Peter Snider Movies
A monk and a pickpocket become unlikely allies in this action adventure story. Sixty years ago, a nameless monk (Chow Yun-Fat) was appointed the guardian of a mysterious scroll that grants remarkable powers to those who possess it. After six decades of traveling the world to protect the scroll, the monk must find someone new to assume the responsibility, but as fate would have it, the new caretaker turns out to be Kar (Seann William Scott), a scruffy and distinctly non-enlightened petty thief living in San Francisco. As the monk attempts to educate Kar in the powers and responsibilities of the scroll and the ways of a monk's life, they discover they have a rival for the possession of the valuable scroll. As Kar and the monk fend off their mysterious adversary, they are aided by Bad Girl (Jaime King), a beautiful Russian mob affiliate with amazing martial arts skills and a vested interest in keeping the scroll in virtuous hands. Bulletproof Monk was based a comic book series published in 1999; Chow Yun-Fat's frequent collaborators John Woo and Terence Chang produced. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chow Yun-Fat, Seann William Scott, (more)
- 2002
A ride on a Ferris wheel proves fatal to police informant John Gitomer (Rob Stefaniuk)--and may also destroy the career of Adam Kirk (Stephen McHattie), a "loose cannon" police detective who is the prime suspect in Gitomer's murder. Kirk's former partner Lt. Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine) asks Monk (Tony Shalhoub) to investigate the situation, a job that Monk takes on despite his intense dislike of Kirk and his deadly fear of heights. The trail of clues leads to a dance club, a secret phone number, and a campaign of terror conducted from a prison cell. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Two young girls find themselves growing up fast when love and tragedy visit their mother in this made-for-cable drama based on the novel by Karin Cook. Elizabeth (Tamara Hope) and Tilden (Alison Pill) are sisters growing up in Atlanta, GA, with their single mother (Elizabeth Perkins). Elizabeth and Tilden's lives are turned upside down when Mama announces that's she's getting married to Nick (Scott Bakula), a man from New York whom they've never met. Nick turns out to be a good and understanding man, but while Elizabeth easily accepts him into the family, Tilden makes no secret of her distrust of her new stepfather. However, Tilden's feelings about Nick take a back seat in the family's list of priorities when Mama discovers she has cancer, and as Elizabeth, and Tilden try to deal with this crisis, they are forced to deal with the intrusive presence of their uncle. What Girls Learns was produced for the Showtime premium cable network, where it first aired on October 14, 2001. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Scott Bakula, Elizabeth Perkins, (more)
- 1996
Hoping to put her life back together after an abusive first marriage, mild-mannered Laura Jameson (Mel Harris) weds again, thereby incurring the wrath and resentment of her rebellious teenage daughter Kelly (Nicholle Tom). Still holding Laura responsible for the suicide of her father, Kelly goes completely off the deep end, beginning with an overnight stay in juvenile custody and culminating in an eight months of legal hell in a dizzying progression of courtrooms. Clearly over her head when trying to cope with Kelly (all she can say upon her daughter's release is "Was it awful in jail, honey?"), Laura will ultimately be forced to draw upon reserves of inner strength that she never knew or believed she had. Made for the NBC TV network, What Kind of Mother Are You? was first telecast on November 18, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
