 Movies from UK
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2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
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| 2001 is a story of evolution. Sometime in the distant past someone or something nudged evolution by placing a monolith here on earth (presumably elsewhere throughout the universe as well) Evolution then enabled man to reach the moon's surface where he finds yet another monolith, one which signals the monolith-placers that we have evolved that far. Now a race begins between computers (HAL) and man (Bowman) to reach the monolith-placers, the winner will achieve the next step in evolution, whatever that may be.
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24 7 - Twenty Four Seven (1997)
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| From the poverty and despair of an English industrial town, one man with a dream (Bob Hoskins) forms a boxing club to give troubled teenagers a fighting chance. The lads learn lessons of self-respect and male bonding, but amidst the triumph of the biggest tournament of their lives, tragedy strikes. Shane Meadows' debut features gritty black-and-white cinematography that perfectly captures the desolation of working-class life in post-Thatcher Britain.
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28 Days Later (2002)
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| In this film from director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland, a powerful virus is unleashed on the British public following a raid on a primate research facility by animal rights activists. Transmitted in a drop of blood and devastating within seconds, the virus locks those infected into a permanent state of murderous rage. Within 28 days the country is overwhelmed and a handful of survivors begin their attempts to salvage a future, little realising that the deadly virus is not the only thing that threatens them...
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28 Weeks Later (2007)
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| Seven months after the rage virus has annihilated Great Britiain, the US army declares that the war against infection has been won, and that the reconstruction of the country can begin. In the first wave of returning refugees, a family is reunited--but one of them unwillingly carries a terrible secret. The virus is not yet dead, and this time, it is more dangerous than ever.
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A Man for All Seasons (1966)
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| The story takes place in 16th century England. But men like Sir Thomas More, who love life yet have the moral fiber to lay down their lives for their principles, are found in every century. Concentrating on the last seven years of English chancellor's life, the struggle between More and his King, Henry VIII, hinges on Henry's determination to break with Rome so he can divorce his current wife and wed again, and good Catholic More's inability to go along with such heresy. More resigns as chancellor, hoping to be able to live out his life as a private citizen. But Henry will settle for nothing less than that the much respected More give public approval to his headstrong course.
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A Shot in the Dark (1964)
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| When a beautiful parlor maid (Elke Sommer) is accused of murdering her lover, the nutty Inspector (Sellers) leaps...er, falls...into the fray to save her in this irrepressibly funny Pink Panther classic. The French have a word for a man like Clouseau: idot! Across Paris, baffled citizens want to know if the inspector is in hot pursuit of a criminal…or just in love with one! Mistakenly assigned to a high-prestige case in which a millionaire's chauffer has been murdered, Clouseau finds himself falling for the prime suspect - a beautiful parlormaid whose talent for being in the wrong place at the wrong time is almost as great as his. But as the body count grows higher, and the parlormaid's criminal record grows longer, Clouseau realizes he'll have to find the "real" culprit quickly or his career will be flint!
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African Queen, The (1951)
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| The boozing, smoking, cussing captain of a tramp steamer, Charlie Allnut, saves prim and proper Rose Sayer after her brother is killed by German soldiers at the beginning of World War I in Africa. Many quarrels later, the two set sail on the Ulonga-Bora in order to sabotage a German ship. Based on the 1935 novel by C.S. Forester, the wonderful combination of Hepburn and Bogie (who won an Oscar) makes this a thoroughly enjoyable blend of comedy and adventure. Later came the book (and Clint Eastwood film) White Hunter, Black Heart, which chronicled Peter Viertel's experiences observing Huston throughout the making of the picture.
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Alien (1979)
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A landmark of science fiction and horror. This instant classic set a tone of its own, offering richly detailed sets, ominous atmosphere, relentless suspense, and a flawless ensemble cast as the crew of the space freighter Nostromo fall prey to a vicious creature that had gestated inside one of the ill-fated crew members. One by one, each crew member is slain until only Ripley is left, leading to an explosive conclusion that sets the stage for its stunning sequel, "Aliens." In a star-making role, Sigourney Weaver excels as sole survivor Ripley, becoming the screen's most
popular heroine.
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Animal Farm (1954)
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| This film is a cartoon aaptation of George Orwell's parable expressing the founding of the USSR and the reign of Stalin. The animals are tired of being under the cruel hand of Farmer Jones (Czar Nicholas II), so Old Major (V.I. Lenin), a pig, leads a meeting declaring that man is their enemy. But when Major dies, the animals lead a successful revolt against Farmer Jones, and the animals rename Manor Farm "Animal Farm" and have their own laws. Snowball (Leon Trotsky) becomes the first president, but Napoleon (Joseph Stalin) oust him, and Napoleon and his accomplice, Squealer (propagandist) break countless rules, use TV as propaganda to warp the animals' minds, and even side with the humans! And the rules are changed, showing that all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others. Will the animals stop Napoleon, or will his downfall be soon.
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Atonement (2007)
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| In the summer of 1935 Briony Tallis, a 13-year-old from a well-to-do English family, is a budding writer. She hopes to have her cousins Lola and the twins Jackson and Pierrot enact a play of her devising during a family get-together, but the cast is hopeless. During the day, however, she spies a servant's son, Robbie Turner, apparently making her older sister Cecilia strip, and comes upon an obscene love letter he has written her. Briony's fertile imagination conjures all sorts of awful things, and when her cousin Lola is raped, our heroine is pretty sure she saw Robbie do it. He is sent to prison, much over Cecilia's protests, gets out early to fight in France where he is caught up in the confusion of the retreat at Dunkirk, and over the years matters sort out more or less between the estranged family members.
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