Erick Avari Movies

Londo's political ambition spurs him to attempt the assassination of G'Kar. With characteristic cunning, Londo enlists the unwitting assistance of Vir to set a trap for his old enemy -- but not if Garibaldi has anything to say in the matter. Meanwhile, Capt. Sheridan courts madness when he tries to second-guess the Shadows. Written by J. Michael Straczynski, "And the Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place" was seen in the United Kingdom on September 8, 1996, and in America on October 14 of that same year. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Restauranteur John Hill (Reid Shelton), the pompous bête noire of Sam Malone (Ted Danson), suffers a heart attack. Much to everyone's surprise, Hill's current amour Carla (Rhea Perlman) seems sublimely indifferent to her lover's condition. But Cliff (John Ratzenberger) can't be bothered with this emotional intrigue; he's convinced that his new neighbor is Adolf Hitler. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Erick Avari, Mimi Rogers, Louise Fletcher, and Kal Penn star in director Bob Roe's heartfelt tale of devastating loss, unfading love, and the courage that it takes to carry on despite being consumed by grief. The living embodiment of the American Dream, Indian immigrant Madhav Singh (Avari) was a successful businessman, loving father, and happily married husband until a sudden tragedy claimed the life of his beloved wife Jaishree. These days the shattered widower wanders through a series of meaningless routines by day, and spends sleepless nights attempting to ward off the mournful nightmares that lie just on the other side of consciousness. When Madhav's son Samir (Penn) and his girlfriend Nicole (Sheetal Sheth) arrive in town for the weekend to celebrate the engagement of a close friend, the shattered father is surprised to find himself becoming reacquainted with his old friend April (Rogers). April always had a special place in her heart for Madhav despite the vocal objections of her mother (Fletcher), and now it feels like the connection between the longtime friends has grown stronger than ever before. But Madhav isn't quite sure he's ready to let go of the past just yet, a fact that becomes painfully obvious as the difficulty of balancing his grief with his will to carry on starts to take a heavy emotional toll as he is faced with one of the most important decisions of his entire life. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Inspired by actual events, director Chen Shi-Zheng's socially conscious psychological drama follows the journey of an ambitious Chinese scientist working towards his Ph.D. in America, only to be marginalized to the extent that he ultimately loses his way. All Liu Xing (Liu Ye) ever wanted was to study the origins of the universe at a Western university. Upon arriving at the school, Liu immediately rents a modest apartment with a few other Chinese students and begins flirting with the pretty American who works at the local coffee shop. Personally welcomed into Department Head Jacob Reiser's (Aidan Quinn) select cosmology group, Liu remains dedicated to his studies and optimistic about the future. Things continue to look up as Liu becomes close with wealthy university patron Johanna Silver (Meryl Streep) after the two become acquainted at an orientation for foreigners sponsored by a local church.

Eventually, Liu becomes Reiser's protégé, and makes a sizable impression at a prestigious conference attended by the pair. But attitudes start to shift when Liu's studies in dark matter come into direct conflict with his mentor's prominent theories and well-established studies. His excitement about a potential breakthrough causes him to ignore repeated warnings that he must pay his dues, and Liu's findings are eventually eclipsed by that of more studious fellow student Laurence. Determined to have his studies published, Liu goes behind Reiser's back, but he ultimately becomes the target of ire rather than accolades, with Johanna's naïve encouragement prompting him along a dangerous collision course. While Liu remains enamored with the concept of the American dream and optimistic about American science being a free market of ideas, he begins to grow dejected after his dissertation is rejected, the girl at the coffee shop blows him off, and his roommates all find lucrative jobs. Essentially left behind at the university, Liu rejects Johanna's offer for help and vows not to return home to disappointed parents. Now, as he coasts on the fumes of his unrealized dreams, the dishonored student prepares to lash out with one final act of devastating annihilation. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A man discovers that what he doesn't know can hurt him, especially when it comes to his wife, in this suspense drama. Ray Reardon (James Spader) is an architect who has just gone through a messy divorce; while his friends sing the praises of the single life, Ray would prefer to settle into a life of middle-class domesticity with a home, wife, and family. Ray meets a beautiful but mysterious woman named Lena (Madchen Amick) at a party, and for him it's love at first sight; while she remains elusive, Ray pursues her avidly, and before long he proposes, even though he doesn't know her especially well. A few years later, they're seemingly happily married with children. But Lena's behavior starts to become erratic and depressive, and she is no longer willing to account for where she's been or what she's been doing. Ray is convinced that Lena has been having an affair and begins doing some research into her past; he soon discovers her previous life bears little resemblance to what she told him and that she's been lying to him about nearly every part of her history and their relationship. Lena contends that she's just "a regular screwed-up person," but in time, Ray realizes that there's a purpose behind her duplicity: she's trying to convince people that he is insane. Dream Lover was the directorial debut of screenwriter Nicholas Kazan. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

What was to be a simple flight from L.A. to Paris turns deadly when a genetically engineered zombie virus breaks out within the cabin of a fateful 747 jumbo jet in Flight of the Living Dead. Unbeknownst to the passengers and crew, a CIA scientist has stowed away a package on the flight that will endanger the lives of everyone onboard. As the plane makes its way through some heavy storm clouds, the package is jostled and a secret government zombie experiment is unleashed on the plane, infecting everything in its wake. Soon, every living being on the jet is fighting for their lives as the ravenous, gut-munching monsters give them little places to hide aboard this dreaded flight. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

Chhabi Biswas plays a prominent Indian industrialist who takes his family on holiday to Darjeeling. In close contact with one another for the first time in months, the family members vent their various pet peeves. Efforts to solve the family's problems are often stymied by the schism between the younger and older members of the group. In short, filmmaker Satyajit Ray trots out several of his favorite themes, then bundles them together in an entertaining and accessible fashion. In the tradition of Hollywood's The Set-Up and High Noon, the events in Kanchenjungha are played out in "real time," with everything occurring uninterruptedly within the film's 100 minutes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Paul (Paul Reiser) and Jamie (Helen Hunt) refuse to take sides when their respective mothers are locked in a heated disagreement. But Jamie's sister Lisa (Anne Ramsay) is willing to take full advantage of the situation, even to the point of playing one side against the other. Meanwhile, the Buchmans' dog, Murray, is going through family problems of his own -- not to mention a profound identity crisis. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

One of Frank Capra's best-loved stories gets a modernized and wildly slapstick reinterpretation in this romantic comedy starring Adam Sandler. When Preston Blake (Harve Presnell), a remarkably wealthy media magnate, dies with neither a wife nor children, the question on the lips of most of his associates is who will inherit the estate. The surprising answer turns out to be Longfellow Deeds (Adam Sandler), a cheerful but half-bright proprietor of a small-town pizzeria, as well as part-time greeting card poet, who was a distant relative of Blake. In order to claim his 40-billion-dollar inheritance, Deeds heads to New York City, where Blake's former associates, Chuck Cedar (Peter Gallagher) and Cecil Anderson (Erick Avari), introduce him to the city while trying to figure out how to get their hands on his new fortune. Meanwhile, Mac McGrath (Jared Harris), the producer of a sleazy tabloid television show, wants to get the inside scoop on Deeds, and comes up with perfect way to get it: he sends beautiful but unscrupulous reporter Babe Bennett (Winona Ryder) to sweep Deeds off his feet while she's wired for sound. Convincing Deeds that she's from a small town just like himself, Bennett quickly wins his heart, but while his affection is sincere, hers is not. He also displays a curious eagerness to defend her good name with his fists which quickly gets him in trouble. Meanwhile, as Deeds becomes the new laughing stock of New York thanks to Bennett's stories, Deeds decides it's time he did something big with his money, while Cedar and Anderson think they've finally found a way to take control of Deeds' holdings. Mr. Deeds also features supporting performances from John Turturro, Steve Buscemi, and Conchata Ferrell. John McEnroe and Rev. Al Sharpton make cameo appearances as themselves. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Murphy's decade-long banishment from the White House is finally lifted and she is invited to attend a Presidential press conference. So certain is Murphy (Candice Bergen) that she'll be able to get in a question about the education crisis that her producer Miles (Grant Shaud) is willing to put up money. Alas, on the eve of her triumphant return, Murphy suddenly comes down with a REALLY bad case of laryngitis! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This big budget "re-imagining" of the 1968 original departs somewhat from both that classic science fiction film and the source novel by author Pierre Boulle. Mark Wahlberg stars as Leo Davidson, an astronaut of the early 21st century whose unauthorized mission to rescue a chimp companion from a mysterious space storm goes awry when he and his ship are lost through a rip in the fabric of time. Leo crash-lands on a planet where intelligent, talking apes are the dominant species and humans a conquered slave class. Befriending both a chimpanzee activist named Ari (Helena Bonham Carter), who's sympathetic to humans, and a beautiful human rebel, Daena (Estella Warren), Leo quickly becomes a prominent figure of resistance to his fellow humans. This makes him an instant source of irritation for the militant and ambitious General Thade (Tim Roth) and his trusted adjutant, Attar (Michael Clarke Duncan), who intend to hunt Leo down and crush the burgeoning human uprising. War looms between ape and human as Leo and his band head for a sacred site deep in an off-limits desert, where secrets about the planet's ape and human ancestry wait to be revealed. Planet of the Apes is directed by Tim Burton and features the original film's star, Charlton Heston, in a cameo role as the dying father of Thade. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide