Tim Hopper Movies

William Shakespeare's timeless tale of star-crossed lovers echoes through the animal kingdom in this documentary following two Macaque monkeys from rival clans who attempt to mate in the scenic Thai mountain town of Lopburi. Despite the fact that these two soul-mate monkeys are able to see past the differences that keep their respective clans from intermingling, the other members of the opposed groups do their best to thwart the union by hurtling various objects in the direction of the poor primates as they attempt to mate. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Three women whose lives have followed very different paths ponder their pasts and their futures in this omnibus film from second-time director Rebecca Miller, adapted from her acclaimed short story collection of the same name. Delia (Kyra Sedgwick) grew up in a fractured household; her mother abandoned the family when Delia was a child, and her father (Brian Tarantina) was a drug-addled loser who could barely be prodded off the couch. When she entered adolescence, Delia realized that she could use her body to get men to do as she pleased. While this gained her a feeling of power and self-sufficiency, it also earned her a reputation as the "class slut," and the end product was her marriage to Kurt (David Warshofsky). Greta (Parker Posey) is the daughter of a successful lawyer (Ron Leibman) who left her mother when she was young and offered Greta criticism rather than affection. Plagued with self-doubt, Greta is squandering her literary talents editing cookbooks and is married to Lee (Tim Guinee. When Thavi (Joel de la Fuente), a respected and successful young novelist, asks Greta to edit his next novel, it forces her to reassess herself on a number of levels. Finally, Paula (Fairuza Balk), yet another product of a fractured family, ran away from her mother and was homeless until she met Vincent (Seth Gilliam), who took her in and became her boyfriend. A year later, Paula is uncertain in her feelings about Vincent, unsettled to learn that she's pregnant, and startled after witnessing a murder while out clubbing with a friend; she hits the road again, and soon picks up a fellow alienated teen, Kevin (Lou Taylor Pucci), who bears the scars of a recent -- and very brutal -- beating. Personal Velocity: Three Portraits was honored with the Grand Jury Prize at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A gay councilman is murdered, leading detectives Logan (Chris Noth) and Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) to question such "probables" as the dead man's roommate, Joe Gibb (Michael Lichtenstein), and a married man (Robert Joy) with whom the decedent might have had a brief affair. When the investigation narrows down to Councilman Kevin Crossley (Daniel Hugh Kelly) who, despite his outspoken homophobia, insists that he was a good friend of the victim, an outraged Logan completely loses his cool. Suffice to say that this final fifth-season Law & Order episode also represented the last regular appearance of co-star Chris Noth. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Native American history got the Disney treatment in this biography aimed at younger audiences. Adam Beach stars as Squanto, an Eastern Massachusetts native of the 17th century, who befriends the English settlers who are starting to colonize the region. Naively trusting his new friends, Squanto and his best friend Epenow (Eric Schweig) offer to help some sailors load a vessel that's departing for England. The two Indians are shanghaied and taken across the ocean to serve as sideshow attractions for the greedy owner (Michael Gambon) of the shipping line. Squanto quickly escapes and finds refuge in a nearby cloister, where he is protected by the kindly monks, in particular Brother Daniel (Mandy Patinkin), who teaches Squanto to speak English. Squanto learns of a ship carrying more settlers to the New World, so he stows away and returns to his homeland, where he finds that his village has been wiped out by disease brought by the colonists. Nevertheless, Squanto brokers a peace deal between his hostile brothers and the settlers, and they celebrate the first Thanksgiving together. Beach went on to star in the Native American drama Smoke Signals (1998). ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Terrence McNally's stage play Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune was a two-character piece, which starred Kathy Bates and F. Murray Abraham on Broadway. Garry Marshall's film version of the McNally play streamlines the title to Frankie and Johnny, expands the dramatis personae to include at least a dozen fascinating characters, and "glamorizes" the decidedly unglamorous Frankie and Johnny in the forms of Michelle Pfeiffer and Al Pacino (their first co-starring stint since Scarface). Purists carped at the changes, but overall the film is likeable enough to transcend these carps. While serving an 18-month sentence on a forgery charge, Johnny (Al Pacino) discovers the joys of cooking and classical literature. Upon his release, he is hired by gruff but good-hearted New York diner owner Nick (played by Garry Marshall "regular" Hector Elizondo). Also working for Nick is a waitress named Frankie (Michelle Pfeiffer). When Johnny expresses interest in Frankie, she keeps him at arm's length, her mistrust of men stemming from an unmentioned but obviously traumatic experience in her past. Eventually, however, Frankie and Johnny do get together, their curious relationship setting the stage for a dramatic denouement wherein both lovers bare their souls. The bulk of the original McNally play is concentrated in the film's final 20 minutes; the rest of the picture is a kaleidoscope of comic and poignant vignettes and quick-sketch character studies. Of the newly minted characters, the standout is Nathan Lane in the traditional "gay best friend/severest critic" role: he plays the character so effectively that one forgets he's essentially a cliché. As for the stars, Al Pacino is ideally cast as Johnny, but Michelle Pfeiffer, superb though she is, seems a bit ill at ease as the emotionally tattered Frankie; she totally wins the audience's hearts, however, in the film's memorable bowling-alley sequence. Smoothing over the rough spots in Frankie and Johnny is the evocative musical score by Marvin Hamlisch. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This uneven comedy came and went quickly in commercial release. An American triathlete (Mark Neely) trains for an upcoming event, with the main competition coming from a pretty Russian exchange student (Terry Farrell). Billy Barty excels in his character role as a diminutive Russian, and the slapstick rivalry between the two event announcers and some sight gags help but fail to bring this feature to the finish line. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi