Summer Phoenix
An outgrowth of the MTV cable network's 1998 documentary True Life: Fatal Dose, Wasted is a cautionary modern fable about the pitfalls of heroin addiction. The three teenaged protagonists, lifelong friends all, are Samantha (Summer Phoenix), Owen (Aaron Paul), and Chris (Nick Stahl). As levelheaded Chris stands on the sidelines, Sam and Owen become lovers, only to fall prey to drugs. After Sam OD's on some bad "H," Chris provides moral support, while callous Owen insists upon partying on. Yearning to find out why Sam continues to be attracted to Owen despite his bad influence, Chris himself begins experimenting with heroin, egged on by Owen's new girlfriend Amy (Brittney Irvin). Who will ultimately survive this thorn-thicket of bad relationships and drugs? Filmed in Alberta, Wasted made its American TV debut on March 17, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nick Stahl, Summer Phoenix, (more)
In this powerful and disturbing drama, Danny Balint (Ryan Gosling) is a member of a gang of racist skinheads who espouses a vile but well-articulated philosophy of anti-Semitism. Danny also has a secret -- he is a Jew, and was a top student in Hebrew school before he began to ask too many questions about the deeper implications of the teachings in the Torah and the Old Testament, leading to his expulsion. Angry and confused, Danny began to explore the philosophies of the neo-Nazi movement, which he soon came to embrace through a mixture of anger over the tragic history of the Jewish people, bitterness over his experiences in Hebrew school, and a loathing of himself. Danny soon becomes a key member of a skinhead sect led by Curtis (Billy Zane) and Lina (Theresa Russell), but while Curtis and Lina believe that the desire for cultural assimilation by many American Jews will lead to their self-destruction, Danny advocates a more direct and violent approach in dealing with the "enemy." Danny gains the admiration of his fellow skinheads for his intelligence and commitment, and wins the affection of Carla (Summer Phoenix), a group member with severe masochistic tendencies. But in time Danny's beliefs begin to shift once again, just as the truth about his background becomes known to his comrades. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival, The Believer was inspired by the true story of Daniel Burros, a member of the American Nazi Party who committed suicide in the 1960s when it was revealed by the press that he was born to a Jewish family. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ryan Gosling, Summer Phoenix, (more)
Laramie, WY, is a small town which became infamous overnight in the fall of 1998, when Matthew Shepard, a gay college student, was found tied to a fence after being brutally beaten and left to die, setting off a nationwide debate about hate crimes and homophobia. A month after the crime, Moises Kaufman, a writer and director with the New York City theater troupe the Tectonic Theater Project, traveled to Laramie with a handful of actors to interview people who lived in and around Laramie in preparation for an upcoming production; Kaufman's goal was to create a play that focused not on the assault on Matthew Shepard, but on the community where such an attack could happen, and how many of the citizens reacted to the crime. The result was The Laramie Project, which was first performed in early 2000, and was performed in Laramie in the fall of that year, two years after Kaufman and his associates first arrived in the city. The Laramie Project is a film adaptation of Kaufman's play, in which the thoughts and opinions of Laramie residents from all points of the political spectrum are presented alongside re-enacted excerpts from the trials of the two men who attacked Matthew Shepard. Produced for the premium cable network HBO, The Laramie Project was adapted for the screen by Moises Kaufman, who served as both writer and director. The distinguished cast includes Dylan Baker, Steve Buscemi, Peter Fonda, Janeane Garofolo, Laura Linney, Amy Madigan, Camryn Manheim, Christina Ricci, and Frances Sternhagen. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christina Ricci, Peter Fonda, (more)
Music may be the food of love, but a group of gangsters are singing a very different tune at a fancy New York dining room in this dark comedy. Louis (Danny Aiello) is the owner of an upscale restaurant in New York's Tribeca district where his son Udo (Edoardo Ballerini) has become the head chef. Udo's exotic recipes have made the restaurant the talk of the town and very profitable as well, though Louis confesses that he can't stand Udo's cooking. Louis has another son, Duncan (Kirk Acevedo), who runs with a bad crowd; Louis finds out just how bad they are one night when they stop by to dine, with Duncan in tow, informing Louis that his son owes them quite a bit of money and they aren't leaving until they're given part ownership of the restaurant -- or else someone will be killed. Dinner Rush was directed by Bob Giraldi, a noted director of commercials and music videos who also enjoyed success as a restaurateur. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danny Aiello, Edoardo Ballerini, (more)
The English-language debut of French director Arnaud Desplechin, Esther Kahn charts the ascension of a lower-class Jewish girl from a turn-of-the-century London ghetto to one of the stage's leading actresses. Esther (Summer Phoenix) feels set apart from her large, raucous family, who are all employed in the garment business. Her life is changed when she attends a Yiddish theatre performance, and she is suddenly determined to become an actress. After joining a small theatre company, she becomes the protégé of Nathan (Ian Holm), a stage veteran who instructs her in her chosen craft. Esther gradually works her way up in the ranks -- taking a lover, brainy French theatre critic Philippe (Fabrice Desplechin), along the way -- until she is cast in the title role of Hedda Gabler, which she performs to great acclaim. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Summer Phoenix, Ian Holm, (more)
What's it like being the only punk rockers in the biggest Mormon community in the world? Stevo (Matthew Lillard) and Heroin Bob (Michael Goorjian) provide the answer to this and other questions in SLC Punk. Stevo and Bob (whose name is actually an ironic reference to his fear of needles) are two friends fresh out of college who sport mohawks and blue hair, listen to hardcore and try to live up to their own anarchist ideals while figuring out what to do with their lives. Which wouldn't make them unusual in New York or Los Angeles, but they're fish out of water in Salt Lake City, Utah, where they drink beer, chase women and pick fights with "rednecks" along side a mixed bag of metalheads, hippies, hicks and posers who are fellow outcasts in the most clean-cut community in America. In the midst of all this, Stevo's dad hopes his son will follow in his footsteps and study law at Harvard; while Stevo surprisingly has the grades, he's not sure if he wants to go. Featuring a soundtrack of mid-80's punk from The Ramones, Minor Threat, The Dead Kennedys and others, SLC Punk was chosen as the opening-night feature at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matthew Lillard, Michael A. Goorjian, (more)
Dominique Swain stars as spoiled, small-town high-school senior, 18-year-old Andrea Marr, who lives with her parents in an upscale suburb of Porter City, Washington -- where Andrea and her gal pals make the scene at various concerts and clubs. Before the summer ends and an Ivy League school takes her East, the virginal and somewhat confused Andrea hopes to achieve sexual satisfaction. She chooses Kevin (Channon Roe), but the encounter isn't quite what she was expecting, perhaps because she's more attracted to rocker Todd Sparrow (Sean Patrick Flanery). Absorbing advice from her friend Rebecca (Summer Phoenix), she plots a course of action and drops Kevin. After she succeeds in linking with her one-and-only, it's not long before she's disappointed to find that Sparrow has flown the coop. Swain's effective voiceover narration contrasts her careful plans with her impulsive actions. Shown in the market section at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dominique Swain, Sean Patrick Flanery, (more)
Miramax Films darlings Robert Rodriguez and screenwriter Kevin Williamson teamed up for a high-school alien-horror film that they described as The Breakfast Club meets Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Dilapidated Herrington High is the location for a story about a school faculty taken over by outer-space creatures, forcing the students to take charge and kick some alien butt. School faculty members (Robert Patrick, Bebe Neuwirth, Salma Hayek, and Jon Stewart) are infested with rapidly reproducing space worms that take over their minds and bodies. But never fear, because at this school, between hazing the student body and having sex in the locker room, a Scooby-Doo-ish group of high school students is ready to fight back. The up-and-coming acting talent includes R&B singer Usher Raymond, Elijah Wood, Clea DuVall, Josh Hartnett, Shawn Hatosy, Laura Harris, and Jordanna Brewster. The story is nearly irrelevant, as the real stars are the action and lots of special effects. ~ Arthur Borman, All Movie Guide
- 1997
This first episode of ER's fourth season originally aired live on September 25, 1997, with two separate telecasts for the East and West Coasts. A TV documentary crew follows Dr. Mark Greene (Anthony Edwards) during a "typical" shift in the emergency room of Chicago's County General Hospital. Still not completely recovered from a brutal beating, Greene is none too happy about being a "TV star," sentiments shared by the ER's attending physician Kerry Weaver (Laura Innes), who regards the camera crew as an invasion of everyone's privacy. As it turns out, the documentary makers get more than they bargained for as they record for posterity a gang fight, an out-of-control patient, and a heart attack. In the midst of all this confusion, Dr. Elizabeth Corday (Alex Kingston) arrives from England to witness American surgical procedures. The syndicated version of "Ambush" combines scenes from both the East and West Coast broadcasts, expunging a number of conspicuous continuity errors and an embarrassing moment in which a crucial prop is misplaced. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Gena (Aesha Waks) is a 16-year-old girl whose mother has fallen into a coma; with her immediate family unable to watch over her, it's decided that she'll spend the summer with her Uncle John (Paul Lazar). Gena takes a part-time job at a beauty parlor and makes friends with a girl named Jane (Summer Phoenix). Jane, however, is not an especially good influence; she's a recent runaway from a halfway house and is looking for her missing brother Sonny (Sam Rockwell), a convicted felon. When Jane disappears, Gena searches for her and is led into a netherworld of drugs, crime, gang violence, and sexual initiation. This independent drama was screened at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival; Heather Matarazzo of Welcome to the Dollhouse appears in a supporting role. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1988
Based on Beverly Cleary's novel The Mouse and the Motorcycle, Runaway Ralph is an ABC Kidtime special about a mouse named Ralph who leaves home on his motorcycle once his parents ground him. Eventually, Ralph ends up at a summer camp, where he has several adventures. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1987
Ben (Jeremy Miller) consults his older siblings in order to figure out the best strategy to get a new bike from his parents. Mike (Kirk Cameron) suggest that Ben go into full "fawning" mode, a ploy that fails miserably. But our hero has better luck when he adopts the subtler approach suggested by Carol (Tracey Gold), which includes "sacrificing" his old bike in a neighborhood lottery. Featured in the cast is a very young (11 years old) Summer Phoenix. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This children's movie is set in sunny Key West during a Fourth of July celebration. Three buddies sneak off to their secret fort and to their surprise discover a Russian sailor hiding there. He is Mischa, who with two shipmates was assigned to sneak into the town military base to steal certain computer parts. Unfortunately, a rafting accident left him stranded and alone. The boys eventually decide to help poor Mischa make it back to his home. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Whip Hubley, Leaf Phoenix, (more)
- 1984
The duplicitous owner (James Coco) of a popular theme park engages Jessica (Angela Lansbury) to design a "house of horror". Shortly, thereafter, the owner is murdered in his underground office--an "impossible" crime, inasmuch as the office was securely locked from the inside. Inasmuch as the wife of investigating detective Lt. Donovan (James Stephens) is Jessica's niece Carol , it is perhaps a "given" that our heroine will take a hand in solving the murder. Incidentally, the two Donovan children are played by a very young Joaquin Phoenix (here billed as "Leaf") and his sister Summer Phoenix. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
