Michael J. Burg Movies
Neil Jordan's The Brave One stars Jodie Foster as a happy woman whose life changes irrevocably after a brutal assault leaves her partner (Naveen Andrews) dead. The woman, feeling that the police investigation will be unable to catch the perpetrators, begins to live in constant fear. This outlook results in the woman eventually dispatching vigilante justice. Terrence Howard co-stars as the officer in charge of the investigation. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard, (more)
Director Yongman Kim draws inspiration from Dante's Inferno for this tale of a Buddhist Monk who longs to help his beautiful and troubled neighbor, but whose deliberate attempt to refuse to choose between righteousness of evil results in torturous inner conflict. Chris (Ivo Velon) makes a marginal living by sketching portraits in Washington Square Park, and attempts to maintain an optimistic mindset despite inhabiting a city that has been hopelessly corrupted by greed, poverty, and rebellion. In the center of this swirling cesspool, Chris envisions his teenage neighbor Lotusia (Diana Gitelman) as a symbol of purity. When the discovery of a hole in his wall reveals that the deeply disturbed Lotusia has suffered horrific abuse at the hands of her parents and is prostituting herself in a twisted effort to come to terms with her dire situation, Chris resists the urge to reach out to the young girl and instead meditates on the Chinese symbol "MU" -- which represents emptiness and detachment. When Lotusia accidentally kills an innocent man while attempting to exorcise her inner demons, Chris feels his morals shattered and sets out in pursuit of the frightened girl in hopes of finally providing the comfort that she so deeply desires. Despite Chris' valiant efforts, fate appears to have other, decidedly darker, plans in store for the conflicted monk and the desperate object of his affections. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ivo Velon, Diana Gitelman, (more)
A woman is forced to decide which of her dreams she'd like to come true in this musical-comedy drama. Billie Golden (Isabel Rose) is a young woman who dreams of being a successful cabaret singer and often imagines herself performing in a swank lounge or starring in a classic movie musical of the 1940s. At the moment, however, Billie is singing in a dingy cocktail lounge near an airport and lives in a ramshackle row house in Queens with her hard-drinking mother (Alix Korey). One day, Billie bumps into an old friend from high school, Greg Ellenbogen (Cameron Bancroft); as it happens, Greg is now a very successful lawyer, and he still carries a torch for Billie. While Greg loves Billie and can easily give her all the creature comforts of life, she's also infatuated with Elliot (Andrew McCarthy), a hipster piano player who believes in her abilities as a singer. When Greg asks Billie for her hand in marriage, she's forced to decide between love and security or the career in music for which she's always longed. Also screened under the title Standard Time, Anything but Love includes an appearance by legendary entertainer Eartha Kitt; leading lady Rose also wrote the film's screenplay. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Isabel Rose, Andrew McCarthy, (more)
- 2001
The detectives launch an investigation when the body of a Hispanic male is found. The victim turns out to have been an illegal immigrant, one of several involved in a racket wherein automobile accidents are staged. Though many people are implicated in the accident scam -- a chiropractor, an insurance adjuster, a corrupt lawyer -- the DA's office must determine who will be held solely responsible for the murder. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
