DCSIMG
 
 

Rose McGowan Movies

Appearing as a cross between Betty Boop's evil sister and a very curvaceous Hell's Angel, actress Rose McGowan made an undeniably distinct impression on Hollywood in the late '90s. With her sharp tongue and brash sensuality, McGowan has been a source of both titillation and discomfort to an industry that still hasn't quite figured out what to do with women who are both unapologetically smart and sexual.

The child of hippies, McGowan was born September 5, 1975, in Florence, Italy, to a French mother and Irish father. The second oldest of six children, McGowan was raised on an Italian commune run by the Children of God cult. The controversial cult was known for panhandling as well as for taking extremely liberal approaches to parenting. Her family relocated to Oregon when McGowan was ten, and she left the commune at 15, legally emancipating herself from her parents. She supported herself with a variety of odd jobs and even lived on the streets for awhile before traveling to Los Angeles to attend an arts school. It was there that she was discovered by director Gregg Araki, who encountered her loitering outside a gym, refusing to go in because it was "too corny." Araki was busy casting his Sundance entry, The Doom Generation, and gave her the role of Amy Blue, the film's beautiful, spoiled, and morally ambiguous protagonist. Prior to her role, McGowan had only appeared as a minor character in 1992's Encino Man, making her casting in Araki's film all the more fortuitous. The Doom Generation was released in 1995, to mixed reviews and a fair amount of controversy, but helped to establish McGowan as, if not Hollywood's Next Big Thing, then Internet fodder for slavering males everywhere.

The film also gave her a greater chance at steady work and she followed The Doom Generation with the low-budget thriller Kiss and Tell (1996). Subsequently, she landed a role in another thriller possessing a decidedly bigger budget, Wes Craven's Scream (1996). The film was a surprise hit and McGowan's turn as a frisky student who has an unfortunate encounter with a garage door further widened her fan base. After starring in the 1997 TV movie Devil in the Flesh, McGowan appeared in two back-to-back movies with fellow rising star Ben Affleck. First came her turn as the girl who tries to seduce a very excited Jeremy Davies in 1997's Going All the Way, followed by her role in the ski slope thriller Phantoms (1998). 1999 saw her take the lead in the independent film Jawbreaker, in which she starred with Rebecca Gayheart. As Alpha Bitch Courtney Shane, McGowan excelled in a role that was equal parts vamp, tramp, and camp. During this same period, McGowan began a relationship with gothy shock-rocker Marilyn Manson. The counter-culture pair seemed like a match made in entertainment heaven and she caused quite a stir by accompanying her beau to the 1998 MTV Movie Awards in a dress that consisted of little more than a few strands of black beads draped over her distinctly visible nude body. The two became engaged but eventually broke up over reported lifestyle differences.

In 2001, a new period began in McGowan's career when star Shanen Doherty left the hit WB show Charmed, leaving directors looking for a witchy, raven-haired actress to replace her. McGowan joined costars Alyssa Milano and Holly Marie Combs and found no trouble connecting with the show's fans, staying with the series for five years--two years longer than her predecessor. As the show was wrapping up in 2006. McGowan signed up for another role that fit perfectly with her screen image. Dark, sexy, and kitschy beyond a shadow of a doubt, the over-the-top flick Grindhouse would pair the actress with directors Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez, who would each direct a full length film for the double feature. The starlet would have a small but memorable role in Tarantino's Death Proof, but she would have the starring role in Rodriguez's feature Terror Planet as a leg amputee whose appendage is replaced by a big, shiny machine gun.

Over the next several years, McGowan would enjoy a successful arc on Nip/Tuck, as well as appearances in films like Conan the Barbarian and Rosewood Lane. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi
 
2011  
R  
Add Conan the Barbarian to Queue Add Conan the Barbarian to top of Queue  
When a powerful force of supernatural evil threatens to destroy Hyboria, legendary Cimmerian warrior Conan (Jason Momoa) raises his sword against mythical monsters and treacherous enemies. Ron Perlman, Rose McGowan, Stephen Lang, and Rachel Nichols co-star in a sweeping fantasy adventure based on the character created by Robert E. Howard, and directed by Marcus Nispel (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday the 13th). ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
Jason MomoaStephen Lang, (more)
 
2010  
R  
A decade after their lives were disrupted by a sudden and enigmatic tragedy, three young people find themselves caught in the mysterious realm between the living and the dead in this supernatural thriller starring Rose McGowan, Amy Smart, and Nick Stahl. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
Nick StahlRose McGowan, (more)
 
2008  
R  
Add Fifty Dead Men Walking to Queue Add Fifty Dead Men Walking to top of Queue  
Loosely based on the remarkable true story of the British undercover agent who successfully infiltrated the IRA, writer/director Kari Skogland's thriller takes its title from author Martin McGartland's best-selling book of the same name. Set at the absolute height of the Irish civil conflict, Fifty Dead Men Walking begins as 22-year-old Martin McGartland is recruited by the British police to infiltrate the IRA and report back with intelligence. It's an extremely dangerous job that could result in death or worse should his true identity be revealed, yet McGartland realizes that the information he's gathering will save countless lives. At first, the prospect of being discovered provides something of a rush for McGartland, though that initial buzz quickly wears off when his true identity is revealed and he's forced to attempt an impossible escape. Two decades later, McGartland is still on the run. Sir Ben Kingsley, Jim Sturgess, and Rose McGowan star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
Jim SturgessBen Kingsley, (more)
 
2007  
 
Add Planet Terror to Queue Add Planet Terror to top of Queue  
Maverick filmmaker Robert Rodriguez details the violent struggle between a ravenous army of zombie-like humanoids who have taken control of the planet and the remaining survivors who refuse to go down without a fight. A dangerous government experiment has unleashed an abominable contamination that turns normal people into murderous mutants. Now, as an infinitely multiplying horde of frenzied psychotics flood the Texas plains, a dangerous outlaw named Wray (Freddy Rodriguez), a sexy stripper named Cherry (Rose McGowan), an unscrupulous smuggler named Abby (Naveen Andrews), and the curiously incapacitated Dr. Dakota Block (Marley Shelton) must try and make their way to the helicopter that could provide their only means of escaping to a place untouched by this nightmarish scourge that threatens to wipe out all of humankind. This nonstop action-horror hybrid originally was released as part of Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino's ambitious Grindhouse double bill. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
Rose McGowanFreddy Rodriguez, (more)
 
2007  
R  
Add Death Proof to Queue Add Death Proof to top of Queue  
In Death Proof -- director Tarantino's take on such peddle-to-the-metal shockers as White Line Fever -- Kurt Russell stars as an engine-revving psychopath who prefers to take out his beautiful victims at 200 mph. Originally released into theaters on a double bill with Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror under the Grindhouse banner, Death Proof finds a group of ladies out on the town pitted against a mysterious figured named Stuntman Mike (Russell), whose vintage automobile has been partially modified to withstand even the most extreme auto collision. Though the maniacal driver himself always comes out relatively unscathed, the same certainly can't be said for the poor young lass in his passenger seat -- or anyone unfortunate enough to be on the road when the urge to kill strikes for that matter. With a list of potential road-kill candidates that includes Rose McGowan, Jordan Ladd, Rosario Dawson, and Vanessa Ferlito, Death Proof takes viewers on an adrenaline-infused drive that's as sexy as it is shocking. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
Kurt RussellRosario Dawson, (more)
 
2007  
R  
Kill Bill director Quentin Tarantino and Sin City director Robert Rodriguez join forces to offer a cinematic tribute to the blood-soaked exploitation epics of yesteryear with this hyper-violent coupling of two full-length features punctuated by a collection of outrageous trailers. The first segment, directed by Rodriguez and entitled Planet Terror, details the violent struggle between a ravenous army of zombie-like humanoids who have taken control of the planet and the remaining survivors who refuse to go down without a fight. Freddy Rodriguez, Naveen Andrews, and Rose McGowan headline a cast that also includes Marley Shelton, Michael Biehn, Josh Brolin, Bruce Willis, and Tom Savini. In Death Proof -- director Tarantino's take on such peddle-to-the-metal shockers as White Line Fever -- Kurt Russell stars as an engine-revving psychopath who prefers to take out his beautiful victims at 200 mph. With a list of potential roadkill candidates that includes Rose McGowan, Jordan Ladd, Rosario Dawson, and Vanessa Ferlito, Death Proof takes viewers on an adrenaline-infused drive that's as sexy as it is shocking. Its tantalizing title borrowed from the term frequently used to describe the seedy, 1970s-era inner-city movie theaters that screened excessive, low-budget independent films containing copious amounts of violence and nudity as a means of offering counter-programming to the decidedly more restrained big-budget studio films, Grindhouse takes its love for these unabashedly sleazy efforts one step further by offering a jaw-dropping collection of fake exploitation trailers from such directors as Rob Zombie, Eli Roth, and Edgar Wright. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
Rose McGowanFreddy Rodriguez, (more)
 
2006  
R  
Add The Black Dahlia to Queue Add The Black Dahlia to top of Queue  
Director Brian De Palma returns to the helm for the first time since 2002's Femme Fatale with this stylish screen adaptation of James Ellroy's novel detailing one of the most notorious unsolved murders in Hollywood history. Elizabeth Short (Mia Kirshner) was a struggling actress looking to make a name for herself in 1940s-era Tinseltown. Unfortunately for Elizabeth, it was her grim fate that would ultimately overshadow anything she would accomplish during her short and tragic career. When police discover Elizabeth's body cut clean in half and with all of her organs missing, ex-pugilist detectives Lee Blanchard (Aaron Eckhart) and Bucky Bleichert (Josh Hartnett) are the men charged with cracking the case and apprehending the killer. This isn't your average murder case, however, and as Blanchard's marriage to Kay (Scarlett Johansson) begins to suffer due to his obsession with the sensational crime, his partner Bleichert discovers a troubling link between the victim and the mysterious Madeleine Linscott (Hilary Swank), a prominent socialite and the daughter of one of the town's most connected key players. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
Josh HartnettScarlett Johansson, (more)
 
2005  
 
Add Elvis to Queue Add Elvis to top of Queue  
Seven years after playing the David Bowie-esque glam rocker in Velvet Goldmine, actor Jonathan Rhys-Meyers tackles the role of the biggest rock-and-roller of all time -- The King -- in this television miniseries. CBS' Elvis traces Elvis Presley's rise from being a humble, poor kid in early-'50s Memphis to being an isolated, prescription-drug-addicted superstar fearful of going on-stage for his 1968 comeback special. Along the way, he's torn between his devotion to his mama Gladys (Camryn Manheim) and the machinations of his stealthy manager, "Colonel" Tom Parker (Randy Quaid). Among Presley's hurdles: his R&B music and performance style prompts cries of obscenity from community leaders; he's drafted for the Army and decides to go; and he longs to become a serious movie star, although the Colonel has different ideas. Elvis was significant in that it was the first biopic of the star to allow the use of The King's original recordings, lip-synched by Rhys-Meyers. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
Jonathan Rhys-MeyersCamryn Manheim, (more)
 
2002  
 
Add Charmed: Season 05 to Queue Add Charmed: Season 05 to top of Queue  
As season five of Charmed begins, Piper's sister Phoebe (Alyssa Milano) has at last landed a steady job as a newspaper advice columnist (with Rebecca Balding joining the cast in the recurring role of Phoebe's boss, Elise), and has started divorce proceeding against her husband, Cole (Julian McMahon), whom she suspects is still a malevolent demon despite his protestations of turning over a new leaf. And the girls' telekinetic half sister Paige (Rose McGowan) is being kept busy with her new responsibilities as a social worker. Meanwhile, Phoebe and Cole's baby, whom some believe is slated to be ruler of the Underworld, has been kidnapped by The Seer, a female demon who in the previous season had briefly taken Cole's human form and trapped Phoebe into marriage. Informed by a fellow demon that the baby is destined to become the new Source (a powerful demonic entity who caused all sorts of trouble for the Halliwells in earlier episodes), the conscience-stricken Cole begs "Charmed Ones" Piper, Phoebe, and Paige to help him exorcise all the evil within him -- and, remarkably, they succeed in this endeavor as season five reaches its halfway point. Later on, Piper gives birth to baby son Wyatt, who even in infancy possesses the power to create a force field that will deflect all demonic activity (no wonder Piper was impervious to injury during her pregnancy!). Meanwhile, Paige finds her job too confining, and becomes a freelance do-gooder, determined to use her witches' powers for the benefit rather than the detriment of humankind. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
Alyssa MilanoHolly Marie Combs, (more)
 
2001  
 
Series regular Rose McGowan plays a dual role in this episode. Trying out her conjuring skills, Paige (McGowan) brings to life a medieval prince (Charlie Weber) -- who immediately declares his love for her. It turns out that the prince is in the thrall of an evil enchantress...whom Paige had been in a previous life. Naturally, Rose McGowan also appears as the enchantress, and her performance should lay to rest any doubts that she was worthy of replacing former Charmed star Shannen Doherty. ~ Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
Brian KrauseJulian McMahon, (more)
 
2001  
R  
Add Roads to Riches to Queue Add Roads to Riches to top of Queue  
A pair of mismatched, down-and-out L.A. misfits find that their luck is about to change -- thanks to a charismatic, oblivious young buck from the Lone Star state -- in this psychological drama. Robert Forster plays Jack Waters, a con man whose best days are behind him when Henry (Kip Pardue) steps off a bus and stumbles into his life. Young, naïve, and attractive, Henry's everything Jack once was, and the old man plans to be a defacto agent of sorts, farming Henry out to appear on game shows and whatever else Tinseltown has to offer. But when Jack's unstable, erstwhile stripper girlfriend, Moira (Rose McGowan), sets her sights on Henry, she's determined to get a piece of the action -- both literally and figuratively. Meanwhile, Henry's career takes off, and the two hangers-on struggle desperately to take control of their "sure thing." ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
Robert ForsterRose McGowan, (more)
 
2001  
 
Noted filmmaker Euzhan Palcy, who made a name for herself by directing a series of socially minded films about racism and oppression -- including Sugar Cane Alley and A Dry White Season -- continues in the same vein with this gritty courtroom drama about the bloodshed and the coverup of the Attica prison uprising of 1971. Protesting the dreadful conditions at the state penitentiary, 1200 inmates -- mostly African-American -- took control of Prison Yard D. After a half a week negotiating with the prisoners, the police burst into the jail with guns ablaze. Reportedly 2,200 rounds were fired, 39 people killed, and 80 wounded. Fearing an investigation, the State Department indicted a number of prisoners for murder, including Shango (Morris Chestnut), a former law student and activist against the prison administration. Crack lawyer Ernie Goodman (Alan Alda) agrees to defend him, but before he can keep him from the gallows he has to allay Shango's distrust. Meanwhile, civil liberties activist Linda Borus (Rose McGowan) uncovers the truth and the elaborate layers of deceit that the state erected. This film was first screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
Morris ChestnutAlan Alda, (more)
 
2001  
PG13  
Add Monkeybone to Queue Add Monkeybone to top of Queue  
This feverishly energetic comedy combines stop-motion animation and live action from director Henry Selick, creator of The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) and James and the Giant Peach (1996). Brendan Fraser stars as Stu Miley, a cartoonist who created a randy monkey character called Monkeybone that has taken off in popularity, making him a celebrity. Stu's set to launch a TV series based on Monkeybone and marry his beautiful fiancée Julie (Bridget Fonda) when he's injured in a freak accident that puts him in a coma. He travels to Dark Town, a holding area for the comatose who wait to either regain consciousness or move on to the afterlife with the help of Death (Whoopi Goldberg). Dark Town is also a realm where fictional characters reside and before long Stu has met the vulgar Monkeybone, who travels back to the land of the living to inhabit Stu's body. Aided by Kitty (Rose McGowan), Stu must find a way to reclaim his body and put Monkeybone back in his place before the raunchy primate ruins his charmed life. Monkeybone is based on the cartoon graphic novel Dark Town by Kaja Blackley. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
Brendan FraserBridget Fonda, (more)
 
2000  
PG13  
Add Ready to Rumble to Queue Add Ready to Rumble to top of Queue  
A pair of sewage-truck drivers attempt to rescue the tarnished reputation of their favorite pro wrestler in this comedy from Varsity Blues director Brian Robbins. Gordie Boggs (David Arquette) and Sean Dawkins (Scott Caan) live vicariously through superstar grappler Jimmy King (Oliver Platt). But when King's manager (Joe Pantoliano), in a fit of ego, arranges to have his client dethroned to make way for the next hot property, the guys hatch a plan to force a rematch. The only problem is, their no-good hero has sunk into a black hole of self-pity and liquor. Enlisting the help of old-time trainer Sal (Martin Landau) to whip "The King" into shape, Gordie and Sean run afoul of Gordie's father, who wants his son to settle down and become a cop like him. Meanwhile, curvaceous Sasha (Rose McGowan) moves in on Gordie, but has ulterior motives. So does The King's son (Tait Smith), who's willing to put his girth to good use in order to exact revenge on his dad for abandoning him. Ready to Rumble features a large cast of real-life WCW wrestlers portraying themselves. McGowan and Arquette previously appeared together in Wes Craven's Scream. Lewis Arquette, the star's father, also appears alongside his son as he did in Scream 2. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
David ArquetteOliver Platt, (more)
 
2000  
R  
Add The Last Stop to Queue Add The Last Stop to top of Queue  
In this claustrophobic thriller, Jason (Adam Beach) is a State Trooper who has found himself stranded in a cabin in the Colorado Rockies when a severe snowstorm hits the area. Waiting out the storm with Jason are his former girlfriend Nancy (Rose McGowan), the owner of the cabin, Fritz (Jurgen Prochnow), and a handful of travelers they've never met before. While the blizzard rages outside, Fritz makes a shocking discovery. Hidden in the cabin is a bloody corpse and a bag full of money. Jason figures that the murder must have been committed since they arrived at the cabin, so whoever the culprit is, they're patiently waiting with him for the storm to die down. But he's not sure how to figure out who the killer might be -- especially since they may very well be willing to kill again to hold onto the cash. The Last Stop was filmed on location in Vancouver, British Columbia. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
Adam BeachJürgen Prochnow, (more)
 
1999  
R  
Add Jawbreaker to Queue Add Jawbreaker to top of Queue  
At Ronald Reagan High School, the power elite clique consists of Courtney Shane (Rose McGowan), Julie Freeman (Rebecca Gayheart), Marcie Fox (Julie Benz), and Liz Purr (Charlotte Roldan). The four girls control the school through a combination of beauty, sex, and intimidation. Of the four, only Liz is actually liked by the less fortunate members of the student body, and Liz is also the only one who can keep Courtney, the vicious group leader, in check. Unfortunately for Liz, she's also the only thing keeping Courtney from becoming prom queen. To achieve her goal, Courtney convinces Marcie and Julie to kidnap Liz on her 17th birthday and force her to eat until she's too fat to win. The three sneak into Liz's house, tie her up, stick a jawbreaker in her mouth, and gag her to keep her quiet before they throw her into the trunk of a car. Once they decide to free her, though, they find Liz has choked to death. Courtney decides not to go to the police; her brilliant idea is to take the body back home and create a death scene where Liz is strangled during kinky sex. Predictably, the girls screw it up, and they end up with a witness, social outcast Fern Mayo (Judy Greer). To buy her silence, Courtney draws her into the clique, transforming much more than just her outward appearance. The identity of Fern disappears, to be replaced by the very popular Vylette. In parallel to the rise of Vylette, we witness Julie's descent. Overcome with guilt over Liz's death, Julie drops out of the clique, and without the veil of protection from the others, she is now a target of abuse throughout the school. Courtney's ordeal has just begun as Vylette now challenges her for prom queen and Julie, with the help of another outcast, Zach (Chad Christ), now wants to reveal the truth behind Liz's death. ~ Ron Wells, Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
Rose McGowanRebecca Gayheart, (more)
 
1998  
 
Three of the most gorgeous TV witches since the days of Elizabeth Montgomery were the heroines of the hour-long WB fantasy series Charmed, which first materialized on October 7, 1998. Reunited in their ancestral San Francisco mansion, the Halliwell sisters -- Prudence (aka Prue, played by Shannen Doherty), Piper (Holly Marie Combs), and Phoebe (Alyssa Milano), and came upon a dusty tome titled the "Book of Shadows," which by and by revealed a secret that had long been withheld from them: the sisters were witches known as the "Charmed Ones," blessed with extraordinary powers which they were expected to use in the never-ending fight of good against evil. Prue, the oldest, had the gift of telekinesis, enabling her to move objects at will; middle child Piper was able to stop time; and Phoebe, the baby of the family, was able to see the future. The ritual enabling them to combine their powers involved the linking of hands and chanting in unison, "The power of three will set us free." Of course, now that the girls knew they were witches, they were immediately targeted for destruction by all manner of warlocks, sorceresses, and malevolent spirits, many of these hoping to steal the Halliwells' powers for themselves. Also, in their efforts to lead "normal" lives and not give away their secrets, the ladies encountered a great deal of difficulty in the romance department -- not to mention the holding and maintaining of regular employment.

During season one, Prue worked for the Buckland Auction House, whose owner turned out to be a warlock; she also lost her policeman boyfriend, Andy Trudeau (T.W. King), who was killed in an effort to save the Halliwells from a demon. Phoebe's private life was not quite so tempestuous, though she had a bad habit of losing jobs due to the bad things happening around her. The impressionable Piper, who managed to find work as a caterer and later as the owner of the "P3 Club" nightspot, thought she had found true love in the form of hunky handyman Leo Wyatt (Brian Krause), until learning that Leo was a "Whitelighter," a guardian angel fated to protect all good witches from harm -- and as such, was off limits. In later seasons, however, Leo was demoted to "mortality" and was able to marry Piper, with whom he had a "bewitched" son named Wyatt. By the time Leo's powers were back to full steam in season five, he'd been appointed an "Elder" Whitelighter; his former job of protecting the sisters was taken over by another Whitelighter named Chris Perry (Drew Fuller), who turned out to have a hidden agenda.

Season three saw quite a few upheavals in the lives of the sisters, with Phoebe falling for Assistant DA Cole Turner (Julian McMahon) -- who turned out to be the demon Belthazor, and whose mission was to kill the sisters. Cole managed to purge himself of evil, only to revert to wickedness -- a cycle that continued to repeat itself until, in season four, the "bad" Cole married and impregnated Phoebe with his evil seed. Eventually the baby was stolen by a demon called The Seer (Debbi Morgan), and poor, mixed-up Cole wound up trapped in another dimension before being "vanquished" permanently. (At least Phoebe landed a permanent job as a newspaper advice columnist once the dust had settled!) As for Prue, season three of Charmed turned out to be her last when she was killed during a "demon assault." Her place in the Halliwell household was taken in season four by the girls' half sister, Paige Matthews (Rose McGowan), who like the late Prue possessed telekinetic powers. Paige would eventually find "civilian" employment as a social worker, enabling her to emulate the other girls by applying her powers for the forces of good on a full-time basis.

There were scores of additional plot complications and story arcs occurring in and out of the "real world" and back and forth in time (at one point, for example, the heroines were converted into Greek goddesses). "Charmed" though the Halliwell girls may have been, it didn't mean that they exactly led charmed lives. Perhaps it was the unstable nature of the world in which our heroines dwelled that made Charmed one of the WB's most successful offerings; viewers literally never knew what to expect from one week to the next! ~ Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
Shannen DohertyHolly Marie Combs, (more)
 
1998  
R  
Add Phantoms to Queue Add Phantoms to top of Queue  
Dean Koontz scripted this adaptation of his fantasy novel. The tale begins when two sisters, Lisa (Rose McGowan) and Jenny (Joanna Going) arrive for a ski vacation in the mountain resort town of Snowfield, Colorado, where they discover their landlady is dead and the town is deserted except for a single dead police officer. Lisa and Jenny are soon joined by Sheriff Bryce Hammond (Ben Affleck) and his deputies Stu Wargle (Liev Schreiber) and Steve Shanning (Nicky Katt). The five conclude that the entire town is missing or dead, but after they head for a local hotel, they hear a Patsy Cline tune emanating from the second floor -- where a scribbled message mentions "Timothy Flyte" and the "Ancient Enemy." After Wargle is attacked by a bizarre creature that sucks out his brain, Hammond radios for help. The Feds find Flyte (Peter O'Toole), a British professor who explains his theory of an Ancient Enemy, periodically emerging from inside the Earth to decimate civilizations. Human extinction looms, but Flyte and an Army commando unit arrive in Colorado with a plan of action. Directed by Joe Chappelle, who made Thieves Quartet (1994). ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
Peter O'TooleRose McGowan, (more)
 
1998  
R  
Add Southie to Queue Add Southie to top of Queue  
"Southie" is common usage in Massachusetts for a resident of South Boston. John Shea directed and co-scripted (with James Cummings and Dave McLaughlin) this low-budget crime drama which won the American Independent Award at the 1998 Seattle Film Festival. Out of money and out of luck, Danny Quinn (Donnie Wahlberg) leaves NYC and returns home to South Boston where his dysfunctional family is allied with an Irish Mafia crowd. When Danny's pals open a private casino with an assist from a different Irish Mafia group, this leaves Danny stuck in the middle when trouble erupts between the two factions. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
Donnie WahlbergRose McGowan, (more)
 
1997  
R  
Described by director Gregg Araki as "A Beverly Hills 90210 episode on acid" (with no suggestions of what it might be cut with), Nowhere is a companion piece with Araki's previous meditations on youth gone wild in the 1990s, Totally F***ed Up and The Doom Generation -- Araki's self-described "teen apocalypse trilogy." Nowhere follows 18-year-old Dark Smith (James Duval) as he goes through a fairly typical day in Los Angeles. Dark needs, but rarely gets, emotional support from his girlfriend Mel (Rachel True). Mel, however, is also involved with a girl named Lucifer (Kathleen Robertson), while Dark moons over hunky Montgomery (Nathan Bexton). Dark's best friend Cowboy (Guillermo Diaz) has troubles of his own, as his boyfriend and bandmate Bart (Jeremy Jordan) is back on drugs and spending most of his time with his dealer. Mel's friends include sugar junkie Dingbat (Christina Applegate), doomsday poetess Alyssa (Jordan Ladd), and Egg (Sarah Lassez), who is being unexpectedly wooed by a Famous Teen Idol (Jason Simmons). Egg's brother Ducky (Scott Caan) has a crush on Alyssa, but she's keeping company with a biker named Elvis (Thyme Lewis). Alyssa's assignation with Elvis gets a psychic boost by her twin brother Shad (Ryan Phillippe) and his tryst with Lilith (Heather Graham). The day continues on a roller coaster of kinky sex, hallucinogenic drugs, random violence, romantic misunderstandings, alien abductions, and (of course) a wild party, this time at the home of noted hipster Jujyfruit (Gibby Haynes). Like The Doom Generation, Nowhere features a wealth of pop culture icons in cameo appearances, including John Ritter, Traci Lords, Charlotte Rae, Eve Plumb, and Shannen Doherty. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
James DuvalRachel True, (more)
 
1997  
R  
Three makes for a dangerous crowd in this darkly comic crime story. Convicted murderer Lewis (Salvator Xuereb) breaks out of prison with Clark (Dan Gunther), who is doing time for computer fraud. The escapees are heading to New Mexico in search of a secret map to a gold mine that was hidden by a prisoner who recently met with a fatal accident. Clark, however, doesn't like Lewis, and Lewis only has Clark around because he's functionally illiterate and needs help reading maps. Meanwhile, George (Rose McGowan), a young woman who never speaks, has hit the highway after lifting the $10,000 that she and her boyfriend Fred (Art LaFleur) were given for a shipment of drugs that they never actually delivered. After Lewis impulsively shoots one person too many, Clark strikes out on his own, and while hitchhiking, he gets picked up by George, who has stolen a car and has a poisonous snake for protection. George learns about Clark's secret gold mine, and eager to get on his good side, she seduces him. While George spells "trouble" so clearly that she should have the word tattooed on her forehead, Clark falls for her like the proverbial ton of bricks; Lewis also finds "romance" of his own with a sleazy woman he meets in a trailer park before meeting up with Clark at the location of the hidden map. Deciding that they work better as a team, Lewis and Clark head out to Mexico in search of the gold, with George tagging along, but what they don't know is that Fred has been following her, convinced that George still has his money. This was Rose McGowan and Salvator Xuereb's second film together, after appearing in Gregg Araki's post-modern road movie The Doom Generation. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
Rose McGowanSalvator Xuereb, (more)
 
1997  
R  
Two men return home from the Army to find that their attitudes on life, love, and the town where they grew up have changed in this bittersweet coming-of-age drama. Sonny Burns (Jeremy Davies) and Gunner Casselman (Ben Affleck) are two guys from Indianapolis who were drafted during the Korean War. In high school, Gunner was a football player and big man on campus, while Sonny was a social outcast who kept to himself. Sonny spent most of his hitch in the Army in Kansas City, while Gunner was stationed in Japan and found his perspectives changed by exposure to Asian philosophies. Gunner and Sonny run into each other on a troop train as they return to Indiana in 1954. While they were never close in school, Gunner finds himself reaching out to Sonny, believing that Sonny is a deep thinker, though Sonny spends a lot more time thinking about girls than his place in the universe. Sonny has a girlfriend, Buddy (Amy Locane), who would like to get married; Sonny's mother Alma (Jill Clayburgh) is almost as eager as Buddy to see her son head to the altar, but Sonny doesn't find Buddy very interesting, and he's not sure if he wants to settle in Indianapolis. He's far more attracted to Gail (Rose McGowan), an exotic looking brunette who appeals to his girly-magazine fantasies, but while he can make love to Buddy, he's struck with impotence when Gail offers to sleep with him. Meanwhile, Gunner has fallen in love with Marty Pilcher (Rachel Weisz), a sexy Jewish woman, but Gunner's mother Nina (Lesley Ann Warren), who seems inappropriately fond of her son, doesn't care for Marty and spouts anti-Semitic venom at her son in hopes of driving him away from his new girlfriend. Like Sonny, Gunner finds himself thinking that his destiny lies outside of his home town. Dan Wakefield wrote the screenplay for Going All the Way, based on his own novel. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

 Read More

 
1997  
R  
Teenage lust turns deadly in this slightly campy exploitation drama. Debbie Strand (Rose McGowan) is a sexy but troubled teenager with a checkered past who is sent to live with her grandmother after the death of her parents. Grandma attempts to keep Debbie on a short leash, but she's soon sneaking out for not always wholesome fun with her new friends. Debbie, who has never had trouble attracting whatever man she wants, sets her sights on Peter Rinaldi (Alex McArthur), a teacher at her high school. However, Peter has both a fiancée and strong scruples, so he repeatedly rejects Debbie's advances. But Hell hath no fury like a Debbie scorned, and before long Peter finds that his life is ruined and bodies are piling up, as an angry Ms. Strand takes her revenge on her would-be suitor. Also released under the title Dearly Devoted (and not based on the oft-filmed Raymond Radiguet novel), Devil in the Flesh was co-scripted by Kelly Carlin-McCall, daughter of noted comedian George Carlin. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

 Read More

Starring:
Rose McGowanAlex McArthur, (more)