Dorian Missick
Jeff Daniels, Jon Heder, and Diane Keaton star in director Tim Hamilton's domestic comedy concerning a slacker who finds his status as man of the house challenged when his single mother begins dating a self-help guru. As the influence of youth gradually gives way to the wisdom of age, the stage is set for a confrontation from which only one side can emerge victorious. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jon Heder, Diane Keaton, (more)
An innocent man visiting a friend in New York City becomes embroiled in a dangerous series of events after being mistaken for the very man he has come to the city to see in director Paul McGuigan's labyrinthine murder mystery. Upon arriving at the empty apartment of his old friend Nick, the unassuming Slevin (Josh Hartnett) is troubled to hear the voice of his missing friend's next door neighbor Lindsay (Lucy Liu) expressing concern as to Nick's safety and whereabouts. When Slevin ventures into Lindsay's apartment only to be greeted by the uninviting fist of a thuggish mob henchman, he quickly realizes that Nick is indeed in grave danger. Soon summoned by the big boss and accused of being the deeply indebted Nick, Slevin's attempts to prove his identity are foiled by the fact that his wallet had been stolen upon arrival in the city. With time running out and a complex plot to assassinate one of the city's most powerful crime bosses slowly coming into focus, the arrival of a notorious hit-man named Mr. Goodkat (Bruce Willis) forces Slevin to step up his desperate search and reclaim his identity before he's forced to pay a debt that could cost him his life. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Josh Hartnett, Morgan Freeman, (more)
Frankie L. Faison, Hill Harper, and Zoe Saldana star in director Pete Chatmon's tale of an emerging African American actor who embarks on a frantic race to prevent the love of his life from marrying another man. After being ejected from a casting call for a tempestuous outburst, told by his mother that he will soon be homeless in the city, and discovering that his one-time fiancée is set to be married in just thirty-eight hours, the lovelorn thespian sets out to get his act together and convince his would-be bride that the pair were always meant to be together. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dorian Missick, Zoe Saldana, (more)
- 2006
Originally developed for the WB network, the hour-long drama series Six Degrees ultimately made its debut courtesy of ABC. In the tradition of the Oscar-winning theatrical feature Crash, the series offered a sextet of diverse Manhattanites whose lives intersected in strange and mysterious ways. The title was, of course, derived from the familiar conceit that everyone on the face of the earth is divided by only six degrees of separation (and no, Kevin Bacon did not appear on the show). Filmed on location in New York, the series' multigenerational ensemble cast included Laura (Hope Davis), a single mother grieving over the death of her war-correspondent husband; Steven (Campbell Scott), a washed-up, formerly successful photographer; Whitney (Bridget Moynahan), a publicist who gives Steven a major professional break and also befriends Laura; Carlos (Jay Hernandez), an idealistic public defender; Damian (Dorian Missick), a limo driver and chronic gambler; and "mystery woman" Mae (Erika Christensen), who while on the run from an unknown pursuer was defended by Carlos on a charge of public indecency, and who, while donning one of her many disguises and adopting one of her aliases, was hired by Laura as a nanny -- and who, inevitably, was somehow connected to the troubled Damian. Six Degrees first aired on September 21, 2006. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jay Hernandez, Bridget Moynahan, (more)
Owen (Paul Schneider of All the Real Girls) wants to be a serious writer, but ever since moving to Los Angeles, the only work he can get is co-writing trashy autobiographies for people who'd prefer he omit the unseemly truth, like Bucky (Fred Willard) an egotistical, philandering former astronaut. Owen thinks L.A. is keeping him from achieving his romantic and professional goals, but he can't bring himself to leave. After a big earthquake inspires Owen's manipulative, unfaithful ex-girlfriend to tell him she wants nothing more to do with him, he finally decides to get out of town. He arranges to write a bio for a Princeton physicist, and he tells all his friends and acquaintances the brutal truth, so that he won't be tempted to stay or come back to L.A. He tells his friend and housemate Rob (Dorian Missick) that he can't stand his girlfriend. He admits to Stephanie (Tori Spelling) that his other housemate, Allison (Poppy Montgomery), has always found her attractive, but he neglected to tell Stephanie this because he doesn't like her. But he can't bring himself to say anything unpleasant to his promiscuous bisexual best friend, Allison. Owen is at the airport, ready to board his flight, when he runs into Val (Jennifer Westfeldt of Kissing Jessica Stein), an attractive acquaintance of his ex. She's seeing off her ex-boyfriend, and invites Owen to have coffee, causing him to miss his flight. There's an immediate attraction. Owen is still determined to leave town, and now no one wants him around, but he has to take a few days to prove to himself that things would never work out with Val. How to Lose Your Lover, the feature debut of writer/director/producer Jordan Hawley, had its world premiere at the 2004 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Schneider, Jennifer Westfeldt, (more)
- 2003
As Xander (Nicholas Brendon) recovers at the hospital from having his eye gouged out by evil preacher Caleb (Nathan Fillion), Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) licks her own wounds and deals with the emotional fallout of having dragged her friends and the potentials into an ambush. Meanwhile, the citizens of Sunnydale -- including friendly demon Clem (James C. Leary) -- stage a mass exodus from their apocalypse-plagued town. Stopping by the deserted high school to pick up her things, Buffy again encounters The First's bible-thumping minion. Once more Caleb proves stronger than the Slayer, but Buffy learns some valuable information in the process of getting her butt kicked. Meanwhile, Spike (James Marsters) and Andrew (Tom Lenk) gather additional intelligence when Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) sends them to the site of one of Caleb's earlier atrocities. Back in Sunnydale, the restless potentials get a break from their training when Faith (Eliza Dushku) takes them to the Bronze to blow off some steam. Things turn ugly, however, when sinister cops arrive to arrest -- or kill -- the fugitive slayer. When she learns of the incident, Buffy blows her top, but a surprisingly mature Faith keeps her cool. Later, at a huge strategy session at the house, Buffy tries to convince the others that it's imperative to stage another siege on Caleb's winery hideout. She gets shot down -- not just by the beleaguered potentials, but by Xander, Anya (Emma Caulfield), Willow (Alyson Hannigan), Principal Wood (D.B. Woodside) and even Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg); Spike, Buffy's staunchest ally, is still on reconnaissance. Despite her protests that there's no democracy during wartime, General Buffy finds herself deposed by a popular uprising. As for Faith, she's thrust into the unlikely role of replacement leader while her tearful fellow slayer strikes out on her own. Originally broadcast April 29, 2003, on UPN, "Empty Places" marked episode 141 of the cult-favorite series. The band playing during this episode's Bronze sequence is none other than Nerf Herder, the group that penned Buffy's memorable theme song. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
A woman finds herself attempting to foil one office romance while debating if she should take a chance on another in this romantic comedy. Lucy Kelton (Sandra Bullock) is a top-flight attorney who has risen to the position of Chief Legal Counsel for one of New York's leading commercial real estate firms, the Wade Corporation. However, Lucy's job has one significant drawback -- George Wade (Hugh Grant), the eccentric and remarkably self-centered head of the firm. George seems entirely incapable of making a decision without Lucy's advice, whether it actually involves a legal matter or not, and while she's fond of George, being at his beck and call 24 hours a day has brought her to the end of her rope. In a moment of anger, Lucy gives her two weeks notice, and George reluctantly accepts, under one condition -- Lucy has to hire her own replacement. After extensive research, Lucy picks June Carter (Alicia Witt), a Harvard Law graduate determined to make a career for herself. Lucy soon begins to suspect, however, that June plans to hasten her rise up the corporate ladder by winning George's hand, leaving Lucy to wonder if she should warn George about his beautiful but calculating new attorney -- and whether she should tell George that she has finally realized she's in love with him. Two Weeks Notice was written and directed by Marc Lawrence, who had previously scripted two other box-office hits for Sandra Bullock: Miss Congeniality and Forces of Nature. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sandra Bullock, Hugh Grant, (more)
- 2001
A pregnant loan officer is shot and left for dead in the trunk of a car. Early indications that the woman was the victim of a random carjacking are dismissed when the detectives focus their investigation on the victim's fiancé. As the trail of clues leads to heavily-in-debt basketball star Cris Cody (Kevin Daniels), the woman dies -- while her baby clings desperately to life. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2001
Detective John Clark Jr. (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) is put in the uncomfortable position of choosing between his father, John Sr. (Joe Spano), and his new partner, Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz). Back on the job, John Jr., Andy, Greg (Gordon Clapp), and Baldwin (Henry Simmons) investigate the death of an unstable Rikers correction officer, and a reluctantly teamed Connie McDowell (Charlotte Ross) and Eddie Gibson (John F. O'Donohue) look into another murder. Both cases reach dead ends until the eleventh-hour discovery of a drugstore receipt and a startling confession from an elderly woman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Henry Simmons
