Howard Ellis Movies
- 2004
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Mitch Albom wrote the screenplay for this made-for-television adaptation of his best-selling story, which offers a novel perspective on life, death, and the meaning of our existence. Eddie (Jon Voight) is an elderly maintenance man who has spent most of his life keeping the rides at an amusement park in good repair; Eddie has had a hard life, sustaining a serious injury during World War II and losing his wife, and he often wonders what the purpose behind it all is. One day, Eddie is killed while trying to save a young girl who has fallen from a ride, and in the afterlife, he's greeted by five people he knew during his lifetime, who explain to him what the key moments in his life were, and what was to be learned from them. The Five People You Meet in Heaven also features Steven Grayhm (who plays Eddie as a younger man), Ellen Burstyn, Jeff Daniels, Michael Imperioli, and Callum Keith Rennie. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jon Voight, Ellen Burstyn, (more)
Differentiating this TV-movie version of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol from the hundreds of other adaptations of the same Yuletide classic is its tongue-in-cheek ambience and a bundle of memorable tunes by perennial Disney composer Alan Menken and former Schoolhouse Rock lyricist Lynn Ahrens. Inspired by a stage musical which used to be presented annually at New York's Madison Square Garden, this Christmas Carol stars Kelsey Grammer as tight-fisted Ebenezer Scrooge, who sees the errors of his ways just in time to oversee the "best Christmas ever" for his long-suffering clerk Bob Cratchit (Edward Gower) and "God Bless Us Everyone" Tiny Tim (Jacob Moriarty). On this occasion, the spirits materializing for Scrooge's benefit include Jason Alexander as a neurotic Jacob Marley, Jesse L. Martin as a laid-back Ghost of Christmas Present, Jane Krakowski as a sexy Ghost of Christmas Past, and Geraldine Chaplin as a spooky Ghost of Christmas Future (in Wizard of Oz tradition, three of these four actors also appear as "real" people in Scrooge's everyday life). Highlights include the song "Link by Link," wherein the ghostly Marley and a chorus of wraiths perform a lively ball-and-chain dance number, and the outsized Christmas celebration in the home of Scrooge's first boss, Mr. Fezziwig (Brian Bedford), which features among other things a "pole dance" by the Ghost of Christmas Past! Filmed on-location in Budapest (which sort of looks like Dickensian London if you squint real hard), A Christmas Carol: The Musical won an Emmy award for musical director Michael Kosarin -- and, alas, tanked in the ratings when first telecast by NBC on November 28, 2004. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kelsey Grammer, Jesse L. Martin, (more)
- 2002
Spun off from the Emmy-winning TV miniseries of the same name (which in turn was based on a series of children's novel by James Gurney) , the weekly ABC fantasy-adventure series Dinotopia picked up where its predecessor left off, albeit with an entirely new cast. Stranded in an idyllic lost land where humans and dinosaurs co-exist, millionaire Frank Scott (Michael Brandon) and his hunky sons Karl (Erik Von Deeten) and David (Shiloh Strong) do their best to acclimate themselves to their new home -- and to console themselves with the fact that they can never leave. As Karl and David compete for the attentions of Marion Waldo (Georgina Rylance), the attractive future leader of Dinotopia, both boys also become entangled in the activities of The Outsiders, a group of political insurgents led by another dazzlingly beautiful woman named Le Sage (Lisa Zane). Originally slated to debut on October 10, 2002, Dinotopia ultimately aired on November 28 of that year, reportedly because of technical problems surrounding the series' computer-generated Tyrannosaurs, Pteranodons and other dinosaurs. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Brandon, Erik Von Detten, (more)
In this made-for-TV retelling of the classic tale A Thousand and One Nights, a woman discovers the ability to spin a good yarn is literally a matter of life and death. Schahriar (Dougray Scott), a powerful sultan who rules Bagdad, has developed a bitterness and distrust of women ever since he discovered his first wife was unfaithful to him. He no longer trusts the fair sex and has vowed to never marry again, but circumstances force him to wed Scheherezade (Mili Avital), a beautiful girl he's known since he was a child. Schahriar decides that if he must marry Scheherezade, he will murder her after their wedding night. Scheherezade, however, is understandably unenthusiastic about this idea, and to postpone her execution, begins regaling Schahriar with a long series of fascinating stories; by keeping him intrigued with her fables of adventure and honor, she hopes his heart will soften and she will be allowed to live. Scheherezade's stories include the tales of Ali Baba (Rufus Sewell), BacBac the Hunchback (Alexei Sayle), Aladdin (Jason Scott-Lee), the Genie of the Lamp (John Leguizamo), and many more. Arabian Nights was originally shown as a two-part miniseries, with the first episode airing on ABC on April 30, 2000. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mili Avital, Dougray Scott, (more)
"The Greatest Story Ever Told, As Seen Through a Mother's Eyes." Coproduced by Eunice Kennedy Shriver and her son Bobby Shriver, this reverent retelling of the Biblical story of the Madonna stars Melinda Kinnaman as young Mary, Perrilla August as the older Mary, David Threlfall as Joseph, and Toby Bailiff and Christian Bale as, respectively, the younger and adult Jesus. The film takes a decidedly Ecumenical approach, with Mary, already aware of her Son's role in the future of mankind, gently guiding and counseling Jesus as He launches His ministry and accomplishes His miracles. She must also stand by stoically as Her beloved Son is persecuted and crucified, knowing that what must be, will be. Filmed (incredibly) in and around Budapest, Mary, Mother of Jesus debuted November 14, 1999 on NBC. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pernilla August, Christian Bale, (more)
This comedy-drama features a narration by Jim Carrey, looking back to childhood in a manner similar to the narration on TV's The Wonder Years. The film is the directorial debut of writer Mark Steven Johnson, scripter of Grumpy Old Men and its sequel. Johnson adapted only a small portion of John Irving's 600-page novel A Prayer for Owen Meany (1989), but Irving requested a credit other than "based on" and also asked that the character name of Owen Meany be changed. So Owen became Simon Birch -- which then required a title change. In the title role is 11-year-old Ian Michael Smith, who is afflicted with Morquio's syndrome, a genetic disorder which causes dwarfism. The story begins when Joe Wenteworth (Jim Carrey) visits the grave of his childhood friend Simon Birch, whose stone is marked 1952-64. Joe explains that Simon is "the reason I believe in God." This is followed by a flashback to their friendship during the early '60s. In Gravestown, New Hampshire, young Joe Wenteworth (Joseph Mazzello) doesn't know who his father is, and his loving mother Rebecca (Ashley Judd) won't tell him. Joe's best buddy is young Simon Birch, born so tiny that his classmates pass him about like a "doll." Neglected at home, Simon turns to Rebecca as a surrogate mother, and he often has dinner with the Wenteworths. One night, Rebecca brings her friend Ben Goodrich (Oliver Platt) home for dinner, which annoys her crotchety mother (Dana Ivey). Later, the lives of the two 12-year-olds receive a cruel twist, and the two then become more curious to learn the secret of Joe's father. Shown in competition at the 1998 Montreal Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ian Michael Smith, Joseph Mazzello, (more)
Stephen Somers wrote and directed this $50 million science-fiction action-thriller. Set in the South China Sea, the story has been described as a cross between The Poseidon Adventure, Alien, and Die Hard. On the maiden voyage of the luxury liner Argonautica, pickpocket Trillian (Famke Janssen) is caught stealing jewels and locked up. After the ship's communication system is infected with a virus, the ship collides with a massive underwater object. When John Finnegan (Treat Williams) and others board the Argonautica, they are surrounded by death. Survivors Trillian, builder Simon Canton (Anthony Heald), and others talk of sea monsters, but Hanover (Wes Studi) doesn't believe them -- until the fanged, squid-like creature (designed by Rob Bottin) extends its huge tentacles and makes its presence known to all. Filmed in Vancouver and the northern Pacific under the working title Tentacles. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Treat Williams, Famke Janssen, (more)
This Disney live-action film is a very loose adaptation of Mark Twain's two novels about boyhood friends in Hannibal, MO, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn which omits some of the darker themes and undertones in the original books. Television star Jonathan Taylor Thomas (of Home Improvement) is the prankish Tom Sawyer. Tom wants desperately to be friends with the renegade orphan boy Huck Finn (Brad Renfro), who lives on his own on the edge of town. Tom is also smitten with the tomboyish Becky Thatcher (Amy Wright), daughter of the town judge. On an adventure one night, Tom and Huck stumble upon a murder in a graveyard. They see Injun Joe (Eric Schweig) killing the town undertaker to get a map to a treasure. Tom's friend Muff Potter (Michael McShane) is wrongly accused of the crime, but Tom and Huck both know the real killer. Huck has made Tom swear not to reveal the truth and both boys fear that Injun Joe will come after them if they squeal. Tom must choose between his friendship with Huck and his desire to vindicate Muff and get the real killer brought to justice. They try to find the treasure and end up confronting Injun Joe in a cave. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Brad Renfro, (more)
When they discover that their deceased boss had stashed away two million illegally embezzled dollars in a Caribbean safe deposit box, two co-workers decide to claim the cash. To do so, however, they must convince everyone the boss is actually alive -- a situation which seems oddly familiar to them both. This sequel to the popular 1989 comedy Weekend at Bernie's promises more of the same: slapstick with an amazingly lifelike corpse at the center. Whatever freshness the premise may have once had has vanished, however, and the occasionally clever set pieces become lost under the weight of a number of cluttered subplots. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andrew McCarthy, Jonathan Silverman, (more)
This eighth adaptation of the timeless Mark Twain novel casts Elijah Wood as Huckleberry Finn, the half-literate son of a drunk who runs away from home and follows the Mississippi River with an escaped slave named Jim (Courtney S. Vance). Along the way, the duo encounter adventures with colorful characters like The King (Jason Robards) and the Duke (Robbie Coltrane), two con men who impersonate British visitors in order to swindle two sisters out of their fortune, and Susan Wilks (Laura Bundy), the spunky 12-year-old girl who gives Huck his first kiss. Jim also re-educates Huck away from the racist views that he has grown up with. Not the most in-depth version of Twain's tale, The Adventures Of Huck Finn is a solid retelling of the classic story. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elijah Wood, Courtney Vance, (more)
