Mark Chait Movies
- 2008
Actor and filmmaker Ben Mittleman was about to turn fifty when his doctor gave him a disturbing diagnosis -- he was suffering from a cardiac condition that required open-heart surgery. The news opened the floodgates for Mittleman's fears and insecurities as he moved deeper into middle age, and he decided to keep a video diary to document his thoughts and feelings as the date with the surgeon approached. Before long, Mittleman had more than just his own health to worry about, as both his wife and his mother learned they were living with cancer, and Mittleman found he no longer had time for the luxury of introspective self-pity. Mittleman edited his diary footage and video he shot of his wife and mother's experiences in treatment into the documentary Dying To Live, a personal exploration of mortality and how the demands of maturity can make themselves known at nearly any age. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 2005
This episode marks the first time that twin infants Jason and Kristopher Simmons are given screen credit for sharing the role of baby Wyatt. While attending a non-magical preschool, Wyatt begins talking to himself, much to the dismay of his father, Leo (Brian Krause). Although the teacher is convinced that it is perfectly normal for Wyatt to have an "imaginary friend," the child is actually in danger of being possessed by a deceptively mild-mannered demon named Vicus (Marcus Chait). In their efforts to rescue baby Wyatt, the Charmed Ones inadvertently conjure up the 25-year-old "future" Wyatt (Wesley A. Ramsey). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Krause, Dorian Gregory, (more)
A fictionalized account of one of America's most groundbreaking sexual harassment lawsuits comes to the screen in this hard-hitting drama. In the late '80s, Josey Aimes (Charlize Theron) fled her abusive husband, and needed to find a way to support her two children. Aimes returned to her hometown in Minnesota and followed the lead of her old friend Glory (Frances McDormand), who had bucked tradition and found a job in the iron mines that had long provided employment for much of the community. Aimes found honest labor and a living wage working the mines, but she also discovered she was working with men who were uncomfortable working with women (whose right to work in the mines had been mandated by law almost 15 years prior), and didn't care to show them much respect. However, as Aimes found herself the growing target of sexist jokes and abhorrent behavior, she found that many of her female co-workers were reluctant to stand beside her, afraid of losing a good-paying job at a time when they were increasingly hard to find. But as a personal crisis became a public war of words, Aimes became the center of a nationwide controversy when she attempted to file a class action sexual harassment suit against the mine owners, which put her and her family in a position of scrutiny beyond her worst expectations. North Country also stars Sean Bean, Sissy Spacek, and Woody Harrelson. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlize Theron, Frances McDormand, (more)
Documentary filmmaker Nicole Conn and her life partner, Gwen Baba, were already parents of a little girl named Gabrielle when they decided it was time to have a second child. Due to health problems, Conn and Baba chose to have a surrogate mother bear the child, but they discovered in time that the mother they chose was not completely honest about certain health issues, and due to the dangerously slow development of the fetus, a bit more than three months before the baby's due date, doctors advised Conn and Baba to abandon the pregnancy. Conn sternly refused to do so, and young Nicholas was born by cesarean section one hundred days early. The baby spent nearly all of its first five months of life in the Neo-Natal Intensive Care Center of their hospital, and once he was able to go home, Nicholas still required feeding tubes and frequent visits to his medical team. The strain of taking care of Nicholas took a major toll on Conn and Baba's relationship, as well as their relationship with Gabrielle, and the expense and difficulty of caring for a child who will never lead a fully normal life leads many of their friends and acquaintances to wonder if their actions were for the sake of their son or a supreme indulgence of their desire for another child. Nicole Conn captured the ordeal of her first years with Nicholas on digital video, and Little Man is a feature-length documentary which explores the long and often painful road she and Gwen Baba followed on the road to their second baby. Little Man was screened as part of the 2005 San Francisco Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nicholas James Baba-Conn, Nicole Conn, (more)
Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood) is a veteran boxing trainer who has devoted his life to the ring and has precious little to show for it; his daughter never answers his letters, and a fighter he's groomed into contender status has paid him back by signing with another manager, leaving Frankie high and dry. His best friend and faithful employee Eddie Dupris is a former fighter who Frankie trained. In his last fight, Eddie suffered a severe injury, a fact that brings Frankie great guilt. One day, Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank) enters Frankie's life, as well as his gym, and announces she needs a trainer. Frankie regards her as a dubious prospect, and isn't afraid to tell her why: he doesn't think much of women boxing, she's too old at 31, she lacks experience, and has no technique. However, Maggie sees boxing as the one part of her life that gives her meaning and won't give up easily. Finally won over by her determination, Frankie takes on Maggie, and as she slowly grows into a viable fighter, an emotional bond develops between them. When a tragedy befalls one of the three characters, each comes to a decision that shows how the relationships in the film have changed them. Adapted from a short story by F.X. Toole, a former corner man with years of experience in the fight game, Million Dollar Baby also stars Morgan Freeman, Anthony Mackie, and Mike Colter. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank, (more)
Getting home early, Beverly Hills wife Michelle Halaburton (Lyndie Benson) catches her husband Dustin (Harry Hamlin) in bed with her best friend Allie (Joanne Baron), who works at Michelle's favorite beauty salon. Not long after this, Michelle and Allie embark on a life of crime. At the beauty salon, Michelle sees how to get access codes to homes of the salon's wealthy patrons. During the break-ins that follow, the two collect cash, art, and jewelry. Their haul escalates until the wrong house at the wrong time could lead to their downfall. Surprised by the spoiled son (James Wilder) of one of their victims, they capture him, tie him up, and try to devise a way out of the situation. Shown at the 1997 Hollywood Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lyndie Benson, Joanne Baron, (more)
