Jeeves and Wooster: 1:1 (TV Series)

Based on P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves stories

Bertram Wilberforce "Bertie" Wooster (Hugh Laurie), a pre-WWII idly rich English bachelor, is a wastrel and prankster with a sophomoric sense of humor. His manservant Reginald Jeeves (Stephen Fry) is proper, educated, efficient gentleman.

Bertie's best friends, all members of the Drone Club, are as shallow as Bertie is and equal pranksters. The episodes mostly revolve around Bertie and his friends efforts to get married. His Aunt Agatha is pressing for Bertie to "marry well" as she knows this is his only salvation and a good woman could tame him.

This comedy series ran 23 episodes over four years (1990 to 1993) on England's ITV. Outstanding costuming, venue, automobiles, and music.

Season 1, Disk 1:

1 "Jeeves Takes Charge"
April 22, 1990
Aunt Agatha (Mary Wimbush) orders Bertie to marry Honoria Glossop (Liz Kettle). Bertie isn't interested but his friend Richard 'Bingo' Little (Michael Siberry) is. When Bertie's plan to unite Honoria and Bingo backfires, Jeeves hatches a plan to convince Honoria's stuffy parents (Roger Brierley, Jane Downs) that he himself is unfit to marry their daughter.

2 "Tuppy and the Terrier"
April 29, 1990
Bertie wants to propose to Bobbie Wickham (Nina Botting). When Cyril 'Barmy' Fotheringay Phipps (Adam Blackwood) defeats him at golf, Bobbie recommends a water bottle trick that backfires. Whilst Bertie tends Aunt Agatha's pampered dog he is horrified when Bobbie gives the dog to the son of a Broadway producer. Hildebrande 'Tuppy' Glossop (Robert Daws) is infatuated with an opera singer and has dropped Bertie's cousin and her mother, Aunt Dahlia (Brenda Bruce), wants Tippy to give up the singer. Jeeves hatches a plan which involves Bertie singing in public.

3 "The Purity of the Turf"
May 6, 1990
Bertie's Uncle George (Nicholas Selby) wishes to marry a young waitress. Aunt Agatha is upset and instructs Bertie to offers the girl ₤100 to break off the engagement. Bertie meets Maud Wilberforce (Paula Jacobs), who has a connection with his uncle. At Twing Hall, where Lady Wickhammersley (Richenda Carey) has banned all gambling after Lord Wickhammersley (Jack Watling) lost the East Wing in a game. Rupert Steggles (Richard Brain) has arranged to take bets on the events at a village fair. Bertie and Bingo find that Steggles has rigged the events. Jeeves sorts things out.

My personal rating: B

Peter's Friends (1992)

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The Big Chill

in England

Peter Morton (Stephen Fry) has recently inherited his family estate and is having trouble deciding whether to sell it or not. The only thing he knows for certain is that he wants to have a party.

It's been 10 years since he finished college and quite some time since he and his five best college chums have all been together so Peter invites them for the New Year's weekend.

Even though he lives in her shadow, Andrew Benson (Kenneth Branagh, who also directed) brings his neurotic Hollywood celebrity wife Carol (Rita Rudner, who also co-write the script with her husband). Successful jingle writers Roger and Mary Charleston (Hugh Laurie, Imelda Staunton), who married fresh out of college, are present though Mary is obsessively distracted by the fact that their young son isn't with them. The beautiful and very sexy Sarah Johnson (Alphonsia Emmanuel) brings her new loose cannon affair du jour Brian (Tony Slattery). Pitifully plain and awkward Maggie Chester (Emma Thompson) attends alone but has ulterior motives.

Vera (Phyllida Law), who had been the housekeeper/cook for Peter's father, agreed to stay on until the first of the year before retiring because Peter asked her to. Her teenage son Paul (Alex Lowe), who has grown up on the estate, is also on hand to help with the guests' needs.

Over the course of a few days, they reminisce about the good old times and the bad, and the joys and angst, bitterness and boldness, and all manner of other emotions spill out between the the six college chums and the two outsiders.

A pretty terrific soundtrack includes Tina Turner's "What's Love Got To Do With It," Queen's "You're My Best Friend," Cindi Lauper's "Girls Just Want To Have Fun," Bruce Springsteen's "Hungry Heart," Eric Clapton's "Give Me Strength," The Pretenders' "Don't Get Me Wrong," Tears for Fears' "Everybody Wants To Rule The World," Nina Simone's "My Baby Just Cares For Me,: Michael Nesmith's "Rio," Daryl Braithwaite's "As The Days Go By," Elton Johns' "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues," The Pasadenas' "Let's Stay Together," Terence Trent D'Arby's "If You Let Me Stay," and other familiar pieces.

Run time: 1 hour, 41 minutes

This aired on BBC. Not rated by MPAA.

My personal rating: B-

Street Kings (2008)

"You went toe to toe with evil.

And you won"

Like all the cops in his unit, Tom Ludlow (Keanu Reeves) bends the rules of conduct on a regular basis.

Ludlow, who has a drinking problem since the death of his wife, is now being investigated by Internal Affairs as a result of a disgruntled former detective's snitching. The snitch is Ludlow's own former partner, Washington (Terry Crews).

Despite warnings from Ludlow's captain, Jack Wander (Forest Whitaker) to stay away from Washington,

When Washington is killed, Internal Affairs Captain James Biggs (Hugh Laurie) starts an investigation of Ludlow because circumstances heavily implicate him in the murder.

Ludlow feels Washington was killed in deal gone bad with two thugs who are buying drugs from Washington -- drugs he'd stolen from the department's evidence room. Ludlow recruits the assistance of Detective Paul Diskant (Chris Evans) who has been assigned to the case to investigate the circumstances surrounding Washington's murder. Posing as corrupt cops during their off-duty time, Ludlow and Diskant set out to revenge Washington's death.

What follows is intense and complex as other officers are drawn into the ruse leaving Ludlow to fit the puzzle pieces together.

Cedric the Entertainer, Jay Mohr, Naomie Harris, Martha Higareda, Grace Garcia, John Corbett and Amaury Nolasco also appear.

Directed by David Ayer.

Run time: 1 hour, 49 minutes

Rated R for strong violence and pervasive language.

My personal rating: B-

Cousin Bette (1998)

Deception, Treachery and Revenge
Paris, 1846

Mlle Elisabeth "Bette" Fisher (Jessica Lange), a theatre seamstress, made many sacrifices in her life to assure that one female in her family "married well and successfully." When the Baroness Hulet (Geraldine Chaplin) summons Bette to her deathbed, Cousin Bette agrees to take care of the Baroness' family "as they deserve to be taken care of."

Bette assumes she will be married to the dashing Baron Hector Hulot (Hugh Laurie) but discovers instead that he wants her to be the housekeeper and surrogate mother to his nearly adult daughter, Hortense (Kelly Macdonald). Bitter Bette, however, continues with her seamstress work but becomes frequent companion to Hortense and hopes to share in the Baron's wealth.

Bette seeks to prove to Hortense that she is not a lonely spinster by telling Hortense of her young lover, Count Wenceslas Steinbach (Adan Young) who is actually a starving artist who lives in Bette's shabby apartment building in the theatre district. Bette literally saved his life, nourished him, nurtured him, and loaned him money so he could persue his sculpting.

Meanwhile, Bette discovers that the Baron has squandered his wealth on his constant affairs, the most recent of which is with the lovely actress and famed courtesan Jenny Cadine (Elisabeth Shue). Seeking to gain wealth again, the Baron looks to marry off Hortense to a rich man.

In the course of this process, the lustful, middle-aged Cesar Crevel (Bob Hoskins), the wealthiest man in Paris, desperately tries to woo Hortense into marriage -- or at least have her agree to let him see her naked for a very large sum of money. But Hortense doesn't want this leacherous man; she's decided she wants Cousin Bette's young lover instead.

As the years pass leading up to the French Revolution, it's time for Cousin Bette's sweet revenge!

This is an ambitious and truly funny film with a fabulous soundtrack with original music by Simon Boswell and excerpts from Vincenzo Bellini's opera "Adelson e Salvini."

Terrific direction by Des McAnuff. Based on a timeless novel by Honoré de Balzac.

Rated R for sexuality.

My personal rating: A-

The Young Visiters (2003)

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In 1890, the nine-year-old Daisy Ashford wrote a novella titled The Young Visiters, or Mister Salteena's Plan, a parody of the British upper class written with perception far belying Ashford's tender age.

The novella was published 29 years later and the BBC wisely made it into this charmingly funny film 112 years after it was written.

Mr. Alfred Salteena (Jim Broadbent), a bumbling ironmonger, is a lonely soul with ambitions of finding a lovely and cultured wife. When, by chance, he first sees the delightful Ethel Montecue (Lyndsey Marshal) aboard a train with her mother (Anne Reid), Salteena is immediately smitten. Ethel's mother, an unabashed social climber who thinks Salteena really could introduce Ethel to London society, allows Ethel to visit Salteena -- and she arrives with full steamer trunk, baggage and hat boxes for a what is presumed to be a whirlwind of parties and gaieties.

The awkward and naive Salteena, in the meantime, has made contact with someone he had only just met briefly some time ago -- a certain Lord Bernard Clark (Hugh Laurie) -- and weasels an invitation for himself and Ethel to visit Clark at his distant castle. Salteena is hoping to therefore impress and win over the lovely Ethel as he shows her how well connected he is.

After long train and carriage rides, Salteena and Ethel arrive to find that Clark is basically a recluse with no real social connections, but in the process, Salteena realizes how oafish he is and seeks counsel from Clark about becoming well mannered and aristocratic so he can propose to Ethel properly and assure that he will be deemed worthy of her.

Clark assures Salteena that he will look after Ethel whilst Salteena goes off to The Crystal Palace, somewhat of a warehouse-hotel-castle for the idle gentry, to learn cultured manners from the Earl of Clincham (Bill Nighy), a pompous sot. Salteena takes classes on hat doffing, managing menials, correct cutlery, and all things aristocratic, and also has the opportunity to meet the Prince of "Whales," bonnie Prince Charles (Simon Russell Beale) with a wee teeny-tiny crown on his big fat head.

Meanwhile, the flirtatious Ethel, who really wants to be a duchess, is wooed by the lusting Clark who seeks to impress her with a whirlwind of London society events.

Geoffrey Palmer is rich in his role as Clark's butler Minnit. Sally Hawkins is perfect as Salteena's long-suffering maid Rosalind. Procuro (Adam Godley) and maid Bessy Topp (Sophie Thompson, Emma's sister) are menials at The Crystal Palace.

Directed with great humor by David Yates.

My personal rating: A-