Joel Castleberg Movies
- 2000
Over the course of one year, a group of friends gathers for three parties (a birthday dinner party, a Halloween costume party, and a New Year's celebration) at the Brooklyn apartment of a young married couple (Chris Reed, Lauren Katz). Friendships and relationships are formed, dissolved, and re-formed amidst witty banter.
~ Keith Phipps, All Movie Guide
~ Keith Phipps, All Movie Guide
In this dark comedy, former broadcast journalist and current substitute teacher Lester Grimm (Eric Stoltz) is not especially good at displaying a healthy trust in his relationships. Ever since the age of 15, when Lester's first girlfriend ditched him for a 24-year-old, Lester has displayed an overpowering jealousy toward the women in his life -- which explains why he's still single. When Lester meets Ramona Ray (Annabella Sciorra), he's determined that this time he'll keep his emotions in check, until he learns that she has a rather checkered sexual history -- and her most recent boyfriend was a best-selling novelist, Dashiell Frank (Christopher Eigeman). Desperate to know if they still have feelings for each other, Lester starts crashing Dashiell's group therapy sessions in hopes of getting an inside scoop on what he has to say about his ex. Mr. Jealousy was written and directed by Noah Baumbach; it was his first film after his acclaimed independent debut Kicking and Screaming. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eric Stoltz, Annabella Sciorra, (more)
Inspired by the advent of Seattle's grunge music sound and popular films such as Slacker (1991) and Singles (1992), the Generation X comedy-drama was born. Typified by characters in their early twenties sharing an abundance of education, a lack of career direction, stunted romantic aspirations and an obsession with popular culture, one of the better examples of the genre was Kicking and Screaming. Josh Hamilton stars as Grover, a recent college graduate and aspiring writer depressed over the departure of his girlfriend Jane (Olivia d'Abo) for a fellowship in Prague. Josh's best friends are in a similar predicament. Skippy (Jason Wiles) is a classic slacker couch potato still attending classes despite having graduated, while the philosophical Max (Chris Eigeman) and Otis (Carlos Jacott), a mechanical engineer, both remain unemployed. Tenth-year student Chet (Eric Stoltz), who works at a local bar and has still not finished his education, serves as a cautionary tale for the four unmotivated pals. Kicking and Screaming was the debut of writer and director Noah Baumbach and the first of several cinematic collaborations between him and actors Eigeman and Stoltz. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Josh Hamilton, Olivia D'Abo, (more)
Six screenwriters, all real-life friends, each wrote one of the sequences in this romantic comedy-drama that unfolds at a half-dozen parties and celebrations. During a cross-country trip, Joe (Eric Stoltz) proposes to his girlfriend Sarah (Meg Tilly) with his best friend Frank (Craig Sheffer) looking on. At the couple's rehearsal dinner, Sarah confesses privately to Frank her attraction to him, but what she doesn't know is that Frank is in love with her. They share a kiss, which leads to an argument between Joe and Frank at their next meeting, a weekly poker game with their buddies. At a video shoot, a dinner party, another poker game, and a few more celebrations, the friendship between the three of them is challenged by the nascent attraction between Frank and Sarah. In the meantime, the all-male poker game is invaded by Athena (Parker Posey) and Lauren (Joey Lauren Adams), and a party guest, Sid (Quentin Tarantino), delivers a memorable treatise on the homoerotic subtext of Top Gun (1986). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eric Stoltz, Meg Tilly, (more)
Michael Steinberg, co-director of The Waterdance, made his solo directorial debut with the Gen-X character study Bodies, Rest & Motion. Written by Roger Hedden, based on his own play, the film's title refers to Newton's First Law of Motion, which states essentially that a body at rest or in motion will remain in that state until acted upon by an external force. The film is set in the desert town of Enfield, AZ. Nick (Tim Roth) is a feckless television salesman who gets fired and impulsively decides that he and his girlfriend, Beth (Bridget Fonda), will move to Butte, MT, which he's read is "the city of the future." "I read that a while ago, so the future should be there by now," he enthuses. He waits until the last moment to tell Carol (Phoebe Cates), his ex and Beth's best friend, about the move. While Nick is working his last day, Sid (Eric Stoltz) comes to the couple's house to paint it for the next tenants. He quickly develops an interest in Beth. He, Beth, and Carol get stoned and hang out. When Sid hears about the move, he tells Beth that he's never left Enfield, and has no interest in traveling. Meanwhile, Nick decides to take off on his own. When Beth gets word of this from Carol, she finds solace in Sid's arms. Sid proclaims his love the next morning, and implores Beth to stay. Meanwhile, Nick visits his childhood home, looking for his parents, has an epiphany, and decides to return to Carol. The film features Alicia Witt (Urban Legend) in her first substantial part. There's also a very brief cameo by Peter Fonda, Bridget's father. Hedden would go on to collaborate with Stoltz again on Sleep With Me and Hedden's directorial debut, Hi-Life. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Phoebe Cates, Bridget Fonda, (more)
