Shay Duffin Movies

Inspired by the epic Old English poem of the same name, director Robert Zemeckis's digitally rendered film follows the Scandinavian hero Beowulf (Ray Winstone) as he fights to protect the Danes from a ferocious beast named Grendel (Crispin Glover). Though at first Grendel seems invincible, Beowulf eventually manages to defeat him in a desperate battle to the death. Devastated by her son's violent demise at the hands of Beowulf, Grendel's mother (Angelina Jolie) sets out in search of revenge. Later, Beowulf faces the biggest challenge of his life when he attempts to slay a powerful dragon. Anthony Hopkins, Robin Wright Penn, Alison Lohman, John Malkovich, and Brendan Gleeson co-star in an epic fantasy adventure penned by Roger Avary and Neil Gaiman. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A woman finds out how the dead body of your old boyfriend can ruin your whole day in this black comedy. Nathalie (Cameron Diaz) is a lovely young woman with a history of substance abuse problems who is married to George (Harvey Keitel), a circuit court judge who first met her when she was brought before him on a misdemeanor charge (he gave her a break, and they fell in love). Nathalie and George are vacationing at her family's summer cottage in Maine, with Nathalie's longtime friend (and former significant other) Lance (Craig Sheffer) tagging along. One day, while George and Lance are out fishing, Nathalie receives an uninvited and unwelcome visitor, her former boyfriend Kent (Billy Zane). Nathalie regards Kent as a symbol of the past that she's been trying to put behind her, and while he's eager to resume at least the physical side of their relationship, she wants no part of him. After a heated argument, Kent stumbles off to another part of the cottage, and just as George and Lance are about to return, Nathalie discovers that Kent is in her bedroom, naked and very dead. Correctly assuming that the presence of the nude body of her former lover in her bed would cast a bad reflection on her fidelity, Nathalie quickly tries to hide the corpse, with disastrous results. George discovers Kent's body, but since the judge would prefer not to have this sordid affair become a matter of public record, he hatches a plan of his own to get rid of the stiff, which also fails miserably. Head Above Water is a remake of the Norwegian film Hodet over Vannet, which was itself a remake of an earlier film; while released theatrically in Europe, Head Above Water debuted on premium cable networks in the United States. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Shoemaker Joey Paducci (Rod Wilson) is arrested for stealing from a church collection box. It turns out that Paducci has been reduced to poverty by a gang of extortionists, headed by Frank Zuko (Jim Bracchita), childhood classmate and schoolyard tormentor of Detective Raymond Vecchio (David Marciano). In order to free Paducci and others from Zuko's iron grip, Ray must personally stand up to the bullying gang boss. Meanwhile, Fraser (Paul Gross) has quite a time avoided the amorous advance of Ray's sister Francesca (Ramona Milano). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

First telecast February 5, 1994, this episode is an emotional showcase for Dr. Beverly Crusher. Not long after attending the funeral of her grandmother Felisa Howard, Dr. Crusher begins to experience curious and bizarre happenings. All evidence indicates that she has fallen under the spell of Ronin (Duncan Regehr), the Howard family's resident ghost. "Sub Rosa" was scripted by Brannon Braga, from a story by Jeri Taylor. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This episode is set in Ireland, where Jessica (Angela Lansbury) has arrived to research a new book in the company of her college colleague, retired Irish detective Sean Culhane (George Hearn). Invited to stay at the home of wealthy developer Neal Gillen (Dakin Matthews), Jessica and Sean are among those present when Gillen suddenly dies, presumably of natural causes. It turns out, however, that Gillen's death may have been premeditated--and may also have been tied in with a local legend concerning the spirit of a "crying woman." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Howard Franklin wrote and directed this film noir character study based on the famed New York Daily News photographer Weegee. Joe Pesci plays a character named Bernstein, a freelance photographer for the New York City tabloids of the 1940s. His life is dedicated to his work; with a police radio under the dashboard of his car and a darkroom in his trunk, he quickly and efficiently races to the scene of crimes, accidents and murders to snap photographs of gangsters, politicians, cops, and prostitutes, which he promptly delivers to the newspapers. His knack for arriving at a crime scene before the police earns him the nickname the Great Bernzini. The trouble begins for Bernstein when he agrees to look up a gangster for Kay (Barbara Hershey), the sexy owner of a fancy Manhattan nightclub. After making inquiries, Bernstein traces the man Kay is looking for, but he turns up dead. When he informs the police, he becomes a suspect in the murder; it also turns out that the FBI is interested the case. Bernstein then uncovers an elaborate conspiracy concerning gas rationing, the mob, and the government. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

In a futuristic world, the U.S. is ruled by a repressive government that bans most forms of media. As part of the enforcement, a cop (Billy Zane) is sent to the rebel state of Megaville on an undercover mission to infiltrate an unlawful media organization. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide

Charles Bronson at 63 or so, continues his vigilante persona in this run-of-the-mill crime drama about a Richard Speck-style killer who knifes young nurses to death. There is no doubt that the film exploits both the heinous, 1966 Speck murder of eight nurses in Chicago and an audience's willingness to go along with the Bronson character, Leo Kessler, when he uses illegal means to entrap criminals. The captured killer, Warren Stacey (Gene Davis) manages to go free because of red tape and the need to wait for the outcome of his insanity plea. When he returns to his murderous predilection, Kessler takes action to permanently stop him. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Martin Scorsese's brutal character study incisively portrays the true rise and fall and redemption of middleweight boxer Jake La Motta, a violent man in and out of the ring who thrives on his ability (and desire) to take a beating. Opening with the spectacle of the over-the-hill La Motta (Robert De Niro) practicing his 1960s night-club act, the film flashes back to 1940s New York, when Jake's career is on the rise. Despite pressure from the local mobsters, Jake trusts his brother Joey (Joe Pesci) to help him make it to a title bout against Sugar Ray Robinson the honest way; the Mob, however, will not cave in. Jake gets the title bout, and blonde teenage second wife Vickie (Cathy Moriarty), but success does nothing to exorcise his demons, even as he channels his rage into boxing. Alienating Vickie and Joey, and disastrously gaining weight, Jake has destroyed his personal and professional lives by the 1950s. After he hits bottom, however, Jake emerges with a gleam of self-awareness, as he sits rehearsing Marlon Brando's On the Waterfront speech in his dressing room mirror: "I coulda been a contender, I coulda been somebody." Working with a script adapted by Mardik Martin and Paul Schrader from La Motta's memoirs, Scorsese and De Niro sought to make an uncompromising portrait of an unlikable man and his ruthless profession. Eschewing uplifting Rocky-like boxing movie conventions, their Jake is relentlessly cruel and self-destructive; the only peace he can make is with himself. Michael Chapman's stark black-and-white photography creates a documentary/tabloid realism; the production famously shut down so that De Niro could gain 50-plus pounds. Raging Bull opened in late 1980 to raves for its artistry and revulsion for its protagonist; despite eight Oscar nominations, it underperformed at the box office, as audiences increasingly turned away from "difficult" films in the late '70s and early '80s. The Academy concurred, passing over Scorsese's work for Best Director and Picture in favor of Robert Redford and Ordinary People, although De Niro won a much-deserved Oscar, as did the film's editor, Thelma Schoonmaker. Oscar or no Oscar, Raging Bull has often been cited as the best American film of the 1980s. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide

This speculative made-for-TV drama examines the courtship and early marital life of Mary and Joseph before the birth of their remarkable son, Jesus. The film is also known as the Beginning Was Love. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this drama, a conscientious mental patient tries to be freed from an asylum after he sees the guards beating up other patients. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

J. Lee Thompson directs Charles Bronson in this strange western variation on Herman Melville's Moby Dick. Bronson plays a man named James Otis, who is disturbed by dreams of a giant white buffalo. He returns to the west under his new name --Wild Bill Hickok. Amongst his travels, he meets Chief Crazy Horse (Will Sampson), who is roaming the plains in an obsessive search for the giant white buffalo that killed his young daughter. Chief Crazy Horse wants to slay the beast in revenge for his daughter's death, and Wild Bill Hickok teams up with him to hunt down the giant white buffalo. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide