Harry O'Reilly Movies
An overheard conversation leads a woman into a dark world of deadly intrigue in this political thriller. Silvia Broome (Nicole Kidman) is an African émigré who works as an interpreter at the United Nations. One of the languages she understands is Ku, a dialect spoken in her home country of Matobo. One day, as the General Assembly auditorium is being evacuated for a routine security sweep, Broome overhears a man speaking in Ku, who makes a cryptic statement that could be interpreted as a threat against the life of Zuwanie (Earl Cameron), Matobo's controversial ruler. Secret Service agent Tobin Keller (Sean Penn) is brought in to investigate Broome's story, and it isn't long before he's convinced that she knows more than she's willing to tell. As Keller and his partner, Dot Woods (Catherine Keener), dig deeper into Broome's story as well as her past, they discover a shocking tale of violence and corruption tied to Zuwanie's regime. The Interpreter was directed by Sydney Pollack, who also appears in a brief supporting role. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nicole Kidman, Sean Penn, (more)
A woman finds a whole new world opens up to her when she learns to stand up to the man who beats her in this independent drama. Patty (Erika Eleniak) is a woman involved in an abusive relationship who decides to take boxing lessons to better protect herself when her boyfriend becomes violent. While practicing at a health club, Patty attracts the attention of June (Aunjanue Ellis) and Fred (John Doman); she's a female boxer and he's a promoter who books fights at local clubs. Both June and Fred think Patty might have what it takes to go pro, and they introduce her to Tommy (James Colby), a trainer who runs a local gym and who helps Patty get into fighting shape. In June, Patty finds a friend who gives her a good reason to get away from her boyfriend, and she begins a slow but steady climb up the ladder of the women's boxing circuit. The Opponent was the first feature for writer and director Eugene Jarecki. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Erika Eleniak, James Colby, (more)
- 1998
Former documentary filmmaker Rocky Collins made his feature directorial debut with this dark comedy-drama about suburban adultery. After schoolteacher Barry Grogan (Neil Maffin) and first-grade teacher Julie Hammer (Christy Baron) pull off a covert sexual liaison despite possible discovery by nearby students and staff, they go for another risky quickie in a station wagon parked by the school. Julie is married to deputy district attorney Max (Harry O'Reilly), who's hoping to be elected D.A. Barry, with two children, is married to Dierdre (Karen Young), and when he tells her about his affair, she kicks him out of the house. When Julie tells Max, he wants to stay together to work it out. Julie agrees to stay for three months, but nevertheless continues to visit Barry, who's staying at a motel. Max loses the election, and fraud charges put him in jail. During Thanksgiving dinner, Max tells Julie's parents about Julie's way of life, and other emotional twists follow in this film influenced, according to Collins, by Douglas Sirk's Imitation of Life (1959), Max Ophuls' Caught (1948), and Nicholas Ray's Bigger Than Life (1956). Shown at the 1998 LA Independent Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christy Baron, Harry O'Reilly, (more)
- 1997
This comedy-drama is the feature theatrical debut of TV director Nell Cox. Manhattan lawyer Laura (Rya Kihlstedt) is on edge about her promotion to partner at her law firm, while husband Jeff (Robert Stanton) is tired of the grind producing TV commercials. They head upstate for a weekend with Laura's mother, sculptor Julia (Lois Smith), hoping to resolve their marital conflicts. Shown at the 1997 Mill Valley Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rya Kihlstedt, Robert Stanton, (more)
- 1997
A suicide investigation is turned over to homicide when it is revealed that the white victim may have been killed because she adopted a black baby. While trying to determine the baby's paternity, the detectives and the lawyers unearth some unpleasant secrets in the past of one of the suspects. But do these secrets have any bearing on the killing -- and even if they do, will they ever be heard by a jury? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Originally planned as a silly vehicle for Chris Farley, in the hands of director Ben Stiller and star Jim Carrey, The Cable Guy became an opportunity for Carrey to flex some of his darker comedic muscles as stalker Chip Douglas. Matthew Broderick plays Steven, an average Joe who is forlorn over his recent breakup with girlfriend Robin (Leslie Mann). When he moves into a new apartment, Steven comes in contact with Chip, who shows up to hook up the cable. Before he knows it, and whether he likes it or not, Steven has a new best-friend in the obnoxious and clingy Chip. However, Steven soon learns that obnoxious is a walk in the park compared to Chip's behavior when Steven tells him he doesn't want to be his pal anymore. What's worse, no one -- including Robin or his family -- believes Steven when he accuses the seemingly harmless Chip of being a malevolent menace. George Segal and Jack Black also star along with Stiller, who plays twins loosely-based on the Menendez brothers. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jim Carrey, Matthew Broderick, (more)
- 1995
- NC17
William Best, a well-heeled Connecticut lawyer, leaves the family firm to work with the Manhattan DA's office. His first friend there is Hamlin Day, whose rise to the top from the ghetto has been as much a struggle as Best's has been a piece of cake. The disparate partners go out on a double date and that is where Best meets the sophisticated, sexy Meadow Adare. He is immediately attracted to her and this attraction doesn't wane when he learns she is a call girl. He likes her so much that he takes her home to meet his parents. Though Meadow is well-educated and classy, she has a drug problem and it is she who introduces Best to snorting heroin. The rest of this drama chronicles his subsequent slide to ruination. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
This film was one of the more mainstream offerings in the array of films that emphasized the overly hyped "Generation X" phenomenon, a list that ranges from Slacker to Singles and includes a host of other films. Winona Ryder stars as Lelaina, a recent college graduate. Out on her own and independent from her supportive, but out-of-touch parents, Lelaina faces the realities of careers and relationships. She can't stand her internship under a local television personality (John Mahoney), and she's forced to choose between Michael (Ben Stiller), a well-intentioned music-video network executive, and Troy (Ethan Hawke), a brooding, sensitive slacker. Meanwhile, she must also protect the artistic integrity of "Reality Bites," a video documentary that depicts the everyday lives of her friends (Hawke, Janeane Garofalo, and Steve Zahn). This 1994 release also marks the feature directorial debut of Ben Stiller. ~ Jonathan E. Laxamana, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, (more)
In this film version of E. L. Doctorow's Billy Bathgate, Loren Dean plays the title character, a street-smart kid who inveigles his way into the confidence of 1930s gangster Dutch Schultz (Dustin Hoffman). Billy is ordered to look after Schultz' new moll, Drew Preston (Nicole Kidman), while Dutch fends off tax evasion charges and such up-and-coming rivals as Lucky Luciano (Stanley Tucci). Even though they know they're playing with dynamite, Billy and Drew fall in love. In attempting to escape Schultz' wrath, Billy succeeds only in putting himself in the thick of a gun battle between his boss and Luciano. When "Charley Lucky" emerges triumphant, Billy is forced once again to rely on his wits to escape being sent to the bottom of the briny in a cement overcoat. Bruce Willis shows up in an extended cameo as Dutch Schultz' former business associate. Billy Bathgate was adapted for the screen by British playwright Tom Stoppard. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dustin Hoffman, Nicole Kidman, (more)
- 1990
An artist specializing in S&M paintings is found murdered, dressed in full leather fetish regalia. During their investigation, detectives Greevey (George Dzundza) and Logan (Chris Noth) follow the trail of clues to city arts commissioner Henry Rothman (Larry Keith). As an alibi, Rothman insists that he was with prominent socialite Elizabeth Hendrick (Frances Conroy) at the time of the murder -- but it turns out that Hendrick has more than a few leather-clad skeletons in her own closet. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
- R
A punch-drunk pugilist is set up as meat for a young boxer in this routine mat melodrama. The highlight of the film is the performance of Steve Buscemi as the oily, mob-connected fight promoter Nicky. Eddie (Brad Davis) is the addle-brained boxer Nicky hangs out to dry for quick money. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brad Davis, Frances Fisher, (more)
Though the anti-war sentiments of Hamburger Hill come through loud and clear, the film is squarely on the side of those courageous, much-maligned Americans who fought and died in Vietnam. Based on a true incident, the story takes place in 1969, as the 101st Airborne Division confronts the Vietcong in a bloody battle over Hill 937 (aka "Hamburger Hill") in the Ashua Valley. During the next 10 days, both sides incur heavy losses, but the Cong refuse to surrender the hill. The ultimate American "victory" turns out to be a hollow one indeed. Scripted by Vietnam war vet Jim Carabatsos, Hamburger Hill not only underlines the futility of the war but also the pressures brought to bear upon the troops by an insensitive, often hostile media. By utilizing a cast of unknowns, director Jim Irvin deftly avoids the Hollywoodized slickness of such bigger-budgeted efforts as Apocalypse Now and The Deer Hunter. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Barrile, Michael Boatman, (more)
