Kristin Richardson Movies
A young man gets a crash course in the madness of war in this fact-based drama from director Sam Mendes. Anthony "Swoff" Swofford (Jake Gyllenhaal) decides to join the Marines, just like his father and his father before him, and signs on just in time to be sent to Iraq to fight in the Gulf War in 1991. After experiencing the rigors of boot camp, Swofford and his pal Troy (Peter Sarsgaard) are trained to be snipers, and under the leadership of Sgt. Sykes (Jamie Foxx) and Lt. Col. Kazinski (Chris Cooper), the two land in the middle of a desert where they're up against an enemy they can't always see under a blazing sun with hours of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror. Swofford, Troy, and their fellow soldiers rely on the wits, their sense of humor, and their friendship of their brothers in arms to deal with a situation that doesn't much resemble what they saw on television at home. Jarhead was based on the memoirs of the real-life Anthony Swofford, who did serve as a sniper in the 1991 Gulf War; the title comes from military slang for a Marine enlistee. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jake Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, (more)
- 2004
Jack (Matthew Fox) and Sayid (Naveen Andrews) resort to drastic measures (reminiscent of old Fu Manchu movies!) when Sawyer (Josh Holloway) refuses to surrender one of the inhalers he claims he has to help the short-of-breath Shannon (Maggie Grace). Elsewhere on the island, Charlie (Dominic Monaghan) has made a home for himself in the caves, and hopes that Claire (Emilie de Raven) will join him. And in the obligatory flashback "revelation" scenes, the truth about Sawyer's background is revealed; meanwhile, Kate (Evangeline Lilly) gains some insight into his troubled childhood, and we learn for the first time that killing a man is nothing new for Sayid. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael DeLuise, Kristin Richardson, (more)
The romantic comedy Shut Up and Kiss Me concerns two best friends, one a stockbroker and the other a slacker surfer, who each fall in love with the perfect girl the same day. The situation gets complicated when the uncle of one of the girls turns out to be a mob boss who is troubled by the thought of his niece dating the surfer. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Daniel Barnes, Brad Rowe, (more)
- 2003
As Jasmine (Gina Torres) prepares to secure her dominion over the entire planet via a worldwide satellite broadcast, Angel (David Boreanaz) makes his way through the last dimension to enjoy her oppressive love. There, amidst a desolate, otherworldly landscape, he encounters Jasmine's High Priest (Robert Towers), who taunts the vampire champion about all that Jasmine has taken from him. Back on earth, Connor (Vincent Kartheiser) captures Wesley (Alexis Denisof), Fred (Amy Acker), Gunn (J. August Richards), and Lorne (Andy Hallett), but Jasmine keeps them as bargaining chips rather than killing them. As the interloping higher power devours another flock of her followers, Connor stuns his prisoners by revealing that he's been able to see her pestilent true face all along. Upset that Jasmine still won't divulge what happened to Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter), Connor beats the information out of some acolytes. Rather than being eaten by her demon love-child, it seems that Cordy has been squirreled away for safekeeping. Connor finds his paramour and confesses to her still-unconscious form that despite his desperate need for belonging, he recognizes the danger of Jasmine's coercive agenda for peace. Back at the hotel, as the bug-faced one begins her global address, Angel arrives to reveal her true name to the assembled throng. All across the planet, people are suddenly able to see the higher being for what she truly is. Rioting breaks out, and in the climactic battle that follows, Jasmine is felled once and for all by an unlikely opponent. A battered Angel returns to the hotel, sick with worry about Connor, only to find a surprise visitor: the late Lilah Morgan (Stephanie Romanov), who was last seen as a headless corpse (see "Salvage"). Originally broadcast April 30, 2003, on the WB network, "Peace Out" marked season four, episode 21 of the supernatural soap opera. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
