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-

Lawless Heart (2001)

The deceased's brother-in-law, Dan (Bill Nighy), is a faithful husband to Judy (Ellie Haddington) -- until he meets the buxom Corrine (Clémentine Célarié), the florist who arranged the flowers for the funeral. Dan is so smitten that he wonders what's he's missed in life.

Nick (Tom Hollander), the deceased man's lover, takes up with an affair with a spontaneous young woman, Charlie (Sukie Smith), and then is troubled by his feelings.

The charismatic Tim (Douglas Henshall) returns for home for his friend's funeral after eight years of carefree living and hooks up with a boutique owner, his past girlfriend Leah (Josephine Butler). But he most confront his future whilst trying to find out more about her past.

Though this film won numerous awards and I've read favorable reviews of it, I guess I just didn't get it or was having an Excedrin day when I saw it. It felt to much like a soap opera to me. I wasn't impressed and Bill Nighy, who I normally enjoy, walked through it in a particular daze that only Nighy can pull off. He looked as bored with the whole thing as I felt with the whole thing.

Written and directed by Tom Hunsinger and Neil Hunter.

Run Time: 1 hour, 39 minutes

Rated R for strong sexuality/nudity and language.

My personal rating: D

The Girl in the Café (2005)

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"We get into the habit of compromising and therefore we are always compromised."

Shy and awkward Lawrence (Bill Nighy), a senior researcher for the Chancellor of the Exchequer, can't find a table at the café where he stopped for a spot of tea, so he asks an equally shy and awkward young woman, Gina (Kelley Macdonald), if he can share her table for a bit. Gina agrees and an odd little conversation ensues.

Lawrence musters the courage to invite Gina to have dinner with him and after a few casual dates, he invites her to go with him to Reykjavik, Iceland, where he must participate in the annual G8 Summit where the world's major countries discuss their plans for financial assistance to less fortunate countries.

Once in Iceland, the pair find that others are murmuring that this May-December relationship is quite odd and Gina tries to fit in as best she can while Lawrence seeks to make her feel comfortable.

In the long hours that Lawrence is either sleeping or in meetings, Gina finds out a great deal about the purpose of the G8 Summit and ends up urging the world leaders for compassionate care for the children dying of poverty.

Favorite quote:

Lawrence: "We have a pair of unfortunate situations here. A man who has nothing in his life except his work, that is unfortunate. And then by a stroke of bizarre chance, he finds someone who makes that not true for a day or two. But then, suddenly, it seems as though the price that has to be paid for that ray of light is some kind of... disgrace. It doesn't seem quite fair."

Directed for BBC-TV by David Yates. This film was shown in the USA on HBO.

My personal rating: B

Still Crazy (1998)

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Rock On!

Once upon a time, Strange Fruit was one of the hippest rock bands around. When lead singer Keith Lovell died of a drug overdose, his brother, guitarist Brian Lovell (Bruce Robinson), and the rest of the band -- Tony Costello (Stephen Rea), bassist Les Wickes (Jimmy Nail) and drummer Beano Baggot (Timothy Spall) -- plod on and replace Keith with Ray Simms (Bill Nighy).

Bad blood runs hot among the band members and after a major lightening strike onstage during their open air performance at the Wisbech Rock Festival, the band takes it as a sign to disband and each goes off their own way to assume lives outside of music.

Twenty years later, Tony, who services condom machines at a resort, is approached by the Wisbech organizers who want to have a reunion concert. Tony recruits the assistance of the band's former manager Karen (Juliet Aubrey) to track down the other band members: Les, now a roofer, Beano, who lives in a trailer on his mother's farm, and Ray, a struggling solo singer who lives in grandious style he can't afford with his wife, Astrid (Helena Bergström).

They tentatively agree to reassemble the band and see if they can get a second chance, but Tony and Karen have some evidence leading to the conclusion that Brian, who had always been the love of Karen's heart, is dead. With their old road dog Hughie (Billy Connolly) and a big tour bus, the crew sets out built a fan base across Europe and see if they can do it before the big reunion show at Wisbech.

Directed by Brian Gibson.

Rated R for language, sexuality and drug content.

My personal rating: C+

Hot Fuzz (2007)

Lethal Weapon with Laughs

Strictly-by-the-book London bobby Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) is so good that he's an embarassment to his supervisors, including the Chief Inspector (Bill Nighy), so he's promoted and transfered to a sleepy village in the country where he finds a police department full of slackers.

Nicholas is partnered with naive prankster cop Danny Butterman (Nick Frost), the son of local police inspector Frank Butterman (Jim Broadbent), who laments that he's stuck in a nothing-happening environment. He longs for the adventure and danger Nicholas has faced in London.

Soon a series of grisly "accidents" get Nicholas' energies flowing when he realizes they're actually murders. Nicholas swiftly suspects the sinister Simon Skinner (Timothy Dalton), manager of the local supermarket. He kicks into high gear trying to solve the mystery and capture the murderer.

Fast-paced, brutally violent, full-of-profanity -- but hey, there's no nudity -- and there are so many laughs that I had to rewatch portions because I missed a lot when I was laughing so hard.

I really enjoyed the homage to Lethal Weapon, Kill Bill, Robocop, Dirty Harry and so many other action films. I can't wait for Hot Fuzz Part II!

Directed by Edgar Wright.

Rated R for violent content including some graphic images, and language.

Blow Dry (2001)

"Mum! Dad's cutting!"

Once upon a time . . . hairdressers Phil (Alan Rickman) and Shelley (Natasha Richardson) Allen and their hair model Sandra (Rachel Griffiths) battled it out at hair design competitions. But that was long ago and ended when the marriage and their business broke up because Shelley and Sandra became romantically involved.

Now Shelley runs her styling shop with Sandra and Phil runs his barber shop with their son Brian (Josh Hartnett) in the same small English town of Keighley. Shelley and Phil haven't spoken to each other for 10 years, since the breakup, and Shelley has just discovered that her cancer has metastisized.

When Keighley wins the bid to host the spectacular annual British Hairdressing Championship, Phil's old nemesis Ray Robertson (the delightfully evil Bill Nighy) comes to town and baits Phil to drop the barber shears and return to styling for one last time in this competition to prove which one of them is really the best.
Phil resists but Brian urges him to give it a go if Phil can put together a team of stylists and their own hair model.

Can Shelley and Phil drop their distance and come together for their son? Will Sandra resume her part of the team as the hair model? Will Brian escalate his childhood crush on Ray Robertson's daughter Christina (Rachael Leigh Cook)?

Wild times ensue and one wonders if they can pull it off despite the challenges in this charming comedy about love and family and acceptence directed by Paddy Breathnach.

Model Heidi Klumm appears as a hair model. Also appearing are Rosemary Harris and Hugh Bonneville.

Rated R for some language and brief nudity.