Tracy Vilar Movies
- 2001
A playground sandbox unexpectedly yields the nude body of a woman covered with whip and restraint marks. The ensuing investigation leads a slightly embarrassed Grissom (William L. Petersen) and Catherine (Marg Helgenberger) to an underground fetish club. And in another case, Warrick (Gary Dourdan) and Sara (Jorja Fox) must determine if a fatal shooting occurred during or after a robbery. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The 1995 novel by Dr. Gene Brewer becomes this drama from director Iain Softley. After a mugging incident at New York's Grand Central Station, Prot (Kevin Spacey), a man who claims to be an alien from the planet K-PAX, is turned over to a public mental hospital and the care of Dr. Mark Powell (Jeff Bridges). When medication fails to alter Prot's insistence that he is visiting from another world on a fact-finding mission, Powell gets more involved with his patient, who seems to have a calming effect on the other residents of his ward. At first convinced that Prot is a delusional who can be treated, Powell begins to wonder if his bizarre patient's story is true, particularly after the hospital's doctors find that Prot possesses the baffling ability to see ultraviolet light. As the date grows nearer when Prot claims he must leave Earth (a "class BA-III planet"), Powell becomes increasingly concerned that a psychiatric breakthrough must occur by then. K-PAX (2001) co-stars Alfre Woodard and Mary McCormack. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges, (more)
- 1999
The recently demoted Dornan (Richard Gant) returns to the 15th in search of a stash of illegal weapons. This leads to a racial-political crisis, culminating in interdepartmental ill will and a gunshot wound for Lt. Fancy (James McDaniel). On another front, a mother positively identifies the body of her daughter, found in a ditch -- but this turns out to be part of an elaborate scam when the "dead" girl shows up very much alive. And, in her continuing efforts to console herself to Bobby Simone's death, Diane (Kim Delaney) pays a visit to Henry (Willie Garson), unofficial caretaker of Bobby's pigeons. Former recurring actor Bill Brochtrup becomes a regular in the role of gay Anti-Crime Unit assistant John Irvin. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1997
Adapted from Deborah Scaling-Kiley and Meg Noonan's fact-based novel Albatross, Two Came Back stars Melissa Joan Hartas one of five teenaged crew members of the 60-foot yacht they have built themselves.Taking their vessel to sea in order to deliver it to a potential buyer, the kids run into some really nasty weather. The yacht sinks, leaving the teens to fend for themselves against the merciless elements. Well, the title says that two will survive, and the opening scene lets us know which two--but still, there's a reasonable amount of suspense before the heroine and her co-survivor make it back to dry land. Made for television, Two Came Back debuted September 28, 1997 on ABC. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jonathan Brandis, Melissa Joan Hart, (more)
- 1997
Everyone in the ER is on call after a devastating accident involving a police car and a school bus. Carol (Julianna Margulies) may lose her job thanks to the accusations of a drugged-up patient whom she found sprawled in the bathroom in a pool of blood. In trying to stem another patient's bleeding, Jeanie (Gloria Reuben) may have exposed him to AIDs. Greene's (Anthony Edwards) bedside manner deteriorates as his domestic problems increase. And Al (Michael Beach) is fired after revealing that he is HIV-positive. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1997
- R
In this hard-edged drama with a strong undercurrent of dark comedy, Stretch (Tim Roth) and Spoon (Tupac Shakur) are two friends who share both a passion for music and a dependence on heroin. Stretch and Spoon play in a jazz combo with Cookie (Thandie Newton), and after a New Year's Eve gig, they score drugs and get high together. Cookie lacks her friends' experience with hard drugs and soon ends up in the hospital after a severe overdose. Cookie's brush with death turns out to be a serious reality check for Stretch and Spoon, and they decide that it's time to kick drugs and get clean and sober. But both men know that they can't get off heroin on their own, and therein lies the problem; as they try to navigate a complex maze of social service agencies (who can't help them get treatment because they aren't on welfare), drug treatment facilities (one of which turns them away because they're only equipped to handle alcoholics), and hospitals (where, in order to be admitted as emergency patients, Stretch and Spoon ponder how to go about stabbing each other) in search of a detox program. The two friends begin to wonder if it might simply be easier to stay on drugs than to get healthy. Gridlock'd marked the feature film directorial debut for actor Vondie Curtis Hall, best known for his work on the TV series Chicago Hope; Elizabeth Pena and John Sayles both appear in supporting roles. Rap musician-turned actor Tupac Shakur, who played Spoon, died in a drive-by shooting four months prior to the release of this film. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tim Roth, Tupac Shakur, (more)
- 1997
This first episode of ER's fourth season originally aired live on September 25, 1997, with two separate telecasts for the East and West Coasts. A TV documentary crew follows Dr. Mark Greene (Anthony Edwards) during a "typical" shift in the emergency room of Chicago's County General Hospital. Still not completely recovered from a brutal beating, Greene is none too happy about being a "TV star," sentiments shared by the ER's attending physician Kerry Weaver (Laura Innes), who regards the camera crew as an invasion of everyone's privacy. As it turns out, the documentary makers get more than they bargained for as they record for posterity a gang fight, an out-of-control patient, and a heart attack. In the midst of all this confusion, Dr. Elizabeth Corday (Alex Kingston) arrives from England to witness American surgical procedures. The syndicated version of "Ambush" combines scenes from both the East and West Coast broadcasts, expunging a number of conspicuous continuity errors and an embarrassing moment in which a crucial prop is misplaced. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Illeana Douglas delivers a superb performance as Denise Waverly, a fictional singer and songwriter whose life bears more than a passing resemblance to that of real-life pop star Carole King. Edna Buxton, the daughter of a Philadelphia steel tycoon, aspires to a career as a singer, and when against her mother's bidding she sings a sultry version of "Hey There (You With the Stars in Your Eyes)" (instead of Mom's choice, "You'll Never Walk Alone") at a talent contest, she wins a recording contact and moves to New York City. She cuts a record and gains a new stage name, Denise Waverly; however, she soon finds that girl singers are a dime a dozen in the Big Apple and her career as a vocalist goes nowhere. But she has a knack for writing songs, and eccentric producer Joel Milner (John Turturro) asks her to pen some songs for his upcoming projects. Teamed with Howard Caszatt (Eric Stoltz), a hipster songwriter who wants to express his political and social ideals through pop tunes, she finds both a successful collaborator and husband. While her work with Howard gains Denise writing credits on a string of hit records and respect within the industry, their marriage falls apart, and she becomes involved with Jay Phillips (Matt Dillon), the gifted but unstable leader of a popular West Coast surf music combo. Students of pop music history will have a ball with the various characters modeled after real-life rock legends, and the 1960s-style song score includes numbers written by Joni Mitchell and J. Mascis (of the band Dinosaur Jr.), as well as one-time King collaborator Gerry Goffin; a collaboration between Elvis Costello and Burt Bacharach, "God Give Me Strength," led to a full album written by the two great tunesmiths. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Illeana Douglas, Matt Dillon, (more)
