Rachelle Carson Movies
Filmmakers Chris Bradley and Kyle LaBrache co-directed this film that exists somewhere between an improvisational mockumentary and an actual documentary. Starring Jeff Goldblum as himself, the film follows the actor's attempts to put on a production of The Music Man in the titular town. The play really happened, but how much is real and how much is just deadpan comedy remains for the audience to discern. Goldblum's friends Illeanna Douglas and Ed Begley Jr. co-star as themselves. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeff Goldblum, Ed Begley, Jr., (more)
A struggling actor and a has-been rock star attempt to make the rent by selling cocaine to supermodels in this buddy comedy starring Chris Fogelman, William Gregory Lee, Ed Begley, Jr., M.C. Gainey, and Ezra Buzzington. As an actor, Ford (Fogelman) is a modestly successful commercial spokesman, and as a musician, Tripp (Lee) is a fantastic mooch. When Tripp decides to give up music in order to concentrate on his drug-intake and Ford finds his funds drying up, the realizes that in order to pay the rent they will have to improvise. While Tripp's suggestion of selling cocaine to supermodels will no doubt bring in some much needed cash, Ford isn't quite comfortable getting into the drug trade. His opposition begins to soften, however, when he realizes that in order to remain in his acting classes - and by turn close to dream girl Gwen (Amber Benson) - he will have to earn a little extra income. But now a drug deal has gone bad, and Ford is stuck dealing with his brain-dead roommate while attempting to avoid a mob boss who would castrate him without a second thought. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Fogleman, William Gregory Lee, (more)
Directed by Reverge Anselmo, Stateside revolves around the unique love story of two very different teens -- namely, the rich but lonely Mark Deloach (Jonathan Tucker) and Dori Lawrence (Rachael Leigh Cook), a schizophrenic singer and actress -- whose lives spiral out of control in separate but nonetheless connective ways. After Mark's prank on a local girl (Agnes Bruckner) results in a deadly drunk-driving accident, and Dori's mental health continues to deteriorate, Mark is forcibly sent to the Marines as Dori is admitted into a mental hospital. Despite the state of havoc in their lives, however, Dori and Mark are drawn to each other -- it would appear that their mutual need for love and some semblance of understanding has bonded them more tightly together than all of their more traditional relationships combined. Of course, those very relationships are insisting the young couple stay as far apart as possible; Mrs. Hagen (Diane Venora), head of Dori's halfway house, is particularly insistent. When Mark is deployed to a combat unit overseas, it looks as though Mrs. Hagen's wishes have been granted. Unable to forget each other, Mark and Dori do their best to heal one another in spite of the distance between them. Stateside features supporting performances from Ed Begley Jr., Carrie Fisher, Val Kilmer, and Joe Mantegna ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rachael Leigh Cook, Jonathan Tucker, (more)
The debut film from director Joseph A. Pineda, Going Down is a raunchy independent comedy starring Jay Michael Ferguson and Josh Blake as two pals who find themselves mired in a fiasco in the aftermath of a wild party. With Jack's (Ferguson) parents due back in just a few hours, the guys find themselves running ragged to not only get the house in order but also take care of the two dead bodies that mysteriously made their way into the suburban abode. As the clock ticks, the mishaps mount. The film also features appearances by Ed Begley Jr. and Saved by the Bell's Dennis Haskins. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jay Michael Ferguson, Josh Blake, (more)
- 2001
Directed by Neal Israel, Hounded is a made-for-television family film about a 13-year-old boy named Jay Martin who has both a school paper and his chances for a scholarship stolen by his rival, Ronny Van Dusen, who just so happens to be the headmaster's son. Jay concocts a plan to right the situation, but when he breaks into the headmaster's house, he can't stop the Van Dusen's dog from following him home. As if that weren't enough, without the proper medication, the dog gets completely out of control. The film originally aired in 2001 and stars Tahj Mowry as Jay, Shia LaBeouf as Ronny, and Ed Begley Jr. as Mr. Van Dusen. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tahj Mowry, Craig Kirkwood, (more)
In this satire, parents who are worried that their children might not be walking the straight and narrow path discover a rehabilitation camp designed to curb alternative lifestyles. Megan (Natasha Lyonne), a high school student and member of the cheerleading squad, seems like an ordinary enough teenage girl, but her habit of honestly expressing herself and lack of romantic enthusiasm for her boyfriend convince her very repressed parents, Peter (Bud Cort) and Nancy (Mink Stole), that Megan is becoming a lesbian. So Megan is shipped off to True Directions, a camp for gay and gay-leaning teens, where Mary Brown (Cathy Moriarty) attempts to deprogram kids with homosexual tendencies. The first step in the process is to get each teen to admit to their homosexuality, which Megan is loath to do, since she doesn't believe she's a lesbian -- or at least she didn't think so before she met her new friend Graham (Clea DuVall), who seems quite sure that she likes girls. Meanwhile, Mary's son Rock (Eddie Cibrian) may be exempt from the camp's activities, but he turns more than a few heads among True Directions' male inmates. Noted female impersonator RuPaul appears as a camp guide, and Julie Delpy has a cameo as a "lipstick lesbian." ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Natasha Lyonne, Cathy Moriarty, (more)
The title of Henry Jaglom's stream-of-consciousness Eating says it all. Three women (Lisa Blake Richards, Mary Crosby and Marlena Giovi), each celebrating a "milestone" birthday, decide to throw a joint party. Attending the revelries is French documentary filmmaker Martine Nely Alard, who becomes fascinated when none of the guests will touch the meticulously prepared birthday cake. As Martine begins interviewing the partygoers, she discovers the importance that food holds in each of their lives. One of the most revelatory improvisational monologues is delivered by a matriarch portrayed by Frances Bergen, the real-life widow of Edgar Bergen and the mother of Candice. Though Eating is not for everyone's taste, for those in tune with the fiercely independent Jaglom, the film is a cinematic smorgasbord. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lisa Richards, Mary Crosby, (more)
The second feature-length revival of the Get Smart television series (1965-1970) of blessed memory, Get Smart Again reunited Don Adams as bumbling secret agent Maxwell Smart and Barbara Feldon as his wife, sultry "fellow" agent 99. Smart coerces 99 to drop her public-sector job and join him in thwarting the evil machinations of their old nemesis Siegfried (Bernie Kopell). Other alumni from the original TV series include Dick Gautier as Hymie the Robot, Robert Karvelas (Don Adams' cousin) as Larrabee, King Moody as Starker and Dave Ketchum as the ubiquitous Agent 13. A few concessions have been made to the passage of time (Smart's fabled shoe-phone now has "call waiting"), but the film scores highest on its nostalgic appeal, encapsulated by such catch-phrases as "Sorry about that", "Would you believe?" and "Missed it by that much." Get Smart, Again was first telecast February 26 (would you believe February 27?), 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Adams, Barbara Feldon, (more)
