José García Hernández Movies
For his sophomore effort, director Gary Ross re-teams with Tobey Maguire and William H. Macy, stars of his directorial debut Pleasantville, for this depression-era sports drama about the legendary racehorse, Seabiscuit. Unlike 1949's fictionalized The Story of Seabiscuit starring Shirley Temple, this version attempts to present a factual account of the story, which centers around the three men who saw the famed horse to victory. Jeff Bridges stars as Charles Howard, an entrepreneur who owns the unlikely racehorse. Howard teams with partially blind boxer-turned-jockey Red Pollard (Maguire in his first performance since annihilating the 2002 box-office in Spider-Man) and horse trainer Tom Smith (Chris Cooper fresh off his best-supporting actor Oscar for Adaptation). Together, the three work to help the famed horse to several symbolic victories that helped to inspire a downtrodden 1930s America. The supporting cast, headed by Macy, includes Elizabeth Banks (Spider-Man) and real-life jockeys Gary Stevens and Chris McCarron. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tobey Maguire, Jeff Bridges, (more)
- 2000
A rivalry between two actors proves to have dangerous consequences in this drama from Spain. Daniel (Federico Luppi) is the star of a popular television series who is interested in more prestigious work. and longs to appear on the legitimate stage. Daniel is lobbying for the leading role in Divertimento, a well-known play that made a star of leading man Bernardo Gabler (Francisco Rabal). When Daniel pays a visit to the theater where the play is being staged, he discovers to his surprise that Bernardo is waiting for him. Bernardo is not at all eager to turn over his signature role to another actor and insists on putting Daniel through a punishing audition, which turns out to be the least of Daniel's problems when Bernardo forces him to help hide a corpse, implicating him in a murder Bernardo claims to have committed. Divertimento also features Sonia Castelo and Pastor Rodriguez Feal. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Francisco Rabal, Federico Luppi, (more)
