Bob Gunton

Saw duo James Wan and Leigh Whannell re-team for this chilling tale of a widower (Ryan Kwanten) who returns to his hometown to unearth clues about his recently departed wife's untimely death. In the quiet town of Ravens Fair, children taunt one another with spooky stories about a ventriloquist whose mind was ravaged by insanity. Mary Shaw was a popular entertainer until she was accused of murdering a young boy. Subsequently hunted and captured by the vengeful townspeople, Mary's tongue was cut out before she was mercilessly killed and committed to the earth in the company of her handmade collection of vaudeville dolls. In the years that followed, the town seemed to be haunted by those ghastly puppets. After mysteriously disappearing from Mary's grave, the menacing figurines would sometimes be glimpsed by the damned in the dead of night -- their appearance consistently foreshadowing the death of whoever laid eyes upon them. Entire families were found slaughtered, their tongues brutally torn from their mouths in a sickening scene that eerily recalled the execution of the elderly ventriloquist. Newlyweds Jamie (Ryan Kwanten) and Lisa Ashen (Laura Regan) both grew up in Ravens Fair. Now, following Lisa's inexplicable death, Paul has returned to the pair's hometown in order to say his final goodbyes and find out the truth about his wife's enigmatic demise. After being reunited with his ailing father (Bob Gunton) and the aging man's pretty young bride (Amber Valletta), the grieving widower will finally uncover the shocking truth behind the curse that has plagued Ravens Fair for as far back as he can remember. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A man who is suddenly without feelings is motivated by a love he isn't quite sure is there in this offbeat independent comedy. Hudson (Matthew Perry) is a screenwriter who has enjoyed a modest success in Hollywood, but one day he suddenly and inexplicably sinks into a strange funk -- he feels strangely removed from the world around him, as if reality has slipped away and he can't physically or emotionally feel his surroundings. Hudson's writing partner Tom (Kevin Pollock) is more than a bit disturbed by the sudden change in Hudson's demeanor, and on his advice he begins seeing the first of several psychiatrists, most of whom prescribe a dizzying variety of drugs, except for Dr. Blaine (Mary Steenburgen), who is turned on by Hudson's condition and ends up having an affair with him. As Hudson seems to be running out of ways to reconnect with himself, he meets Sarah (Lynn Collins), a beautiful woman who is quite taken with him and decides to introduce him to as many positive and compelling experiences as possible. The first feature-length directorial project for screenwriter Harris Goldberg, Numb received its North American premiere at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A structural engineer (Anthony Hopkins) and an ambitious young district attorney (Ryan Gosling) become locked in a deadly battle of wits when the former is found innocent in the attempted murder of his wife in director Gregory Hoblit's tense tale of courtroom mind games. Ted Crawford (Hopkins) is an engineer who lives with his wife, Jennifer (Embeth Davidtz), in the couple's lavish Southern California home. One day, after carefully planning out the details to ensure that there is no way he can be convicted of murder, Ted shoots his wife in a blatant attempt to kill the woman. When head hostage negotiator Rob Nunally (Billy Burke) arrives on the scene to speak with Ted, he is shocked to find that the victim of the shooting is in fact his longtime lover. Though Jennifer survives the trauma of being shot in the head at close range, she hovers comatose between life and death as star prosecutor Willy Beachum (Gosling) reluctantly accepts the case while preparing to leave the Los Angeles criminal court system behind for a more promising career at a posh private law firm. Though the DA (David Strathairn) vehemently resents Beachum's lofty plan for departure, the hotshot young lawyer remains convinced that he can expedite the apparently open-and-shut case and be on his way to greener pastures in one week's time at the very most. Beachum's swelling ego betrays him, however, as his future boss Nikki Gardner (Rosamund Pike) begins to turn up the heat and fracture mechanics specialist Ted chooses to represent himself at the trial knowing well that a career spent spotting structural flaws in aeronautical systems has instilled him with just the kind of argumentative skills needed to riddle the swaggering young lawyer's "foolproof" case with doubt. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Susan (Teri Hatcher) is more than a little put out when her beau, Mike (James Denton), is arrested for the murder of Mrs. Huber. Gabrielle (Eva Longoria) has a new gardener named Justin (Ryan Carnes) who knows all about her affair with previous gardener John (Jesse Metcalfe) -- and he intends to profit by his knowledge. Bree (Marcia Cross) suspects the worst when she finds a condom, but the truth is even worse than she first thought. Lynette (Felicity Huffman) tries to sabotage her husband when he is offered a job that will consume all his time. And the troublesome Andrew Van De Kamp (Shawn Pyfrom) has a big, big surprise for everyone concerned. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Edie (Nicollette Sheridan) is a far from disinterested witness when Bree (Marcia Cross) goes out to lunch with the charming but slightly sinister George Williams (Roger Bart). Meanwhile, Bree's husband, Rex (Steven Culp), continues to suffer from ill health (can there be a connection somewhere?). And in other developments, Susan (Teri Hatcher) forgives Mike (James Denton) for his fatal "indiscretion"; Felicia (Felicity Huffman) takes a hand in Zach's (Cody Kasch) problems; and Gabrielle (Eva Longoria) finds out that birth control is not 100 percent effective -- especially when it's been tampered with. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Already anxious to hide her clandestine romance from her husband, Carlos (Ricardo Antonio Chavira), Gabrielle (Eva Longoria) is further confounded by the arrival of her troublesome mother-in-law, Juanita (Lupe Ontiveros). Susan (Teri Hatcher) impulsively dates Officer Rick Thompson (Steven Eckholdt), who is investigating a break-in in the neighborhood -- for which Susan's erstwhile beau Mike Delfino (James Denton) may be responsible. And Lynette (Felicity Huffman) and her husband, Tom (Doug Savant), enroll their contentious twins in a private school -- as if that will solve the problem! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

German filmmaker Katja von Garnier directs the HBO original movie Iron Jawed Angels, inspired by a pivotal chapter in American history. Hilary Swank plays Alice Paul, an American feminist who risked her life to fight for women's citizenship and the right to vote. She founded the separatist National Woman's Party and wrote the first equal rights amendment to be presented before Congress. Together with social reformer Lucy Burns (Frances O'Connor), Paul struggled against conservative forces in order to pass the 19th amendment to the Constitution of the United States. One of their first actions was a parade on President Woodrow Wilson's (Bob Gunton) inauguration day. The suffragettes also encountered opposition from the old guard of the National American Women's Suffrage Association, Carrie Chapman Catt (Anjelica Huston). The activists get arrested and go on a well-publicized hunger strike, where their refusal to eat earns them the title of "the iron-jawed angels." Iron Jawed Angels was screened at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004 before its television premiere on HBO. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

A pair of impulsive young men take different paths on the road to maturity in this drama, the first feature film from actor-turned-filmmaker Scott Caan. Rusty (Shawn Hatosy) and Dallas (Caan) are two buddies in their early twenties who live on the rundown underside of Los Angeles; they both have an appetite for alcohol and trouble, and would probably be in jail if it weren't for Rusty's understanding mother, Mary (Kelly Lynch). Mary is worried about her son, and when she begins dating an analyst, Bob (Jeff Goldblum), she persuades him to take Rusty on as a patient. As Rusty begins to work through the demons that have raged within him since the death of his father when he was a child, he begins putting his life on a more positive path. Dallas, however, is drawn deeper into a life of crime, and he wants Rusty to join him for a potentially risky job. Dallas 362 also features supporting performances from Marley Shelton, Selma Blair, Freddy Rodriguez, and Heavy D. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Practically everyone who previewed the USA network adventure series Peacemakers before its July 30, 2003, debut arrived at the same descriptive conclusion: "CSI Goes West." The series was set in the 1880s, in the frontier town of Silver City. Tom Berenger starred as Jared Stone, a hard-bitten, set-in-his-ways federal marshal who found himself teamed with Larimer Finch (Peter O'Meara), a British-born Pinkerton detective and specialist in the brand-new field of forensic science. Although Stone preferred to use tried-and-true methods in tracking down criminals, he begrudgingly acknowledged that Finch's newfangled techniques ("They're called fingerprints!") were of some value. Also joining in the weekly investigations was Katie Owen (Amy Carlson), a medical student who had returned to Silver City to run her family's undertaking parlor. Viewers with long memories may have noted some striking resemblances between Peacemakers and the old Richard Boone Western series Hec Ramsey. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Dying from an inoperable brain tumor, impoverished single mother Lorena (Stacey Edwards) is determined to find a loving home for her 12-year-old daughter--and to make just enough money to pay for her own funeral. Tackling the second problem first, Lorena goes to work for Sidney Alcott (Bob Gunton, an embittered, hard-drinking funeral home director. Regarding Lorena as a nuisance, Sidney's first instinct is to turn her over to his assistant Monica (Roma Downey), who angelic presence in the proceedings is not immediately explained. Ultimately, it becomes crystal clear that Lorena was fated to link up with Sidney all along...and that Sidney truly needs Lorena in a way that he never could have imagined. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This 2001 TV docudrama relates the story of tennis' 1973 "Battle of the Sexes" between Wimbledon champions Billie Jean King (Holly Hunter) and Bobby Riggs (Ron Silver), an event considered by many to be an early victory for feminism. Riggs, 20 years past his prime, lives to wager on anything and everything. Seeing the rise of feminism, he decides he can make some money by challenging top female players, 30 years his junior, into exhibition matches. His first choice for an opponent is Billie Jean King, but she turns him down because she is too busy organizing the members of the female tennis tour into a de facto union, and winning tennis tournaments. After Bobby defeats the number one female tennis player in the world, Margaret Court, King realizes she needs to beat him. Following months of hype in which Bobby's bluster is matched at every point by Billie's confidence, the two face off in the Astrodome before a huge live and television audience. When Billie Beat Bobby was written and directed by Jane Anderson who had previously written The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader Murdering Mom, which also featured Holly Hunter in the title role. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

In October 1991, a dying tropical hurricane from Bermuda collided with a cold front from the Great Lakes, resulting in a "perfect storm" of previously unknown destructive impact that resulted in 100-foot waves; tragically, the crew of a fishing boat was lost in the midst of the fearsome storm. Based on the best-selling book by Sebastian Junger, The Perfect Storm tells the story of the ship's brave and hard-working crew. Billy Tyne (George Clooney), captain of the Andrea Gail, hasn't had much luck finding catch on his most recent trips to sea, and with money short, he and his crew -- Bob Shatford (Mark Wahlberg), Dale Murphy (John C. Reilly), and David Sullivan (William Fichtner) set out again when they hear that the fish are running. Billy's hunch proves correct, but when the ship's refrigeration system goes haywire, they have to return to shore as quickly as possible before the fish spoil, sending them into the middle of the worst storm in history. The supporting cast includes Mary Elziabeth Mastrantonio, Diane Lane, Bob Gunton, and Karen Allen; Wolfgang Petersen, whose breakthrough film was the aquatic wartime drama Das Boot, directed. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide