Nick Wechsler Movies
- 2010
Two spies on either side of their respective warring nations team up to take down an international criminal group called the Matarese in this MGM adaptation of Robert Ludlum's novel. Denzel Washington and Tom Cruise star in the Relativity Media co-production, directed by David Cronenberg from a script by 3:10 to Yuma's Michael Brandt and Derek Haas ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Denzel Washington
- 2009
- PG13
- Add The Time Traveler's Wife to Queue
A Chicago librarian suffers from a rare genetic disorder that sends him hurtling through time whenever he is under extreme duress; despite the fact that he vanishes at inordinately frequent and lengthy intervals, he attempts to build a stable future with the beautiful young heiress he loves. Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams star in this dramatic fantasy, which is directed by Robert Schwentke and based on the best-selling book by author Audrey Niffenegger. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rachel McAdams, Eric Bana, (more)
- 2009
Stomp the Yard director Sylvain White takes the helm to direct this live-action adaptation of Frank Miller's comic concerning a 13th Century ronin who suffers the shame of allowing his master to be killed by a powerful shape-shifting demon. Later, when the slain master's sword is discovered in 21st century New York, the ronin and hell-spawn are summoned back to life to do battle with the murderous thugs and powerful mutants who all seek to lay claim to the mythical sword. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2009
- R
- Add The Road to Queue
A father (Viggo Mortensen) and son make their way across a post-apocalyptic United States in hopes of finding civilization amongst the nomadic cannibal tribes in 2929 Productions' adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's thrilling Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Road. John Hillcoat (The Proposition) directs from a screenplay provided by Joe Penhall. Charlize Theron co-stars in the Dimension Films release. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Viggo Mortensen, Kodi Smit-McPhee, (more)
Set against the backdrop of the bloody battle waged between New York City cops and the Russian mafia in the 1980s, director James Gray's period drama tells the tale of an emerging club manager whose family ties to law enforcement make him a target for the city's most dangerous criminals. Bobby Green (Joaquin Phoenix) manages one of Gotham's hottest clubs, but being in the club scene often means turning a blind eye to blatant criminal activities. Realizing that his career -- and perhaps his life -- could come to a sudden end if anyone discovers that his father, Bert (Robert Duvall), is the deputy chief of police and his brother, Joseph (Mark Wahlberg), is a rising star on the force, Bobby struggles to keep that sensitive information from everyone except his devoted girlfriend, Amada (Eva Mendes). Russian kingpin Vadim (Alex Veadov) is a ruthless criminal who is willing to permanently silence anyone who dares cross him -- regardless of whether the person is a stranger on the street or a lifelong member of the family. When the Russian mafia declares all-out war against the NYPD, conflicted Bobby is forced to choose between his life of luxury and the family that he has worked so fervently to separate himself from. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg, (more)
The lingering weight of tragedy threatens to pull two men under following a harrowing hit-and-run accident in a quiet revenge drama directed by Terry George and starting Mark Ruffalo and Joaquin Phoenix. When his son is killed in an unsolved hit-and-run accident, a grieving father (Phoenix) spends his waking hours seeking vengeance against the man (Ruffalo) who perpetrated the deadly crime. It was a warm September evening when college professor Ethan Learner (Phoenix), his wife, Grace (Jennifer Connelly), and their daughter, Emma (Elle Fanning), went to see Emma's ten-year-old brother, Josh (Sean Curley), play cello at a recital. As usual, Josh's performance is superb and the rest of his family wells up with pride. Later, a chance stop at a gas station on Reservation Road results in a tragedy that will leave the surviving members of the family forever broken. On that same evening, hours earlier, law associate Dwight Arno (Ruffalo) takes his 11-year-old son, Lucas (Eddie Alderson), to see a Red Sox game. The loving father cherishes the time spent with his young son, and the pair hope to watch their favorite team pave a road to the World Series. When the game ends, Dwight prepares to drop Lucas off with his mother, Ruth (Mira Sorvino) -- who is also Dwight's ex-wife. On the way home, Dwight and Lucas stop at a gas station on Reservation Road. There, the accident happens in a flash -- so fast that Lucas never even realized what his father had done. But this crime wasn't without a witness, because Ethan watched every horrifying second of the tragedy unfold with his own eyes. As the police are called and the investigation ensues, everyone involved responds to the incident in their own ways, and two grief-stricken fathers are faced with making the hardest decisions of their lives. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Ruffalo, (more)
Requiem for a Dream director Darren Aronofsky switches gears from drug-induced urban malaise to abstract science fiction with this time-tripping symbolic tale of a man's thousand-year quest to save the woman he loves. Moving between representational stories and images, this meditation on life and death focuses on the concept of the mythical Tree of Life that is said to bestow immortality to all who drink of its sap. In one of the film's allegorical timelines, a 16th century Spanish conquistador played by Hugh Jackman sets out to find the tree in order to save his queen (Rachel Weisz) from the Inquisition. Another conceptual story finds Jackman centuries later, struggling with mortality as a modern-day scientist desperately searching for the medical breakthrough that will save the life of his cancer-stricken wife, Izzi. The third and most abstract concept finds Jackman as a different incarnation of the same character-idea, this time questing for eternal life within the confines of a floating sphere transporting the aged Tree of Life through the depths of space. Still more avant-garde than his breakthrough film Pi, The Fountain finds Aronofsky almost completely abandoning conventional story structure in favor of something more cinematically abstract. Though the film was originally slapped with an R by the MPAA, Aronofsky & co. re-edited it to conform to a PG-13 rating. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz, (more)
Actor-turned-director and producer Griffin Dunne (Practical Magic, Addicted to Love) teams up with scenarist Dirk Wittenborn for the slice-of-life ensemble drama Fierce People. As summer encroaches, 16-year-old Manhattanite Finn Earl (Anton Yelchin) would love nothing more than to trek off to South America and spend the year's sun-drenched months near the equator, embarking on thrilling adventures with his estranged archaeologist father, whom he's never met. Alas, the bonds of family rein in tight when Finn's booze- and coke-addled mother, the masseuse Liz (Diane Lane), cries out for help -- and, in the process, unwittingly gets Finn arrested. In a dramatic attempt to reverse circumstances and sort out the complications in both of their lives, Liz insists on taking custody of Finn for the summer. Both, she insists, will live in the home of one of her former massage clients, the aging billionaire Ogden C. Osborne (Donald Sutherland) -- with whom she may be amorously involved. Though Finn agrees begrudgingly at first, in time he finds the environment welcoming -- as he develops a crush on Ogden's gorgeous granddaughter (Kristen Stewart) and befriends Ogden's grandson. But when an unforeseen and shocking act of violence erupts, it estranges Finn and Liz from their posh surroundings and provides a sobering, harrowing reminder of the socioeconomic differences between the Earls and their new friends. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Diane Lane, Donald Sutherland, (more)
A fictionalized account of one of America's most groundbreaking sexual harassment lawsuits comes to the screen in this hard-hitting drama. In the late '80s, Josey Aimes (Charlize Theron) fled her abusive husband, and needed to find a way to support her two children. Aimes returned to her hometown in Minnesota and followed the lead of her old friend Glory (Frances McDormand), who had bucked tradition and found a job in the iron mines that had long provided employment for much of the community. Aimes found honest labor and a living wage working the mines, but she also discovered she was working with men who were uncomfortable working with women (whose right to work in the mines had been mandated by law almost 15 years prior), and didn't care to show them much respect. However, as Aimes found herself the growing target of sexist jokes and abhorrent behavior, she found that many of her female co-workers were reluctant to stand beside her, afraid of losing a good-paying job at a time when they were increasingly hard to find. But as a personal crisis became a public war of words, Aimes became the center of a nationwide controversy when she attempted to file a class action sexual harassment suit against the mine owners, which put her and her family in a position of scrutiny beyond her worst expectations. North Country also stars Sean Bean, Sissy Spacek, and Woody Harrelson. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlize Theron, Frances McDormand, (more)
First-time filmmaker Omar Naim writes and directs the sci-fi drama The Final Cut. Set in the near future, the story concerns a microchip that is capable of recording a person's entire life. Robin Williams plays Alan Hakman, an editor who cuts together the footage to make pleasant movies for funerals. Tormented by his job and his own memories, Alan also has a troubled romantic relationship with bookseller Delilah (Mira Sorvino). While looking through footage for his next project, Alan discovers a man whom he believes is from his own past. Meanwhile, former editor Fletcher (James Caviezel) wants the footage for his own purposes. The Final Cut was shown at the Berlin Film Festival in 2004. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robin Williams, Mira Sorvino, (more)
- 2003
This exhaustively researched cable-TV documentary traces the history of drug movies, from camp classics like Reefer Madness to more serious and sober examinations like Requiem for a Dream. Top-heavy with clips from such once-shocking groundbreakers as The Man With the Golden Arm, the "head" flicks of the 1960s and '70s (Easy Rider, the Cheech and Chong vehicles, et al.), the goofy dope-head comedies and the straightforward "wasted-teen" dramas of the '80s (Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Drugstore Cowboy) and cautionary epics about the ruined lives of the rich and famous (The Doors) and international narcotics-financed corruption (Traffic), the film illustrates how the truth about the drug culture has been both accurately chronicled and pathetically misrepresented by Hollywood. Several actors, writers, and directors who have worked in films detailing drug use and abuse are interviewed. Assembled by Oscar-winning moviemaker Bruce Sinofsky, Hollywood High was originally telecast by the AMC cable network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A man has one day to put his life in order before a long stretch in prison in this drama directed by Spike Lee. Monty Brogan (Edward Norton) is a man who came from a working class family in New York. Monty's best friends Jacob (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Slaughtery (Barry Pepper) went on to distinguished careers as, respectively, a high school teacher and a bonds trader, but Monty took a different path and began dealing drugs. While Monty's trade has made him plenty of money, it hasn't brought him much respect from his family and friends, and while Jacob and Slaughtery have stayed in touch, Monty's lifestyle has led them to keep their distance. One night, Monty is relaxing at home with his girlfriend Naturelle (Rosario Dawson) when the police show up; Monty is arrested, and after a trial he's sentenced to seven years in prison. On his last day of freedom before he goes to jail, Monty tries to make amends with his father (Brian Cox) and goes out on the town with Jacob and Slaughtery. With both of his friends facing emotional crises of their own, Monty finds himself wondering where his life took a wrong turn and if there's any way left to redeem himself. Along the way, Monty begins to suspect that Naturelle may have turned him in, and he has to deal with Kostya Novotny (Tony Siragusa), an ill-tempered drug supplier who has unfinished business with him. 25th Hour was scripted by David Benioff, who adapted the story from his novel of the same name. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward Norton, Philip Seymour Hoffman, (more)
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)
A young woman trying to better understand the fate of her sister finds herself following in her footsteps in this emotional drama. 18-year-old Phoebe (Jordanna Brewster) has been haunted by the memory of her sister Faith (Cameron Diaz), who died under mysterious circumstances while travelling through Europe several years earlier. Looking for closure, Phoebe decides to retrace her sister's journey in hopes of finding out what happened to her. In the course of her travels through France, Portugal, and the Netherlands, Phoebe crosses paths with Wolf (Christopher Eccleston), Faith's boyfriend, and finds herself falling for the man her sister once loved. Based on the acclaimed novel by Jennifer Egan, The Invisible Circus also features Blythe Danner and Camilla Belle. The film marked the directorial debut for screenwriter Adam Brooks. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jordana Brewster, Christopher Eccleston, (more)
An action drama centering on the media circus, 15 Minutes focuses on a New York homicide detective named Eddie Flemming (Robert De Niro), a famous figure known for his heroic on-the-job manner. A tabloid news anchor (Kelsey Grammer) attempts to get the scoop on Flemming's latest beat when a pair of Eastern European criminals (Karel Roden and Oleg Taktarov) find a way to manipulate the media by filming their exploits, which they believe they can sell to bloodthirsty journalists and make themselves rich. In the wake of a double murder, Flemming teams up with Jordy Warsaw (Edward Burns), an arson investigator assigned to help locate the murderous pair. Meanwhile, Flemming must contend with his news reporter girlfriend Nicolette (Melina Kanakaredes) as he and Jordy find themselves enveloped in a lurid series of events that threatens to jeopardize their safety. Kim Cattrall, Avery Brooks, and Vera Farmiga are also featured in the cast. ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert De Niro, Edward Burns, (more)
- 2000
Bob Hoskins stars as Manuel "Tony" Noriega, former leader of Panama, in this biographical comedy-drama about his improbable rise to power and inglorious fall. Abandoned by his parents at an early age, Noriega grew up fending for himself among the desperate poverty of Panama's slums. In search of a career, he joined the Panamanian Army, and rose through the ranks to become a powerful military leader. In time, Noriega became Panama's dictator, but the widespread corruption of his administration, his inability to tell the truth, and over-reliance on political assassination caused him to lose the support of the people, especially after the mutilated corpse Hugo Spadafora (Ivo Cutzardia), his chief political rival, is discovered in the jungle. Noriega also loses the support of Cuban leader Fidel Castro (Michael Sorich) when he enters into an agreement with a drug ring to refine cocaine in Panama, but then buckles under pressure from the U.S. government and destroys the processing plant. The CIA, who once regarded Noriega as a friendly ally in Latin America, have turned their back on him, and Vice President George Bush starts acting as though they never met. Even Noriega's wife Felicidad (Denise Blasor) and mistress Vicki (Rosa Blasi) seem to have given up on him. In a bid to save face, Noriega hires a public relations man (Richard Masur), who suggests that holding open elections might be a good idea. Noriega agrees, but then changes his mind when it becomes obvious that his candidates will loose. Beset by enemies on all sides and trying to flee American troops, Noriega hides out in the Vatican Embassy, where he confesses his sins as U.S. soldiers try to drive him out with loud music. Noriega: God's Favorite was produced for the Showtime premium cable network and directed by Roger Spottiswoode, who also helmed the James Bond adventure Tomorrow Never Dies. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Hoskins, Jeffrey DeMunn, (more)
Based on the novel by Hubert Selby Jr., this gritty drama concerns four people trapped by their addictions. Harry (Jared Leto), and his best friend Tyrone (Marlon Wayans) are impoverished heroin addicts living in Coney Island, NY, while Harry's girlfriend Marion (Jennifer Connelly) is a fellow addict trying to distance herself from her wealthy father. Harry dreams of scoring a pound of smack, from which he could make enough money to open a clothing boutique with Marion, but so far he and his friends can barely scrape by supporting their own habits. Meanwhile, Harry's mother Sara (Ellen Burstyn), who spends her days watching television, is told she has the opportunity to appear on her favorite game show; wanting to lose enough weight to fit into her favorite red dress, she visits a sleazy doctor who gives her a prescription for amphetamines. Soon Sara has a drug habit of her own that is spiraling out of control. Requiem for a Dream was directed by Darren Aronofsky, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Selby; it was Aronofsky's second feature, following his acclaimed independent film Pi. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, (more)
In this drama, a young man joins the family business without knowing that he's entering a world of danger and deceit. Hot-headed Leo Handler (Mark Wahlberg) has had some scrapes with the law and served time for a crime he didn't commit. Hoping to get his life back on track, he takes a job in the New York subway yards, secured by his Uncle Frank (James Caan), who has a high-ranking position in the New York Transit Authority. The longer Leo works in the yards, the more he realizes that his uncle controls a corrupt underworld where graft, violent reprisals, and even death are just part of the job. Will Leo turn against his family in the name of justice, or will he keep quiet and ignore the danger and lawlessness that surround him? The Yards also features Charlize Theron, Joaquin Phoenix, Ellen Burstyn, and Faye Dunaway. It was director James Gray's first film after his acclaimed debut with Little Odessa. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mark Wahlberg, Joaquin Phoenix, (more)
The Marquis de Sade was a man who liked to stir up trouble, at a time when his native France was in a state of tremendous political turmoil, and this historical drama examines how much controversy he could cause even under repressive circumstances. In the aftermath of the French Revolution, the Marquis de Sade (Geoffrey Rush) manages to narrowly escape execution during the Reign of Terror, and instead is sentenced to the Charenton Asylum for the Insane. Coulmier (Joaquin Phoenix), the priest who heads the asylum, is sympathetic to the political machinations that have put the Marquis in his care, and allows him not only to write what he pleases, but to stage theater pieces using the other patients as actors. Royer-Collard (Michael Caine), a tyrannical doctor overseeing the mental institutions of Napoleonic France, is as outraged as the emperor when he reads Justine, a scabrous volume the Marquis penned while an inmate at Charenton, and he demands that de Sade be stopped. But Royer-Collard soon learns that stopping the Marquis from writing is not so simple; when de Sade's quills and ink are taken from him, he uses wine and even his own blood to write his stories. When these options are no longer available, he dictates his work with the help of Madeline (Kate Winslet), a laundry girl working at the asylum, who is fascinated by the notorious de Sade, though she declines his frequent requests to satisfy his notorious sexual appetites. Based on the play by Doug Wright (who also penned the screenplay), Quills was directed by Philip Kaufman, who previously documented the line between eroticism and literature in Henry and June and The Unbearable Lightness of Being. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Geoffrey Rush, Kate Winslet, (more)
- 2000
Following up on his critically successful debut, Sunday (1997), which won top prizes at the Sundance Film Festival, Jonathan Nossiter directs this romantic drama about a man obsessed with coincidence, serendipity, and the preternatural. Alec Skarsgard (Stellan Skarsgard) is a Stockholm-born American who lives in Athens and works as a commodities trader. He takes great pride in his ability to perceive patterns and trends in the daily undulations of the market and thereby turn a huge profit. In his private life, he also obsesses over random incidents and occurrences, looking for a deeper meaning in the chaos of everyday life. Though he loves his longtime wife Marjorie (Charlotte Rampling) and their two teenaged children, he finds that he cannot resist the seductive wiles of his co-worker Katherine (Deborah Kara Unger). He soon breaks the illicit affair off in an effort to save the marriage. Yet when he accidentally bumps into Katherine on a family ski trip, believing it fateful coincidence, he leaves with his co-worker and files for divorce. Later, Katherine reveals that she concocted their fortuitous meeting. Aghast, Alec promptly spurns her and returns to his soon-to-be ex-wife. Since she has already taken up with Greek intellectual Andreas (Dimitris Katalifos), Marjorie is less than enthusiastic about reconciling. Meanwhile, Katherine follows Alec and informs him that she is pregnant. This film was screened at the 2000 Berlin Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stellan Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling, (more)
Theresa Connelly makes her directorial debut with her own screenplay, a semi-autobiographical romantic comedy-drama, set in working-class Detroit, about a large Polish-American family run by matriarch Jadzia Pzoniak (Lena Olin). Her four boys obey her, but adolescent Hala (Claire Danes) is rebellious and independent. Although happily married to bakery worker Bolek (Gabriel Byrne), Jadzia engages in an almost-open affair with Roman (Rade Serbedzija). Hala sneaks off for late-night trysts with her handsome neighbor Russell Schuster (Adam Trese), resulting in her pregnancy. After her parents learn the news, Russell is forced to marry Hala, and a big Polish wedding is planned. Shown at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lena Olin, Gabriel Byrne, (more)
What do you do after love at first sight? That's the question posed in this romantic comedy-drama set in Chicago. Darius Lovehall (Larenz Tate) is a novelist who is giving a reading at the Sanctuary, an upscale club presenting jazz and poetry to a bohemian clientele. Shortly before his set, he meets Nina Mosley (Nia Long), a woman who is a gifted photographer, despite the fact that she just lost her job. They exchange small talk, and Darius makes his interest clear when -- on the spot -- he retitles a love poem "A Blues For Nina." A mutual attraction is sparked between them; soon Darius finds Nina's address on a check and shows up unannounced at her apartment, a visit resulting in a photo session that turns seriously sexy. So far, so good, but neither Darius or Nina are sure where to go next after this promising start. She's just gotten out of a relationship and isn't sure if she still cares for her old boyfriend or not, while Darius' buddies read him the riot act for wanting to give up his freedom so early on in the game. Love Jones was the debut feature for African-American writer and director Theodore Witcher; Isaiah Washington, Bill Bellamy, and Lisa Nicole Carson lead the supporting cast. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larenz Tate, Nia Long, (more)
Character actor Steve Buscemi made his debut as a writer and director with this seriocomic tale of a guy who is going through something but doesn't know just what it is. Tommy is a 31-year-old auto mechanic who lost his last job after "borrowing" 1,500 dollars from the cash register and heading to Atlantic City, where he wasted no time losing it all at the tables. The fact that he can't get his own car to run isn't impressing any prospective employers, so Tommy spends much of his time at the Trees Lounge, a local watering hole conveniently located downstairs from his apartment. Eventually Tommy lands some work driving an ice cream truck and becomes acquainted with his ex-girlfriend's 17-year-old niece, Debbie (Chloë Sevigny). When they half-heartedly fall into a romance, it's just one more thing for Tommy to be confused about. Buscemi draws upon a rich cast of supporting actors, including Elizabeth Bracco, Anthony LaPaglia, Carol Kane, Debi Mazar, Samuel L. Jackson, and Mimi Rogers. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steve Buscemi, Mark Boone, Jr., (more)
This drama chronicles the moral fortitude and courage of a simple North Carolina farmer in 1815. The trouble begins when the widowed farmer August King takes his wagon to a nearby town to get supplies and make the final payment on his land. He arrives to find the townsfolk quite agitated as two slaves have escaped from the estate of Olaf Singletary, the richest man in town. August had earlier seen the fleeing 17-year-old slave girl. That night, he is camped out and the starving runaway stumbles in. August is a good, highly-principled man and decides to ignore his own personal risk and help her. He conceals the fugitive from Olaf and his posse as he hurries back to the safety of his farm. Still despite his efforts, word leaks out that a traveler is harboring the slave and that he has a milk cow attached to the back of his wagon. To fool the pursuers, August kills his cow, and later as he is shooting some wild rapids he loses his new pig. Eventually, August comes upon Olaf and sees him capture the other slave and brutally chop him up because he is angry that the young slave girl, for whom he has a special reason for wanting back, isn't with him. By the time August makes it back to his home, almost everything he values has been lost or destroyed, but he has learned some valuable lessons about what is really important in life. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Patric, Thandie Newton, (more)
- 1994
- R
A wealthy Beverly Hills husband and wife are forced to reevaluate their lives after losing their jobs in writer-director Michael Tolkin's aloof satire. Peter Witner (Peter Weller) and Katherine Witner (Judy Davis) have become so accustomed to their high-class, shallow lifestyle that they feel helpless when circumstances leave them facing imminent bankruptcy. Lost and confused, their marriage on the verge of collapse, they seek help from a number of spiritual gurus, who offer ineffectual New Age philosophies as the solution to their problems. These remedies provide little comfort, however, and the Witners' attempt to make their own way by opening a hip clothing store also disappoints, leaving them ostracized and desperate for a direction in life. Best known for the cutting screenplay of Robert Altman's The Player (1992) and for his own earlier film The Rapture (1991), Tolkin provides sharp dialogue and a well-observed critique of the Los Angeles high life. This film continues the social criticism of those earlier efforts, as Tolkin consistently portrays American life as mindlessly materialistic, spiritually hollow, and bereft of meaningful purpose or moral direction. While some viewers may feel distanced from the unsympathetic characters and detached tone, Tolkin continues to be one of the most trenchant social satirists in contemporary American movies. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Weller, Judy Davis, (more)
