Michael Goduti Movies
- 2007
Oscar Wilde's provocative classic comes to new life on the big screen in this haunting tale of vanity ripped straight from today's tabloid headlines. As a young man, Dorian Gray's beguiling innocence captured the eye of famed artist Basil Hallward. As the two enter into a close friendship, Basil crafts a remarkable piece of art that seems to capture Dorian's essence as much as it does the artist's obsession. Stricken by the remarkable beauty of the piece and lamenting his own inevitable loss of youth, the troubled Dorian makes a wish that the artistic rendering of him bear the weathers of time while he remains forever youthful. Later, as Dorian strikes up a friendship with Lord Henry, wealthy entitlement, decadence, and obsessive pleasure lead the handsome young noble down a dark path of drugs and dangerous friendships. When Basil attempts to help his old friend, the artist's nobility ends up costing him his life. Through it all, Dorian remains as hypnotically handsome as ever. But in his careless wanderings, Dorian made a tragic mistake and now the brother of a girl he drove to suicide has come seeking revenge. As the memories of his first love come flooding back, Dorian finally seeks redemption and embraces the horrifying consequences of his callous actions. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Gallagher, Christian Camargo, (more)
Directed by Reverge Anselmo, Stateside revolves around the unique love story of two very different teens -- namely, the rich but lonely Mark Deloach (Jonathan Tucker) and Dori Lawrence (Rachael Leigh Cook), a schizophrenic singer and actress -- whose lives spiral out of control in separate but nonetheless connective ways. After Mark's prank on a local girl (Agnes Bruckner) results in a deadly drunk-driving accident, and Dori's mental health continues to deteriorate, Mark is forcibly sent to the Marines as Dori is admitted into a mental hospital. Despite the state of havoc in their lives, however, Dori and Mark are drawn to each other -- it would appear that their mutual need for love and some semblance of understanding has bonded them more tightly together than all of their more traditional relationships combined. Of course, those very relationships are insisting the young couple stay as far apart as possible; Mrs. Hagen (Diane Venora), head of Dori's halfway house, is particularly insistent. When Mark is deployed to a combat unit overseas, it looks as though Mrs. Hagen's wishes have been granted. Unable to forget each other, Mark and Dori do their best to heal one another in spite of the distance between them. Stateside features supporting performances from Ed Begley Jr., Carrie Fisher, Val Kilmer, and Joe Mantegna ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rachael Leigh Cook, Jonathan Tucker, (more)
