Liza Weil Movies

Three astronauts experience unexpected adventure en route to a distant planet in this independent sci-fi comedy. A robotic space probe is sent by French scientists to the planet Mars, but the machine goes haywire after someone sneezes on it and it loses its way en route to the Red Planet. A second robot is sent on the same mission, but the machine takes it upon itself to rescue its mechanical sibling, and just before crashing into the Martian surface the robot sends back an image suggesting there's life on the planet. The United States quickly puts together a manned mission to Mars, with the heroic but inept Charlie Brownsville (Mark Duplass) joined by his more capable colleagues Dr. Casey Cook (Zoe Simpson) and Hank Morrison (Paul Gordon). As the crew struggles to beat their European rivals to Mars, Charlie tries to find a way to live up to his image and Casey and Hank discover that love can thrive outside Earth's atmosphere. Director Geoff Marslett shot Mars using digital equipment, and then used a new computer-assisted rotoscoping technique to give the images a special cartoon-influenced visual style; the film also includes a supporting performance from author, musician, and political gadfly Kinky Friedman as the President of the United States. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A sardonic, gin-soaked detective contends with an odd cast of characters while tailing a mysterious, middle-aged man traveling with a Mexican boy from Chicago to Los Angeles in writer/director Noah Buschel's twisting neo-noir mystery. John Rosow is a Chicago gumshoe whose skill for cracking a case often comes with a price; he has a penchant for getting in over his head, but he never loses his cool. Contacted by influential lawyer Drexler Hewitt and asked to shadow a man who is currently en route to Los Angeles with a young boy, Rosow collects his cash and instructions from Hewitt's gruff assistant, Miss Charley, and sets out on his latest assignment. Upon arriving in Santa Monica, however, Rosow is caught off guard when he learns that his objective has been updated. He is now to bring the man back to New York. For his efforts, Rosow will receive the tidy sum of half a million dollars. Later, as Rosow attempts to track down his target, a Segway-riding LAPD officer and a cab driver with extensive knowledge of the Catholic saints offer some helpful clues to the man's whereabouts as meddling FBI agents close in and a sensual femme fatale follows his every move. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Gilmore Girls begins its seventh season with a new executive producer David S. Rosenthal and a new network (CW, which of course was the successor to the series' former stamping grounds, WB. Alas, Season Seven will turn out to be Season Last: unable to come to financial terms with series stars Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel (Lorelai and Rory Gilmore, respectively) the network will bring the series to an end with its 153 rd episode on May 15, 2007. It is said by some observers that this move has been implemented so that CW can clear its decks of its "aging" properties to develop its own new series; others opine that the show never really recovered from the 6th- season defection of Gilmore Girls creators Dan Palladino and Amy Sherman-Palladino, and that its ever-declining (though still respectable) ratings are the true reason for the cancellation. Whatever the case, plans to extend the series past its seventh season with thirteen additional episodes will be quietly scuttled--though the "official" finale is open-ended enough to warrant a sequel or a reunion special somewhere down the line. It cannot be denied that, no matter what the future may hold for Gilmore Girls, the series is still both willing and able to deliver plenty of "bang for the buck." The seventh season begins right where the sixth season ended, as Lorelai agonizes over her one-night stand with her former lover (and father of daughter Rory) Christopher Hayden (David Sutcliffe) following her breakup with her foot-dragging fiance Luke Danes (Scott Patterson). Though Lorelai will marry Christopher during a romantic Parisian getaway, it is clear that her heart still belongs to Luke--and he knows it. Meanwhile, Rory prepares to graduate with a journalism degree from Yale while carrying on a frustrating long-distance romance with Logan (Matt Czuchry), the son of millionaire publisher Mitchum Huntzberger (Gregg Henry). Rory also aquires a brace of new--and typically eccentric--friends in the form of Lucy (Krysten Ritter) and Olivia (Michelle Ongkingco). In other key developments, Lorelai's father Richard (Edward Herrmann) suffers a heart attack, which results in her mother Emily (Kelly Bishop) becoming even more insufferable than usual; Rory's friend Lane (Keiko Agena) returns from her disastrous honeymoon with musician Zach (Todd Lane) with the proverbial "bun in the oven"; Rory interviews for a prestigious reporting job with "The New York Times", but ultimate opts for what she considers a higher purpose in life; and, emboldened by the example of new parents T.J. (Michael DeLuise) and Liz (Kathleen Wilhoite), Luke demands that his former girlfriend Anna (Sherlyn Fenn) to be granted equal parental rights vis-a-vis their daughter April (Vanessa Marano). As all climaxes gather for the Grand Finale, Lorelei divests herself of her new husband Christopher just in time for a reconciliation with Luke, an event fueled by a drunken night on the town and a soulful karaoke rendition of a Dolly Parton tune. And just as all of Stars Hollow is celebrating Rory's graduation, who should appear from the blue but Logan Hertzburn, with a Very Important Question on his lips. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Season five of Gilmore Girls begins with Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) on the outs with her daughter, Rory (Alexis Bledel), after Rory's brief tryst with her now-married former boyfriend, Dean (Jared Padalecki). Adding to the weight of woe on Lorelai's shoulders is the fact that her parents, Emily (Kelly Bishop) and Richard (Edward Herrmann), have separated and are planning to divorce. Even the possibility of romance between Lorelai and her longtime close friend Luke (Scott Patterson) is jeopardized when it is clear that neither one of them is certain in which direction their relationship should go. In other developments, Lorelai's business partner, Sookie (Melissa McCarthy), is pregnant again; Sookie's husband, Jackson (Jackson Douglas), challenges the provincial tyranny of local grocer Taylor Doose (Michael Winters) by running for the office of town selectman of Stars Hollow; Rory befriends fellow Yale student Logan Huntzberg (Matt Czuchry), the son of a billionaire newspaper mogul; Rory's dad, Christopher (David Sutcliffe), re-enters Lorelai's life, only to be told by Rory to get out and stay out; and in the series' 100th episode, Christopher and Luke come to blows over Lorelai, picking the worst possible occasion for their battle: the ceremony in which the reconciled Emily and Richard have chosen to renew their vows! Viewers will have to watch the fifth season of Gilmore Girls to figure out how guest star Norman Mailer fits into the proceedings -- or to watch as the relationship between Rory and Logan Huntzberg blossoms into something far more serious after the girl's umpteenth breakup with the ubiquitous Dean. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

As season three of Gilmore Girls gets under way, it seems apparent that single mom Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) must abandon all hope of marrying Christopher Haden (David Sutcliffe), the father of Lorelai's teenaged daughter, Rory (Alexis Bledel). The pain of this realization is mitigated somewhat as Lorelai's attraction to café owner Luke (Scott Patterson) grows stronger -- even though she is less aware of this than the people around her. In other developments in the rural Connecticut community of Stars Hollow, Rory applies to Harvard, convincing her boyfriend, Dean (Jared Padalecki), that their relationship is doomed and driving him into the arms of another woman. Rory then gravitates to town reprobate Jess (Milo Ventimiglia), much to Lorelei's dismay. Equally dismayed is Rory's snooty classmate Paris (Liza Weil), who has a mini-breakdown when her own application to Harvard is rejected. As it turns out, Harvard is not on Rory's plate either; she decides to enter her dad's alma mater, Yale, even as Jess (who has flunked out of high school) and Dean (who has proposed to his current sweetie) drift out of her life...maybe. In the season-three finale, Lorelai and her business partner, Sookie (Melissa McCarthy), decide to open up a new bed-and-breakfast after the Independence Inn closes down, and Rory delivers an unforgettable commencement address at the Chilton Prep graduation ceremonies. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Weaver (Laura Innes) is off suspension and back on the job. Greene's (Anthony Edwards) father (John Cullum), suffering from terminal cancer, is checked into the ER with pneumonia. Carter (Noah Wyle) continues having difficulty coming to grips with the attack that injured him and killed Lucy. Abby (Maura Tierney) is caught in the middle of a bitter domestic dispute that may have fatal results for a young leukemia victim in dire need of a bone marrow transplant. And while Carol (Julianna Margulies) draws closer to Kovac (Goran Visnjic), Benton's sister Jackie (Khandi Alexander) doesn't think much of the romance between Benton (Eriq La Salle) and Cleo (Michael Michele). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Susan Skoog wrote and directed this coming-of-age tale set in a New Jersey suburb during the early '80s and seen from the viewpoint of sensitive, rebellious teen Anna Stockard (Liza Weil), who is passionate about art. Anna lives with her obnoxious kid brother and her lonely divorced mom Carol (Kathryn Rossetter), a bitter woman who dates a wealthy but elderly man in hopes escaping future poverty. With little acceptance at home, Anna is eager for life and she hangs out with her party-loving pal Brenda (Chad Morgan), revealed to be a victim of sexual abuse. Anna loses her virginity to another artist wannabe, someone who has interested her since childhood. Anna's constant partying results in a low grade point average at school, and despite the encouragement of her art teacher, failed artist Mr. Chaminsky (Frederic Forrest), Anna is insecure about her talent. Her attitude and lifestyle are beginning to seem like drawbacks to her dream of going to New York to study at Cooper Union. Soundtrack includes numerous pop tunes of the period, including David Bowie, The Ramones, Patti Smith, Iggy Pop, and Blondie. Shown at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi