Novie Edwards Movies
Lots of people have misgiving about their in-laws, but in this offbeat comedy, a man discovers that his new son-in-law's father is significantly stranger than he's able to deal with. Jerry Peyser (Albert Brooks) is a well-meaning but slightly anal-retentive podiatrist who doesn't much care for surprises in his life. When his daughter Melissa (Lindsay Sloane) announces she's going to marry her boyfriend, Mark Tobias (Ryan Reynolds), Jerry figures that helping his wife plan the wedding and getting through the ceremony is as much excitement as he needs or wants. However, when Jerry and his wife, Katherine (Maria Ricossa), meet Mark's father for the first time, Steve Tobias (Michael Douglas) ends up taking Jerry on the ride of his life. Both Mark and Steve's ex-wife, Judy (Candice Bergen), seem to have a decidedly ambivalent attitude about Steve, and Jerry finds out why -- Steve is actually an undercover agent for the CIA. In the guise of doing Steve a favor, Jerry gets dragged into a strange and dangerous episode involving international arms dealers, French super-villains, heavily armed men's room attendants, and a stolen private jet belonging to Barbra Streisand, as well as several less-than-pleasant encounters with Angela (Robin Tunney), Steve's colleague in espionage who doesn't trust Jerry. The In-Laws was adapted from the memorable 1979 comedy of the same name, in which Alan Arkin and Peter Falk played the mismatched fathers. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Douglas, Albert Brooks, (more)
- 2002
Cyberchase is an animated series produced for PBS stations that teaches mathematical concepts as it entertains. As the title might imply, Cyberchase is set in the world of cyberspace, which is maintained and protected by the kindly Motherboard, a computer with a commitment to keeping cyberspace healthy and orderly. At some point in the past, Motherboard -- presumably with the help of the somewhat humanoid Dr. Marbles, a scientific genius -- banished a being known as Hacker to exile in the farthest reaches of cyberspace. (At that time, she also gained a well-meaning, if occasionally dense, cyberbird known as Digit, who used to work for the evil Hacker.) Hacker is the antithesis of Motherboard and desires chaos over order, and his ambition is to dethrone Motherboard and make cyberspace over in his chaotic image. Escaping from his imprisonment, he launches a virus at Motherboard that Marbles contains, but not before it damages her encryptochip. Thus begins a quest to restore Motherboard to her fully functioning self, while, at the same time, battling Hacker. To do this, three Earth kids -- Matt, Jackie, and Inez -- are periodically brought to cyberspace, where their courage, brains, and intuition are constantly called upon. The kids, along with Digit and Marbles, travel to a variety of cybersites, such as the Western-themed Sensible Flats, the horrific Castle Blanca, and the undersea Aquarium, where they utilize basic math to solve the problems at hand. Aimed at children aged eight to 11, Cyberchase also features a stand-alone, live-action segment called For Real, in which a teenaged girl or boy reinforces the concept discussed in the animated segment. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Lloyd, Gilbert Gottfried, (more)
The blurry line between a rumor and the truth is stretched to the breaking point in this drama. Three arrogant and self-centered college students, Jones (Lena Headey), Derek (James Marsden), and Travis (Norman Reedus), are brought together for a class project, in which they decide to start a rumor and keep track of how it spreads. Looking for possible gossip material, they see Naomi (Kate Hudson), a girl known for her high-minded views on saving sex for marriage, drunkenly making out with Bo (Joshua Jackson) at a party. The three students begin passing around the rumor that Naomi became a victim of date rape later that evening, embroidering the truth with allegations that Bo forcibly seduced Naomi after she was too inebriated to put up a fight. Before long, the rumor makes its way back to Naomi herself, who suffered a black-out on the night in question after too much alcohol. Naomi panics, and convinced that the rumor is true, contacts the police, who assign Detective Kelly (Sharon Lawrence) to investigate the charges of rape filed against Bo. Featuring a cast of young actors best known for their work on television, Gossip was an appropriate first feature film for director Davis Guggenheim, who previously distinguished himself on such TV series as ER, NYPD Blue, and Party of Five. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eric Bogosian, Marisa Coughlan, (more)
