Lee Holmes Movies

Japanese filmmaker Yoshifumi Hosoya, who has lived in the States since 1984, follows up on his directorial debut Sleepy Heads -- an offbeat look at Japanese ex-pats living in New York -- with this caper comedy featuring a cast of such indie luminaries as Ben Gazzara and Elizabeth Ashley. The film centers around a lonely Hoboken widow named Beth (Ashley) who lives with her two slacker grandsons, Gabe (Jayce Bartok) and Brad (Lee Holmes). The two dream of opening a pizza shop together but have a hard time even getting off the living room couch. One day, Beth has her wedding ring appraised and learns that it is worth ten million dollars. Soon, the story gets the attention of the local media, and a number of shady characters -- including an aging thief (Gazzara), his Chinese sidekick (Ken Leung), and Beth's own drool-mouth grandkids -- who hope to relieve the widow of her riches. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

Morgan J. Freeman directed this comedy-drama that takes place in the desert town of Baxter Beach, California, where the locals, lookers, visitors and slackers include dreamer Blue (Brendan Sexton III), pipe-bomb babe Ely (Christina Ricci), all-terrain-vehicle champ Pete (Casey Affleck), nerdy Sandy (Sara Gilbert), TV star Skye (Kate Hudson), and chubby Cale (Ethan Suplee). Blue's dad, who had hoped to bring water to the town, died mysteriously in a hotel fire, leaving an abandoned water slide, and Blue hopes to fulfill his father's dream by completing the water slide attraction. Actress Skye is just passing through with her father, a pop-culture prof. (John Heard), but they're forced to stay in town after a truck-spill leads to a quarantine and the presence of both an FBI agent (Michael Ironside) and an EPA agent (Aunjanue Ellis). Skye gets caught up in local fun and games (orange baseball, potato cannon salvos), while her dad reminisces about the '60s with UFO fanatic Caroline (Lucinda Jenney). Shown at the 1998 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

A group of hard-working, young North Carolinians amuse themselves in the evenings by forming a band. This ensemble comedy chronicles their experiences. Tony Ridge is the singer/songwriter. Though talented, he is so introverted that he can only play his music in a closet. After he loses his day job, his out-going friend Charlie Flagg suggests he try to become a professional musician. Tony decides to give it a go, but first they need a band. They choose stoner guitarist Wynn Knapp, who despite his perpetual drug-inspired haze is really good, and then the volatile Eric Ellwood as their bassist. Ellwood is extremely eager to get the money rolling in as he is deeply in debt to a big, mean loan shark. Unfortunately, the shark has Ellwood's bass. The four then stage a break-in and get it back. After practice, their band Circus Monkey is finally ready to perform. At least they think so and go to play at a frat party. Unfortunately they bomb because their music isn't hard enough for the rowdy, drunken kids. Undaunted, they continue on and eventually score themselves a manager with Linus Tate, a sage but quiet man. Together they set out across the South in hope of launching their careers, playing at any club that will have them. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi