ALICE IN WONDERLAND 1999 (RATED U) 128 mins
PlotThe film follows the storyline of the book closely, save for adding some scenes from Through the Looking Glass. It also changes the opening real world scene from Alice and her sister sitting at a riverbank to Alice in her bedroom, reluctantly practicing the song "Cherry Ripe", which she is expected to perform at a garden party. (The party guests are played by the same actors as the Wonderland characters, and are shown as resembling them in appearance and personality, in a similar manner to the MGM version of The Wizard of Oz. The toys in Alice's room also reflect the residents of Wonderland). Thanks to stage fright, and constant nagging from her confident music teacher, Alice runs out of the house and hides herself in the woods nearby until the party has ended. However, an apple floats down from the tree and seems to hover in Alice's face. She is suddenly distracted by a human-sized White Rabbit (voiced by Richard Coombs) rushing by. Curious, Alice follows the White Rabbit, falling down his rabbit hole and ending up in Wonderland.
Alice travels throughout Wonderland, meeting a large number of bizarre people and challenges. Alice first has problems keeping her size the same while attempting to go through a small door leading to a beautiful garden, eventually she grows massively tall and floods the room she is in with her tears before shrinking to the size of a mouse. She then meets a Mr. Mouse (Ken Dodd) and his avian friends who participate in a Caucus Race, where everyone wins. Alice encounters the White Rabbit again who directs her to his house. There, Alice comes across a bottle of liquid that makes her enormous and trapped in the house. The White Rabbit and his gardeners Pat and Bill attempt to remove Alice by going down the chimney, but Alice shrinks again. Wandering in a forest, she encounters Major Caterpillar (Ben Kingsley) who advices her to not be afraid before transforming into a butterfly. Alice grows back to normal size by eating part of a mushroom. She ventures to a nearby manorhouse where she meets the musical Duchess (Elizabeth Spriggs), her pig-like baby, her pepper-obsessed plate-throwing cook, and the Cheshire Cat (Whoopi Goldberg). The baby is left in Alice's care but it turns into a pig and is released. The Cheshire Cat advices Alice to visit the Mad Hatter and his friends the March Hare and the Dormouse.
Starring
Tina Majorino
Miranda Richardson
Martin Short
Whoopi Goldberg
Simon Russell Beale
Robbie Coltrane
Ken Dodd
Gene Wilder
George Wendt
Christopher Lloyd
Peter Ustinov
Ben Kingsley
Elizabeth Spriggs
Alice travels throughout Wonderland, meeting a large number of bizarre people and challenges. Alice first has problems keeping her size the same while attempting to go through a small door leading to a beautiful garden, eventually she grows massively tall and floods the room she is in with her tears before shrinking to the size of a mouse. She then meets a Mr. Mouse (Ken Dodd) and his avian friends who participate in a Caucus Race, where everyone wins. Alice encounters the White Rabbit again who directs her to his house. There, Alice comes across a bottle of liquid that makes her enormous and trapped in the house. The White Rabbit and his gardeners Pat and Bill attempt to remove Alice by going down the chimney, but Alice shrinks again. Wandering in a forest, she encounters Major Caterpillar (Ben Kingsley) who advices her to not be afraid before transforming into a butterfly. Alice grows back to normal size by eating part of a mushroom. She ventures to a nearby manorhouse where she meets the musical Duchess (Elizabeth Spriggs), her pig-like baby, her pepper-obsessed plate-throwing cook, and the Cheshire Cat (Whoopi Goldberg). The baby is left in Alice's care but it turns into a pig and is released. The Cheshire Cat advices Alice to visit the Mad Hatter and his friends the March Hare and the Dormouse.
Starring
Tina Majorino
Miranda Richardson
Martin Short
Whoopi Goldberg
Simon Russell Beale
Robbie Coltrane
Ken Dodd
Gene Wilder
George Wendt
Christopher Lloyd
Peter Ustinov
Ben Kingsley
Elizabeth Spriggs
GULLIVER'S TRAVELS 1977 (RATED U) 77 mins
Plot:
Part live-action and part-animated version of Gulliver's travels, especially his meeting with the tiny Lilliputian
Cast Richard Harris...GulliverCatherine Schell...MaryNorman Shelley...Father / animation voicesMeredith Edwards...UncleMichael Bates...(voice)Denise Bryer...(voice)Julian Glover...(voice)Stephen Jack...(voice)Bessie Love...(voice)Murray Melvin...(voice)Nancy Nevinson...(voice)Robert Rietty...(voice)Vladek Sheybal...(voice)Roger Snowden...(voice)Bernard Spear...(voice)
RING OF BRIGHT WATER 1969 (RATED U) 102 mins
PlotGraham Merrill (Bill Travers) passes a pet shop on his daily walks about London and takes an interest in an otter in the window, eventually buying and naming the animal Mij. The otter wreaks havoc in his small apartment and together they leave London for a rustic cottage overlooking the sea on the west coast of Scotland. There they live as beachcombers and make the acquaintance of Dr. Mary (Virginia McKenna) from the nearby village, and her dog Johnny. Mij and Johnny play in the water and bound across the fields together.
Mij's inquisitive and adventurous nature leads him some distance from the cottage to a female otter with whom he spends the day. Ignorant of danger, he is caught in a net and nearly killed. The humans find him and help him recover, later building a swimming pool for him so that he may swim at ease without getting into trouble.
Not long after, Merrill goes to London to look after some affairs and leaves Mary in charge of Mij. While being exercised afield, Mij is killed by a ditchdigger, who didn't realize he was a pet. Merrill returns and is crushed to discover the death of his beloved otter. Some time later, Merrill and Dr. Mary are surprised by a trio of otter youngsters approaching the cottage. He happily realizes they are Mij's children who have come to play in their father's swimming pool
Cast and characters
Mij's inquisitive and adventurous nature leads him some distance from the cottage to a female otter with whom he spends the day. Ignorant of danger, he is caught in a net and nearly killed. The humans find him and help him recover, later building a swimming pool for him so that he may swim at ease without getting into trouble.
Not long after, Merrill goes to London to look after some affairs and leaves Mary in charge of Mij. While being exercised afield, Mij is killed by a ditchdigger, who didn't realize he was a pet. Merrill returns and is crushed to discover the death of his beloved otter. Some time later, Merrill and Dr. Mary are surprised by a trio of otter youngsters approaching the cottage. He happily realizes they are Mij's children who have come to play in their father's swimming pool
Cast and characters
- Bill Travers as Graham Merrill
- Virginia McKenna as Mary MacKenzie
- Peter Jeffrey as Colin Wilcox
- Jameson Clark as Storekeeper
- Helena Gloag as Mrs. Flora Elrich
- W. D. Joss as Lighthouse keeper
- Roddy McMillan as Bus driver
- Jean Taylor-Smith as Mrs. Sarah Chambers
- Archie Duncan as Road mender
- Tommy Godfrey as Ticket seller
- Phil McCall as Frank
BLACK BEAUTY 1971 (RATED PG) 106 mins
When farm Evan's mare has a fine son, he promises the black stallion to his son Joe. The youngster enjoy growing up as playmates. Alas, once the good squire is buried, his mean heir, who abuses animals, turns the screws on till pa Evans is forced to leave and abandon even Black Beauty. He soon looses everything in a cards game, so the stallion ends up in the Hackenschmidt circus. Joe is desperate to get him back.
Cast (Cast overview, first billed only)..Mark Lester...Joe Evans.Walter Slezak...HackenschmidtPeter Lee Lawrence...Gervaise..Uschi Glas...Marie Hackenschmidt (as Ursula Glas)..Patrick Mower...Sam Greener..John Nettleton...Sir WilliamMaria Rohm...Lady Anne...Eddie Golden...EvansClive Geraghty...Roger..John Hoey...Muldoon (as Johnny Hoey)...Patrick Gardiner...O'Flaherty...Brian McGrath...Mark BeauchampRonan Smith...Farmboy...John Franklyn...Coalman...Margaret Lacey...Anna Sewell
Cast (Cast overview, first billed only)..Mark Lester...Joe Evans.Walter Slezak...HackenschmidtPeter Lee Lawrence...Gervaise..Uschi Glas...Marie Hackenschmidt (as Ursula Glas)..Patrick Mower...Sam Greener..John Nettleton...Sir WilliamMaria Rohm...Lady Anne...Eddie Golden...EvansClive Geraghty...Roger..John Hoey...Muldoon (as Johnny Hoey)...Patrick Gardiner...O'Flaherty...Brian McGrath...Mark BeauchampRonan Smith...Farmboy...John Franklyn...Coalman...Margaret Lacey...Anna Sewell
FLIGHT OF THE NAVIGATOR 1986 (RATED U) 86 mins
Plot
David Scott Freeman (Joey Cramer) is an average, twelve-year-old American boy living in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 1978. On the night of July 4, his parents (Veronica Cartwright and Cliff DeYoung) ask him to go retrieve his younger brother Jeff (Albie Whitaker) from a friend's house, which is located on the other side of the woods that are behind his house. While in the woods, David falls down an embankment into a ravine and is knocked unconscious. He awakes after what seems like a few moments, only to find that he is now in the year 1986 and that everything has changed but himself. His childhood home has been sold to a married couple, who believe David is a missing child and report him to the local police. The police do not understand why David, who has been declared legally dead after being missing for so long, still looks the same as when he was last sighted. They are further puzzled when they start asking David questions and when asked who is the current President of the United States, he answers with Jimmy Carter. The police take David to a house where he is reunited with his family, now aged by 8 years.
Meanwhile, an extraterrestrial spacecraft has crashed into some power lines. NASA agents convince the police that the craft is theirs and take it to their base, intending to study it. The NASA workers find the ship seamless and impenetrable.
Cast
David Scott Freeman (Joey Cramer) is an average, twelve-year-old American boy living in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 1978. On the night of July 4, his parents (Veronica Cartwright and Cliff DeYoung) ask him to go retrieve his younger brother Jeff (Albie Whitaker) from a friend's house, which is located on the other side of the woods that are behind his house. While in the woods, David falls down an embankment into a ravine and is knocked unconscious. He awakes after what seems like a few moments, only to find that he is now in the year 1986 and that everything has changed but himself. His childhood home has been sold to a married couple, who believe David is a missing child and report him to the local police. The police do not understand why David, who has been declared legally dead after being missing for so long, still looks the same as when he was last sighted. They are further puzzled when they start asking David questions and when asked who is the current President of the United States, he answers with Jimmy Carter. The police take David to a house where he is reunited with his family, now aged by 8 years.
Meanwhile, an extraterrestrial spacecraft has crashed into some power lines. NASA agents convince the police that the craft is theirs and take it to their base, intending to study it. The NASA workers find the ship seamless and impenetrable.
Cast
- Joey Cramer as David Scott Freeman
- Paul Reubens as Trimaxion / Max (voice) (as Paul Mall)
- Veronica Cartwright as Helen Freeman
- Cliff DeYoung as Bill Freeman
- Sarah Jessica Parker as Carolyn McAdams
- Matt Adler as Jeff Freeman, 16 Years
- Howard Hesseman as Dr. Faraday
- Robert Small as Troy
- Albie Whitaker as Jeff Freeman, 8 Years
- Jonathan Sanger as Dr. Carr
- Iris Acker as Mrs. Howard
- Richard Liberty as Mr. Howard
- Raymond Forchion as Detective Banks
- Cynthia Caquelin as Woman Officer
- Ted Bartsch as Night Guard Brayton
- Thomas White as Darrel the Hockey Coach
SNOW WHITE 2001 (RATED PG) 91 mins
PLOT
Born from a drop of blood in a flutter of apple blossoms, and framed in ebony, a young girl named Snow White becomes the blessing of a loving peasant couple, John and Josephine. But with her birth comes a curse and the end of her mother's life. Left alone with an infant daughter, John braves a brutal winter in search of food for his starving angel. Salvation comes unexpectedly when the father's tears melt the frozen tomb of a bewitched creature, the Green-Eyed One. In thanks, the insinuating beast grants John three wishes: nourishment for Snow White, a kingdom in which to raise his family and a queen by his side. But John's cause for celebration is short-lived. For the Green-Eyed One has devious plans for the well-being of his own family. Owing his loathsome spellcasting daughter, Elspeth, a long-awaited wish, he encourages her desires for appointment to the throne. A kingdom to rule is hers for the waiting, the new King John is hers for the belittling and a luscious little stepdaughter named Snow White, is hers to toy with and destroy at will. The castle awaits. A looking glass is calling. And a fairy tale like no other begins
Cast
Born from a drop of blood in a flutter of apple blossoms, and framed in ebony, a young girl named Snow White becomes the blessing of a loving peasant couple, John and Josephine. But with her birth comes a curse and the end of her mother's life. Left alone with an infant daughter, John braves a brutal winter in search of food for his starving angel. Salvation comes unexpectedly when the father's tears melt the frozen tomb of a bewitched creature, the Green-Eyed One. In thanks, the insinuating beast grants John three wishes: nourishment for Snow White, a kingdom in which to raise his family and a queen by his side. But John's cause for celebration is short-lived. For the Green-Eyed One has devious plans for the well-being of his own family. Owing his loathsome spellcasting daughter, Elspeth, a long-awaited wish, he encourages her desires for appointment to the throne. A kingdom to rule is hers for the waiting, the new King John is hers for the belittling and a luscious little stepdaughter named Snow White, is hers to toy with and destroy at will. The castle awaits. A looking glass is calling. And a fairy tale like no other begins
Cast
- Miranda Richardson as Queen Elspeth
- Kristin Kreuk as Snow White
- Karin Konoval as Old Crone
- Tom Irwin as King John
- Vera Farmiga as Josephine
- Tyron Leitso as Prince Alfred
- Clancy Brown as the Granter of Wishes
- Michael Gilden as Monday
- Mark J. Trombino as Tuesday
- Vincent Schiavelli as Wednesday
- Penny Blake as Thursday
- Martin Klebba as Friday
- Warwick Davis as Saturday
- Michael J. Anderson as Sunday
A CHRISTMAS CAROL 1999 (RATED PG) 90 mins
Plot summary
In the Victorian period, Ebenezer Scrooge is a skinflint businessman who loathes the Christmas season and begrudges having to give time off to his best employee, Bob Cratchit. On Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his late friend and business partner, Jacob Marley, who in the afterlife has come to see the errors of his ways. Marley arranges for Scrooge to be visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet to Come in hopes of teaching Scrooge of the importance of embracing the joy of the holiday season. Scrooge reforms, learning to keep the spirit of Christmas alive in his heart, ultimately becoming a well-loved and respected man.
Main cast
In the Victorian period, Ebenezer Scrooge is a skinflint businessman who loathes the Christmas season and begrudges having to give time off to his best employee, Bob Cratchit. On Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his late friend and business partner, Jacob Marley, who in the afterlife has come to see the errors of his ways. Marley arranges for Scrooge to be visited by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet to Come in hopes of teaching Scrooge of the importance of embracing the joy of the holiday season. Scrooge reforms, learning to keep the spirit of Christmas alive in his heart, ultimately becoming a well-loved and respected man.
Main cast
- Patrick Stewart - Ebenezer Scrooge
- Richard E. Grant - Bob Cratchit
- Joel Grey - Ghost of Christmas Past
- Ian McNeice - Albert Fezziwig
- Saskia Reeves - Mrs. Cratchit
- Desmond Barrit - Ghost of Christmas Present
- Bernard Lloyd - Jacob Marley
- Dominic West - Fred
- Trevor Peacock - Old Joe
- Liz Smith - Mrs. Dilber
- Elizabeth Spriggs - Mrs. Riggs
- Kenny Doughty - Young Ebenezer Scrooge
- Laura Fraser - Belle
- Celia Imrie - Mrs. Bennett
- Claire Slater - Martha Cratchit
- Tim Potter - Ghost of Christmas Future
THE CRRONICLES OF NARNIA THE LION THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE 1988 (RATED U) 169 mins
The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe
Main article: The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe (1988)Set in 1940, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie are siblings who are evacuated from London because of World War II. They are sent to the countryside to stay with Professor Digory Kirke.
While exploring a spare room in the house, Lucy enters a wardrobe and finds herself in the middle of a snowy wood, lit by a single lamp-post. She meets a faun named Mr. Tumnus, who explains that she is in the land of Narnia. He is kind and friendly, and takes her back to his cave for tea. He then plays his flute and Lucy goes to sleep, but when she wakes up Tumnus is crying and he confesses that he had intended to hand her over to the cruel White Witch, who rules over Narnia and makes it "always winter and never Christmas". She had ordered him and all the other Narnians that if they ever saw a Son of Adam or Daughter of Eve in Narnia, they were to catch them and hand them over to her, but Tumnus realises that he can't go through with it and he walks back to the lamp-post with Lucy to make sure she returns safely to her own world
Main characters
Main article: The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe (1988)Set in 1940, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie are siblings who are evacuated from London because of World War II. They are sent to the countryside to stay with Professor Digory Kirke.
While exploring a spare room in the house, Lucy enters a wardrobe and finds herself in the middle of a snowy wood, lit by a single lamp-post. She meets a faun named Mr. Tumnus, who explains that she is in the land of Narnia. He is kind and friendly, and takes her back to his cave for tea. He then plays his flute and Lucy goes to sleep, but when she wakes up Tumnus is crying and he confesses that he had intended to hand her over to the cruel White Witch, who rules over Narnia and makes it "always winter and never Christmas". She had ordered him and all the other Narnians that if they ever saw a Son of Adam or Daughter of Eve in Narnia, they were to catch them and hand them over to her, but Tumnus realises that he can't go through with it and he walks back to the lamp-post with Lucy to make sure she returns safely to her own world
Main characters
- Richard Dempsey - Peter Pevensie
- Sophie Cook - Susan Pevensie
- Jonathan R. Scott - Edmund Pevensie
- Sophie Wilcox - Lucy Pevensie
- David Thwaites - Eustace Scrubb
- Ronald Pickup - Aslan (voice)
Little Lord Fauntleroy
Not only an excellent leading cast, Alec Guinness superb as the curmudgeony earl and Ricky Schroeder believably charming as the American boy thrust into the world of the English nobility, the minor characters are also exceptional: Eric Porter as the earl's steward and Patrick Stewart as the head coachman both particularly memorable. The pace of the film is also excellent, events happen and characters develop with interesting detail but without over emphasis or very drawn out scenes.
Cast (Cast overview, first billed only)
Rick Schroder...Lord Fauntleroy (Ceddie Errol) (as Ricky Schroder)
Alec Guinness...Earl of DorincourtEric Porter...HavishamColin Blakely...HobbsConnie Booth...Mrs. ErrolRachel Kempson...Lady LorradaileCarmel McSharry...MaryAntonia Pemberton...DawsonRolf Saxon...DickJohn Cater...ThomasPeter Copley...Rev. MuldaurPatsy Rowlands...Mrs. DibbleAnn Way...Miss Smith
Patrick Stewart...WilkinsGerry Cowper...Mellon
Cast (Cast overview, first billed only)
Rick Schroder...Lord Fauntleroy (Ceddie Errol) (as Ricky Schroder)
Alec Guinness...Earl of DorincourtEric Porter...HavishamColin Blakely...HobbsConnie Booth...Mrs. ErrolRachel Kempson...Lady LorradaileCarmel McSharry...MaryAntonia Pemberton...DawsonRolf Saxon...DickJohn Cater...ThomasPeter Copley...Rev. MuldaurPatsy Rowlands...Mrs. DibbleAnn Way...Miss Smith
Patrick Stewart...WilkinsGerry Cowper...Mellon
