In 1815, Jane Austen is 39 and a bit of a celebrity, surprised when others quote her novels back to her and bemused by lovelorn young women seeking her advice. More ominously, she's not in the best of health, money is tight, and she's beginning to wonder if she's made the right choices in life.  Included with a recent version of Sense and Sensibility, Miss Austen Regrets stars Olivia Williams in the title role; you can read more here and here.

An aging governess has problems holding down a job during the Depression.  Her last hope of gainful employment involves a ditzy young actress with an impossibly complicated love life.  Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day stars Amy Adam and has a 77 percent rating at Rotten Tomatoes.

Jack is having trouble writing his first novel. To pay the bills, he deals cards in a slightly shady casino, a job he's good at but loathes. When someone points out a way he can defraud his employer, he's sorely tempted. Croupier stars a young Clive Owen and has a 98 percent rating at Rotten Tomatoes.

In the early 1970s, a petty criminal is persuaded by a mysterious woman to break into one of Britain's most secure bank vaults. He and his colleagues gradually realize that they are pawns in a government conspiracy and that the plan they were told to follow is fatally flawed. The Bank Job stars Jason Statham and has a 79 percent rating at Rotten Tomatoes.

In 1937, a high school student finds himself cast in a bit role in a groundbreaking production of Julius Caesar staged by Orson Welles. He discovers that working with a genius has its ups and downs. Directed by Richard Linklater, Me and Orson Welles stars Claire Danes and has a 73 percent rating at Metacritic.

Britain in 1961 is a drab place, adjusting to the loss of the Empire and afraid of the Bomb.  Nonetheless, Oxford bound Jenny slogs on, leading the life laid out for her, until she meets a mysterious older man who showers her with gifts, a trip to her beloved Paris and eventually a marriage proposal.  Is it all too good to be true?  The fact that her class is reading Jane Eyre is not a good sign.  Nominated for three Academy Awards, An Education stars Carey Mulligan and has an 85 percent rating at Metacritic.