Karina Arroyave Movies

Adrift in Manhattan, the third feature effort of Hispanic writer/director Alfredo de Villa (Washington Heights, Yellow), intercuts three intensely dramatic stories of life during a cold New York winter, each of which revolves around the concept (and thematic motif) of vision. In the first, an eye doctor grieving from a traumatic loss (Heather Graham) must reexamine her life and priorities; in the second, an artist of advanced age must contend with encroaching blindness -- thus losing the one of his five senses that represents his greatest asset; in the third, a photographer grapples with inner turmoil. De Villa brings these stories together for an unanticipated intersection on a Manhattan subway line, and watches as these individuals -- initially, complete strangers to one another -- help to guide each other through their struggles, pain, and angst. William Baldwin and Erika Michaels co-star. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Issues of race and gender cause a group of strangers in Los Angeles to physically and emotionally collide in this drama from director and screenwriter Paul Haggis. Graham (Don Cheadle) is a police detective whose brother is a street criminal, and it hurts him to know his mother cares more about his ne'er-do-well brother than him. Graham's partner is Ria (Jennifer Esposito), who is also his girlfriend, though she has begun to bristle at his emotional distance, as well as his occasional insensitivity over the fact he's African-American and she's Hispanic. Rick (Brendan Fraser) is an L.A. district attorney whose wife, Jean (Sandra Bullock), makes little secret of her fear and hatred of people unlike herself. Jean's worst imaginings about people of color are confirmed when her SUV is carjacked by two African-American men -- Anthony (Chris Bridges, aka Ludacris), who dislikes white people as much as Jean hates blacks, and Peter (Larenz Tate), who is more open minded. Cameron (Terrence Howard) is a well-to-do African-American television producer with a beautiful wife, Christine (Thandie Newton). While coming home from a party, Cameron and Christine are pulled over by Officer Ryan (Matt Dillon), who subjects them to a humiliating interrogation (and her to an inappropriate search) while his new partner, Officer Hansen (Ryan Phillippe), looks on. Daniel (Michael Pena) is a hard-working locksmith and dedicated father who discovers that his looks don't lead many of his customers to trust him. And Farhad (Shaun Toub) is a Middle Eastern shopkeeper who is so constantly threatened in the wake of the 9/11 attacks that he decided he needs a gun to defend his family. Crash was the first directorial project for award-winning television and film writer Haggis. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

It's just not William Foster's (Michael Douglas) day. Laid off from his defense job, Foster gets stuck in the middle of the mother of all traffic jams. Desirous of attending his daughter's birthday party at the home of his ex-wife (Barbara Hershey), Foster abandons his car and begins walking, encountering one urban humiliation after another (the Korean shopkeeper who obstinately refuses to give change is the worst of the batch). He also slowly unravels mentally, finally snapping at a fast-food restaurant that refuses to serve him breakfast because it's "too late." Running amok with an arsenal of weapons at the ready, Foster -- also known as "D-FENS" because of his vanity license plate -- rapidly becomes a source of terror to some, a folk hero to others. It's up to reluctant cop Prendergast (Robert Duvall), on the eve of his retirement, to bring D-FENS down. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Detectives Greevey (George Dzundza) and Logan (Chris Noth) seek out Brutus Walker (Jerome Preston Bates), the chief suspect in the rooftop murder of a cop. Even while the detectives put out a dragnet for Walker, the fugitive's lawyer, Simpson (David Margulies), tries to cut a deal with prosecutors Stone (Michael Moriarty) and Robinette (Richard Brooks). The key to the outcome of this perplexing case may be in the hands of the dead cop's guilt-ridden partner. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

After earning rave notices for powerful supporting turns as a pimp in Street Smart (1987) and an alcohol abuse counselor in Clean and Sober (1988), actor Morgan Freeman began his ascent to stardom with this, his first lead role in a major motion picture. Freeman is real-life high school principal Joe Clark, a tough, harsh educator and administrator who in 1987 is given a nearly impossible task by his old friend, school superintendent Dr. Frank Napier (Robert Guillaume). Clark is asked to reform inner city Eastside High School in Paterson, NJ, a hotbed of delinquent kids and drug dealers. Considered the worst school in New Jersey, the state is threatening to take control of Eastside away from the local school board. If Clark can straighten out Eastside in time to get the school's basic-skills test scores up, he can have the job permanently. Although Clark's tyrannical approach and hard-line policies alienate many members of the staff and the community, his uncompromising campaign gets results and even makes him famous, much to the chagrin of his powerful enemies. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Still under suspicion for the murder of a nurse, ill-tempered cop Tommy Richardson (Michael Wiseman) is transferred to another precinct. Still hoping to get the goods on Richardson, Bobby (Jimmy Smits) and Diane (Kim Delaney) persuade Tommy's abused wife, Laurie (Charlotte Ross), to wear a wire. In another case, the body of a shooting victim is found in the bathtub of his former girlfriend, whose father has been seriously injured in a freak accident involving an electric chain saw. And when his CAT scan tests yield discouraging results, Andy (Dennis Franz) decides to react quickly -- by changing doctors. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this action comedy, director Gregg Champion relies on the premise that, indeed, "country boys can survive," as Sonny (Kiefer Sutherland) and Pepper (Woody Harrelson, always game) head off to the Big Apple in order to rescue a mutual friend's daughter from the clutches of an evil sweatshop owner. Naturally, there are lots of encounters highlighting the two fishes out of water; there are opportunities to lasso bad guys; there's even a chase on horseback through the city streets after Sonny and Pepper steal a pair of NYPD horses. ~ Jeremy Beday, Rovi