The Secret of N.I.M.H. (1982)
Dec 4, 2002Animation/Talking Animal Quest
The first film from Don Bluth, a Disney animator who formed his own company vowing a return to the studio's classic tradition. The results are beautiful and quite magical
Derek Jacobi
Dead Again (1991)
Nov 6, 2000Reincarnation Thriller
Kenneth Branagh breathes life into the creaky reincarnation thriller with a plot that crackles with tension, while he directs with a virtuoso showmanship that shouts style from every frame
Hamlet (1996)
Aug 14, 2004Shakespeare Adaptation/Ghosts and Madness
Kenneth Branagh emerged as an director with his dynamic cinematic Shakespeare adaptations. In this lavish production, he attempts no less than a definitive version of what is regarded as Shakespeare's greatest play
Jason and the Argonauts (2000)
Sep 23, 2007Greek Myth Adventure
A Hallmark tv mini-series remake of the Greek myths that fails to stand up to the classic 1963 version. Here Ray Harryhausen's amazing stop-motion animated effects are replaced by cut-price CGI
The Wyvern Mystery (2000)
Mar 20, 2010Gothic Thriller
BBC tv adaptation of Gothic potboiler by J. Sheridan Le Fanu with newlywed wife Naomi Watts facing an evil squire and mad women in a big gloomy house
The Body (2001)
Jun 21, 2001Archaeological Discovery of Christ's Body
Thriller in which Antonio Banderas is a Catholic priest dispatched to Jerusalem to deal with the apparent archaeological discovery of Jesus Christ's body
Revengers Tragedy (2002)
Sep 17, 2013Near Future Jacobean Revenge Drama
Alex Cox, director of the cult Repo Man , was once a name of some promise but he has instead spent more than two decades making increasingly obscure and amateurish films. His adaptation of a Jacobean revenge drama into a near-future setting improves this none despite a great cast line-up
Strings (2004)
Dec 15, 2005World of Puppets
Absolutely extraordinary film that takes place in a world inhabited by marionettes on strings, something that is built out into a complex metaphor and worldview
Nanny McPhee (2005)
Jan 7, 2006Magical Nanny
Emma Thompson written and starring adaptation of a series of children's books comes across as a lesser copy of Mary Poppins. A film that feels like it should have been more than it ends up being.
Underworld: Evolution (2006)
Apr 2, 2006Vampire-Werewolf War
The second of the Underworld films where Len Wiseman gets a bigger budget and amplifies the CGI and action sequences,. On the other hand, the characters and story are so stripped to a minimum you lose track of why things are happening
The Golden Compass (2007)
Dec 27, 2007Epic Fantasy Adventure
The attempt to create another Lord of the Rings went astray with this adaptation of Philip Pulllman's fantasy series, which cut many of the core elements of the books so as not to offend religious conservatives
Hereafter (2010)
Oct 20, 2010Perspectives on the Afterlife
Clint Eastwood tackles the afterlife in a drama following multiple storylines. A film made with earnest serious ambition but one where Eastwood finds surprisingly little to say about the issue
Cinderella (2015)
Mar 14, 2015Fairytale Adaptation
Live-action remake of the Disney animated film. This varies little from the well-worn elements of the story to the point of over-familiarity but director Kenneth Branagh manages a lush and beautifully staged effort
Tomb Raider (2018)
Oct 6, 2018Videogame Adaptation
This reboot of the film series based on the videogame franchise is a mixed affair. Certainly, the perpetually non-acting Angelina Jolie is replaced by Alicia Vikander who gives Lara Croft living, breathing emotions
Tolkien (2019)
Aug 2, 2019Fantasy Author Biopic
Biopic of J.R.R. Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings. This covers many of the key areas of Tolkien's early life but you also cannot help but notice what it leaves out
