Angelica Torn Movies
Adapted from Joseph C. Lincoln's best-selling novel Can'n Eri, this gentle tale of three retired sea captains living together and looking to get their house in order features an all-star cast including David Carradine, Rip Torn, Bruce Dern, and Mariel Hemingway. The story begins in turn of the century Cape Cod, where Captain Jerry Burgess (Torn), Captain Perez (Dern), and Captain Zeb (Carradine) decide that the only way to get their house in order is for one of them to get married. When no one jumps at the prospect of taking a bride, they decide to flip a coin and Captain Jerry is selected as the groom-to-be. After placing an ad for a mail-order bride in a big-city newspaper, the trio gets a response from Martha Snow (Hemingway), who hails from nearby Nantucket. The plan seems to be going along just fine until Captain Jerry gets cold feet, prompting Captain Perez to work overtime to keep Martha from leaving. But as Captain Jerry attempts to work up the confidence to propose, a strange thing happens: Captain Zeb falls in love with Martha and proposes. Now, if Captain Jerry can just find it within himself to forgive and old friend, this seafaring trio may find that everything will work out in the end. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Carradine, Rip Torn, (more)
A tense political drama ripped straight from the headlines, Rod Lurie's Nothing But the Truth tells the tale of a Washington, D.C. reporter who is targeted by the government after refusing to reveal her source for a story that identified an undercover CIA operative. Rachel Armstrong (Kate Beckinsale) is an ambitious young reporter working at the Capitol Sun-Times, one of Washington, D.C.'s biggest newspapers. When the paper published Rachel's incendiary story revealing the identity of covert CIA agent Erica Van Doren (Vera Farmiga), charismatic special prosecutor Patton Dubois (Matt Dillon) demands that she reveal her source for the story. With the support of her husband, Ray (David Schwimmer); her editor, Bonnie (Angela Bassett); and the paper's in-house attorney, Avril (Noah Wyle), Rachel defies Patton's request and all hell breaks loose. When Rachel likewise refuses to reveal her source even to U.S. District Court Judge Hall (Floyd Adams), she is cited with contempt of court and thrown in the D.C. Detention Center until she decides to cooperate. As Rachel's attorney, Albert Burnside (Alan Alda), argues her case all the way to the Supreme Court, the public begins to question why the embattled reporter would sacrifice both her family and her career to maintain her journalistic integrity. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kate Beckinsale, Matt Dillon, (more)
Both of their lives having recently taken a sharp turn for the worse, two estranged brothers attempt to flee New York and start over in California, only to find their desperate flight complicated by a robbery gone awry and a mysterious, sphinx-like creature called the sufferer. Paul (Michael Esper) was still living at home with his parents when he decided to drop out of college and search for his wayward brother Don (aka "Light") (Paul Dano). It's been a year since Don was kicked out of the family home, and neither his parents nor his brother have heard a word from him since. After scouring Washington Square Park and finally locating his estranged sibling, Paul proposes that the two make some quick cash by ripping off a gang of local drug dealers, and then hop a plane bound for California to start from scratch. When the robbery goes awry, however, the brothers find themselves pursued through the streets not only by the vengeful drug dealers, but a sphinx-like creature known as the sufferer who trails after people in trouble as well. But is the sufferer a guardian angel, or a harbinger of death? Later, when the drug dealers get the upper hand on the two brothers, Paul turns to the sufferer for help in a moment of desperation. Unfortunately for Don, the sufferer cannot intervene and the events will ultimately have to play out to their natural conclusion. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Dano, Michael Esper, (more)
- 2005
Following up an anonymous tip, Detective Benson (Mariska Hargitay) finds the remains of Jeffrey Ronson, a seven-year-old who vanished in 1980. Subsequent clues suggest that Jeffrey was raped and murdered by Lucas Biggs (John Savage), an ex-ballplayer currently awaiting execution for a string of similar crimes. Problem is, though Biggs has vivid memories of all his victims, he has absolutely no recollection of Jeffrey. As the case progresses, Benson and her boss Captain Cragen (Dann Florek) begin to suspect that the tip to Jeffrey's whereabouts was somehow planted by Biggs as a means of delaying execution--but then another murder neatly explodes this theory. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2003
Part of producer Regina Ziegler's Erotic Tales series, Music is written and directed by Israeli-born American independent filmmaker Amos Kollek. Dallas Roberts stars as Matt, an young man who prefers his sexual fantasies to be set to classical music. While wandering through Manhattan one night, he ends up in a strange hotel room with a mysterious woman. This half-hour short film was originally shot on digital video. Kollek has also directed the Erotic Tales short film Angela. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dallas Roberts, Lara Harris, (more)
- 2002
The devastating big business scandals of the early 21st century served as inspiration for this episode. An investment analyst is murdered, and his body left near a ferry terminal. The detectives are faced with a surplus of suspects, most of them disgruntled investors in a failing corporation. Ultimately, however, the trail of evidence leads to the conclusion that money may not have been the primary motive. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
John Travolta stars in this thriller as divorced husband and father Frank Morrison, a boat builder concerned about his son Danny (Matthew O'Leary), a troubled 11-year-old who has shown a tendency to lie since his parents broke up. When his ex-wife Susan (Teri Polo) announces that she's getting remarried to Rick Barnes (Vince Vaughn), a recent arrival in town and a popular, wealthy philanthropist, Frank struggles with jealousy but feels that Rick might be a stabilizing influence for his son. When Danny begins relating unsettling stories about Rick, Frank at first chalks it up to youthful rebellion, but when Danny stridently claims to have witnessed his new stepfather committing murder, Frank's instincts tell him the story is true. As he investigates the new man in his family's life, Frank uncovers alarming facts about Rick, who's not the man he appears to be. Domestic Disturbance (2001) made headlines six months before its release when co-star Steve Buscemi, accompanied by Vaughn and screenwriter Scott Rosenberg, was stabbed and seriously injured in an after-hours bar brawl with locals near the film's North Carolina set. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Travolta, Vince Vaughn, (more)
Amos Kollek directs this quiet, understated comedy about lonely hearts and empty pockets in New York. Pushing 40, Bella (Anna Thomson) works as a waitress at small downtown diner in Manhattan. Her elderly regulars include Paul (Robert Modica), a lovelorn retiree who scours the personal ads and his ill-tempered buddies Seymour (Victor Argo) and Graham (Mark Margolis), who are more than a little disparaging toward Paul's attempts at finding love. Involved in a 12-year relationship with married Broadway theater director George (Austin Pendleton), Bella craves marriage and children. On a blind date set up by her mother, Bella meets Bruno, a divorced cabbie and fledgling novelist with two young children. Meanwhile, Paul meets ready-and-willing widow Emily (Louise Lasser), while Seymour shacks up with Wanda (Valerie Geffner), a stripper with a master's degree. This film was shown in competition at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anna Thomson, Jamie Harris, (more)
Laurie Weltz directed this period drama, set in 1959 at a seaside New Jersey town where former silent-screen actress Lulu Fraker (Claire Bloom) runs Lulu's Look Out, a women's rooming house. Teen Maddy Hawkins (Aleksa Palladino of Manny & Lo), employed at a local garage, feels abandoned after the wedding party for her best friend, Mary (Adrienne Shelly), who's moving to Colorado. However, Maddy's attention is soon directed toward carnival worker Will (Sam Trammell), and she also gets involved in the problem of Lulu's boarder Claire (Joely Richardson), a French war bride and widow now pregnant by gregarious garage owner Rick (Jay O. Sanders). The problem is that Claire doesn't love Rick, so Claire and Maddy set off on a journey to visit an abortionist. Shown at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Aleksa Palladino, Joely Richardson, (more)
- 1996
This off-beat sports comedy follows the misadventures of a professional loser. Bruce "the Mouse" Strauss is proud that he holds the unofficial record for getting knocked out in boxing rings on every continent except Antarctica. He is a lousy boxer; he knows it and is happy to amuse audiences by taking elaborate dives during bouts. When not fighting, Mouse is managing the similar careers of a couple other con men. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1995
The reinstatement of New York's death penalty is the catalyst for this emotion-charged episode. Executive Assistant D.A. McCoy (Sam Waterston) insists upon using capital punishment to deal with the murderer of an undercover cop. But McCoy's more moderate associate Kincaid (Jill Hennessy) disagrees, citing a powerful argument against execution presented by defense attorney Helen Brolin (Maria Tucci). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
