Stephen Frears
Summary
A New York socialite who dreams of becoming a great opera singer. While the voice she hears in her head is beautiful, to everyone else it is hilariously awful. Her husband and biggest fan, St. Clair Bayfield is determined to protect his beloved Florence from the truth. But when Florence stages a huge concert at Carnegie Hall, he faces his greatest challenge to make sure her performance is a rousing success.
3) The Queen
Summary
The Queen begins with a familiar epigraph "Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown"--Henry IV, Part II. The action of the film takes place during the week following the death, on August 31, 1997 of Diana, Princess of Wales. One of its accomplishments, courtesy of adroit use of newsreel and other contemporary footage, is to remind viewers of the deep sadness that surrounded that event. It is also about the divergent and potentially ruinous ways the...
Summary
Recently widowed and well-to-do Laura Henderson needs a diversion to see her through war torn London. On a whim she buys the derelict Windmill theatre in the West End and persuades impresario Vivian Van Damm to run it. The two don't seem to get along at all. Although their idea of a non-stop revue is at first a success, other theatres begin to copy the idea and disaster looms. Laura suggests they put nudes in the show, but Van Damm points out that...
6) Philomena
Summary
Judi Dench stars in the story of Philomena Lee, mother to a boy conceived out of wedlock and given up for adoption. Nearly 50 years later, Philomena meets Martin Sixsmith, a former BBC reporter looking for his next big story. Together, they embark on a journey to locate her long lost son. As the pieces of the puzzle come together, the unlikely travel companions form a comic and heartwarming friendship. Based on the 2009 investigative book by Martin...
Summary
In this inspiring true story, amateur historian Philippa Langley believes she has made the archeological find of the century: the lost burial site of King Richard III. She takes on Britain's most eminent historians, forcing them to rethink the legacy of one of the most controversial rulers in English history.
Summary
Ten of the greatest filmmakers in the world passionately discuss their craft in Angela Ismailos' hugely entertaining documentary Great directors. Bernardo Bertolucci, David Lynch, Stephen Frears, Agnes Varda, Ken Loach, Liliana Cavani, Todd Haynes, Catherine Breillat, Richard Linklater and John Sayles open up about their extraordinary careers with unexpected candor and humor. Ismailos gets them to talk about their artistic evolution from their debut...
10) Fail Safe
Summary
George Clooney stars as a U.S. fighter pilot mistakenly commanded to start a nuclear war with Russia. Now he must be stopped--at any cost--to avert Armageddon in the chillingly realistic movie. Colonel Jack Grady (Clooney) commands a fighter squadron ordered to destroy Moscow with nuclear warheads as a result of a glitch in a military computer. With the help of a translator named Buck (Noah Wyle), the President of the United States (Oscar winner Richard...
11) High fidelity
Summary
Rob Gordon's record store is semi-failing, and his long-time girlfriend has just walked out on him. In order to figure out where things went wrong, he examines his past relationships with other women.
Series
Criterion collection volume 767
Summary
An uncommon love story that takes place between a young South London Pakistani man (Gordon Warnecke), who decides to open an upscale laundromat to make his family proud, and his childhood friend, a skinhead (Daniel Day-Lewis), who volunteers to help make his dream a reality. This culture-clash comedy is also a subversive work of social realism, which dares to address racism, homophobia, and sociopolitical marginalization in Margaret Thatcher's England....
14) The Snapper
Author
Summary
When the oldest daughter of a riotous, close-knit family announces her unexpected pregnancy, everyone wants to know who fathered the "snapper" she's carrying. But her refusal to reveal anything sends the entire town into a tizzy in this hilarious comedy.
15) The Queen
Author
Summary
In the wake of Princess Diana's death, the very private and tradition-bound Queen Elizabeth II finds herself in conflict with the new Prime Minister, the slickly modern and image-conscious Tony Blair.
Author
Summary
Based on the incredible true story, Meryl Streep delivers a hilarious and touching performance as a New York socialite who dreams of becoming a great opera singer. While the voice she hears in her head is beautiful, to everyone else it is hilariously awful. Her husband and biggest fan, St. Clair Bayfield (Hugh Grant) is determined to protect his beloved Florence from the truth. But when Florence stages a huge concert at Carnegie Hall, he faces his...
18) Cheri
Author
Summary
In pre-World War I Paris, Lea, famed courtesan to the rich and famous, is contemplating retirement. When her archrival asks her to teach her teenage son about women, it becomes a passionate affair that results in power struggles over sex, money, and love.
19) The Grifters
Author
Summary
The Grifters are hard-playing, high-rolling con-artists out to make a fast buck the best way they know how - playing a taut game where winner takes all, and everybody has something to lose...including their lives.
20) The Program
Author
Summary
An Irish sports journalist becomes convinced that Lance Armstrong's performances during the Tour de France victories are fueled by banned substances. With this conviction, he starts hunting for evidence that will expose Armstrong.