William Fichtner

A man desperately tries to keep a strange prediction from coming true in this independent psychological thriller. Jimmy Starks (Guy Pearce) is a traveling salesmen who is in New Mexico on business when he crosses paths with a psychic. The psychic offers to read Jimmy's fortune, and quickly informs him that he will die before the first snow of the winter. Jimmy's girlfriend, Deirdre (Piper Perabo), doesn't think much of this prediction, but with the winter months on the horizon, this notion makes Jimmy a bit nervous. Jimmy's anxieties grow as the weather suddenly conspires against him and his fate begins taking a number of turns for the worst. Can Jimmy somehow escape his fate, or has he been doomed by the fortune teller's words? The first feature film from director Mark Fergus, First Snow received its North American premiere at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In the late 21st a disease called Hemophagia has genetically modified nearly an entire race of people, leaving them with such enhanced speed, intelligence, and strength that they resemble vampires in nearly every way. Fear begins to breed within the power elite as the disease continues to spread and those infected prove to be truly superhuman, and now, a civil war is brewing between uninfected humans and those altered by Hemophagia. Caught dead in the center of it is an infected woman called Violet (Milla Jovovich), who is bent on vengeance and has little left to lose. Provoked beyond reason by powers that will not rest until she and her people are dead, she will become everything her persecutors feared her to be. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide

As anyone with even a nodding acquaintance with Star Trek can tell you, the (future) birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk is Riverside, Iowa. But how many of those people could tell that there really is a Riverside, Iowa, population 928? It is this cozy little farming community that serves as the locale of the four-part Spike TV reality series, Invasion Iowa. Imagine the surprise and delight of the Riverside citizenry when William Shatner himself shows up in town, ostensibly to film a big-budget sci-fi epic titled "Invasion Iowa," in which he is to star as "Colonel Shane Yeager." And not only Shatner, but a veritable army of filmmakers likewise descend upon Riverside, including Shatner's personal "spiritual advisor" Steve, short-tempered female studio executive Max, vainglorious leading lady Gryffyn, clumsy production assistant Herb, and Shatner's body double (and favorite nephew), Tiny. As the people of Riverside open their hearts, their homes and their businesses to the visitors from Hollywood, not a single one of them suspects that the entire affair is a hoax: there is no film in production called "Invasion Iowa" -- and except for Shatner, the movie personnel are all phonies! Of course, this being Spike TV, the cruel deception is played for all it is worth (and the worth is considerable!), climaxing with the episode in which we get to savor the reactions of the locals when they find out they've been hoodwinked. Debuting March 29, 2005, Invasion Iowa ended its brief run, appropriately enough, on the first of April. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Issues of race and gender cause a group of strangers in Los Angeles to physically and emotionally collide in this drama from director and screenwriter Paul Haggis. Graham (Don Cheadle) is a police detective whose brother is a street criminal, and it hurts him to know his mother cares more about his ne'er-do-well brother than him. Graham's partner is Ria (Jennifer Esposito), who is also his girlfriend, though she has begun to bristle at his emotional distance, as well as his occasional insensitivity over the fact he's African-American and she's Hispanic. Rick (Brendan Fraser) is an L.A. district attorney whose wife, Jean (Sandra Bullock), makes little secret of her fear and hatred of people unlike herself. Jean's worst imaginings about people of color are confirmed when her SUV is carjacked by two African-American men -- Anthony (Chris Bridges, aka Ludacris), who dislikes white people as much as Jean hates blacks, and Peter (Larenz Tate), who is more open minded. Cameron (Terrence Howard) is a well-to-do African-American television producer with a beautiful wife, Christine (Thandie Newton). While coming home from a party, Cameron and Christine are pulled over by Officer Ryan (Matt Dillon), who subjects them to a humiliating interrogation (and her to an inappropriate search) while his new partner, Officer Hansen (Ryan Phillippe), looks on. Daniel (Michael Pena) is a hard-working locksmith and dedicated father who discovers that his looks don't lead many of his customers to trust him. And Farhad (Shaun Toub) is a Middle Eastern shopkeeper who is so constantly threatened in the wake of the 9/11 attacks that he decided he needs a gun to defend his family. Crash was the first directorial project for award-winning television and film writer Haggis. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The death of a troubled teen throws a suburban neighborhood into chaos in this darkly satirical comedy. Dean (Jamie Bell) is a disaffected teenager living in a California suburb that's beautiful on the surface but populated by families who live emotionally vacant lives, with the parents often too wrapped up in their own problems to pay attention to their children. One day, Dean discovers his best (and only) friend, Troy (Josh Janowicz), has killed himself. While Troy's mother (Glenn Close) hasn't figured out her son is dead just yet, Dean opts not to tell her, and besides, his own parents (William Fichtner and Allison Janney) don't appear very concerned. Dean, however, does have reason to worry -- Billy (Justin Chatwin), Lee (Lou Taylor Pucci), and Crystal (Camilla Belle) are three bullies who used to buy drugs from Troy, and they want Dean find Troy's remaining stash and give it to them. When Dean refuses to cooperate, the bullies decide to get tough and kidnap Dean's little brother; however, they end up taking the wrong child and Dean grudging finds himself trying to rescue a child he doesn't know. Meanwhile, as the adults in the neighborhood begin to emotionally implode, "the Chumscrubber" becomes a common presence in town -- a comic book and video game character represented by a decapitated post-apocalyptic teenager who has become an unavoidable pop-culture icon. The Chumscrubber also features Ralph Fiennes, Carrie-Anne Moss, John Heard, and Rita Wilson. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The ad copy for the ABC medical drama MDs promised "doctors who'll bend any rule and take on the system." The series looked and sounded a lot like M*A*S*H, the difference being that it took place in peacetime, and in contemporary San Francisco. William Fichter and John Hannah essayed the Hawkeye and Trapper John counterparts, here named Dr. Bruce Kellerman and Dr. Robert Dalgety. Though chronically irreverent and taking special delight in bucking bureaucracy and red tape at every opportunity, the two protagonists also happened to be brilliant and dedicated surgeons, investing an emotional interest in virtually all their patients ("Come on, you're not gonna die on me today!"). In its efforts to sustain a staunchly anti-HMO stance, the series admittedly stacked the deck a bit by drawing virtually all of its authority figures in broad, almost caricatured strokes: For example, Kellerman and Dalgety's chief nemesis was Mission General Hospital's bean-counting new administrator Pangborn (Leslie Stefanson), who had previously managed a theme park and who fainted at the sight of blood. MDs premiered September 25, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Faith, family, and devotion are all explored in Polish director Agnieszka Holland's intense family drama. Julie (Miranda Otto) and her twin children, Nick (Ryan Smith) and Nicole (Bianca Crudo), cut short a ski outing due to Nick suddenly taking ill. As they arrive back at home, Julie catches her husband, Henry (William Fichtner), with another woman and promptly moves to end their marriage. Meanwhile, Nick has another spell similar to the first one and doctors discover a tumor in his brain. Further complicating matters is Nick's allergy to the necessary chemotherapy drugs, which prompts Julie to abandon traditional medicine and seek out a Polish healer named Alexei Ormow (Lothaire Bluteau). As the healer begins making progress on the youngster, Alexei and Julie begin to fall in love with each other -- a development that greatly troubles Julie as she struggles to determine how to proceed in the best interests of her family. In 2002, Julie Walking Home (aka The Healer) was selected for inclusion in the Venice Film Festival. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide

At the time of its release, this lavish period war drama from hyperkinetic director Michael Bay became the most expensive motion picture ever green-lighted by a studio. Ben Affleck stars as Rafe McCawley, a military pilot stationed under Jimmy Doolittle (Alec Baldwin) in New Jersey, along with his best friend from childhood, Danny Walker (Josh Hartnett). Rafe is chomping at the bit to get involved in World War II, but America has not entered the conflict, so he is forced to fight on loan to the Royal Air Force in Britain, leaving behind his beautiful girlfriend Evelyn (Kate Beckinsale). After Rafe goes overseas, both Danny and Evelyn are transferred to the naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, where word arrives that Rafe has been killed in action. A grief-stricken Evelyn and Danny become romantically attached, a situation that becomes a lit powder keg when Rafe suddenly reappears, having survived his ordeal in the European war. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor puts the romantic triangle on hold, as the best friends are ordered to undertake a top-secret and highly dangerous retaliatory mission to bomb Tokyo, once again under the command of Doolittle. Although the trio of leads are entirely fictional, Cuba Gooding Jr., Tom Sizemore, and Jon Voight (as FDR) co-star in the roles of real-life historical figures. Pearl Harbor is based on a script by Randall Wallace, writer of Braveheart (1995) and The Man in the Iron Mask (1998). Taking a page from the production history of James Cameron's Titanic (1997), many of the actors and filmmakers involved with Pearl Harbor deferred their usual salaries until the film "broke even" at the box office. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

Demi Moore stars in this unusual psychological drama about two women caught between reality and imagination. Marie (Moore) is an American widow trying to raise two children under difficult circumstances in a small town in France. Marty (also played by Moore) is a successful businesswoman in New York City who wants to leave her busy life and lead a quieter existence in Europe. But Marty is just a product of Marie's imagination -- or at least that's what Marie thinks. Marty, on the other hand, is convinced that Marie is just someone she dreamed up. Who is right? Or are both of them wrong? And where does it leave the men in their lives (Stellan Skarsgard and William Fichtner)? Passion of Mind was the first English-language film from French director Alain Berliner, best known for the arthouse success Ma Vie en Rose. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In October 1991, a dying tropical hurricane from Bermuda collided with a cold front from the Great Lakes, resulting in a "perfect storm" of previously unknown destructive impact that resulted in 100-foot waves; tragically, the crew of a fishing boat was lost in the midst of the fearsome storm. Based on the best-selling book by Sebastian Junger, The Perfect Storm tells the story of the ship's brave and hard-working crew. Billy Tyne (George Clooney), captain of the Andrea Gail, hasn't had much luck finding catch on his most recent trips to sea, and with money short, he and his crew -- Bob Shatford (Mark Wahlberg), Dale Murphy (John C. Reilly), and David Sullivan (William Fichtner) set out again when they hear that the fish are running. Billy's hunch proves correct, but when the ship's refrigeration system goes haywire, they have to return to shore as quickly as possible before the fish spoil, sending them into the middle of the worst storm in history. The supporting cast includes Mary Elziabeth Mastrantonio, Diane Lane, Bob Gunton, and Karen Allen; Wolfgang Petersen, whose breakthrough film was the aquatic wartime drama Das Boot, directed. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In The Settlement, Pat (John C. Reilly) and Jerry (William Fichtner) work on the fringes of the insurance industry in what are called "viatical settlements," which allow terminal patients the option of cashing in their life insurance policies before death for a reduced payment. In the 1980s, with AIDS cutting short what might have been long and healthy lives, business is booming for Pat and Jerry's firm, Viable Settlements, Inc. But a few years later, improved treatments are keeping the terminally ill alive much longer -- and that's bad news for Viable Settlements, which is now on the brink of bankruptcy. When Pat and Jerry meet the beautiful and mysterious Barbara (Kelly McGillis), no one's sure if she's good or bad news. The supporting cast includes David Rasche and Dan Castellaneta. The Settlement was screened at the 1999 Los Angeles Independent Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide