Kathy Searle Movies
Three dark-hued tales of life in a seemingly quiet Long Island suburb collide in this ambitious drama from writer and director Eric Mendelsohn. John (Elias Koteas) and his wife (Kathryn Erbe) are clearly unhappy with one another, though they don't want to talk about what's wrong, and when his flight out of town is canceled at the last minute, John decides not to go home. Instead, he checks into a motel and spends his spare time wandering the neighborhood where he used to live. Peggy (Edie Falco) is a middle-aged housewife driven to distraction by boredom, and she's initially thrilled when she discovers that a popular actress (Embeth Davidtz) has moved in next door. However, when the actress asks Peggy for a lift down to a nearby ferry, it leads to an unfortunate confrontation. And when eight-year-old Christina (Rachel Resheff) misses her school bus after swiping some jewelry from her mother's bedroom, she tried to walk there on her own. Taking a shortcut through the woods, Christina finds herself in a strange neighborhood, where she's exposed to the corrupt influences of the adult world. 3 Backyards received its world premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Embeth Davidtz, Edie Falco, (more)
Class and economics muddy the investigation of a homicide in this thriller from director Josh Sternfeld. When a child is found murdered in the small town of Hilliard, police detective Noah Cordin (Nick Stahl) is assigned to investigate the case. The victim's mother, Allison Connor (Laura Benanti), is a wealthy and well-connected member of the County Board of Commissioners, so Cordin is under pressure to find the killer as soon as possible, but working with rookie officer Leslie Spencer (Rachel Nichols), he isn't finding many substantial clues. One of the few pieces of evidence suggests the culprit may have been from the nearby town of Caswell. Cordin was born and raised in Caswell and knows its history well -- while Hilliard is a prosperous suburban community, Caswell is a working-class town fallen on hard times, and its survival is dependent on a proposed factory coming into town. As Cordin spends more and more time in Caswell, he becomes a target for the resentment the locals feel toward their wealthier neighbors, and a tense situation becomes potentially explosive when word begins to circulate that Connor may use her influence to keep the new employer out of Caswell unless someone comes forward to identity who killed her son. Meskada (named for the county that contains both Hilliard and Caswell) also stars Norman Reedus, Kellan Lutz, Jonathan Tucker, and Grace Gummer. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Nick Stahl, Rachel Nichols, (more)
After executive producing the acclaimed documentary Manda Bala and the J.M. Coetzee adaptation Disgrace, Julio DePietro makes his feature debut as a writer-director with The Good Guy, a drama about ambitious young Wall Streeters fighting each other -- and sometimes their own decent nature -- to get ahead in the world. Our narrator, Tommy (Scott Porter of TV's Friday Night Lights), is young, clever, charming, and attractive. He's got a smart, pretty girlfriend, Beth (Alexis Bledel of Gilmore Girls), an urban conservationist. He's also very good at his investment broker job, impressing his ruthless, cynical boss, Cash (erstwhile "Brat Pack" member Andrew McCarthy). When a key member of Tommy's sales team suddenly leaves for a competitor, Tommy needs to fill his spot quickly, and takes a chance on the bumbling Daniel (Bryan Greenberg, Bride Wars), a former Marine and computer geek who seems a bit naïve about high finance and a bit nervous around women. Tommy takes Daniel under his wing, showing him how to dress, where to socialize, and how to charm attractive women. Their relationship is threatened when Daniel begins spending more time with Beth, joining her book club, and becoming her confidant. Tommy begins to question his decision to share his wisdom with Daniel, while Daniel is forced to decide what success really means to him, and where his loyalties lie. The Good Guy also stars Anna Chlumsky (In the Loop) and Aaron Yoo (Disturbia). The film had its world premiere at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi
- Starring:
- Scott Porter, Alexis Bledel, (more)
Former Saturday Night Live "Weekend Update" co-anchors Tina Fey and Amy Poehler co-star in this baby-fever comedy about a single, career-oriented woman who previously put parenthood on hold, and is forced to hire a surrogate mother when she discovers there is only a one-in-a-million chance that she will be able to get pregnant. Kate Holbrook (Fey) is a 37-year-old business executive who has always put her professional life before her personal life, but these days her biological clock is ticking louder than ever before. As with everything else she has accomplished in life, Kate is determined to have a child on her own terms. Unfortunately for Kate, the chance of her ever becoming pregnant is slim to none. Undaunted, a willful Kate drafts South Philly working-class girl Angie Ostrowiski (Poehler) -- a woman who may just be her polar opposite -- to be a surrogate mother. Subsequently informed by the head of the surrogacy center (Sigourney Weaver) that her surrogate is indeed pregnant, the excited mother-to-be soon purchases every child-rearing book she can find and excitedly begins the nesting process. But life hasn't quit throwing Kate curveballs just yet, because when a pregnant Angie shows up on her doorstep with no place to live, the woman who once thrived on order finds her life descending into chaos. Now, as Kate attempts to transform Angie into the ideal expectant mother, this odd couple will discover that families aren't always biological, but occasionally formed through friendship as well. Writer Michael McCullers, who authored the screenplays for Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me and Undercover Brother in addition to working on Saturday Night Live, makes his feature directorial debut with a self-penned screenplay. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, (more)
