Lonnie James Movies
Adapted from what is arguably Jane Austen's most mature and subtlest novel, Persuasion is somewhat more nuanced and restrained than the more frequently adapted Emma and Pride and Prejudice. The protagonist, Anne (Amanda Root), is, by the conventions of society, considered an old maid when she remains unmarried at 27. However, a second chance arrives when her former love, Captain Wentworth (Ciaran Hinds), returns from the Napoleonic Wars. The pair, who hardly speak throughout, are surrounded by the usual assortment of family members, friends, acquaintances, and distant relations, many of them what pass for stock characters in Austen novels. There's the social-climbing parent, the dour upper aristocrat, the scatterbrained younger relatives, and, of course, the apparently suitable suitor who turns out to be all wrong. Of course, Austen's protagonists are never dumb, but Anne, being somewhat older, is also a good deal wiser, and the characters around her accordingly take on greater dimension and subtlety. Naturally, this being an Austen story, all ends well, but the path is somewhat less straightforward than in other films adapted from her work. ~ Genevieve Williams, Rovi
- Starring:
- Amanda Root, Ciarán Hinds, (more)
Director Kenneth Branagh's interpretation of Mary Shelley's classic horror novel stars Robert DeNiro as a terrifying monster created in an obsessive attempt to defeat death and stretch the limits of medicine in the early 19th century. With the use of flashback, a dying Dr. Viktor Frankenstein (Kenneth Branagh) divulges a tale of gruesome terror to a sea captain (Aidan Quinn): As a medical student, the rebellious Frankenstein elaborates on the work of a brilliant scientist (John Cleese), successfully bringing to life a "man" assembled from the body parts of corpses. Upon realizing the destructive consequences of his experiment, Dr. Frankenstein abandons the creature and attempts to return to a normal life with his medical partner, Henry (Tom Hulce), and his fiancée (and adopted sister), Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter). In the meantime, the nameless creature struggles with loneliness and rejection from society until he sets out to track down his creator in search of one of two things: a bride to keep him company or revenge. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994) was produced by Francis Ford Coppola, who previously directed and produced monster-drama Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992). ~ Lisa Kropiewnicki, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert De Niro, Kenneth Branagh, (more)
- 1977
- R
A brilliant African-American scientist transforms a black militant into a super human hero with incredible strength and fantastic mental abilities after moving into an affluent white neighborhood and becoming the victim of racism. All Dr. Kenneth Kincade wanted was to live in a nice neighborhood where his children would be safe and his family could be happy. Unfortunately his bigoted neighbors had other plans. When Dr. Kincade's family is greeted with threats and vandalism, Black Front or Unity leader John Abar (Toblar Mayo) steps in to protect them from the swelling tide of intolerance. Thanks to Abar, Dr. Kincade is able to resume his research into a serum designed to make ordinary men invincible. Later, when racial tensions turn deadly, Dr. Kincade uses the serum on Abar and creates a black superman whose might and mental abilities strike fear into the hearts of intolerant racists everywhere. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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