Ryan Murphy Movies
- 2010
A woman who once made it her goal in life to marry and rear a family finds her priorities suddenly shifting in director Ryan Murphy's adaptation of author Elizabeth Gilbert's best-selling memoir. In the eyes of many, Gilbert was a woman who had it all -- a loving husband, a great apartment, and a weekend home -- but sometimes one realizes too little too late that they haven't gotten what they truly wanted from life. On the heels of a painful divorce, the woman who had previously looked forward to a contented life of domesticated bliss sets out to explore the world and seek out her true destiny. Brad Pitt and Dede Gardner produce a film starring Pretty Woman and Erin Brockovich beauty Julia Roberts. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julia Roberts, Javier Bardem, (more)
- 2009
Anthony Hopkins plays the master of suspense in Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho, a biopic helmed by Nip/Tuck creator Ryan Murphy. Helen Mirren plays spouse/collaborator Alma Reville from a script by John McLaughlin in this Media Rights Capital production. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, (more)
Propelled into the path of an oncoming train by a nightmarish creature that stalks the darkness, an ordinary American finds himself forced to die a new death every day until he can solve the mystery of his own life in this installment of the 2007 After Dark Horrorfest. As the speeding lights rushed towards him, Ian Stone thought he was experiencing his last moments. Having inexplicably survived the frightening incident, Ian is born into a new existence that is completely different despite the fact that he still feels strangely familiar. Soon enough, Ian is thrown into the clutches of death yet again. Upon realizing that he is being stalked by a strange supernatural presence and that he will die a new death every day until he unlocks the lingering secrets of his own life, Ian Stone attempts to thwart death long enough to uncover the hidden truth about his own identity. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mike Vogel, Jaime Murray, (more)
Screen newcomer Joseph Cross portrays Augusten Burroughs in director Ryan Murphy's film adaptation of author Burroughs' best-selling personal memoir of the same name. A child of the 1970s whose alcoholic father Norman (Alec Baldwin) and delusional, unpublished poet mother Deidre (Annette Benning) serve as the dictionary definition of the word "dysfunctional," Augusten is sent by his mother to live with her eccentric psychiatrist Dr. Finch (Brian Cox) when his disagreeable parents ultimately decide terminate their turbulent marriage. Suddenly thrust into an environment that is as unfamiliar as it is unpredictable, young Augusten forms a curious relationship with the doctor's two whimsical daughters while learning to adapt and survive under even the most unusual of circumstances. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Annette Bening, Brian Cox, (more)
- 2005
Season 3 of FX Network's darkly comic medical drama gets under way with Christian (Julian McMahon) still haunted by the Carver attack, and a seasoned British detective (Rhona Mitra) stepping in to take over the case. Meanwhile, Christian and Sean (Dylan Walsh) prepare to perform surgery on an obese woman, and Julia sets into motion divorce proceedings against Sean. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2005
His true identity finally revealed when he attacks a sorority house, the Carver frantically plots a last-minute revenge as Ariel's dad kidnaps Matt and Cherry, forcing Matt to make a potentially deadly decision. Meanwhile, Julia is distressed to discover that there may be an unexpected complication with her baby. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Following up the 2002 horror flick Wes Craven Presents: They, director Robert Harmon took on this cat-and-mouse thriller written by Craig Mitchell and Hans Bauer, the writing team behind 1999's Komodo. Jim Caviezel stars as Rennie, a man who suddenly finds his life destroyed by tragedy when his wife is murdered by a mysterious serial killer (Colm Feore). The culprit, it seems, is a psychopath with a penchant for hunting down and killing random women, using his green 1972 Cadillac El Dorado as his weapon. With revenge on his mind, Rennie sets out on the road in search of the elusive car and its homicidal driver. Along the way, Rennie meets a singer named Molly (Rhona Mitra) who suddenly finds herself embroiled in his unending quest for retribution. Frankie Faison also stars. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Caviezel, Rhona Mitra, (more)
- 2003
Billed as "a disturbingly perfect drama," Nip/Tuck is set in south Florida, where doctors Sean McNamara (Dylan Walsh) and Christian Troy (Julian McMahon) have built their own medical practice and are enjoying great success as the premier plastic surgeons of the area. Though physical perfection is their business, their private lives are far from flawless. Christian is an unabashed womanizer and uses sex to fill the void left by his abusive father, while Sean continuously tries to live up to the morally righteous standard he has set for himself only to fall repeatedly into personal hypocrisy and guilt. He certainly does so with Julia (Joely Richardson), his wife -- their seemingly ideal marriage is perilously close to crumbling beneath their feet and both constantly look outside of one another for what is missing from their lives. Though Christian catches a lot of flack from the McNamaras for his playboy ways -- which are, to be sure, emotionally abusive -- Sean and Julia are hardly innocent. Sean flirted with the idea of an affair when Dr. Grace Santiago (Valerie Cruz) joined McNamara-Troy and actually realized one with a patient of his; Julia, meanwhile, is harboring the secret of Matt's paternity. Matt, the McNamara's teenaged son, is carrying a burden of his own -- in addition to dealing with the trials and tribulations of adolescence, Matt was involved in a hit-and-run car accident and has been hiding his role in it ever since. Tying everything together is the string of patients filing into McNamara-Troy each day, whose physical imperfections more often than not force Sean and Christian to take a hard look at their internal ugliness. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- 2003
In the pilot episode of Nip/Tuck, Sean finds himself increasingly frustrated with his boring marriage and plastic surgery business, which, to his dismay, doesn't take pro bono cases. On the other end of the spectrum is Christian Troy; busy pursuing every beautiful woman south Florida has to offer. Dr. Troy has no problem accepting 300,000 dollars from a sketchy client who more than likely is paying for this procedure with drug money. While Sean and Christian fight over how they want to run the business, Julia questions whether she gave up her life when she married Sean and had their son, Matt. Elsewhere, Escobar(Robert La Sardo), the head of a drug ring, makes plans to abduct Christian in hopes of finding out the whereabouts of Perez(Geoffrey Rivas), the rival drug dealer who had approached McNamara-Troy about surgery. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- 2003
Sean agrees to schedule a circumcision for his 16-year-old son, Matt, provided that Matt agrees to be open with him from that point on. At the office, Sean and Christian argue over the hiring of Grace, who Christian feels unnecessarily turned away Nanette Babcock, a prospective client. Trouble doesn't really strike, however, until Sean accidentally leaves a medical tool in a client's body after a tummy tuck; Mrs. Grubman(Ruth Williamson), who is obsessed with aging and furious with Christian's insistence that she not return for more surgery, threatens to sue McNamara-Troy unless they give her whatever procedure she wants. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- 2003
Still reeling from the death of Perez(Robert La Sardo), Sean and Christian try to readjust to their old lives and hire a psychologist to talk to potential patients during their consultations. After Christian's original hire doesn't work out, Sean hires Dr. Grace Santiago, who immediately begins making waves throughout the business. Julia is dismayed to find Christian having a threesome with two of his clients -- Mandi (Caitlin Dahl) and Randi(Sal Landi), identical twins -- and puts all thoughts of an extramarital affair out of her head. Elsewhere, a self-conscious Matt tries to circumcise himself, but passes out after the first snip. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- 2003
Though Christian is sad to learn that Kimber is engaged to Merril and in the throes of cocaine addiction, he has bigger fish to fry; namely, Escobar (Robert La Sardo), who is still blackmailing the doctors into helping him transport heroin into the United States. Sean is nearly driven to the edge, and sets off to kill Escobar after learning that he had threatened Julia -- once there, however, he agrees to give the drug lord a new face provided that Escobar never contact them again. Meanwhile, Christian is met with a rather unpleasant surprise in the delivery room when Gina gives birth to an African-American baby. Despite his lack of paternity, Christian immediately falls in love with the child and vows to be a good father to him. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- 2003
Under the influence of marijuana, Matt and a friend of his accidentally hit a passing student while arguing over what radio station to listen to in the car. When they can't find a body, they convince themselves that they had probably hit a very large bird and leave the scene of an accident. The next morning, however, Matt finds out through a newspaper article that they had hit a schoolmate of theirs named Cara Fitzgerald(Alyson Reed), who is now in critical condition. Once Sean realizes Cara's family's religion prevents them from agreeing to necessary surgical procedures, he threatens to sue for medical custody and reconstructs Cara's face pro bono. Elsewhere, Christian is horrified to realize that a man who had requested to have a birthmark removed from his genitals is actually a child molester who was only concerned that the offending mark would give his victims enough proof to identify him to the authorities, and Grace realizes that Megan and Sean are having an affair. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- 2003
Sean and Christian are both shaken when they must perform plastic surgery on cadavers as part of their test to continue their medical practice. Elsewhere, Sean is rocked by the news that Megan's cancer is terminal and ponders the moral implications of helping her commit suicide. Julia finds out about the affair, but isn't sure of how to react -- part of her is furious, part of her pities Megan, and she can't help but acknowledge that she nearly had an affair with Jude(Phillip Rhys). ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Joe G.M. Chan's subtly humorous Not a Day Goes By follows the surreal events surrounding a young, aimless Asian man's life just after the death of his mother. A sometime bookstore employee and resident of New York's Chinatown, Wolfgang finds himself wandering aimlessly from conversation to conversation, trying to come to terms with the death of his mother as well as other seemingly non-related life events that have recently occurred to him. The young Asian recalls past conversations and arguments with his domineering and ultra-traditional mother, as well as the particularly painful break-up with his ex-girlfriend -- who abandoned him in favor of a Caucasian man. Both his deceased mother and his ex-girlfriend seem to have had enormous sway over Wolfgang's sense of identity and both of these events force him to reconsider how he will live his life from this day forward. Not a Day Goes By was selected for viewing at the 2002 Asian American International Film Festival. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry Chin, Joey Chin, (more)
One of the most talked-about movies of the 2000 Sundance Film Festival, this film, directed by Jon Shear, recalls the edgy, aggressively-political qualities of early '90s queer cinema such as Poison (1991) and Swoon (1991) -- and throws in a few nods to Martin Scorsese's late-night New York City odyssey film After Hours (1985) for good luck. Dashing young yuppie Charlie (Dan Futterman) is losing control of his life after the loss of his longtime companion Chris (Matt Keeslar). Alone in his apartment, he can hear his upstairs neighbors (Bill Sage and Megan Dodds) engage in noisy lovemaking that leaves him lonely, frustrated, and aroused. He wanders the neon-drenched streets of Manhattan at night as if he were a wraith. Later, at a bar with the amorous couple, the trio get into a loud, ugly argument about public displays of affection. Around this same time, Charlie notices a mysterious, tattooed stranger, and the two exchange looks. Intrigued, Charlie sets out looking for the man, and in the process, he launches himself on a nightmarish journey through the underside of New York. He happens upon an increasingly odd array of people, each telling progressively more bizarre tales that are purportedly true. German actress Barbara Sukowa appears in a cameo in which she tells Charlie of a sexual tryst she had in a bar's restroom. Alan Cumming appears as a friend who has a crush on Charlie, while Lothaire Bluteau plays a stammering bum. Soon reality and fiction, straight and gay all fuse and blur in Charlie's increasingly troubled psyche. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dan Futterman, Alan Cumming, (more)
The popular memoir by Pulitzer prize-winning author Willie Morris became this family comedy-drama about a boy and his dog. Young Willie Morris (Frankie Muniz) is a shy eight-year-old in 1942 Yazoo, MS, who is more comfortable reading than playing sports. A target for local bullies, Willie's only real pal is his older next-door neighbor Dink Jenkins (Luke Wilson), once the town's living sports legend and a big brother figure to Willie, an only child. When Dink is shipped overseas for service in World War II, Willie's mother Ellen (Diane Lane) finally forces his gruff father Jack (Kevin Bacon) to allow into the family a pet dog, a Jack Russell terrier named Skip. The smart and playful Skip gets his owner into a series of adventures on the baseball field and with a band of moonshiners, quickly turning Willie into a popular, accepted kid who even wins the affections of the school's prettiest girl, Rivers Applewhite (Caitlin Wachs). In the meantime, Dink returns from war branded a coward for an incident that occurred in combat but finds an unexpected ally in the normally taciturn Jack, a fellow veteran. Harry Connick Jr. narrated as the adult Willie; the role of Skip was played in later scenes by Moose, the pooch star of television's Frasier. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frankie Muniz, Diane Lane, (more)
- 1999
Debuting September 29, 1999, the weekly, hour-long WB series Popular was frequently described as a "satire" or "send-up" of the heavy-breathing teen angst genre. This, of course, did not prevent many fans from taking the series' incredible plot twists and turns with the utmost seriousness. The show's basic conflict boiled down to the age-old struggle between the cool and the uncool. The scene was Jacqueline Kennedy High School (where the school paper was called the "Zapruder Reporter"!), where the acknowledged social arbiter was the disgustingly popular Brooke McQueen (Leslie Bibb), captain of the school's "Glamazon" cheerleading squad. Brooke, of course, was also the leader of the school's coolest clique, numbering among its members her football-star boyfriend, Josh Ford (Bryce Johnson), and her two best friends, über-bitch Nicole Julian (Tammy Lynn Michaels) and shallow, borderline-psychotic Mary Cherry (Leslie Grossman). Annoyed by Brooke's smug supremacy, Samantha "Sam" McPherson (Carly Pope), resident intellectual, crusading journalist-in-training, and tireless campaigner for social equality, formed her own "anti-clique," including nerdy, self-conscious Harrison John (Christopher Gorham), plain and portly Carmen Ferrara (Sara Rue), and firebrand activist Lily Esposito (Tamara Mello). Alas, the battle lines between the two factions were blurred when Sam's widowed mother, Jane (Lisa Darr), fell in love with Brooke's divorced dad, Mike (Scott Bryce), forcing the two bitter rivals to live under the same roof. Even after Jane and Mike broke up, Sam and Brooke found themselves bound together by family ties when Jane gave birth to Mike's baby. This unholy and undesired alliance served also to break down the barriers between the other members of the two cliques, resulting in some truly surprising romantic couplings and unpredictable alliances. Its title and its fan following notwithstanding, Popular was not popular enough to warrant any more than two seasons on the WB schedule. Even so, the producers obviously hoped that there'd be a last-minute reprieve for the series, as witness its final episode on May 18, 2001, which concluded with a tense cliffhanger, leaving the fates of four principal characters hanging perilously in the balance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
