Loncraine, Richard

The Gathering Storm

A remarkable cast lends emotional richness to The Gathering Storm, an HBO movie about the life of Winston Churchill just prior to the onset of World War II. Faced with bankruptcy, his career in decline, Churchill (Albert Finney) is beset with depression until the impending danger of German rearmament--along with the British government's reluctance to recognize the threat of Hitler--gives him a cause that brings him back to energetic life. The movie focuses as much on the enduring relationship between Churchill and his wife, Clementine (Vanessa Redgrave), as his political struggles. But though The Gathering Storm clearly admires Churchill, it also acknowledges his tyrannical personality and astonishing ego, turning what could be a puff piece into a well-rounded and moving portrait. The truly topnotch cast includes Derek Jacobi, Jim Broadbent, Tom Wilkinson, Linus Roache, and Lena Headey, all of whom turn in superb performances. --Bret Fetzer

The mid-1930's find the great politician and orator Winston Churchill out of favor and struggling to make his robust voice heard by the English people. Wrestling with his personal demons - a dark depression, the loss of his family fortune, and the temporary absence of his devoted wife Clemmie - a lonely but defiant Churchill attempts to warn the nation of an impending threat from Hitler's Germany. But will the world listen?

My House in Umbria

Falling neatly into the Enchanted April and Under the Tuscan Sun category, the made-for-HBO My House in Umbria boasts lovely Italian vistas and comforting Englishness. But it begins with a note of violence: on a train rolling through the sunny countryside, a terrorist bomb detonates, killing a handful of passengers. The strangers that survive recuperate at the villa of an eccentric but kindly romance novelist, also a survivor of the blast. She's played by Maggie Smith, who bustles through the role with a pleasing mix of gin and daffodils. Chris Cooper is an uptight American who comes to the villa to pick up his orphaned niece and bristles at the bohemian atmosphere. Director Richard Loncraine maintains the melancholy mood amidst the sun-dappled gardens of Umbria, but Smith really holds the film together with her authority and slightly tipsy humor. --Robert Horton

Based on the acclaimed novel by William Trevor, My House in Umbria is a charming, evocative drama about a group of travelers in Italy who find solace and friendship after being thrown together by tragedy.

Richard III

This film adaptation of a critically acclaimed stage production of Shakespeare's historical drama stars Ian McKellen in the title role. The setting is a comic-book vision of 1930s London: part art deco, part Third Reich, part industrial-age rust and rot. The play's force is turned into a synthetic high by art directors and storyboard sketchers, all of whom have a field day condensing the material into disposable pop imagery. This is a fun film, more than anything, so infatuated with its own monstrous stitchery that even the most awkward casting (Annette Bening and Robert Downey Jr.) seems a part of the ridiculous design. McKellen is the best thing about the movie, his mesmerizing portrayal of freakish despotism and poisoned desire a thing to behold. Directed by Richard Loncraine (Bellman and True). --Tom Keogh

Shakespeare's immortal tale of ambition, lust and murderous treachery is brilliantly updated and brought to life in this riveting, 20th-century masterpiece. Boasting breathtaking performances, unforgettable imagery and two OscarÂ(r) nominations*, this astounding wartime spectacle is mesmerizing...it will rivet you and shock you (Jeffrey Lyons, 'sneak Previews ). In 1930s Britain, a savage, civil war between two royal families has just concluded. But even as the newly installed King Edward (John Wood) takes the reins of power, his ruthless, younger brother Richard (Ian McKellen) sets in motion a monstrous scheme to claim the crown for himself. Enlisting the aid of equally duplicitous allies in the court, Richard embarks on a merciless, single-minded campaign of betrayal, seduction and cold-blooded murder to achieve the goal that has obsessed him all of his tortured life: to beking...at any price. *1995: Costume Design, Art Direction

Wimbledon

Professional tennis makes an unlikely but surprisingly effective backdrop for a lively romantic comedy in Wimbledon. Peter Cort (Paul Bettany, Master and Commander), once ranked 11th in the world, has slipped to 119th and is heading into his last Wimbledon tournament when he runs into Lizzie Bradbury (Kirsten Dunst, The Virgin Suicides, Spider-Man), a rising star. The two strike up a whirlwind romance that gives his game new life--but she insists it's going to be nothing but a passing fling. Their affair heats up and Cort finds himself steadily rising through the competition while Lizzie stumbles... Of course, the ending is never really in doubt--but Bettany is a unique cinematic presence, pale and lithe, doubtful of life but also hungry for it. Thanks to him and the ever-engaging Dunst, Wimbledon is funnier, more suspenseful, and more touching that anyone might expect, turning a conventional flick into a genuine charmer. --Bret Fetzer

Peter Colt, formerly a high ranking pro-tennis player in England, meets his match and regains the will to win when he meets a fiesty American pro named Lizzie Bradbury.
Genre: Feature Film-Comedy
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 27-FEB-2007
Media Type: DVD

Firewall (Widescreen Edition)

Harrrison Ford brings his reliable brand of focused intensity to Firewall, a family-in-peril thriller that fits Ford like a comfortable old sweater. The venerable action star is visibly growing older now, but he's got a quiet, simmering quality here that perfectly suits his role as Jack Stanfield, Vice President of security at a large Seattle bank that's recently upgraded to a state-of-the-art computer security system (resulting in conspicuous Dell product placement throughout the film). Jack's the only one who can safely crack the system, so he's targeted by a would-be robber (Paul Bettany) whose jittery crew of thugs and hackers kidnaps Jack's wife (Sideways star Virginia Madsen), daughter, and young son, threatening to kill them if Jack doesn't transfer $100 million into the robber's secret offshore account. Like Bruce Willis in 2005's Hostage, Ford rises above the film's familiar generic trappings, and British director Richard Loncraine maintains a low-key escalation of tension that keeps Firewall on track toward a routine but satisfying conclusion. Supporting roles for Alan Arkin, Robert Forster and Robert Patrick add little to the film's turnabout plotting, but fans of Mary Lynn Rajskub (better known as ace computer nerd "Chloe" on the hit series 24) will enjoy her performance here as a loyal secretary who factors into Stanfield's bid to outsmart his captors. Firewall may not be an instant Ford classic like The Fugitive, but it's comparable to Ford's 2000 thriller What Lies Beneath in terms of overall intelligence and crowd-pleasing suspense. --Jeff Shannon

Firewall stars Harrison Ford as bank security expert Jack Stanfield whose specialty is designing infallible theft-proof financial computer systems. But there's a hidden vulnerability in the system he didn't account for - himself. When a ruthless criminal mastermind (Paul Bettany) kidnaps his family Jack is forced to find a flaw in his system and steal $100 million. With the lives of his wife and children at stake and under constant surveillance he has only hours to find a loophole in the thief's own impenetrable system of subterfuge and false identities to beat him at his own game.Running Time: 104 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLERS UPC: 012569594104 Manufacturer No: 59410

Firewall (Full Screen Edition)

Harrrison Ford brings his reliable brand of focused intensity to Firewall, a family-in-peril thriller that fits Ford like a comfortable old sweater. The venerable action star is visibly growing older now, but he's got a quiet, simmering quality here that perfectly suits his role as Jack Stanfield, Vice President of security at a large Seattle bank that's recently upgraded to a state-of-the-art computer security system (resulting in conspicuous Dell product placement throughout the film). Jack's the only one who can safely crack the system, so he's targeted by a would-be robber (Paul Bettany) whose jittery crew of thugs and hackers kidnaps Jack's wife (Sideways star Virginia Madsen), daughter, and young son, threatening to kill them if Jack doesn't transfer $100 million into the robber's secret offshore account. Like Bruce Willis in 2005's Hostage, Ford rises above the film's familiar generic trappings, and British director Richard Loncraine maintains a low-key escalation of tension that keeps Firewall on track toward a routine but satisfying conclusion. Supporting roles for Alan Arkin, Robert Forster and Robert Patrick add little to the film's turnabout plotting, but fans of Mary Lynn Rajskub (better known as ace computer nerd "Chloe" on the hit series 24) will enjoy her performance here as a loyal secretary who factors into Stanfield's bid to outsmart his captors. Firewall may not be an instant Ford classic like The Fugitive, but it's comparable to Ford's 2000 thriller What Lies Beneath in terms of overall intelligence and crowd-pleasing suspense. --Jeff Shannon

Firewall stars Harrison Ford as bank security expert Jack Stanfield whose specialty is designing infallible theft-proof financial computer systems. But there's a hidden vulnerability in the system he didn't account for - himself. When a ruthless criminal mastermind (Paul Bettany) kidnaps his family Jack is forced to find a flaw in his system and steal $100 million. With the lives of his wife and children at stake and under constant surveillance he has only hours to find a loophole in the thief's own impenetrable system of subterfuge and false identities to beat him at his own game.Running Time: 104 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLERS UPC: 012569594098 Manufacturer No: 59409

The Missionary

Michael Palin (A Fish Called Wanda) and Maggie Smith (Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood) star in this delectable wicked little comedy (Playboy) that puts a devout missionary into a precarious position! Reverend Charles Fortescue (Palin) has a problem. His boss the bishop (Denholm Elliott) wants him to minister to the city s fallen women. But when Fortescue begins recruiting converts from the streets he discovers that these lusty ladies are only willing to submit to salvation if they are permitted to share his bed! Hilarious and sexy The Missionary is charming [and] buoyant (The New York Times)!System Requirements:Running Time: 87 Min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: COMEDY Rating: R UPC: 027616884473 Manufacturer No: 1004367

Brimstone and Treacle

This grand prize winner of the Montreal Film Festival tells the story of a strange young man who befriends a middle-aged couple and their crippled daughter. A taut well-made thriller.System Requirements:Starring: Sting Joan Plowright Denholm Elliott Suzanna Hamilton Mary MacLeod Directed By: Richard Loncraine Running Time: 87 Min. Color Copyright 2003 MGM Studios.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: MYSTERY/SUSPENSE Rating: R UPC: 027616895318 Manufacturer No: 1005203

Wimbledon (Full Screen Edition)

Professional tennis makes an unlikely but surprisingly effective backdrop for a lively romantic comedy in Wimbledon. Peter Cort (Paul Bettany, Master and Commander), once ranked 11th in the world, has slipped to 119th and is heading into his last Wimbledon tournament when he runs into Lizzie Bradbury (Kirsten Dunst, The Virgin Suicides, Spider-Man), a rising star. The two strike up a whirlwind romance that gives his game new life--but she insists it's going to be nothing but a passing fling. Their affair heats up and Cort finds himself steadily rising through the competition while Lizzie stumbles... Of course, the ending is never really in doubt--but Bettany is a unique cinematic presence, pale and lithe, doubtful of life but also hungry for it. Thanks to him and the ever-engaging Dunst, Wimbledon is funnier, more suspenseful, and more touching that anyone might expect, turning a conventional flick into a genuine charmer. --Bret Fetzer

Peter Colt, formerly a high ranking pro-tennis player in England, meets his match and regains the will to win when he meets a fiesty American pro named Lizzie Bradbury.
Genre: Feature Film-Comedy
Rating: PG13
Release Date: 27-FEB-2007
Media Type: DVD

Slade in Flame

The early 1970s were very good to glam rockers Slade. In their native Britain, they invaded the charts with 17 Top 20 hits, including six at #1. Devoted fans couldn't play Slade's anthem-rock loud enough, and the band played to packed clubs and concert halls all across the country. Like The Beatles and The Who, Slade too was seduced by the call of celluloid. In 1975, the band answered that call, starring in the critically lauded Slade in Flame. A darker kind of Spinal Tap, the film features the band starring as a fictitious version of themselves, while taking a gritty, realistic look at the underbelly of the music industry, where hustlers, sharks and managers prey upon hot new bands.

• First U.S. release of this cult DVD! • This film was made in 1974, following the success of the Beatles' A Hard Days Night and The Monkees Head scripted rock films. • Features Slade hits "How Does It Feel?" and "Far, Far Away." • Includes an enlightening 50-minute interview with Slade's lead singer/guitarist and British rock icon Noddy Holder.