Brian Van Holt Movies
- 1997
From the folks who brought you Baywatch, the made-for-TV Steel Chariots was described by one critic as a combination of Dallas and The Dukes of Hazzard. At base, the story involves the intramural rivalries in a Texas auto-racing family, which extends to open warfare between the sponsors who back the various drivers in the clan. Taking up most of the screen time are the various squabbles between sibling racers D.J. and Brett Tucker (Ben Browder, Gurney Brown), with the boys' parents, played by John Beck and Kathleen Nolan, virtually exiled to the sidelines. A subplot concerns the conflict between moonshining hotrodder Franklin Jones (Brian Van Holt) and his preacher dad (Randy Travis). Providing a modicum of authenticity to the proceedings is the climactic NASCAR-style race, along with appearance by such authentic track habitués as drivers Jeff Gordon and Dale Jarrett, mechanic Rusty Wallace and announcer Benny Parsons. Steel Chariots first aired September 23, 1997, on the Fox network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1998
After spending the night with Cox (Michelle Forbes), Bayliss (Kyle Secor) returns her earrings -- just as she's arrived at the scene of a murder in which the victim's body was deposited in a restaurant dumpster. This murder may be tied in with a case being worked by Munch (Richard Belzer), wherein several wealthy and prominent gay men have met untimely ends. Meanwhile, Lewis (Clark Johnson) uses the likely existence of an incriminating videotape to chastise his fellow detectives for their handling of the volatile Georgia Rae Mahoney situation, and Falsone (Jon Seda) and his ex-wife clash bitterly over custody of their son. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Belzer, Andre Braugher, (more)
In this independent comedy, three buddies who have been sharing their thoughts on love and sex suddenly find that that's not all they're sharing. Stylish stockbroker Brad (Brian Van Holt), bohemian hipster Zeke (Zorie Barber), and socially inept Jonathan (Jonathan Abrahams) get together with their married friend Eric (Judah Domke) every Sunday at the same coffee shop to discuss whatever is on their minds -- which usually turns out to be women. While most weeks the conversation quickly turns to a crude exchange of views on "the art of seduction," one Sunday Brad, Zeke, and Jonathan all have the same remarkable bit of news for Eric: They've fallen in love. After comparing notes, however, they realize that they are all in love with the same woman, Mia (Amanda Peet). Whipped was the feature debut for writer and director Peter M. Cohen. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Amanda Peet, Brian Van Holt, (more)
A quickly forgotten chapter in United States military history is relived in this harrowing war drama from director Ridley Scott, based on a series of Philadelphia Inquirer articles and subsequent book by reporter Mark Bowden. On October 3rd, 1993, an elite team of more than 100 Delta Force soldiers and Army Rangers, part of a larger United Nations peacekeeping force, are dropped into civil war-torn Mogadishu, Somalia, in an effort to kidnap two of local crime lord Mohamed Farah Aidid's top lieutenants. Among the team: Staff Sgt. Matt Eversmann (Josh Hartnett), Ranger Lt. Col. Danny McKnight (Tom Sizemore), the resourceful Delta Sgt. First Class Jeff Sanderson (William Fichtner), and Ranger Spec. Grimes (Ewan McGregor), a desk-bound clerk getting his first taste of live combat. When two of the mission's Black Hawk helicopters are shot down by enemy forces, the Americans -- committed to recovering every man, dead or alive -- stay in the area too long and are quickly surrounded. The ensuing firefight is a merciless 15-hour ordeal and the longest ground battle involving American soldiers since the Vietnam War. In the end, 70 soldiers are injured and 18 are dead, along with hundreds of Somalians. Black Hawk Down was voted one of the top ten films of the year by the National Board of Review prior to its limited Oscar-qualifying release. On the basis of his work in this film, co-star Eric Bana, a relatively unknown Australian actor playing Delta Sgt. First Class "Hoot" Gibson, won the lead in director Ang Lee's version of The Hulk (2003). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Josh Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, (more)
Loosely based on a real-life operation during World War II, this action-adventure from director John Woo stars Nicolas Cage as Joe Enders, a Marine traumatized by the loss of his entire platoon in the Solomon Islands during an ambush he believes was deadlier than necessary due to his indecision. Suffering from eardrum damage in Hawaii, Joe manages to be declared fit for duty once again thanks to a sympathetic nurse (Frances O'Connor), but his new assignment isn't what he expects. Joe is ordered to safeguard a Navajo soldier named Ben Yahzee (Adam Beach) because the military has developed a new secret code based on the near-dead Navajo language that is proving unbreakable to the Japanese. Any soldier that speaks Navajo is an immediate asset, including Ben and his pal, Charlie Whitehorse (Roger Willie). Joe's orders are to "baby sit" Ben during the invasion of Saipan, protecting him if possible, but -- if the code-talker's capture becomes imminent -- to kill him before he falls into enemy hands. Meanwhile, Charlie is to be guarded by affable harmonica player Ox Henderson (Christian Slater). Joe reluctantly accepts this new duty as a way to get back into the war, and in the ensuing carnage, his nearly suicidal acts of bravery make him a hero while Ben becomes paralyzed by fear. Determined to live up to Joe's example, Ben musters up his courage, even in the face of racism from a fellow soldier (Noah Emmerich), and ends up rescuing his own protector behind enemy lines by briefly posing as a Japanese soldier. Despite their growing mutual respect, Joe is eventually forced to take an action that threatens to shatter his bond with Ben, as the war's tragic losses strike closer to home for both men. Windtalkers co-stars Peter Stormare, Jason Isaacs, and Mark Ruffalo. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nicolas Cage, Adam Beach, (more)
James Foley directs the slick crime caper Confidence, written by first-time screenwriter Doug Jung. Told in flashback, smooth-talking con man Jake Vig (Edward Burns) relates an elaborate scheme orchestrated by his gang :Gordo (Paul Giamatti), Miles (Brian Van Holt), and Big Al (Louis Lombardi). The crew pulls off a swindling job stealing money from a guy named Lionel (Leland Orser), who turns out to be a mob accountant for the crazy crime boss known as the King (Dustin Hoffman). After the damage has been done, Jake and his crew attempt to pull off an even bigger scam to make up for their mistake. This time the con involves the King's enemy, the mob-connected banker Morgan Price (Robert Forster). Two corrupt cops (Donal Logue and Luis Guzman) join Jake's team while the King appoints his henchman, Lupus (Frankie G.) to oversee the operation. Rachel Weisz plays Lily, Jake's love interest who is also in on the scam. Eventually, Andy Garcia shows up as FBI Agent Gunther Butan, who has been perpetually chasing after Jake. Confidence premiered at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward Burns, Rachel Weisz, (more)
Clark Johnson's big-screen adaptation of the 1970s television series S.W.A.T. stars Colin Farrell as Jim Street, a young special weapons and tactics team member who, in the film's opening sequence, is demoted after his hothead partner Jeremy Renner shoots a hostage while trying to kill her captor. In need of good press, the higher-ups call in SWAT expert Hondo Harrelson (Samuel L. Jackson) to put together an elite team that can bring some luster back to the badge. He chooses Street, veteran T.J. (Josh Charles), and tough single mother Chris Sanchez (Michelle Rodriguez). The new team survives a series of tests before hitting the streets. Their first big assignment involves transporting an international criminal (Olivier Martinez) to federal authorities. The criminal had offered a hundred million dollars to anyone who can bust him out. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell, (more)
The disappearance of a military leader and the death of four of his men leads two investigators to wade through a morass of deceptions and half-truths in search of the facts in this thriller. Sgt. Nathan West (Samuel L. Jackson) is the leader of an elite team of U.S. Army Special Forces operatives known as the Army Rangers; West is known as a highly effective officer, but one with a short temper and aggressive attitude who is not well liked by his soldiers. During a seemingly routine training exercise in Panama, a hurricane sweeps in, and four of West's six men are dead, while West himself seems to have vanished. Eager to get the facts behind what happened, Col. Bill Styles (Tim Daly) assigns Capt. Julia Osborne (Connie Nielsen) to investigate. However, Osborne is having a hard time getting the two survivors to talk, so Styles brings in Tom Hardy (John Travolta), a former Army Ranger who served under West and became a first-class interrogator; Hardy later became a DEA agent, but left law enforcement after allegations of corruption. Hardy interviews Dunbar (Brian Van Holt), who claims that the four soldiers had been murdered, and West was killed in retaliation. Kendall (Giovanni Ribisi), the other survivor (whose father is a powerful officer) has a very different story of how the five men turned up dead, and it's up to Hardy and Osborne to determine who is telling the truth -- or if anyone is saying exactly what happened. Basic marked the first time John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson appeared in the same film together since their breakthrough roles in Pulp Fiction. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Travolta, Connie Nielsen, (more)
Directed by Stephen Herek, Man of the House follows hard-nosed Texas Ranger Lt. Roland Sharp (Tommy Lee Jones) in an undercover job as a cheerleading coach. Though his assignment is fairly cut-and-dried -- after witnessing the murder of a federal informant, a group of cheerleaders from the University of Texas need temporary protection -- he ends up forming a variety of unexpected and decidedly less simple relationships. Aside from his immersion into the struggles and triumphs of the UT cheerleading squad (Monica Keena, Kelli Garner, Christina Milian, Paula Garces, and Vanessa Ferlito), Roland finds himself dealing with a strong attraction to college professor Molly McCarthy (Anne Archer). Formerly titled Cheer Up, Man of the House also features supporting performances from Brian Van Holt, Shea Whigham, and Paget Brewster. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tommy Lee Jones, Cedric the Entertainer, (more)
A bunch of college students are stranded in a small town where suffering for art takes on a whole new meaning in this tale of terror. Carly (Elisha Cuthbert) and her boyfriend, Wade (Jared Padalecki), have hit the road with a handful of their friends to attend a championship college football game; tagging along with them are Carly's bratty friend Paige (Paris Hilton, Carly's trouble-making twin brother Nick (Chad Michael Murray), and Blake (Robert Ri'chard), Paige's latest boy toy. While camping out for the night, the gang makes the mistake of getting on the wrong side of a mysterious local redneck, and the next morning they discover that Wade's car no longer works. As the others continue on to the big game, Carly and Wade make their way into the closest town, Ambrose, and discover it's all but deserted, except for a local tourist attraction, the House of Wax. However, it isn't long before they find out why the wax sculptures at the museum look so freakishly real, and discover a pair of murderous brothers are keen on making them part of the next exhibit. House of Wax is an in-name-only remake of the well-remembered 1953 3-D horror outing starring Vincent Price, which was in turn based on the 1933 picture Mystery of the Wax Museum. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elisha Cuthbert, Chad Michael Murray, (more)
CBS' spin on ABC's Lost for the 2005-2006 TV season was the weekly, hour-long sci-fi effort Threshold. The crash-landing of an alien spacecraft in the Atlantic Ocean prompted the government to engage the services of a crack team of specialists, who were obliged to investigate the incident and explore its possible ramifications -- all in secret, of course, lest the populace get panicky. It soon developed that the spacecraft was the vanguard for an extraterrestrial invasion -- and more ominously, the aliens' presence caused the team members to experience bizarre physical and biological reactions (it seemed that exposure to the aliens' signal had the power to reconfigure one's DNA!). The investigative team was led by über-intellectual risk analyst Dr. Molly Anne Caffrey (Carla Gugino), and consisted of sardonic, witty, fiercely independent forensic microbiologist Nigel Fenway (Brent Spiner of Star Trek fame); former "special-ops" troubleshooter Cavennaugh (Brian Van Holt); politically ambitious Deputy National Security Advisor J.T. Baylock (Charles S. Dutton); pugnacious party-animal math and language expert Arthur Ramsey (Peter Dinklage); and timid, neurotic astronautical engineer Lucas Pegg (Rob Benedict). Created by Bragi F. Schut, Threshold was first telecast on September 16, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carla Gugino, Brian Van Holt, (more)
- 2007
- Add John From Cincinnati [TV Series] to QueueAdd John From Cincinnati [TV Series] to top of Queue
Created by the same team responsible for the quirky, iconoclastic HBO western series Deadwood, John from Cincinnati was a magical mystery tour of the California surfing scene. Set in the town of Imperial Beach, the story focused on the multigenerational Yost family, led by Mitch Yost (Bruce Greenwood), a onetime surfing legend who had been forcibly retired (except for a few early-morning forays into the waves) by a serious knee injury. The fall of the Yost fortunes had a deleterious effect upon Mitch's son Butchie (Brian Van Holt), who had become a seemingly hopeless druggie; conversely, Butchie's own son Shaun (Grayson Fletcher) was a surfing phenom who bade fare to surpass his grandfather's celebrity--if he ever got the chance. Holding the family together was Mitch's levelheaded wife Cissy (Rebecca De Mornay), owner of the surfing-goods store that provided their income. Into this dysfunctional family unit came a fabulously wealthy and truly bizarre dude known as John Monad (Austin Nichols), who when pressed for details identified himself as "John from Cincinnati." Outwardly a boorish dimwit with an annoying habit of repeating everyone else's conversations, John was clearly operating on some Higher Plane or other, implicitly possessing the ability to heal the sick and revive the dead, and holding out the hope of redemption for the fractured Yosts. With John in the vicinity, no one found it odd that, for example, Mitch suddenly developed the ability to float in the air; everyone seemed to accept the newcomer without question or prejudice. Only the Yosts' friend Bill Jacks (Ed O'Neill), a fancier of birds and pro wrestlers, distrusted John and his motives, suspecting that he was more Satan than Saint. The series' events--subtly but inextricably linking each character with the other--unfolded in a leisurely, day-by-day "need to know" basis, with small, tantalyzing clues as to the story's outcome (Rapture? Armageddon? The Perfect Wave?) buried within each episode. Cocreated by Deadwood's David Milch and "surf noir" novelist Kern Nunn, and featuring Luke Perry and Deadwood alumnus Jim Beaver in key supporting roles, John from Cincinnati began its HBO run on June 10, 2007. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rebecca De Mornay, Garret Dillahunt, (more)
- 2009
A fortysomething divorcée (Courtney Cox Arquette) with a teen son considers reentering the dating pool, which just happens to be full of younger men. ~ Joe Friedrich, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Courteney Cox Arquette, Christa Miller, (more)
