Devon Odessa Movies
Director/screenwriter Anthony Stagliano uses a rare genetic disorder that refuses to let the body shut down as a jumping off point to explore such issues as identity and faithfulness in a world where dreams and reality are indistinguishable. Arthur Dichter (David Connolly) is a devoted husband suffering from a rare genetic disorder known as fatal familial insomnia. A disorder that typically doesn't manifest itself until adulthood, fatal familial insomnia causes the afflicted to suffer insomnia, intense phobias, panic attacks, hallucinations, dementia, and ultimately death. As Arthur slips ever deeper into the grips of fatal familial insomnia, he wanders the city streets in a sleepless bid to keep his body moving. After losing the ability to communicate, Arthur begins to self-mutilate and record his thoughts in a diary that he will not even share with his long-suffering wife, Anna (Sarah Lassez). His doctor begins to speculate that Arthur may be suicidal, but Anna knows that her husband is simply locked in a strange new reality from which the only escape is death. As despair, loneliness, and alienation take hold, Anna refuses to allow her husband to slip away without one last valiant fight. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Connolly, Sarah Lassez, (more)
A disturbed health inspector begins a surreal descent into madness when her marriage fails, her mental health begins to plummet, and her obsession with kung fu movies drives her to seek vengeance against the Ten Tigers from Kwangtung in director Gregory Hatanaka's experimental psychological thriller. Therese's (Sarah Lassez) life is falling apart; her husband has abandoned her, her affair with a sleazy televangelist has left her sexually frustrated, and her brother may have poisoned her with some particularly bad meat. Now, as Therese begins to succumb to her all-consuming nymphomania and her doctor begins to suspect that there truly is something wrong despite her outwardly healthy appearance, the delusional slaughterhouse inspector begins the rigorous training that will allow her to take on the dreaded Ten Tigers from Kwangtung in an all-out bloodbath that could claim the lives of more than a few of her recent lovers. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sarah Lassez, James Duval, (more)
- 1999
- R
Three over-achieving students struggle to maintain their ultra-confident images in order to win the prestigious Sterling Chase award at stuffy, tradition-bound Chadley College. Senator's daughter Alexis (Nicholle Tom), tries to get back in the closet to appease her controlling parents, even if it means jettisoning her girlfriend Chris (Devon Odessa). As one of the college's few African American students, Darren (Sean Patrick Thomas) enjoys the seeming acceptance of his brothers in the frat-like Wolf Club, though he remains troubled by lingering suspicions that he is there just to fulfill minority quotas. Meanwhile, though Jenna (Alana Ubach), the campus' most outspoken and assertive feminist, actively pursues one-night stands as a part of her denouncement of the patriarchal oppression of women, she quietly reveals her vulnerable side by admitting to her friend "Buns" (John Livingston) the real reason she has thwarted commitment. During the course of a 48-hour period, the three reexamine their lives and learn a bit in the process. The Sterling Chase was screened at the 1999 Mill Valley Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andrea Ferrell, John Livingston, (more)
In this spiritual thriller, an ancient prophecy is about to be fulfilled as a secret code brings the world to the edge of Apocalypse. Gillen Lane (Casper Van Dien) is a expert on theology and mythology who has gained international fame as a motivational speaker. Lane is approached by Stone Alexander (Michael York), the owner and founder of a major media empire, who has been made chairman of the European Union and needs someone to help spread the word about his goal of a world united behind a single vision of peace. Lane begins to realize that there's something sinister behind Alexander's veneer of charity and benevolence: a secret code was embedded in the original texts of the Torah that will allow the person who cracks it to unlock the secret powers of the Christian scriptures; if it falls into the wrong hands, it could mean the end of Man's Reign on Earth. After the death of his mother, Lane lost his faith in God and embraced a New Age philosophy, but now he must confront his lost faith as he tries to discover both the all-powerful secret of the Omega Code and his own true identity. The Omega Code also stars Van Dien's wife Catherine Oxenberg as Cassandra Barris, a reporter working for Alexander's network, and Michael Ironside as Dominic, Alexander's thuggish underling. The Omega Code was produced in association with the Trinity Broadcasting Network, America's largest Christian broadcasting outlet. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Casper Van Dien, Michael York, (more)
- 1998
Slipping on the ice outside a bus station, Monica (Roma Downey) suffers a severe concussion--and a complete loss of memory. Not only does she not realize that she is an angel, but she also fails to recognize Tess (Della Reese), Andrew (John Dye). . .or God. Falsely arrested for theft, Monica must be taught how to pray by a mortal, and is able to recover only after being the beneficiary of someone else's forgiveness. Once she has figured out who she is and what she's supposed to be doing in this episode, Monica tackles her latest assignment--persuading an embittered doctor (Michael Moriarty) to forgive the man who murdered his wife--with a new and somewhat overpowering zeal! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A group of teenagers telling ghost stories while stranded in the middle of nowhere sets the scene for this collection of horror tales. A girl is terrorized by a psycho she "met" on the internet, a biker makes the mistake of visiting a haunted farmhouse, and some folks in an RV finds monsters along the highway. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Forced into drug rehab by her mother Joanna (Patti LuPone), rebellious teenager Alex Saxen (Kellie Martin) shows few signs of being cured upon her release, and quickly goes back to her wild and uninhibited lifestyle. Thus, when Alex's boyfriend turns up murdered after a party, the police tag her as the most likely suspect. But despite Alex's sordid history with booze and pills and her uncontrollable behavior, her counselor Leslie (Jenna Elfman) is unconvinced of the girl's guilt. Reuniting Life Goes On stars Kellie Martin and Patti LuPone, the made-for-TV Her Last Chance initially aired April 8, 1996 on NBC. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kellie Martin
- 1995
In the aftermath of a student's suicide, a schoolteacher finds herself socially ostracized and facing criminal charges. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Keith Carradine, Michael Bowen, (more)
For the first time ever, all 19 episodes of the critically-acclaimed television show My So-Called Life, starring Claire Danes, are available in one 5 disc DVD box set. Her portrayal of Angela Chase, the angst-ridden, introspective teen earned Clare Danes a Golden Globe. Even today, after being off the air since early 1995, the show has thousands of fans all around the world.
- Starring:
- Claire Danes, Bess Armstrong, (more)
- 1992
"Tanner Family Fun Night" is anything but when Danny (Bob Saget), Joey (David Coulier) and the girls get into a silly argument at a pirate-themed restaurant. Not unexpectedly, mere words are abandoned when comedy props are brought into play. And back at the Tanner home, Jesse (John Stamos) and Becky (Lisa Loughlin) get into an argument at home over the proper care of their twin babies...until a crisis develops. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
The press, the police and a neighborhood watch group are swept up in a tsunami of controversy thanks to the actions of an unknown vigilante. Twice in the past week, someone has taken the law into his (or her) own hands--and in the second instance, an innocent black teenager was savagely beaten. Hunter (Fred Dryer) is determined to find the truth of the matter and avert a citywide riot (and incidentally, this episode takes place long before the Rodney King debacle!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Adapted from Gene Stratton-Porter's novel, the story of an Indiana farmgirl growing up with her widowed mother. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joanna Cassidy, Heather Fairfield, (more)
- 1990
Filmed in semidocumentary fashion, Extreme Close-up features Morgan Weisser as a 16-year-old boy grieving the death of his mother (Blair Brown). Trying to assuage his grief, Weisser runs family videotapes of his mother. It becomes increasingly clear that the woman was falling apart emotionally in the months before her death, and Weisser wants to know why. Looking for answers, he begins taping new videos of his turbulent home life -- which slowly mirror the disintegration of his mother. Made for television, Extreme Close-up was written by thirtysomething veterans Marshall Herkovitz and Edward Zwick; its director was Peter Horton, who'd played Gary on thirtysomething. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Blair Brown, Craig T. Nelson, (more)
In this cheerful, lightweight comedy, excruciatingly clumsy, disorganized, and messy Uncle Buck Russell (John Candy) becomes the screens most unlikely babysitter since Clifton Webb in Sitting Pretty. While their parents are away, eight-year old Miles (Macaulay Culkin), six-year old Maizy (Gaby Hoffman) and their teen-aged sister, Tia (Jean Kelly) are left in the care of Buck. Surprisingly, the very inept Uncle Buck entertains the younger children who come to love him and earns the respect of Tia when he rescues her from her worthless boyfriend. However, in doing so, Buck nearly loses his long-time girlfriend Chanice (Amy Madigan). John Candy is delightful in the leading role giving a touching and notable comic performance. Directed by John Hughes in his typical broad style, this youth-oriented comedy is perhaps the best role of John Candy's regrettably brief career. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Candy, Amy Madigan, (more)
