Ben Cook Movies
The ghosts of two daring pilots help a troubled young girl in this fantasy for the family. In 1927, a pair of French air aces, Charles Nungesser (Lothaire Bluteau) and Francois Coli (Michel Monty) hop into a single-engine biplane and take off for New York City with the intention of becoming the first pilots to cross the Atlantic non-stop. However, they fail to arrive in New York and are never heard from again. 70 years later, 12-year-old Katie Penhallow (Juliana Wimbles) and her brother are sent to Newfoundland to visit their grandmother, Lydia (Marsha Mason). Both Katie and her brother have had a difficult time dealing with the death of their father, a pilot who lost his life while testing a plane several years before. One night, while exploring at a pond near Grandmother's house, Katie encounters Nungesser and Coli, who look remarkably alive and healthy for two men who have been dead for seven decades. The flyboys tell Katie they are actually the spirits of the lost aviators, and they will not be able to rest until they can rescue their wrecked aircraft from the pond. While Katie has a hard time convincing anyone of what she saw, for the first time since her father's death she has a focus and purpose in life that takes her mind off her feelings about her dad. Shown on premium cable in the United States under the title Restless Spirits, Dead Aviators was shown under its original title in 1999 at Sprockets, the Toronto Film Festival for Children, and on CBC television in Canada. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lothaire Bluteau, Michael Monty, (more)
- 1998
Made for television, The Taking of Pelham One Two Three is adapted from the suspense novel by John Godey, previously filmed as a theatrical feature in 1974. The earlier version was highlighted by the verbal cat-and-mouse game between a cynical veteran NYPD detective, played by Walter Matthau, and a world-weary master criminal, played by Robert Shaw. The remake offers two detectives, Piscotti (Edward James Olmos and Ray (Lorraine Bracco), who match wits with a man calling himself Mr. Blue (Vincent D'Onofrio), who has masterminded the hijacking of a New York subway car. As his cohorts hold the 14 passengers hostage, Mr. Blue demands a $5 million ransom, to be delivered in one hour, or else the captives will be killed one by one. Though the dark humor which pervaded the 1974 version is largely absent here, the remake pulls off the neat trick of being highly suspenseful and subtle and low-key at the same time. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three debuted February 1, 1998, on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward James Olmos
- 1998
- PG
Canadian director Rodney Gibbons helmed this adaptation of the 1871 Louisa May Alcott classic, previously filmed in 1935 and 1940. Alcott followed Little Women (1868) and Little Men with a third book in the series, Jo's Boys (1866). This 1998 family film was evidently prompted by Gillian Armstrong's successful 1994 Little Women adaptation with its potent cast (Winona Ryder, Susan Sarandon, Claire Danes, Kirsten Dunst, Samantha Mathis, Christian Bale, Gabriel Byrne, Eric Stoltz, Mary Wickes, John Neville) and impressive production values. In Little Men, urban urchins Nat (Michael Caloz) and cocky Dan (Ben Cook) usually find trouble just around the corner. About to be nabbed for theft, Nat gets lucky after a kindhearted benefactor intervenes. While Dan continues to survive on the streets, Nat arrives at peaceful Plumfield -- the school managed by Jo (Mariel Hemingway) and Fritz Bhaer (Chris Sarandon) -- where he reforms and finds a new way of life. But then Dan arrives at Plumfield, the Bhaers take him in, and the tranquility is shattered. Dan has an immediate influence on life at the school after he introduces such activities as drinking, poker, and fights. Although Fritz objects, Jo decides to give Dan a chance. When problems persist, Dan is sent away -- and several ethical and moral lessons are underscored when Dan eventually rejoins the Plumfield camaraderie. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Caloz, Mariel Hemingway, (more)
Blaze is a comic-strip re-telling of the curious late-1950s relationship between famed striptease artist Blaze Starr (Lolita Davidovitch) and Lousiana governor Earl Long (played in gorgeously flamboyant fashion by Paul Newman). Their romance is counterbalanced with the story of Long's efforts to win voting rights for Louisiana's black citizens. The governor's political enemies ruin his chances at re-election, then try to put him out of the way permanently with a trumped-up insanity charge. But with faithful Blaze at his side (and in close proximity to other portions of his anatomy), Long confounds his foes by winning a congressional seat. On the eve of this triumph, Earl Long dies, bringing this boisterous story to a sobering conclusion. Since the film is based on Blaze Starr's own reminiscences, one might prepare oneself with several grains of salt. The real Blaze Starr shows up early in the film as a stripper named Lily. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Newman, Lolita Davidovich, (more)
In this thriller, sisters Charlotte (Judith Ivey) and Lucy (Jennifer Jason Leigh) Bonnard reside in the Louisiana home left to them by their parents. As Charlotte cares for her troubled younger sister, the two make a living by renting out rooms in the huge, gloomy mansion. However, when Matt Rutledge (Eric Stoltz) comes to stay, he stumbles across a number of the Bonnards' dark secrets that were best left hidden. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eric Stoltz, Jennifer Jason Leigh, (more)
