Ashley Peldon Movies

Separated from his wife of many years and left with no one to turn to for guidance or advice, the fifty-five year old owner of a small ice cream parlor moves in with his two bachelor employees, giving everyone involved the opportunity to reevaluate their lives and reassess their priorities. It's summer, and business at Ray Fulton's ice cream shop is booming. His slick manager Gevorg and his enthusiastic underling do their best to keep the business running as smooth as soft serve, yet a series of events are about to unfold that will show these three men just how unpredictable life can truly be. One afternoon, after Ramon gets into an altercation at work, Ray is forced to let him go. While Gevorg is kind enough to take Ramon in long enough for him to find a new job and get back on his feet, a second disaster follows in quick succession when Ray's long-time wife decides to file for separation seemingly out of the blue and for reasons the unsuspecting parlor owner can't fully understand. Recognizing another friend in need - and still with room to spare in his spacious home - Gevorg opens his doors to Ray as well. Later, just as the three men are beginning to settle into a comfortable routine, Ray's daughter Emily arrives in town on a mission to rescue her parents' relationship. But Ray is so wrapped up in his quest to rediscover his own identity that he doesn't seem to have much time for Emily, leaving her to form an unlikely bond with Gevorg that prompts the smooth-talking womanizer to take a second look at his rambunctious lifestyle. Meanwhile, Ramon considers entering into a potentially profitable marriage of convenience with Armenian beauty Susannah who's looking to get a green card, but finds the situation complicated after recognizing that he has better chemistry with her best friend Tami. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Filmmaker Terry Zwigoff, who enjoyed breakthrough success with his 1994 documentary Crumb, shifts gears as he examines the lives of two young women on the verge of leaving their adolescence behind in his first dramatic feature. Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson) are two close friends who've just graduated from high school, and are trying to decide what to do with their lives. Enid is a dark-haired arch cynic who is tired of living at home with her ineffectual dad (Bob Balaban) and his annoyingly perky girlfriend Maxine (Teri Garr), while Rebecca is prettier and a bit cheerier, but no more certain about her future. While the two girls have vague plans of getting an apartment together, they seem content to while away their summer hanging out and indulging in their shared infatuation with Josh (Brad Renfro), a friend from school who works at a convenience store and doesn't seem to be especially attracted to either of them. Enid discovers that in order to get her diploma, she'll have to take an additional class over the summer, where she winds up studying art with Roberta (Illeana Douglas), who is determined to encourage Enid's creative impulses, whether Enid likes it or not. More significantly, Enid meets Seymour (Steve Buscemi), a geeky record collector more than twice her age, and while they would seem to have little in common (and Rebecca thinks he's a creep), Enid discovers a kindred spirit in fellow misfit Seymour, who shares her disgust with the world around them, and a relationship begins to develop between the two. Ghost World is based on the award-winning graphic novel by comic artist Daniel Clowes, who also wrote the film's screenplay. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Nick Marck directs this sequel to Disney's 1994 live-action adaptation of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book. Released in 1998, Jungle Book: Mowgli's Story is a prequel to the original, following the early adventures of Mowgli and his animal friends. Taking on the role previously played by Jason Scott Lee, Brandon Baker dons the loincloth of the preadolescent Mowgli in this straight-to-video family film. Jungle Book: Mowgli's Story also features performances by Dee Bradley Baker, Myles Jeffrey, and Ashley Peldon, and is narrated by The Wonder Years' Fred Savage. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

Dirk Benedict, Barbara Carrera, and Billy Maddox star in this comic adventure in which the spirit of Indian brave Horton Laughing Feather returns to help two children who are looking for a lost fortune in gold. While hardly the most able guide, Horton manages to help them find the loot, but it turns out he needs to perform one more act of bravery before he'll be allowed to return to the spirit world. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

When Arthur Miller's play The Crucible was first staged in 1953, it was widely acclaimed as a metaphor for the recklessness of Joseph McCarthy and his spurious crusade against communism. In its 1996 screen adaptation (scripted by Miller), the tone has been adjusted somewhat and plays as a warning against the dangers of political and religious extremism of all kinds. After a group of young women is accused of witchcraft in the Puritan community of Salem, Mass. in 1692, Abigail Williams (Winona Ryder) is held in suspicion of practicing magic. Abigail in turn levels charges against John Proctor (Daniel Day-Lewis) and his wife Elizabeth (Joan Allen). Abigail has a private grudge against the Proctors; while working as their servant, she had an affair with John, and when John ended the relationship and returned to his wife, Abigail was fired. Now the Reverend Parris (Bruce Davison) is hearing accusations and counter-accusations of misdeeds from all sides of the community in the wake of Abigail's charges, so he brings in Judge Danforth (Paul Scofield) to determine who is guilty or innocent. However, given the moral climate of the time, it seems someone has to be found guilty of witchcraft, even though firm evidence of wrongdoing is becoming hard to come by. This was the second screen version of The Crucible, though it was the first one in English; the previous version, filmed in France in 1956, starred Simone Signoret and Yves Montand. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Anxious for revenge against the corporation that has refused to promote her, an ambitious secretary beguiles a naive stockbroker into helping her enact a deadly plan. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

A terrible secret is uncovered in a child's past in this made-for-cable drama. Based on a true story, Ashley Peldon stars as 7-year-old Catherine, the newly adopted child of the Tylers. When Catherine turns increasingly violent towards her new parents and her natural brother, the Tylers try everything in their power to uncover the mysterious root of her anger. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide

Phoebe Cates stars in this bizarre comedy that wants to be the kind of stylish comic fable the likes of Tim Burton's Beetlejuice and Pee-wee's Big Adventure but ends up looking like a shabby burlesque about schizophrenia. Cates is Elizabeth, who has recently separated from her philandering husband Charles (Tim Matheson) and moved back home with her harridan mother Polly (Marsha Mason). Back in her old little-girl haunts, she regresses into childhood and recalls her imaginary childhood friend Drop Dead Fred (Rik Mayall), a nasty, ill-tempered sociopath. As a child, Elizabeth created mayhem with her imaginary pal, but Polly locked him up tight in a jack-in-the-box. But now, Elizabeth mistakenly liberates him from the jack-in-the-box, and the newly freed Drop Dead Fred proceeds to wreak more havoc than the Id Monster from Forbidden Planet -- taking vengeance upon all the people who have made Elizabeth miserable -- and then some. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Diane Keaton, Carol Kane and Kathryn Grody are the title "siblings," three unrelated women who perform as a lounge trio and struggle to come up with the money to buy their own club. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide