James Woods Movies
One of Hollywood's most intense supporting and leading actors, James Woods has built a distinguished career on stage, screen, and television. Early in his career, Woods, with his lean body, close-set eyes, and narrow, acne-scarred face, specialized in playing sociopaths, psychopaths, and other crazed villains, but in the 1990s, he added a sizable number of good guys to his resumé.The son of a military man, Woods was born in Vermal, UT, on April 14, 1947. Thanks to his father's job, he had a peripatetic childhood, living in four states and on the island of Guam. As a young man, he earned a scholarship to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; after obtaining a degree in political science, he set out to become a professional actor in New York. While in school he had appeared in numerous plays at M.I.T., Harvard, and with the Theater Company of Boston, as well as at the Provincetown Playhouse on Rhode Island. After working off-Broadway, Woods debuted on Broadway in 1970, appearing in Borstal Boy. Off-Broadway, he earned an Obie for his work in Saved.
In 1971, the actor made his first television appearance in All the Way Home, and the year after that debuted in Elia Kazan's thriller The Visitors (1972). He then played a small part in The Way We Were (1973), but did not become a star until he played a vicious, remorseless cop killer in The Onion Field (1979). Subsequent film appearances quickly established Woods as a scene stealer, and though not among Tinseltown's most handsome actors, he developed a base of devoted female fans who found his rugged, ruthless appearance sexy. This appearance would serve him well throughout his career, notably in one of his first major films, David Cronenberg's Videodrome (1983). Cast as the film's morally ambiguous hero, Woods gave a brilliantly intense performance that was further enhanced by his rough-hewn physical attributes.
Throughout the 1980s, Woods continued to turn in one solid performance after another, earning a Best Actor Oscar nomination for his portrayal of an American journalist in South America in Oliver Stone's Salvador (1986). He gave another remarkable performance as a Jewish gangster in Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in America (1984), and in 1989 tried his hand at playing nice in the adoption drama Immediate Family. That same year, he won an Emmy for his portrayal of Alcoholics Anonymous co-founder Bill Wilson in My Name Is Bill W. After beginning the subsequent decade with an Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated performance in the title role of the made-for-TV Citizen Cohn (1992), Woods appeared in a diverse series of films, playing a boxing promoter in Diggstown (1992), H.R. Haldeman in Nixon (1995), a drug dealer in Another Day in Paradise (1998), and a vampire slayer in John Carpenter's Vampires. In 1996, he won his second Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Medger Evers' suspected assassin in Ghosts of Mississippi. In 1999, the actor continued to demonstrate his versatility in a number of high-profile films. For The General's Daughter, he played a shady colonel, while he appeared as a newspaper editor in Clint Eastwood's True Crime, the head of an emotionally disintegrating Michigan family in The Virgin Suicides, and a football team orthopedist in Oliver Stone's Any Given Sunday. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 2006
Vince searches for the perfect date for the highly anticipated Aquaman premiere. Meanwhile, Ari deals with financial difficulties and the limits of his new office space. James Cameron and James Woods appear as themselves. ~ Joe Friedrich, All Movie Guide
- 2005
The title of this episode refers to actor James Woods, whom Peter Griffin befriends under unusual circumstances (what, exactly, would the USUAL circumstances be?). Before long, however, Peter regrets making the acquaintance of Woods, who refuses to leave the Griffin home despite all manner of provocation. Elsewhere, Brian the dog attends a PTA meeting, where he falls in love with a teacher named Shauna (voiced by Gabrielle Union). For reasons best known to producer Seth MacFarlane, this episode also features caricatured cameos by three actors in the Star Trek franchise: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes and Michael Dorn. And if nothing else, "Peter's Got Woods" proves that James Woods is a sucker for Reese's Pieces. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2005
Vincent Albert Cianci Jr. -- better known by the nickname "Buddy" -- is a living legend in New England politics. A former prosecutor in the Rhode Island Attorney General's office, Buddy Cianci was elected mayor of Providence, Rhode Island in 1975, and remained in office until 1984; he was voted back into office in 1991, and served until 2002, making him the longest-serving mayor in the city's history. While Cianci was a charismatic figure and much loved my most of his constituents, the man who was first elected to office on a pledge to clean up corruption had a less than stellar record with the law; he left office for the first time after he was charged with assaulting a man he claimed had seduced his wife in 1984, while in 2002 he was convicted of conspiracy in a bribery scandal that found him charged in federal court on twelve charges, including extortion, racketeering and witness tampering. Despite it all, Cianci remains a popular figure in Rhode Island -- he's also known for a talk radio show he hosted in Providence between stints as mayor, and even markets his own brand of spaghetti sauce. Filmmaker Cherry Arnold persuaded Cianci to talk on camera about his remarkable and sometimes controversial career in politics, and Buddy is a documentary that follows the peaks and valleys of his years in office as he speaks frankly about his accomplishments and the scandals that have dogged him. Former Rhode Island native James Woods provides narration. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 2004
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The Z Channel wasn't America's first premium cable outlet specializing in feature films, and it wasn't the most commercially successful, but few, if any, had as strong an impact on the film industry or a more influential list of customers. Based in California and blanketing sections of the state dominated by the movie business, Z Channel had been operating for several years before former screenwriter Jerry Harvey took over as head of programming in 1980. Under the guidance of Harvey and his staff, the channel became a film buff's dream, screening rare classics, important foreign films, and maverick American titles that had fallen through the cracks of commercial distribution. Harvey and his staff also programmed original and uncut versions of films which had only played American theaters in altered form (including Heaven's Gate, Once Upon a Time in America, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, and The Leopard) long before the concept of the "director's cut" had currency beyond the most hardcore of film fans. And The Z Channel aggressively championed pictures they believed were overlooked, and programmed deserving Oscar-nominated movies during the Academy's voting period, years before studios began distributing video "screeners" to potential voters. (More than one industry expert has credited Z Channel's showings of Annie Hall as a key factor in the film winning Best Picture.) But Jerry Harvey was also a deeply troubled man, and when legal and economic problems began dogging the company in the late '80s, he snapped, leading to a horrible and tragic murder and suicide. The Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession is a documentary that looks at the channel's short but remarkable history as well as Harvey's damaged personal life. It includes interviews with Robert Altman, Quentin Tarantino, James Woods, Jim Jarmusch, Alexander Payne and a number of other filmmakers and critics who attest to Z Channel's lasting impact. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
The family-friendly animated story The Easter Egg Adventure concerns the city of Egg Town. Egg Town is a place where animals of various kinds live in a tranquil, friendly existence. The tranquility and peace lasts until some nasty strangers known as Take-Its conspire to take the town's Easter Eggs. Now a motley crew of Egg Town's citizens must work together in order to rescue their precious eggs. John Michael Williams' film features vocal performances by James Woods, Joe Pantoliano, Eli Wallach, and Olympic figure skater Nancy Kerrigan. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- 2003
Breezily narrated by James Woods, this cable-TV documentary series recreated major and pivotal events in world history -- and not always in a respectful and reverent manner. The opening episode, "Valley Forge: The Crucible," setting the tone for all future installments, underlines the newly discovered factoid that the canny George Washington portrayed the Continental Army as being more decimated and deprived than it really was in order to better to throw the British off the track and squeeze additional money out of Congress. (Could it be that this episode was meant to invoke the questions raised by the U.S. government's alleged "overstatement" of the Iraqi threat during the 2003 Gulf War?) Moments in Time premiered on July 2, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Woods
Two warring civilizations living on a doomed planet face certain destruction unless they can find a way to coexist and begin life anew in this computer-animated sci-fi epic featuring the voice of actor James Woods. As the planet Alcyone crumbles, a vast metropolis rests on the back of a gargantuan robotic city-god known as The Ark. Built by the Cevean population in cooperation with a mythical priestess, The Ark was later stolen by the warmongering Storrione, who subsequently forced the Ceveans into the treacherous wastelands. Though the Storriones have taken control of The Ark, they have no means of controlling it without the guidance of the absent priestess. Realizing that she may be the planet's final hope for salvation, the priestess' daughter Amarinth attempts to fulfill her destiny and pilot The Ark to safety while ensuring that neither race is decimated. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
When some of cartoonland's biggest bad guys show up to make trouble, it's up to Mickey Mouse and his pals to set things right in this direct-to-video animated adventure. Mickey (voice of Wayne Allwine) and his pals, including Donald Duck (voice of Tony Anselmo), Goofy (voice of Bill Farmer), and Minnie Mouse (voice of Russi Taylor), are relaxing at Mickey's house, looking back at some of their past exploits, when a number of villains they've tangled with before -- including Captain Hook (voice of Corey Burton), Cruella De Ville (voice of Susan Blakeslee), Jafar (voice of Jonathan Freeman), Hades (voice of James Woods), and more -- appear en masse, determined to take over the House of Mikey in the name of evildoers everywhere. Mickey's House of Villains contains many clips from classic Disney cartoons of the past, re-edited to fit the film's new storyline. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 2002
This animated feature serves as the coda to the MTV series Daria, which spawned 65 half-hour episodes and one previous movie (Daria: Is It Fall Yet?) during its five-year run. It is wry teen misfit Daria Morgendorffer's senior year at Lawndale High -- time to figure out what university to attend. Her first choice is Bromwell, which is also the first choice of her blue-blooded boyfriend, Tom, whose illustrious ancestors are all alumni. When Daria, Tom, and Tom's mother head off for a campus visit, things don't go as planned. Daria almost bombs her interview; even worse, traffic, bad weather, and the need for Tom to suck up to the alumni keep Daria from getting more than a drive-by look at her second-choice school, Raft. Ironically, though, she gets into Raft and not Bromwell. Tom, of course, does, and the resulting friction leaves a question mark hanging over their relationship. College questions also plague Daria's friends: Jane frets over whether even to apply to art school in Boston, while Jodie must convince her status-obsessed father to let her attend a primarily African-American university where she can finally fit in. Big questions face even Lawndale's younger students as Daria's fashion-plate sister, Quinn, is forced to take a restaurant job to pay off the credit-card bills she's rung up on clothes; hanging out with college kids and helping a new friend through a drinking problem help give Quinn a new outlook on her previously shallow life; can the end of the Fashion Club be far behind? Daria: Is It College Yet? premiered on MTV on Monday, January 21, 2002; nearly commercial-free, the original presentation included the world premiere of the video for "Breaking Up the Girl" by pop band Garbage, alongside clips from all five seasons of the show. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- 2001
Brought into the public consciousness through films like The Untouchables, the team of incorruptible agents that brought Al Capone and others like him to justice are profiled in this series. In this episode, the life and career of the leading Untouchable is examined, from his triumph in Capone's arrest, to the troubles that marked his later life. ~ Rob Ferrier, All Movie Guide
- 2001
In this series, the team of incorruptible agents that brought Al Capone and others like him to justice are profiled, exposing the truth behind these legends. In this episode, the life and career of Special Agent Melvin Purvis is examined. ~ Rob Ferrier, All Movie Guide
- 2001
In this series, the team of incorruptible agents that brought Al Capone and others like him to justice are profiled, exposing the truth behind these legends. This episode examines the life and career of Thomas Dewey, the federal prosecutor who brought Lucky Luciano to heel. ~ Rob Ferrier, All Movie Guide
- 2000
This film is part one of a four-part series that looks at the human dimension of the events of the American Revolution. With re-enactments of key events, and through period artwork, the personal stories of the founding fathers are told. Voices are provided by actors including Burt Reynolds, James Woods, Brian Dennehy, Hal Holbrook, Michael York, Peter Coyote, and Beau Bridges. In this episode, the various taxes the British placed on their American subjects are the subject of discontent. These onerous taxes led to an unlikely alliance between two Bostonians: the failed businessman Samuel Adams and the wealthy, aristocratic John Hancock. Together, they staged the Boston Tea Party, and the Continental Congress was convened. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide
- 2000
This is another volume in the four-part series from The History Channel on the stories of the architects of the American Revolution. The documentary puts real faces on the men Americans call the "founding fathers." With re-enactments and period art, their stories are brought to life, with voices provided by some of Hollywood's leading actors. The story in this episode begins in the year 1775. The colonies are balking at the oppressive measures of the British. Some, like John Hancock, fear the onerous taxes will destroy their wealth. Others, like Thomas Paine, see a chance to express the democratic ideal through oratory. The film gives the viewer the inside story on the motivations of the men who led the fight for freedom. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide
A celebratory exploration of the world's most famous melting pot, Sensational Cities: New York realizes the depth of life amongst Manhattan's towering mountains and within the flowing streets of the valleys below. Development of Dutch colonial New Amsterdam into the British renamed New York premises the blossoming of the harbor into a cultural center known for inspiring artists, as a center for international finances, and for representing the essence of being American. James Woods narrates the visualization of the culture, the struggles, the legends, and the history of the city, and insights are provided by Brian Dennehy, Janeane Garofalo, Donald Trump, Joan Rivers, Steve Allen, and Ed Koch. The history is made up of colorful stories of legendary heroes and scoundrels alike, and the film speaks of both the brilliance and the turbulence of life in New York at the turn of the 21st century. ~ Sarah Sloboda, All Movie Guide
Much attention was given to the Robert Mapplethorpe photographs that became the center of controversy when they were exhibited at the Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center in 1990, but less was known about Dennis Barrie, the museum director responsible for the exhibit. Barrie's obscenity trial and condemnation by right-wing conservatives are the focus of this Showtime telepic. Played by James Woods, Barrie is shown standing up for his museum's right to display controversial art and coping with the toxic windfall that surrounded his actions. Diana Scarwid gives plenty of support as Dianne, Barrie's wife, and interviews with personalities ranging from Susan Sarandon to Salman Rushdie are interspersed with the film's narrative. Thanks to the cooperation of the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, a number of the actual photographs that were at the heart of the controversy were used in the production. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Woods, Craig T. Nelson, (more)
Cheating Las Vegas is a documentary that shows the lengths to which some dishonest people will go in order to beat the odds at the nation's biggest casinos. The days of counting cards have changed now that miniature computers and tiny communication devices allow for easier collaboration between cheats. To respond, the casinos have become adept and spotting these cheaters and employing technological devices of their own to thwart the harm they can do to casino business. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
