Jamie Harris Movies

Obsession, jealousy, and deceit define the tense relationship shared between two turn-of-the-century magicians in Memento and Batman Begins director Christopher Nolan's dizzying tale of sleight of hand. Rupert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) are London-based magicians of the highest order, both blessed with spectacular powers of deception and both cursed with unrelenting envy for one another's skills. When Alfred performs an awe-inspiring trick for which there seems no logical explanation, the friendly competition shared between the pair turns to deadly rivalry as the enraged Rupert determines to uncover his rival's deepest secrets. In the world of illusion, however, nothing is ever quite as it seems, and the rules of the physical world simply don't apply. Now, as bitter competition quickly begins to consume the souls of both performers, the firestorm birthed by their anger threatens to consume all who surround them. Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson, and David Bowie co-star in a feature that finds director/screenwriter Nolan reuniting with brother and Memento story author Jonathan Nolan to adapt author Christopher Priest's original novel. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Terrence Malick, the universally acclaimed American filmmaker responsible for the key 1970s features Badlands and Days of Heaven, returns for a rare directorial outing with the sweeping period piece The New World -- an epic dramatization of Pocahontas' relationships with John Smith and John Rolfe. Malick's story opens at the dawn of the 17th century, just prior to the colonization of the United States -- when the North American population consisted of an interconnected series of native tribes. In April 1607, three maritime vessels approach the unfamiliar continent, with 103 sailors on board. As members of the Virginia Company, these adventurers carry a royal charter to mount a society on the edge of the new continent. John Smith (Colin Farrell) sits chained below one of the decks. He is a 27-year-old loose cannon, who, for his persistently rebellious acts, has been sentenced to death by hanging as soon as the ships dock. Nevertheless, Captain Christopher Newport (Christopher Plummer) acknowledges Smith's ability to aid with exploration and consents to pardon him as a result. Upon landing, Smith seeks assistance from local Native American tribes with colonization, but runs into the unexpected -- he falls desperately in love with Pocahontas, or "Playful One" (Q'orianka Kilcher), the daughter of the omnipotent Chief Powhatan (August Schellenberg). Needless to say, this does not sit well with Powhatan or the rest of the tribe. Moreover, the oft-bellicose Smith enters a head-to-head conflict with his fellow Britons when he finds his tempestuousness calmed by the tranquility of the new landscape, as the anger and violence of his shipmates concurrently build in the face of the Native Americans. Later, Smith temporarily returns to England; believing that Smith is dead, Pocahontas accepts the hand of plantation owner John Rolfe in marriage (with her father's blessing) and follows Rolfe back to the old country. When Smith returns to America, his intended is nowhere to be seen, and the entire community teeters on the brink of a British-Indian war. Malick shot the production on location in Virginia; it co-stars Jonathan Pryce, John Savage, and David Thewlis. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

P.J. Posner directs the romantic comedy The Next Big Thing. Struggling painter Gus Bishop (Chris Eigeman) gets involved in a scam to make it into the cutthroat New York art world. Con man Deech Scumble (Jamie Harris) dreams up the identity of Geoff Buonardi (inspired by the name of Chef Boyardee), an outsider war veteran artist. The fictitious Buonardi becomes Gus' alter ego personality, and soon his paintings become an overnight success. This scam leads Gus toward a romance with art critic Kate (Connie Britton), who, of course, does not realize that Geoff is really Gus. Soon, Gus is being pursued by a private eye (Mike Starr) and a rich art vixen (Janet Zarish), who both desperately want to meet the mysterious artist. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

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

The fine line between investigating a character's feelings and wanting to kill yourself gets played for laughs in this dark comedy. Matt (Jamie Harris) is a screenwriter whose career is not going especially well and whose personal life is dwindling into nothingness. Matt starts talking with his friends about suicide, and nearly all of them become deeply concerned, convinced his depression has taken him over the edge. Matt insists to all around him that his questions about killing himself are merely part of his research for a script about a man who has turned suicidal. But his ex-girlfriend Amanda (Alison Eastwood) is the only one that seems to believe it. Suicide, the Comedy is dominated by close relatives of the rich and famous; Jamie Harris is the son of Richard Harris, Alison Eastwood is Clint Eastwood's daughter, and Chad Lowe, brother of Rob Lowe, appears in the supporting cast. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Manuel Pradal makes his feature-film debut with this free-form tale of Marie (Vahina Bronchain), a seductive 14-year-old child/woman who works in an American naval base canteen during the 60s. The base is located near an undetermined Mediterranean resort area. When not amusing herself with the occasional sailor, Marie finds herself drawn to the cruel teenage boy Orso, a tough thief who has just robbed a resort so he can buy a gun. Together, Marie and Orso travel to a remote island, but instead of finding paradise, the two find only meaningless violence. There is not much to the story, but what makes this film interesting is Pradal's use of cinematography to create dream-like effects fraught with symbolism. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The My Left Foot team of star Daniel Day-Lewis and director Jim Sheridan were reunited to make this political docudrama about Irish citizen Gerry Conlon (Day-Lewis), who was wrongly convicted of taking part in an IRA bombing that killed five in Guildford, England in 1974. After a brutal interrogation forces him to sign a false confession, Gerry is sentenced to prison, his family is raked over the coals, and later his father Giuseppe (Pete Postelthwaite) is charged with being an accomplice and is also sent to prison where he lives out the last days of his life. Day-Lewis gives an outstanding performance as a man tormented by the injustice served him. Watch for Emma Thompson as the persevering lawyer who works for years, gathering evidence to clear Gerry's name. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide