Kingston DuCoeur 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)
- 2002
An already hectic day at the ER is made even more so when two children are brought in exhibiting symptoms of smallpox. With Weaver (Laura Innes) temporarily unavailable, Carter (Noah Wyle) orders a lockdown at County General to avoid an epidemic -- and avert a nationwide panic. Meanwhile, Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) encounters major problems while trying to get information about a smallpox vaccine from CDC; both Chen (Ming-Na) and Pratt (Mekhi Phifer) appear to have come down with the disease themselves; and a patient riot breaks out, one which may cause the epidemic to spread to the rest of Chicago. This final episode of ER's eighth season ends with a cliffhanger, the ingredients of which include a startling development in the relationship between Carter and Abby (Maura Tierney). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1998
Lt. Fancy (James McDaniel) has another run-in with Officer Szymanski (Christopher Stanley), the white cop who hassled Fancy over a broken taillight a few seasons back. Now, Szymanski is being investigated for his shooting of a black undercover officer. This incident rekindles old and unresolved racial issues between Fancy and Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz), culminating in a physical confrontation. Elsewhere, Andy agrees to continue aiding Sylvia (Sharon Lawrence) in her efforts to clear the name of the late Suarez, while the squad tries to help absentee PAA Dolores Mayo (Lola Glaudini), who has turned to shoplifting. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
