Stephen Frears
1) The Queen
Description
Winner of the Academy Award® for Best Actress, Dame Helen Mirren gives a spellbinding performance in THE QUEEN, the provocative story behind the sudden death of Princess Diana. In the wake of tragedy, the very private and tradition-bound Queen Elizabeth II (Mirren) finds herself in conflict with the new Prime Minister, the slickly modern and image-conscious Tony Blair (Michael Sheen). Suspenseful, heartfelt, and riveting, step inside the private...
Description
Living with his alcoholic father in a shabby flat, Omar (Gordon Warnecke) is a teenager who wants to make something of himself. Omar is offered an opportunity by his uncle: manage a seedy laundrette. Omar hires old friend Johnny (Day-Lewis), an ex-member of a neo-fascist group, with dreams of turning the establishment into a veritable palace! But as Johnny's old friends take issue with their relationship, they must face racism, homophobia, violence...
Description
Recently widowed and well-to-do Laura Henderson needs a diversion to see her through war torn London. On a whim she buys the derelict Windmill theatre in the West End and persuades impresario Vivian Van Damm to run it. The two don't seem to get along at all. Although their idea of a non-stop revue is at first a success, other theatres begin to copy the idea and disaster looms. Laura suggests they put nudes in the show, but Van Damm points out that...
Description
In this inspiring true story, amateur historian Philippa Langley believes she has made the archeological find of the century: the lost burial site of King Richard III. She takes on Britain's most eminent historians, forcing them to rethink the legacy of one of the most controversial rulers in English history.
8) Philomena
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Academy Award®-Winner Judi Dench stars as Philomena, a woman who, alongside a grumpy reporter (Steve Coogan), journeys to America to find the child she put up for adoption so many years ago.
Description
Set in 18th century France, this is the story of two bored aristocrats and the havoc they wreak when they play dangerous games with people's lives. The beautiful widow Merteuil challenges rakish Valmont to seduce a virtuous young married woman, never suspecting that he would violate his personal credo and fall in love.
10) The Queen
Description
An intimate, moving portrait of Queen Elizabeth and Tony Blair following the untimely death of Princess Diana. The Queen's restrained reaction causes a public relations debacle that Prime Minister Blair must defuse. The two struggle to reach a compromise between what was a private tragedy for the Royal family and the public's demand for an open display of mourning.
11) The lost king
Description
In 2012, the remains of King Richard III were discovered beneath a car park in Leicester. For Philippa Langley, this was the culmination of years of obsessive research despite the doubts of her friends, family, experts, and academics.
12) Great directors
Description
Ten of the greatest filmmakers in the world passionately discuss their craft in Angela Ismailos' hugely entertaining documentary Great directors. Bernardo Bertolucci, David Lynch, Stephen Frears, Agnes Varda, Ken Loach, Liliana Cavani, Todd Haynes, Catherine Breillat, Richard Linklater and John Sayles open up about their extraordinary careers with unexpected candor and humor. Ismailos gets them to talk about their artistic evolution from their debut...
13) Philomena
Description
Judi Dench stars in the story of Philomena Lee, mother to a boy conceived out of wedlock and given up for adoption. Nearly 50 years later, Philomena meets Martin Sixsmith, a former BBC reporter looking for his next big story. Together, they embark on a journey to locate her long lost son. As the pieces of the puzzle come together, the unlikely travel companions form a comic and heartwarming friendship. Based on the 2009 investigative book by Martin...
Description
Based on the incredible true story, Meryl Streep delivers a hilarious and touching performance as a New York socialite who dreams of becoming a great opera singer despite having a hilariously awful singing voice. Her husband and biggest fan, St. Clair Bayfield (Hugh Grant) is determined to protect his beloved Florence from the truth, but when Florence stages a huge concert at Carnegie Hall, he faces his greatest challenge to make sure her performance...
15) Lay the favorite
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Beth, a Las Vegas cocktail waitress, falls in with Dink, a sports gambler who swoons for her as she proves to be something of a gambling prodigy, earning the initial ire of Dink's wife, Tulip.
16) The Grifters
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Lily works for a bookie, placing bets to change the odds at the track. When her son Roy is hospitalized after an unsuccessful con job that leads to a beating, she finds that even an absentee parent has feelings for her child. Lilly doesn't warm to Roy's girlfriend Myra Langtry, and soon the two women compete for Roy in a battle that quickly turns dangerous.
17) Fail_safe
Description
The retelling of the classic Cold War doomsday thriller. A computer malfunction triggers the transmission of nuclear-attack codes to a U.S. bomber squadron. The orders are irreversible, the primary target is Moscow, and the President, his advisors and military leaders race time to head off global catastrophe. Recalling the adrenaline-rush of early TV drama, this movie was staged and telecast live in black-and-white, establishing an immediate sense...
18) High fidelity
Description
Rob Gordon's record store is semi-failing, and his long-time girlfriend has just walked out on him. In order to figure out where things went wrong, he examines his past relationships with other women.
19) The hit
Description
In London in 1973, Willie Parker informed on his gangster colleagues. Ten years later he is violently snatched from his Spanish tranquil village retreat by hit men who are surprised to find out they have a completely willing victim on their hands.
20) Victoria & Abdul
Description
The extraordinary true story of an unexpected friendship in the later years of Queen Victoria's remarkable rule. When Abdul Karim, a young clerk, travels from India to participate in the Queen's Golden Jubilee, he is surprised to find favor with the Queen herself. As the Queen questions the constrictions of her long-held position, the two forge an unlikely and devoted alliance with a loyalty to one another that her household and inner circle all attempt...