Janine Eser Movies
James Spader stars in the made-for-TV movie Alien Hunter. Berkley professor Dr. Julian Rome (Spader) is a former code-reader for the government project known as Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. His skills are needed to assist Dr. Alexi Gierach (Nikolai Binev) in the Antarctic, where strange radio signals are detected. As Julian tries to understand the hidden messages in the signals, he comes into conflict with his fellow scientists Dr. Michael Straub (John Lynch) and Dr. Kate Brecher (Janine Eser). Alien Hunter originally aired in the U.S. on the Sci Fi Channel. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
- Starring:
- James Spader, Janine Eser, (more)
- 2000
Jim (Ben Gazzara) is a has-been American clarinetist living in Wales who makes a paltry living playing gigs in third-tier seaside towns. When one of his geriatric audience keels over dead from a heart attack, Jim makes the acquaintance of Hugo (Thomas Schmauser), a young German who works for the town undertaker. Hugo wants to be his own boss, but despite the town's high mortality rate, he is having trouble striking out on his own because his ex-employer has all of the necessary contacts. With Jim's help and friendship, Hugo finally gets his opportunity, and is also aided by a lusty nurse who gives him an "in" on the fresh corpses at her hospital. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ben Gazzara, Michael Fitzgerald, (more)
- 1999
In this drama, a man dealing with the ghosts of his past defends a child whose cultural dictates differ with the law. Sean Raine (Gavin Hood) was born and raised in South Africa, but during his time as a soldier in that nation's army, he killed a young black man by mistake while fighting in Angola and has been plagued with guilt ever since. He left South Africa soon after; in time, he studied law and became a successful corporate attorney. While visiting South Africa for the first time in nine years, Sean and his wife Jennifer (Janine Eser) meet a herd boy named Sipho (Loyiso Gxwala) during a canoe trip. As they're returning to camp, Sean and Jennifer meet Sipho again, but this time he's in shock, standing motionless with a bloody axe in his hand as his mother carries the body of a baby with a fatal head injury. When questioned, Sipho asserts that what he killed was not a human infant but a tikoloshe, a creature cursed with evil spirits. Sean offers to defend Sipho, and as he stands before the court, he tries to explain to the judge (Nigel Hawthorne) and jury that Sipho was acting sincerely, in accordance with his faith, and therefore did not truly commit a crime. Actor Gavin Hood made his debut as a writer and director with this film, as well as playing the leading role. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Gavin Hood, Nigel Hawthorne, (more)
- 1998
Filmed in South Africa, this lengthy biographical drama details events in the life of 19th-century British imperialist Cecil Rhodes (Martin Shaw) through an extensive series of overlapping flashbacks. The BBC original ran for eight hours, but for telecasting in the United States, the BBC edited the film down to six hours. The U.S. premiere was on PBS' Masterpiece Theater on January 4-6, 1998. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Russell Baker, Martin Shaw, (more)
This four-hour fantasy miniseries, elaborating on the Arthurian legend and filmed in England and Wales, offers a portrait of the wizard Merlin (Sam Neill), following his life as a youth (Daniel Brocklebank) to his later conflicts with the evil Queen Mab (Miranda Richardson) and his love for Nimue (Isabella Rossellini), who is kidnapped by Lord Vortigern (Rutger Hauer). Amid battles and displays of magic and mysticism (courtesy of London's Framestore and the Jim Henson Creature Shop), Merlin strides the English countryside encountering Excalibur, the unbreakable sword, and a Camelot cast of colorful characters including the morphing manservant Frik (Martin Short), Morgan le Fey (Helena Bonham Carter), King Arthur (Paul Curran), Lancelot (Jeremy Sheffield), and Guinevere (Lena Heady). Premiered April 26, 1998 on NBC. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sam Neill, Isabella Rossellini, (more)
A solemn look at South African apartheid, Arthur Penn's claustrophobic drama centers on a pair of political interrogations, separated by a decade. The film's first part, set in 1988, centers on the imprisonment of Marty Strydom (Eric Stoltz), an Afrikaaner university professor held as a political prisoner under suspicion of conspiring with anti-government forces. His case falls into the hands of the villainous Colonel Kruger (Nigel Hawthorne), a brilliant and evil torturer determined to break the idealistic Strydom's spirit. The conclusion takes place nearly a decade later, after apartheid's fall. Now it is Krueger who is under confinement, and subjected to unrelenting questioning from a black South African (Louis Gossett Jr.) looking to beat Kruger at his own manipulative game. While offering numerous powerful confrontations between its characters, Bima Stagg's screenplay provides few narrative surprises, and some may find the film's limited setting and bare-bones treatments monotonous. However, Penn's stark style suits the harsh subject matter and keeps the focus strongly upon the cast, who provide appropriately intense performances. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi
- Starring:
- Eric Stoltz, Nigel Hawthorne, (more)
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