Joey Santiago Movies

The husband of a woman whose flesh has been so horribly charred that she is completely comatose but technically still alive is haunted by her violent apparition as he attempts to make the difficult decision whether or not to end her suffering in Wrong Turn director Rob Schmidt's contribution to season two of Showtime's Masters of Horror series. In medical terms, Abby may technically still be alive, though anyone unfortunate enough to have suffered such a grisly, fiery fate as she would most certainly wished they had died. Now, as Abby lies catatonic in her hospital bed, her guilt-ridden husband, Cliff (Martin Donovan), struggles to get the court order that will allow him to bring his wife's misery to a merciful end. Now, as Abby's condition begins to deteriorate, her vital signs continually flatline and doctors race to revive her each time. Though they are repeatedly successful in their efforts, each time Abby dies her apparition appears to lash out against those who appear to be taking advantage of her dire situation. Each time the specter appears, it is more powerful than before, and now, should Cliff attempt to turn off her life-support system, he too will become a target of his wife's supernatural wrath. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Radiant City, which represents the first collaboration between documentarist Gary Burns and journalist Jim Brown, takes as its springboard thesis the idea that suburban life is quickly becoming the norm for families across North America. It thus carries viewers inside of the "suburban mystique" via a protracted dissection of a clan that resides in a planned community, the Moss family. The film specifically examines how the suburban landscape, with its prefab houses, playgrounds, schools, strip malls, and community activities, continues to shape and define the lives and perceptions of these individuals -- from the father's involvement with a local theatrical troupe to the children's feelings of ennui and sense of removal from the neighbors in their subdivision. Burns offsets the picture's stark themes and undertones, however, with a sharp, wicked, and occasionally satirical sense of humor that never fails to catch the absurdities or ironies of this landscape. Musician Joey Santiago, from the band the Pixies, complements the images with a gritty rock soundtrack that draws out the sense of familial dislocation and desperation. The picture also traces the rise of suburbia historically, and features input by such suburban commentators as Mark Kingwell, from the University of Toronto, and writer James Howard Kunstler, who criticize the initial postwar model for suburban communities and suggest that it may not provide the optimal environment for living and raising a family. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi