Mira Furlan Movies

Serbian director Goran Markovic's über-black comedy Turneja (The Tour), marks an anomaly: a war film that deliberately thrives on its audience's poor recognition of the nuances belying its central conflict; a tragicomedy at heart, it uses its lack of onscreen sociopolitical and historical exposition as an advantage that enables it to meditate on the pointlessness and anarchy of war per se. The year is 1993, the theater some of the dingiest and most poverty-stricken corners of the Bosnian War. At the heart of it all is a Belgrade-based theatrical troupe embarking on a risky stop-by-stop tour of Bosnia, trekking from city to city to city. Listless and bored, they spend the majority of their offstage lives frittering away every second by arguing and playing cards, save those rare occasions when the members march onto the stage to perform a production of Jacques Feydeau's play A Flea in Her Ear. Of the members: ex-husband-and-wife Zaki (Josif Tatic) and Sonja acrimoniously squabble with one another, much to the dismay of Misko (Dragan Nikolic), while skirt-chaser Lale (Gordan Kicic) nurses an unrequited love for neophyte actress Jadranka (Jelena Dokic). Meanwhile, tour manager Stanislav (Tihomir Stanic) drums up the idea of a "hard-currency payday" to keep the locals entertained - not simply non-military personnel, but worn-out, run down troops in the region of Krajina not far from Belgrade, Yugoslavia. Circumstances take a significantly negative turn, however, when an officer with less-than-pure motives suggests (beneath a guise of deceptive innocence) that they give their earned monies to charity and that they politicize and propagandize their dramatic material to increase the morale of men at the front lines. Before long, the soldiers find themselves trekking through the sub-zero Eastern European wilderness, marching from camp to camp to camp and witnessing barbarous acts of inhumanity unmatched by anything in their prior experience. The inability of the men to tell one side from the other, throughout the film, underscores the chaotic mess and ludicrousness of the war per se. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Now that Hurley's (Jorge Garcia) CD player has finally "died," neither the survivors nor the viewers will be treated to those pop music snatches that have capped the previous episodes of Lost. This does not mean, however, that Hurley's importance to the series has diminished: in fact, this episode is all about him -- or rather, his fascination with the Frenchwoman who has been transmitting radio messages from the jungle interior of the island. Also, an extended flashback finally explains why Hurley had popped up on Korean TV in a prior episode's flashback. A boon of good luck had recently drastically changed Hurley's life; however, things were not as fortunate as they at first seemed, and Hurley had set off on a quest to determine the meaning of it all. And in another development, Locke (Terry O'Quinn) commits another act of largesse, with Claire (Emilie de Raven) and her baby as the recipients. ~ All Movie Guide

4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42. Push the button and prepare to be blown away by the groundbreaking television event USA Today calls "TV's best series." The multiple Emmy Award-winning drama reaches new heights in its spectacular second season as the survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 discover they are not alone in their battle against "the Others," and a contested decision to open the hatch reveals a new realm of mystery and intrigue. Prepare yourself for the DVD experience of Season Two, complete with over 8 hours of original bonus material you can't see anywhere else -- including unaired original flashbacks -- and you'll discover for yourself why "everything happens for a reason."

The long-awaited "backstory" for the popular syndicated science-fiction saga Babylon 5 was provided some five years after the series premiered, courtesy of the two-hour movie special Babylon Five: In the Beginning. Set in the year 2278, the film takes a backward glance at the Earth-Minbari war, as seen through the eyes of Londo Mollari (Peter Jurasik), now the emperor of Centauri. Detailed for the first time are the tragic beginnings of the war, the involvement of the Minbari Delenn (Mira Furlan), and the death of Dukaht (Raynor Scheine). In addition to featuring most of the series' current regulars, the film also brings back such early defectors as Lt. Cmdr. Jeffrey Sinclair (Michael O'Hare) and Ambassador Kosh (Ardwright Chamberlain). As a bonus, Claudia Christian appears unbilled in her familiar role of Lt. Cmdr. Susan Ivanova, here depicted as an 18-year-old civilian. The film was written by series producer J. Michael Straczynski, and later novelized by Peter David. First telecast on January 4, 1978, Babylon 5: In the Beginning launched the two-year association between Babylon 5 and the TNT cable network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

B5 once more plays reluctant host to mercurial Psi Cop Bester (Walter Koenig. This time, Bester is determined to arrest the Downbelow refugee Telepaths. Elsewhere, Garibaldi has a falling out with Captain Lochley, and Delenn arranges for Londo, who has just barely survived assassination, to be given a bodyguard. As the episode draws to a close, an important revelation is made vis-a-vis the relationship between Sheridan and Lochley. Written by J. Michael Straczynski, "Strange Relations" made its American broadcast premiere on February 25, 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Byron's refugee Telepaths issue an ultimatum to the Interstellar Alliance: Either give them a homeworld, or suffer the consequences. Meanwhile, Londo and his bodyguard visit Centauri Prime, where they are immediately swept up in intrigue and murder. The title of this episode was drawn from a quote which ends ". . .the one-eyed man is king" -- and as it turns out, the quote is more than just a proverb. Originally seen on March 18, 1998, "In the Kingdom of the Blind" was written by J. Michael Straczynski. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Garibaldi is dispatched to the Drazi homeworld in hopes of solving the mystery behind the violent attacks on the Alliance cargo ships. Alas, Garibaldi nearly scuttles the mission when he "falls off the wagon" once again. And a confused G'Kar finds himself the object of unsolicited scrutiny by a religious sect. A mixture of the heavy and humorous, "The Ragged Edge" was written by J. Michael Straczynski; the episode made its first American TV appearance on April 8, 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Having arrived at the Centauri border, Lennier locates the possible source of the recurring cargo-ship attacks. Lise's reunion with Garibaldi is blighted by his return to the Bottle. And Lyta, still promoting Byron's desire for a telepath homeworld, again acts as a mediator between the rogues and the Alliance. First broadcast in the United States on June 3, 1998, "Darkness Ascending" was written by J. Michael Straczynski. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

As the hostilities between Centauri and the Alliance intensifies, President Sheridan authorizes the deployment of the White Star Fleet. At request of Vir, Lyta and Franklin go on an errand of mercy to Drazi homeworld. And Delenn returns to Minbar to launch a vital Minbari-Earth construction project. Written by J. Michael Straczynski, "Movements of Fire and Shadow" first aired on June 17, 1998; the episode's cliffhanger ending would not be resolved until "The Fall of Centauri Prime" was telecast on October 28 of that same year. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Earlier in Babylon 5's fifth season, the relationship between former B5 captain Sheridan and his successor Lockley was revealed. In "The Wheel of Fire," Lochley discovers a hitherto unsuspected link between herself and Garibaldi. Meanwhile, another revelation, this one concerning Lyta, comes to surface when she is arrested; and G'Kar contends with his new flock of worshippers. First broadcast on November 4, 1998, "The Wheel of Fire" was written by November 4, 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In a followup to the November 4, 1998 episode "The Wheel of Fire", several residents of Babylon 5, including G'Kar, prepare to bid their final farewells to the space station. But crew members Lise and Michael have neither the time nor the inclination for goodbyes: They have just been informed of a plot to assassinate them both. Marjorie Monaghan appears as Number One, aka Tessa Holloron, Garibaldi's successor as head of security for the Alliance. Scripted by J. Michael Straczynski from a story by Straczynski and Harlan Ellison, "Objects in Motion" first aired on November 11, 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When it seemed certain that Babylon 5 would be cancelled at the end of the fourth season, a "finale" was filmed in May 1997. That episode, "Sleeping in Light" (aka "Farewell"), was withdrawn from the series' manifest when Babylon 5 was picked up for a fifth season by TNT. As it turned out, "Sleeping in Light" would not air until November 25, 1998, when the series finally ended its five-year run. Written by producer J. Michael Straczynski), this valedictory episode was set in 2281 AD, 20 years after the series' time-frame. As he prepares to shuffle off his mortal coil, John J. Sheridan, the former commander of Babylon 5, is visited by his old friends and colleagues. Among those gathering around Sheridan's bedside are his son David, his former fellow officer Susan Ivanova (now a General), ex-security chief Garibaldi, the recently retired Zack, and newly-installed Centauri emperor Vir. Several past Babylon 5 regulars make cameo appearances, as do series producers John Copeland and George Johnsen. "Sleeeping in Light" earned a 1999 Hugo Award nomination for Best Dramatic Presentation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide