Melissa George Movies
Australian actress Melissa George was born in Perth on August 6, 1976, the second of four children. As a child, she developed an interest in dancing and began studying jazz, tap, ballet, and modern dance at the age of seven. George's enthusiasm for dance eventually evolved into a passion for roller skating, and, after skating competitively in Australia, she represented her nation in several international events. At 16, George left skating behind when she quit school and began exploring the world of modeling; she was soon named Western Australia's Teenage Model of the Year. As a result of this honor, she auditioned for a role in the popular Australian soap opera Home and Away, and, in 1993, was cast as Angel Brooks. George's performance won her a sizable following in both Australia and Great Britain, but, after three years with the series, she left to pursue other projects. After appearing in several made-for-TV movies (and posing in the Aussie edition of Playboy), the actress landed a small role in the sci-fi thriller Dark City, and was cast as the female lead in an offbeat television pilot, Hollyweird, which, unfortunately, failed to sell. After a brief appearance in Steven Soderbergh's The Limey (as Terence Stamp's ill-fated daughter), George landed her first significant American role in the teen comedy Sugar & Spice, in which she played Cleo, a cheerleader-turned-criminal who has an unquenchable enthusiasm for Conan O'Brien; she also played a small but important role as mob-connected ingénue Camilla Rhodes in David Lynch's Mulholland Drive, and appeared in the pilot of HBO's short-lived series adaptation of L.A. Confidential. In 2001, George was cast opposite John Stamos in the leading roles of the television series Thieves; despite positive reviews, however, the series lasted only three months. She got another chance to prove her mettle on American television in 2003, when she was cast in an American version of the popular British sitcom Coupling. Unfortunately, she only got to act in an unaired version of the pilot episode before her part was recast. The show failed anyway and George rebounded quickly, landing a prominent role in the 2003-2004 season of the popular spy series Alias as Lauren Reed, the new wife of Agent Vaughn (Michael Vartan) and romantic rival of Sydney Bristow (series star Jennifer Garner). ~ All Movie Guide
Hard Candy director David Slade took the helm for this adaptation of Steve Niles' terrifying comic-book series of the same name. In Barrow, AK, one night can last an eternity. One month every year, this town is plunged into darkness for 30 days due to its location far north of the Arctic Circle. While extended periods of darkness are something that the locals have become accustomed to, this year something sinister is about to emerge from the long and unforgiving night. As a maniacal horde of vampires assumes control of the city streets and begins to feast freely upon the terrified citizens, the local sheriff (Josh Hartnett), his wife (Melissa George), and a small but resilient band of survivors will be forced to choose between saving themselves or helping the few remaining members of their community survive the blood-soaked siege. Original comic creator Niles collaborated with screenwriters Stuart Beattie and Brian Nelson to pen the film, which was produced under Sam Raimi's Ghost House Pictures banner. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Josh Hartnett, Melissa George, (more)
As season three of the ABC espionage series gets under way, secret agent Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner) has still not entirely adjusted to the startling revelation that she has somehow lost track of two years in her life -- and that her partner and erstwhile lover Michael Vaughn (Michael Vartan) is now married to Lauren Reed (Melissa George). Also, she is informed that her double-agent father, Jack (Victor Garber), who thought Sydney was dead, has been jailed -- in solitary confinement -- for a year, and her duplicitous boss, Sloane (Ron Rifkin), has disavowed his evil ways and "gone straight." But just as in previous seasons, what seems true on the surface is a different story as Sydney digs deeper into the mystery of her missing years. Placed back on active duty, Sydney tortuously tries to put the pieces back together, with Vaughn at her side and Lauren agonizing over the likelihood that her marriage is doomed. Various links to Sydney's past include her old nemesis Julian Sark (David Anders), who has hatched a scheme to cripple the nation's satellite system; and freelance thief Simon Walker (Justin Theroux), whose team is involved in stealing a dirty weapon. There are also unexpected encounters with Sydney's old friend Will Tippin (Bradley Cooper), newly dragged from the bowels of the Witness Protection Program, and the redoubtable Allison Doren (Merrin Dungey), the evil doppelganger of Sydney's murdered roommate, Francie. Throughout, there is a concerted effort to prevent Sydney's memory from coming back -- an effort engineered not only by her enemies, but by those who know that she is harboring a terrible secret that will destroy her once she knows all. In the mid-season episode "Full Disclosure," Sydney finally receives the whole shocking story about those lost two years, and her complicity in the murder of a Russian diplomat. Thereafter, we're back to the basics, with Sydney and Vaughn collaborating on a variety of top-secret missions, several tied in with the ubiquitous Rambaldi code, which when broken will lead to a super-weapon capable of wiping out all of humankind. And in the time remaining in season three, the scorned Lauren is at the center of a startling betrayal -- and, ultimately, Sydney is slapped with a bitter disillusionment that makes all past disillusionments in her life pale in comparison. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jennifer Garner, Victor Garber, (more)
- 2003
In the first part of Charmed's sixth-season opener (originally telecast as a single two-hour episode), the Charmed Ones -- namely Piper (Holly Marie Combs), Phoebe (Alyssa Milano), and Paige (Rose McGowan) -- have no idea why their Whitelighter (guardian angel) Leo Wyatt (Brian Krause) -- who also happens to be the father of Piper's son, Wyatt -- has been plucked from their midst. Only novice Whitelighter Chris (Drew Fuller), who has been assigned to protect little Wyatt, seems to have the full story about Leo's disappearance -- and he's not telling. The complications begin to multiply when Piper is accidentally rendered amnesiac, Phoebe suddenly develops the powers of an empath (making her oversensitive to the pains of others), and Paige spearheads a desperate search for Leo. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Smash Mouth, Brian Krause, (more)
- 2003
In the conclusion of Charmed's sixth-season opener (originally telecast as a single two-hour episode), the Charmed Ones have determined that their Whitelighter Leo (Brian Krause) is being held by magical bonds in the afterworld of Valhalla. In order to rescue Leo, the girls must transform themselves into Nordic-legend Valkyries -- a metamorphosis which wreaks unexpected consequences on the mortal population of San Francisco. In other developments, Piper (Holly Marie Combs) remains an amnesiac; Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) tries to stay away from her boss and lover, Jason (Eric Dane), until she is able to control her "empath" powers; Paige (Rose McGowan) encounters difficulties holding down a non-witch job; and a surprising amount of hostility is generated between Leo and novice Whitelighter Chris (Drew Fuller). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Krause, Drew Fuller, (more)
Alex Proyas (The Crow) directed this noir-styled futuristic thriller, scripted by Proyas, Lem Dobbs (Kafka), and David S. Goyer (The Puppet Masters). Separated from his wife Emma (Jennifer Connelly), amnesiac John Murdoch (Rufus Sewell) awakens alone in a strange hotel to learn he is wanted for a series of brutal killings -- but he can't remember if he did or didn't commit these murders. Indeed, most of his memories have completely vanished, and he becomes the focus of interest for both mad genius Dr. Schreber (Kiefer Sutherland) and sympathetic detective Frank Bumstead (William Hurt). Attempting to unravel the twisted riddle of his identity, Murdoch encounters a group of ominous beings known as the Strangers, shadow-like figures who have a collective memory and possess the ability to stop time and alter physical reality through a process called The Tuning. Focusing their minds, they are able to change the size and shape of the material world. Murdoch manages to stay a step ahead of his adversaries as he slowly jigsaws together the puzzle of his past-bittersweet memories of his childhood, his love for Emma, and the key to the murders -- while following a labyrinth leading to the Strangers' Underworld, a set inspired by Fritz Lang's Metropolis. Rufus Sewell commented on the Underworld: "When Alex first sent me the sketches for that set, I was more excited than I had been when I read the script. The Underworld was truly remarkable -- a little bit scary, very thrilling, and full of hundreds of bald people." At the Fox Film Studios in Sydney, Australia, where 50 sets were built, three months were spent constructing the set for the Underworld, the largest indoor set ever built in Australia. The production design by George Liddle (Rapa Nui) and Patrick Tatopoulos (Godzilla, Space: Above and Beyond) is a composite of different styles and eras, combining the look of 1940s Manhattan with German Expressionism. The music is by Trevor Jones (G.I. Jane). The film's dedication reads: "In Memory of Dennis Potter with gratitude and admiration." ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rufus Sewell, Kiefer Sutherland, (more)
A clandestine love affair may claim a terrible price from two desperate people in this psychological thriller. Charles Schine (Clive Owen) is an advertising executive who is married to Deana (Melissa George) and has a young, diabetic daughter whose third kidney operation just failed. Charles's life turns a most unexpected corner when he meets Lucinda Harris (Jennifer Aniston) on a commuter train. Lucinda, who is also married with a daughter, keeps bumping into Charles on the train, and they strike up a friendship that soon grows into something deeper. Eventually Charles and Lucinda meet for lunch, then dinner, then check into a posh hotel, but the consequences turn out to be greater than they imagined; the dangerous criminal Philippe Laroche (Vincent Cassel) breaks into the couple's hotel room, beats Charles nearly unconscious, and rapes Lucinda. The problem doesn't end there, however; Laroche soon unveils both his certainty that the couple avoided calling the police, and - more troublingly - his possession of Charles's personal information. When he makes the ill-advised attempt to blackmail the couple, Charles turns to a rough-cut friend from his workplace who offers to help out -- for a small commission.Derailed was the first American project for Swedish filmmaker Mikael Håfström. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clive Owen, Jennifer Aniston, (more)
Director Peyton Reed and screenwriters Eve Ahlert and Dennis Drake pay homage to the frothy romantic comedies of the early '60s -- in particular the Doris Day/Rock Hudson vehicles -- in this light-hearted and affectionate spoof. Barbara Novak (Renée Zellweger) is a sweet but savvy small-town librarian who has arrived in New York City with big plans to take on the town. Embracing a feminist philosophy years before it becomes common or fashionable, Novak writes a book called "Down With Love," in which she presents her theory that romantic relationships cause more problems than they solve for women, and urges women to focus instead on what will truly make them happy -- self-reliance, a solid career, and a healthy sex life (or chocolate if the latter is unavailable at the moment). Almost overnight, "Down With Love" becomes a minor scandal and a major bestseller, but not every man is America is happy with the new breed of liberated (and demanding) women spawned by the book's success, and Catcher Block (Ewan McGregor), a lady-killing bachelor who writes for Know Magazine, decides to put Novak to the test. Posing as a shy, retiring type, Block is determined to make Novak fall in love with him, and then share the details with the world through an article in Know. Block's editor Peter MacMannus (David Hyde-Pierce) thinks this is a splendid idea, but to Block's distress, he discovers himself developing real feelings for Novak. Down With Love also features Tony Randall, who significantly appeared in three films with Rock Hudson and Doris Day. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Renée Zellweger, Ewan McGregor, (more)
- 2003
Monica (Courteney Cox) drops in at Mike's (Paul Rudd) piano bar, an evening which culminates in our heroine's public singing debut -- and a hot number it is indeed! Meanwhile, Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) has responded to the attentions of her co-worker Gavin (Dermot Mulroney) with a kiss, whereupon the lovelorn Joey (Matt LeBlanc) sadly decides to withdraw from the scene. He probably felt like doing so anyway after his disastrous eyebrow-waxing job -- speaking of which, Chandler (Matthew Perry) has a "secret" plan. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Rudd, Dermot Mulroney, (more)
- 2003
Back on the job, Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) is still wary of Gavin (Dermot Mulroney), the young hotshot who covered for her while she was on maternity leave. To all outward appearances, Gavin is less interested in getting Rachel's job than in winning her heart -- as he demonstrates by presenting her with a remarkable birthday gift. Elsewhere, baby Emma's sexy new nanny, Molly (Melissa George), has aroused the interest of Joey (Matt LeBlanc), much to Ross' (David Schwimmer) dismay. And Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) experiences a devastating loss thanks to a clumsy Mike (Paul Rudd). ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Rudd, Dermot Mulroney, (more)
Psychotherapy sessions are provocatively examined as Dr. Paul Weston (Gabriel Byrne) delves into the minds of his patients in this adaptation of a highly acclaimed Israeli series. Scheduled appointments include Mondays with Laura (Melissa George), an attractive anesthesiologist who wonders if her fiancé is the answer to happiness or if it lies in the arms of other men. Navy pilot Alex (Blair Underwood) relates his experiences in Iraq on Tuesdays but combats the analyst every step of the way. Midweek visits become complicated for teen Sophie (Mia Wasikowska) when Paul hesitates to sign an insurance document after a biking accident ruins her chances of joining the U.S. Olympic gymnastic team. Quarrelsome couple Amy and Jake (Embeth Davidtz, Josh Charles) seek help dealing with Amy's pregnancy but find that it is their compatibility that may be fruitless. Though the respected therapist offers them all insight, his perspective appears changed when summing up the week on Fridays with his own counselor, Gina (Dianne Wiest). Their professional history creates an open door to challenging each other's viewpoints. Paul's problems with his wife, Kate (Michelle Forbes), and children don't make things easier. But it's the doctors' opposing opinions that create the most friction, leading to a dissection of inner troubles that would otherwise never rise to the surface. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gabriel Byrne, Josh Charles, (more)
- 2003
Amy Sedaris returns as Gail Fleming, the ditzy actress sister of Monk's nurse-assistant Sharona Fleming (Bitty Schram). In the middle of a stage performance, Gail's leading man Hal Duncan (Marc Vann) is stabbed to death by what was supposed to be a retractable prop knife. Sharona must now not only cope with the possibility that her sister is a murderer, but also with the unexpected visit of her overbearing mother Cheryl (Betty Buckley). In his efforts to clear Gail's name, Monk signs up for a troublesome "speed dating" service--and also confronts his mortal fear of crowds when pressed into service as an actor! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
David Lynch wrote and directed this look at two women who find themselves walking a fine line between truth and deception in the beautiful but dangerous netherworld of Hollywood. A beautiful woman (Laura Elena Harring) riding in a limousine along Los Angeles' Mulholland Drive is targeted by a would-be shooter, but before he can pull the trigger, she is injured when her limo is hit by another car. The woman stumbles from the wreck with a head wound, and in time makes her way into an apartment with no idea of where or who she is. As it turns out, the apartment is home to an elderly woman who is out of town, and is allowing her niece Betty (Naomi Watts) to stay there; Betty is a small-town girl from Canada who wants to be an actress, and her aunt was able to arrange an audition with a film director for her. Betty befriends the injured woman, who begins calling herself "Rita" after seeing a poster of Rita Hayworth. While Betty's audition impresses a casting agent, and she catches the eye of hotshot director Adam Kesher (Justin Theroux), Kesher's producers and moneymen insist with no small vehemence that he instead cast a woman named Camilla Rhodes. As Rita attempts to put the pieces of her life back together, she pulls the name Diane Selwyn from her memory; Rita thinks it could be her real name, but when she and Betty find a listing for Diane Selwyn and visit her apartment, they discover the latest victim of a mysterious killer who is eluding police detective Harry McKnight (Robert Forster). Rita's emotional identity soon takes a left turn, and it turns out that neither woman is quite who she once appeared to be. David Lynch originally conceived Mulholland Drive as the pilot film for a television series; after the ABC television network rejected the pilot and declined to air it, the French production film StudioCanal took over the project, and Lynch reshot and re-edited the material into a theatrical feature. The resulting version of Mulholland Drive premiered at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival, where David Lynch shared Best Director honors with Joel Coen. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Justin Theroux, Naomi Watts, (more)
The story of celebrated public speaker Richard Pimentel comes to the screen in this biographical drama starring Ron Livingston, Melissa George, Rebecca De Mornay, and Hector Elizondo. As a young man, Pimentel (Ron Livingston) realized he had a remarkable gift for public speaking. Pimentel's idol is College Bowl founder Dr. Padrow (Elizondo), but upon trying out for Dr. Padrow, the ambitious young speaker is informed that he won't have anything to talk about until he has lived a full life. Realizing that there is some merit to Dr. Padrow's observation, Pimenel subsequently enlists in the military and prepares for duty in Vietnam. Later, while fighting on the battlefield, Pimentel loses his hearing and returns home disabled. Frustrated when others inform him that he will never achieve his dreams due to the fact that he is disabled, the determined veteran makes it his mission to prove them wrong. But it isn't as much about changing others' perceptions of the disabled as it is about altering their perceptions of themselves, and with a little help from foul-mouthed, cerebral palsy-stricken genius Art Honeyman (Michael Sheen), free-spirited beauty Christine (George), and mercurial, hard-drinking veteran Mike Stoltz (Yul Vázquez), Pimentel will play a pivotal role in creating the Americans With Disabilities Act, and finally discover his inner music. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ron Livingston, Melissa George, (more)
Teen movie icon John Hughes returns to the genre he helped revolutionize as producer of the first screenplay written by his son James Hughes. Maddox (Blake Shields) is an intelligent but moody teenager growing up in a suburb of Chicago. High school student Maddox believes schools aren't designed to educate so much as they're used to control young people and bend them to the will of the state. Maddox wants to throw off the yoke of the school's authority, especially after he hears tales of a student named Stanton who attended the same school years before; Stanton openly defied the school system and was sent to a mental hospital for his troubles. Maddox and his friends try to find out the truth about the legendary Stanton as they plot a large-scale rebellion of their own. New Port South features a cast of young faces, including Brad Eric Johnson, Will Estes, Melissa George, and Gabriel Mann; the film also marks the directorial debut of Kyle Cooper, who previously directed music videos and designed title sequences for a number of major motion pictures. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
The directorial debut of Australian filmmaker Francine McDougall, this teen comedy stars Marley Shelton as Diane, captain of the Lincoln High School A-squad cheerleaders, the most popular girls in their school. They include born-again Christian Hannah (Rachel Blanchard), the rebellious Kansas (Mena Suvari), late-night talk show fan Cleo (Melissa George), and brainy geek Lucy (Sarah Marsh). When Diane learns that she's pregnant, she and her stud quarterback boyfriend Jack (James Marsden) get hitched and quickly learn that marriage with children is an expensive proposition. With some advice from Kansas' convict mom (Sean Young), the squad embarks on a plan to rob a bank, but their peppy enthusiasm and patented cheerleading moves may give them away to the authorities. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marley Shelton, James Marsden, (more)
One of the most celebrated horror films of the late '70s is given a new look in this remake, produced by blockbuster filmmaker Michael Bay. George and Kathy Lutz (Ryan Reynolds and Melissa George) are a young couple who are looking for a new home, and think they've found a dream house in Amityville, Long Island -- a large and beautiful home available at a bargain price. George thinks that there must be a catch, and learns that the house has a dark history -- a year before, a man living in the house murdered his family in their sleep, claiming he was commanded to commit the crime by demons. Shrugging off stories that the house is haunted, George and Kathy move in with their three kids, only to discover that something evil lurks within the house, and even Father McNamara (Philip Baker Hall), an expert on possession, is powerless to clear the dark spirits from the home. The Amityville Horror was based on the same book by Jay Anson that provided the basis for the 1979 film, which in turn documented an actual incident. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ryan Reynolds, Melissa George, (more)
A young mother struggles to ensure a safe homecoming for her kidnapped son by helping her captors locate millions of dollars in stolen cash. Awakening in a dark room after being knocked unconscious in a car accident, Jamie Taylor (Melissa George) instantly realizes that her son is gone. She's been kidnapped, and so has he. But Jamie's captor (Oded Fehr) isn't interested in collecting a ransom; he needs her to help his mysterious employers recover a sizable sum that was stolen from them by her husband, who, unbeknownst to Jamie, is a very dangerous man. The heavies in charge believe that Jamie may be the only one capable of helping them locate their loot, but now that her life has been upended she isn't sure who or what to believe anymore. The only thing Jamie knows is that she wants her son back, and in order to make that happen she will attempt to sort out the clues of the life she only thought she knew. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Melissa George
A seasoned gangland detective who always plays by the rules finds his integrity put to the ultimate test after he and his partner are drawn into a sadistic game of death. Ask any officer on the force about Detective Eddie Argo (Stellan Skarsgard), and odds are good they'll tell you he's one of few honest cops left in this lawless city. But recently Detective Argo and his rookie partner Helen (Melissa George) have become entangled in a gruesome series of murders targeting the city's most notorious gang members. As a result, the city is in a panic and Detective Argo is forced to revisit an old case that still haunts him to this day. Through it all, the killer remains steely in their determination to make Detective Argo pay for a past misdeed, and see how he responds when forced to place his life on the line for the sake of someone he loves. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stellan Skarsgård, Melissa George, (more)
Two actors best known for their work in the late 1960s, Terence Stamp and Peter Fonda, star in The Limey, a drama in which a recently released felon contemplates the gulf between aging criminals like himself and their modern counterparts. Wilson (Stamp) is a British career criminal who has been released after nine years in prison. He has learned that his daughter Jenny died under suspicious circumstances in Los Angeles, so he travels to America for the first time to find out what happened and who's responsible. With the help of an ex-con named Ed (Luis Guzman), Wilson discovers Jenny was romantically involved with Valentine (Fonda), a middle-aged record producer with a shady past and a fondness for young women. In hopes of getting the truth -- and getting to Valentine -- Wilson finds himself doing battle with some of the worst criminals to crawl from the underbelly of Los Angeles; along the way, he also meets Elaine (Lesley Ann Warren), an older actress who knew Jenny and reminds Wilson of how little he really did for his daughter while she was alive. Steven Soderbergh's first film after his commercial comeback with 1998's Out Of Sight, The Limey features, along with Stamp and Fonda, two other notable 60's actors in supporting roles, Barry Newman and Joe Dallesandro. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Terence Stamp, Peter Fonda, (more)
- 2001
This tongue-in-cheek ABC adventure series used the basic premise of the old Robert Wagner starrer It Takes a Thief, but with an attractive addition to the formula. John Stamos and Melissa George starred as Johnny and Rita, a brace of good-looking professional cat burglars (in an amusing twist, he was the brains and she was the brawn!). Caught in the act, Johnny and Rita were approached by the FBI and made an offer they couldn't refuse. If they hoped to avoid jail time, they would have to assist the authorities by using their larcenous talents to "recover" stolen or missing government property. Though Johnny and Rita insisted that they could not abide each other's company, the viewer knew better. Assigned to supervise the two not-quite-reformed crooks was harried FBI special agent Shue (Robert Knepper). Filmed in Toronto by Warner Bros./Kopelson Entertainment, the weekly, one-hour Thieves made its first network appearance on September 28, 2001 (its original September 21 debut date was pushed forward by ongoing coverage of the World Trade Center disaster). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Stamos, Melissa George, (more)
John Stockwell's thriller Turistas begins when vacationers end up stranded in a little Brazilian village after a bus accident wipes out their transportation. Although many in the group are experienced when it comes to unusual travel destinations, none of them are able to get a handle on this strange village. They soon come to realize that they are stranded somewhere with something much more dangerous than they could have imagined. Josh Duhamel, Melissa George, and Olivia Wilde co-star. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Josh Duhamel, Melissa George, (more)
