Directed by Sir Richard Attenborough and starring Robert Downy, Jr. and an extraordinary cast, Chaplin is a loving, grand scale portrait of the Little Tramp's amazing life and times. His poverty-stricken childhood in England comes to life, along with his friendships with Mack Sennett (Dan Aykroyd) and Douglas Fairbanks (Kevin Kline), his many wives and scandalous affairs, and his relentless pursuit by J. Edgar Hoover. Chaplin is the larger-than life story of the actor behind the icon and a stunning depiction of a bygone era when Hollywood was at its most glamorous.

Everyone, especially children, knows that the holiday season is a time for miracles. However, six-year-old Susan Walker (Mara Wilson) has doubts about childhood's most enduring miracle...Santa Claus. This holiday season, Susan is going to receive the most precious gift of all: something to believe in. And she's about to discover that miracles do occur...The story relates the arrival of one Kris Kringle (Richard Attenborough), a department store Santa who believes he's the genuine article, and who subsequently turns a skeptical child's world upside-down. When Kris is put on trial to prove he's Santa, the youngster -- and everyone around her -- learns the true meaning of faith, the importance of family... and that even today, we all need something to believe in.

Richard Attenborough stars as a former crew member of a British gunboat, which was distinguished by a heroic wartime record. Attenborough and several fellow ex-crewmen buy the vessel in peacetime. They clean, paint and renovate the ship, then proceed to launch a smuggling operation. The film gradually veers towards fantasy as the ship itself assumes a conscience and starts to rebel against the crew's criminal activity. The Ship That Died of Shame tempers its moralizing with some first-rate comedy vignettes during the renovation sequences. The film was shorn of nearly 15 minutes and retitled PT Raiders for its first American run, but both original title and full running time were restored for television. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide.

Partly based on Charlie Chaplin's {-My Autobiography}, this humorous and dramatic biopic features an all-star cast including Oscar nominee Robert Downey Jr., Dan Aykroyd, Anthony Hopkins, Kevin Kline, Diane Lane, and Chaplin's real-life daughter, Geraldine Chaplin, who portrays his mentally ill mother. With the use of flashback, an elderly Chaplin discusses his autobiography with his editor (Hopkins), who urges him to be more vulnerable and emotionally honest with his memoirs while journeying through his poverty-stricken childhood, closest friendships, many marriages, merciless pursuit by J. Edgar Hoover (Kevin Dunn), and ingenious invention of The Little Tramp. Highlighted works such as The Gold Rush (1925) and The Great Dictator (1940) illustrate significant turning points in Chaplin's prolific filmography. Director Richard Attenborough's film also explores the circumstances surrounding Chaplin's exile from America and his eventual return to receive an honorary Academy Award. ~ Lisa Kropiewnicki, All Movie

The 1947 holiday classic Miracle on 34th Street is transplanted to the 1990s with few changes in this family-oriented remake. The screenplay by the prolific John Hughes sticks close to the original outline, centering on Macy's executive Dorey Walker (Elizabeth Perkins) and her young daughter Susan (Mara Wilson), neither of whom much believes in the spirit of Christmas. Dorey is in charge of hiring Macy's Santas, including an old man named Kriss Kringle (Richard Attenborough). He does a remarkably convincing job, and he soon reveals that he actually believes himself to be Santa Claus. The authorities threaten to place the old man in an insane asylum, but a young lawyer comes to his defense. Meanwhile, Dorey and Susan find their own defenses melting and become reacquainted with the power of faith. Hughes and director Les Mayfield add a few modern touches, making Susan slightly more cynical and adding the requisite soulless corporate villains. Viewers familiar with the original may still prefer Edmund Gwenn's or

Steven Spielberg's phenomenally successful sci-fi adventure thriller is graced by state-of-the-art special effects from the team of Stan Winston, Phil Tippett and Michael Lantieri from George Lucas's Industrial Light & Magic. The film follows two dinosaur experts -- Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and Dr. Ellie Sattler Laura Dern) -- as they are invited by eccentric millionaire John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) to preview his new amusement park on an island off Costa Rica. By cloning DNA harvested from pre-historic insects, Hammond has been able to create living dinosaurs for his new Jurassic Park, an immense animal preserve housing real brachiosaurs, dilophosaurs, triceratops, velociraptors, and a Tyrannosaur Rex. Accompanied by cynical scientist Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum), who is obsessed with chaos theory, and Hammond's two grandchildren (Ariana Richards and Joseph Mazzello), they are sent on a tour through Hammond's new resort in computer controlled touring cars. But as a tropical storm hits the island, kno

Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber's first musical blockbuster comes to video in this production starring Donny Osmond, who racked up over 1,800 stage performances in the title role. Based on the Biblical story of Joseph and his coat of many colors, Joseph (Osmond) is the favorite son of Jacob (Richard Attenborough), but his siblings resent the attention Jacob showers upon him. Joseph's brothers sell him into slavery, and eventually the favored son finds himself in jail. However, his favorable interpretation of the dreams of the Pharaoh (Robert Torti) win him the admiration of the all-powerful leader, and soon Joseph is one of the most powerful men in Egypt. Shot as a feature film but released directly to video, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat also stars Joan Collins as Mrs. Potiphar and Maria Freidman as the Narrator. Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber served as producer. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide.