Courtney Jines Movies
It's not finishing school or a traditional upbringing that causes ten-year-old Opal to learn about the world outside of her own backyard, but rather a particularly awkward-looking mutt named Winn-Dixie. Based on a novel by Kate DiCamillo, Winn-Dixie and Opal not only become privy to the eventful, if eccentric, lives of their neighbors (including a librarian who fought off a bear with nothing but a novel, a blind woman who claims to "see" with her heart, and a sensitive ex-con turned pet store clerk), but Opal herself manages to reconcile some of the depression left over after her mother had abandoned the family seven years earlier. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- AnnaSophia Robb, Jeff Daniels, (more)
- 2005
Based on a novel by Luanne Rice, this "Hallmark Hall of Fame" production begins in Manhattan at Christmastime. Christopher "Christy" Byrne (Tate Donovan), a Nova Scotian Christmas tree farmer, has arrived in the Big Apple to sell his wares, assisted by his teenaged children Danny (Michael Mitchell) and Bridget (Courtney Jines). After an argument between Christy and Danny sparked by the boy's desire to become a photographer rather than a farmer, Danny runs away, and is eventually befriended by widow Catherine O'Mara (Anne Heche), who had earlier refused to by a tree from the Byrnes family. One year later, a chance meeting brings Catherine and Christy face to face, leading to an extremely tense situation that can be alleviated only by Christy's acceptance of Danny's life goals--and by Catherine overcoming the grief attending the loss of her husband. Weaving throughout the narrative is a "silver bells" promotional stunt staged by the museum for which Catherine works, a stutnt which will (inevitably!) figure prominently in the tearful finale. Silver Bells premiered November 27, 2005, on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anne Heche, Tate Donovan, (more)
The first American theatrically released 3-D movie from a major studio since 1991's Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare, Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over is the third entry in three years in Robert Rodriguez's family-oriented action-adventure series. Along with the four members of the Cortez family, played by Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino, Alexa Vega, and Daryl Sabara, most of the characters from the first two films have returned, including Fegan Floop (Alan Cumming), Romero (Steve Buscemi), Machete (Danny Trejo), Dinky Winks (Bill Paxton), and Donnagon (Mike Judge). This time around, Carmen (Vega) is kidnapped by the evil Toymaker (Sylvester Stallone) and imprisoned inside a virtual-reality game. It's then up to Juni (Sabara) to venture into the game and save his sister from the villain's clutches. The film's three-dimensional segments take place inside the game. Also starring Salma Hayek, Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over is actually the first of two 2003 films directed by Rodriguez that complete a trilogy, the other being Once Upon a Time in Mexico, the third installment in the El Mariachi saga. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Antonio Banderas, Carla Gugino, (more)
- 2003
Weaver (Laura Innes) begins spinning a self-entangling web of deception when she agrees to secretly treat a communicable disease picked up by "closeted" Alderman John Bright (Bruce Weitz). Kovac (Goran Visjnic) resorts to a subterfuge of Biblical proportions to convince a seriously injured patient to accept treatment. And Pratt (Mekhi Phifer) exceeds his authority in order to help the brain-damaged children of a dying woman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
An octogenarian woman, living in squalor surrounded by cats, is found stabbed to death in her decaying house. Grissom (Gil Gerard) and Catherine (Marg Helgenberger) have quite an aromatic time investigating this particular homicide. Meanwhile, two other CSI members, Nick (George Eads) and Sara (Jorja Fox), examine the evidence in a car bombing that may have been pulled off to cover up an earlier killing. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Lindsay Felton stars as Anna Morgan, a teenaged gymnast left paralyzed and wheelchair-bound after a fall. Anna's efforts to adjust to her situation are almost as painful as the accident which brought it about, no small thanks to the well-meaning but rather clumsy efforts by her friends and family to "help" her. As Anna slowly triumphs over tragedy, her parents and siblings also manage to overcome the many day-to-day crises which have caused them to drift apart over the years. The presence of Richard Thomas in the cast was evidence enough that Anna's Dream was produced on behalf of the PAX TV network. The film originally aired on October 4, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Connie Sellecca, Richard Thomas, (more)
An American abroad finds herself falling in with an eccentric group of fellow expatriates in Spain in this comedy. Cassandra (Judy Davis) is a nomadic American who finds herself stranded in Spain, where she's found temporary work translating books into English. However, Cassandra's limited translating skills are not bringing home the bacon, so when she encounters a strange woman named Frankie (Marcia Gay Harden), she's willing to help her find a missing friend for a price. Cassandra soon discovers Frankie isn't a strange woman after all -- she's a man living as a woman in preparation for a future sex change operation. It seems Frankie's significant other, a seriously butch lesbian named Ben (Lili Taylor), has walked out on her and taken their daughter Delilah (Courtney Jines) with her; Frankie wants Cassandra to help her find the two of them. As it turns out, Ben has moved on to new pastures, becoming involved with April (Juliette Lewis), a head-in-the-clouds bohemian, and with the help of wealthy art patron and part-time magician Hamilton Kincaid (Christopher Bowen), Ben, April, and Delilah are happily squatting in a spare wing at La Pedrera, Spain's best-known gallery. As Cassandra tries to persuade Ben to reconcile with Frankie, she gets fast-talked by Hamilton into performing as part of his magic act. Gaudi Afternoon was directed by Susan Seidelman; it was her first dramatic theatrical feature since Cookie in 1989, after spending over a decade making documentaries and television projects. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judy Davis, Marcia Gay Harden, (more)
