Gary Cole
A wounded United States Marine discovers a corporate conspiracy designed to run illegal aliens out of an Arizona border town by any means necessary in this tense revenge thriller starring Val Kilmer, Jennifer Esposito, and Gary Cole. MacPherson (Kilmer) was one of the best soldiers in the United States Special Forces, but after being wounded on the battlefield he is deemed no longer fit for combat. Subsequently invited to join a former fellow solider on his sprawling Arizona ranch, MacPherson reluctantly agrees. Upon arriving at the ranch, however, MacPherson is troubled to find that his friend has vanished, and that no one in town will admit to ever even knowing him. Later, as evidence of a malevolent corporate conspiracy comes to light, the former soldier decides to put his military training to good use back on the homefront. The men with the money are on a mission to rid this town of illegal immigrants even if it means resorting to murder, and MacPherson isn't about to let their heinous crimes go unpunished. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Val Kilmer, Jennifer Esposito, (more)
Critically acclaimed director David Gordon Green takes a break from the brooding drama that defined such early efforts as George Washington and Undertow for this action-flavored buddy comedy concerning two pot-smoking friends (Seth Rogen and James Franco) who unwittingly become involved with a vicious gang of drug dealers. Judd Apatow and Shauna Robertson produce a script co-penned by star Rogen and Evan Goldberg. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Seth Rogen, James Franco, (more)
- 2008
- PG13
- AddForever Strongto Queue
A talented but troubled high-school rugby star gets a second shot at redemption after being sentenced to serve time in a Salt Lake City boys' home and landing a coveted spot on the famed Highland High School rugby team in this inspirational sports drama from director Ryan Little (Saints and Soldiers, Everything You Want). Rick Penning (Sean Faris ) was the star player on his Arizona rugby team until his life took a turn for the worse. Now, after a fateful brush with the law, Rick finds himself out of the spotlight and forced to ponder the consequences of his actions in a Salt Lake City juvenile detention center. As fate would have it, however, Salt Lake's famed Highland High rugby team could use a player like Rick. With a little help from coach Larry Gelwix (Gary Cole), Rick may even be able to lead the Highland High team to the national championships. When Rick discovers that the team they'll be competing against is none other than his old team from Arizona, which is coached by his father, Richard Penning (Neal McDonough), the deciding game takes on a newfound sense of gravity in the eyes of the ambitious young athlete. Arielle Kebbel and Sean Astin co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sean Faris, Gary Cole, (more)
- 2007
A woman decides to have some very specific work done in this short comedy satirizing America's obsession with plastic surgery. Meg March (Cheryl Hines) is an egocentric woman in her forties who, while getting her regular bikini wax, discovers that one of her waxer's other customers will soon be getting a labiaplasty operation. While there are no compelling reasons for Meg to have the surgery, she becomes malignly obsessed with the idea of getting a "new vagina," and makes arrangements with unctuous plastic surgeon Dr. Milstein (Gary Cole) to have her privates overhauled at a cost of $24,000. When her parents refuse to lend her the money for the operation, Meg turns to a life of crime to foot the bill, but come the day of the surgery, things don't go quite as Meg or Dr. Milstein planned. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cheryl Hines, Gary Cole, (more)
Shattered Glass director Billy Ray directs Chris Cooper and Ryan Philippe in this fact-based drama concerning the FBI traitor who carried out what many historians refer to as the most notable national security breach in U.S. history. A key member of the FBI's elite Soviet Analytical Unit, Robert Hanssen (Chris Cooper) would, for 15 years beginning in 1985, sell thousands of pages of classified documents to the Soviets. After making roughly 600,000 dollars on his clandestine endeavor and compromising everything from the identities of KGB spies working for the American government to nuclear war contingency plans, Hanssen was eventually transferred to a newly created position at the FBI's Washington headquarters and assigned the task of guarding his country's most sensitive secrets. It was while working in this capacity that a young agent named Eric O'Neill (Phillipe) was assigned the task of keeping tabs on Hanssen by suspicious higher-ups. Later, after being arrested while delivering a cache of secret documents to a "dead drop" spot in a Virginia park, the notorious traitor was arrested and sentenced to life in prison with no chance for parole. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Cooper, Ryan Phillippe, (more)
Gary Cole, Aaron Yoo, John Gries, and Judy Ongg star in an inspirational small town drama exploring the lingering effects of World War II on Japanese-American citizens struggling to overcome lingering hostilities and be accepted in country they now call home. The Nomuras are a typical American family who just happen to be of Japanese heritage. When World War II breaks out and the Nomuras are ushered into the Topaz internment camp, teenage son Lyle (Yoo) becomes the target of harassment to camp guard and frustrated minor league catcher Billy Burrell. Lyle is a star pitcher who had been accepted into college on a baseball scholarship, but was subsequently forced to abandon his dreams when his family was interned. Billy's daughter is a musical instructor at the camp, and when she and Lyle strike up a tenuous romance, tensions quickly come to a head between the two families. Hoping that the two families will be able to find a common ground due to their mutual love of baseball, Lyle's father proposes a goodwill game between Burrell's team and the internees. As the two teams take to the diamond for a game organized to unite them all, the small town's tolerance will be put to the ultimate test in a match that reveals the true spirit of American culture. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gary Cole, Leonardo Nam, (more)
- 2006
- PG13
- AddTalladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobbyto QueueAddTalladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobbyto top of Queue
When America's number one NASCAR speed-demon is issued a direct challenge from a gay, French Formula One racer with a hunger for the top spot and a mean talent for tight-cornering, the race is on to become the number one man in all of NASCAR in a full throttle comedy starring Will Ferrell and directed by Anchorman cohort Adam McKay. Ricky Bobby (Ferrell) is a national hero with a "smokin' hot" trophy wife, pair of borderline-abusively precocious sons, and an endless line of endorsement deals filling his mansion with toys and driveway with sports cars and Hummers. His racing partner and lifelong friend Cal Naughton, Jr. (John C. Reilly), never fails to provide him with a hand on the racetrack, frequently performing their trademark "slingshot" maneuver to shoot Ricky into first place, leaving Cal in second. While the public loves these buddies (popularly known by the meaningless childhood nicknames they find so exceedingly cool: "Shake and Bake"), a wedge comes between the two, as Ricky Bobby's longstanding winning-streak is broken by flamboyand French Formula One driver Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen), robbing Ricky of everything in an instant as the trauma leaves him unable to drive. Ricky's wife takes his fortunes while Cal takes his wife, and now he's back with his mother (Jane Lynch) and long-estranged father (Gary Cole). Things look bad for Ricky, but his father was once a race car driver himself, and now with the help of a training montage, a live cougar, and the courage to drive without his gleaming white Wonder Bread endorsement, Ricky might be ready to face the track again. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, (more)
- 2005
Once again, the Griffin household is invaded by Peter's crabby father Francis, an old-line Catholic who hates anyone who doesn't adhere to his own peculiar set of religious values. In his efforts to re-convert the family, Francis causes little Stewie to become a "bubble boy." As a result, rebellious Peter attempts to establish his own religion, with "The Fonz" from Happy Days as his new Deity. Without revealing any more, please note that the episode's star-studded voice cast includes Marion Ross and Tom Bosley--and before we forget, Gary Cole is back as obstreperous boss-man Bill Lumbergh, the character he'd played in the movie Office Space (Shucks! There's no space left to mention Jaws: Fire Island). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A terrifying legacy haunts a single mother in this sequel to the frightening box-office hit The Ring. Hoping to leave their terrifying experiences in Seattle behind them, Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts) and her son, Aidan (David Dorfman), move to the small town of Astoria, OR, where Rachel takes a job writing for the local newspaper. When Rachel learns of an unexplained murder, which occurred after a teenager watched a strange videotape with his girlfriend, she suspects her past is following her and she begins looking into the case. Rachel believes that the otherworldly Samara has come back; however, as she tries to convince others of the young girl's powers, her own son falls ill and is hospitalized, and Rachel's stories fail to convince either Dr. Emma Temple (Elizabeth Perkins), who suspects Rachel is guilty of child abuse, or David Rourke (Simon Baker), one of Rachel's colleagues who fears for Aidan's safety. Also starring Sissy Spacek, The Ring 2 was directed by Hideo Nakata; it was the first English-language project for the Japanese filmmaker, who previously made Ringu, the picture that was the basis for The Ring. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Naomi Watts, Simon Baker, (more)
The emotional dysfunctions of two people suffering from an autistic disorder known as Asperger's syndrome threaten to derail the pair's emerging romance in director Petter Næss' affectionate tale of love among the mentally afflicted. For friendly taxi-driver Donald (Josh Hartnett), patterns and routines are of the utmost importance. In addition to his love for birds and his uncanny ability to process numbers, Donald does his best to give back to fellow Asperger's sufferers by leading an autism support group. When the lovely but intensely complicated Isabelle (Radha Mitchell) shows up at one of Donald's meetings, the good-natured cabbie finds that love can be as painful as it is elating. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Josh Hartnett, Radha Mitchell, (more)
A big lie told in fun has deadly consequences in this horror story. A group of students at an exclusive private school decide to have some fun by creating an urban legend and seeing how far it will spread. When a woman is murdered not far from the school's campus, the students create an elaborate mythology about a serial killer known as "the Wolf," whose motives and methods would make him a likely culprit for the recent crime. However, when other people begin dying at the hands of "the Wolf," the students are forced to admit to their lie in hopes of stopping the killings. But will anyone believe them? And how does the real-life killer know so much about the backstory of "the Wolf"? Cry_Wolf stars Julian Morris, Lindy Booth, Jon Bon Jovi, and Gary Cole. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lindy Booth, Julian Morris, (more)
- 2005
Peter thinks he's suddenly become brilliant after winning a game of "Trivial Pursuit", little realizing that Lois had merely let him win. To let Peter down easy, Brian the dog arranges for his master to get an IQ test. As a result, Peter is classified as "retarded"--and he intends to take full advantage of the fact that the world gives a special pass to Special People. In the same spirit of taste and delicacy, this episode offers a musical performance by a singing tumor, and a knee-slapping reference to the bombing of Hiroshima. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2004
Gary Cole stars in this delightfully improbable TV movie as Jerry Harden, a conservative husband, father, and bank loan officer. Harden's well-ordered existence is turned upside down when a scruffy-looking guitarist named Izzy (David Jensen) shows up at the bank, hoping to get a loan in order to re-organize the legendary KISS-like heavy metal band Rock Toxin. When Jerry sees Izzy, his heart sinks: It looks as though his "cover" will be blown, and that the whole world (including his children) will discover that, 20 years earlier, Jerry had been "Dagger", Rock Toxin's lead singer! At first turning down Izzy's loan request, Jerry is forced to reconsider when he finds that he hasn't enough money to send his 17-year-old daughter to college. Thus, Jerry not only bankrolls the revived Rock Toxin, but he also embarks upon a hectic double life: Nerdish pillar of society by day, heavily-made-up rock singer by night. Further complicating matters is the fact that Jerry's wife Allison (Sherilyn Fenn), is the campaign manager for Helen Hunter (Shannon Eubanks), the politician wife of Jerry's boss Carl (Joe Inscoe)--and the cornerstone of Helen's campaign is her crusade against heavy-metal music! Pop Rocks debuted over the ABC Family Channel on September 10, 2004. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Robert Luketic (Legally Blonde) directs the romantic comedy Win a Date With Tad Hamilton! from a screenplay by TV scriptwriter Victor Levin. Famous Hollywood actor Tad Hamilton (soap opera star Josh Duhamel making his film debut) is trying to promote his new movie. His manager (Sean Hayes) and his agent (Nathan Lane) both convince him to participate in a dating contest in order to improve his bad-boy image. The contest is won by Rosalee Futch (Kate Bosworth), an attractive young checkout girl who works at a Piggly Wiggly in West Virginia. When Tad ends up falling in love with her, he's willing to give up big-city life and move to small-town America. Meanwhile, her best friend and co-worker Pete (Topher Grace) is finally motivated to reveal his secret crush on her. Rosalee finds herself in the middle of a love triangle between her closest friend and a dream date. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kate Bosworth, Topher Grace, (more)
- 2004
- PG13
- AddDodgeball: A True Underdog Storyto QueueAddDodgeball: A True Underdog Storyto top of Queue
Directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story revolves around amiable underachiever Peter LaFleur (Vince Vaughn), whose rundown gym, Average Joe's, is populated by a less-than-average clientele including a self-styled pirate, an ultra-obscure sports aficionado, and a pining high school nerd. It soon becomes apparent that Joe's is in financial trouble and will soon be foreclosed by attractive attorney Kate Veach (Christine Taylor) - unless Peter can cough up $50,000. Despite Average Joe's posing little threat to Globo Gym, a fitness Goliath across the street that is owned by egomaniacal White Goodman (Ben Stiller) - Goodman senses an easy acquisition and decides to take over the facility. Peter's ragtag group of regulars, however, are less than thrilled with the prospects, and mobilize a showdown, winner-takes-all Dodgeball tournament against Globo Gym. The film also features Missi Pyle, Rip Torn, Stephen Root, and Alan Tudyk. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, (more)
- 2003
The ABC cop series Karen Sisco was based on characters created by novelist Elmore Leonard, as visualized in Steven Soderbergh's 1998 theatrical feature Out of Sight. In the role originated on film by Jennifer Lopez, Carla Gugino starred as Karen Sisco, one of the toughest (and certainly the sexiest) U.S. Marshals working the Miami gold coast. Patrolling a beat from Palm Beach to South Beach, Karen used brains, brawn, and sheer chutzpah to bring criminals to heel. All of this was most disconcerting for Karen's father, veteran private detective Marshall Sisco (Robert Forster), who had hoped that his darling daughter would have picked a less risky profession -- and, on a more personal level, wished that Karen would exercise better discretion in her choice of boyfriends. Karen Sisco premiered October 1, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carla Gugino, Robert Forster, (more)
- 2003
Monk (Tony Shalhoub) is called in to investigate the supposedly accidental" death of of Elliot D'Souza (Mark Tymchyshyn), chief financial officer for the notorious girlie magazine "Sapphire". Elliot's secretary Miss Luden (Fay Masterson) is convinced that he was murdered by Sapphire's publisher Dexter Larsen (Gary Cole)--who, naturally, has the usual airtight alibi. Complicating matters so far as Monk is concerned is the fact that his nurse-assistant Sharona (Bitty Schram) once posed nude for "Sapphire" and is trying to keep this secret from her son. And then there's the curious omnipresence of Dexter's current house guest...Danny Bonaduce! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Two of the Disney Channel's brightest young sitcom stars, Hilary Duff (Lizzie Maguire) and Christy Romano (Even Stevens), team up for laughs and tears in the made-for-cable Cadet Kelly. The life of cool, artistically inclined 14-year-old Kelly Collins (Duff) is turned upside down when she is uprooted from Manhattan and whisked off to the campus of George Washington Military School in upstate New York. The move was instigated by Sir (Gary Cole), a retired general and the new husband of Kelly's mother. Hoping to impress her stepfather, Kelly enlists in the school, where her freewheeling eccentricities immediately run afoul of her hard-hearted, 17-year-old squad leader, Jennifer Stone (Romano). Though Kelly does her best, the pressure brought to bear upon her by military protocol is enough to have her contemplating desertion -- and even her growing fondness for upper classman, Brad (Shawn Ashmore), may not be enough to bring her back. Originally broadcast by the Disney Channel on March 8, 2002, Cadet Kelly made its ABC network debut on July 14, 2002, as an episode of the weekend "Wonderful World of Disney" anthology. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hilary Duff, Christy Romano, (more)
Funnyman Robin Williams steps out of character in this tense, low-key thriller that marked the feature-film directorial debut of music video veteran Mark Romanek. Semour "Sy" Parrish (Williams) runs the photo processing department at a large discount store; Sy is dedicated to his job, and takes great pride in his work. Sy's favorite customers are Nina and Will Yorkin (Connie Nielsen and Michael Vartan), an attractive and cheerful young couple with a nine-year-old boy, Jake (Dylan Smith). Sy dotes on the Yorkins and their son whenever they drop off film to be processed -- something they've been doing quite often ever since Jake was born -- and Nina and Will are indulgent of Sy's attentions, regarding his as a harmless eccentric. What the Yorkins don't know is Sy is a desperately lonely man with no real life of his own, and he's been obsessively making copies of their photos, for years, imagining himself to be "Uncle Sy," a member of the family. Sy's tenuous hold on reality begins to collapse when he develops a roll of film brought in by a new customer that suggests Will has been unfaithful to Nina; the notion that his ideal family may be falling apart is troubling enough for Sy, and when he loses his job, Sy reaches the breaking point. One Hour Photo was screened in competition at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robin Williams, Connie Nielsen, (more)
- 2002
- PG13
- AddI Spyto QueueAddI Spyto top of Queue
Yet another classic television series from the 1960s gets a big-screen update in this action-comedy inspired by the Bill Cosby/Robert Culp vehicle I Spy. Alex Scott (Owen Wilson) is a federal intelligence agent who has been assigned to find a particularly expensive and valuable weapon which has gone missing: a special stealth fighter jet which can not only hide from radar, but also turn invisible to the human eye. Scott learns a rogue agent has sold the jet to Gundars (Malcolm McDowell), a powerful and unscrupulous underground arms dealer. After blowing his opportunity to catch Gundars in the act, Scott formulates a Plan B -- it seems Gundars is a rabid boxing fan, so in order to get inside his organization, Scott recruits Kelly Robinson (Eddie Murphy), a longtime middleweight champion whose ego nearly exceeds his talent in the ring. Robinson is excited by the prospect of a life of espionage, but Scott and Robinson's personalities are like oil and water, and matters are hardly helped by the efforts of less-than-helpful fellow agents Rachel (Famke Janssen) and Carlos (Gary Cole). This adaptation of I Spy was directed by a woman who starred in a memorable television series herself, former Hill Street Blues regular Betty Thomas, who has gone on to a successful career behind the camera. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Murphy, Owen Wilson, (more)
- 2002
Virtually every aspect of the WB network sitcom Family Affair was the same as the original series which aired on CBS from 1966 to 1971. Once again, swinging-bachelor architect Bill Davis and his very proper British butler Mr. French found their lavish penthouse apartment besieged by cute children, the nieces and nephew of Bill's late sister. And once again, the kids were twin siblings Jody and Buffy (the latter inseparable from her bespectacled rag doll Mrs. Beasley), and the twins' teenaged sister Cissy. The only main difference was the cast. Instead of the original lineup of Brian Keith as Uncle Bill, Sebastian Cabot as Mr. French, Johnny Whitaker as Jody, Anissa Jones as Buffy, and Kathy Garver as Cissy, those roles were respectively filled by Gary Cole, Tim Curry (yes, Doctor Frank N. Furter himself), Luke Benward, Luke Benward, and Caitlin Wachs. As sappy and unfunny as the first Family Affair, the remake was redeemed only by the waspish one-liners and withering glares provided by the ever-reliable Tim Curry. The "new" series first aired on September 12, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A woman learns a valuable lesson about her family as she and her aunt look back at her troubled past in this independent drama. As Virginia Wilder (Frances Fisher) visits her elderly Aunt Millie (Alice Drummond) for the Christmas holidays, she discovers a number of letters she received during the 1940s, and gains a new and clearer picture of Millie's life when she was younger. Teenaged Emily (Laurel Holloman) falls in love with a soldier who soon ships out to fight in World War II, but not before she discovers herself pregnant. When the soldier refuses to marry her, Emily is left to have the baby on her own, and soon she discovers herself an outcast in the small Southern town where she was born. While Emily's father (Gary Cole) turns his back on her, her mother (Tess Harper) remains supportive, and Emily soon becomes close friends with two other people who haven't been welcomed by the community, a strong-willed black woman named Wilma Watson (Elise Neal) and Will Bacon (Mark Webber), a well-meaning young man with a bad habit of bending the truth. As Emily's new friends stand by her, Emily in turn stands up for them as Wilma and other members of the town's African-American community begin standing up for their rights as citizens. The first feature film from writer and director Tom Rice, The Rising Place also features Jennifer Holliday and Frances Sternhagen. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Laurel Holloman, Elise Neal, (more)
- 2002
At CostMart, Lois (voice of Alex Borstein) runs into Ross Fishman (voice of Chris Cox), an old flame. They're both married now, but Ross suggests they get together for coffee. Stewie (voice of Seth MacFarlane) sets out to eat some industrial adhesive, and when Brian (MacFarlane) tries to stop him, the two end up stuck holding hands together. Back at home, Lois, knowing how jealous Peter can be, frets about whether or not to meet with Ross. Brian and Stewie learn that it will take two weeks for the glue manufacturer to send over a solvent to unstick them. Unfortunately for Lois, Joe (voice of Patrick Warburton) takes the gang out in his new police surveillance van the same night she decides to meet with Ross. Peter catches them together, and decides to look up all of his old girlfriends (including Peppermint Patty from Peanuts) in retaliation. He has little success, and the couple ends up going for counseling. The marriage counselor has surveillance cameras installed throughout the house, and after seeing the results, recommends that Peter and Lois undergo a trial separation and see other people. Quagmire (MacFarlane) quickly takes the opportunity to ask Lois out, while Peter somehow ends up on a date at the same restaurant with Jennifer Love Hewitt (who does her own voice). ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- 2002
This weekly animated series revolved around a feisty high school girl named Kim Possible. The daughter of research scientists, Kim did her best to lead a normal teenaged life, going to class, attending proms, and the like. Unfortunately, the world was full pesky master criminals and megalomaniacal supervillains, compelling the high-flying, martial arts savvy Kim to kick butt on occasion in the interests of humanity and the American Way. Acting as Kim's erstwhile sidekick was her nerdish school chum, Ron Stoppable, while teen stud-muffin Josh Manley provided the romantic interest (at least, that's what Kim hoped). Kim Possible debuted June 7, 2002, on the Disney Channel, posting the highest opening-night ratings in that cable channel's history. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christy Romano
