Lisa Marie Movies
Statuesquely enigmatic model/actress Lisa Marie is best known for her work with eccentric auteur Tim Burton. Though she studied dance during her New Jersey childhood, Lisa Marie became a model when she moved to New York as a teen. Featured in photographer Bruce Weber's well-known ad campaign for designer Calvin Klein's Obsession perfume, she also made her film debut in Weber's stylish Chet Baker documentary Let's Get Lost (1989). She was subsequently cast in Woody Allen's whimsical Alice (1990). After she met Burton in the early '90s, the director cast Lisa Marie as B-movie persona Vampira in his critically acclaimed biopic of Z-movie king Ed Wood (1994). Her small part as an alluring, homicidal Martian in Burton's science fiction send-up Mars Attacks! (1996), however, captured even more attention. Following roles in the HBO movie Breast Men (1997) and several independent films, including Frogs for Snakes (1998), Tail Lights Fade (1999), and Chasing the Dragon (2000), Lisa Marie appeared in another visually striking Burton movie world as the doomed Lady Crane in Sleepy Hollow (1999). Continuing her run of Burton films, Lisa Marie appeared as a lusty simian trophy wife in Burton's "reimagining" of Planet of the Apes (2001). Lisa Marie's long-standing personal relationship with Burton, however, ended abruptly and publicly when Burton took up with Apes star Helena Bonham Carter. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
This big budget "re-imagining" of the 1968 original departs somewhat from both that classic science fiction film and the source novel by author Pierre Boulle. Mark Wahlberg stars as Leo Davidson, an astronaut of the early 21st century whose unauthorized mission to rescue a chimp companion from a mysterious space storm goes awry when he and his ship are lost through a rip in the fabric of time. Leo crash-lands on a planet where intelligent, talking apes are the dominant species and humans a conquered slave class. Befriending both a chimpanzee activist named Ari (Helena Bonham Carter), who's sympathetic to humans, and a beautiful human rebel, Daena (Estella Warren), Leo quickly becomes a prominent figure of resistance to his fellow humans. This makes him an instant source of irritation for the militant and ambitious General Thade (Tim Roth) and his trusted adjutant, Attar (Michael Clarke Duncan), who intend to hunt Leo down and crush the burgeoning human uprising. War looms between ape and human as Leo and his band head for a sacred site deep in an off-limits desert, where secrets about the planet's ape and human ancestry wait to be revealed. Planet of the Apes is directed by Tim Burton and features the original film's star, Charlton Heston, in a cameo role as the dying father of Thade. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mark Wahlberg, Tim Roth, (more)
Fast cars, quarreling lovers, two-faced drug dealers, and a house full of marijuana collide head-on in this comic road movie. Cole (Breckin Meyer) and Bruce (Jake Busey) run an auto repair shop for vintage cars; the shop is steadily losing money, thanks to Bruce's refusal to work on cars he believes are beneath his dignity and his habit of supplementing his pay by dipping into the cash register. Cole also has problems at home, where his long-time girlfriend Angie (Tanya Allen), is giving him grief about his immaturity. Angie gets word that her brother Ben (Jaimz Woolvett), who grows marijuana in Vancouver, has been busted and needs someone to clear out his grow house before the cops can get to it. However, Angie is in a race with Ben's double-crossing girlfriend Eve (Elizabeth Berkley), who hopes to sell Ben's marijuana behind his back. Angie needs to make tracks to Vancouver, and Cole offers to help her, but Angie is not happy when Bruce and his crazy girlfriend Wendy (Denise Richards) invite themselves along and turn the trip into a road race. Tail Lights Fade features a stellar alternative rock soundtrack, including songs by The Minutemen, The Lyres, The Demolition Doll Rods, The Misfits, Buffalo Tom, and The Modern Lovers. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Denise Richards, Breckin Meyer, (more)
Washington Irving's tale of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman gets a few new twists in a screen adaptation directed by Tim Burton. In this version, Ichabod (Johnny Depp) is a New York City detective whose unorthodox techniques and penchant for gadgets make him unpopular with is colleagues. He is sent to the remote town of Sleepy Hollow to investigate a series of bizarre murders, in which a number of people have been found dead in the woods, with their heads cut off. Local legend has it that a Hessian ghost rides through the woods on horseback, lopping off the heads of the unsuspecting and unbelieving. Ichabod refuses to believe in this legend, convinced that there must be a logical explanation for the murders. In time, Ichabod becomes smitten with a local lass, Katrina Van Tassel (Christina Ricci), who is the sweetheart of the burly Brom Bones (Casper Van Dien), and he becomes determined to capture the murderer to prove his bravery and win her heart. Christopher Walken, Jeffrey Jones, and Christopher Lee highlight the supporting cast; Lee's appearance is particularly apt, since Burton has cited the Hammer films of the 1960s as a major influence in making this film. Andrew Kevin Walker and Tom Stoppard contributed to the screenplay. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, (more)
- 1998
- R
This "neo-noir comic thriller" from director Amos Poe focuses on struggling actress Eva (Barbara Hershey), a waitress who moonlights by making collections for her ex-husband, loan shark Al (Robbie Coltrane). Her day job is at a Lower Manhattan diner owned by Quint (Ian Hart). Others on the scene are Eva's new boyfriend Zip (John Leguizamo), aspiring actress Myrna (Lisa Marie), Al's girlfriend Simone (Debi Mazar), tough thug Gascone (Ron Perlman), and Al's driver U.B. (David Deblinger). Eva is ready to drop both collecting and acting, dreaming of a picket-fence lifestyle with her son Augie (Zak Kerkoulas), but Al needs her for just one more job -- locating the missing $600,000 stolen from him by Flav (Justin Theroux). Al also plans to stage a production of David Mamet's American Buffalo, and he offers a role to U.B. -- if he will kill Zip. Shown at the 1998 Berlin Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barbara Hershey, Robbie Coltrane, (more)
This quirky science fiction comedy is a characteristic feature by iconoclastic director Tim Burton, known to moviegoers for Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, and The Nightmare Before Christmas. The storyline affectionately harkens back to the deadpan sincerity of such '50s and '60s science-fiction films as The Day the Earth Stood Still and War of the Worlds. Flying saucers have been reliably seen over the capitals of the world, and the whole world awaits with bated breath to see what will transpire. Among those waiting is the President of the United States (Jack Nicholson), who is assured by his science advisor (Pierce Brosnan) that the coming aliens are utterly peaceful. This advice is hotly contested by the military (led by Rod Steiger), who advices the President to annihilate them. When the aliens land, they are seen to be green, garish, and very cheerful. But appearances prove deceiving when the "friendly" aliens abruptly disintegrate the entire U.S. Congress. Hollywood notables appear in vast quantities in roles (and sub-plots) of all sizes in this zany feature. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Nicholson, Glenn Close, (more)
Hollywood visionary Tim Burton pays homage to another Hollywood visionary, albeit a less successful one, in this unusual fictionalized biography. The film follows Wood (Johnny Depp) in his quest for film greatness as he writes and directs turkey after turkey, cross-dresses, and surrounds himself with a motley crew of Hollywood misfits, outcasts, has-beens, and never-weres. The real story, however, is his friendship with aging, morphine-addicted Bela Lugosi (Martin Landau), whom he tries to help stage a comeback. Landau's unforgettable Oscar-winning performance must be seen to be believed, as must Rick Baker's Oscar-winning makeup. While it would have been easy to make a film simply ridiculing the bumbling director, Burton instead focuses on his driving passion for filmmaking and his unwavering persistence in the face of ridicule and failure. Possibly the most surprising aspect of the film is the genuine sentiment with which Burton treats the relationship between Wood and Lugosi; his devotion to Lugosi is touching, as is Lugosi's final soliloquy -- an inane bit of dialogue from the hilariously bad Bride of the Monster that grows into a poignant metaphor for the actor's life and ultimate triumph of his spirit. Even the look of the film is right; it manages to preserve the air of one of Wood's own films while retaining a sense of artistry in much of the composition on screen (note the scene at the drug rehab where Lugosi endures a horrifying night of detox). In all, Ed Wood is a unique film -- at times side-splittingly funny; at others, tragic or even frightening -- and a heartfelt tribute to the love of movies, good and bad alike. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Depp, Martin Landau, (more)
Woody Allen's character study of a well-kept, upscale Manhattan woman (Mia Farrow) takes the title character on a journey through a Wonderland of her own making, in which she learns some truths about herself, her relationships, and the universe in general. Alice leads a comfortable life, except for some nagging aches and pains, but when she visits the mysterious Dr. Yang (Keye Luke), he discovers that what really ails Alice is her own lack of true human experience. Alice has been married for sixteen years to Doug (William Hurt), an emotionally detached stockbroker, and she lives a perfectly maintained life in a perfectly maintained apartment, with a pair of children and the requisite support staff. All that changes when a chance meeting with a neighbor (Joe Mantegna) leads Alice to consider an affair. Dr. Yang, seizing the opportunity, gives Alice herbal potions that make her both invisible and seductive, allowing her to free herself from her inhibitions. Plunging into her new fantasy world, Alice ultimately comes to terms with her family, her husband, and her life. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mia Farrow, Joe Mantegna, (more)
- 1988
Let's Get Lost is a penetrating Oscar-nominated documentary on the life of jazz trumpeter Chet Baker (1929-1988). After a generous amount of screen time devoted to Baker's American career, from his days with Charlie "Bird" Parker and Gerry Mulligan to the formation of his own combo, the film dwells upon Baker's lengthy tenure in Europe. Of particular interest are the clips culled from Baker's appearances in Italian films of the 1960s. In-depth interviews with Baker's friends and co-workers paint a portrait of a troubled genius, whose drug addiction and womanizing gradually eroded his talent. Much of the terminal footage is literally that, showing in harsh detail what Chet Baker had become in his last year on earth. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
