Arthur Young Movies
A teenage girl becomes a demented serial killer's prey in this big-budget remake of the 1979 thriller that became a TV late-show favorite. When a Stranger Calls takes its title and basic premise from the original, which -- for its first 15 minutes or so -- featured Carol Kane as a frazzled babysitter plagued by creepy, invasive phone calls. This time around, the doe-eyed Camilla Belle plays Jill Johnson, a high-schooler dealing with the usual set of crises: an unfaithful boyfriend, a bitchy best friend, and an over-the-limit cell phone bill. In order to pay for the latter, her father (Clark Gregg) has committed her to a babysitting gig with a wealthy family. At the isolated, palatial house, Jill settles in for a night of no-stress kid-watching. But it isn't long before someone starts anonymously calling the house with creepy, increasingly specific messages. Jill doesn't rule out anyone, but it becomes clear that whomever it is, he or she is watching her, and may be closer than she even suspects. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Camilla Belle, Tommy Flanagan, (more)
- 2003
With the Alliance in tatters and Sloane (Ron Rifkin) still MIA, new college graduate Sydney (Jennifer Garner) is more determined than ever to give up the spy game. But CIA director Kendall (Terry O'Quinn) insists that Sydney tackle a case which seems to prove that the Alliance is still a force to reckon with. Cal Tech mathematician Neil Caplan (Christian Slater) and his family have been kidnapped and whisked off to Switzerland, where the fugitive Sloane demands that Caplan help him assemble the Rambaldi artifacts, which when completed will morph into a deadly WMD, capable of destroying a large city. Elsewhere, Dixon (Carl Lumbly) may have to choose between the love of his wife and his dedication to his espionage duties; while Marshall (Kevin Weisman) cheerfully enlists his photographic memory in the good fight. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2003
Upon discovering that kidnapped scientist Neil Caplan (Christian Slater) and his wife, Elsa (Tracy Middendorf), have had espionage-related life experiences similar to her own, Sydney (Jennifer Garner) defies her father Jack's (Victor Garber) orders and attempts to rescue Neil all by herself. Elsewhere, Sloane (Ron Rifkin) exacts a horrible vengeance upon Dixon (Carl Lumbly), the CIA agent who accidentally killed Sloane's wife, Emily. And the evil lookalike of Sydney's murdered roommate, Francie (Merrin Dungey), continues to flatter vital information out of the unwitting Will (Bradley Cooper). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Two fathers get a crash course in caring for kids other than their own in this family-friendly comedy. Charlie Hinton (Eddie Murphy) is an advertising executive whose job monopolizes his time, making it difficult for him to stay in touch with his young son, Ben (Khamani Griffin). However, after Charlie and his partner, Phil (Jeff Garlin), are given their pink slips in the wake of a disastrous campaign for a new breakfast cereal, Charlie's wife, Kim (Regina King), goes back to work, and with the family budget tighter than before, Charlie becomes a stay-at-home dad. After pulling Ben out of an expensive and exclusive daycare center run by the humorless Gwyneth Harridan (Anjelica Huston), Charlie comes up with a brainstorm -- since he and Phil watch their own children every day, how much harder could it be to watch a few more kids and open their own day care center? Charlie and Phil discover there's much more to running a daycare center than they ever imagined, but after a very rough start, with the help of likable slacker Marvin (Steve Zahn) their new business becomes a success -- so much so that Harridan finds herself losing customers to the upstart fathers, and she starts searching for a way to shut them down. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Murphy, Jeff Garlin, (more)
