Emmy Clarke Movies

Adapted from William Trevor's novella of the same name, the made-for-cable My House in Umbria stars Dame Maggie Smith as Mrs. Emily Delahunty, a British romance novelist living in Italy. While on a shopping excursion to Milan, Emily barely survives a terrorist train bombing. Though she recovers fairly rapidly from her ordeal, three others -- a German journalist a British general and a traumatized orphan girl -- still bear profound physical and emotional wounds. In the spirit of democracy and compassion, the pluck Mrs. Delahunty invites her fellow survivors to recuperate at her lavish Italian estate. This ersatz family gets along famously -- at least until the arrival of the orphan's priggish uncle, American entomologist Tom Riversmith (Chris Cooper), who strongly disapproves of Mrs. Delahunty's carefree lifestyle. Filmed on location in Tuscany and Rome, My House in Umbria debuted May 25, 2003, on the HBO cable service. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Brooke Adams, the wife of Monk star Tony Shalhoub, appears in this final episode of the series' third season as Abigail Carlyle, the mother of violin prodigy Daniel Carlyle...and a key player in a bizarre extortion plot. Monk is called in to investigate after a 22-month-old kid named Tommy (played by twins Preston Shores and Trevor Shores) shows up carrying a severed human finger in his tiny fist. The clues lead Monk to deduce that the finger belonged to a violin player, and this leads him to a meeting with the Carlyles. It doesn't take long for Monk to realize that "Daniel Carlyle" is an impostor, and that the real Daniel has been kidnapped--and to top it off, THIS crime is inextricably linked to little Tommy's grisly discovery. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

While Monk (Tony Shalhoub) is in bed with the flu, Natalie (Traylor Howard) takes it upon herself to solve the murder of a pizza deliveryman. First off, she finds that the man killed is not man she thought he was. Next, she turns burglar to harvest a few likely clues, only to discover that a sinister figure has been watching her every move. And finally, she is taken hostage by the chief suspect in the case that Monk had been working on before he fell ill. As so often happens on Monk, two seemingly unrelated homicides are inextricably linked--but Natalie may not live long enough to find this out. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

John Turturro returns in the role of Ambrose Monk, the agoraphobic older brother of obsessive-compulsive detective Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub). In the middle of a murder investigation, Monk is summoned to Ambrose's home for a possible reunion with the boys' long-lost father. Upon arrival, Monk is hit squarely between the eyes with another mystery, this one involving a Halloween trick-or-treater who resorts to violence to get something more than candy. Ingredients essential to the action are a dead pigeon, a poisoned chocolate bar, and a real-life Frankenstein monster! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

To prevent her daughter's school from being closed, Natalie (Traylor Howard) runs for a school board election. Unfortunately, someone connected with the election inexplicably bears a grudge against Natalie--and that someone is willing to commit murder. Investigating the bizarre attempts against Natalie's life, Monk (Tony Shalhoub) discovers that all the weapons used were made in Chechnya, leading him to the proverbial Most Likely Suspect. So now Monk knows who wants to see Natalie dead...but he still doesn't know why! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Nicole Kidman assumes the identity of visionary photographer Diane Arbus in a film that draws inspiration from author Patricia Bosworth's best-selling biography to tell the tale of a once-shy woman who becomes one of her generation's most strikingly original visual artists. Diane Arbus was a typical wife and mother whose morbid interests stood in stark contrast with her decidedly conventional existence in 1950s-era New York. Upon making the acquaintance of her eccentric, newly arrived neighbor, Lionel (Robert Downey Jr.), the once-content housewife soon embarks on a creative journey that will forever change the way both she and her legions of fans view the world around them. By blending factual aspects of Arbus' life with a fictional narrative, Fur weighs the domestic expectations of the 20th century housewife against the irrepressible drive for an artist to create and explore the world around her in her own unique way. Scripted by Erin Cressida Wilson and directed by Steven Shainberg (Secretary), Fur weaves a fictional romance with intimate details from the iconic photographer's life to offer a fascinating look at Arbus' artistic development. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Monk (Tony Shalhoub) runs the risk of offending the entire country when he suspects that much-beloved astronaut Steve Wagner (Jeffrey Donovan) has murdered his ex-lover Joanne Raphaelson (Brianna Brown). Unfortunately for Monk, Wagner has an alibi that is literally air-tight: At the time of Joanne's death, he was in outer space! But setbacks of this nature have never kept Monk down for long, and as the story progresses he gathers the clues necessary to keep Wagner permanently grounded--and the "clincher" may be nothing more out-of-the-ordinary than a faulty garage door. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Monk (Tony Shalhoub) is outraged by the news that his longtime rival Harold Krenshaw (Tim Bagley), the "pet" patient of Monk's psychiatrist Dr. Kroger (Stanley Kamel), is actually the Frisco Fly, a masked daredevil who has become a folk hero by clambering around the San Francisco skyscrapers. Especially vexing is the fact that Harold is deathly afraid of heights--and that if he is indeed the Frisco Fly, it would prove that he's been making more progress with his phobias than Monk has. But as it turns out, Harold has been set up as a (literal) fall guy by the person who has murdered the real "Frisco Fly"...a murder which Monk happens to be investigating even as we speak. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide