Kari Matchett Movies
Where does legitimate concern end and paranoia begin? A man finds himself walking that fine line in this tense independent drama. Terry Allen (Peter Krause) is an accountant who lives a seemingly ordinary life until he loses his job. Unable to buy the new house he was hoping to get for his fiancée, Marla (Kari Matchett), Terry spends most of time in his apartment, looking for job leads, sending out resumés, and feeling increasingly powerless. As Terry watches more and more stories about the war on terror on cable news channels, he begins developing an intense suspicion of his new neighbor Gabe Hassan (Khaled Abol Naga), an Arab exchange student. Terry notices Gabe keeps late hours, takes out his trash in the middle of the night, and has a lot of visitors of Middle Eastern descent dropping by his flat, and slowly Terry becomes convinced Gabe is involved in terrorist activities. Terry visits Tom Hillary (Richard Schiff), an FBI agent, and tells him about Gabe and his habits; Tom doesn't pay much attention to what Terry has to say, and convinced danger lurks, he decides to take the law into his own hands. Civic Duty received its world premiere at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Krause, Kari Matchett, (more)
- 2005
As anyone with even a nodding acquaintance with Star Trek can tell you, the (future) birthplace of Captain James T. Kirk is Riverside, Iowa. But how many of those people could tell that there really is a Riverside, Iowa, population 928? It is this cozy little farming community that serves as the locale of the four-part Spike TV reality series, Invasion Iowa. Imagine the surprise and delight of the Riverside citizenry when William Shatner himself shows up in town, ostensibly to film a big-budget sci-fi epic titled "Invasion Iowa," in which he is to star as "Colonel Shane Yeager." And not only Shatner, but a veritable army of filmmakers likewise descend upon Riverside, including Shatner's personal "spiritual advisor" Steve, short-tempered female studio executive Max, vainglorious leading lady Gryffyn, clumsy production assistant Herb, and Shatner's body double (and favorite nephew), Tiny. As the people of Riverside open their hearts, their homes and their businesses to the visitors from Hollywood, not a single one of them suspects that the entire affair is a hoax: there is no film in production called "Invasion Iowa" -- and except for Shatner, the movie personnel are all phonies! Of course, this being Spike TV, the cruel deception is played for all it is worth (and the worth is considerable!), climaxing with the episode in which we get to savor the reactions of the locals when they find out they've been hoodwinked. Debuting March 29, 2005, Invasion Iowa ended its brief run, appropriately enough, on the first of April. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Shatner, William Fichtner, (more)
- 2004
Having lived a respectable and rather dull existence for most of his time on earth, database designer Frank Griffin (Joe Mantegna) is rudely awakened from his ennui when his wife Ellen (Jean Smart) announces that she is having an affair and wants a divorce. Although the couple agrees to stay together for the present out of respect for their daughter Zoe (Jordy Benattar), it is clearly going to be an unhappy Christmas for Frank. In his efforts to get his mind off his problems, Frank signs up to be a volunteer Santa Claus, subjecting himself to a curious training regimen conducted by a relentlessly optimistic fellow named Ozzy (Charles Durning). Although his first Santa experiences are grueling, Frank finds a kindred spirit in photographer Donna (Kari Matchett), who has similarly split from her husband and is raising her son Gabe (Andrew Chalmers) by herself. In his efforts to help Donna and to patch up his own domestic troubles, Frank begins to wonder if he should consider a future not with Ellen but with Donna. . .and that's only the beginning of the story. A few mildly risqué scenes notwithstanding, A Very Married Christmas proved to be suitable family fare when it was first broadcast by CBS on December 5, 2004. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In the tradition of such elliptical thrillers as The Dead Zone and Memento, prolific television director Michael Watkins' tense tale of murder and intrigue is certain to have viewers firmly planted on the edge of their seats. Physics professor J.T. Neumeyer (Timothy Hutton) is well-renowned for his extensive knowledge and exceptional teaching skills. When J.T. receives a police file detailing his own murder, he notes that the report is dated five days into the future -- triggering a frantic race against the clock to solve the time-bending mystery and escape death's ever-tightening grip. If he had any doubts of the report's validity, any questions are soon put to rest when events in his life begin to mirror those of the ominous report. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Timothy Hutton, Randy Quaid, (more)
In this Canadian-filmed sequel to (what else?) The Cube, eight strangers awaken in a cube-shaped room with no idea of where they've come from or how they arrived. All they do know is that they've been plunged into a fourth-dimensional netherworld where all physical laws seem to be made up as they go along. Presented with cryptic clues as to the nature of their plight, the tiny group desperately tries to find a way out of their constantly shape-shifting environment, certain that if they don't escape, they will die slow but spectacular deaths. First shown at the Fantasy Filmfest in Munich, Germany, in the summer of 2002, Cube 2: Hypercube bounced around the sci-fi festival circuit until its American cable TV debut over the Sci-Fi Channel on April 5, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
A mockumentary based on the concept that love has an expiration date, 19 Months follows a fictional documentary crew as they trace the relationship of Rob (Benjamin Ratner) and Melanie (Angela Vint), a couple who have agreed to break off their relationship after the eponymous period has passed. Drawn together by the theory that if the relationship is ended before jealousy and boredom set in then the relationship has been a success, Rob and Melanie plan to express all of their passion and emotion for one another in a brief but precious period of time. As the final week of their relationship draws to its mutually agreed upon conclusion and the couple's planned separation draws nearer, this situation gradually becomes more complex than either may have initially anticipated. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Ratner, Angela Vint, (more)
A woman coming to terms with her husband's death discovers his killer has run afoul of a violent crime in this detective drama. Joanne Kilbourn (Wendy Crewson) is a former police detective who left the force to teach criminology after the unsolved murder of her husband, Ian (Edward Jaunz). The investigation into Ian's death gets taken off the back burner when a suspect is arrested, Kevin Tarpley (Christopher Bolton); while Kevin claims to be innocent, he knows enough about the case to have raised the suspicions of police. Just when Joanne thinks her husband's killer may finally be brought to justice, Kevin is killed by a gunman as he's brought to the police station. After a strange visit by Kevin's wife Maureen (Kari Matchett), Joanne begins looking into Kevin's life and death, and discovers not all of her late husband's friends are willing to help her with her private investigation. Criminal Instincts: A Colder Kind of Death also stars Victor Garber, Teri Garr, and Robin Dunne. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wendy Crewson, Robin Dunne, (more)
- 1997
Middle-class mom Rose Earl (Kate Jackson) has always had an excellent relationship with her son Bobby (Drew Ebersole), but ever since he entered college (the first in his family to do so) they have been drifting apart. Blame for this rift could very likely be levied upon the "bad crowd" with whom Bobby is travelling. Rose's premonition that her son's new friends aren't the right kind of kids is aroused by several pungent clues, notably her son's sudden academic slump in his sophomore year, and his ever-growing fascination with firearms. Then one morning, the boy completely disappears--whereupon one of his "buddies" surfaces with the claim that Bobby is on the lam from the law. Rose doesn't buy this, and she intends to uncover the truth as to what happened to her son. Originally telecast January 28, 1997 on CBS, the made-for-TV What Happened to Bobby Earl? is based on a true story, the outcome of which is rather bluntly given away by the film's cable-TV rerun title Murder in a College Town. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A priest has been murdered in the neighborhood of Inspector Paul Fein's youth, and it's up to the seasoned cop to crack the case in director David Greene's entry into the tense Family of Cops series. It's not going to be easy going back to the streets of his childhood, but despite the demons that linger in the shadows of every corner, this is one case he's not willing to let slip through the cracks. With all evidence pointing to the Russian Mafia as being responsible for the crime, Inspector Fein searches desperately for a witness who's willing to talk. As fear tightens its grip on the scared Russian community of Milwaukee, bodies continue to pile up and an unspoken code of silence threatens to stonewall the investigation. Now, with both his life and the lives of his family hanging in the balance, Inspector Fein must make the decision to pull back, or press forward and pray that the killer won't get to him before he gets to them. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Bronson, Angela Featherstone, (more)
Just in case the title didn't spill the beans, this made-for-TV nail-biter was based on a novel by Steve Martini. In the midst of a bitter child-custody battle with her former husband, Jack (Richard Masur), Laurel Vega (Patricia Richardson) is accused of murdering Jack's new, pregnant wife, Melanie (Allison Mackie). Although he knows Laurel is innocent, Jack lies to the police, using his clout as a senator to rid himself of Laurel once and for all. She, in turn, could clear herself in a minute by revealing the name of the real murderer -- but she can't without ruining the life of her 16-year-old son, Danny (Eric Michael Cole). Caught in the middle of this intrigue is Paul Madriani (Brian Dennehy), Laurel's defense attorney -- and, incidentally, her brother-in-law. With more twists and turns than a mountain trail, the two-part, four-hour Steve Martini's Undue Influence pleased the crowd when it first aired over CBS on September 15, and 17, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Dennehy, Patricia Richardson, (more)
