Barbara Boyle Movies

A man who leaves humanity behind to live with animals returns to society under unpleasant circumstances, but with valuable lessons about human and animal relationships. Anthony Hopkins stars as Ethan Powell, a noted anthropologist studying the behavior of mountain gorillas in Rwanda. The longer Powell follows the apes, the more he comes to admire their simple but peaceful society. He begins to spend most of his time with the apes until one day he ventures into the jungle and doesn't return. Powell throws in his lot with the gorillas and lives among them as primitive man once lived in the wild with animals. However, two years later, poachers kill several of the gorillas, and Powell flies into a murderous rage, killing two of the men who attacked his friends. Extradited to the United States, Powell is sent to a grim maximum-security prison in Florida, where he will be held while awaiting trail. A psychological evaluation must be performed on Powell, and the task falls to Theo Caulder (Cuba Gooding Jr.), an ambitious young psychiatrist who sees this as a case with the potential to make him famous. However, since Powell initially won't speak to anyone, getting through to him will be a challenge, and Powell's daughter Lyn (Maura Tierney) has little insight on the father she barely knew. As Caulder slowly builds a rapport with Powell, he comes to realize what Powell has learned from his experience with the gorillas -- and how much Powell can teach him about living with others. Loosely adapted from the novel Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, Instinct also features supporting performances from Donald Sutherland and George Dzundza. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A bright, optimistic caper comedy from first-time director Wes Anderson, Bottle Rocket focuses on a group of young Texans aspiring to become master thieves. Their leader is Dignan (Owen C. Wilson, who also co-wrote the screenplay), an upbeat if naive charmer who convinces his friends Anthony (Wilson's brother Luke Wilson) and Bob Mapplethorpe (Robert Musgrave) to enter the crime business. After their first heist, a bizarrely-executed robbery of a local bookstore, the trio goes on the lam, taking up residence in a border hotel where Anthony falls in love with a maid played by Lumi Cavazos. When the three buddies decide that they need to return to the real world, they hook up with a master con-man (James Caan) who sends them on a daring -- if ill-concieved -- mission. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

This psychological drama was based on the novel by Ella Leffland. After the death of her husband, Rose Munck (Diane Ladd), needs a job and takes a position looking after local business tycoon Patrick Leary (Bruce Dern), who has grown old and infirm and can no longer care for himself. However, revenge is higher on Rose's list of priorities than tending to Leary or earning a living; years ago, when she was a teenager, Rose (played in flashbacks by Kelly Preston) was seduced by the married Leary, and when she became pregnant, he threatened to have the child taken away from her unless she had an abortion. Rose chose to have the child against Leary's wishes, but the baby was killed during an altercation between Rose and Leary, and she has never forgiven him for it. Now, with Leary abandoned by his family, Rose takes her opportunity to slowly torture the old man who ruined her life. Mrs. Munck was the directorial debut for Diane Ladd; she was once married to co-star Bruce Dern, and their daughter, Laura Dern, directed a documentary about the making of this film. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide