Art Chudabala Movies
- 2005
Track the rise and fall of fictional action superstar Frank Sledge in this rapid-fire mockumentary featuring special appearances by Angelina Jolie, Carrie-Ann Moss, Hugo Weaving, Richard Lewis, Sean Young, Ernie Hudson, Kelly Hu, and more. Laugh along as filmmakers parody some of the most popular action films ever, and Hollywood's brightest stars reflect on the career of the ass-kicking icon who, despite all his power and influence, couldn't prevent his own career from going up in flames. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Leitch, Holmes Osborne, (more)
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, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, (more)
A beautiful dancer whose passion for the Tango prevents her obsessive love for her husband and dance partner from lapsing into madness gradually finds insanity taking hold in director Rogelio Lobato's intimate psychological drama. Valentina (Guillermina Quiriga) seeks solace from insanity in the Tango, but despite her best efforts there is no out-dancing fate. As her husband Eduardo (Jordi Caballero) vows to remain true to his wife no matter what hardships loom on the horizon, Valentina's loved ones do everything in their power to salvage the damaged woman's mental health as they too become caught up by the madness that consumes her. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Guillermina Quiroga, Jordi Caballero, (more)
- 2001
Kovac (Goran Visnjic) again treats the stubborn Bishop Stewart (John Cromwell). Sixteen-year-old cardiac patient Nick Stevens (Josh Peck) balks at having another heart transplant. Another patient, a gay man named Jeff (Robert Beitzel), refuses to use contraceptives, and indeed seems eager and willing to contract the AIDs virus. Greene's (Anthony Edwards) erratic behavior increases. And Carter (Noah Wyle) asks Abby (Maura Tierney) to be his date at a gala charity function -- leading to an uncomfortable "reunion" for Abby. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
The Medavoys have split up again: Greg (Gordon Clapp) leaves home and camps out at the precinct station, while Marie (Deborah Taylor) finally meets her husband's "significant other," Donna (Gail O'Grady). A curious tattoo leads Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) and Simone (Jimmy Smits) to a Chinese gangster, the former boyfriend of a murdered teenage girl. And while investigating an assault case involving a wheelchair-bound woman (MacKenzie Phillips) and a man claiming to be a cop, Martinez (Nicholas Turturro) learns the truth about the allegedly gay Adrianne Lesnick (Justine Miceli). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
Babylon 5 plays reluctant host to 25,000 ground-pounding Earth troops, who, acting under secret orders, have been assigned to snuff out a rebellion. Exacerbating an already unpleasant situation is the fact that the troop's leader (Paul Winfield is Dr. Franklin's long-estranged father. The title of this episode refers to a vindictive alien race, from whom Delenn can expect no good. Written by Lawrence G. DiTillio, "Gropos" was originally broadcast on February 8, 1995. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Boxleitner, Claudia Christian, (more)
Set in Los Angeles two days before the end of 1999, Strange Days introduces us to Lenny Nero (Ralph Fiennes), an ex-cop turned sleazy hustler who hawks the newest underground thrill on the black market: a "squid," a headpiece that allows one to transmit digital recordings of other people's thoughts, feelings, and memories into their brain; as Lenny describes it, "this is real life, pure and uncut, straight from the cerebral cortex." Lenny deals "clips" (the software) as well as "squids" (the hardware) for this new and illegal entertainment system, and while sex and violence are the most popular themes, Lenny refuses to deal in "blackjack" -- slang for snuff clips. Lenny is nursing a broken heart after his girlfriend, punk singer Faith Justin (Juliette Lewis), left him, and he spends a lot of time with clips he recorded when they were together. Faith is now involved with Philo Grant (Michael Wincott), a music business tycoon who once managed Jeriko One (Glenn Plummer), a hip-hop musician and political activist whose murder has sent L.A. into a state of chaos. When a clip emerges that shows that Jeriko was killed by L.A. police officers, Lenny finds his life in danger, and he tries to escape possible death on both sides of the law with the help of his friend Mace Mason (Angela Bassett). Strange Days was written by James Cameron in collaboration with former film critic Jay Cocks; Kathryn Bigelow directed. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett, (more)
Though it was also released as Tack's Chicks, The Stoned Age is a more accurate summation of this engagingly sloppy "head" movie. The protagonists are Joe (Michael Kopelow) and Hubbs (Bradford Tatum), who are obsessed with an unending quest for beautiful girls and nonstop sex. In the course of a single night, the boys are introduced to several willing lovelies by a fella named Tack (Clifton Gonzalez-Gonzalez). Making enjoyable-if pointless-guest appearances in Stoned Age are Frankie Avalon, Taylor Negron, and two members of the Blue Oyster Cult. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Kopelow, Bradford Tatum, (more)
Based on a true story, this made-for-television drama chronicles a couple's downward spiral into drug addiction. Meredith Baxter stars as Mary Ann Guard, a nurse who gets romantically involved with heroin abuser Guy Grand (Stephen Lang). Guy turns Mary Ann onto drugs and her once-stable life is suddenly out of control, with Mary Ann stealing from her hospital in order to support their habit. Her family decides to get her clean and get Guy out of her life by checking her into rehab. Mary Ann's rough road isn't over though, and she has to decide for herself which life she wants to lead. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Meredith Baxter, Stephen Lang, (more)
Adrian Lyne buffs the premise of Honeymoon in Vegas to a fine gloss in this yuppie melodrama that poses the conundrum of whether the loving husband of an equally loving wife will accept $1 million to allow his wife to spend one night with a billionaire who looks like Robert Redford. All the cynics please take a number and form a line at the right. Demi Moore and Woody Harrelson play Diana and David Murphy, high-school sweethearts who marry and who are doing very well -- Diana is a successful real-estate agent, and David is an idealistic architect who has built a dream house by the ocean -- until the recession hits. Suddenly, David loses his job, and they can't make the mortgage payments. Dead broke, they borrow $5000 from David's father and head to Las Vegas to try to win money to pay the mortgage on their house. At first, they get $25,000 ahead -- but inevitably the house always wins, and they end up losing it all. While Diana is in the fancy casino boutique trying to lift some candy, she is spotted by billionaire John Gage (Robert Redford), who is immediately attracted to her. John invites Diana and David to an opulent party, and it is there that John offers David $1 million for a night with his wife. David is wracked by this moral dilemma, but Diana finally makes the decision on her own, with ensuing consequences for their ideal marriage and their bank account. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Redford, Demi Moore, (more)
- 1991
Whoever hit upon the idea that What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? would make a good TV movie remake forgot one essential fact. The original 1962 Baby Jane was at best a ludicrous melodrama, which only reached the level of art thanks to the bravura performances of Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. This time around, real-life sisters Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave play, respectively, invalid former film star Blanche Hudson and her insanely jealous sister "Baby" Jane Hudson. As before, Jane launches a campaign of terror against her helpless sister, all the while planning her own show business comeback with a smarmy musician (John Glover). Part of the problem with this misfire remake, beyond its overall lack of tension, is the character makeup: With her head shaved, Vanessa looks more like Susan Powter than a former cinema queen, while Lynn, decked out in garish "little girl" makeup, resembles Bozo the Clown. The 1991 Whatever Happened to Baby Jane should be seen at least once just to satisfy the curiosity. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
- PG13
- Add Gleaming the Cube to Queue
Gleaming the Cube does for skateboarding what Over the Top did for arm wrestling -- i.e. not a hell of a lot. Christian Slater is the skateboarding star, playing Brian Kelly, a sneering and laconic teen outcast. He feels left out and envious of his adopted Vietnamese brother Vinh's (Art Chudabala) success as an honor roll student and as the center of attention in his family. When Vinh commits suicide, Brian is suspicious and rolls away on his skateboard to find out what really happened -- and ultimately to avenge his murder. Brian's investigation is aided and abetted by a sardonic detective named Al Lucero (Steven Bauer), a collection of skateboard aficionados, and an incredibly attractive Vietnamese girl, Tina (Min Luong). ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christian Slater, Steven Bauer, (more)
