Frances Fisher

In the aftermath of a deadly attack on American forces in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, diplomats are slow to act, but meanwhile, FBI special agent Ronald Fleury (Jamie Foxx) assembles a secret team of U.S. counter-terrorism investigators to enter the city and find the criminal behind what has quickly become an international incident. The crew, however, finds their attempt to capture the perpetrators stalled by bureaucracy and their presence unwelcome. Desperate to gain the trust they need to accomplish their mission in just five days, the team enlists the aid of a Saudi Arabian police officer (Ashraf Barhoum), but as the agents infiltrate the dark and complex world of the Saudi crime scene, they find that the perpetrator's next target may be them. Directed by Peter Berg, The Kingdom also stars Jennifer Garner, Chris Cooper, and Jason Bateman. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide

Upon receiving an e-mail containing the names of every woman he has ever slept with and every women he will ever sleep with, a man set to be married in just one week eschews his wedding plans in favor of seeking out the truth behind the perplexing message in a black comedy written and directed by Heathers screenwriter Daniel Waters. Roderick Blank (Simon Baker) was prepared for a future of predictable, domesticated bliss -- but fate has a funny way of shaking things up when we least expect it. When a mysterious message appears in his inbox and he sets out to discover the origins of the strange communication, he soon finds himself falling for a dangerous black widow named Death Nell (Winona Ryder), who isn't on the list. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Derek (Patrick Dempsey) tears into Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) over her perceived relationship with Mark, but this time she gives back as good as she gets--with startling results. Likewise trading angry words are Burke (Isaiah Washington) and Cristina (Sandra Oh), while Izzie (Katherine Heigl) manages to upset Denny (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) even as she tries to cheer him up. Elsewhere, Callie's sanitary shortcomings cause problems with her temporary roomates; and we learn a bit more about handsome veterinarian Finn (Chris O'Donnell). But all these intrigues take second place to a horrible automobile accident caused by an intern (John Cho) suffering from short-term memory loss. In the episode's climactic moment, it appears as though a female crash victim will die, but there's a slim chance that her unborn baby can be saved. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The sensationalistic murder of diet guru Dr. Herman Tarnower is explored in this stylized take on the tabloid cover story from first-time director Phyllis Nagy. As the inventor of the popular "Scarsdale Diet," Dr. Herman Tarnower (Ben Kingsley) became an overnight success during the peak of the early '80s diet craze. Despite the popularity of the Dr. Tarnower's revolutionary "lose one pound per day" diet, the womanizing ways of the Casanova cardiologist would soon come to a brutal end at the hands of his jealous, prescription drug-addicted lover Jean Harris (Annette Bening). Driven to despair after their 14-year romance failed to result in marriage and enraged by Dr. Tarnower's shameless status as a ladies' man, Harris confronts her former lover in one violent, final act of desperation. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Having exited his role on The West Wing in a flurry of largely negative publicity, Rob Lowe quickly resurfaced as the star of the NBC legal drama The Lyon's Den. Lowe was cast as Jack Turner, an idealistic attorney who hoped to make a name for himself separate from that of his prestigious state-senator father (Rip Torn) by helping the poor and downtrodden on a pro bono basis. A stroke of fate obliged him to accept a full partnership at a high-profile D.C. law firm, populated almost exclusively by ruthless glory-grabbers, bottom-feeding backstabbers, and hedonistic sexual predators. Would Jack be able to do the sort of work he loved while surrounded by expensively dressed sharks? The Lyon's Den opened for business on September 28, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A woman learns a valuable lesson about her family as she and her aunt look back at her troubled past in this independent drama. As Virginia Wilder (Frances Fisher) visits her elderly Aunt Millie (Alice Drummond) for the Christmas holidays, she discovers a number of letters she received during the 1940s, and gains a new and clearer picture of Millie's life when she was younger. Teenaged Emily (Laurel Holloman) falls in love with a soldier who soon ships out to fight in World War II, but not before she discovers herself pregnant. When the soldier refuses to marry her, Emily is left to have the baby on her own, and soon she discovers herself an outcast in the small Southern town where she was born. While Emily's father (Gary Cole) turns his back on her, her mother (Tess Harper) remains supportive, and Emily soon becomes close friends with two other people who haven't been welcomed by the community, a strong-willed black woman named Wilma Watson (Elise Neal) and Will Bacon (Mark Webber), a well-meaning young man with a bad habit of bending the truth. As Emily's new friends stand by her, Emily in turn stands up for them as Wilma and other members of the town's African-American community begin standing up for their rights as citizens. The first feature film from writer and director Tom Rice, The Rising Place also features Jennifer Holliday and Frances Sternhagen. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Spinsterish New England college professor Gwen Barry (Frances Fisher) takes advantage of a prison work furlough program by hiring soon-to-be-released convict Dalton Roy (Derwin Jordan) as a handyman. As time goes by, Gwen falls in love with Dalton, and he reciprocates. Upon his release, however, Dalton breaks off with Gwen in favor of a sweetheart closer to his own age, college student Tamara (Kandyse McClure). But by now, Gwen's affection has morphed into an unhealthy obsession, and she is fully willing to destroy Dalton rather than see him slip through her fingers. Filmed in Nova Scotia, the made-for-cable Passion and Prejudice debuted April 17, 2001 on the USA network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The life of one of the most famous American women of the last half of the 20th century receives yet another retelling in this made-for-TV drama. Raised by a harsh, domineering mother (Frances Fisher) and a charming but unfaithful (and alcoholic) father (Fred Ward), Jacqueline Bouvier (Joanne Whalley) is born into privileged circumstances but learns early on that wealth and power do not guarantee happiness. Jackie falls in love with John F. Kennedy (Tim Matheson), the son of a family even richer and more influential than her own, and is by his side as he becomes President of the United States -- though she soon discovers that, like her father, his charm and position make him very attractive to other women, a temptation he does little to resist. After the assassination of Kennedy in 1963, Jackie becomes America's best-known widow, and is forced to struggle through her mourning in the glare of the public eye. Alone and with expensive tastes, Jackie eventually becomes the trophy wife of Aristotle Onassis (Philip Baker Hall), yet another wealthy and flamboyant man. Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis was first aired in two parts on November 5 and 8, 2000, by the CBS television network. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Craig Ferguson, best known to American audiences as Mr. Wick, the conniving boss who loves to fire people on The Drew Carey Show, co-wrote and starred in this mock-documentary about Crawford Mackenzie, Scotland's leading hairdresser. When Crawford receives an invitation to Los Angeles for the World Freestyle Hairstyling Championships, he eagerly hops the first flight to America, with a camera crew in tow to record his triumphant debut in the States. Once he arrives, he learns that he was invited to attend and observe but not to compete. Crawford is at first dejected, but he refuses to take the humiliation lying down; one way or another, Crawford is determined to show off his talents for the greater glory of Scottish hair styling. The supporting cast includes Mary McCormack, Sara Gilbert, Larry Miller, and Charles Napier; director Kevin Allen previously helmed the offbeat Scottish comedy Twin Town. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This spectacular epic re-creates the ill-fated maiden voyage of the White Star Line's $7.5 million R.M.S Titanic and the tragic sea disaster of April 15, 1912. Running over three hours and made with the combined contributions of two major studios (20th Century-Fox, Paramount) at a cost of more than $200 million, Titanic ranked as the most expensive film in Hollywood history at the time of its release, and became the most successful. Writer-director James Cameron employed state-of-the-art digital special effects for this production, realized on a monumental scale and spanning eight decades. Inspired by the 1985 discovery of the Titanic in the North Atlantic, the contemporary storyline involves American treasure-seeker Brock Lovett (Bill Paxton) retrieving artifacts from the submerged ship. Lovett looks for diamonds but finds a drawing of a young woman, nude except for a necklace. When 102-year-old Rose (Gloria Stuart) reveals she's the person in the portrait, she is summoned to the wreckage site to tell her story of the 56-carat diamond necklace and her experiences of 84 years earlier. The scene then shifts to 1912 Southampton where passengers boarding the Titanic include penniless Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) and society girl Rose DeWitt Bukater (Kate Winslet), returning to Philadelphia with her wealthy fiance Cal Hockley (Billy Zane). After the April 10th launch, Rose develops a passionate interest in Jack, and Cal's reaction is vengeful. At midpoint in the film, the Titanic slides against the iceberg and water rushes into the front compartments. Even engulfed, Cal continues to pursue Jack and Rose as the massive liner begins its descent.

Cameron launched the project after seeing Robert Ballard's 1987 National Geographic documentary on the wreckage. Blueprints of the real Titanic were followed during construction at Fox's custom-built Rosarito, Mexico studio, where a hydraulics system moved an immense model in a 17-million-gallon water tank. During three weeks aboard the Russian ship Academik Keldysh, underwater sequences were filmed with a 35mm camera in a titanium case mounted on the Russian submersible Mir 1. When the submersible neared the wreck, a video camera inside a remote-operated vehicle was sent into the Titanic's 400-foot bow, bringing back footage of staterooms, furniture and chandeliers. On November 1, 1997, the film had its world premiere at the 10th Tokyo International Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

Based on Carl Hiaasen's satirical novel, Striptease tells the story of Erin (Demi Moore), who has just gotten a divorce from Darrell (Robert Patrick), the sleazy ex-con she foolishly married. However, the judge's memories of Darrell's days as a football hero win him custody of their daughter, and Erin, concerned for her child's safety, is determined to fight the decision. Erin has just lost her position as a secretary for the FBI, so, to cover her legal bills, she takes a job as an exotic dancer at a strip club called the Eager Beaver. While she has no experience taking off her clothes in front of an audience, Erin soon makes friends with the fellow dancers and finds a protector in the club's burly but good-hearted bouncer, Shad (Ving Rhames). She also makes a few fans among the regulars at the club, most notably David Dillbeck (Burt Reynolds), a drunken lout with a bottomless appetite for sleaze -- who also happens to be a conservative congressman with ties to right-wing religious groups. One of Erin's admirers snaps a photo of her with the congressman when a brawl breaks out at the club, and he suggests that it would make fine blackmail material. However, when the man with the photo turns up dead, Erin discovers that Dillbeck's people play a bit rougher than she expected. The home video version of Striptease contains two minutes of footage that was clipped from the theatrical release in order to win the film an R rating. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This character drama follows the exploits of an aged oil seeker, known only as Mr. Cox, as he roams across Texas in search of black gold. He has a special gift for it and has helped many wildcatters strike it rich. Unfortunately, he has yet to find his own gusher. In 1935, Cox has only a suitcase and a cat to his name. During a tremendous windstorm, he is forced to seek shelter in a farmhouse, owned by Don and Cora Day. The Days have three daughters and must scramble to eke out a meager existence on their dusty farm, located near the town of Henrietta. While there, Mr. Cox begins getting that old feeling that tells him that there is a lot of oil on the Day's farm. They think he is plumb loco and ask him to leave, but Cox wants to find out if it is true. He goes to an old friend, Big Dave, who thanks to Cox, has become an oil tycoon, to help him do some test drilling, but Big Dave has a short memory and brushes Cox off as a "hopeless loser." The determined Cox then devises a scheme to force Big Dave to provide him with financial backing. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this semi-improvised comic drama from maverick filmmaker Henry Jaglom, Gena (Victoria Foyt) is a businesswoman starting to creep into middle age. She thinks she might be pregnant, and she isn't sure how she feels about it: she wants to have children, and her body's clock is starting to tick rather loudly, but she's uncertain if this is the right time to start a family. Just as important, she's not sure who the father is, and she is torn between the two suspects. James (Matt Salinger) is sweet, stable, and a little boring, while Anthony (Eric Roberts) is exciting but arrogant and not terribly dependable. While Gena waits to hear from her doctor about the results of her pregnancy test, she attends a baby shower for one of her co-workers, where the women discuss their feelings about having children -- some want them, some don't, some aren't sure. Meanwhile, the hostess throwing the shower has her own problems; her husband is deep in debt and may have to sell their house to pay his bills. Jaglom co-wrote Babyfever with his wife (and star) Foyt -- appropriately enough, not long after the couple had their second child. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide