Maury Chaykin Movies
A talented character actor whose pudgy frame and adaptable face allows him to alternate between meek and imposing at the drop of a hat, Maury Chaykin endeared himself to television audiences as razor-sharp detective Nero Wolfe, though he has been appearing in film and television since the late '70s. Raised in Brooklyn, NY, Chaykin took a shine to acting while attending James Madison High School. Following his dream to the University of Buffalo, where he majored in theater, it was there that Chaykin would found The Swampfox Theater in 1968. An avant-garde troupe that became the talk of the town after crashing Toronto's Festival of Underground Theater in 1970, The Swampfox troupe would later gain accolades as the most original group at the Yale Drama Festival. Following such strong beginnings, it was clear to many that great things were in store for Chaykin. Spending a few years at North Buffalo's American Contemporary Theater following his college graduation, Chaykin would later move on to work in experimental theater in Toronto.Alternating frequently between television and film in his early years, small early roles in such popular films as 1983's WarGames insured the burgeoning actor increased visibility, and following roles in such high-profile fare as Mrs. Soffel (1983) and Turk 182! (1984), Chaykin made a lasting impression when promoted to leading-man status in 1985's Canada's Sweetheart: The Saga of Hal C. Banks. Flawlessly essaying the role of a Canadian union-leader who presided over the country's shipping industry in the 1950s and '60s, the film found Chaykin gaining near universal critical accolades in addition to winning a Nellie Award for his spot-on performance. Despite his success in the role of Banks, Chaykin rounded out the '80s with appearances in such schlocky films as Meatballs III (1987) and Iron Eagle II (1988), with only the occasional dark drama such as Cold Comfort (1989) offering the rare opportunity for him to truly shine.
Things began to look up for Chaykin in the 1990s, and appearances in such acclaimed efforts as Dances With Wolves (1990) and My Cousin Vinny (1992) ensured that he would retain a high profile in the coming years. Though Chaykin's roles were far from top-billed, appearances in Sommersby (1993) and Devil in a Blue Dress (1995) served well to balance out forgettable turns in such efforts as Josh and S.A.M. (1993). In addition to an affecting turn as a faded rock star who attempts to create music that will allow him to communicate with nature in 1994's Whale Music, a haunting turn in the downbeat drama The Sweet Hereafter (1997) provided Chaykin with one of his most memorable roles of the decade. As the 1990s drew to a close, his turn as a biker inmate in the long-running HBO series Oz found a virtually unrecognizable Chaykin using his imposing frame to surprising effect. Rounding out the decade with roles in Entrapment and Mystery, Alaska (both 1999), it seemed that Chaykin was finally getting the recognition he deserved.
At the dawn of the new millennium, television audiences began to warm up to Chaykin when A Nero Wolfe Mystery debuted in 2001. That same year Chaykin would take a memorable turn as a bumbling bureaucrat in director Jonathan Parker's Bartleby, and a dramatic role as a husband suffering after the tragic loss of a child in the made-for-television Crossed Over (2002) proved that he could alternate between mystery, comedy, and drama with unprecedented ease. In the following years, Chaykin could be spotted in substantial roles in such films as Owning Mahowney (2003) and Being Julia (2004). ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2008
- NR
A hapless man trying to hold on to his job is plunged into a dangerous world where no one is what they appear to be in this dark comedy-drama. Charlie (Craig Lauzon) is a stockbroker working for a large financial services firm in Toronto. Charlie knows he's not doing well at work, and his boss Jay Valentine (Simon Reynolds) has told him so to his face. However, Jay has also offered Charlie a chance to prove he can be useful, and Charlie jumps at the opportunity even though it's clearly on the shady side of the law. Before long, Charlie finds himself caught up in a web of money, sex, deceit and murder as he begins traveling in a circle of dangerous and powerful characters, none more menacing than the wealthy and short-tempered Roland Gow (Maury Chaykin). Also starring Lindsey Deluce, Ellen Dubin and Lori Hallier, Bull was the first theatrical feature from writer and director Kent Tessman; the film was an official selection at the 2008 Montreal Word Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Craig Lauzon, Lindsey Deluce, (more)
Fernando Meirelles' adaptation of Nobel Prize-winning author José Saramago's novel Blindness begins when an epidemic of blindness strikes the world. Mark Ruffalo stars as an eye doctor who awakens one morning to find that he suffers from the unexplained disorder. He, along with other victims, is sent to a government detention center so that they can be quarantined. His wife (Julianne Moore) pretends to be blind so that she can be with him inside the institution. Their time in the center grows more and more desperate as food and supplies dwindle, and one of the other citizens (Gael García Bernal) exercises dictatorial control over the others after he acquires a weapon. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, (more)
Two kids with nothing in common are brought together in a very unexpected way in this comedy. Nell (Samaire Armstrong) is a pretty but hopelessly geeky teenage girl who loves Shakespeare and wants little more than to study literature at Yale when she graduates from high school in a few months Woody (Kevin Zegers), who lives next door, is the quarterback on the school's football team, and seems like a sure bet to land a lucrative football scholarship despite the fact he isn't especially bright. Nell and Woody are not at all friendly and normally have nothing to say to one another, but one day during a class field trip to a historical museum, the two fall under the spell of an Incan icon and when they awake the next morning, Woody's mind is in Nell's body, and vice versa. Neither is comfortable with their sudden gender switch or having to assume the other's personalities, but they quickly realize that until they can find a way to reverse the spell, they have to work together if Nell is to go to Yale and Woody is to get his scholarship and move away from this loutish parents (Sharon Osborne and Maury Chaykin. Elton John was an executive producer on It's A Boy Girl Thing, and songs from his back catalog appear on the soundtrack. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kevin Zegers, Samaire Armstrong, (more)
Actor Greg Henry stars as the elusive serial killer who terrorized Kansas residents for seventeen agonizing years while taunting the authorities and claiming the lives of ten random and unsuspecting victims. Inspired to revisit the case on the anniversary of the killer's emergence, the media inadvertently prompts a serial killer who had once gone into self-induced retirement to begin prowling the streets of Wichita in search of potential victims. Detective Jason Magida (Robert Forester) is a cop who remembers all too well the terror that the BTK killer inflicted on the community as he launched a gruesome campaign to bond, torture, and kill his helpless "projects" after staking them like an animalistic predator, but that was back in the mid-1970s. Is it really possible for a serial killer to suppress their murderous instincts long enough to evade capture, only to lash out once again decades later? When a killer who seems to share the same modus operandi as the original BTK killer begins claiming victims and the citizens of Wichita once again begin locking their doors at night, Detective Magida and his partner (Michael Michele) set out to put an end to the killings, and the rampant fear that has gripped the quiet Kansas town, once and for all. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
The tragic court case that forever altered the course of American jurisprudence is dramatized for the screen in this courtroom docudrama starring Timothy Hutton, David Straithairn, Leelee Sobieski, Anthomy Mack and Bill Sage. The year is 1931, and nine black hobos have been accused of raping two white women on an Alabama freight train. The accused, who all range in age from twelve to twenty-three, are quickly sentenced to death in the electric chair by an all-white jury fueled by racism and vengeance. But as news of the convictions spreads, something remarkable happens: the plight of the so-called Scottsboro Boys inadvertently ends up fueling the fires of socialism across the globe and the case is quickly appealed to the United States Supreme Court. As each of the nine defendants prepare for their retrials in a Decatur, Alabama courtroom, self-assured New York defense attorney Samuel Liebowitz (Hutton) accepts the formidable task of representing the accused in the trial that will hold an entire nation spellbound. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Timothy Hutton, David Strathairn, (more)
A reporter unexpectedly gets a personal perspective on a legendary show-business story in this adaptation of Rupert Holmes' novel, scripted and directed by noted Canadian independent filmmaker Atom Egoyan. In the mid-'50s, Lanny Morris (Kevin Bacon) and Vince Collins (Colin Firth) were a wildly popular comedy team who suddenly and unexpectedly broke up at the peak of their popularity. Fifteen years after Morris and Collins called it quits, journalist Karen O'Connor (Alison Lohman), who has earned a reputation for her celebrity exposés, wants to write about the true story of what happened with Morris and Collins -- and to her surprise, her publisher tells her Collins has agreed to co-author the book for a cool million dollars. The only catch is that Collins has to tell the full truth about a very large skeleton in the team's closet -- a beautiful naked woman was found drowned in the bathtub of Morris and Collins' hotel suite shortly before they broke up the act, and while the comics were cleared of any wrongdoing, rumors about the incident followed them for years. As O'Connor and Collins complete their book, they learn to their surprise that Morris has opted to write a book of his own about the team's career; eager to learn what Morris has to say, O'Connor meets him posing as a schoolteacher, and soon falls into an unexpected romantic relationship with him. O'Connor soon finds herself playing two sides against one another as she tried to learn the truth about two men with dark and scandalous pasts. Where the Truth Lies became the subject of unexpected controversy when the MPAA gave the film an NC-17 rating due to a brief scene involving a ménage à trois; the film earned significantly more lenient rating in other countries. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kevin Bacon, Colin Firth, (more)
Adapted from a series of short stories by Canadian cult favorite Bruce La Bruce, this seriocomic coming-of-age story stars Andre Noble as Cliff, a teenager growing up in Toronto in the 1980s. While Cliff is aware of the fact he's gay and has a ravenous curiosity about sex, he hasn't been able to do much about it. However, on his 18h birthday, Cliff's free-thinking mother, Madge (Marnie McPhail), pours him a stiff drink, offers him a reefer, and politely but firmly tells him to go downtown and have some fun. Eager to lose his virginity, Cliff instead encounters Butch (Brendan Fehr), a good-looking guy in his early twenties who makes his living as a male prostitute. Cliff is infatuated with Butch from the first moment he sees him; however, while Butch appears fond of Cliff and strikes up a friendship with him, his career has forced him to develop a sense of emotional distance from others, and he isn't interested in sex with other men unless he's being paid for it. Cliff becomes a regular visitor to Butch's apartment and gets a crash course in the underbelly of the Toronto gay community, but one day Butch drafts Cliff into performing a sex act with him for a customer, leaving Cliff humiliated and heartbroken. Sugar also stars Sarah Polley and Maury Chaykin. Only the second feature film from respected theatrical director John Palmer, it was screened as part of the 2004 San Francisco Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
The residents of Wilby, Nova Scotia, learn the importance a day can make as scandal weighs heavily on their conscience in the sophomore feature from Canadian playwright-turned-filmmaker Daniel MacIvor. Suicidal Dan Jarvis (James Allodi) is longing to find a reason to live, and as Buddy and Carol Franch's (Paul Gross and Sandra Oh) marriage falls to pieces, single mom Sandra Anderson (Rebecca Jenkins) seeks male companionship to relieve the strain of raising a child alone and unlucky painter Duck MacDonald (Callum Keith Rennie) struggles to overcome his own nagging problems. On the horizon, a shocking revelation threatens to change the way the residents of the small town view both themselves and their neighbors, but how will the people of Wilby deal with such a major problem when they can't even work out their own issues? ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
A woman scorned unleashes her fury in this droll comedy based on a story by W. Somerset Maugham. Julia Lambert (Annette Bening) is a famous and well-respected actress, but though her life in the limelight seems glamorous, things are not going well for her off-stage. Julia's husband is unfaithful to her (and not especially discreet about it), her son is angry with her, and she's afraid she's losing her looks and allure as she advances further into middle age. In the midst of this, Julia meets a handsome and dashing young American named {%Tom.. Tom makes no secret of his attraction to Julia, and the feeling is mutual, leading the two into a torrid affair. But, while Julia at first dives into this adulterous romance with little care for how it could affect her reputation, she becomes livid with rage when she learns that Tom is also involved with a younger actress, and is only using Julia to advance himself. Julia then plots an elaborate revenge against Tom in a scheme that will help her win back the pride and confidence life has recently stripped from her. Being Julia also stars Jeremy Irons, Michael Gambon, Bruce Greenwood, and Shaun Evans. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Annette Bening, Jeremy Irons, (more)
- 2004
When the best doctors at St. Albert's Hospital suddenly abandon their posts, it's up to the six inexperienced interns to keep the hospital running and the patients breathing in an all-star comedy featuring Dave Thomas, Dan Aykroyd, Maury Chaykin, Dave Foley, Matt Frewer, and Saul Rubinek. Things aren't what they used to be at St. Andrews Hospital, and between the wild parties down in the morgue and the misplaced patients, it's going to take a miracle to maintain the appearance of order in this medical facility. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Oldring, Pat Kelly, (more)
- 2003
Unlike her earlier comedy series and specials, in which she "took on" dozens of vivid and distinct characterizations, Tracey Ullman focuses herein on only three of her famous alter egos. First and foremost is faded glamour gal Ruby Romaine, veteran Hollywood cosmetician and shameless dispenser of libelous gossip. In her efforts to gain re-entry into Local 706 of the Hair and Makeup Guild, the heavily wrinkled Ruby crosses paths with two other Ullman creations, Russian émigré Svetlana and actress Pepper Kane, a black woman trying to pass as white (not surprisingly, both ladies are prime targets for Ruby's unending stream of ethnic slurs). Somehow or other, Ruby's return to her days of glory also brings her in contact with such real-life popular culture icons as Debbie Reynolds, Barbara Bain, Cheech Marin, Rose Marie, Jane Kaczmarek, and former Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In producer George Schlatter. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tracey Ullman
A seemingly ordinary bank employee develops an obsession that could destroy his life and that of those around him in this drama. Dan Mahowny (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is a quiet, unassuming employee of a bank in Toronto; he lives modestly, drives a used car, and is dating one of the bank's tellers, a sweet but mousy girl named Belinda (Minnie Driver). What no one knows is that Dan has a secret life -- Dan is a compulsive gambler, and after running up massive debts with his bookie Frank Perlin (Maury Chaykin), he begins making regular visits to Atlantic City in the United States, where he often bets (and loses) far beyond his means. Dan's expertise at the bank is rewarded with a promotion to assistant manager; his new responsibilities include approving loans, which gives him the authority to transfer funds in and out of the bank. Needing to cover his debts, Dan starts approving loans to non-existent clients and adding hundreds of thousands of dollars to other accounts, and Victor Fox) (John Hurt), manager of Dan's favorite Atlantic City casino, is more than happy to "help" Dan, comping him to luxury suites and all the attendant amenities and working with him to transfer bank funds into his casino account. As Dan's debts begin to grow into the seven figure range, his dealings become harder to hide, both from the authorities and from Belinda, who has become aware of Dan's addiction to gambling but doesn't know just how far it's grown. Based on a true story, Owning Mahowny was directed by Richard Kwietniowski, who previously worked with John Hurt in the acclaimed Love and Death on Long Island. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Philip Seymour Hoffman, Minnie Driver, (more)
Maury Chaykin returns as wealthy, eccentric, ill-tempered, self-indulgent, and insufferably brilliant private detective Nero Wolfe, with Timothy Hutton as his wisecracking, skirt-chasing assistant and legman, as the A&E series bearing the blanket title A Nero Wolfe Mystery enters its second season. As in season one, most of the episodes are directly based on the original Nero Wolfe novels written by Rex Stout between 1934 and 1975. All of the episodes are ample demonstrations of the keen deductive and analytical skills of the overweight protagonist, who specializes in solving seemingly unsolvable crimes -- but only when he feels like doing so. The season opens with the two-part "Death of a Doxy," directed by series regular Timothy Hutton, in which Archie must explain the presence of a corpse in his apartment. In a later two-parter, "Motherhunt," Wolfe ignores his precious prize-winning orchids and rare beers long enough to track down the mother of an abandoned infant. Also spread over two episodes is "Too Many Clients," the title of which should be self-explanatory (Wolfe's many clients are the lovers of a libidinous murder victim). And in the final two-parter of the season, "The Silent Speaker," the case at hand is the death of a representative from the National Industrial Association. Curiously, the season ends with a rare single, self-contained episode: "Immune to Murder," in which Wolfe's talents as a gourmet chef are brought into play. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Timothy Hutton, Maury Chaykin, (more)
Based on the autobiographical book by novelist Beverly Lowry, the made-for-TV Crossed Over chronicles the unlikely friendship between Lowry and one of America's most notorious death-row inmates. Consumed by grief after the hit-and-run death of her 18-year-old son Peter (Nick Roth), Beverly Lowry (played by Diane Keaton, who also executive-produced the film) is unable to overcome her depression, despite the tender ministrations of her supportive husband Ethan (Maury Chaykin). But when a psychic informs her that her son's death was caused by a woman, Beverly obsessively begins researching the lives of other women who'd taken lives. The trail of information leads her to the infamous Karla Faye Tucker (Jennifer Jason Leigh), slated to become the first white woman executed for murder in Texas in 135 years. Although the film necessarily telescopes the facts (the actual relationship between Lowry and Tucker spanned nearly a decade), the film successfully details how Beverly's friendship with the doomed Karla enabled both women to expunge the demons within their respective souls. Filmed in Toronto, Crossed Over was originally aired by CBS on March 3, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jennifer Jason Leigh, Diane Keaton, (more)
Introduced on March 5, 2000, with the two-hour cable movie The Golden Spiders, the A&E series bearing the blanket title A Nero Wolfe Mystery launches its first season with Maury Chaykin as the corpulent, bombastic, sublimely self-indulgent title character and Timothy Hutton as Wolfe's wisecracking assistant and legman Archie Goodwin. Running anywhere from 60 to 90 minutes, the individual episodes are inspired by the many Nero Wolfe novels and short stories written between 1934 and 1975 by Rex Stout, and all are ample demonstrations of the keen deductive and analytical skills of the overweight protagonist, who specializes in solving seemingly unsolvable crimes -- but only when he feels like doing so. The series' first three episodes are two-parters, all based on Rex Stout's original novels. "A Doorbell Rang" finds Wolfe accepting a case which implicates the FBI in cold-blooded murder; "Champagne for One," directed by series regular Timothy Hutton, focuses on the curious "suicide" of an unwed mother at a fancy dinner party; and "Prisoner's Base" has Wolfe not only exposing a scheme to steal a fortune by hook or by crook, but also clearing Archie of a charge of impersonating a police officer. Following three self-contained hour-long episodes, the series offers another two-parter to close the season, Over My Dead Body," centering upon a sinister fencing academy and a young woman who may or may not be Nero Wolfe's long-lost daughter. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Timothy Hutton, Maury Chaykin, (more)
Herman Melville's short story Bartleby the Scrivener gets a slightly surreal update in this offbeat comedy drama. The manager (David Paymer) of the city records department in a mid-sized California community decides that his staff of three -- flirty chatterbox Vivian (Glenne Headly), sloppy Vietnam vet Ernie (Maury Chaykin), and slick-suited, Don Juan wannabe Rocky (Joe Piscopo) -- could use some help, so he places an ad looking for a new employee. The boss ends up hiring the one and only applicant who wants the position, a quiet, pale young man named Bartleby (Crispin Glover). At first, Bartleby is a model of efficiency, but before long he loses enthusiasm for his job, much to the annoyance of his co-workers, and soon he's spending his days staring at an air conditioning vent. The Boss asks Bartleby to get back to work, but Bartleby's repeated reply to such requests is, "I prefer not to," and the Boss sees little recourse but to fire him. However, Bartleby refuses to leave his desk, and it soon becomes obvious that Bartleby has not only stopped doing his work -- he's stopped going home and has moved into the office. Bartleby was the first feature film for producer/director Jonathan Parker; he also wrote the screenplay, in collaboration with Catherine Di Napoli. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Paymer, Crispin Glover, (more)
When a gentle bookkeeper is forced to act as an assassin in order to pay off her husband's debt to the mob, the bloodless scheme she concocts to keep a clear conscience could cost her more than she bargained for in a blistering crime comedy starring Diane Keaton, Burt Young, Bob Balaban, Paul Sorvino, and Natasha Lyonne. Fran (Keaton) has just lost her husband, and if that wasn't enough to shake her world, the revelation that he owed a healthy chunk of change to a local syndicate head does little to comfort her in her time of mourning. Soon informed that she is to carry out a series of risky assassinations lest she find herself having a premature reunion with her recently departed spouse, Fran opts instead to drive her would-be victims to her brother's house in Florida for safe keeping. When the big boss receives word that his enemies may not be as dead as he was led to believe, his impromptu trip to the Sunshine State leads to a comic series of criminal complications. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Diane Keaton, Paul Sorvino, (more)
A spy who has convinced much of the world he doesn't exist now must prove that he does in order to save thousands of lives in this thriller. After the assassination of Wu (James Hong), China's ambassador to the United Nations, in the midst of negotiations on a trade pact, FBI agent Neil Shaw (Wesley Snipes) is assigned to ferret out the killer by his superior, Eleanor Hooks (Anne Archer). But Shaw soon discovers that he's now considered a key suspect in the murder, and is the subject of a manhunt. Shaw's ability to cover his tracks, and his network of similarly "invisible" agents, makes him a hard man to track down. But when Shaw learns that the real killers not only plan to strike again but intend to take out most of the U.N. in the process, he swings into action to prevent the attack and clear his name; Shaw is thrown into a partnership with Julia (Marie Matiko), a U.N. interpreter who witnessed Wu's murder and may be able to trace a recording of the crime. The Art of War co-stars Michael Biehn as Bly, one of Shaw's associates, and Donald Sutherland as the Secretary General of the United Nations. The film was originally written as a vehicle of Hong Kong action star Jet Li before Snipes stepped in as both star and executive producer. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wesley Snipes, Anne Archer, (more)
- 2000
Nero Wolfe (Maury Chaykin) is the world's greatest detective, and like any genius, he has his share of idiosyncrasies -- he loves orchids with an unnatural passion, he weighs a seventh of a ton, and--oh yeah--he never leaves his New York brownstone. Instead, he is aided by an army of foot soldiers headed by Archie Goodwin (Timothy Hutton). The film opens when Pete, a young windshield washer, is begged by a woman to call the police. She is then ushered into a car and whisked away. Thinking that she has been kidnapped, Pete gives Nero the scoop in exchange for half the reward money. When Pete later turns up dead, Nero kicks his investigation into high gear. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Timothy Hutton, Maury Chaykin, (more)
Kenyan-born, London-educated Indian filmmaker Gurinder Chadha follows up on her debut hit Bhaji on the Beach (1994) with this gentle look at multiculturalism in Los Angeles. The film details the lives of four ethnically diverse families -- black, Latino, Jewish, and Asian -- during one frantic Thanksgiving. The film opens with Ronald (Dennis Haysbert), an African-American who works as a spin doctor for the Republican politico; he and his wife Audrey (Alfre Woodard) are in the midst of preparing for their white dinner guests. Meanwhile, at the Latino household, young Anthony Avila (Douglas Spain) invites his womanizing father for Thanksgiving dinner, unbeknownst to his schoolteacher mother Elisabeth (Mercedes Ruehl). At the same time, the Seeling family is confronted with their daughter Rachel's (Kyra Sedwick) lesbianism, when she brings home her lover Carla (Julianna Margulies). Finally, Vietnamese immigrant Trinh Nguyen (Joan Chen) struggles to understand her Americanized children after she discovers condoms in her eldest daughter's jacket and a gun in her son's room. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alfre Woodard, Dennis Haysbert, (more)
- 1999
Veteran Canadian filmmaker Mort Ransen follows the critical and commercial success of Margaret's Museum (1995) with this unusual romance between a young man and a much older woman in the backwaters of British Columbia. Carrie (Lynn Redgrave) is an aging, hard-drinking widow. Her estranged daughter Sylvie (Lolita Davidovich) is trying to sell Carrie's café, the locals are trying to kick Carrie out of her house, and Carrie's dead husband's friend Burt is making romantic advances on her. All seems bleak until a dashing young stranger named Shawn (Tygh Runyan) suddenly ingratiates himself into Carrie's house, life, and eventually her bed. Soon she awakens from her drunken tailspin and reaches out to her daughter. Though Shawn seems utterly unfazed by the 40-some year gulf between he and Carrie, he also proves to be deeply unbalanced. This film was screened at the 1999 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lynn Redgrave, Tygh Runyan, (more)
- 1999
Director and screenwriter Stacy Title (best known for the independent feature The Last Supper) obviously knows a good story when she sees one, and proves it with Let The Devil Wear Black, which takes the framework of Shakespeare's Hamlet and recasts it with present-day characters and dialogue. Jack (Jonathan Penner), a professional student, is convinced something is rotten in the state of his family after the recent death of his father -- especially when Uncle Sammy (Jack Sheridan) decides to marry Jack's mother (Jacqueline Bisset) with what Jack thinks is inappropriate speed. Jack becomes convinced his father's death was at the hands of some shadowy conspiracy, while his girlfriend, Julia (Mary-Louise Parker) starts to unravel in the face of her own tensions and Jack's obsessions. The supporting cast includes Philip Baker Hall, Jonathan Banks, Maury Chaykin and Chris Sarandon; Let The Devil Wear Black was shown as part of the 1999 Slandance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jonathan Penner, Jacqueline Bisset, (more)
A literal interpretation of the oft-produced biography of 15th century historical heroine Joan d'Arc, this four-hour television miniseries version of Joan's story is lavishly produced. In a tiny village during the Hundred Years' War, teenager Joan d'Arc (Leelee Sobieski) has been raised by her parents, flinty Peter (Powers Boothe) and Isabelle (Jacqueline Bisset), amidst the wreckage continually wrought by British incursions into the area. A devout girl, Joan experiences visions of St. Catherine, which lead her to believe that she may be the "Maid of Orleans," a mythical figure who will lead France to victory over its enemies. Counseled by local priest Father Monet (Robert Loggia), Joan pursues her destiny in spite of her father's wishes. At first supported only by lowly commoners, Joan comes to the attention of the Dauphin, King Charles (Neil Patrick Harris). Together with his scheming advisor Bishop Cauchon (Emmy-winner Peter O'Toole), Charles uses Joan to unite his quarreling factions. Skeptical but superstitious, Charles' generals, including La Hire (Peter Strauss) are eventually won over by Joan's startling victories. But awaiting Joan is a disastrous Parisian campaign and Charles' betrayal. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leelee Sobieski, Jacqueline Bisset, (more)
After a long career playing good guys, Sean Connery gets to have some fun playing a crook for a change in the romantic crime thriller Entrapment -- and he even gets to break the law with the lovely Catherine Zeta-Jones. When a priceless Rembrandt painting is stolen from a New York skyscraper in a daring and technically sophisticated robbery, ace insurance investigator Virginia "Gin" Baker (Catherine Zeta-Jones) begins looking into the matter and is soon convinced it's the work of master art thief Robert "Mac" MacDougal (Sean Connery). Gin thinks the best way to get the goods on Mac (and perhaps recover the painting) is to work her way inside his operation, so she locates him in London and, posing as a fellow art thief, offers to work as his partner. While Mac is smart enough to not accept an offer like that from just anyone, most thieves don't look as good as Gin does in a leotard, and she soon proves an able assistant in a shakedown robbery where they pinch a rare Chinese mask from a British museum. After this success, Mac agrees to join forces with Gin for what is literally the heist of the millenium -- as Midnight rolls around in Kuala Lumpur on December 31, 1999, the security computers in a major multinational banking facility will be breached for a split second as the computers roll over to a new program for Y2K. Is that long enough for Gin and Mac to nab $8 billion in bank transfers? Is 14 days long enough to prepare for a robbery of this scale? And will Mac and Gin's professional relationship pave the way for some capers in the bedroom? In addition to playing the male lead, Sean Connery also co-produced this film; the supporting cast includes Ving Rhames and Maury Chaykin. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sean Connery, Catherine Zeta-Jones, (more)
In this comic drama about fame, sports, and small-town life, Mystery, Alaska is a small town in one of the least accessible parts of the coldest state in the union. It's a town where everyone knows each other and there isn't much to do. In places like this, small things tend to become very important, and in Mystery, the one thing that keeps everyone sane is hockey. Most of the men of Mystery are obsessive hockey fans, and a local hockey league has sprung up, with pools of neighborhood talent facing off on the ice every week. When a national sports magazine does a story on the hockey fans of Mystery, Alaska, someone at the National Hockey League gets an idea for a publicity stunt: send the New York Rangers to Mystery to play the local all-stars in a nationally televised game. Most of the locals are thrilled; the game will give the people of Mystery a chance to bask in the limelight and make their sleepy town a household word. On the other hand, in a small town where everyone knows everyone else's secrets, this event could cause everyone to start airing their dirty laundry in public, with the whole world watching. Mystery, Alaska was directed by Jay Roach, who enjoyed considerable success with the two Austin Powers films, and stars Russell Crowe as John Biebe, Mary McCormack as his wife Donna, Burt Reynolds as Judge Burns, and Lolita Davidovich as Mary Jane. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Russell Crowe, Hank Azaria, (more)
