Lake Bell
Eva Longoria Parker, Paul Rudd, and Lake Bell star in first-time feature filmmaker Jeff Lowell's heavenly romantic comedy concerning a female psychic and a doubtful skeptic who find their fledgling love affair thwarted by the latter's recently deceased fiancée. Henry (Rudd) and Kate (Longoria Parker) were all prepared to live out their "happily ever after" when tragedy struck from out of nowhere and Kate was killed on their wedding day. In the aftermath of the accident, a devastated Paul reluctantly takes his sister's advice and pays a visit to local psychic Ashley (Bell). Now, despite the fact that he openly questions her ability to communicate with the dearly departed, Paul can't help but fall head over heels in love with Ashley. Despite the fact that the feelings are most certainly mutual, however, their growing relationship is threatened when Kate makes it her supernatural mission to sabotage the happy couple's fledgling relationship before it starts to get serious. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eva Longoria Parker, Paul Rudd, (more)
Two strangers (Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher) find themselves hitched after a wild night of Las Vegas shenanigans in this 20th Century Fox comedy. Jack Fuller (Kutcher) is a single Manhattanite who can never quite commit to a permanent, long-term relationship and repeatedly hears from his lovers that he "isn't serious boyfriend material." Employed by his father (Treat Williams) at a local furniture business, Jack spends his workdays goofing off by watching sporting events behind dad's back. Joy McNally (Diaz) is faring slightly better; a young, polished urbanite, she juggles a demanding job as a trader on the NYSE with a marital engagement to the impressive Mason (Jason Sudeikis), but has modified her entire life and all of her interests to please her intended.
Coincident with Mr. Fuller's decision to fire his son, Mason severs his engagement to Joy; as a result, both Jack and Joy hit the skids at around the same time and decide to cut their losses by heading out to Vegas. The two accidentally bump into one another when a computer mix-up at the hotel puts them in adjoining rooms; though they begin their acquaintanceship by bickering endlessly, they end up spending a long, drunken night on the town together, and when the sun rises and Joy comes to, she discovers that she unwittingly married Jack in the middle of the night. Alas, just when the two are about to call it quits by filing for divorce after the shortest marriage in history, Jack tosses a coin into a Vegas slot machine and hits a three-million-dollar jackpot -- which naturally pits the newlyweds against one another in an attempt to claim the full share of the money. A conservative local judge, R.D. Whopper (Dennis Miller), then adds the final twist by refusing to grant a divorce until Joy and Jack have given married life a fair shake. In time, the marrieds may just discover that this union isn't as far off the mark as they initially thought. Dennis Farina, Queen Latifah, and Zach Galifianakis round out the supporting cast. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
Coincident with Mr. Fuller's decision to fire his son, Mason severs his engagement to Joy; as a result, both Jack and Joy hit the skids at around the same time and decide to cut their losses by heading out to Vegas. The two accidentally bump into one another when a computer mix-up at the hotel puts them in adjoining rooms; though they begin their acquaintanceship by bickering endlessly, they end up spending a long, drunken night on the town together, and when the sun rises and Joy comes to, she discovers that she unwittingly married Jack in the middle of the night. Alas, just when the two are about to call it quits by filing for divorce after the shortest marriage in history, Jack tosses a coin into a Vegas slot machine and hits a three-million-dollar jackpot -- which naturally pits the newlyweds against one another in an attempt to claim the full share of the money. A conservative local judge, R.D. Whopper (Dennis Miller), then adds the final twist by refusing to grant a divorce until Joy and Jack have given married life a fair shake. In time, the marrieds may just discover that this union isn't as far off the mark as they initially thought. Dennis Farina, Queen Latifah, and Zach Galifianakis round out the supporting cast. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cameron Diaz, Ashton Kutcher, (more)
- 2008
- R
- AddPride and Gloryto Queue
Director Gavin O'Connor collaborates with Narc director/screenwriter Joe Carnahan on this family-focused police drama concerning an honest homicide detective (Edward Norton) assigned to investigate the precinct run by his potentially crooked older brother (Noah Emmerich). As the investigation begins to reveal some troubling facts about the precinct, it gradually becomes apparent that the policeman who is also the older brother's best friend (Colin Farrell) may be the man orchestrating many of the suspected crimes. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward Norton, Colin Farrell, (more)
- 2007
A troubled alcoholic and her stressed out husband find their attempt to escape the pressures of everyday life unexpectedly challenged after they run a stranger off of the road and then take the man to their remote cottage in hopes of summoning help. Charlie is infertile, and her husband Andrew can't land a job without the help of his wife's influential father. Sensing that they need to get away from it all, Charlie and Andrew pack up the car and head for the family cabin. Later, as they near their destination, Andrew runs a man off the side of the road. Confused and injured, the man accepts Andrew invitation to rest at the cabin until help arrives. But the cabin is anything but safe, because as the night goes on and secrets emerge it quickly becomes apparent that there's much more at stake than Charlie and Andrew's marriage. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Clarke, Lake Bell, (more)
Some critics labeled the weekly, hour-long series Surface as NBC's spin on the ABC hit Lost, though in fact it more closely resembled the theatrical feature The Abyss. The basic plotline involved a curious new form of sea life that had appeared variously in the South Antarctic Sea, San Diego harbor, the coast of Monterey, and the Gulf of Mexico. The first person to see this phenomenon was oceanographer Laura Daughtery Carstarphen (Lake Bell), from the vantage point of a bathysphere 5,000 feet below the ocean's surface. Others taking a special interest in the strange life forms included a CIA man, a sinister foreign scientist, a pair of fisherman, and a couple of teenagers, one of whom brought the warm, friendly looking creature's egg onto dry land, hiding it in his mom's fish tank, where it promptly hatches and a creature pops out. As the series' multitude of story arcs were played out, a number of disturbing questions were raised: What is this odd sea creature? Where did it come from? The answers, of course, were not immediately forthcoming, but one thing was clear regarding the creature: First impressions were very, very, very deceiving!!! Featured in the cast were Rade Serbedzija as Dr. Aleksander Cirko, Jay R. Ferguson as Richard Owen, Carter Jenkins as Miles, Leighton Meester as Savannah, and Bobby Coleman as Jesse. Created by Josh and Jonas Pate and originally titled Fathom (until another producer staked a prior claim on that moniker!), Surface debuted on September 19, 2005, with one of the most expensive pilot episodes in network TV history. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lake Bell, Jay R. Ferguson, (more)
- 2004
Hilarity ensues when friends Jeff (Justin Whalin) and Derek (Zachery Bryan) try to enter the world of back bar wrestling; where the most beautiful girls could beat the tar out of both of them without a second thought. Even with a little help from the notorious Buckle Girls, can Jeff survive a fight against Switchblade Rick for not only the title, but the heart of the girl he loves? ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Justin Whalin, Sasha Mitchell, (more)
A hot young celebrity discovers fame can be a toxic substance in this independent drama. Gray Evans (Giovanni Ribisi) is a successful actor in his late twenties who would seem to have it made. Gray is married to an attractive actress with a solid career of her own, Mia Lang (Franka Potente), he's got several projects in the works, he gets lots of fan mail, and he gets to hang out at ritzy parties with his heroes. But Gray is far from happy; his marriage to Mia is starting to fall apart, and he's being driven to distraction by his obsessive belief that a fan is stalking him. As Gray struggles to separate his delusions from reality, he finds himself indulging in a bit of stalking of his own, as he begins following John (Joshua Jackson), a clerk at a video store who is a big fan of his movies. The way Gray sees it, John is happier than he is, John's pretty wife, Jane (Marisa Coughlan), loves him while Mia doesn't care for him any more, and all in all he'd just as soon trade lives with the guy. In the midst of all this, Gray has recently run into Shana (Christina Ricci), a former flame he'd like to reconnect with. Directed by actor Adam Goldberg, I Love Your Work features a number of major stars in cameo roles, including Vince Vaughn, Jason Lee, and Elvis Costello. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Giovanni Ribisi, Franka Potente, (more)
Following in the footsteps of Ed Gein, Speck, Dahmer and Gacy, travel back to Los Angeles, California, between 1977 and 1979, and reexperience the stomach-turning crimes of one of modern history's most notorious serial killers: Kenneth Bianchi, better known as The Hillside Strangler. This gripping and terrifying thriller - helmed by director Chris Fisher - approaches the events as docudrama, framing the tale with an interview between psychiatrist Samantha Stone (rittany Daniel) and Bianchi (portrayed by Clifton Collins, Jr.), and periodically flashing back to study - in graphic detail - Bianchi's grisly murder spree. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- 2003
An all-grown-up Alicia Silverstone starred on this lightweight NBC comedy drama series as attorney Kate Fox. A divorce lawyer by day, Kate moonlighted as a matchmaker, finding suitable mates for her recently broken-up clients. Sometimes, Kate's good intentions were nullified by the disastrous results of her Cupidity, but generally things turned out okay. Also in the cast was Ryan O'Neal as Kate's boss -- and father -- ruthless attorney Jerry Fox, and David Conrad as Michael Mendelsohn, who could have been Kate's own Mister Right had she been savvy enough to realize it. Miss Match first aired on September 26, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alicia Silverstone, Ryan O'Neal, (more)
A feature-length pilot film for a proposed NBC series, War Stories is set in a battle-torn Middle Eastern country that is obviously Uzbekistan (but not identified as such). Cynical, hard-as-nails American war correspondent Ben Dansmore (Jeff Goldblum) balks at being assigned a new photographer/partner so soon after the newcomer's predecessor (who happened to be Ben's best friend) was literally blown to bits while covering a hot story. "There's no such thing as truth; that's why they call them stories." That is Ben's philosophy, one that he hopes to impart to idealistic young Nora Stone (Lake Bell). But Nora, whose sister died in the terrorist attacks of September 11, refuses to be as cold and dispassionate as Ben. It takes a series of near-death experiences dodging bullets and fanatical rebels for Ben and Nora to find the common ground so necessary to their future teamwork. War Stories premiered January 29, 2003, on the eve of what seemed certain to be the United States' ultimate showdown with Iraq. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
The nurses' petition against Kovac (Goran Visnjic) leads to heightened tensions and a personnel shortage at the ER. Abby (Maura Tierney) has her doubts when her brother Eric (Tom Everett Scott) claims to be on leave from the Air Force. Pratt (Mekhi Phifer) offers comfort to Chen (Ming-Na), who hasn't quite gotten over being held at gunpoint by a disgruntled patient. And Corday (Alex Kingston) and Nathan (Don Cheadle) argue over a seriously ill patient (Nora Zimmett) who refuses to be resuscitated by "heroic measures." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Nathan's (Don Cheadle) bedside manner -- or lack of same -- alienates him from his fellow doctors. Kovac's (Goran Visnjic) personal problems again spill over into his work. Abby (Maura Tierney) finds out that her missing brother, Eric, is in big trouble with the Air Force. And Weaver (Laura Innes) is on cloud nine after receiving some good news -- which she dares not reveal to anyone. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
