Mandy Patinkin Movies
Intense, dynamic Julliard alumnus Mandy Patinkin tackled everything from ancient classics to modern musicals during his formative years in regional theatre. From 1975 through 1981, Patinkin was a mainstay of Joseph Papps New York Shakespeare Festival. Making his Broadway debut in 1977, Patinkin won a Tony Award three years later for his raw-nerved portrayal of Che Guevara ("Not much to ask for!") in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita. He later appeared as star-interlocutor in Stephen Sondheim's musical Sunday in the Park with George, a role he repeated for the benefit of future generations on a videotaped TV presentation in 1986. In films from 1977, Patinkin made his earliest impression on moviegoers in a brace of E. L. Doctorow adaptations: he played the immigrant-artist-turned-pioneer filmmaker in Ragtime (1981) and the Julius Rosenberg counterpart in Daniel (1983). He also portrayed Avigdor, Barbra Streisand's dream lover, in Yentl (1983), and essayed the part of a Spanish swashbuckler (with a hilariously impenetrable accent) in The Princess Bride (1985). His extensive musical skills, both as vocalist and instrumentalist, have gone virtually untapped in films, save for his turn as 88 Keys in Dick Tracy (1990). The scope of Patinkin's musical talents were generously displayed in his one-man show Dress Casual, and also in his many "concert recordings" of classic Broadway scores. Despite his devotion to his craft, Mandy Patinkin evidently has his head on straight in terms of priorities: in 1996, he gave up the meaty role of Dr. Jeffrey Geiger in the weekly TV medical series Chicago Hope because he didn't like spending so much time away from his wife (actress Kathryn Grody) and children. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In this vaguely allegorical science fiction-crime film, a Los Angeles cop tries to solve the murder of his best friend with the help of his new partner -- a member of a star-faring alien race. In the near-future world of Alien Nation, the "Newcomers" are a race of formerly enslaved humanoids seeking refuge and integration into Earth society. These unusual immigrants face anger and resentment from some humans, including Matthew Sykes (James Caan), a cop whose partner, Tug (Roger Aaron Brown), was killed in a shoot-out with several Newcomers. In order to get some insight into Newcomer society and track down the "slags" who killed Tug, Sykes volunteers to take on a new partner,Sam "George" Francisco (Mandy Patinkin), the first alien ever promoted to the rank of detective. As Sykes tries to overcome his bigotry against George and his kind, who eat raw beaver and get drunk on spoiled milk, the friendly, helpful George soon learns the identity of Tug's killer: William Harcort (Terrence Stamp), a pillar of Newcomer society who is secretly manufacturing the same powerful narcotic that was used to enslave his race. It's up to Sykes and George to stop Harcort before he turns his fellow Newcomers into drooling addicts and pulls the skeletons out of his race's closet for all of humankind to see. Omen 3 director Graham Baker made his screenwriting debut with Alien Nation, as did co-writer Rockne S. O'Bannon. Kenneth Johnson, creator of the miniseries V, would adapt Alien Nation into a weekly television show in 1989 and several made-for-TV movies in the mid-'90s. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Caan, Mandy Patinkin, (more)
- 1999
Harry Houdini was performing in a circus with his wife when he began dreaming about an even bigger career. This film recalls the highlights of his career, including his 1912 stunt that established him as the world's greatest escape artist. In that instance, Houdini had himself lowered into New York's East River in a crate that was wrapped in chains. In less than a minute, he escaped and came to the surface as both an admired and famous man. Archival footage and dramatic re-creations performed by professional escape artist Bob Fellows allow viewers to revisit some of Houdini's major stunts. On-camera interviews with such people as illusionist David Copperfield, psychic claims investigator James Randi, and many others shed light on Houdini's performing techniques. Actor Mandy Patinkin narrates this probing looking into this performer's life. ~ Elizabeth Smith, All Movie Guide
Hayao Miyazaki's fantasy adventure Castle in the Sky begins with a chase scene through a flying ship, where all the passengers are after the young girl, Sheeta (voice of Anna Paquin). Going overboard to avoid capture, Sheeta is rescued by her powerful crystal necklace which floats her down to safety. She's recovered by Pazu (voice of James Van Der Beek), a young resourceful boy who works in a small mining town. Sharing a common desire to see Laputa, the castle in the sky, Pazu and Sheeta team up to outrun the pirates and the military. Led by hard-bitten matriarch Dola (voice of Cloris Leachman), the pirates are a rowdy yet dimwitted group of brothers who are after Laputa's treasure. Led by the greedy yet civilized Muska (voice of Mark Hamill), the military is after Laputa's secret powers. Everyone races to get to the abandoned castle of Laputa, which has been overgrown with vines and plant life. Its only inhabitants are the animals and robots who protect a magical garden. As the different parties fight over who gets to control Laputa, it's up to Sheeta to use her ancient knowledge to save it from ultimate destruction. The English-language version also includes the voices of Mandy Patinkin and Andy Dick. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Van Der Beek, Anna Paquin, (more)
- 1979
Charleston is a brazen rip-off of Gone with the Wind which premiered over NBC on January 15, 1979--one month before CBS' planned telecast of Wind. Delta Burke, who was an unknown in 1979, very nearly remained that way in the role of post-Civil War Southern belle Stella. As Stella fiddle-dee-dees around in an effort to raise the tax money to maintain her mansion, her faithful ex-slave Minerva (Lynne Moody) runs the household with an iron hand (that must hurt). Also lurking about is Stella's cousin Valerie (Patricia Pearcy), who squanders her own savings in an effort to find her missing husband. This is the sort of film in which the aggressively urbanized actor Mandy Pantinkin plays a corn-fed character named Beaudine Croft. Martha Scott, the only "name" actor in Charleston, is wasted in a peripheral role as Stella's mom. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A man finds himself caught between several worlds -- rough real life and a number of parallel fantasy lands -- in this blend of drama and fantasy. Jorge (Octavio Gómez Berríos) is a painfully shy young man from Ecuador who has immigrated to the United States. Jorge keeps body and soul together by washing dishes at a greasy-spoon diner in a Queens, NY, neighborhood that's dominated by a wide variety of fellow immigrants. Jorge spends most of his days at work being harassed by Rick (Mandy Patinkin), the diner's owner, and loud-mouthed manager Jerry (Aaron Paul). One of the only people at the diner who shows any kindness to Jorge is Amy (Eugenia Yuan), an Asian waitress, and Jorge has become deeply infatuated with her. However, Jerry also has his eyes on Amy, only adding to the tension between him and Jorge. As Jorge struggles to escape his grim circumstances, he passes into a variety of alternate realities, ranging from a pastel-colored wonderland ruled by animated bunnies to a grassy sylvan past a fence. Choking Man was written and directed by Steve Barron, best known for his groundbreaking work in music videos; the film received its world premiere at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Octavio Gómez Berríos, Kate Buddeke, (more)
Untimely ripped from the land of the living by a stray piece of bathroom porcelain from the MIR space station, teenaged girl George Lass (Ellen Muth) joins several other disgruntled decedents in pursuing her heavenly job of "reaper," helping ordinary mortals pass from this life to the next with comfort and dignity in the first season of Dead Like Me. In many of the early episodes, George eavesdrops to see how her highly dysfunctional family is bearing up under the weight of losing her. Otherwise, she is hard at work fulfilling the assignments given her by her celestial supervisor, Rube (Mandy Patinkin). In the opening two-hour episode, the newly dead George is told that she has been chosen to be a "reaper" -- and also learns to her chagrin that, in death, she has become famous as "The Toilet Seat Girl." Later on, she tries to wriggle out of her reaper duties, only to discover that if she doesn't follow the rules, dire consequences will befall those who are about to die. Also, she finds out that she still has certain "mortal" emotions intact when she becomes close to a fellow reaper named Betty (Rebecca Gayheart), and when she falls in love with a living schizophrenic whose disease allows him to see her even though he's not "due" yet. Additionally, she must suffer the intrusion of obstreperous new reaper Daisy Adair (Laura Harris), who is briefly her "roommate." Finally, she is made aware that a reaper's job is never done when, on a day that no one dies, she is swamped with heavenly paperwork. At end of the first season, George finds herself on the verge of losing her office "day job" at Happy Time Temp Agency. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ellen Muth, Mandy Patinkin, (more)
Surly 18-year-old "reaper" George Lass (Ellen Muth) reluctantly continues to pursue her afterlife job -- helping souls who are about to die make a peaceful and dignified transition to the next world -- in the second season of the darkly humorous Dead Like Me. As the season opens, George concludes that her day job at Happy Time Temp Agency may not be so bad when she meets novice office worker Brennan (Steven Grayhm) -- this despite the fact that her previous attempts at romance in the afterlife have not ended too happily. Later on, George is dragged off to Happy Time's annual woodland retreat, just as her fellow reaper Mason (Callum Blue) loses the Post-It note with the name of the next soul he is slated to reap. In another episode, George excitedly prepares for her first "VIP reap" when a rock star is due to shuffle off the ol' mortal coil. And later still, our heroine develops a crush on the son of her newest reap-ee, which puts her in a funk when she realizes that she will soon have to break the heart she is so desperate to win. The season-two conclusion is "Haunted," a Halloween episode in which the reapers try to take advantage of an old legend so that they will appear to the living as they were when they were alive (since they normally appear to be different people in the afterlife). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ellen Muth, Mandy Patinkin, (more)
- 1999
Originally aired on the History Channel and hosted by Mandy Patinkin, Ellis Island: The History of Ellis Island uses a combination of archival footage, interviews, and photographs in order to provide an in-depth look at how one of America's favorite landmarks came to be. Known as "the golden doors" by some and "the isle of tears" by others, the creation of Ellis Island would ultimately alter the course of United States history and its population. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mandy Patinkin
- 1999
Originally aired on the History Channel and hosted by Mandy Patinkin, Ellis Island: The Immigrant Experience offers a comprehensive look at what the immigration process was like when America officially opened its doors to all other nationalities. In addition to old photographs and archival footage, interviews from the Ellis Island Oral History Project -- that is, a group dedicated to preserving the firsthand accounts of immigrants -- are also included. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mandy Patinkin
Including such songs as "Broadway Baby," "I'm Still Here," "The Ladies Who Lunch," and "Losing My Mind," this video features a filming of the well-known Stephen Sondheim musical as it was performed at New York's Lincoln Center in 1985. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1996
This video is part of a series that looks at the Biblical stories in the book of Genesis. A group of experts, with journalist Bill Moyers moderating, discuss the meaning and relevance of the stories in today's world. This episode includes Genesis: A Living Conversation -- In God's Image, which considers the creation story. How long did the process take? And what is God's image? Genesis: A Living Conversation: Temptation, is a study of the story of the fall from innocence into consciousness, when Adam and Eve ate the apple from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, given to them by Satan. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide
- 1996
This video is part of a series, hosted by journalist Bill Moyers, that studies the profound wisdom contained in the book of Genesis in the Bible. Moyers leads a panel discussion by a diverse group of experts, who discuss the meaning and relevance of the age-old stories for the modern world. This episode includes Genesis: A Living Conversation -- Apocalypse, and looks at the story of Noah's Ark, which marked the end of the known world and beginning of a new era and Genesis: A Living Conversation -- The First Murder, which recounts the story of jealousy and murder between the first brothers on earth, Cain and Abel, and the divergent lifestyles they represented. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide
- 1996
This video is part of a series that makes a study of Genesis, the first book of the Bible. A panel of experts, moderated by journalist Bill Moyers, discuss the relevance for the modern world of the lessons the Biblical stories contain. This episode includes Genesis: A Living Conversation -- A Family Affair tells the story of Abraham, his consort Hagar, and his beloved but barren wife Sarah. Sarah's faith in God's promise of a child is rewarded and Genesis: A Living Conversation -- Call and Promise, tells the story of God's promise to Abraham that his progeny would spread over the earth. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide
- 1996
This video is part of a series that studies the profound wisdom contained in the book of Genesis in the Bible. An interdisciplinary panel of experts, moderated by journalist Bill Moyers, discuss the meaning and relevancy of the ancient stories in modern times. This episode includes Genesis: A Living Conversation -- Blessed Deception, which presents the intriguing story of Isaac and Rebekah and Genesis: A Living Conversation -- The Test, which is the story of the testing of the faith of Abraham and Sarah, who were commanded by God to slay their beloved son. Their faith withstands the test. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide
- 1996
This video, hosted by journalist Bill Moyers, is part of a series that examines some of the stories presented in Genesis, in the Old Testament of the Bible. A panel of experts from diverse backgrounds discuss the meaning and relevancy of the age old stories for modern people. This episode includes a look at Genesis: A Living Conversation -- Exile, takes a look at the story of Jacob's betrayal and enslavement, and ultimate triumph and Genesis: A Living Conversation -- God Wrestling, and features an analysis of the story of Jacob's dream of a stairway to heaven. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide
- 2003
The recent, highly publicized arrest of a longtime fugitive from American justice was the evident source of this 2003 Law & Order episode. It all begins with a jewelry-store robbery in which the owner is killed and a customer (Mandy Patinkin) is wounded. A suspect is brought into court, only to be dismissed when the surviving victim fails to show up to testify -- and with good reason: The missing witness is none other than a notorious political activist, who had fled the U.S. years earlier to avoid a murder rap of his own. The question: Can a man who was tried and convicted in absentia still be sent to prison on the basis of the original trial -- or do the detectives and the lawyers have to reopen a case in which most of the evidence is cold and many of the original participants are dead? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Six of the world's most gifted vocalists of Broadway show tunes, with a plethora of Tony and Grammy awards between them -- Mandy Patinkin, Audra McDonald, Dawn Upshaw, Donna Murphy, Judy Blazer, and Richard Muenz -- pay homage to legendary tunesmith and conductor Leonard Bernstein in the concert film Leonard Bernstein's New York. Each of three segments features the cast members singing selections from one of Leonard Bernstein's Manhattan-themed shows, filmed live in the locations where the original scenes are set. The first, with extracts from the composer's late 1944 musical On the Town, has the ensemble singing "New York, New York"; Murphy, Blazer, and Patinkin singing "Ya Got Me"; Patinkin and Blazer singing "Come Up to My Place"; Upshaw singing "Lonely Town"; Patinkin singing "Some Other Time"; and Murphy singing "Ain't Got No Tears Left." The second segment, with musical extracts from Bernstein's 1953 musical Wonderful Town, has Muenz, Upshaw, and Murphy singing "What a Waste"; Muenz singing "A Quiet Girl"; Patinkin singing "Wrong Note Rag"; Blazer singing "Story of My Life"; and McDonald singing "A Little Bit in Love." The third, with musical extracts from Bernstein's 1957 West Side Story, has Upshaw and Muenz singing "One Hand, One Heart," and McDonald and Patinkin singing "Tonight." ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- 2003
Flight 323 has crashed in the Colorado Rockies, killing everyone on board. Was the disaster the result of carelessness, incompetence, malfunctioning equipment--or terrorism? To answer these question, a team of experts from the National Transportation Safety Board, headed by Al Cummings (Mandy Patinkin) painstakingly recreate the events leading up to the tragedy, and also trace the movements of the various passengers in the last hours on earth. As the impatient media and the victims' grieving families demand answers immediately, Cummings and company do their best to remain calm and detached while using a flight simulator and other such devices to try out innumerable scenarios, in the manner of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (and before that, Rashomon). A compelling example of "procedural" drama, with a logical if not altogether satisfying outcome, the made-for-TV NTSB: The Crash of Flight 323 was originally telecast March 22, 2004, by ABC. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Miguel Pinero became a leading figure in New York's art scene during the 1970s as a poet, actor, and playwright whose vibrant, often pointed, work spoke directly to the lower classes and to disenfranchised minorities. As a founder of the influential Nuyorican Poets Cafe, his poetry soon became recognized as a forerunner to rap and hip-hop music. TV screenwriter turned director Leon Ichaso spins this impressionistic biographical look at this artist. Raised in an abusive family, Pinero (Benjamin Bratt) turns to streets for solace. Soon he is engaging in petty crime, drug dealing, and addiction. When he finds himself in Sing-Sing, he turns his experiences in prison into the play Short Eyes, which eventually garners him seven Tony awards in 1974. Uncomfortable with his new fame, he clings to his girlfriend, Sugar (Talisa Soto), and his childhood buddy, Miguel Algarin (Giancarlo Esposito), who is a literature professor and who co-founded the Nuyorican Cafe. Though Pinero makes cameos on such shows as Kojak, his art begins to suffer as he starts to succumb to his drug addictions. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Benjamin Bratt, Giancarlo Esposito, (more)
- 1999
This made-for-cable TV drama is based on the book of the same name by Wall Street Journal reporters Jane Mayer and Jill Abramson. Delroy Lindo stars as Justice Clarence Thomas, whose proposed appointment to the Supreme Court by President Bush in October 1991 turns into a media frenzy that threatens to ruin his career when a former subordinate, Anita Hill (Regina Taylor), accuses him of sexual harassment before congressional confirmation hearings. In the meantime, Bush administration spin doctor Kenneth Duberstein (Mandy Patinkin) takes charge of the rapidly deteriorating scandal in a successful campaign to discredit Hill and save Thomas' nomination. Louis Gossett Jr. as Vernon Jordan and Paul Winfield as legendary jurist Thurgood Marshall co-star in this Peabody Award-winning film directed by cinematographer Ernest Dickerson, a frequent collaborator of Spike Lee. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Delroy Lindo, Regina Taylor, (more)
James Lapine directed this television adaptation of his acclaimed musical, which he created in collaboration with the great composer Stephen Sondheim. In the first act, artist Georges Seurat (Mandy Patinkin) is working on his latest painting with the woman he loves, Dot (Bernadette Peters), posing for him. The work is to become the impressionist masterpiece Sunday Afternoon on the Isle of La Grande Jatte, and along with Dot, Georges interacts with the various people who happen through the park and become characters in his painting. In act two, Seurat's great grandson George (also played by Patinkin) and his grandmother Marie (also played by Peters) return to the place where Seurat had created his masterpiece 100 years earlier. George, a sculptor, is in dire need of inspiration, and the visit leads both him and Marie to ponder their ideas of what is art, and what is life. This performance of Sunday in the Park with George also features Charles Kimbrough, Barbara Byrne, and Brent Spiner (the latter before he gained fame as Data on Star Trek: The Next Generation). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mandy Patinkin, Bernadette Peters, (more)
