Ned Bellamy Movies
Seinfeld cultists will have little or no difficulty remembering character actor Ned Bellamy; he played Eddie, the knife-obsessed, fatigue-wearing employee of the J. Peterman company, whom Elaine tries to dismiss with a promotion, in the 1996 episode "The Fatigues." That turn, with its aggressive, menacing air, was fairly typical of the roles in which Bellamy often found himself (despite the fact that he could bring those qualities to bear on comic or earnest material). A native of Dayton, OH, he grew up in Joplin, MO, and entered show business in the very late '70s, initially on television programs including The Waltons, M*A*S*H, and The Dukes of Hazzard. As time rolled on, however, Bellamy moved more squarely into filmed work, specializing in action, horror, or thriller fare. Big-screen projects that featured the actor included House IV: Home Deadly Home (1991), Universal Soldier (1992), and Carnosaur (1993).After the Seinfeld appearance, Bellamy unveiled more of a comic emphasis in his role choices, evidenced by his work in such projects as Being John Malkovich (1999), The Whole Ten Yards (2004), and Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny (2006). In 2008, Bellamy turned up as Waylon Forge in the romantically charged vampire opus Twilight (2008), which marked the actor's second collaboration with director Catherine Hardwicke after an appearance in her Lords of Dogtown (2005). ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
When Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) reluctantly moved to the perpetually overcast town of Forks, WA, and set out to carve a niche for herself, she assumed it would be one similar to the low-profile social position she held back in Phoenix. First on the list of surprises was the unfamiliar attention from the male population of her new high school; second, the attention from one male in particular: Edward Cullen, Vampire (Robert Pattinson). Before long, the unlikely soul mates find themselves in a passionate relationship with a variety of significant setbacks, including Edward's special-needs diet (he doesn't eat humans, but Bella's scent inspires a nearly impossible to harness bloodlust) and the human girl's mortality. Though things proceed relatively smoothly at first (Edward even introduces Bella to his adoptive vampire family), a visiting vampire clan consisting of James (Cam Gigandet), Victoria (Rachelle Lefevre), and Laurent (Edi Gathegi) catches Bella's unique scent and threatens the young couple's budding, if dangerous, happiness. James, known for his powerful tracking ability, becomes obsessed with making Bella his next victim. Fearing for Bella's safety and that of her loved ones, the Cullens must combine their collective talents in order to stop the highly predatory James before his goal is accomplished. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, (more)
Directed by actor D.B. Sweeney, Two Tickets to Paradise tells the story of three lifelong friends who are each facing problems of their own. Mark has developed a serious gambling problem that is beginning to hamper his marriage, as well as his relationship with his child. McGriff can't shed his dreams of becoming a famous rock star even though he has a loving and supportive wife. Jason refuses to grow up, and still lives with his parents. When the three men escape their various responsibilities to go see a big college football game, their trip teaches them lessons about the maturing they each need to do. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John C. McGinley, D.B. Sweeney, (more)
An assassin posing as a trade-show producer fixes his crosshairs on a Middle Eastern oil minister while maintaining his cover by organizing a high-profile wedding in this satirical action comedy starring John Cusack, Hilary Duff, and Marisa Tomei. A private American corporation run by a former U.S. vice president (Dan Aykroyd) is occupying the war-torn nation of Turaqistan, but a powerful Middle Eastern oil minister is preventing them from taking total advantage of the situation. In order to gain a monopoly on the lucrative opportunities that Turaqistan has to offer, the CEO of the corporation hires an evenhanded hitman named Hauser (Cusack) to take the oil minister out of the picture. Now, in order to carry out the contract without a hitch, Hauser will pose as the corporation's trade-show producer. The stakes are high and the potential for disaster is evident, though if Hauser can successfully organize the wedding of Central Asian pop-star Yonica Babyyeah (Duff), he's got a good chance of pulling it off. But sexy and resourceful left-wing reporter Natalie Hegalhuzen (Tomei) is determined to uncover the truth about what's happening in Turaqistan, and the moment she does, this carefully constructed scheme will crumble like a house of cards. Joshua Seftel directs a screenplay co-written by Mark Leyner, Jeremy Pikser, and producer/star John Cusack. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Cusack, Hilary Duff, (more)
When a failed writer discovers his previously untapped talent for larceny, his own life and the lives of his two best friends are turned upside down in a felonious comedy from director Monty Miranda. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Spencer Berger, Gabriel Tigerman, (more)
Attempting to recover from a recent family trauma by escaping into the woods for a peaceful hiking trip, an ex-lawman and his young son stumble across a dangerous contract killer in director Bruce Beresford's forest-bound thriller. Ray Keene (John Cusack) has lost his wife, and now the grieving father is looking to reconnect with his young son (Jamie Anderson) with a much-needed hike into the wilderness. But Ray and his son aren't alone in nature, because high profile assassin Frank Cardin (Morgan Freeman) has ventured into nature with the malevolent intentions of fulfilling a contract to kill an extremely powerful businessman. When Frank's hit goes awry and he ends up in the custody of U.S. Marshalls, the situation quickly spins out of control as a small army of loyal mercenaries draw their guns in a violent attempt to free their notorious compatriot. Later stumbling upon the chaotic situation, Ray does his best to protect his son while ensuring that Frank doesn't escape justice. Though Frank's men aren't willing to let their boss go to prison without a fight, Ray vows to do the right thing as help suddenly comes from the most unlikely of places. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Morgan Freeman, John Cusack, (more)
- 2006
- R
- Add Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny to QueueAdd Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny to top of Queue
In this musical comedy-adventure starring self-proclaimed greatest band in the world Tenacious D, a pair of aspiring rock superstars attempt to convince the world of their true talents as they embark on a daring quest to acquire the supernaturally powered guitar pick that will finally allow them to fully realize their vast rock & roll potential. JB (Jack Black) is a naïve Midwesterner whose strict Christian parents view his burning passion for heavy metal as a mortal sin. After his dad tears down every poster in his bedroom except for a Ronnie James Dio poster on the back of the door, the former Black Sabbath frontman instructs the aspiring young rocker to seek out his fortune no matter what the cost. Subsequently setting his sights on Hollywood and hellbent to take the world of rock music by storm, JB sneaks out his bedroom window and makes his way to Venice Beach, where he soon meets guitar-strumming slacker KG (Kyle Gass). With a future of rock & roll superstardom now well within their reach, JB and KG harness the power of Satan to form hellfire hard rock duo Tenacious D and set out on a quest to achieve musical immortality by stealing the mythical guitar pick said to instill its owner with unprecedented musical prowess. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Black, Kyle Gass, (more)
The true story of the kids who created modern skateboard culture is recreated in this drama. In the early '70s, skateboards were seen as a fad of the 1960s that had all but died out, but in a rough-and-tumble Venice, CA, community known as "Dogtown," that was about to change. Tony Alva (Victor Rasuk), Stacy Peralta (John Robinson), and Jay Adams (Emile Hirsch) were three guys who liked to surf the rugged beaches around Venice and hung out at the Zephyr Surf Shop, a store run by Skip Engblom (Heath Ledger) that stocked gear for adventurous surfers and skateboarders. With the advent of new urethane wheels that connected with concrete in a way old metal and rubber wheels could not, Tony, Stacy, and Jay began exploring ways to translate radical surf style to skateboarding, and the guys invented a new way to skate inside the smooth, round surfaces of empty pools, employing vertical moves and edge flips that added a new and dramatic spin to skating. It didn't take long for word to spread about the wild new style of the Z-Boys, and they quickly became local celebrities, and later nationwide skating stars, though sudden fame took its toll on these young men. The true story of Lords of Dogtown was previously the basis of the acclaimed documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys, directed by former Z-Boy Stacy Peralta, who like Tony Alva served as a consultant on this project. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emile Hirsch, Victor Rasuk, (more)
Bruce Willis and Matthew Perry reprise their roles as a killer for hire and a dentist with a bad case of nerves in this sequel to the comedy hit The Whole Nine Yards. Former hitman Jimmy "The Tulip" Tudeski (Bruce Willis) has retired from his life of crime and is living a quiet life of cooking and housekeeping in Mexico, despite the fact his wife, Jill (Amanda Peet), a would-be hired killer, still wants to keep her hand in the business. Tudeski has been able to convince the authorities he's dead thanks to dental records falsified by his former neighbor Nicholas "Oz" Oseransky (Matthew Perry), who lives in Los Angeles. But Oseransky discovers that not everyone is fooled by Tudeski's handiwork when his wife, Cynthia (Natasha Henstridge), is kidnapped by Lazlo Gogolak (Kevin Pollak) and his goons. Gogolak is a high-ranking member of the Hungarian mafia, and Tudeski previously murdered his son, so he's abducted Cynthia in order to get Oseransky to reveal the hired killer's current whereabouts. But Tudeski has come to like the quiet life, and isn't so sure he wants to face Gogolak and his crew for the sake of a jittery dentist who once did him a favor. Most of the principle cast of The Whole Nine Yards returned for this sequel, though director Howard Deutch stepped in to replace Jonathan Lynn, who was working on The Fighting Temptations when The Whole Ten Yards went into production. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Willis, Matthew Perry, (more)
The directorial debut from filmmaker James Wan, this psychological thriller comes from the first screenplay by actor Leigh Whannell, who also stars. Whannell plays Adam, one of two men chained up in a mysterious chamber. The other, Dr. Gordon (Cary Elwes), like Adam, has no idea how either of them got there. Neither of them are led to feel optimistic by the man lying between them dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Together, Adam and Dr. Gordon attempt to piece together what has happened to them and who the sadistic madman behind their imprisonment is. Also starring Danny Glover and Monica Potter, Saw premiered at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leigh Whannell, Cary Elwes, (more)
- 2004
Lea Thompson guests in this first episode of Law & Order: Special Victim Unit's sixth season as widow Michelle Osborne, who has paid a pair of private detectives to kidnap six-year-old Patty Branson (Abigail Breslin). When caught, Michelle insists that she is Patty's real mother, and that the girl had been abducted from her four years earler. Running DNA tests, medical examiner Warner (Tamara Tunie) determines that Patty's birth mother is the woman with whom she currently resides, Sarah Branson (Camilla Scott). This, however, does not prove that Michelle is lying--and in piecing the clues together, Detectives Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and Stabler (Christopher Meloni) are led to a fertility clinic which traffics in stolen embryos. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Just how far should one man go to stay ahead of his competition? Milo Hoffmann (Ryan Phillippe) is a young and gifted computer software designer who with his close friend Teddy is about to launch a high-tech start-up firm based on Milo's inventive ideas in convergence, in which he's helping to create new ways for different forms of digital technology to work in harmony. However, before Milo and Teddy can get their company off the ground, Milo receives a very tempting offer from Gary Winston (Tim Robbins), a trailblazing genius in the digital world who has turned his company N.U.R.V. (which stands for "Never Underestimate Radical Vision") into one of the richest and most powerful computer firms on Earth. While Milo is sympathetic to Teddy's beliefs that computer technology should belong to the people and that open source software is the most promising future lies, Winston has long been Milo's role model in design and research, and Milo feels Winston's offer is too good to pass up. Milo and his girlfriend Alice Poulson (Claire Forlani) move out to Silicon Valley, and at first Milo thrives on the challenges of his new position, and develops a close working relationship with fellow designer Lisa Calighan (Rachael Leigh Cook). But Milo underestimates the ruthlessness of the leading-edge software industry, and he soon learns there's a sinister undercurrent to Winston's drive to stay on top. Antitrust earned rising star Ryan Phillippe his first million-dollar paycheck after well-regarded roles in 54 and Cruel Intentions. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ryan Phillippe, Rachael Leigh Cook, (more)
- 1999
- NR
Love blooms for a would-be hired killer in Angel's Dance, which blends elements of a crime thriller with black comedy. Tony (Kyle Chandler) is offered a job with a powerful Mafia family after he saves the life of the capo's nephew, even though Tony isn't sure he's really interested in a life of crime. To give him a crash course in his new line of work, Tony is sent to L.A. to study with Rosellini (James Belushi), a hired killer of no small reputation. After assigning him Nietzsche as required reading and staging a few practice sessions with water pistols, Rosellini gives Tony his final homework project -- pick a name at random from the phone book, find the person, and kill him or her. The name Tony comes up with is Angelica Chase (Sheryl Lee), "Angel" to her friends. Tony finds Angel just in time to interrupt her latest suicide attempt; Angel is beautiful and charming, but an emotional wreck with eccentric tastes, a caffeinated personality, and a job at a mortuary (she even lives next door). Tony is immediately infatuated and can't bring himself to kill her, so Rosellini decides he has to take over the job, but to the surprise of everyone, Angel knows how to handle herself in a time of crisis. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Belushi, Sheryl Lee, (more)
Would you pay money to journey into the mind of the star of Con Air, The Killing Fields, and In The Line of Fire? Puppeteer Craig Schwartz (John Cusack) is having money problems, so he takes a temporary job as a file clerk on the seventh-and-a-half floor of a large office building. One day, while rummaging behind a cabinet, he finds a small door that leads to the center of the mind of actor John Malkovich (played by, you guessed it, John Malkovich). Craig discovers that entering the portal allows him to become John Malkovich for a brief spell, and in time he and his beautiful but aloof co-worker Maxine (Catherine Keener) get the bright idea to charge admission for the privilege of spending 15 minutes inside the head of a well-known actor. Malkovich realizes that something strange is happening to him, but can do little to stop it, as strangers take over his mind for a quarter-hour at a time. Craig's wife, Lotte (Cameron Diaz), eventually takes a trip into Malkovich's psyche, and she soon finds herself in love with Maxine, with whom Malkovich has an affair; meanwhile, Maxine in time becomes infatuated with both Craig and Lotte, but only when they're inside Malkovich. Being John Malkovich marked the feature-length debut of director Spike Jonze, who previously made acclaimed music videos for Weezer, the Beastie Boys, and the Breeders, among others. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, (more)
- 1996
After finding religion and inviting Rabbi Susan Klein (Amy Aquino) to the set, Beverly (Penny Johnson) becomes upset because her previous request to give her pastor a tour was rejected. Despite Artie's (Rip Torn) repeated pleas to Hank to keep his religious beliefs separated from the show, Hank rebels by donning his yarmulke on-air, upsetting the network brass who fear loss of sponsors. Despite the stress of this holy war, Larry (Garry Shandling) finds refuge on his new massage chair until it becomes apparent that he's not the only one enjoying it's relaxing effects. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Cory (Ben Savage) and Shawn (Rider Strong) are given a thought-provoking Thanksgiving weekend assignment: to show how class divisions between rich and poor are causing all the problems in Rwanda. Unexpectedly, the boys receive some first-hand experience in this matter when both of their families attend Thanksgiving dinner at the trailer-park home of Shawn's parents. And in another development, Frankie's brother Herman (E.J. DeLaPena) wants to start dating Cory's sister Morgan (Lindsay Ridgeway). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) is impressed by the fact that his current girlfriend has a mentor -- but less than impressed when he discovers that the mentor is none other than his comedy bête noire Kenny Bania (Steve Hytner). Unable to fire an employee, Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) lives to regret her moment of weakness. Kramer (Michael Richards) organizes the first Jewish Singles Night at Newman's Knights of Columbus Hall, relying upon George's father, Frank (Jerry Stiller), for cooking advice. And George (Jason Alexander) pretends to be blind to get free books on tape. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In 1946, a banker named Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is convicted of a double murder, even though he stubbornly proclaims his innocence. He's sentenced to a life term at the Shawshank State Prison in Maine, where another lifer, Ellis "Red" Redding (Morgan Freeman), picks him as the new recruit most likely to crack under the pressure. The ugly realities of prison life are quickly introduced to Andy: a corrupt warden (Bob Gunton), sadistic guards led by Capt. Byron Hadley (Clancy Brown), and inmates who are little better than animals, willing to use rape or beatings to insure their dominance. But Andy does not crack: he has the hope of the truly innocent, which (together with his smarts) allow him to prevail behind bars. He uses his banking skills to win favor with the warden and the guards, doing the books for Norton's illegal business schemes and keeping an eye on the investments of most of the prison staff. In exchange, he is able to improve the prison library and bring some dignity and respect back to many of the inmates, including Red. Based on a story by Stephen King, The Shawshank Redemption was the directorial debut of screenwriter Frank Darabont. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, (more)
- 1994
- R
Noted independent film producer Peter McCarthy made his writing and directing debut (Angie Brown served as co-director) with this surreal comedy. John Boyz (James LeGros) is an aimless sad sack who is wandering Los Angeles in the wake of the 1992 riots. John is in an unclear state of mind; he can't find a job (and doesn't really want one), the IRS has confiscated his money, his girlfriend Jessica (Lisa Zane) is sleeping around, he can't figure out what the beautiful but mysterious Elle (Marzita Rivera) wants from him, his drug-addicted brother Jimmy (Ethan Hawke) needs 3,000 dollars for a detox program, and police chief Merryl Fence (Nelson Lyon) is encouraging the citizens of L.A. to kill themselves. A stellar roster of actors and musicians appear in cameo roles, including John Cusack, Steve Buscemi, Billy Bob Thornton, Viggo Mortensen, Jeremy Piven, Dave Navarro, Dave Alvin, and Exene Cervenka. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James LeGros, John Cusack, (more)
What does a biographer do when the truth about his subject is far less pleasant than the legend? That is the moral dilemma at the heart of Cobb, which explores the lives of both baseball's premier hitter, Ty Cobb (Tommy Lee Jones), and the sportswriter assigned to set his story down, Al Stump (Robert Wuhl). Stump arrives at the Tahoe home of the dying Cobb to write the official life story of the first man inducted into the Baseball Hall Of Fame. He finds a drunken, misanthropic, bitter racist who abuses his biographer as well as everyone else. Stump must either candycoat his subject's life or present an accurate picture of a disgusting man who happened to become an American sports hero. The movie's biting focus on Cobb, ferociously performed by Jones, is not matched by its weaker representation of Stump, an imbalance which ultimately weakens the film's overall effect. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tommy Lee Jones, Robert Wuhl, (more)
Hollywood visionary Tim Burton pays homage to another Hollywood visionary, albeit a less successful one, in this unusual fictionalized biography. The film follows Wood (Johnny Depp) in his quest for film greatness as he writes and directs turkey after turkey, cross-dresses, and surrounds himself with a motley crew of Hollywood misfits, outcasts, has-beens, and never-weres. The real story, however, is his friendship with aging, morphine-addicted Bela Lugosi (Martin Landau), whom he tries to help stage a comeback. Landau's unforgettable Oscar-winning performance must be seen to be believed, as must Rick Baker's Oscar-winning makeup. While it would have been easy to make a film simply ridiculing the bumbling director, Burton instead focuses on his driving passion for filmmaking and his unwavering persistence in the face of ridicule and failure. Possibly the most surprising aspect of the film is the genuine sentiment with which Burton treats the relationship between Wood and Lugosi; his devotion to Lugosi is touching, as is Lugosi's final soliloquy -- an inane bit of dialogue from the hilariously bad Bride of the Monster that grows into a poignant metaphor for the actor's life and ultimate triumph of his spirit. Even the look of the film is right; it manages to preserve the air of one of Wood's own films while retaining a sense of artistry in much of the composition on screen (note the scene at the drug rehab where Lugosi endures a horrifying night of detox). In all, Ed Wood is a unique film -- at times side-splittingly funny; at others, tragic or even frightening -- and a heartfelt tribute to the love of movies, good and bad alike. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, (more)
One of the more popular features from Roger Corman's "B"-factory Concorde/New Horizons, Carnosaur perpetuates the grand Corman tradition of zeroing in on a big-budget Hollywood studio moneymaker, then dashing off a quick-and-dirty poor man's version before moss gets a chance to grow on the larger film's concept. This bargain-basement spin on Jurassic Park was actually based on a novel by John Brosnan (under the pseudonym Harry Adam Knight). It features Diane Ladd (whose daughter Laura Dern took the high road on Spielberg's film) as a kooky mad scientist whose experiments on human and dinosaur DNA result in dual disasters -- first, a rubbery midget Tyrannosaurus bred from dinosaur and chicken DNA (imagine the barbecue potential!) which escapes the lab and goes on the requisite bloody rampage; and second, a specially-engineered virus with the ability to replace human beings with dino-babies. Although this exploitation quickie doesn't waste too much time delivering the standard Corman cargo (blood and breasts), the mayhem is too often derailed by endless genetic techno-babble from Ladd, whose freaked-out performance is the film's sole plus. The downbeat ending is pure '80s, and paves the way for the inevitable sequels. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Diane Ladd, Raphael Sbarge, (more)
- 1993
Jessica (Angela Lansbury) is shocked when her computer technician is murdered--and even more so when it turns out that the dead man was actually a rookie cop, working undercover. Investigating the situation, Jessica forms a strong bond with the late cop's veteran partner. At the same time, the murderer plans to strike again...and this time the target may be the victim's girlfriend. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This fascinating chronicle of the life and times of a twenty dollar bill was originally written by Endre Boehm in 1935 and languished forgotten on the shelf until his son Leslie resurrected it after his father's death, and updated the script. (Both received screenwriter credit for the released version). The scrap of currency's journey begins after it is spit out of a downtown Minneapolis ATM machine into the hands of a busy young mother. It's a windy day, and the crisp bill is blown out of her hands into those of a bag lady who uses it on the lottery because she believes the serial numbers are lucky. Unfortunately, the bill is plucked from her hands by a light-fingered skate boarder who uses the money at a local bakery. From there the bill's odyssey takes it to a wide variety of places including a wedding, a stripper's g-string, a con artist's scam, and a robbery. It ends up used as a note pad, a birthday present, a coaster, and a fishing contest trophy. Interestingly, every one who encounters the bill changes in some way. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Linda Hunt, David Rasche, (more)
In the tradition of This Is Spinal Tap, producer/ director/ star Tim Robbins' Bob Roberts is a satire disguised as a documentary. Robbins plays the titular Roberts, a wealthy, well-connected young man running for a senatorial seat in Pennsylvania. On the surface, Roberts is an ingratiating glad-hander, a sincere believer in the restoration of such intangibles as national pride, family values, etc. But the longer Roberts is followed about by documentary filmmaker Brian Murray, the more we become aware that the candidate is a textbook case of cynicism and contempt. Only Giancarlo Esposito, a reporter for an underground newspaper, is willing to dig beneath Roberts' veneer--a habit that leads to the film's ironic conclusion. Several well-known actors make cameo appearances as TV commentators, notably Tim Robbins' longtime partner Susan Sarandon. Bob Roberts started out as a Tim Robbins-directed short subject for the TV series Saturday Night Live, then was expanded into a $4 million feature. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim Robbins, Giancarlo Esposito, (more)
- 1992
A young career woman is thrust into the bright light when police question her about the identity of a serial killer. ~ All Movie Guide
