From Hell 2001 R, 137 min. Genre: Drama / Mystery / Thriller
Director: Albert Hughes, Allen Hughes Cast: Johnny Depp, Heather Graham, Ian Holm, Jason Flemyng, Robbie Coltrane, Lesley Sharp, Susan Lynch, Terence Harvey, Katrin Cartlidge, Estelle Skornik, Ian Richardson, Paul Rhys, Nicholas McGaughey, Annabelle Apsion, Joanna Page
Life is not easy in 1888's London for Mary Kelly (Heather Graham) and her group of fellow prostitutes who roam the Whitechapel streets. But things could always get worse as the women learn when, one after the other, they turn up dead. In this rendition of a theory behind legendary Jack the Ripper exploits, Scotland Yard calls out opium addicted Inspector Aberline (Johnny Depp) to solve the case.
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The Full Monty 1997 R, 90 min. Genre: Comedy / Musical
Director: Peter Cattaneo Cast: Robert Carlyle, Tom Wilkinson, Mark Addy, Steve Huison, Paul Barber, Hugo Speer, William Snape, Lesley Sharp, Emily Woof, Deirdre Costello, Paul Butterworth, Dave Hill, Bruce Jones, Andrew Livingston, Vinny Dhillon
Steel workers Gaz (Robert Carlyle) and Dave (Mark Addy) are laid off and come up with a money-making scheme: they will perform as male striptease dancers. They form a group called "Hard Steel," and Horse (Paul Barber), Guy (Hugo Speer), and Lomper (Steve Huison) join them with Gerald (Tom Wilkinson) doing the choreography. To pull in a crowd, they decide to go The Full Monty, which describes full frontal nudity. Academy Award nominations included Best Picture and Director.
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Great Expectations 1999 TV, 180 min. Genre: Drama
Director: Julian Jarrold Cast: Ioan Gruffudd, Justine Waddell, Charlotte Rampling, Bernard Hill, Ian McDiarmid, Selina Cadell, Emma Cunniffe, Tony Curran, Gemma Gregory, David Horovitch, Clive Russell, Ifan Meredith, Lesley Sharp, Gabriel Thomson
In this BBC version of Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations," Ioan Gruffudd takes on the role of working-class Pip who dreams of rising to "gentleman" status in order to win the love of the elusive Estella (Gemma Gregory as young Estella and Justine Waddell as older Estella) who has been taught by the bitter Miss Haversham (Charlotte Rampling) to have higher expectations than those of Pip. Orphaned Pip (Gabriel Thomson as young Pip) has been raised by blacksmith Joe Gargery (Clive Russell) and his wife (Lesley Sharp). As a child, Pip saves the life of convict Matwitch (Bernard Hill), and now Pip finds that a mysterious benefactor has given him wealth. It turns out that the benefactor is Matwitch, and Pip is on his way to gaining his "gentleman" status in the Victorian world of the social elite.
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Inkheart 2009 PG, 106 min. Genre: Family / Adventure / Fantasy
Director: Iain Softley Cast: Brendan Fraser, Eliza Bennett, Helen Mirren, Paul Bettany, Andy Serkis, Jim Broadbent, Rafi Gavron, Sienna Guillory, Richard Strange, Matt King, Steve Speirs, Jamie Foreman, Stephen Graham, Lesley Sharp, Tereza Srbova
Based on Cornelia Funke's children's novel, this is a fantasy adventure in which 12-year-old Meggie (Eliza Bennett) and her father Mo (Brendan Fraser) share a unique talent of bringing characters in books to life. But, when one character steps out of a book into real life, another living person disappears. Years ago, Mo read out loud the novel "Inkheart," and Meggie's mother Resa (Sienna Guillory) mysteriously disappeared. Now, Mo and Meggie travel around Europe searching for a copy of "Inkheart" so that Mo can read it aloud and, hopefully, bring back Resa. But, Capricorn (Andy Serkis) is also searching for copies of the book so that he can destroy them in order to protect himself from being sent back to the pages of fiction. And then there is Dustfinger (Paul Bettany) who wants Mo to find a copy of "Inkheart" and read him back into the story so that he can rejoin his family. Along the way, Mo and Meg team up with bookworm Elinor Loredan (Helen Mirren), the author of "Inkheart" Fenoglio (Jim Broadbent), and thief Farid (Rafi Gavron). Now the race is on to find the last remaining copy of "Inkheart" before Capricorn can destroy it.
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Naked 1993 N/R, 126 min. Genre: Drama / Comedy
Director: Mike Leigh Cast: David Thewlis, Lesley Sharp, Katrin Cartlidge, Greg Cruttwell, Claire Skinner, Peter Wight, Elizabeth Berrington, Ewen Bremner, Susan Vidler, Deborah MacLaren, Gina McKee, Carolina Giammetta, Peter Whitman, David Foxxe, Toby Jones
Johnny (David Thewlis) is a drifter who heads to London to escape from the family whose daughter he has raped. He looks up his old girlfriend Louise (Lesley Sharp), seduces her roommate Sophie (Katrin Cartlidge), and then roams London's streets where he meets people who seem to be living on or over the edge. Finally, Johnny returns to Sophie's home and meets Jeremy (Greg Cruttwell) whose life is a mirror image of his own defiant lifestyle. There is comedy mixed with pathos in this well-acted, philosophical story that exposes the deeper psychological sides of its characters.
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| 1. From Hell (2001)
2. The Full Monty (1997)
3. Great Expectations (1999)
4. Inkheart (2009)
5. Naked (1993)
6. Priest (1994)
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