Take The Full Monty, add a sharper emotional edge and replace the strutting strippers with a dignified British band. That's the essence of Brassed Off, a bittersweet gem released in 1996, a year before its more popular (and Oscar-nominated) counterpart. In the Yorkshire town of Grimley, there has always been a coal mine, just as for the last 111 years there has been a brass band and it seems that Danny (the wondrous Pete Postlethwaite) has been the director for every one of those years. Tory economic policies, however, are closing coal mines around the country in favour of nuclear power and Grimley appears to be next on the list. Danny is unfazed by the threat, claiming, "It's music that matters." But some of the men are about to quit the band until the appearance of Gloria (Tara Fitzgerald at her most radiant), who dazzles the all-male group (including old flame Andy, played by Ewan McGregor) first with her beauty, then with her flügelhorn playing. The new member gives the band a boost as they continue to perform and compete but closure remains very real, as director Mark Herman (Little Voice) accompanies the band's performances (played with gusto by the Grimethorpe Colliery Band) with scenes of angry labour-management confrontations and family strife. In this context, some of the characters claim that the music is an irresponsible form of escapism. It becomes clear, however, from a touching performance of "Danny Boy" to the stirring conclusion at Royal Albert Hall, that music is an expression of the human spirit, a bit of beauty and sanity in a harsh world. With defiance, the band can play "Land of Hope and Glory" even when the land offers them neither. --David Horiuchi
Priscilla White is a typist from a working class area of Liverpool who dreams of stardom; Bobby Willis is the chancer who ignores the city's Protestant-Catholic divide to pursue her; Brian Epstein is the young genius who will later guide The Beatles to superstardom. Starring Sheridan Smith Cilla tells the true story of how the lives of these three intertwine to propel Cilla to the top of the charts and beyond. but at a cost. Cilla Black, as young Priscilla becomes, displays a ruthless strea.
It's 1992 and the miners of Grimley Colliery are facing uncertainty. Not only is their pit under threat but the Grimley Colliery Band is on the verge of breaking up - that is until Gloria (Tara Fitzgerald) arrives. As the only female member of the band she somehow manages to rekindle their enthusiasm for the forthcoming National Championship as well as rekindling a childhood romance with Andy (Ewan McGregor).
In an emotive performance Sheffield born Sean Bean stars as Jimmy Muir captain of the local football team within a gritty working class Sheffield community who sees life as a game both on and off the pitch. Though encouraged by his spirited girlfriend Annie (Emily Lloyd) it is not until he is spotted by local talent scout Ken Jackson (Pete Postlethwaite) that Jimmy starts to believe his dream to make it into professional football could be realised. When offered the chance to p
At the crumbling stately home of Hazelwood Manor life for its few remaining downstairs staff is about to take a dramatic leap upstairs when their small syndicate beats the unlikely odds and wins the lottery. Overlooking the seaside town of Scarborough the once impressive manor has been in the family of Lord Hazelwood (Anthony Andrews Brideshead Revisited) since his ancestors built it in the 18th century. There used to be more than thirty staff at the house but now with a mounting debt of £6.5 million and counting there are just five remaining since Lord and Lady Hazelwood (Alice Krige Thor: The Dark World) were forced to let the others go. Gardener and math enthusiast Godfrey (Lenny Henry Othello Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) housekeeper Sarah (Cara Theobold Downton Abbey) cleaner Dawn (Elizabeth Berrington Mr. Turner) cook Julie (Melanie Hill Stardust) and gamekeeper-cum-groomsman Sean (Richard Rankin The Crimson Field) all have to pitch in and do more than one job just to keep the household running smoothly. Now Lord Hazelwood’s health is failing and the second Lady Hazelwood and her son Spencer (Sam Phillips In The Flesh) - who have grown a little too accustomed to their lives of grandeur - are more concerned with maintaining their lifestyle than sorting out the estate’s disastrous finances. With the future of Hazelwood in question and their jobs on the line the unthinkable happens - the staff wins the lottery! This touching drama from BAFTA award-winning writer Kay Mellor follows the highs and lows of their journey from downstairs to upstairs… There are now 14.5 million reasons why the lives and loves of the staff of Hazelwood Manor are about to change beyond recognition - but will the dream of instant riches be different from the reality?
Written by and starring Jimmy Nail Crocodile Shoes follows the life of Jed Shepperd a Geordie factory worker who writes country music in his spare time. With the prospect of redundancy looming Jed makes a lifetime decision to quit his job and pursue his dream career as a country singer. From Newcastle to Nashville and back again this is a story of fame and fortune; adventures opportunities conflicts heartache the rise the fall. Featuring a critically acclaimed soundtrack that launched the real-life music career of Jimmy Nail Crocodile Shoes is the original musical drama.
Based on Catherine Cookson's best-selling novel of murder passion and betrayed friendships this sweeping drama spans forty years during the second half of the 19th century. Roddy Greenback arrives in a remote Northumberland community. His father meets a violent death leaving the boy alone with no family to speak of. The young Roddy is adopted and raised by Kate Makepeace a good friend of his father and develops a close friendship with Hal and Mary Ellen but their sibling bond is put to the test as they become adults. The hidden secrets of the past are painfully unearthed as their lives continue to be intertwined by a tragic destiny.
The on-the-field trials and tribulations and the off-the-field lives loves and infidelities of 'The Castlefield Blues' an under funded badly managed ladies football team from South Yorkshire in the north of England whose loyalty to the team the game and each other far exceeds their chances of ever winning the championship. Features the complete first and second seasons.
A young Londoner and his friends use a Ouija board to hold a seance, triggering a chain of mysterious deaths that may be caused by an otherwordly force.
Orson Welles arrives in Hollywood hailed as the boy genius but is stuck for the subject of his first movie. After a dinner party at Hearst Castle he has an argument with Hearst and decides to make a film about him. Some time later he gets the green light and starts to make his movie but Hearst gets to find out more about the film and sets about making sure that the whole project is stopped.
A quiet Los Angeles suburb is being terrorized by a crossbow-wielding killer who haunts the rooftops. The optimistic Lauren (Melanie Lynskey) invites her whole department to her house for a weekend party but only two intrepid guests show up. Grace (Mary Lynn Rajskub) is the shy awkward girl who nobody really likes while the outspoken Gina (Sheeri Rappaport) is unhappy at being stuck with the others for the weekend. While early suspicion grows into the certainly that there is a stalke
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