Vincent Gale Movies
A businessman becomes the last line of defense for his family and his business in this thriller. Jack Stanfield (Harrison Ford) is an upper-echelon technology executive at Landrock Pacific Bank, a leading financial institution based in Seattle. Stanfield oversees security for Landrock, and has made sure that their online banking services are the best-protected in the world, and that the bank's data is safe from hackers and other intruders. However, Stanfield finds out the hard way that his system does indeed have a flaw when he's visited by Bill Cox (Paul Bettany), a cold and calculating man who has spent months learning everything there is know about Stanfield and his family. Cox's underlings have taken Stanfield's wife, Beth (Virginia Madsen), and their two children hostage, and they inform Jack that they will be released only when he uses his knowledge of the bank's security systems to deposit 100 million dollars in Cox's account in an offshore bank. Stanfield is deeply wary but willing to go along to ensure the safety of his family, but when he has reason to doubt that Cox and his cohorts will live up to their end of the bargain, he swings into action to exact justice against the criminals. Firewall also stars Alan Arkin, Robert Forster, and Mary Lynn Rajskub. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harrison Ford, Paul Bettany, (more)
First-time filmmaker Omar Naim writes and directs the sci-fi drama The Final Cut. Set in the near future, the story concerns a microchip that is capable of recording a person's entire life. Robin Williams plays Alan Hakman, an editor who cuts together the footage to make pleasant movies for funerals. Tormented by his job and his own memories, Alan also has a troubled romantic relationship with bookseller Delilah (Mira Sorvino). While looking through footage for his next project, Alan discovers a man whom he believes is from his own past. Meanwhile, former editor Fletcher (James Caviezel) wants the footage for his own purposes. The Final Cut was shown at the Berlin Film Festival in 2004. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robin Williams, Mira Sorvino, (more)
- 2003
Who is the facially scarred "man in black" who has been stalking Johnny (Anthony Michael Hall) throughout the past few episodes? It turns out that the mystery man, Christopher Wey (Frank Whaley), has an important message from the future -- one that will profoundly alter the future of humanity. But Wey refuses to reveal the particulars of his prophecy unless Johnny agrees to prevent the seemingly unpreventable murders of Wey's wife (Ione Skye) and daughter. This final episode of The Dead Zone's second-season closes with the traditional cliffhanger, this time incorporating an ominous magazine cover. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John L. Adams, Nicole deBoer, (more)
- 2002
Season One of Monk begins with this first episode of a two-part story (originally telecast as a single two-hour "TV" movie). On psychiatric leave from the San Francisco PD since the unsolved 1997 murder of his wife Trudy, former police detective Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub) returns as a private eye to help the department solve two seemingly unconnected murders. The first victim is a woman named Nicole Vasquez; the second is a professional bodyguard killed during an assassination attempt on mayoral candidate Warren St. Claire (Michael Hogan). Monk determines that the link between the two murders may well by St. Claire's wife Miranda (Gail O'Grady), but his efforts to solve the crimes are impeded every inch of the way by the emotional "tics" he has developed since his wife's death: Namely, an obsessive-compulsive streak to end all obsessive-compulsive streaks, and a veritable laundry list of phobias including fear of the dark, of heights, of crowds, and especially of milk! Although most of the Monk trademarks are established in this opening episode (the lead character's obsessive-compulsiveness, his photographic memory, et.al.), there are a few significant departures from the weekly series proper: For one, the character played by Jason Gray-Stanford is named Lt. Deacon rather than Lt. Disher; and for another, the role of Sharona's son Benjy is played by Kane Ritchotte instead of Max Morrow. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A teenage girl still reeling from the death of her mother finds a novel means of venting her anger in the feature directorial debut from filmmaker Guy Bennett. It's been years since Ariel's (Sonja Bennett) mother died in a tragic accident, and ever since that fateful day, the increasingly troubled girl has isolated herself from society while forming an unhealthy fixation on her devastated father, Sam (Michael Riley). When Sam invites Mary (Marcia Laskowski) over for his first date in years, Ariel explodes -- attacking her father's frightened guest in a jealous rage. When Mary reveals that her sister Julie (Meredith McGeachie) is a prize fighter in the underground world of topless boxing, Julie decides to take up the sport as a means of coping with the lingering pain of her mother's death. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Created by actor Ken Olin and Rhonda L. Moore, Breaking News was set within the walls of I-24, a round-the-clock TV news network. Dedicated to both getting the truth and scooping the competition, the network is the fiefdom of superaggressive news division president Peter Kozyck (Clancy Brown). Other I-24 employees include charismatic senior anchorman Bill Dunne (Tim Matheson), ambitious rookie reporter Jamie Templeton (Rowena King), frustrated "human interest" commentator Janet LeClaire (Myndy Crist), cutthroat executive producer Rachel Glass (Lisa Ann Walter), overworked network CEO Jack Barnes (James Handy), and Jack's son, news producer Ethan Barnes (Scott Bairstow). Patricia Wettig, wife of co-creator Ken Olin, was seen as feature reporter Alison Dunne. Originally produced for and financed by the TNT cable network, the 13-episode Breaking News lay on the shelf for several months before its was picked up by the Bravo channel beginning July 17, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
- R
Canadian indie auteur Bruce Sweeney spins this wry look at the relationship of three Vancouver couples. After dating for a mere six months, Noah (Benjamin Ratner) and Zipporah (Frida Betrani) shock family and friends by announcing that they are getting married. No one is particularly thrilled about the impending nuptials and soon Noah starts to figure out why. Noah, a waterproofing expert, is maddened first by Zipporah's condo's leaking roof and then by his wife, who has illusions of fame and fortune as a country singer but has precious little talent. Noah's buddies Peter (Tom Scholte) and Shane (Vincent Gale) -- both of whom gave halfhearted congratulations at the wedding -- have romantic issues of their own. Shane grows increasing jealous when his girlfriend and fellow architect (Molly Parker) gets a big career break while he languishes behind. Meanwhile, Peter, a literature professor, cheats on his wife, Leslie (Nancy Sivak), with a shapely student (Marya Delver), who offers him favors while he discusses the work of Margaret Laurence. This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Ratner, Frida Betrani, (more)
- 1998
Much of the action in this Canadian psychological comedy-drama takes place at the Vancouver residence of middle-aged drug dealer Angie (Babz Chula), where near-bankrupt Nancy (Nancy Sivak) lives in the basement, while Angie's son Ethan (Vincent Gale) and her mother Abbie (Abby J. Arnold) look for life beyond their loneliness. Exploring the sexual fixations of various Vancouver residents, director Bruce Sweeney was reportedly influenced by a 1991 master class with British director Mike Leigh (Career Girls). Shown at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Scholte, Babs Chula, (more)
- 1997
This police drama details the lengths to which a police department will go to apprehend a menacing sex predator. The story centers on one detective's pursuit of the offender. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Adapted from the Robert Boswell novel, the film focuses on a very troubled family beset from all sides by conflict, arguments and scandal. The father (Peter Coyote) brings his wife (Cindy Pickett) and two sons (Vincent D'Onofrio, Peter Berg) to Washington State to begin a new life, but finds that the same problems have followed them. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vincent D'Onofrio, Jennifer Jason Leigh, (more)
- 1991
- R
An innocent law student gets accused of murdering a mob chief's son when a casino poker game turns into a fistfight that ends with a fatality. Soon the mob and the corrupt local police are after the kid whose only respite in this film is a short romance with a new-found sweetheart. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kelly Preston, Ken Pogue, (more)
- 1990
In this made-for-cable family drama set in the 1880s, a teen and his dog set out on a cross-country journey to find the boy's father, who escaped police custody after being falsely accused of murder. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1989
- R
In this well-wrought drama, WW II dramatically changes the lives of the Cooper family when its patriarch is called to battle, captured, and sent to a Japanese POW camp. Back at home the heretofore coddled wife, who doesn't know if her husband is still alive, must somehow figure out how to support her family and carry on in the British tradition of courage and dignity under pressure. Her solution is to join a swing band. As she becomes increasingly confident and independent, she begins wondering whether or not she still loves her missing spouse. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rebecca Jenkins, Michael Ontkean, (more)
- 1987
- R
Though not a true sequel to Paul Lynch's derivative slasher-dud Prom Night, this Carrie-flavored horror film begins in 1957 with the fiery death of bitchy prom queen Mary Lou Maloney (Lisa Schrage) courtesy of a backfired stinkbomb stunt pulled by her jealous ex-boyfriend. Thirty years later, her killer has become the school principal (Michael Ironside), and sweet, innocent Vicki (Wendy Lyon) is a contender for the prom-queen title. Mary Lou's vengeful spirit spies the perfect opportunity to reclaim her crown once and for all. The rest of the film involves Vicki adopting Mary Lou's less-than-reputable habits and messily destroying anyone who stands between her and the coveted title. High points include a telekinetic "Tutti Frutti" locker-room squashing and a swirling demonic blackboard, all courtesy of FX wizard Jim Doyle, who worked previously on A Nightmare on Elm Street, to which this film bears some stylistic similarities. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Ironside, Wendy Lyon, (more)
- 1984
In this children's movie, a young boy, the son of a loutish, irresponsible hockey player and a Canadian Indian woman is adopted by a Jewish storekeeper who wants to raise the boy as a Jew. The poor lad, trapped between three different cultures, gets confused and then rebellious. He soon finds himself constantly defending himself against a family of bullies. During one fight, he beats the tar out of one of the kids. Their family gets even by torching his step-father's store. This angers the boy who grabs a gun and takes a young girl hostage. The leads to a reconciliation between the troubled youth and his real father. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lou Jacobi, William Korbut, (more)
