Anton Rodgers stars as middle aged solicitor Alec Callender - a partner in Semple Callender and Henty - who pines for Perry Mason style cases however seldom is faced with anything more taxing than a simple house conveyancing. Through his work Alec meets Zoe Angell played by Eve Matheson a 26 year old PE teacher befuddled by her impending divorce although neither is looking for romance there is an unmistakable spark and soon they embark on the rocky road of a 'spring and autumn'
The crushing pressures of social conformity have always been a central concern of Terence Davies' movies, so Edith Wharton's astringent novel of innocence destroyed makes an ideal choice for him. Set in the edgy, nouveau riche ambience of 1900s New York, the story traces the downfall of the lovely but imprudent Lily Bart (Gillian Anderson) in a world where hypocrisy and predatory vice lurk behind genteel facades. Wharton (whose later novel The Age of Innocence was brilliantly filmed by Martin Scorsese) has an acute feel for the subtleties of social nuance, the way insiders and outsiders are defined, and Davies skilfully renders these hints and insidious judgments in cinematic terms. Working to a tighter budget than most period dramas, he turns his limitations to advantage. The film's never in danger of being swamped by the gorgeousness of its sets and costumes, or turned into an exercise in easy nostalgia. The northern austerity of Glasgow effectively stands in for New York. Throwing off the mantle of Scully (from The X-Files), Gillian Anderson gives a powerful and wholly convincing performance as Lily, movingly despairing as her options are closed off one by one; and there's a fine portrayal of self-satisfied brutality from Dan Aykroyd as the chief agent of her downfall. --Philip Kemp
The ancient Setwale Wood has provided remedies for the people of Midsomer for many decades. Now it is the subject of court action by villagers to prevent the impecunious owner of Abbey Farm James Harrington from cutting it down to raise finance. Leading light of the 'save the wood campaign' is neighbouring farmer Simon Bartlett. The case goes before Causton Crown Court. After the ruling a fight breaks out between the two farmers. The next day the body of Bartlett's wife is found
Exploring a cavern, Stanley lost his companions and found an old egg revealed by a landslide. He is overcome with joy back home when a dragon hatches from it. The authorities don't see it the same way and send the dragon to a zoo. But Stanley is convinced the dragon will die if it stays there.
England's Hope And Glory: The World Cup Trivia Quiz
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