Heather Donahue Movies
An unknown actress with experience in the theater and improv, Heather Donahue jump-started her movie career as one of the three ill-fated filmmakers in the 1999 horror sensation The Blair Witch Project. After studying acting, doing theater in her hometown of Philadelphia, and appearing on stage in London and New York, Donahue's improv skills were put to unusual use in The Blair Witch Project. Cast as the pushy director of the eponymous documentary, Donahue, along with costars Joshua Leonard and Michael Williams, only received brief instructions from directors Eduardo Sanchez and Daniel Myrick about what their character were to do, and took turns wielding the film's 16mm and video cameras. Shot on a minute budget, screened at midnight at the Sundance Film Festival, and inventively marketed as a "real" documentary with an Internet site detailing the legend, The Blair Witch Project became an unexpected summer blockbuster. The ultra-low tech visual aesthetic, unseen terrors, and the cast's palpable -- and occasionally genuine -- fear petrified audiences and spawned the almost-inevitable comic parodies. Donahue's tear-stained, close-up apology/confessional in particular inspired numerous take-offs. After her initial cinematic success, Donahue returned to multiplex screens as part of the supporting cast in the teen-targeted college romance Boys and Girls (2000). ~ Lucia Bozzola, Rovi
Jeff Fahey, Robert Beltran, Chase Masterson, and Heather Donahue star in Walking Tall: The Payback and Walking Tall: Lone Justice director Tripp Reed's horrific tale of an army battalion that sets out into war-torn Iraq to locate a missing news crew, but instead comes face to face with an ancient evil beyond human comprehension. As the battle rages on in Iraq, reports emerge that a news crew has mysteriously vanished after embarking on a dangerous assignment. Now, as a war-weary squadron of Army soldiers set out to ensure that the crew find their way home safely, they are forced to contend with a mythical winged beast that has lain dormant for centuries. Awakened by power-hungry leaders who would seek to retain control of this crucial parcel of land, this merciless beast decimates the ranks of the terrified squadron as it takes flight once again to dominate the desert skies. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Beltran, Jeff Fahey, (more)
Executive-produced by Steven Spielberg, the ten-episode, 20-hour miniseries Taken was one of the most ambitious projects undertaken by cable TV's Sci-Fi Network, ultimately costing 40 million dollars -- a price that proved well worth it, inasmuch as the series posted the network's highest-ever ratings. Covering a period from 1947 to the present, the story focused on three different families, each of whom was profoundly affected by extraterrestrial visitation. The Keys family was headed by WWII bomber pilot Russell Keys (Steve Burton), who spent virtually his entire adult life haunted by his "close encounter" with aliens. The Clarkes were originally represented by lonely Texas waitress Sally Clarke (Catherine Dent), who was impregnated by a charming stranger (Eric Close) who turned out to be an alien survivor of the Roswell crash. And the lives of the Crawfords were dictated by ruthless Army officer Owen Crawford (Joel Gretsch), who was determined to prove that the government had covered up the truth about Roswell by dedicating his life to tracking down all space aliens and their half-human descendants. The story was narrated by Allie Keys (Dakota Fanning), a "hybrid" child of the present day, whose story determined the outcome of the final episodes. Boasting impressive computer-generated special effects and eye-popping facial makeup, Taken was seen over a two-week period, beginning December 2, 2002, and ending on December 13. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dakota Fanning, Alonso Oyarzun, (more)
It's not uncommon to invite your friends to help you paint your house or move your home, but one twenty-something has something a bit different in mind in this character-driven comedy-drama. Five years after graduating from college, Ellie (Tina Holmes) and her boyfriend Tim (Daniel Serafini-Sauli) have decided to invite a few of their old classmates to their home along the coast of Maine for a weekend reunion. Sid (Eion Bailey) is a would-be actor still trying to get his career off the ground. Whit (Heather Donahue) is a tart-tongued low-level editor with a noted fashion magazine. Peter (Adam Scott) is an openly gay author and frequent source of venomous gossip. Blair (Petra Wright) is good friend of Ellie, and one of the few college pals that she's stayed in touch with through the years; Blair has also brought along her boyfriend, Matthew (Devon Gummersall). As the weekend wears on, with the various personalities and egos not always meshing especially well, Ellie confesses to Blair that she has an ulterior motive for bringing her friends to her home. It seems that Ellie's parents died two years ago, leaving their children a heavy burden of debt, while she was recently let go from her job counseling handicapped children. The house is the only significant asset Ellie has left -- and if it were to burn down, the insurance settlement would more than cover her debts and allow her to start over. So would Ellie's friends be interested in helping to stage a bit of old-fashioned arson? Shot on location using digital video equipment, Seven and a Match was the first feature project from writer and director Derek Simonds. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tina Holmes, Eion Bailey, (more)
A guy looking for a break in the movie biz discovers the power of word of mouth in this satirical comedy. Kevin Taylor (Jordan Bridges) is an aspiring screenwriter who has pulled up stakes and moved to Los Angeles to pursue his dream. While working a day job, Kevin meets Marianne Roxbury (Marisa Coughlan), who is trying to work her way up the Hollywood ladder as a production executive. Biz-savvy Marianne advises Kevin that it makes more sense to spend his days schmoozing and making contacts rather than writing if he actually wants to get paid for his work and see it on a screen. With this in mind, Kevin takes a job as an assistant to Muster Hansau (Dan Hedaya), a once-powerful producer whose career is in a downward spiral. Kevin comes to realize he's merely a glorified errand boy for a washed-up blowhard, and the only people he meets are fellow lackeys with little real pull in the business, so he decides to have some fun and starts talking up a screenplay called "The New Suit" by Jordan Strawberry, even though both the script and the writer exist only in his imagination. Not wanting to sound out of the loop, no one admits they don't know anything about Strawberry and his work, and before long gossip has turned "The New Suit" into the most sought-after project in town, and Kevin finds himself controlling the destiny of a hot new writer who doesn't exist. The first American film from French director François Velle, New Suit also features Heather Donahue, Paul McCrane, and Amber Smith. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jordan Bridges, Marisa Coughlan, (more)
Combining Hi-8 video with black-and-white 16 mm film, this film presents a raw look at what can happen when college students forego common sense and enter the world of voodoo and witchcraft. Presented as a straightforward documentary, the film opens with a title card explaining that in 1994, three students went into the Maryland back woods to do a film project on the Blair Witch incidents. These kids were never seen again, and the film you are about to see is from their recovered equipment, found in the woods a year later. The entire movie documents their adventures leading up to their final minutes. The Blair Witch incident, as we initially learn from the local town elders, is an old legend about a group of witches who tortured and killed several children many years ago. Everyone in town knows the story and they're all sketchy on the details. Out in the woods and away from their parked car (and civilization), what starts as a school exercise turns into a nightmare when the three kids lose their map. Forced to spend extra days finding their way out, the kids then start to hear horrific sounds outside their tents in the pitch-black middle of night. They also find strange artifacts from (what can only be) the Blair Witch, still living in the woods. Frightened, they desperately try to find their way out of the woods, with no luck. Slowly these students start to unravel, knowing they have no way of getting out, no food, and it's getting cold. Each night they are confronted with shrieking and sounds so haunting that they are convinced someone is following them, and they quickly begin to fear for their lives. The film premiered in the midnight movie section at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Chris Gore, Rovi
- Starring:
- Heather Donahue, Michael Williams, (more)
In this romantic comedy, good friends change their feelings about each other over the course of their four years in college. Ryan (Freddie Prinze Jr.) and Jennifer (Claire Forlani) have known each other since grade school, though their oil-and-water personalities don't always mesh. Engineering student Ryan focuses on his studies and future career, while Jennifer likes loud music, partying, and not doing her homework. As they suffer their share of disastrous relationships, these two opposites begin to wonder if they were meant to be more than friends. The supporting cast includes Jason Biggs as Ryan's loudmouth roommate Hunter, Amanda Detmer as Jennifer's neurotic pal Amy, Alyson Hannigan as Ryan's sometime girlfriend Betty, and Heather Donahue, who is no worse for wear after her experiences in the Maryland woods in The Blair Witch Project. Director Robert Iscove also worked with Prinze on She's All That (1999). ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Freddie Prinze, Jr., Claire Forlani, (more)
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