Susan Johnson Movies
- 2011
- R
- Add Magic Trip: Ken Kesey's Search for a Kool Place to QueueAdd Magic Trip: Ken Kesey's Search for a Kool Place to top of Queue
In 1964, Ken Kesey was an author who had published two popular and critically acclaimed novels, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Sometimes a Great Notion. At the same time, Kesey also had a strong bohemian streak and in the late '50s had been a volunteer in a research experiment sponsored by the United States military on the effects of an unusual new drug called LSD. Kesey came to believe the LSD experience had the power to reshape America's psychological and spiritual landscape, and he continued using it with a handful of trusted friends and colleagues. In 1964, Kesey and several of his fellow psychedelic explorers -- including Neal Cassady, a close friend of Jack Kerouac who helped inspire the book On the Road -- bought a 1939 International Harvester school bus, fixed it up with bunks, painted it with bright, abstract designs, and set out on a cross-country voyage to explore America and share their new vision with those they met. In time, Kesey and his "Merry Pranksters" were credited with launching the counterculture revolution of the 1960s, and as they traveled from place to place, they documented their adventures on 16 mm film. However, due to sound synchronization problems, the footage was never edited into useable form, but filmmakers Alex Gibney and Alison Ellwood have used this material as the basis for a documentary on the journey of the Pranksters and its cultural influence. Magic Trip: Ken Kesey's Search for a Cool Place explores the history behind Kesey and his group, offers a look at their experiences on the road, and includes footage of some of the friends they encountered en route, including Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, and a rock band called the Warlocks who would later change their name to the Grateful Dead. Magic Trip received its world premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Stanley Tucci
- 2009
- NR
A man with a penchant for running away from love is coaxed into offering relationship advice to the lonely women of a failed speed dating group, only to realize they may actually be the ones helping him in this romantic comedy based on the play by Ellen Cribbs. Try as he might, Mark just can't seem to make any of his relationships last; as soon as love comes into the picture, he's out the door. Signing up for a karate class in hopes of meeting an athletic beauty, Mark realizes he's fallen into a clever trap set by five women who need romantic guidance. After the women bribe Mark into staying, he sits down to reflect on his five most promising relationships, and the reasons they ultimately failed. In the course of their intimate conversations, Mark realizes that the lonely souls he was hired to help may be doing more good for him than he ever could for them. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bryan Price, Brian Sheridan, (more)
A young couple in the Bahamas fights to protect the local dolphin population from harmful Navy sonar experiments in this sun-soaked adventure drama. He (Paul Wesley) was just a tourist; she was a brilliant researcher developing a breakthrough method of communicating with dolphins. When deep-sea military experiments wreck havoc on the local dolphin population, the duo puts their romance on hold in order to save the magnificent creatures. MIchael Ironside and David Keith co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Paul Wesley, Michael Ironside, (more)
Keenan Thompson, Fran Kranz, and Zachary Levi star in this comedy about three teens to embark on a cross-country road trip to seek vengeance against the hypocritical television "doctor" who humiliated them in front of the entire country. Joel (Kranz) has wandered into the crosshairs of national television sensation Dr. Dwayne (Darrell Hammond), and when the hot-winded talk-show host humiliates him on live TV, he sinks into a serious depression. Hoping to lift their best pal out of his current funk, Joel's best friends Wyatt (Thompson) and Ben (Levi) gas up Wyatt's homemade wiener-mobile and set their sights on Dr. Wayne's studio. Along the way, the trio hands out complimentary hot dogs to everyone they meet, all the while encountering an impressive array of misfits, weirdoes, and rejects. Perhaps if they can dodge the spit of some unusually angry hippies and stop staring at the hottest sixth grade teacher they've ever encountered (Jenny McCarthy), these three friends can finally give Dr. Dwane a taste of his own bitter medicine. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kenan Thompson, Darrell Hammond, (more)
A young woman learns important lessons about family and communication while making friends with a group of dolphins in this drama. Alyssa (Carly Schroeder) is a troubled teenager who has been feeling at odds with the world since the death of her mother, the only parent she has ever known. Alyssa's grandmother Lucy (Katharine Ross) has been looking after her, but when the girl becomes more than Lucy cares to deal with, she sends Alyssa off to spend some time with her father, Hawk (Adrian Dunbar). Hawk is a marine biologist living in the Bahamas, where he's involved in a major research project involving dolphins, and he has neither the time nor the inclination to bond with his long-lost daughter. Alyssa is no more happy to see Hawk than he is to see her, and Hawk is on edge as his funding for the project is about to be pulled. But Alyssa finds a supportive friend in Tamika (Christine Adams), Hawk's girlfriend, and as Alyssa learns to enjoy life along the idyllic Bahamian coast, she develops a strong connection with the dolphins, which not only helps her father with his work but brings her closer to her long lost dad. Eye of the Dolphin also features Jane Lynch, George Harris and Christopher Harrod. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Carly Schroeder, Adrian Dunbar, (more)
A teenage boy tries to hold his family together while the girl of his dreams drives him to distraction in this coming-of-age comedy drama. It's 1978, and Henry Nearing (Gregory Smith) and his family are in a state of flux. Henry's mother has died, and now his father, Shep (David Morse), is trying to find himself by quitting his job, buying a motorcycle, and growing out his hair. Henry's brother, Blair (David Moscow), is similarly trying to expand his boundaries by dating a free-spirited girl and experimenting with drugs. Henry, meanwhile, is just trying to get through high school, but a certain girl is making that difficult for him. Grace Chance (Jordana Brewster) is a pretty girl in Henry's class who enjoys wrapping boys around her little finger; it doesn't take long for her to notice he's smitten with her, and she begins flirting with him and getting him to do whatever she wants, even though she already has a boyfriend whom she has no intention of leaving. Meanwhile, Merna (Ashley Johnson), a cute girl who lives nearby, has a crush on Henry and is clearly a better match for him, but she can't get him to notice her, even after she starts dating an older boy to make him jealous. Nearing Grace received its world premiere at the 2005 Los Angeles Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Gregory Smith, Jordana Brewster, (more)
Independent filmmaker Jacob Aaron Estes makes his feature debut with the coming-of-age drama Mean Creek. Rory Culkin, Ryan Kelley, Scott Mechlowicz, Josh Peck, Trevor Morgan, and Carly Schroeder are teenagers living in small-town Oregon. Some of the boys take a boat trip for a birthday celebration. When they get an idea to play a mean trick on the town bully, it suddenly goes too far. Soon they're forced to deal with the unexpected consequences of their actions. Mean Creek was workshopped at the Eugene O'Neill Center's National Playwrights Conference and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival as part of the American Spectrum program. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
- Starring:
- Rory Culkin, Ryan Kelley, (more)
