Simon Elise Girard Movies
One of the only survivors of a man-made plague joins forces with a team of private warriors in a bid to save what's left of the Earth in this sequel to Resident Evil, the big-screen adaptation of the popular video game. Picking up where the first film left off, Resident Evil: Apocalypse finds Alice (Milla Jovovich) still battling the living dead who are overtaking Raccoon City, inoculated with an anti-virus by the nefarious and all-powerful Umbrella Corporation (in addition to the virus itself). Alice encounters Jill Valentine (Sienna Guillory), a former member of Umbrella's internal defense team. Forming an alliance with mercenary-for-hire Carlos Olivera (Oded Fehr) and his cohorts, this tiny band of survivors seeks out Dr. Charles Ashford (Jared Harris), Umbrella's top scientist and one of the only men with the know-how to find a solution to the zombie menace; however, they discover that Ashford's cooperation comes with a price -- the scientist's daughter Angie (Sophie Vavasseur) is missing, and he'll help Alice and her partners only if Angie is returned to him safe and sound. Resident Evil: Apocalypse was the first solo directorial credit for Alexander Witt, who previously distinguished himself as a cinematographer and second-unit director. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Milla Jovovich, Sienna Guillory, (more)
- 2003
This 200th episode of ER (actually the 201st in the syndicated package) occurs during a solar eclipse, with the action alternating between the day and night shifts at County General. Holding down the day shift is a bone-weary Carter (Noah Wyle), who must contend with the victims of a cult mass suicide, among many other trying cases. And during the night shift, Pratt (Mekhi Phifer), ostensibly making his final round as a resident, is "redeemed" as he treats a woman whose unborn child was viciously cut from her womb. In other developments, Corday (Alex Kingston) tries to ease the mind of Romano (Paul McCrane) as he prepares to have his injured hand and forearm amputated; and the ER receives an urgent phone call from Kovac (Goran Visnjic) in Africa. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2003
Carter (Noah Wyle) takes temporary leave of both the ER and his girlfriend, Abby (Maura Tierney), and flies to the Congo, there to join a Doctors Without Borders mission wherein Kovac (Goran Visnjic) is treating patients in a backward nation undergoing a bloody revolution. It is quite a culture shock for Carter, who struggles to cope with deplorable working conditions, virtually no medical supplies, and the constant threat of a bullet in the head from either the government or rebel troops. The climax finds the doctors trying to save a child who has been wounded during a brief but violent skirmish. Filmed on location in Hawaii, this was the final episode of ER's ninth season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Before Jayson Blair made headlines for his plagiarized New York Times reporting, Stephen Glass defamed the weekly current events magazine The New Republic with a series of eye-catching, entertaining, and completely fabricated stories. Now Glass' trail of lies gets the big-screen treatment in writer/director Billy Ray's Shattered Glass, featuring Hayden Christensen in the title role. The film chronicles Glass' time at the magazine in the late '90s, when his colorful coverage of a hedonistic Young Republican convention, superstar web hackers, and the circus surrounding the Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky scandal made him the toast of the publishing world, garnering attention from such national publications as George and Rolling Stone. Barely out of college, the eager Glass ingratiates himself with the office staff, including his mentor, managing editor Michael Kelly (Hank Azaria). But when Kelly is unceremoniously fired and replaced with editor Chuck Lane (Peter Sarsgaard), Glass' pieces come under a greater degree of scrutiny, until one in particular threatens to expose his tall tales to the rest of the world. Based in part on a Vanity Fair article by journalist Buzz Bissinger, Shattered Glass premiered at the Telluride and Toronto film festivals before its limited fall theatrical release. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hayden Christensen, Peter Sarsgaard, (more)
This remake of the classic 1975 science fiction film follows the same basic story line but focuses far more on the sports action of the fictional game at its center. Chris Klein stars as all-American athlete Jonathan Cross, the most popular player of "Rollerball," a violent 21st century sport mixing elements of basketball, hockey, roller derby, and extreme sports, along with the development of live wagering that tracks each game's action. Along with his friends and teammates Marcus (L.L. Cool J) and Aurora (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos), Jonathan is living the life of a media celebrity and millionaire, enjoying the adoration of fans and all of the perks that his fame brings. When the creator of Rollerball, Alexi Petrovich (Jean Reno), realizes that the sport's ratings spike during the on-court accidents that are de rigueur for the game, he schemes to create the bloody incidents that are popular with viewers but put the athletes in mortal jeopardy. Soon, Jonathan and his friends find themselves pawns in a vast corporate conspiracy in which their lives are far less important than profits. Rollerball (2002) also stars pop singer Pink in her acting debut. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Klein, Jean Reno, (more)
- 1991
- R
Picking up where Scanners left off, this sequel has good and evil scanners combatting when a crooked politician schemes to gain control of a major city. Scanners are people who, because their mothers had taken a certain drug during pregnancy, have acquired telepathic powers. Here, a "bad-guy" scanner escapes from a mental center and is hired by the politician to use his powers to gain control of others' minds, and then, their actions. A "good-guy" scanner teams with his sister to thwart these plans. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Hewlett, Deborah Raffin, (more)
