Clara Bellar Movies

In 2003, respected filmmaker and screenwriter Paul Schrader was hired to direct a prequel to the 1973 box-office smash The Exorcist. However, when Schrader turned in his film to executives at Morgan Creek Productions, the producers felt the film was not marketable, and they opted to remake the picture with director Renny Harlin, who brought a more visually aggressive approach to the story than Schrader's more contemplative vision. In 2004, Harlin's film, Exorcist: The Beginning, was released to middling critical and financial response, while the following year, Schrader's version went into limited release following film festival screenings. In Schrader's Exorcist: The Prequel, Father Lankester Merrin, the aging exorcist from the original story (played here by Stellan Skarsgård) is introduced in 1944, as he serves a flock in Holland during the Nazi occupation. After Nazi officers force Merrin to choose ten members of his congregation for immediate execution, Merrin is left an emotionally broken man, and he takes a leave of absence from his duties. Three years later, Merrin is taking part in an archeological project in East Africa, and he and his crew -- including priest Father Francis (Gabriel Mann), Major Granville (Julian Wadham), and Rachel Lesno (Clara Bellar) -- discover that a church from the fifth century has been buried in the desert. As Merrin and his associates discover that that a porthole to evil is located in the church, Cheche (Billy Crawford), a local boy Merrin has taken under his wing, begins showing signs of having fallen under the spell of Satanic forces. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Two women connected by family are drawn closer by fate in this low-key drama. Frances (Jacqueline Bisset) is a woman in her early fifties who had already begun to sense time was running out for her when she learned that she has cancer. While Frances is fighting the disease through medical treatment, she decides it's a good idea to do some travelling before it's too late, and she pays a visit to Bob (Seymour Cassel), a former boyfriend who now owns a farm in rural Pennsylvania. To Bob's surprise, Frances strikes up a fast friendship with his wife Betty (Peggy Gormley), and Frances shares a confession with her -- while Frances maintains a close relationship with her son Morgan (Nick Stahl), she also had a daughter by Bob that she put up for adoption, and she's not certain if she should track down the child while there's still time. Coincidentally, Frances' daughter is Rebecca (Martha Plimpton), a successful lawyer who has begun to express a curiosity about her birth parents. Rebecca has been hired by a large communications firm to deal with the paperwork regarding the purchase of a radio station in Florida, and while in the Sunshine State, Rebecca gets to know the station's manager, Jimmy (Frankie R. Faison). As Jimmy and Rebecca ease into a short-term romance, he shares stories about the "Sleepy Time Gal," a mysterious female disc jockey who worked at the station back in the '50s; what neither Jimmy nor Rebecca know is that the Sleepy Time Gal was actually Frances. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A novice filmmaker finds himself dealing with both personal and professional dilemmas when his life takes some unexpected turns in This Space Between Us. Alex (Jeremy Sisto) is a director whose first feature has received a frosty reception from the Hollywood brass, and the best job his agent can find him is directing a TV movie reuniting the cast of Punky Brewster. Alex decides it's time to give up on Los Angeles and heads to his old stomping grounds in the San Francisco Bay area, through his memories of his days there are now bittersweet following the death of his wife, Maggie (Vanessa Marcil). Alex is soon reacquainted with several of his old flames, including French artist Zoe (Clara Bellar), cheery high school pal Arden (Poppy Montgomery) and rich but flaky Paternelle (Alex Kingston). He also finds that his best buddy from school, Jesse (Erik Palladino) is still feuding with his old rival Sterling (Vincent Ventresca), who is now a city supervisor. This Space Between Us features cameo appearances from musicians David Charles Lowery (of Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven) and Brian Van Der Ark (of The Verve Pipe). ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

TV-commercial director Kevin W. Smith wrote and directed this British romantic comedy, his feature-film directorial debut. Composer Mike (Reece Dinsdale) hopes to create symphonies. Instead, he dashes off jingles for TV commercials and gets rhapsodic over memories of ex-girlfriend Helen (Victoria Smurfit). Mike's carefree buddy Tony (John Hannah) is a painter who alternates alcohol and a stressful relationship with tempestuous Moira (Rowena King). Soon Mike's life takes several unexpected twists and turns. First, he falls in step with a French female, Sara (Clara Bellar). The attraction is mutual, so the two depart together on an idyllic vacation. Next, Mike locates his mother (Susannah York), who 35 years previous had left his father (Frank Finlay). Mike's misadventures are chronicled in a narration delivered by Dinsdale. Shown at the 1997 London Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

A quartet of Parisians embark upon a guided hike in Corsica and end up working through the sometimes comical chaos of their individual lives while becoming lost and contending with such obstacles as bad weather and aching bodies. Both of the female hikers are seeking love, though one of them is involved with their married guide and tries to push him into getting a divorce. The other, a former actress, simply wants the perfect mate. Neither of the two male hikers, one who is involved with an Australian and the other is in love with making money, qualify for her affections. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Chance meetings provide the central theme for this Parisian film comprised of three loosely related episodes. The first, "Le Rendez-vous de 7 heures," centers on Esther, who tries to make her womanizing boyfriend jealous by finding her own new lover. She finds a likely candidate in a Montmartre market; they begin talking and agree to meet at the Beaubourg cafe that night. There, he steals her wallet. Later a stranger returns it. The stranger mentions that she must go to the Beaubourg to meet her ex-lover. Esther accompanies her and gets a big surprise. In the second episode, "Les Blancs de Paris," two would-be lovers hold a series of conversations in various Paris locales. The problem is that she is trying to find the courage to leave her fiancé. The new man, a young professor, asks her to move in with him. Instead, they end up planning to spend three days in a Montmartre hotel while her fiancé is out of town. There the woman meets with an unfortunate coincidence. In the last vignette, "Mere et enfant 1907," an artist and his Swedish lady friend go to an art gallery. There the painter sees a young woman admiring Picasso's 1907 canvas Mother and Child. He then abandons his friend and takes off after the woman through the winding streets. Eventually, he ends up at her studio where he meets with disappointment. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi