David Huband Movies

A former high-school hockey star handicapped in a tragic car accident becomes an unlikely ally to a crack team of determined bank robbers in this thriller starring Jeff Daniels and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. When his promising career on the ice is suddenly cut short, former athlete Chris Pratt (Gordon-Levitt) goes to work as a janitor in a local bank. Cleaning floors soon gives way to criminal enterprise when the onetime puck-slinger is recruited to help clean out the very bank that employs him. Screenwriter Scott Frank (Out of Sight and Minority Report) makes his directorial debut, working from his own original screenplay. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Writer/director Ernie Barbarash helms this prequel to the sci-fi thriller Cube, with events that unfold some time prior to those in first picture. Here, another group of prisoners navigate the treacherous confines of their futuristic trappings. Each step is potentially the last as the deadly last traps hidden in the sparse rooms find the numbers of the unwilling prisoners quickly thinning. Only when they can figure out the mysteries of their constantly changing prison will the surviving inmates have any hope for escape, and even then there is no guarantee of freedom -- much less survival. As the cube workers who monitor the prisoners progress bear witness to their increasingly grim bid for survival, a sudden sting of remorse finds one of the employees empathizing with the victims and plotting to assist them in their unlikely escape. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A ride on a Ferris wheel proves fatal to police informant John Gitomer (Rob Stefaniuk)--and may also destroy the career of Adam Kirk (Stephen McHattie), a "loose cannon" police detective who is the prime suspect in Gitomer's murder. Kirk's former partner Lt. Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine) asks Monk (Tony Shalhoub) to investigate the situation, a job that Monk takes on despite his intense dislike of Kirk and his deadly fear of heights. The trail of clues leads to a dance club, a secret phone number, and a campaign of terror conducted from a prison cell. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Where else but Minnesota, a state that has brought us creative minds as diverse as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Garrison Keillor and Paul Westerberg, could a man like Jesse "The Body" Ventura be elected governor? The Jesse Ventura Story follows the inarguably remarkable career of its title character (played by Nils Allen Stewart) as he overcomes an unhappy childhood and strained relationship with his father to find success as a Navy SEAL, a bouncer, a bodyguard, a disc jockey, a professional wrestler and a second-string action movie star, concluding with his most remarkable feat to date: winning Minnesota's 1998 gubernatorial race as a third-party candidate. Produced for NBC television, The Jesse Ventura Story was a model of production efficiency; it was first aired in May 1999, a mere six months after the real life Ventura won the Minnesota election, with Toronto standing in for the Twin Cities. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The first thirteen episodes of the satirical Canadian series The Newsroom were originally telecast as two separate "seasons" on CBC, with the last seven half-hours comprising Season Two (they have since been released on DVD as "The Complete First Season"). TV news director George Findlay (played by series creator-writer Ken Finkleman) continues resorting to the sleaziest methods possible to advance himself professionally and obtain high ratings during his second season on the air. Offering token opposition to George's cutthroat tactics are his new boss Nancy Trimbell (Nancy Beatty), and regional programming head Gillian Soros (Elisa Moolecherry), whose tireless efforts to find a "Canadian" angle on each and every news story that crosses her desk reaches hitherto unscaled heights of absurdity. Also added to the cast is Karen Hines as Karen Mitchell, the latest in a long line of beleaguered news-segment producers, and Pamela Sinha as on-air reporter Rani Sandhu. In the first of the seven new episodes, George exhibits more paranoia than usual after being besieged by bizarre voice mails, and being left couch-less by an unknown furniture thief. Shortly thereafter, the series is plunged into a three-part story arc wherein a nearby nuclear meltdown throws George's staff into a panic--and keeps our "hero" up nights trying to figure out how to make a nuclear expert seem interesting on TV. Elsewhere, thickheaded news anchor Jim Walcott (Peter Keleghan) runs for political office, an ambition all but thwarted by his so-called campaign manager George before being stopped literally dead in its tracks by a totally unanticipated act of violence. The Canadian-based guest stars this season are certainly an eclectic mix, including movie director David Cronenberg, newspaper columnists Linda McQuaig and Jeffrey Simpson, Conservative commentator Hugh Segal, hockey player Eddie Shack, novelist John Haslett Cuff, and TV producer Pamela Wallin ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Hoping to put her life back together after an abusive first marriage, mild-mannered Laura Jameson (Mel Harris) weds again, thereby incurring the wrath and resentment of her rebellious teenage daughter Kelly (Nicholle Tom). Still holding Laura responsible for the suicide of her father, Kelly goes completely off the deep end, beginning with an overnight stay in juvenile custody and culminating in an eight months of legal hell in a dizzying progression of courtrooms. Clearly over her head when trying to cope with Kelly (all she can say upon her daughter's release is "Was it awful in jail, honey?"), Laura will ultimately be forced to draw upon reserves of inner strength that she never knew or believed she had. Made for the NBC TV network, What Kind of Mother Are You? was first telecast on November 18, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Saturday Night Live star Chris Farley had his first starring role in this frankly lowbrow comedy, which teamed him with fellow SNL cast member David Spade. Big Tom Callahan (Brian Dennehy) is the street-smart owner of a company that makes auto parts, and one day he'd like his son Tommy Callahan III (Chris Farley) to take over the business. Trouble is, Tommy Boy is a fat, dim-witted slob who took seven years to get a business degree and has no idea how to run a business. His father's sudden death unexpectedly puts Tommy Boy in charge, with his dad's weasely assistant Richard (David Spade) trying to guide him. However, what no one knows is Big Tom's wife, the young and beautiful Beverly (Bo Derek), married him only for his money while holding on to her lover, Paul (Rob Lowe), whose presence she explains by telling people he's her son. Beverly and Paul are waiting for Tommy Boy to run the company into the ground so they can take over, sell it off and earn a quick payoff. However, what Tommy Boy lacks in smarts (and hygiene), he makes up for in determination, and he hits the road with Richard for a long sales trip in a last ditch effort to rescue his father's legacy. Tommy Boy was a major hit that turned Chris Farley into a screen star; sadly, died a little over 2 1/2 years later. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this third installment of the slapstick comedy series about novice police officers with less than dubious abilities, two police academies have to compete with each other in order to stay in business. The state's skinflint governor claims he has less money to spread around, so one of the police training academies is going to be axed. Commandant Lassard (George Gaynes) calls back some of his former recruits to train the new batch of students, hoping to get the edge on the rival academy. Among the newcomers are brassy Cadet Zed (Bobcat Goldthwait), who is a former gang leader, and his roommate Cadet Sweetchuck (Tim Kazurinsky). Sweetchuck is a wimpy noodle whose Clint Eastwood impersonation is one of the film's most honestly funny moments. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi