Mary Beth Peil Movies

Kiefer Sutherland stars as an NYPD detective-turned-security guard who discovers something sinister lurking in the mirrors of a fire-damaged department store in Haute Tension writer/director Alexandre Aja's menacing study in the origins of evil. It's been just about a year since mercurial police detective Ben Carson (Sutherland) was suspended from the NYPD for the fatal shooting of an undercover officer, and ever since that fateful day he's been locked in a self-destructive spiral of anger and alcoholism. Increasingly isolated from his wife and kids, Ben spends most nights crashed-out at his sister Angela's (Amy Smart) apartment in Queens. But Ben hasn't given up hope just yet, and in order to get his life back together and prove that he's still capable of supporting his family he takes a job as the night watchman at the Mayflower department store. The Mayflower used to be a lavish symbol of inner-city prosperity, that is, until a raging inferno gutted the building while claiming numerous lives in the process. These days, the Mayflower is a scorched reminder of human misery, the ornate mirrors therein reflecting a suffering so profound that it begins to wear on Ben's already-fragile psyche. Not only that, but whatever force dwells behind the shimmering glass seems to have gained the power to alter reality as well.

After Ben gazes into the mirrors and sees a vision of himself being relentlessly tortured, he is horrified to experience violent convulsions, spontaneous bleeding, and frightening asphyxiation. And while his sister is always willing to lend a sympathetic ear, she chalks the anomalies up to an unusually potent mix of stress and anxiety. Unfortunately for Ben, his estranged wife, Amy (Paula Patton), isn't nearly as forgiving. A prosaic NYPD medical examiner who has seen her fair share of tragedy, Amy fears that Ben's erratic behavior could be placing their children in danger. Later, as Ben begins to draw connections between his increasingly gruesome visions and a former Mayflower security guard who vanished without a trace, he begins to suspect that an unimaginable evil is using the mirrors as a gateway into the real world, and that his family is in mortal danger from forces beyond their realm of understanding. Perhaps if he Ben can manage to convince Amy that their children's lives are at risk, he can summon the courage to face the greatest evil he has ever known. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Clint Eastwood's adaptation of the non-fiction book Flags of Our Fathers concerns the lives of the men in the famous picture of soldiers raising the American flag over Iwo Jima during that historic WWII battle. Battle scenes are intercut with footage of three of the soldiers - played by Ryan Phillipe, Jesse Bradford, and Adam Beach -- who survived the battle going on a goodwill tour of the United States in order to sell war bonds. Many evening they are forced to reenact their famous pose, something each of them finds more and more difficult to do as they suffer from survivor's guilt. Eastwood frames the story by having one of the men's grown son (Tom McCarthy) interview his father's old comrades in order to find out more about what happened to his father. Eastwood followed this film with Letters from Iwo Jima, a second film about the battle of Iwo Jima, but told from the Japanese perspective. Flags of Our Fathers was produced by Eastwood and Steven Spielberg. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Aspiring moviemaker Dawson Leery (James Van Der Beek) and his lifelong friends Joey Potter (Katie Holmes) and Pacey Witter (Joshua Jackson) enter their sophomore year of high school as Dawson's Creek enters its inaugural season. Life in Capeside, MA, has been fairly sedate for the trio up till now, but with the arrival of Dawson's new next-door neighbor, 15-year-old Jen Lindley (Michelle Williams), things begin to heat up a bit. Joey is jealous because Dawson clearly likes Jen, Pacey is jealous of Joey because he likes Jen, and Jen is stimulated by all the attention, having had far more carnal experience than Dawson, Joey, and Pacey combined. But Pacey is soon making up for lost time, losing his virginity to his attractive teacher, Ms. Tamara Jacobs (Leann Hunley), who is forced to leave town to avoid a scandal. Pacey's friends' romantic adventures are somewhat more chaste, with both Dawson and Joey enjoying their first kisses (though not as yet with each other) in the course of the season. Later on, flirtatious Jen breaks Dawson's heart, but comes to regret her actions. On a less frolicsome note, Dawson finds out that his TV-newsperson mother, Gail (Mary-Margaret Humes), is cheating on Dawson's dad, Mitch (John Wesley Shipp). As in future seasons, movie references abound during season one of Dawson's Creek, notably in the episode "Detention," a virtual remake of The Breakfast Club. The season ends with Dawson and Joey realizing that there is something wonderful between them, thanks to a long and passionate kiss (minus the expected discreet fade out!). But nothing may come of this, since Joey seems poised to move to France. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The debut episode of the hit teen drama Dawson's Creek introduced audiences to Dawson Leery (James Van Der Beek), a 15-year-old film enthusiast who desires a career as a director, and his lifelong best friend, Joey Potter (Katie Holmes). The two have spent many a Saturday night watching movies in Dawson's room, but their maturing bodies have complicated the situation and made them rethink their weekly sleepovers. Emotions get sticky when the neighbor's granddaughter, Jennifer Lindley (Michelle Williams), moves in next door and sparks Dawson's budding sexual awareness. Dawson's smart-alecky friend Pacey Witter (Joshua Jackson) adventurously begins hitting on an older woman, who turns out to be the new Capeside High English teacher, Tamara Jacobs (Leann Hunley). The episode also introduces Dawson's devoted parents, Mitch (John Wesley Shipp) and Gail (Mary-Margaret Humes), whose devotion to each other will soon be tested. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

In an obvious homage to The Breakfast Club, this episode of Dawson's Creek finds Dawson (James Van Der Beek), Joey (Katie Holmes), Pacey (Joshua Jackson), and Jen (Michelle Williams) serving an eight-hour Saturday detention along with class bad girl Abby (Monica Keena). After tensions between Pacey and Dawson, as well as Jen and Joey, heat up for a variety of reasons, a game of truth or dare ends in a kiss that may cause all kinds of emotional ramifications. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Dawson's world is upended from many different directions in this episode of Dawson's Creek. He discovers that Pacey (Joshua Jackson) is having a sexual relationship with English teacher Tamara Jacobs (Leann Hunley). Dawson also learns that his mother has been having an affair, and that Joey (Katie Holmes) has known about it and did not tell him. While explaining all of his anger and frustration to Jen (Michelle Williams), she confesses that her parents moved her to Capeside after a period of drug and sexual excess in New York City. Dawson has difficulty accepting her wild past. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

When Bessie (Nina Repeta) goes into labor early, retired nurse Grams (Mary Beth Peil) delivers the baby with help from Joey (Katie Holmes), Dawson (James Van Der Beek), and Jen (Michelle Williams) at the Leery home. Rumors of Tamara's (Leann Hunley) unethical behavior make their way to the higher-ups in the school, forcing Pacey (Joshua Jackson) to make a decision that he may have come to just a little too late. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Dawson (James Van Der Beek) cooks up some elaborate scares for his friends, but a séance turns particularly frightening when the group begins to suspect that the stranger in their midst may very well be an escaped serial killer. Cliff (Scott Foley), afraid he is not doing as well as he could with Jen (Michelle Williams), asks Dawson for advice on how to woo her. This episode is a thinly veiled homage to series creator Kevin Williamson's hit film Scream. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Fathers and life decisions are the recurring themes on the first season finale of Dawson's Creek. Joey (Katie Holmes) must balance her new feelings for Dawson (James Van Der Beek) with the opportunity to live in France for a year. She must also visit her father on his birthday, even though he currently resides in prison. Pacey (Joshua Jackson) confronts his older brother about their respective relationships with their father. Jen (Michelle Williams) has reason to celebrate when her grandfather comes out of his coma, but becomes distraught when his health deteriorates. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

At first, it appears that a wealthy woman's death was the result of suicide. But as the detectives and the lawyers dig deeper, it becomes obvious that the woman was murdered. This time the suspects include the dead woman's teenaged daughter and the victim's husband -- or, in this case, husbands. Prominent among the supporting cast are such powerhouse performers as Sarah Paulson and Victor Raider-Wexler. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide