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Bleak House - BBC (3 Disc Special Edition) [2005]

starring: Gillian Anderson, Patrick Kennedy, Denis Lawson, Natalie Press, Liza Tarbuck
directed by: Justin Chadwick, Susanna White

November 13, 2006
It's difficult to imagine any dramatisation of 'Bleak House' being better done. The cast is uniformly excellent and the adaptation successfully captures the 'page-turner' quality of the book. Not to be missed.

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Sleepy Hollow [1999]

starring: Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Christopher Walken, Miranda Richardson, Martin Landau

February 12, 2007
I unwisely started to watch this on TV one evening and couldn't stop, as my interest was caught by the story, the characters and the way the village was portrayed, despite its being full of typical Tim Burton gruesome effects. I'm not a fan of his work, I know it's much admired, I know it's clever, but a lot of it is just plain repulsive as far as I'm concerned.
Johnny Depp and Christoper Walken turned in competent performances and the sets, costumes and cinematography created a really haunting feeling of menace and decay. Unfortunately, once Miranda Richardson appeared, you just knew that her character was either weird or evil or both and things would turn out badly.
It's a film that stays in the memory long afterwards, partly for ... Read More:

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House Of Cards : Complete BBC Series Trilogy Box Set [1990]

starring: Ian Richardson, Susannah Harker, Nicholas Selby, James Villiers, David Lyon
directed by: Paul Seed

July 12, 2004
"FU" and "Mrs FU" are Richard III meets Lady Macbeth. Shakespearean-like intrigue, brutality and hunger for power are dressed here in pin-stipes and pants suits. Among this trilogy, I would rate "House of Cards" a 4, "To Play the King" 5 and "The Final Cut" 3. The acting and the witty dialogue are consistent points of strength (apart from the character of the media mogul in the first part). The storylines' occasional descent into improbability is the main weakness. On re-viewing, "To Play the King" stood out, essentially because Ian Richardson (the PM) and Michael Kitchen (the King) are well matched and the constitutional crisis provides a richer vein of story-making. The final part is seriously weakened by the half-baked "Cyprus Crisis" that has some stupendously ... Read More:

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Brazil [1985]

starring: Jonathan Pryce, Jim Broadbent, Barbara Hicks, Robert De Niro, Katherine Helmond
directed by: Terry Gilliam

May 19, 2003
Genius.

Don't know what films you one-starers saw or what world you live in.

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Private Schulz [1981]

starring: Michael Elphick, Billie Whitelaw, Ian Richardson

July 21, 2008
This DVD release has been a long time coming, but well worth the wait.

Buyers should be aware that the original series was produced in a mixture of video and film which is evident in some episodes (it is explained in the additional notes on the DVD) but the overall qulaity is good.

The series itself is fantastic and has lost none of its ironic and sometimes dark humour with the passage of time. Dealing with incompetence, greed and brilliance on all sides during the war,it often appears that a lovable conman (Schulz) is the only sane and rational person in a world gone mad. As the principal character (Schulz)says at the begining 'it was only a week before the lunatics took over completely'.

The series is interspersed with UK, USA and German ... Read More:

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Gormenghast [2000]

starring: Celia Imrie, John Sessions, Warren Mitchell, George Yiasoumi, Ian Richardson
directed by: Andy Wilson (IV)

June 05, 2000
Ignore those who say that this doesn't do justice to the books - it's different, yes, but in a good way. What's the point in sitting down to watch something that's EXACTLY like the book, or complaining because it doesn't EXACTLY match what you thought it should look like? The BBC made an amazing job of what was almost impossible to film, and the cast is just perfect. Jonathan Rhys Meyers plays Steerpike with more than a touch of genius, and the chemistry between him and Fuchsia is spot-on... Everything about this is awe-inspiring; the sets, the scripts, the acting. Admittedly, Warren Mitchell's portrayal of Barquentine is more comical and capricious than the fearsome and powerful character in the book, but it works. Likewise, Irma Prunesquallor seems more ridiculous on the screen ... Read More:

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102 Dalmatians (Live Action) [2000]

starring: Glenn Close, Gérard Depardieu, Ioan Gruffudd, Alice Evans, Tim McInnerny
directed by: Kevin Lima

September 10, 2001
Actually this is an enjoyable enough movie for those who love Glenn Close or Ioan Gruffudd, and there are lots of fun elements to enjoy. The parrot who thinks he is a dog is an absolute scream, and the film itself is well made and well shot in my opinion. There is nothing really wrong with it except for the story itself. I can't even fault the script really...I think they did the best they could under the circumstances, and the actors all came up trumps...but as I say it's the story that lets the whole thing down.
Sometimes an original story based on established characters can work well (and has done), but this is not one of them. The story in my opinion is far-fetched even for a Disney film, and rather daft, but all in all it makes the most of what it has, and will certainly ... Read More:

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Dark City [1998]

starring: Rufus Sewell, William Hurt, Kiefer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelly, Richard O'Brien
directed by: Alex Proyas

July 26, 1999
I have mixed thoughts about this film after wathcing it twice through. I was really looking forward to it - the idea of a film noir sci-fi set in a mysterious dark futuristic world appealed to me. Yet after watching it i feel somewhat unsatisfied.

it is definately more style than substance - the characters were lame, some of the lines really cheesy and the acting wooden. I wasnt sure wether to applaud or laugh out loud at sutherlands attempt at the mad professor.

i think this film has very high ambitions but the lofty heights it is after far outstrips the sum of its parts. As a whole it just doesnt feel succinct. I wouldnt be suprised if it was the case that different producers had been been working on different parts of the film without anyone overseeing it all. ... Read More:

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From Hell - Single Disc Edition [2001]

starring: Johnny Depp, Heather Graham, Ian Holm, Robbie Coltrane, Ian Richardson
directed by: Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes

October 13, 2003
Johnny Depp plays a detective who is addicted to Opium.While spaced out he has dreams that have a habit of coming true.He sees faces and events involved in murders that he later has to investigate.The film tells the story of Jack the Ripper and gives a very believable account of a Royal being involved,along with freemasons and elements within the Police force trying to cover up a scandal that would lead straight back to the Queen.There is some bad language,a touch of nudity,a lot of violence,cleverly handled, but i think the 18 Cert is a little harsh.Both my wife and myself thoroughly enjoyed this film and we highly recommend it.

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Loch Ness [1996]

starring: Ted Danson, Joely Richardson, Harris Yulin, Ian Holm
directed by: John Henderson

March 14, 2005
Loch Ness- no guessing what its about!
And yet, this is another film that I keep re-watching- there is a delightful sense of tongue in cheek about this, the story is of the classic myth- the ancient sea creature alive in Loch Ness- and yet it has an innocent charm that you just wish could be true.
I like this sort of film. Think lots of us do, if we could just be more truthful. A 4 star film- not quite excellent, but very good al;l the same.