Kent George Movies

In the first episode of a two-part story, Francie's evil double (Merrin Dungey) implants Will (Bradley Cooper) with phony retinal DNA, thereby framing him as a traitor. Worried about the fugitive Will's fate, Sydney (Jennifer Garner) blows her cover in the presence of the phony Francie -- meaning that now she, too, will have to be eliminated. And a "new" Sloane (Ron Rifkin) tries to strike a deal with Jack (Victor Garber). This is the one in which star Jennifer Garner dons a skimpy dominatrix outfit -- all in the line of duty, of course. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Ray McMichael (Dan O'Donahue), the writer and director of the fictitious/real Beach House, "the best movie in the worst genre," works behind the counter of a high-end coffee shop until his big break into movies comes along. His next script is being rewritten -- and sold with significant changes in an act of unthinking betrayal -- by his friend Weston (Chris Hardwick), who also sings in a terrible rock band. Ray moves in with Tony, an Italian porn actor (Luigi Amadeo), who often brings his comely co-stars home with him. Then Ray meets the girl of his dreams, but that turns into a nightmare when he sees her in a porn movie with Tony. Then he meets Danny Farthing (Michael A. Goorjain), a hot young filmmaker who exposes the shameless pretense of Hollywood to Ray. Only in his disillusionment about his ambitions does Ray's life suddenly become clear. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide

Gods and Monsters was promoted from the outset as an artistic drama, but the publicity tended to play coyly on the possibility of a homosexual romance between the retired film director James Whale, played by Ian McKellen and his hunky gardener Clayton Boone (Brendan Fraser). While the film does involve romance, the central relationship between the director and his gardener is about the development of a genuine friendship between two outwardly dissimilar but inwardly kindred spirits. In the story, Whale has been living for many years in peaceful, if not entirely contented retirement, under the loving and watchful eye of his contentious and argumentative Hungarian housekeeper (Lynn Redgrave). His earlier celebrity as the director of the original Frankenstein movie and its sequel, The Bride of Frankenstein, results in his being visited occasionally by disagreeable young men who have come to bask in the reminiscences of this creator of two "camp" classics. His reputation as a fairly outrageous homosexual comes into play here, when one particularly unpleasant and effeminate young man comes by seeking cinematic tidbits: the director challenges the boy to a game of stripping off one article of clothing for every revelation he shares about his moviemaking past. He had gotten the boy down to his briefs when he is stricken with one of his ever-recurring bouts of epilepsy, the result of a series of strokes. By way of contrast, while he is clearly interested in his gardener as a sex-object, gradually luring him into ever closer association, the openness and vulnerability of this awkwardly aggressive heterosexual boy inspires him to reveal the history of his heart. It turns out that, like the young man who is modeling for his supposed artworks, he came from a poor and difficult background. By the time naïve gardener learns of the director's homosexuality from the housekeeper, he has been drawn too deeply under the man's spell to stay away from their meetings for long. While the tension between the men never departs, a genuine relationship of caring develops between them. Meanwhile, Whale has been clearly observing the progressive deterioration of his mental faculties, and is increasingly being overwhelmed by vivid memories and visions. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Two hapless stoners who have grown tired rehab become willingly locked into a dangerous scheme to rip off the city's most feared criminal kingpin in this smoked-out comedy starring Danny Masterson and Mekhi Phifer, and rolled in the red-eyed tradition of such Cheech and Chong classics as Up in Smoke. In the world of pot-heads Larry (Masterson) and Rico (Ronnie Warner), the name Mr. Big is a name to be both feared and respected. Thrills are hard to come by these days though, and when Larry and Rico decide to ditch rehab for a shot at the big time, they quickly discover that you don't get a big reputation without playing a big game. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide