James Cromwell Movies
Long-time character actor James Cromwell has spent much of his career on stage and television, only occasionally appearing in feature films until the early '90s, when his film work began to flourish. The tall, spare actor first became known to an international audience with his role as the taciturn but kindly Farmer Hoggett, the owner of a piglet that wants to be a sheepdog, in the smash hit Babe (1995). His work in the film earned Cromwell an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor, as well as numerous opportunities for steady work in Hollywood.The son of noted director John Cromwell and actress Kay Johnson, he originally aspired to become a mechanical engineer, attending both Vermont's Middlebury College and the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University). But after a summer spent on a movie set with his father, the acting bug bit, and Cromwell decided to become an actor. He started out in regional theater, acting and directing in a variety productions for ten years, and he was a regular performer at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles. Cromwell made his television debut in the recurring role of "Stretch" Cunningham on All in the Family in 1974, and he subsequently spent the rest of the decade and much of the 1980s on television, as a regular on such shows as Hot L Baltimore and The Last Precinct. Cromwell also appeared in such miniseries as NBC's Once an Eagle and in such made-for-television movies as A Christmas Without Snow (1980).
Cromwell made his feature film debut in the comedy Murder By Death (1976). His film work was largely undistinguished until Babe; following the film's success, he began appearing in more substantial roles in a number of popular films, including The People Vs. Larry Flynt (1996), in which he played Charles Keating; Star Trek: First Contact (1996), which cast him as the reluctant scientist responsible for Earth's first contact with alien life forms; and L.A. Confidential (1997), in which he gave a marvelously loathsome performance as a crooked police captain. Adept at playing nice guys and bottom-dwelling scum alike, Cromwell next earned strong notices for his portrayal of a penitentiary warden in The Green Mile (1999). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 2009
- PG13
- Add Surrogates to Queue
The filmmaking trio behind the hit sci-fi sequel Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines re-team to explore a future in which humans live in isolation while only communicating with their fellow man through robots that serve as social surrogates and are better-looking versions of their human counterparts. Bruce Willis stars as an FBI agent who enlists the aid of his own surrogate to investigate the murder of the genius college student who invented the surrogates. As the case grows more complicated, however, the withdrawn detective discovers that in order to actually catch the killer he will have to venture outside the safety of his own home for the first time in many years, and enlists the aid of another agent (Radha Mitchell) in tracking his target down. Jonathan Mostow directs co-screenwriters Michael Ferris and John Brancato's adaptation of the graphic novel by author Robert Venditti and illustrator Brett Weldele. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Willis, Radha Mitchell, (more)
- 2008
- PG13
- Add W. to QueueAdd W. to top of Queue
Josh Brolin stars as George W. Bush in this Oliver Stone biopic that traces the head of state's rise to power from a privileged alcoholic to a born-again Christian whose belief in religious destiny helped move him to the top ranks of political power. Co-written by Stanley G. Weiser, Bush is produced by fellow Stone collaborators Moritz Borman and Jon Kilik, with Elizabeth Banks co-starring as the first lady, James Cromwell as the elder President Bush, Ellen Burstyn as Barbara Bush and Richard Dreyfuss as Vice President Dick Cheney. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Banks, (more)
An FBI agent in the midst of a crucial undercover investigation resorts to extreme measures in order to prove himself in this crime thriller starring Cole Hauser, James Cromwell, and Laurence Fishburne. FBI agent Kevin Cole (Hauser) is under direct orders from powerful crime boss Ziggy to track down millions in stolen cash. As he begins to turn the screws on the shady mob accountant (Fishburne) who may just have all the answers, Agent Cole realizes that the is slowly slipping though his fingers. The mind games have begun, and in a world where ruthlessness is essential to survival, your most recent lie could well be your last. Emmanuelle Chriqui co-stars. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cole Hauser, James Cromwell, (more)
At a time in history when the FBI has deemed animal-rights activists the number-one domestic terrorist threat to the U.S., filmmaker Curt Johnson sets out to explore exactly how an organization such as PETA can possibly take precedence over the threat posed by Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida in a documentary film that aims to tell the truth about the people who defend the creatures that cannot speak for themselves. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Katherine Heigl, Jessica Biel, (more)
Director Sean Meredith's animated entry into the 2007 Newport Beach Film Festival details one man's curious voyage into the deepest depths of the underworld. Upon awakening in an unfamiliar part of the city after an especially rough night, Dante asks the first person he spots for a little help in gathering his bearings. When the man responds that he penned an ancient poem called The Aeneid, the perplexed Dante recalls that particular piece of prose being penned two thousand years ago. But with no one left to turn to, Dante has little choice but to follow his enigmatic guide. When the man reveals that it is his duty to lead Dante on an extensive journey through a dreadful world of "horror and torment," the weary traveler becomes convinced that his only hope for survival is to follow his host into the scorching heart of Satan's vast inferno. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dermot Mulroney, James Cromwell, (more)
Events from the life of the author Jane Austen inspired this romantic historical drama, which speculates of a romance that may have had a significant impact on her life and work. Twenty-year-old Jane Austen (Anne Hathaway) is the daughter of Rev. Austen (James Cromwell), a minister who looks after a flock in a small rural community in Southern England with his wife (Julie Walters). While her older sister, Cassandra (Anna Maxwell Martin), is engaged to be married, Jane resists her family's efforts to match her up with Mr. Wisley (Laurence Fox), the wealthy but dull nephew of Lady Gresham (Maggie Smith), a minor member of the British nobility. Jane has the heart of an artist, and hopes to distinguish herself as a musician or a writer, though her parents don't think much of her prospects. When Jane meets Tom Lefroy (James McAvoy), a young man her own age, she's intrigued; while he scoffs at her writing style, he clearly sees she has talent, and is eager for her to learn more of the larger world by exposing her to more daring literature and modern pastimes such as boxing. As Tom begins to court Jane, she finds herself increasingly attracted to this poor but keenly intelligent man, though she soon realizes her own ideas about love and marriage are sometimes at odds with the conventions of the society in which she lives. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anne Hathaway, James McAvoy, (more)
At the end of Season 5, Jack Bauer was kidnapped, beaten, and taken captive in retribution for his involvement in a raid on the Chinese Consulate eighteen months earlier. Now, there's a new president, Jack Bauer is missing, and the U.S. is under siege from terrorist attacks more threatening than anything we've ever encountered! There is only one thing that can save the nation: Jack Bauer must die.
- Starring:
- Kiefer Sutherland, D.B. Woodside, (more)
Your friendly neighborhood web-slinger is back, only this time his sunny outlook has become partially overcast in the third chapter of director Sam Raimi's Spider-Man saga. Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, and James Franco return to reprise their roles from the previous two installments, with Thomas Haden Church, Topher Grace, and Bryce Dallas Howard making their first appearances in the series as Flint Marko (aka Sandman), Eddie Brock (aka Venom), and Gwen Stacy, respectively. Peter Parker (Maguire) has finally leaned to walk the middle ground between being the superhero that his city needs and the man that Mary Jane (Dunst) loves. All is well in New York City until one night, as Peter and M.J. sit gazing at the stars, a falling comet streams across the sky and crashes into the ground close by. But this isn't any ordinary shooting star, and upon impact the mysterious space rock is split open to reveal a shape-shifting symbiote with the power to overtake anything that it comes into contact with. Later, as Harry Osborn (James Franco) acquires his late father's flying board, engineers a powerful new Goblin outfit, and takes to the sky to avenge dad's death, the mysterious space sludge infects both Peter's Spider-Man suit and ambitious street photographer Eddie Brock (Grace). Peter's strange new suit gives him a newfound sense of power as it gradually overpowers his personality, and he discovers that escaped convict Flint Marko was in fact the man responsible for the death of Uncle Ben (Cliff Robertson). Unfortunately for Peter, Marko has recently acquired the power to morph at will and quickly completes his transformation into the dreaded Sandman. As the Sandman gives in to his darkest criminal instincts and the slithering space symbiote transforms Eddie Brock into the nightmarish fanged villain known as Venom, the citizens of New York City must once again call on Spider-Man to fend off destructive forces that are far too powerful for the likes of mortal man. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, (more)
- 2006
- PG13
Filmmakers Pippa Scott and Oreet Rees explore the reprehensible legacy of Belgium's King Leopold II in this documentary adaptation of Adam Hochschild's best-selling book. His envy growing as powerful neighbors France, England, and the Netherlands began claiming valuable African coastal land in order to access a variety of precious resources, Leopold eventually opted to follow the path carved out by explorer Henry Morgan Stanley that led directly into the heart of the Congo. An agent for private interests whose primary goal it was to build routes out of the Congo so that the valuable resources could be exported back to Europe, Stanley achieved his goal by utilizing forced labor and effectively militarizing what was previously a land of tribal alliances. With Leopold's grip on the region gradually tightening until it became, for all intents and purposes, his own private reserve, the devious ruler would subsequently launch a successful public relationship campaign stressing that his enterprise was both humane and anti-slavery oriented. Narrated by a series of experts and actors who include Don Cheadle, James Cromwell, and Alfie Woodard, Scott and Rees' film eventually turns its attentions towards contemporary events that chillingly recall Leopold's notorious endeavor. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Annick DeVille, Jean-Pierre Bemba, (more)
Oscar nominated filmmaker Wolfgang Petersen executive produced this TNT/Warner Brothers co-production concerning a small-town lawyer and one-time Special Forces operative who embarks on a violent quest to avenge the brutal murder of his daughter, and soon finds his thirst for vengeance threatening world stability. Cal Dexter (screen veteran Sam Elliott) never expected to assume the role of avenging angel of death, but when his daughter suffered a horrifying death his all-consuming hunger for revenge proved too powerful to resist. Now two years have passed, and Stephen Edmonds (William Hope), a wealthy business tycoon, has enlisted Dexter's meting out a similar brand of justice to Serbian war criminal Zoran Zilic (David Hayman) - who recently murdered the high-profile industrialist's worker-aid son in Bosnia. Zilic isn't any run-of-the-mill bad guy though, because despite his sordid history he's currently being utilized by the CIA in a covert operation. Now the agent in charge of the case (Timothy Hutton) must follow his boss (James Cromwell)'s orders and prevent the determined Dexter from carrying out his treacherous mission before the decorated war hero sets of a destructive chain of events that could plunge the entire planet into war. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sam Elliott, Timothy Hutton, (more)
The British prime minister and the Royal Family find themselves quietly at odds in the wake of a national tragedy in this drama from director Stephen Frears. On August 31, 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales died in an auto accident in Paris; despite the controversial breakup of her marriage to Prince Charles, she was still one of the most famous and best-loved women in the world, and the public outpouring of emotion over her passing was immediate and intense. However, given the messy circumstances of Diana's breakup with Charles, official spokespeople for the Royal Family were uncertain about how to publicly address her passing. It didn't take long for the media to pick up on the hesitation of Buckingham Palace to pay homage to Diana, and many saw this as a sign of the cool emotional distance so often attributed to the royals, which in this case was widely seen as an insult against Diana and the many people who loved her. Prime Minister Tony Blair (played by Michael Sheen) saw a potential public-relations disaster in the making, and took it upon himself to persuade Queen Elizabeth II (played by Helen Mirren) to make a statement in tribute to the fallen Diana -- an action that went against the taciturn queen's usual nature. The Queen was released the same year that Helen Mirren played Queen Elizabeth I in an acclaimed miniseries for British television; The Queen also gave Michael Sheen his second opportunity to play Tony Blair after portraying the prime minister in the television film The Deal. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Helen Mirren, Michael Sheen, (more)
The Fisher clan suffers, suffers some more, and eventually begins to heal in the fifth and final season of HBO's Six Feet Under. As the season begins, Nate (Peter Krause) and Brenda (Rachel Griffiths) are finally ready to wed after four seasons of tumultuous courtship. But when Brenda miscarries Nate's baby before the ceremony even gets under way, the prospects for their union don't seem particularly bright. Federico (Freddy Rodriguez) and Ruth (Frances Conroy), too, face trouble on the marriage front: Rico as he attempts to win back the love of estranged wife Vanessa (Justina Machado, now a series regular) and Ruth as she cares for mentally ill husband George (James Cromwell). When George's daughter, Maggie (guest star Tina Holmes), arrives in town to help out, she unexpectedly strikes up a friendship with Nate, her stepbrother, whose mood grows dark as his 40th birthday approaches. David (Michael C. Hall) isn't exactly a ray of sunshine, either, as he continues to deal with the emotional fallout of his near-murder the previous season. Then he convinces partner Keith (Mathew St. Patrick) that they should become parents, leading to a whole new cycle of joy and heartache. As for the youngest Fisher, Claire (Lauren Ambrose) drops out of art school and dates Billy (Jeremy Sisto), Brenda's frequently unbalanced brother. When things with her photography career and her relationship go south at the same time, Claire takes a menial office job to support herself. There, she meets Ted (Chris Messina), the Republican lawyer and unlikely love interest who will support her during the unexpected tragedy that brings Six Feet Under to a close. By the end of the show's final episode, the fates of the entire cast have been revealed in a finale as offbeat as it is elegiac. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael C. Hall, Peter Krause, (more)
One of several dramatized tributes to the late pontiff to be telecast in 2005, the two-part CBS biopic Pope John Paul II is a remake of a popular Italian miniseries, and was filmed on location in Italy and Poland. The film begins with the attempted assassination of the pope on May 13, 1981, whereupon the story of the man once known as Karol Wojtyla is unfolded in flashback. The familiar highlights of Pope John Paul II's life and work are vividly realized: his early theatrical aspirations, his staunch resistance of both the Nazis and the Communist party in his native Poland, his meteoritic rise through the church ranks (at 38, he was his country's youngest bishop), and his ultimate ascendance to the Vatican throne in 1978. Also, this is one of the few English-language films to officer a meticulous recreation of the papal election process. Throughout much of the film, the pope's career is firmly linked with that of his countryman, Polish labor leader Lech Walesa; it can be inferred that without the input of both men, Poland would never have freed itself from Communist domination, nor would the Soviet empire have ultimately fallen. Cary Elwes plays John Paul from ages 18 through 50, whereupon Elwes morphs (quite literally, thanks to a brief -- and controversial -- special-effect sequence) into Jon Voight, who takes over as the older pope. Pope John Paul II was first telecast in two parts on December 4 and 7, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jon Voight, Cary Elwes, (more)
One of the toughest and best-remembered sports movies of the 1970s gets a humorous makeover in this comedy. Paul "Wrecking" Crewe (Adam Sandler) was once a famous professional football player, but after several years out of the limelight and an alcohol problem have taken their toll, Crewe is arrested for a serious traffic accident aggravated by the fact he was drunk. Crewe is sentenced to Allenville Penitentiary, where Warden Hazen (James Cromwell) is something of a football fan. Hazen had organized his guards into an impressive football team, and clears a healthy profit by taking bets on their games. Looking to make the competition more interesting, Hazen suggests that Crewe put together a team from the inmate population to play his guards. With the help of fellow prisoner Caretaker (Chris Rock), Crewe recruits the heaviest hitters from the cell block for the team, but the guys don't play like a unit until Crewe and Caretaker get some help from Nate Scarborough (Burt Reynolds), a former college and NFL coach doing hard time. Adapted from Robert Aldrich's 1974 box-office smash of the same name, The Longest Yard also features rap star Nelly and Nicholas Turturro; the film has previously been loosely remade in 2001 as Mean Machine, with the action moved to England and the game changed to soccer. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, (more)
The mysterious death of Lisa Fisher (Lili Taylor) -- revealed in the third-season finale, "I'm Sorry, I'm Lost" -- casts a dark shadow across the entire fourth season of this critically acclaimed HBO drama. As funeral director Nate (Peter Krause) grapples with single parenthood and the aftermath of his wife's apparent drowning, he makes his way back into the arms of ex-girlfriend Brenda (Rachel Griffiths). Their reunion does little to help Brenda's budding romance with a hunky neighbor (Justin Theroux), but it does plenty to upset Lisa's grieving family. Meanwhile, David (Michael C. Hall) finds his newfound domesticity with boyfriend Keith (Mathew St. Patrick) interrupted by a surreal carjacking incident. As David slowly cracks up, Keith goes out on the road to provide security for trashy pop star Celeste (guest star Michelle Trachtenberg), who at one point unexpectedly seduces him. Art-school student Claire (Lauren Ambrose), too, find herself batting for the other team when she takes up with audacious performance artist Edie (guest star Mena Suvari). The relationship doesn't last, but ex-boyfriend Russell (Ben Foster) does help Claire stumble upon the new artistic direction that will lead to her first gallery show. Fisher matriarch Ruth (Frances Conroy) slowly gets to know the real George Sibley (new series regular James Cromwell), whom she impulsively married before learning about his history of mental illness. Meanwhile, family man Federico (Freddy Rodriguez) finds his own marriage disintegrating after he gets caught up in an affair with a needy lap dancer (guest star Idalis DeLeon). With its even darker-than-usual storylines, apocalyptic imagery, and shocking revelations, the fourth season of Six Feet Under alienated some fans and critics. Nevertheless, the show remained a strong ratings performer during this slightly shorter, 12-episode run. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael C. Hall, Peter Krause, (more)
In this TV adaptation of the Stephen King novel, a journalist with traumatic memories of his haunted childhood returns to find his hometown being infiltrated by vampires. As a boy in Jerusalem's Lot, ME, Ben Mears (Rob Lowe) took a dare and broke into a local mansion called the Marsten House. There, he had the misfortune of discovering the corpses resulting from a scandalous murder/suicide. Decades later, he returns to find that a mysterious antiques dealer (Donald Sutherland) and his unseen business partner (Rutger Hauer) have moved into the Marsten House. Soon, townspeople begin disappearing and dying, only to return, floating outside the windows of their loved ones and begging to be let in. Only Ben and a few newfound allies suspect the awful truth: that something unholy has overtaken their town...something with links to the sinister mansion of Ben's nightmares. Originally broadcast June 20 and 21, 2004, on the TNT cable network, Salem's Lot was scripted by Peter Filardi, who previously penned The Craft and Flatliners. Shot on-location in Australia, this is the second television adaptation of Salem's Lot, and it follows Tobe Hooper's 1979 version. Hauer and Sutherland are old vampire buddies, having previously co-starred in the original Buffy the Vampire Slayer film. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rob Lowe, Andre Braugher, (more)
Director Alex Proyas (Dark City, The Crow) helmed this sci-fi thriller inspired by the stories in Isaac Asimov's nine-story anthology of the same name. In the future presented in the film, humans have become exceedingly dependent on robots in their everyday lives. Robots have become more and more advanced, but each one is preprogrammed to always obey humans and to, under no circumstances, ever harm a human. So, when a scientist turns up dead and a humanoid robot is the main suspect, the world is left to wonder if they are as safe around their electronic servants as previously thought. Will Smith stars as Del Spooner, the robot-hating Chicago cop assigned to the murder investigation. Bridget Moynahan, Bruce Greenwood, James Cromwell, and Chi McBride also star. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Will Smith, Bridget Moynahan, (more)
It's the weight of tradition versus youthful vigor when loudmouth Torquay lawn bowling superstar Cliff Starkey (Paul Kaye) catches wind of an upcoming championship match between England and heated rivals Australia. He's determined to make the national team in a bid to bring his sport-of-choice into the new millennium. Quickly acquiring a flashy American agent (Vince Vaughn) and becoming the most popular player in England, Cliff vows to dethrone traditionalist champion Ray Speight (James Cromwell), who has made no secret his hatred of Cliff's brash showmanship. When Cliff starts seeing Ray's daughter, the competition really begins to heat up. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Kaye, James Cromwell, (more)
Charles Martin Smith's romantic adventure film The Snow Walker concerns a brave risk-taking pilot (Barry Pepper) and an Inuit woman in frail health who is his passenger. When the pair experience a plane crash, each is forced to learn from and help the other in order to survive the variety of obstacles the harsh landscape throws in their path. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barry Pepper, Annabella Piugattuk, (more)
- 2003
Lisa (Lili Taylor) has been missing for two weeks, leaving Nate (Peter Krause) to stew and the rest of the family to slowly lose hope. Despite -- or perhaps because of -- her certainty that her daughter-in-law is dead, Ruth (Frances Conroy) plunges into a new romance with George Sibley (James Cromwell), the handsome mourner who comforted her during a recent funeral (see "Death Works Overtime"). The Fisher matriarch even toys with wedding her new beau until she learns of his six previous marriages and decides to proceed more carefully. David (Michael C. Hall), in contrast, decides the time for caution is over. After impulsively sleeping with his friend Patrick (David Hornsby), he dumps Keith (Mathew St. Patrick) and moves out of their apartment. Nate, too, goes in for some reckless sex; he beds Allison Williman (Anne Dudek), the troubled daughter of a serial killer (Graham Beckel) who recently received the death penalty and was buried by Fisher and Diaz. Afterwards, however, Nate feels just as empty and distraught about Lisa as ever. Not that he's ready for comfort -- at least not from Brenda (Rachel Griffiths), who gets an angry brush-off when she turns up at the house to offer her support. But Claire (Lauren Ambrose), who just happens to witness the end of their argument, does receive some assistance from Brenda, who agrees to accompany her on a trip to an abortion clinic. Originally broadcast May 18, 2003, on HBO, "Twilight" marked season three, episode 12 of the made-for-cable drama. Although her character, Bettina, had been absent from the show since mid-season, actress/director Kathy Bates steps in to helm this episode. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
The epic HBO miniseries Angels in America is directed by Mike Nichols and written by the play's author, Tony Kushner. This six-part drama is adapted from the two full-length award-winning plays (Part I: The Millennium Approaches and Part II: Perestroika) originally performed on Broadway in 1993. Set in New York City during the mid-'80s, the story follows the interconnected lives of several people affected by the AIDS crisis, intense spiritual experiences, and the Reagan Administration. Newcomer Justin Kirk plays Prior Walter, a young man dying of AIDS. Things are made worse when he's abandoned by his lover, Jewish court clerk Louis Ironson (Ben Shenkman). Then he's visited by an Angel (Emma Thompson), who keeps crashing through his roof and insisting that he's a prophet.
Meanwhile, conservative power monger Roy Cohn (Al Pacino) is also dying of AIDS, but he's in serious denial about it. While in the hospital, he's continually visited by the ghost of Ethel Rosenberg (Meryl Streep), a woman he had sent to the electric chair. Roy's protégé is Mormon lawyer Joe Pitt (Patrick Wilson), who also tries to deny his own homosexuality. Joe's estranged wife Harper (Mary-Louise Parker) suffers from a Valium addiction and has an acute sensitivity to the world around her. Joe leaves her to start up a relationship with Louis, who works in his building. Jeffrey Wright reprises his stage role of the trusty friend and nurse Belize. Angels in America first aired in two parts on HBO during December of 2003. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
Meanwhile, conservative power monger Roy Cohn (Al Pacino) is also dying of AIDS, but he's in serious denial about it. While in the hospital, he's continually visited by the ghost of Ethel Rosenberg (Meryl Streep), a woman he had sent to the electric chair. Roy's protégé is Mormon lawyer Joe Pitt (Patrick Wilson), who also tries to deny his own homosexuality. Joe's estranged wife Harper (Mary-Louise Parker) suffers from a Valium addiction and has an acute sensitivity to the world around her. Joe leaves her to start up a relationship with Louis, who works in his building. Jeffrey Wright reprises his stage role of the trusty friend and nurse Belize. Angels in America first aired in two parts on HBO during December of 2003. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, (more)
Love and death (and the problems they bring) remain the constants in the third season of the HBO drama series Six Feet Under. In season three, now that Federico (Freddy Rodriguez) has bought a 25 percent interest in the funeral home, the name changes from Fisher and Sons to Fisher and Diaz, and he sees to it that his presence is felt in the business. Nate (Peter Krause) has a series of bizarre and troubling dreams, and his relationship with Lisa (Lili Taylor) becomes strained; he becomes all the more conflicted in his feelings about her when she disappears en route to a visit with her sister. Keith (Mathew St. Patrick) and David (Michael C. Hall) hit a rocky patch in their romance, with the two trying counseling, vacations, and even threesomes in hopes of smoothing things out. Ruth's (Frances Conroy) loneliness manifests itself in not one but two romances. And Claire (Lauren Ambrose) finds her love life becoming quite complicated as she becomes involved with a crematorium employee as well as a troubled fellow student, and must also fend off the advances of a lecherous art teacher. The 13 episodes in the show's third season originally aired between March and June of 2003. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael C. Hall, Mathew St. Patrick, (more)
- 2002
- G
- Add Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron to QueueAdd Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron to top of Queue
Screenwriter John Fusco returns to the Western themes of his previous films Young Guns and Thunderheart with this animated children's adventure from Dreamworks. Matt Damon supplies the voice of Spirit, a wild Mustang stallion living free in the Old West of the late 19th century, where he's captured by human horse traders and sold to a cavalry regiment at a frontier outpost. There, a cruel colonel (voice of James Cromwell) nearly succeeds in breaking the willful horse, but not quite. Spirit escapes in the company of another captive, Little Creek (voice of Daniel Studi), a Native American youth that tries to possess the magnificent animal by more humane means, but Spirit refuses to bend to human will even when he makes the acquaintance of Little Creek's beautiful and fiercely loyal mare, Rain. After he saves Little Creek's life in an Army raid, Spirit believes that the gravely injured Rain has perished after a tumble over a waterfall. Despondent, the horse is captured again by humans, enslaved this time for work in a pack team on the transcontinental railroad. Undaunted by the tragedies that befall him, Spirit manages to escape for a reunion with Little Creek, Rain, and his long-lost brethren. Featuring songs by rock singer Bryan Adams, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron departs from other examples of its genre in that the horse protagonists do not speak or sing; only Spirit's voice is heard as voice-over narration. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matt Damon, James Cromwell, (more)
The first biographical film produced by the FX cable channel, RFK covers the last five years in the life of Robert F. Kennedy, here played by British actor Linus Roache. The narrative begins in 1963, with the assassination of Bobby's brother, president John F. Kennedy (Martin Donovan). His appointment as Attorney General already a source of outrage for resentful new President Lyndon Johnson (James Cromwell), Bobby now finds himself in the position of proving his worth all over again -- not only to his brother's successor and the world, but also himself. With the spirit of his brother acting as counsel, Bobby succeeds beyond his wildest dreams, especially in the field of social and racial reform. By 1968, he is a viable candidate for the presidency himself, and there seems to be no stopping him -- but fate, as it often will, again takes a hand in matters. Unlike previous cinematic recaps of the early 1960s, RFK is careful not to identify its characters as heroes or heels, but instead as human beings with all the strengths and shortcomings indigenous to the species. Filmed in Ontario, RFK originally aired on August 25, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Linus Roache, James Cromwell, (more)
