Susan Misner Movies

An underwater action star attempts to keep his career afloat by convincing three property owners on the tiny Caribbean Island of Cayman Brac to sell their land to a billionaire real estate mogul. The star of the once-popular television series "Diver Down," Josh Anders (Michael J. Lombardi) is "Nature's Hero." But lately the ratings for "Diver Down" have hit the skids, forcing Josh to pad his income with public appearances at shopping malls and pet store openings. Just when it begins to appear that "Diver Down" will get the axe, however, powerful real estate mogul Martin Perkins approaches Josh with a proposition: convince a few locals on Cayman Brac to sell their land to Perkins so he can build a luxury resort, and Perkins will use his influence to get "Diver Down" off the chopping block. After all, Josh is still popular on Cayman Brac, so his mission should be a cakewalk. Arriving on the scenic Caribbean island determined to succeed, Josh charms the first two property owners into selling off without a hitch. Unfortunately for Josh, the third islander isn't about to budge. An ageing eccentric who owns a crumbling bed and breakfast, Rodgers Bowman isn't impressed by Josh's celebrity status, and he's content to live his last days soaking up sun on the beach. As Josh sets out to change Rodgers' mind, he comes to get better acquainted with the island thanks to a painfully shy little boy, and the beautiful but skeptical owner of a local dive shop. When tragedy strikes, Josh is forced to choose between maintaining his life as a TV action hero, or remaining on the island and becoming a true hero to the people of Cayman Brac. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Director Steve Stockman takes the helm for this semi-autobiographical comedy drama about an estranged family that comes together for one last goodbye, and finds their assumedly brief farewell inexorably dragged out for two excruciating weeks. Aging matriarch Anita (Sally Field) is dying, but before she goes, she has requested that her four grown children travel back home to visit their ailing mother on her deathbed. Eager to gain a better understanding of the dying process, daughter Emily purchases a variety of self-help books on the subject. Though brother Keith (Ben Chaplin) soon arrives determined to float through the process in typical L.A. Zen mode, Emily contends that the only way to be prepared for the future is to consider every detail that can go awry. When PR executive Barry arrives intent on getting some work done before death comes knocking, it appears as if he is more concerned with getting broadband Internet in the house than actually tending to his mother. Meanwhile, youngest brother Matthew sets at the sidelines biding his time as his unlikable wife, Katrina, callously speculates on which of the dying woman's luxurious jewels she will be inheriting. Now, as Anita begins to look back at her life while reflecting on the time spent with her family, the question of who will hold this family together once she is gone casts a melancholy shadow over her fond memories. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Six people in their early thirties come to terms with their own lives as they acknowledge the passing of a friend in this independent drama. Josh (Michael Knowles) was a successful and seemingly happy art dealer who one day jumped to his death from the window of his Manhattan high-rise apartment. A few days later, a handful of his friends arrive to help clear away his belongings and plan his funeral -- Sara (Susan Misner), his distraught former fiancée; Nick (Randall Batinkoff), a one-time professional athlete whose career is on the skids; Liz (Nicole Fonarow), an emotionally cool yuppie who arrives with her husband, Jim (Chris Henry Coffey); Dylan (Carl T. Evans), a misfit who still hasn't found his place in life; and Joann (Kristen Marie Holly), a socially and environmentally conscious type. No one seems to have any idea of what led Josh to take his own life. While clearing out the apartment, someone finds his journal, and temptation gets the better of them. As they begin to read it, they discover a side of their friend's life that they never knew before. Walking on the Sky was the first film for writer and director Carl T. Evans, who also appears as Dylan. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The talents of the CSI team are stretched to the limit when the unidentified and partially decomposed body of a woman is found stuffed in a shopping cart just off the Vegas freeway. It is clear that the woman's face was deliberately and methodically disfigured -- in fact, she may have been thrust into a rotating fan while still alive. Clues vital to the proceedings include a handbag, a collection of fashion magazines, and several coded messages. This is definitely one case that Grissom (William L. Petersen) and his colleagues are not going to let go unresolved. "The Hunger Artist" was the final episode of CSI's second season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide