Adam Nelson Movies

An estranged African-American family from the deep South is forced to confront their painful past when as they come together to celebrate the life and legacy of the woman whose death served as the catalyst for renewed family bonds in this redemptive family drama starring Hill Harper, Billy Dee Williams, and Lesley Ann Warren. Carmel Boxer (Gabrielle Union) has passed away, and her entire family has returned to Huntsville, Alabama to pay their final respects. Coming together isn't easy for the Boxer family though, and for family patriarch Helms (Williams) in particular, the painful memories of an unrequited interracial love affair are something that he would rather just forget. As the revelations about Carmel's past prompt each family member to take stock of their pent up emotions and reevaluate their feelings about one another, the changing racial fabric of both society and his family prompts the troubled Helms to confront the inner demons that have tormented him for decades. In the end it's the redemptive power of love and the honesty of family that will help to inspire healing in a group whose hearts had been held hostage to their turbulent history for far too long. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

With Lisa (Lili Taylor) still missing, mortality hangs heavily in the air as Six Feet Under begins its third-season finale. Simultaneously, however, romantic and sexual liaisons spring -- and cling -- to life. Brenda (Rachel Griffiths) enjoys a chaste, quirky date with a sexy neighbor, while Federico (Freddy Rodriguez) finds solace from his marital problems in the arms of a stripper, David (Michael C. Hall) reluctantly agrees to reconcile with Keith (Mathew St. Patrick), and a defiant Ruth (Frances Conroy) decides to marry George (James Cromwell) after all. Her announcement elicits a variety of negative reactions from her children. A distraught Nate (Peter Krause) drips with contempt, while diplomatic David says the timing is just bad. Pouty Claire (Lauren Ambrose) can't believe her mother would try to replace the late Nathaniel (Richard Jenkins) so suddenly. But as Claire embarks on a fanciful tour of the afterlife, her departed father tells her that her hang-ups about the impending nuptials are her own problem. While wandering around the great beyond, Claire encounters a variety of deceased characters -- including, to her surprise, ex-boyfriend Gabe (Eric Balfour) and her own recently aborted child, who's being cared for by Lisa herself. Whether Claire's wanderings are a dream or a visitation, one thing's for certain: Lisa really is dead. Nate receives a fateful phone call confirming that her nearly unidentifiable body has been discovered. Unaware of the news, his siblings reluctantly attend their mother's wedding while Nate drinks himself into a stupor and instigates a bar brawl. Bloody and broken, he nearly drunk-drives to his own death, but instead he turns to the one person he's been fleeing from all season: Brenda. Originally broadcast June 1, 2003, on HBO, "I'm Sorry, I'm Lost" marked season three, episode 13 of the made-for-cable drama. In addition to the show's typical corpse-of-the-week opening, a second white title card eventually appears to announce the death of "Lisa Kimmel Fisher, 1973-2003." ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

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

Tim Robbins' second directorial effort (after the political satire Bob Roberts) was this drama based on a true story, which explores the issue of capital punishment. Sister Helen Prejean (Susan Sarandon) is a nun and teacher living in rural Louisiana. One day, she receives a letter from Matthew Poncelet (Sean Penn), who is scheduled to be executed soon for the rape and murder of two teenagers. After meeting Matthew, Sister Helen agrees to serve as spiritual counselor and see what she can do to stay the execution. However, Matthew's claims of innocence seem shaky at best, and it's clear he's a reprehensible, amoral racist. When it becomes obvious that Matthew's sentence will be carried out, Sister Helen offers what comfort she can to Matthew, but also tries to guide him to an open admission of the extent of his crimes and an acceptance of divine forgiveness, telling him "I want the last face you see to be the face of love." Susan Sarandon won an Oscar for her performance as Sister Prejean, and Sean Penn was similarly nominated for Best Actor as Matthew. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The Indian Runner, Sean Penn's debut film as director (he also wrote the script, based on the Bruce Springsteen song "Highway Patrolman") is a brooding tale of two brothers -- one peaceful and sedate, the other violent and aggressive -- whose natures, left unchecked since they were children, are set to the boiling point as they head toward middle-age. David Morse is the quiet brother, Joe Roberts, who is a deputy sheriff in a small town. His older brother Frank (Viggo Mortensen) shows up on Joe's doorsteps, after a recent run-in with the police. Frank tells Joe that he is coming back home to stay and that he has given up his criminal life. His wife Maria (Valeria Golino) is skeptical, but Joe tells her that he is prepared to help Frank get his life back together. Frank has almost convinced himself that his future holds real promise and he's ready to start a new life with his pregnant girlfriend Dorothy (Patricia Arquette). But, once again, Frank's violent temper explodes, and everyone's plans for Frank's future crumble into rubble. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

The crew of an experimental, high-tech submersible is called into action to investigate a mysterious nuclear submarine crash. A series of strange encounters leads the crew to suspect the accident was caused by an extraterrestrial craft, and that they may be participating in an encounter with an alien species. However, in order to make contact, they must not only brave the abyss, an exceedingly deep underwater canyon, but also deal with the violent actions of one of their own crew members, an increasingly paranoid Navy SEAL officer. Approved by director James Cameron, The Abyss: Special Edition is an extended director's cut of the 1989 underwater science fiction epic, reinstating nearly a half hour of footage removed from the original release under studio pressure. Much of the restored footage places the film's events in a grander political context, as the crew's mission becomes a factor in the dangerous escalation of nuclear tension between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The largest change involves the film's ending, which provides further information on the aliens' mission on Earth, bringing the film to closer to Cameron's intention: a modern remake of Robert Wise's The Day the Earth Stood Still. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi