Anthony Katagas Movies
French Canadian director Denys Arcand pushes the boundaries of the mockumentary with Stardom, the tale of a fictional neophyte supermodel (Jessica Pare) told entirely through clips of her appearances on talk shows, television interviews, and documentaries. Originally titled 15 Moments, Stardom begins its portrait at a women's hockey game in the nether regions of Ontario, Canada. When the team's formidable teenage forward Tina (Pare) pulls her helmet off, letting her brunette tresses fly, a bystander snaps a photo, and Tina soon becomes the buzz at the country's hottest fashion houses. Her rise through the industry, however, is plagued by advances from older men with sundry motives: a smitten French photographer (Charles Berling), a smarmy entrepreneur (Dan Aykroyd), the Canadian Ambassador to the U.N. (Frank Langella), and a slick promoter (Thomas Gibson, the latter half of TV's Dharma and Greg). Stardom was the closing film at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival, marking the first time in over 50 years that a Canadian production was chosen for such an honor; it would go on to open the 2000 Toronto International Film Festival before its theatrical premiere. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jessica Paré, Dan Aykroyd, (more)
This Big Apple-based romantic comedy charts the tumultuous relationship between liberal arts student and budding chef Al (Freddie Prinze Jr.) and his first girlfriend, Imogen (Julia Stiles), a self-possessed freshman who wants to become an artist. After meeting in a bar, the pair jump into a giddy, passionate affair that's grown-up enough to include face time between the young lovers and Al's DJ mom and TV-chef dad (Henry Winkler). After a summer abroad, however, Imogen feels like the relationship is robbing her of her youth, and the couple must struggle with romantic and domestic growing pains. Meanwhile, their wacky friends -- who include porn stars (Selma Blair and Zak Orth), stoners (Rosario Dawson), a mullet-haired lunkhead (Shawn Hatosy), and a Jim Morrison look-alike named Jim Morrison (Ashton Kutcher) -- provide laughs, advice, and sexual temptation. The debut film from writer/director Kris Isacsson, the teen-themed Down to You marked a change of pace for normally grown-up Miramax Films. In addition to a slew of recent rock and pop, the film prominently features music from such downtown New York fixtures of the past decade as Deee-Lite ("Groove is in the Heart") and Cibo Matto ("Moonchild"). ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi
- Starring:
- Joanna Adler, Freddie Prinze, Jr., (more)
At a restaurant located somewhere in midtown New York, waiters, waitresses, cooks, a struggling playwright, and one exceptionally nasty restaurant owner serve up lavish helpings of food and mordant comedy. Among the players is a narcissistic would-be screen idol (Michael Buchman Silver), a naive and relentlessly eager young waitress (Ellen Pompeo), and an embittered veteran hash-slinger (Molly Ringwald). On the job, their lives tend to gravitate toward Adam (The Blair Witch Project's Joshua Leonard), a playwright who takes his job very, very seriously. They also find themselves continuously terrorized by Simon (Eric Bogosian), the restaurant's owner, and the psycho head chef, Kurt (Kirk Acevedo). Over the course of one night, a romance blossoms, Adam struggles to break free of his manipulative girlfriend, a diamond ring goes missing, and a creme brulee meets an unfortunate fate. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi
Jay Anania wrote and directed this drama that opens on New Year's Eve, 1971. Diane Thwaite (Paulina Porizkova) hits something with her car, stops to check, and faints next to her car. Flash forward to 24 years later, when she's working as a NYC botanical illustrator and friends with Cyril (Jeff Webster), while the mysterious figure of Michael James (Julian Sands) wanders the city. When Diane hears Auld Lang Syne, it triggers memories of the incident in 1971. More recollections are refreshed by a combination of hypnosis, research, and a confession from James. Suppressed memories surface, including a baby's cry, a van, and a missing mother and child. Small-town waitress Phoebe (Julianne Nicholson) may hold the key to the mystery. The music track features moody vocals by Judy Kuhn. This is the first film to take the technical path of a Super-16 original transferred to HDTV and then to a 35mm negative. Shown at the 1998 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Paulina Porizkova, Julian Sands, (more)
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