Johnny Wow Movies
When a San Francisco homicide detective with a keen eye for criminal profiling is fired for botching the arrest of a notorious serial killer, his subsequent effort to reinvent himself as an insurance claims case-investigator leads him to study a series of perplexing wrongful deaths in this comedy starring Joseph Fiennes, Winona Ryder, Tim Blake Nelson, and Wilmer Valderrama. Michael Burrows (Fiennes) isn't your typical detective. Though Detective Burrows is a paranoid obsessive-compulsive who faints at the sight of blood, his remarkable insight into the criminal mindset has nevertheless made him a valuable asset to the San Francisco Police Department. When Detective Burrows' idiosyncrasies allow the feared "North Beach Killer" to elude capture, however, he is fired by his superiors. Upon offering his unique skills to a doubting insurance company, Burrows is given 30 days in which to prove he can sort out the legitimate claims from the false ones. Now, as Burrows makes for the Midwest in the company of hard-nosed field agent Siri Tyler (Ryder), the film student (Valderrama) who has been following the former detective for his thesis follows the pair as they investigate a series of forehead-slapping deaths, including that of a powerful executive who attempts to prove that his high-rise window is unbreakable and a pair of English tourists who fatally misinterpret the "cruise control" function on their rented RV. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joseph Fiennes, Winona Ryder, (more)
Finn Taylor's quirky comedy Cherish concerns Zoe (Robin Tunney), a woman unlucky in love. She is berated at work and always seems to strike out with the opposite sex. After being asked by an attractive co-worker (Jason Priestley) to dance at a party, Zoe is kidnapped by a stalker who has fallen in love with her. During a scuffle, they accidentally kill a police officer. The stalker disappears and Zoe is charged with the crime. Soon she is under house arrest. The technician in charge of her ankle bracelet (Tim Blake Nelson) is as socially awkward as she is. Soon they grow close and he gets her a nine-hour window in which the pair tries to find the stalker and clear her name. Rocker Liz Phair and Saturday Night Live alumnus Nora Dunn round out the cast of this film that was screened at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robin Tunney, Tim Blake Nelson, (more)
- 1998
Tony Barbieri made his directorial debut with this psychological drama about two old friends. Garbage collector Nick (Kane Picoy) once had a promising baseball career until he hit his manager. Now he lives in a building owned by his father (Paul Herman), who can't forgive his son's failure. Nick drives to the state penitentiary where he picks up longtime pal Charlie (Jason Cairns), imprisoned on manslaughter charges for helping his grandfather take his life. Charlie's parole requires community service, so he delivers medical supplies to disabled children. His parole officer (Muhammed Hassan) warns him not to go near the children, and Charlie gets a warning because he helps a child who has fallen out of his wheelchair. Since Charlie spends time on his college studies and also takes a romantic interest in his supervisor Sara (Autumn Macintosh), he sees less of Nick, and their friendship collapses. Shown at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Cairns, Kane Picoy, (more)
A dying man and a man who wants to die strike up an unusual bargain in this independent comedy-drama. Terry (David Arquette) is a suicidal voyeur who is depressed but lacks the courage to kill himself. While trying to work up the nerve to throw himself off a bridge, Terry is stopped by his neighbor Nick (Brad Hunt), who doesn't know that Terry has been watching him have unsatisfying sex with his girlfriend Liz (Kathryn Erbe). Drug-addicted Nick has learned that he has only a few weeks left to live, so he makes Terry a deal: Nick will put Terry out of his misery if Terry will help Nick live out a few of his fantasies before his imminent date with death. Terry agrees, but discovers that Nick's ambitions include bowling naked with a group of loose women, taking a road trip while high on LSD, and committing armed robbery; Terry also discovers while hanging out with Nick that life might not be such a bad thing after all. Cathy Moriarty appears as Nick's Aunt Elsie, a former exotic dancer. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Arquette, Brad Hunt, (more)
