Miranda Bailey Movies

Filmmaker Miranda Bailey turns her camera on director Zack Gilford as he begins work on his feature The River Why, and contends with a "green" consultant whose job is to ensure that all aspects of the production remain environmentally friendly. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A novice filmmaker finds himself dealing with both personal and professional dilemmas when his life takes some unexpected turns in This Space Between Us. Alex (Jeremy Sisto) is a director whose first feature has received a frosty reception from the Hollywood brass, and the best job his agent can find him is directing a TV movie reuniting the cast of Punky Brewster. Alex decides it's time to give up on Los Angeles and heads to his old stomping grounds in the San Francisco Bay area, through his memories of his days there are now bittersweet following the death of his wife, Maggie (Vanessa Marcil). Alex is soon reacquainted with several of his old flames, including French artist Zoe (Clara Bellar), cheery high school pal Arden (Poppy Montgomery) and rich but flaky Paternelle (Alex Kingston). He also finds that his best buddy from school, Jesse (Erik Palladino) is still feuding with his old rival Sterling (Vincent Ventresca), who is now a city supervisor. This Space Between Us features cameo appearances from musicians David Charles Lowery (of Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven) and Brian Van Der Ark (of The Verve Pipe). ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

An average guy reacts to the frustration of losing his wife by adopting a crime-fighting persona known as the "Crimson Bolt," and targeting any criminal who crosses his path -- no matter how minor their infraction may be. Frank (Rainn Wilson) is husband to former alcoholic and drug addict Sarah (Liv Tyler), and he loves her with all his heart. Their wedding day was one of but two perfect moments in this Frank's life, but when Sarah runs away with charismatic drug dealer Jacques (Kevin Bacon), the loss was just too much for her mild-mannered husband to take. Subsequently transforming himself into the Crimson Bolt, Frank reasons that if he can take down Jacques along with the rest of the city's scum, his beloved wife will soon come running back. With his homemade suit and his handy pipe wrench, Frank goes to work cleaning up the streets and starts making headlines. But just as the Crimson Bolt becomes the talk of the town, sociopathic comic-store clerk Libby (Ellen Page) reinvents herself as "Boltie," and makes a play to become the controversial street hero's trusted sidekick. Perhaps by working together, the Crimson Bolt and Boltie can make an example of Jacques, and keep the streets safe for average citizens. But real life isn't like comic books, and sometimes when an average person tries to be a superhero, things can go very bad, very fast. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A man struggles to keep his family and himself together under trying circumstances in this independent drama from writer and director Richard Levine. Ned (Liev Schreiber) works as a writer for a television series, "Mercy Medical," and his job has become increasingly difficult as his producer Garrett (Eddie Izzard) demands increasingly outlandish storylines; Ned objects, but the new guy on the staff, Brian (David Harbour), is more than happy to deliver. At home, Ned's wife, Jeannie (Helen Hunt), is dividing her time between running a business and looking after her elderly father, Ernie (Brian Dennehy), whose uncertain temper is all the more precarious as his ill health has pushed him into suicidal depression. With Helen occupied with her dad's problems, Ned has to deal with their two sons, teenage Jonah (Ezra Miller), who has recently acknowledged his homosexuality, and younger Ethan (Skyler Fortgang), a talented musician deeply troubled by his grandfather's ill health. Meanwhile, as his home life becomes more chaotic, Ned is given a new writing partner, Robin (Carla Gugino), who is smart, sexy, and clearly attracted to him. Every Day received its world premiere at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

When an unexplained trucking accident knocks out phone lines in the town of Pueblo, NM, and blocks the only route out of town, an investigation into the cause of the crash reveals an otherworldly creature that could pose a threat to the entire human race. Awakening from her usual hangover to investigate a herd of cattle that has been mutilated almost beyond recognition, Pueblo sheriff Annie is summoned to the scene of a mysterious semi accident. Though the only clue as to the identity to the driver is a severed limb, Sheriff Annie does discover a bizarre, crab-like leg stuck in the grill of the scorched tanker. Meanwhile, on another stretch of the same highway, vacationing sisters Ally and Caya stop to pick up a ruggedly handsome ranch hand named Charlie, whose car has stalled out miles away from a gas station or repair shop. Upon arriving at the only gas station in Pueblo, the trio is greeted by Nodin and her grandfather and informed that not only are the pumps dry, but that the only route out of town is blocked by the accident as well. Also trapped at the station is traveling salesman Frank, who specializes in synthetic urine. As night draws near Sheriff Annie arrives at the gas station to share her strange discovery with botany specialist Nodin, who can find no earthly explanation for the unidentified appendage. Later, when Ally decides to pitch in by taking out the trash, she is savagely mauled by a vicious creature that has just torn the patrons of a local bar limb from limb. As the night drags on and the bloodbath continues, the frightened group discovers that their only hope for survival may the very same Native American girl responsible to unleashing the relentless beast in the first place. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Two boys learn the hard way about how a marriage falls apart in this independent comedy drama. Bernard (Jeff Daniels) is a novelist whose career has gone into a slow decline as he spends more time teaching and less time writing. His wife, Joan (Laura Linney), meanwhile, has recently begun publishing her own work to widespread acclaim, which only increases the growing tension between them. One day, Bernard and Joan's two sons -- 16-year-old Walt (Jesse Eisenberg) and 12-year-old Frank (Owen Kline) -- are told that their parents are separating, with Bernard renting a house on the other side of their Park Slope, Brooklyn, neighborhood. As the parents set up a schedule for spending time with their children, Walt and Jesse can hardly imagine that things could get more combative between their folks, but they do, as Joan begins dating Ivan (William Baldwin), Frank's tennis instructor, and Bernard starts sharing the house with Lili (Anna Paquin), one of his students. Meanwhile, the two boys begin taking sides in the battle between their parents, with Walt taking after his father and Frank siding with his mom. Based on writer/director Noah Baumbach's own childhood experiences with his parents' divorce, The Squid and the Whale won prizes for writing and direction at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Matt Leutwyler directs this adaptation of David James Duncan's novel surrounding a young man's (Zach Gilford) search for a rainbow trout. William Hurt co-stars as the man's father, while Amber Heard fills the role of the character's tomboy love interest. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

In this independent drama from writer and director Peter Callahan, Joseph Fiennes stars as Paul, a writer and finance expert who approaches his best friend Jeff (Justin Kirk) with an unusual proposal. When they were kids, Paul and Jeff talked about one day swimming the Hudson River from Manhattan to Troy, New York, a stretch of 150 miles. Paul has decided he's going to do it, and wants like Jeff to join him, suggesting he follow along in a boat and provide support when it's needed. Paul is puzzled but agrees, and his friend Liz (Elizabeth Reaser) tags along for the ride. But in time Jeff realizes that the final day of Paul's carefully scheduled big swim coincides with the fifth anniversary of the death of Paul's pregnant wife, and Jeff fears that his friend has more in mind that a challenge to himself. Also starring Mary Tyler Moore and Michelle Trachtenberg, Against The Current received its world premiere at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi