Amber Tamblyn

Fritz Lang's last American film is brought back to life thanks to writer/director Peter Hyams (Narrow Margin) and stars Michael Douglas, Amber Tamblyn, and Jesse Metcalfe. Foresight Unlimited's remake follows a similar story of a novelist's investigation of a dirty district attorney that leads to a setup within the courtroom. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

In am era when teen sexuality, excess, and alienation have all become hot button issues, screenwriter/director Beth Schacter follows high school teen Wendy (Amber Tamblyn) and her friends as they eschew the party scene and random hook-ups that define their generation to experiment with a more fluid form of sexual satisfaction. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Hatchet director Adam Green teams with that film's star Joel David Moore to craft this simmering psychological thriller about a reclusive telemarketer and artist who finds the many layers of his complex psyche gradually peeled away by a vivacious co-worker. Asthmatic cubicle dweller Mason (Moore) doesn't have many friends, and the closest thing he has to an actual relationship is his awkward interaction with his swaggering boss. All of that begins to change, however, when soul-searching newcomer Amber (Amber Tamblyn) lands a job at the office where Mason works. Amber is friendly but lonely, and on her quest to find herself she begins to open up to Mason, and the two become fast friends. When Amber discovers that Mason is a gifted painter, she agrees to pose for a series of portraits. Recognizing the similarity between the portraits of herself and the portraits of a blonde waitress that Mason recently removed from his studio walls, Amber becomes curious about Mason's past and begins to look deeper into his personality. But Mason has his fair share of dark secrets, and as Amber begins to probe deeper, the familiar cycle of torment and destruction that Mason has kept from her begins spinning once again and soon threatens to consume them both. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A frightened and irresponsible girl and an emotionally conflicted woman are brought together under tragic circumstances in this independent drama. Stephanie Daley (Amber Tamblyn) is a 16-year-old girl who while on a school-sponsored ski trip collapses in a puddle of blood; a medical examination reveals that Stephanie has recently given birth, and in a nearby bathroom a newborn child is found dead, flushed down a toilet with its mouth stuffed with toilet paper. While Stephanie insists the child was stillborn and she had no idea she was pregnant, she is charged with killing the infant, and court-appointed psychologist Lydie Crane (Tilda Swinton) is assigned to interview the teenager. Lydie has her own issues with possible parenthood; she's been struggling to have a child after a recent stillbirth, and the matter is taking a toll on her marriage, with her husband, Paul (Timothy Hutton), seeking solace in the arms of another woman. As Stephanie shares with Lydie her feelings about her relationship with her parents, how she lost her virginity, and her growing conviction that God gave her a child as a form of punishment, Lydie finds herself dealing with her own feelings about the child she lost. Meanwhile, Right to Life and Pro-Choice groups threaten to turn Stephanie's trial into a media circus. Stephanie Daley premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Being "the chosen one" isn't exactly a barrel of laughs for teenager Joan Girardi (Amber Tamblyn) during the first season of the critically acclaimed CBS drama series Joan of Arcadia. For one thing, poor Joan never knows when God will choose to have one of his many conversations with her -- nor is she ever quite certain in what guise God will appear (a little boy, a street person, the school lunch lady, etc.). Also, the things God asks Joan to do don't always make sense; sure, she understands his motives when he persuades her to volunteer to work with underprivileged, but why in his name does he want her to join the school debate team? Finally, Joan has a tough time keeping her celestial chit-chats a secret from her police-detective dad, Will (Joe Mantegna); her art-teacher mom, Helen (Mary Steenburgen); her nerdy brother Luke (Mike Welch); her paraplegic older brother Kevin (Jason Ritter); and her somewhat befuddled artist boyfriend, Adam (Christopher Marquette). In the course of season one, Joan tries to help her dad Will capture a serial killer; she is shamed by God into enrolling in an advanced-placement chem class; she learns to play chess, a move that is linked with her dad's investigation of a missing child case; her brother Kevin ever so gradually adjusts to life in a wheelchair, though mom Helen never gives up hope of a miracle (the one issue that God hasn't entirely broached yet!); Will later lands a newspaper job, possibly via divine intervention, possibly not; God sees to it that Joan comes out of her shell by prodding her to try out for the pom-pom squad; Joan becomes mighty uncomfortable (one might say hot under the collar) when certain parties draw comparisons between her and another Joan of "Arc" fame; an acquaintance of Joan's dies, leading to some very pointed queries during her next conversation with the almighty; a cryptic request leads Joan to believe that God wants "something more" from their relationship; and in the season finale, Joan's mood swings lead her parents to wonder just where she goes and whom she's with when she's not at home -- and in so doing, realign their own attitudes toward faith in a greater power. ~ All Movie Guide

A disturbing videotape appears to hold the power of life and death over those who view it in this offbeat thriller. A strange videotape begins making the rounds in a town in the Pacific Northwest; it is full of bizarre and haunting images, and after watching it, many viewers receive a telephone call in which they are warned they will die in seven days. A handful of teenagers who watched the tape while spending a weekend at a cabin in the mountains scoff at the threat, but as predicted, they all die suddenly on the same night. Rachel Keller (Naomi Watts), the aunt of one of the ill-fated teens, is a journalist who has decided to investigate the matter and travels West with her young son, Aidan (David Dorfman), a troubled child who has been drawing pictures of strange and ominous visions. Rachel managed to find the cabin in the woods and watches the video herself; afterward, she receives the same phone call, and realizes she must solve the puzzle of the video and the person or persons behind it within a week. Rachel turns to her ex, Noah (Martin Henderson), an expert in video technology, who at first is convinced the story is a hoax until he digs deeper into the mystery. The Ring was adapted from a 1996 Japanese film by Hideo Nakata, which became a massive box-office success in Asia and spawned two sequels. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In this light-hearted fantasy, a talented young magician stumbles across an unusual ring and ends up in Camelot before King Arthur. It turns out the ring belongs to none other than Merlin. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide