Dwight Ewell Movies
A spitfire coffeehouse poet catches the attention of a conservative publisher, only to find that her attempts to get him to take part in an underground poetry-reading contest mask a much deeper motivation in the feature directorial debut of longtime television writer E. Paul Edwards. To Jake Thompson, poetry is the purest way of expressing his inner rage. Marni Elliot is an attractive publisher who is drawn to Jake's use of words, and convinced that he could take home the top prize at the Los Angeles Poetron -- a competitive poetry contest that has set the underground literary community ablaze. Though Jake at first refuses on the grounds that competition spoils the purity of art, he is intensely drawn to Marni and soon relents after the pair fall into bed together. When Marni reveals to Jake that she is HIV-positive, he quickly breaks the relationship off. As the Poetron draws near and Jake learns that he will be competing against Marni's former lover, however, he comes to realize that he cannot get the publisher out of his mind, and that his sympathy for her condition has helped him to overcome his anger as it transforms him into both a better poet, and a more capable competitor. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- C. Thomas Howell, Tara D'Agostino, (more)
- 2001
- R
- Add Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back to QueueAdd Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back to top of Queue
The frequently recurring title characters, employed by writer and director Kevin Smith as supporting players in several of his films, are put to rest with this comedy that focuses on them exclusively. Jay (Jason Mews) and Silent Bob (Smith) are a pair of stoned New Jersey slackers who have long been used as the templates for a pair of popular comic book heroes, Bluntman and Chronic. When they learn that their alter egos are to be turned into a major motion picture without their consent or compensation, the pair sets off for Hollywood to sabotage the production. Along the way, they encounter an ape, a nun (Carrie Fisher), the cast of Scooby-Doo, a Charlie's Angels-style band of sexy women who use them as stool pigeons in a diamond heist, and an unhinged wildlife ranger (Will Ferrell). They also meet up with some regulars from the Smith canon, including Alyssa Jones (Joey Lauren Adams), Brian O'Halloran as Dante Hicks, Jason Lee as Banky Edwards, Alanis Morissette as God, and actors Ben Affleck and Matt Damon in dual roles as themselves and two other familiar characters. Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back co-stars numerous other recognizable performers in roles of various sizes, including Shannen Doherty, Jason Biggs, James Van Der Beek, Shannon Elizabeth, Tracy Morgan, Judd Nelson, Chris Rock, and George Carlin, among others. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes, (more)
"What do you call an actor, artist, or writer who has just moved to New York? A waiter." Taking this premise and running with it, The Waiting Game looks at the lives of six young creative types working at Peter's Backyard, a restaurant in New York City, while searching for their big break. Struggling artist Lenny, overly dramatic actress Andi, self-centered Joe, wannabe dancer Derek, aspiring model Shannon, and creatively and sexually blocked Dan interact with each other and their customers as they follow their dreams in the Big Apple. The Waiting Game was the debut feature for writer/director Ken Liotti, who helped finance the film by selling his record collection on the Internet. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 2000
- R
Patrik-Ian Polk directs this ensemble film about a quartet of gay African-American men looking for love in all the wrong places. The film opens with a quartet of friends hanging out by the pool with cocktails discussing who would be better in bed, Ricky Martin or Busta Rhymes. Outside of their overheated imaginations, though, the four are not seeing much action. During his 30th birthday party, Hill (Dwight Ewell) discovered his French beau getting a little fresh with a guest, causing their long term relationship to split. Marcus (Seth Gilliam), a closet romantic longing for Mr. Right, has a habit of scaring off one-night stands with his AIDS paranoia. Drag queen Chris (Jazzmun) talks constantly about a boyfriend no one has ever met, and rich Latino kid Dante (Renoly Santiago) is merrily promiscuous. As the film progresses, Hill, who moves in with Marcus, secretly revels in the prospect of single life. At the same time, Marcus lusts for hunky music producer Darby (Rockmond Dunbar) who moves in next door, though he has a live-in girlfriend (Vanessa Williams). The enormity of Chris' ego breaks up his lip-synched drag revue of Sister Sledge hits. This film was screened at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival and features a soundtrack by Babyface and Janet Jackson. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Seth Gilliam, Dwight Ewell, (more)
Johnny Twenties (Gibson Frazier) is a man who lives up to his name; from his snazzy suits to his snappy lingo, Johnny is a walking embodiment of the era when liquor was illegal, swing was being born, and the movies were just learning to talk. There's just one problem -- Johnny is living in New York City in the late 1990s, and he seems to have no idea that he's a man out of his era. When not courting his girlfriend Samantha (Susan Egan), who's not sure what to make of her beau's time-warp personality, Johnny does battle with a vicious gangster and his thugs. Man of the Century was written by leading man Gibson Frazier and director Adam Abraham, and features supporting performances from comic/impressionist Frank Gorshin and jazz pianist Bobby Short. The film was shown at the 1999 Slamdance and South by Southwest film festivals. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gibson Frazier, Susan Egan, (more)
After a pair of films about hipster slackers, the work of writer-director Kevin Smith matured and gained critical respect with this low budget, independent comedy-drama about love, sex and the fine line between the two. Ben Affleck stars as Holden McNeil, a New Jersey comic book writer who is roommates with his best friend and professional partner, artist Banky Edwards (Jason Lee). Their hit comic book series, "Bluntman and Chronic," is loosely patterned after a pair of acquaintances, Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (played by Smith), two characters already familiar as supporting players in several Smith films. Into Holden's life comes Alyssa Jones (Joey Lauren Adams), a lesbian and fellow comic book creator who quickly becomes a close friend, although Holden is powerfully attracted to her. Eventually, Alyssa realizes that she is attracted to Holden as well and they begin a physical relationship, much to the consternation of Banky, whose ire over losing his best friend to a lesbian seems to border on romantic jealousy. After he learns something about Alyssa's sexual past, however, Holden's immature response to his new knowledge destroys both his romance with Alyssa and his friendship with Banky. Chasing Amy (1997) was the third film in what Smith referred to as his "New Jersey series," films set at least partly in the Garden State and featuring the Jay and Silent Bob characters. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, (more)
- 1995
- R
A lover, an ultimatum, a phone call, and a gun: these elements are found in each segment of Hal Hartley's Flirt, an experimental comedy-drama that essentially repeats the same story three times. But while the basic narrative remains the same -- a congenital flirt must decide whether or not to commit to a current lover, who otherwise will marry someone else -- the details differ greatly, from the location of the film to the gender of the participants. The initial segment, set in New York, tells the tale with a male flirt in turmoil over his relationship with a woman. The film then moves to Berlin, where the same drama is played out amongst a gay male couple, with an added touch of self-reflexive humor. The third and final episode takes place in Tokyo, with a female flirt and a more abstract cinematic approach, including several sequences in traditional Japanese pantomime. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Sage, Parker Posey, (more)
The birth of the gay rights movement gets a fictionalized treatment in this drama based loosely on the acclaimed documentary of the same name by Martin Duberman. In 1969, Matty Dean (Fred Weller) arrives in New York City's Greenwich Village hoping that life there will provide the sexual liberation forbidden to him by his small town upbringing. Matty falls in love with LaMiranda (Guillermo Diaz), a cross-dresser who introduces him to the regulars at the infamous Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar. He is shocked, however, to learn that the NYPD regularly raids the Stonewall, harassing the clientele and closeted owner Vinnie (Bruce MacVitte). After one such incident, Matty ends up in jail, where he's attracted to Ethan (Brendan Corbalis), a gay activist preaching a moderate policy of conformity and peaceful protest. The latter is not possible, however, when police storm the Stonewall yet again and, led by Vinnie's lover Bustonia (Duane Boutte), enraged drag queens fight back in a riot of historical significance. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Guillermo Diaz, Frederick Weller, (more)
- 1994
- R
Hal Hartley's fourth feature is a significant break from the quirky romantic comedy territory of his previous work -- though all of the deadpan idiosyncracies which make him such a singular filmmaker remain intact, here he tries his hand at the thriller genre, a move yielding typically unconventional and innovative results. Amateur stars Hartley mainstay Martin Donovan as Thomas, an amnesiac who, in the first scenes, wakes up in an alley, badly injured; he stumbles to a nearby coffeeshop where he meets Isabelle (Isabelle Huppert), a former nun and would-be nymphomaniac who now makes her living writing pornographic fiction. She takes him back to her apartment, where in time his past slowly begins to emerge -- a sharp contrast to the sweet, even naive soul that Huppert has befriended, it appears that the old Thomas was in fact a vicious pornographer whose attempted murder was at the hands of his wife, adult film star wife Sofia (Elina Lowensohn). Thomas is also the target of a nefarious European arms merchant whose hired guns are hot on his trail. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Isabelle Huppert, Martin Donovan, (more)
