Drama > W Drama > BAFTA > up to 5 GBP

Advantages: Wonderful acting and great setting
Disadvantages: Not for those afraid of a good cry

This is a story which really captures the heart. Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet are perfectly cast. Thompson as the practical Elinor who alway puts everyone and everything before herself and her emotions, and Winslet as Marianne, the flippant and dizzy girl who must grow into a woman. The movie's true as possible to the book by Jane Austen, and is perfect if your ideal night in is sitting with a box of chocolates and lots of tissues on the sofa, ...
...Dashwood family. Hugh Grant is wonderful as the slightly nervous, hopelessly muddled Edward Ferrars, the love interest of Elinor, and Greg Wise is the essence of the fun loving and dashing Willoughby who snares her heart. Alan Rickman is the good looking and secure, yet painfully overlooked Colonel Brandon, and very almost steals the limelight with his distraught portrayl of the Colonel. The setting is perfect, and there are some spectacular views. ... Read review

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...home to his town of Cold Mountain in North Carolina to get back to this sweetheart Ada who he meet before the war. Escaping from the hospital, he begins the journey to his home. Ada is left alone in the town, struggling to run her rural farm after the death of her father. She has trouble surviving on her own because she's not used to the farm life and lives on the kindness of her neighbors until one of them sends over a woman called Ruby, a feisty ...
...old battle wounds. Based on the novel by Charles Frazier, Cold Mountain is the tale of two lovers torn apart and made to survive until they can reunite. Staring Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Rene Zellweger, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Natalie Portman and musician Jack White. Directed by Anthony Minghella. ... Read review

Advantages: A moving and very human portrayal of Iris Murdoch's battle with Alzheimers
Disadvantages: A few unanswered questions

...reading anything about, or by Iris Murdoch. Of course, I remember hearing about the film 'Iris' when it came out in 2001, but the only reason it sparked my interest was down to the fact that the main character was portrayed at different stages of her life by both Judi Dench and Kate Winslet, who happen to be two of my favourite actresses. Given that I had also worked in a Nursing Home for Alzheimers sufferers, I must admit to being ever so slightly ...
...need to know anything about Iris Murdoch in order to appreciate it, as it is less about her life as a writer and more of a husband and wife story based on the memoirs of John Bayley (Iris's main carer and husband of fifty years) beginning with the time when she began to lose the battle to Alzheimers. Having said that, those who do know a little about her background, or who have read her novels may well find it insightful. In some ways, I think knowing ... Read review

Advantages: Excellent performances; subtle, minimalistic and haunting; unique in style
Disadvantages: Sometimes deviates from own style to match rivals; soundtrack doesn't always work

...is true of Todd Field's Little Children, suggesting that he is merely recycling the same idea, but the film proves itself to be something altogether unique and fresh. Whilst the theme of hidden secrets and desires amongst the townsfolk is still there, Little Children, based on the novel by Tom Perrotta, makes something else of them and stands firmly on its own two feet. The idyllic suburbs of Massachusetts are a familiar sight when we are first acquainted ...
...American Dream. The story of Little Children is one that is interwoven with various subplots amongst its supporting characters; everyone has a story and a history or desire that is bound to surface. The new theme that Todd Field really touches upon in Little Children, a theme that has never really been explored in much depth in similar films, is that of the integration of the young children with the actual plot. These kids (played with realistic ... Read review

Advantages: A heartwarming tale
Disadvantages: There really isn't any

I first saw Educating Rita about 3 years ago when it came as a free disc within the Daily Mirror. As it was a free disc I didn't hold out much hope for it but when I placed it into the DVD player my mum exclaimed that she'd seen it before and that it wasn't half bad. She wasn't wrong; I really enjoyed watching it and have since watched it numerous more times. Educating Rita was released in 1983 and stars Michael Caine and Julie Walters. At nearly ...
...this as in my opinion Educating Rita is as appropriate today as it was when it was first released. The story it tells is extremely true to life and is not only told in a touching way but also in a way that pulls the audience along on an emotionally moving journey, in which the lead characters find a new lease of life through each other. Dr Frank Bryant was once an extremely successful university professor of literature who could spend hours reflecting ... Read review