Peter Coyote Movies
There are several theories as to why Peter Cohon chose the stage name of Peter Coyote; for his part, the actor is reluctant to discuss an event that apparently was the end result of an evening's experimentation with controlled substances. In the late 1960s, Coyote quit his job as a dockworker to "turn on, tune in and drop out." With hair so long that he could sit on it (by his own admission), Coyote was a "fringie" with such varied organizations as the Grateful Dead and the Hell's Angels, and also worked for a while with a guerilla mime group. After years of deprivation, Coyote dropped back into society in 1975, accepting a job as a drama teacher at a public school. Rapidly approaching middle age, Coyote entered films with 1980's Die Laughing. Throughout the 1980s, he alternated between good guys, villains, and a vaguely defined stereotype known as "loser boyfriends." As the vengeful public prosecutor in The Jagged Edge (1985), Coyote turns out not to be the film's principal heavy; even so, we leave the picture disliking his character more than anyone else's. Leading roles came his way in such films as Exposure (1991), but even here he could not completely escape an aura of slime (his ostensibly heroic character burrows through the seamy underside of Rio in search of a prostitute's murderer). One of Coyote's few unconditionally "nice" roles was as the enigmatic scientist Keys in the champion moneymaker E.T. (1982). In the late 1990s, Coyote published Sleeping Where I Fall, a candid memoir of his years as a cultural drop out. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
An Internet entrepreneur looking to revolutionize the way the world wide web is utilized finds out that there's more to the saying "the road to hell is paved with good intentions" than he ever imagined in this tale of innovation soured, helmed by greedy dot-com cynic Alan Ari Lazar. As the personal home-computer revolution reaches a fever pitch, visionary tech innovator John Elias dreams of shattering national borders and changing the way computer users communicate with the outside world; and with Robert Jennings closing the deal, it appears as if Elias may finally have the opportunity to make his dreams a reality. As fast as the money starts rolling in though, Elias quickly loses himself to the intoxicating effects of success, isolating himself from his business partners and girlfriend and losing site of his original goals. Despite the fact that Elias let fame go to his head, where there's a will to succeed there's a chance for redemption, and before the book on his success story reaches the final chapter, the well-intending dot-com king may finally make amends for the pain his greed has caused to those he cared for most. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2001
Veteran Canadian filmmaker Anne Wheeler spins this lighthearted romantic comedy about finding love in odd places. Jackie York (Wendy Crewson) is middle-aged author whose books regularly top the bestseller lists but whose romantic life consists mostly of bad choices from the cutout bin. Though the odd male groupie entertains her now and again, Jackie finds herself particularly interested in a fledgling writer whom she's been corresponding with online. Intelligent, witty, and very talented, this mysterious man seems to be everything she has always looked for in a man. The only trouble is that the guy, Patrick McKeating (Joe Cobden), is all of twenty years old. Though her first reaction is one of fear, Jackie's initial reservations give way to passion as the two slide into her large hot tub. While Jackie is more than happy in private, she has lots of qualms about appearing in public with a boyfriend half her age. To make matters worse, her filmmaker ex-boyfriend (Peter Coyote) is snooping around, and asking questions. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wendy Crewson, Joe Cobden, (more)
One man's insatiable appetite for sex begins upending his life in this biting independent comedy. Jack (Nestor Carbonell) is a photographer known to his friends as "Jack the Dog," thanks to his compulsive womanizing; Jack seems incapable of staying with one partner for long before he finds himself attracted to someone else, and given his good looks and easy charm, Jack doesn't have much trouble convincing the women he meets to spend the night with him. Deep inside, Jack wants to change, and he tries to put himself on the straight and narrow by marrying Faith (Barbara Williams). Jack and Faith soon have a son, Sam (Andrew J. Ferchland), whom Jack dotes upon, but Faith turns out to be a poor advertisement for long-term monogamy; she's not especially warm or forgiving, and she's started to show her age, which only intensifies Jack's taste for younger women. Jack soon slides into chronic infidelity, and Faith leaves him, relocating to London and leaving Sam behind. This is good news as far as Jack's concerned, but as he tries to watch over his son, while also seducing an endless parade of beautiful women, Jack finds himself increasingly puzzled by the opposite sex, and he wonders if he might have a problem he hasn't learned to deal with. Jack the Dog received its world premiere at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nestor Carbonell, Barbara Williams, (more)
- 2001
David Attenborough hosts this series on the oceans of the world and their inhabitants with some incredible photography of never-before-seen, groundbreaking animal behaviors. Part one of the series, Blue Planet: Seas of Life, Pt. 1 -- Ocean World, looks at the oceans' dominating influence on the world's weather systems and profiles several animal species who depend on oceans for survival. ~ Elizabeth Smith, All Movie Guide
A girl with powerful dreams for her future may not have the chance to live them out in this drama based on the novel by Davida Wills Hurwin. Samantha (Shiri Appleby) and Juliana (Larisa Oleynik) are a pair of high-school students who have been close friends for years. Both girls share a love of dancing, but while the more introverted Samantha sees dancing as a hobby and little more, the outgoing and upbeat Juliana has a genuine gift and dreams of attending Julliard. Determined to achieve her dreams, Juliana sets her sights on her Julliard audition while removing all distractions from her life -- including her boyfriend Eli (Scott Vickaryous). Juliana's life is turned upside down, however, when she learns she's contracted cancer, but while she wants to attend Julliard as if nothing has changed, her parents (Peter Coyote and Patricia Kalember) are vehemently opposed to the idea. Meanwhile Samantha worries about what her isolated life will be like without her best friend. A Time for Dancing was the first dramatic feature from cinematographer and documentary filmmaker Peter Gilbert. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larisa Oleynik, Shiri Appleby, (more)
- 2000
The Learning Channel takes viewers into the great unknown and beyond with its special series presentation of Understanding: Extraterrestrials. Narrated by Peter Coyote, this intriguing documentary reveals what NASA missions have discovered about other worlds and how scientists at the SETI Institute are searching for other intelligent life in the universe. ~ Scott Albright, All Movie Guide
Jack Herer, a longtime outspoken defender of legalizing the hemp plant, is known to some as "the prophet of pot" and to others as a central figure in an important environmental cause. This documentary uses interviews, archival footage, and an entertaining style to look at Herer's life -- including his early days as a Goldwater Republican, his stint as a "political prisoner" during the Reagan era, and historic protests and key moments in the controversy over cannabis. Herer expresses a concern that, when hemp was outlawed in the 1930s, the pressure for the ban came from political insiders and wealthy business interests that were focused more on profit and power than on public safety or morality -- which may have imposed an exaggerated negative slant on the use of hemp, in the guise of concern about the use of marijuana as a drug. The film provides background on the effective, practical worldwide use of hemp for manufacture of paper products, rope, and other basic materials -- suggesting that U.S. industry could shift toward using hemp for fiber and oil-based products, instead of relying on timber, petroleum, and less-renewable resources. The soundtrack features music by Bonnie Raitt, Kris Kristofferson, and others. Peter Coyote narrates. ~ Alice Duncan, All Movie Guide
The crime comedy More Dogs Than Bones starts with female gangster Victoria Galetti hiding one million dollars in cash in the bags of Raj Lukla -- a foreigner flying into town in order to visit his nephew Andy. Victoria's underlings are assigned to retrieve the cash, but learn that the task is far more complicated than they expected after Andy's dog discovers the money first. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- 2000
Nastassja Kinski and Peter Coyote star in this suspense thriller about a college professor who finds himself in a whirlwind of danger when he agrees to help a beautiful woman who has just escaped from prison. She was convicted of murdering a woman who was having an affair with her husband, and she swears she can prove her innocence -- but helping her collect the evidence proves to be a risky assignment. Red Letters also stars Fairuza Balk, Ernie Hudson, Udo Kier, and Jeremy Piven. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Coyote, Nastassja Kinski, (more)
- 2000
In 1944, near the end of World War II, the Japanese submarine I-52 -- carrying cargo to Nazi Germany -- was torpedoed by American bombers. It sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, taking with it 100 people and two tons of gold. Half a century later, Paul Tidwell, a Vietnam veteran and adventurer, set off on a hunt for the sunken submarine in hopes of unraveling the mystery and salvaging the gold. As part of his research, Tidwell got in touch with the men who participated in the Navy's sinking of the submarine; they joined the expedition and recount their memories on film. The production includes dramatic shots of the broken remains of the sunken sub three miles underwater, along with scenes that show the numerous perils and tensions involved in carrying out this historic expedition.
~ Alice Duncan, All Movie Guide
~ Alice Duncan, All Movie Guide
Julia Roberts stars in this legal drama based on the true story of a woman who helped win the largest settlement ever paid in a direct-action lawsuit. Erin Brockovich (Roberts) is a single mother of three who, after losing a personal injury lawsuit, asks her lawyer, Ed Masry (Albert Finney), if he can help her find a job. Ed gives her work as a file clerk in his office, and she runs across some information on a little-known case filed against Pacific Gas and Electric. Erin begins digging into the particulars of the case, convinced that the facts simply don't add up, and persuades Ed to allow her to do further research; in time, she discovers a systematic cover-up of the industrial poisoning of a city's water supply, which threatens the health of the entire community. Erin Brockovich was directed by Steven Soderbergh; Julia Roberts earned a $20 million payday for her work on the film, the highest salary paid to a female film star up to that time. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julia Roberts, Albert Finney, (more)
- 1999
Without the Christian Church of the Middle Ages, Freud of the 19th century would have been out of work. Actor Peter Coyote, of Roman Polanski's dark sex comedy Bitter Moon, narrates this History Channel series that examines human biology, art, humor, and attitudes regarding sex down through the ages. Directed by Jim Milio, this third of five episodes studies the intricate sexual dance of medieval chivalric romance and the importance of chastity. The program is closed-captioned. ~ Steve Blackburn, All Movie Guide
- 1999
Boy meets girl -- it's still the same old story. As this program reveals, some of the world's earliest and greatest literature is about sex. Actor Peter Coyote, of Roman Polanski's dark sex comedy Bitter Moon, narrates this History Channel series that examines human biology, art, humor, and attitudes about sex through the ages. Directed by Melissa Jo Peltier, this second of five episodes takes a peek at India's Kama Sutra, China's pillow books, and Arabic poetry. The program is closed-captioned. ~ Steve Blackburn, All Movie Guide
In this drama about intolerance and acceptance that takes place during World War I, a pair of German orphans, Helmut and Brigitta, are sent to a farming community in the Pacific Northwest after a stay in an internment camp. While they are welcomed by some in the town, many resent their presence, especially those who have lost family members in the war. However, a teacher at the school takes a liking to them, and Helmut discovers he has a talent for basketball. Eventually, Helmut gets a chance to prove his worth to the community by playing in a special basketball game; if the neighborhood team wins, it will mean a new harvesting machine for the local farmers. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Coyote, Karen Allen, (more)
