Jonathan M. Woodward Movies
Celebrated and vilified in equal measure, the pinup goddess Bettie Page inspired a legion of followers -- and an indecency scandal -- by appearing in a series of nude, sado-masochistic, and/or revealing magazine spreads in the 1950s. An era later, writer/director Mary Harron casts a knowing eye upon the woman who indirectly gave birth to modern pornography in the biopic The Notorious Bettie Page. As a teen, Page (Gretchen Mol) is a smart, plucky girl with ambitions beyond her Tennessee roots. Suffering varying degrees of abuse from her father, her first husband, and suitors of dubious virtue, Page makes her way to New York City, where an amateur photographer discovers her lounging on the beach. It isn't long before images of the shapely brunette reach Irving and Paula Klaw (Chris Bauer and Lili Taylor), brother-and-sister entrepreneurs who publish illicit magazines dedicated primarily to men's fetishes. The casual nudist Page eventually finds herself acquiescing to their requests to don thigh-high boots, whips, and chains, which raise the ire of the smut-fearing senator Estes Kefauver (David Strathairn). The Notorious Bettie Page had its North American premiere at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gretchen Mol, Christopher Bauer, (more)
- 2003
Following her dramatic arrival after Jasmine's defeat (see "Peace Out"), Lilah (Stephanie Romanov) explains her presence at Angel Investigations. Despite having become one of Jasmine's first victims when she died at the hands of the possessed Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter), the late lady lawyer's contract with Wolfram & Hart extends into the afterlife. Now she's been dispatched to make the fang gang an offer: The evil law firm wants Angel (David Boreanaz) and friends to take over its newly restored Los Angeles office. After mocking her longtime foes for having ended world peace -- or at least Jasmine's sinister version thereof -- Lilah taunts them with a glimpse of all the good they might accomplish if given the awesome financial and mystical assets of an interdimensional law firm. Reactions vary, but by the time a limo arrives the next morning, Angel, Wesley (Alexis Denisof), Fred (Amy Acker), Gunn (J. August Richards), and Lorne (Andy Hallett) are all willing to at least hear the pitch. Each team member gets a personalized tour of the newly rebuilt Wolfram & Hart facility -- and a tantalizing glimpse of what his or her role might be in such an organization. Angel's ready to turn the deal down -- despite the offer of key information about recent events in Sunnydale -- when Lilah reveals the whereabouts of his missing son: Connor (Vincent Kartheiser) is getting ready to blow up the unconscious Cordelia and a slew of hostages in a bid to end his own pain and alienation. Angel conducts some stern negotiations and saves the day, but in doing so he loses the only son he'll ever have. Originally broadcast May 7, 2003, on the WB network, "Home" marked season four, episode 22 of the supernatural soap opera. At the time of broadcast, the WB still hadn't announced whether the program would be renewed, so the producers fashioned this episode as either a coda or a cliffhanger for the following season. David Boreanaz would next appear in the final two episodes of Angel's parent series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Another crossover of sorts occurs in the casting of Jonathan M. Woodward as one of Wolfram & Hart's lackeys; the same actor previously played Buffy's vampire sparring partner in "Conversations With Dead People." ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
A plumber looking for love hopes to find romance by impersonating a movie director in this offbeat independent comedy. David Kulovic (Martin Donovan) is a single guy who doesn't have much luck impressing the ladies, a dilemma he attributes to the poor opinion most people have of his trade, plumbing. One day, David is mistaken for a well-known film director, and discovers people, especially women, seem a great deal more friendly toward him when they think he works in the movies. David's case of mistaken identity gives him a brainstorm, and with the help of his pal R.J. (Kevin Carroll), he decides to pass himself off as a struggling independent filmmaker, hoping to meet aspiring actresses at his bogus casting calls. Of course, a filmmaker needs a script, and David swipes one from one of his neighbors, Toni Edelman (Mary-Louise Parker, who is trying to get her own foot in the door of the film business). As it happens, Toni's screenplay happens to be quite good, and soon David's nonexistent project is developing a very real buzz in indie film circles. Seeing this as her big chance at a career in Hollywood, Toni begins coaching David in how to act like a filmmaker in the hopes they can actually get David's phantom picture off the ground. Writer and director John C. Walsh based Pipe Dream in part on his own experiences as he was making his first feature film, Ed's Next Move. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Martin Donovan, Mary-Louise Parker, (more)
- 2002
While on a routine patrol, Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) encounters Holden Webster (Jonathan M. Woodward), a high-school classmate she barely knew, just as he's rising from the grave as a newborn vamp. The slayer and her foe spend more time talking than fighting; Holden's affable demeanor weakens Buffy's emotional defenses, leading her to articulate her deepest insecurities. The vamp's most interesting insights -- that Buffy has a thing for guys who hurt her, and, when it comes to her closest friends, suffers from both a super-power superiority complex and a moral inferiority complex -- aren't nearly as shocking as the revelation that he was sired by Spike (James Marsters). Back at the Summers' house, Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg) pigs out and plays with Buffy's weapons until a series of Poltergeist-like scare tactics reveals the assault of an unseen demon. Dawn fights back against the shadowy threat and eventually receives a chilling message from the shade of her own long-dead mother (Kristine Sutherland). Meanwhile, at the library, Willow (Alyson Hannigan) meets Cassie (Azura Skye), Dawn's recently deceased psychic classmate (see "Help"). The melancholy spirit claims to bear messages from Tara, Willow's late lesbian lover, but Willow sniffs something amiss when Cassie counsels her to kill herself before she loses control of her powers again. Suddenly, Cassie morphs into demon form, spits out a few nasty threats, and disappears, revealing herself to be the same shape-shifting demon who has been tormenting poor Spike all season. As for Buffy's bad-boy vampire ex, he does, indeed, appear to be feasting on human blood again. Even more blood is spilled by returning super-nerd Andrew (Tom Lenk), who ritually murders his compatriot Jonathan (Danny Strong) at the urging of a spirit who claims to be slain super-villain Warren (Adam Busch). Originally broadcast November 12, 2002, on the UPN network, "Conversations With Dead People" marked episode 129 of the cult-favorite series. After the events of this episodes, fans finally figured out that the season's shape-shifting villain is none other than the First Evil, who briefly battled Buffy four years earlier (see "Amends"). ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
American independent filmmaker Jay Craven directs the Vietnam-era coming-of-age drama The Year That Trembled, based on the novel by Scott Lax. Using stock footage along with a traditional narrative, the film takes place in Ohio following the 1970 student murders at Kent State. Right after high school, best friends Casey (Jonathan Brandis), Jim (Charlie Finn), and Phil (Sean Nelson) move into a cottage with activist-on-the-run Judy Woods (Meredith Monroe). The cottage is next door to their former teacher Helen (Marin Hinkle), who gets fired for her antiwar activities. Her husband, Charlie Kerrigan (Jonathan M. Woodward), is a lawyer torn between his moral opposition to the war and his own ambitions. Also starring Fred Willard, Martin Mull, and Henry Gibson. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jonathan Brandis, Meredith Monroe, (more)
- 2002
Two years after its cancellation, the long-running TV mystery series Diagnosis Murder briefly resurfaced in this two-hour "movie." Dick Van Dyke returned to the role of crime-solving medico Dr. Mark Sloan who, at the beginning of the story, is basking in the glow of his daughter Carol's (Stacy Van Dyke) marriage to Arabian-American Anton (Fahan Tahir). Not long afterward, however, Mark receives a frantic phone call from Carol who was stranded with her husband in a remote small town. Upon his own arrival in the village, Mark was forced to confront the horrible prospect that Carol and Anton might have been murdered. With the help of his police-detective son Steve (Barry Van Dyke), his fellow doctors Jesse (Charlie Schlatter) and Amanda (Victoria Rowell), Mark tried to get to the bottom of his daughter's disappearance -- and in the process, he unearthed a hotbed of intrigue, treachery, race hatred, and political corruption. The more tragic elements of the story were leavened by the presence of Dick Van Dyke's grandson, Carey Van Dyke, as a clumsy thief. Filmed in the spring of 2001, Diagnosis Murder: A Town Without Pity was aired by CBS on February 6, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Mike Nichols directs Emma Thompson in this made-for-cable adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning drama by Margaret Edson. Thompson plays Vivian Bearing, a college professor who teaches a course on English poetry. Vivian learns that she has advanced ovarian cancer and only a short time to live, which gives her a sudden and dramatic insight into the importance of kindness and compassion. Wit also features Christopher Lloyd, Eileen Atkins, Audra McDonald, and Jonathan Woodward as Dr. Jason Posner, a former student of Vivian's who helps treat her. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emma Thompson, Christopher Lloyd, (more)
