick As Thieves rolled along for eight episodes before costar John Thaw bolted to star in the detective series The Sweeney, whereupon writers Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais resumed their customary duties on another prison-based sitcom, Porridge. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
Porcine British character comedian Ronnie Barker starred in this BBC2 sitcom, which initially aired on March 25, 1973. The series consisted of seven half-hour comedy pilots, all starring Barker. Three of the episodes graduated to weekly series status. Of these, only "Prisoner and Escort" (retitled "Porridge" for its series run) would star Barker; the others were "Open All Hours" and "My Old Man." The remaining episodes included "Another Fine Mess," "I'll Fly You for a Quid," and "One Man's Meat," the last-named property written by Barker under the pseudonym Jack Goetz. Seven of One was last seen on May 6, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
The surprise British TV hit of 1965, The Likely Lads was a sitcom built around the misadventures of two Northerners, Terry Collier (James Bolam) and Bob Ferris (Rodney Bewes). Flying in the face of rumors that the two stars despised each other, Bolam and Bewes were reteamed eight years later for a sequel, imaginatively titled Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? Returning home after a stint in the army, Terry hoped to renew his carefree relationship with Bob, who was on the verge of marrying a likely lass named Thelma Chambers (Brigit Forsyth). Despite Terry's well-intentioned but annoying interference, Bob and Thelma were wed -- but old friendships died hard, and it looked as if Thelma would have to put up with Terry if she wanted her union with Bob to endure. Written by the same team responsible for the originally Likely Lads, Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? aired from January 9, 1973 to April 9, 1974, lasting two seasons and 27 episodes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Bolam, Rodney Bewes, (more)
- 1972
Created by Jon Watkins and John Swallow, this 15-episode sitcom was uniquely British in its utilization of a rural train station as its principal setting. The station in question was the rundown, decrepit Burberry Halt, overseen by the equally rundown and decrepit stationmaster Hedley Green (Bill Fraser). An impressive lineup of choice supporting players kept the laughs flowing even when the story lines stood still. Presented by ITV's London Weekend Television service, The Train Now Standing began its two-year run on May 20, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1968
Somebody at 20th Century-Fox must have been asleep at the switch when the studio picked up the British The Touchables for American distribution. This listless melodrama concerns a British rock star (David Anthony) with a love-'em-and-leave-'em reputation. The tables are turned when four cute young girls (Judy Huxtable, Esther Anderson, Marilyn Rickard and Kathy Simmonds) kidnap the singer. After several days of sex and degradation, the poor fellow is rescued by his friends. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judy Huxtable, Esther Anderson, (more)
- 1967
Two brothers looking to avoid becoming pawns of the establishment come up with a better way of making a living -- through theft -- in this satiric comedy. David Tremayne (Oliver Reed) is a successful London architect, and his younger brother Michael (Michael Crawford) is weighing his options after being kicked out of school. The brothers share a bemused disgust with the world around them and a desire to get through life without the burden of labor; toward this end, one day they begin plotting an elaborate scheme to steal the British Crown Jewels. Mind you, they don't intend to sell them, or even keep them very long -- the idea is to return them after a week, simply to prove that it could indeed be done, and make themselves famous in the process. After studying the procedures of Scotland Yard's Bomb Disposal Unit, the inner working of the Tower of London's Jewel Room, and the London ambulance services, the Tremaynes come up with a foolproof plan -- they call in a bomb threat to the Tower, and they are able to enter the Jewel Room posing as men from the bomb squad. They then feign injury and are able to escape in an ambulance. It all seems simple enough, and it actually works, until Michael "forgets" his part of the agreement to take half of the responsibility for the theft. The supporting cast includes Edward Fox, Frank Finlay, and Harry Andrews. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Crawford, Oliver Reed, (more)
Jason Statham and Saffron Burrows star in director Roger Donaldson's cinematic account of the true-life 1971 London bank robbery that baffled the authorities and fascinated the public. Terry Leather (Statham) was a small-time car dealer who was trying to leave his shady past behind and start a family. Though he'd never been involved in any major crimes, he wasn't exactly on the straight and narrow his whole life either. Martine Love (Burrows) is a beautiful model from Terry's old neighborhood who knows that her former neighbor is no angel. When Martine proposes a foolproof plan to rob a Baker Street bank, Terry recognizes the danger but realizes this may be the opportunity of a lifetime. As the operation gets underway, the resourceful band of thieves burrows its way into a safe-deposit vault at the Lloyds Bank in Marylebone, quickly hitting a literal treasure trove of cash and priceless gems. But while the crew did know that the safe-deposit boxes contained millions in riches, they didn't realize that they also contained secrets that implicated everyone from London's most notorious underworld gangsters to powerful government figures, and even the Royal Family. Though the crime would make headlines all across Britain for several days after the fact, a government gag order eventually brought all reporting on the case to an immediate halt. Could it be that the most notorious bank robbers in recent memory were actually the most innocent people involved in this scandalous crime? ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Statham, Saffron Burrows, (more)
Stars Martin Lawrence and Will Smith return along with director Michael Bay and producer Jerry Bruckheimer for this sequel to the 1995 sleeper hit Bad Boys, the film that sparked the careers of both actors, as well as Bay. Once again, Lawrence and Smith play hotshot, wisecracking Miami narcotics officers Marcus Burnett and Mike Lowrey. This time around, Burnett and Lowrey have been assigned to head up a task force to investigate the illegal trafficking of ecstasy into the city. They discover that an underground gang war has been instigated by drug kingpin Johnny Tapia (Jordi Molla). In order to cut off the flow of the designer drug, they have to take down Tapia. Unfortunately, there's a wrench thrown into the gears in the form of Burnett's sister Syd, whom Lowrey takes a liking to and begins a relationship with. Tensions rise between the partners, threatening both their friendship and the investigation and putting Syd in harm's way. Also returning from the first film are Joe Pantoliano as Captain Howard, Theresa Randle as Burnett's wife Theresa, and former-NBA star John Salley as 'Hacker' Fletcher. Among the supporting players new to this entry in the series are Peter Stormare and musician, spoken-word artist, and sometimes-actor Henry Rollins. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Martin Lawrence, Will Smith, (more)
- 2000
- R
Composer, songwriter, and half of the pop band Eurythmics, Dave Stewart makes his directorial debut with this wacky caper comedy set in the heart of 1960s-era swinging London. Starring three members from British girl band All Saints, the film focuses on a trio of sisters -- cocky Gerry (Nicole Appleton), horny Mandy (Natalie Appleton), and amiable kid sister Jo (Melanie Blatt) -- who tape down their breasts, don facial hair, and crack safes in order to help their depressed widowed dad. Local crime lord Duggie Ord (Corin Redgrave) believes that Gerry knows who the thieving lads are, but he has no idea that the real culprits are right in front of his face. While casing a gem dealer on Carnaby Street, Gerry gets herself hired in alternative magazine Zero, which is housed in the same building. There she meets the decadent publisher, Andrew (Jonathan Cake), an upper-class fop, and American Rhode scholar turned draft-dodger Daniel (Peter Facinelli), who takes an immediate liking to Gerry. While Daniel works late, the larcenous trio break into the building and steal a fortune in jewels. On the way out, Daniel runs into Gerry in male garb and the two duke it out until mid-tussle he realizes that his opponent is actually the same young lass he has fallen for. This film was screened at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
Still Crazy is a film that looks back at the "rock band" era of the 1970s. Brian Gibson, who has directed musical biographies on Josephine Baker and Tina Turner, sets his narrative on a rock group, Strange Fruit, who are attempting a comeback twenty years after a bolt of lightening literally ended their career in the late 1970's. When keyboard player Tony (Stephan Rea) runs into the son of their old festival promoter, he gets the idea he could perhaps bring the aging musicians together for a revival. He goes off to search for Karen (Juliet Aubre), the band's Girl Friday and often the butt of their various ego trips. Karen, who now lives alone with her daughter, thinks it's a great idea and they set off to locate the other members. Beano (Timothy Spall), the drummer, has barricaded himself away in a trailer in his mother's garden for fear of being caught by the taxman. Ray (Bill Nighy), the lead singer, lives in a luxurious country house (beyond his means) with his second wife; he's still in the music business and has released a solo record. Les (Jimmy Nail), a great bass guitarist, is happily married, and his only regret is that his music never found the following he would have liked. As for ex-roadie Hughie (Billy Connolly), the Fruits were always his boys, and he's ready to give up his stall at Camden market and follow the dream. He would also love to see guitarist Brian again, but Brian is nowhere to be found. Karen decides to hire a much younger musician, Luke, to replace him. The re-formed band go to Holland to play a few clubs on a warm-up tour. However, the youngest member of the band is stealing the show, particularly with the members of the opposite sex. Despite efforts to stay calm and professional, the band is falling into the old routine of bickering day by day as they get close to the big reunion concert. Still Crazy was screened as part of the Panorama during the 49th International Berlin Film Festival, 1999. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stephen Rea, Billy Connolly, (more)
"The Irish are the blacks of Europe, Dubliners are the blacks of Ireland, and the North Siders are the blacks of Dublin ... so say it loud -- I'm black and I'm proud!" Or so Jimmy Rabbitte (Robert Arkins) tells his slightly puzzled friends as he tries to assemble a rhythm & blues show band in a working class community in Dublin in Alan Parker's film The Commitments. Jimmy is a would-be music business wheeler and dealer, and he's decided what Dublin needs is a top-shelf soul band. However, top-shelf soul musicians are hard to find in Dublin, so he has to make do with what he can find. However, after a long round of auditions, Jimmy makes two inspired discoveries: Deco (Andrew Strong), an abrasive and alcoholic streetcar conductor who nevertheless has a voice like the risen ghost of Otis Redding, and Joey "The Lips" Fagan (Johnny Murphy), a horn player who knows soul music backwards and forwards and claims to have played with everyone from Wilson Pickett to Elvis Presley. Before long, the band -- called the Commitments -- is packing them in at local clubs. But do they have what it takes to make the big time? Based on the novel by Roddy Doyle, who also co-wrote the screenplay, The Commitments is sparked by fine performances by its young cast and enthusiastic performances of a number of '60s soul classics; the cast, who play their own instruments, reassembled the band for a concert tour after the film became a hit. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Arkins, Michael Aherne, (more)
- 1974
- R
The 1972 British farce Percy was about the world's first penis transplant; Percy's Progress constitutes the sequel, with Leigh Lawson taking over for Hywel Bennett in the leading role. The plot concerns a chemical that contaminates the world's water supply; as a result, every man is rendered impotent -- -except Percy. Percy's Progress was also released as It's Not the Size That Counts. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leigh Lawson, Elke Sommer, (more)
- 1971
- R
This melodramatic crime drama tells the story of homosexual gang leader Vic Dakin (Richard Burton), who likes a bit of rough sex with his petty criminal pal Wolfe (Ian McShane). Aside from payroll robberies, his gang is not above blackmailing sexually deviant members of Parliament. A Scotland Yard Police Inspector, played by Nigel Davenport, has been after his gang for years and does everything in his power to close it down. When one of the gang members, Frank (Joss Ackland), winds up hospitalized for an ulcer and looks likely to spill the beans to the police, some complicated shenanigans take place. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Burton, Ian McShane, (more)
- 1971
- R
Dick Clement directed this late-in-the-game spy thriller, starring Kirk Douglas. Douglas plays Andrej, a drone that smuggles books out of communist countries. Unfortunately for Andrej, he is mistaken for a spy and gets into a series of convoluted situations. Fabienne (Marlene Jobert), who lives with Sir Trevor Dawson (Trevor Howard), a randy British minister, is the slinky sex-bomb who finagles Andrej into the heart-thumping predicaments. Also on hand is Tom Courtenay as Baxter Clarke, an inept counter-espionage agent, who manages to make Andrej's already bad situation worse. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kirk Douglas, Marlène Jobert, (more)
- 1969
- R
This situation comedy finds rookie soldiers of the British Army trying to cope with military life while stationed in Malaya. Brigg (Hywel Bennett) is a young clerk who falls for the local school teacher Phillipa (Lynn Redgrave), the daughter of Royal Sergeant Major Raskin (Nigel Patrick). Brigg loses his virginal status in an encounter with the prostitute Juicy Lucy (Tsai Chin), while Phillipa also becomes sexually active for the first time. The film strikes a nice balance between comedy and serious drama as the soldiers are put to the test when a train wreck necessitates their involvement, and later several soldiers try to get sick leave by requesting circumcisions. Brigg and Phillipa finally get together when a bombing raid puts them in close proximity in this engaging military comedy. The Kinks' Ray Davies wrote the title track. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lynn Redgrave, Hywel Bennett, (more)
Set against the anti-war protests, rock & roll revolution, and mind-expanding psychedelia of the 1960s, Julie Taymor's hallucinogenic musical follows the arduous journey of star-crossed lovers Jude (Jim Sturgess) and Lucy (Evan Rachel Wood) as they and a small group of musicians are swept up in the raging waters of the volatile counterculture movement. Guided through their journey by a pair known only as Dr. Robert (Bono) and Mr. Kite (Eddie Izzard), Jude and Lucy are eventually forced to find their way back to one another after being split apart by powerful forces beyond their control. The music in the film consists exclusively of songs made popular by the Beatles during the time period depicted in the movie. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Evan Rachel Wood, Jim Sturgess, (more)
In this combination caper comedy and offbeat romance, Emily (Alicia Silverstone) is a wealthy but petulant young woman desperate to get the attention of her millionaire father, Alexander Hope (Jack Thompson). In fact, she's so desperate that she decides to stage her own kidnapping; she sends a ransom note, ties herself up, and locks herself in the trunk of her BMW, waiting for daddy to come to the rescue; however, Emily's timing is a bit off, because ten minutes later, hunky car thief Vincent (Benicio Del Toro) steals the BMW with Emily still in it. Vincent and his partner in crime, Greg (Harry Connick Jr.), eventually discover the car's trunk has an unexpected surprise. When Emily is unable to convince them to help her with her scheme, she becomes a problem the carjackers can't get rid of, especially after Alexander refuses to pay her ransom, and his creepy right-hand man, Raymond (Christopher Walken), heads out to find her. Of course, losing 200,000 dollars in mob money is not making Vincent's life any easier, nor is having the emotionally problematic Emily fall in love with him. Excess Baggage was the first feature from Alicia Silverstone's production company First Kiss. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alicia Silverstone, Benicio Del Toro, (more)
Meant to be a parody of the recent invasions of Grenada and the Falkland Islands, this comedy about the laid-back governor (Michael Caine) of "Cascara," a fictional British island somewhere in the Caribbean, and the international parade of characters who come through his territory is a pastiche without a clear center. Among these multinational characters are an American industrialist out to exploit the island's rich source of mineral water -- also the source of all the subsequent trouble on the island -- some inexplicable French-German visitors, a singing revolutionary with ties to Fidel Castro, and various parodies of Brit diplomats and politicians, Margaret Thatcher included. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Caine, Valerie Perrine, (more)
