Jimmy Nail

"History teaches us that men behave wisely . . . once they've exhausted all other alternatives. For most rock bands, the pursuit of wisdom's a low priority compared to fame, fortune and fornication. Such a band was Strange Fruit." Thus begins the opening dialog of Hughie, (Billy Connolly) as he launches into a brief history of the British band: in the late 1970's Strange Fruit, consisting of guitarist Brian Lovell (Bruce Robinson), his brother and lead singer Keith, keyboard player Tony Costello (Stephen Rea), bassist Les Wickes (Jimmy Nail) and drummer Beano Baggot (Timothy Spall) were HUGE. When Keith died of a drug overdose, he was replaced on vocals by Ray Simms (Bill Nighy). Watched over by road-dog Hughie and Girl Friday Karen (Juliet Aubrey), they soldiered on until the disastrous appearance at the open-air Wisbech (U.K.) Rock Festival, when lightning struck the stage during their opening number. The already-contentious band members decided it was a sign and immediately broke up forever (all this in the first five minutes of the film). Forever, that is, until in the present (OK, 1998) Tony is spotted on Ibeza (he now stocks condoms in the restrooms at the resorts there) by the son of the Wisbech promoter, who wants to put together a 20th anniversary reunion concert with all the original acts. Tony seeks out Karen, now a divorced mother who coordinates conferences for a major hotel, suggesting a possible reunion. She is ambivalent, as is Les (now a successful roofer with a family) and Ray (a struggling solo artist with a demanding second wife -- Swedish -- and a mansion he can't afford). Beano, working in a floral nursery and hounded by the Inland Revenue (the U.K.'s IRS) is the only immediately enthusiastic bandmate. They arrange a meeting, where Karen informs them that she's tracked Brian and found his music royalties are being distributed per a bequest in his will, provoking Beano to compassionately ask if that means "the silly sod's dead?" The band again soldiers on. Hughie shows up to complete what's left of the original entourage and the band begins to practice. It becomes obvious that, beyond the normal clash of rock and roll egos, the biggest problem is Les's extreme resentment of Ray, who not only replaced one-half of a near-genius song-writing duo (the Lovell brothers) but who also refused to let Les sing even though Les considers himself a better singer than Ray (especially when it comes to a certain ballad called "The Flame Still Burns", heard briefly and only acoustically during the middle parts of the film). Karen, now the band's manager, recruits a young guitarist named Luke (Hans Matheson) to replace Brian and besides, she tells the mid-lifers, "he makes you look younger." She also tries to secure a record deal, citing the popularity of the nostalgia wave. She doesn't get it, but she does get financing for a continental European tour, to see what they've got. The band and entourage, along with Karen's daughter Clare (Rachael Stirling), ostensibly there to do the washing, etc. but really there so Karen can keep an eye on her, head across the channel and have some disastrous first concerts while slowly getting their groove back. Many humorous situations unfold during this tour, as when (for just one example) Ray, in a Dutch village, attends what he thinks is an AA meeting only to find that it's an Overeaters Anonymous gathering. The band slowly get better and better and even score a record deal before a confrontation between band members and their egos blows it all up. All seems lost until, just by luck (and a visit to a graveyard) Karen finds out that Brian Lovell isn't dead after all, but a voluntary patient at a mental health facility. She and Tony visit him and convince him to join the band. This is hard on Tony, because he's always had a thing for Karen, who's always had a thing for Brian. The band is reunited and ready to play the Wisbech reunion until the press badger Brian about his former drug use and present mental fragility. He bails and the band is set to go on without him. As they take the stage to perform the same song that they were to sing at the original Wisbech, a microphone feedback reminds Ray of the lightning strike and he freezes. To save the situation, Tony begins to play "The Flame Still Burns". Ray relinquishes the vocals to a stunned Les. Suddenly, Brian shows up in time to take the guitar solo, and the movie ends with the final strains of this song, with all of them singing. As the end titles begin to scroll, Hughie asks, "and how will the Fruits conspire to bollocks things up this time around? We wait with bated breath!"

Tidewater, Virginia 1808. The story begins at sea with the main protagonist, Crusoe (Aidan Quinn), en route to Africa to retrieve cheap slaves. His ship runs into a powerful storm, and the entire crew perishes except for Crusoe. He eventually makes his way to a tropical island, where he is alone and stranded until he discovers that a dog named Scamp and a small flock of geese have also survived. He befriends Scamp, and gains a close ally. He initially encounters many challenges, but eventually manages to make himself at ease on the island. Later he finds a rifle inside the shipwreck, and, weapon in hand and Scamp by his side, begins exploring the island. After spending more time on the island, Crusoe stumbles upon a group of tribesmen who are indigenous to the area but not the island. He finds, to his horror, that they are cannibals. Following this discovery, Crusoe begins chopping down trees in an attempt to build a boat and escape. His plans do not immediately succeed, and he fashions a cavern into a homestead. Subsequently, Scamp gets sick, and his attempts to cure him fail. Crusoe finds him dead the following morning. This starts a period of intense loneliness for Crusoe. Through his grief, he fails to notice several small boats approaching the island. The natives have come to this island to perform the ritual cremation of their chief along with the sacrifice of three of their fellow tribesmen. The chief lies dead on a great branch armchair, which is set ablaze. At the same moment, the throats of two of the tribesmen are cut, but just before the last killing, Crusoe shoots his rifle, distracting the would-be assassins. The man who was to be sacrificed (Hepburn Graham) escapes; as does Crusoe. The two meet by chance in the forest and Crusoe, fearing for his life, threatens the man with his gun. The tribesman, however, does not perceive this as a threat. They both return to the beach thinking the cannibalistic tribesmen have left in their boats. From this moment the tribesman, named Lucky, starts to trust Crusoe. Crusoe takes him back to his cave but still does not allow Lucky to sleep in the cave with him. He leaves him chained by the ankle outside the cave. The following morning Crusoe finds Lucky gone. He sees smoke coming from the place of the sacrifices and investigates. There he discovers the head of Lucky. Crusoe ends up in the trap of another tribesman (Ade Sapara) who ties him to a tree near his cave. The following day, Crusoe attempts to take revenge on the tribesman. A pursuit follows, and Crusoe tries to shoot the tribesman which surprises him. During their struggle they stumble into some quicksand. The cannibal is able to escape the shifting sands, leaving Crusoe to sink. As Crusoe is about to perish, he is granted clemency from the cannibal who decides to help by lowering him a tree branch. Soon, the two attempt to collaborate in the native language of the cannibal. In time, Crusoe is able to understand the intentions of the cannibal. These intentions are to manufacture a small boat to return home with the help of Crusoe. After completing construction on the boat, Crusoe decides to build a second boat. A strange shot however, announces the arrival of another ship, this one full of European sailors. Crusoe runs to high ground and attempts to catch their attention. Little does he know that they have come to the island to capture his new friend. They are seen chasing his new friend. They then shoot him in his leg and capture him. Crusoe has other concerns, however, like returning home. He swims out to their boat and introduces himself. He stows away on their ship, hoping to catch a ride home. While hiding on-board he discovers that among the crew is a scientist, Dr. Martin (Michael Higgins), who has studied cannibals and plans to bring his friend back to London as an exhibit. Crusoe, who does not agree with this plan, attempts to free his friend without being seen by the crew. At night, he frees the captive from his cage and allows him to escape to their island in a small boat. Crusoe eventually escapes the island which helps him to realize that liberty and life are both precious commodities.

When the man who left a package in his care is murdered, detective Tim Diamond suddenly has every major gangster in the city after him. With only the package and the help of his little brother, he sets out to unravel the mysterious plot. When the man who left a package in his care is found murdered, detective Tim Diamond suddenly has every major gangster in the city after him. With only the package and the help of his little brother, Diamond sets out to unravel the mysterious plot. —Anonymous

A man discovers that his sister was a werewolf, and helps an investigator track down a gang of the monsters through the United States and eastern Europe. After countless millennia of watching, waiting and stalking, the unholy creatures known as werewolves are poised to inherit the earth. After newswoman Karen White's shocking on-screen transformation and violent death, her brother Ben is approached by Stefan Crosscoe, a mysterious gentleman who claims that Karen has actually become a werewolf. But this is the least of their worries... To save mankind, Stefan and Ben must travel to Transylvania to battle and destroy Stirba, the immortal queen of all werewolves, before she is restored to her full powers!