John Pyper-Ferguson Movies

A lone-wolf Hollywood stunt driver (Ryan Gosling) moonlights as a freelance getaway wheelman, and he finds his solitary existence taking on new meaning after befriending Irene (Carey Mulligan), the lonely wife of convicted felon Standard (Oscar Isaac), and her young son Benicio (Kaden Leos). When Standard gets released from prison and is strong-armed into committing a bold daytime robbery, the Driver offers his services in an effort to help the repentant ex-con cut his ties to the criminal underworld. Things get complicated, however, when the robbery goes unexpectedly awry, and the Driver just barely manages to escape alive. When the take from the job proves to be stratospherically higher than the Driver was led to believe, it quickly becomes apparent that they were set up. Later, thugs threaten to kill Irene and Benicio, and all evidence points to transplanted New York crime boss Bernie Rose (Albert Brooks) and his hot-headed partner Nino (Ron Perlman) as the masterminds. As the Driver attempts to turn the tables on them, it becomes clear that the chain of command goes much higher than he could have ever anticipated. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A struggling farmer must choose between several desperate options in this period drama, set in Canada in the 1950s. Snit Mandolin (Keir Gilchrist) is a young man whose family emigrated to Canada when he was a boy; they were viewed with deep suspicion by their new neighbors in Saskatchewan, and when his parents died, Snit was sent to live in a group home where brutal violence was commonplace. Snit is released and returns to Saskatchewan to find that his Aunt Matilda (Gabrielle Rose) is the only person still living on the family's farm, and she's left the fields and the cattle in a deplorable state. Snit wants to turn the farm back into a going concern, but he needs money, something Matilda can't provide. Snit becomes reacquainted with Johnny (Alexander De Jordy), one of his few friends from childhood, and Johnny offers to help Snit make raise some cash by working for him. However, Johnny's business is making bootleg whiskey, and with local sheriff Roy Kane (John Pyper-Ferguson) looking for an excuse to drive Snit out of town, moonshining could cost him his farm as readily as neglect or the elements. Based on a novel by one of Canada's most celebrated authors, George Ryga's Hungry Hills was an official selection at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The explosive X-Men motion picture trilogy officially draws to a close with this release that finds Rush Hour director Brett Ratner stepping in for Bryan Singer to tell the tale of a newly discovered mutant "cure," and the polarizing effect it has on mutant/man relations. With the pressure on mutants to give up their powers and pledge alliance with the human race reaching a critical turning point, Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) urges tolerance and understanding as his nemesis Magneto (Ian McKellen) gathers a powerful resistance in preparation for the ultimate war against humankind. Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Anna Paquin, and James Marsden return to reprise the roles they played in the previous two X-Men films, with Kelsey Grammer and Vinnie Jones joining the cast as Beast and Juggernaut respectively. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Executive produced by Steven Spielberg, the sprawling six-part, 12-hour TV miniseries Into the West covers 65 years of American history, from the first major migration westward in the mid-1820s to the massacre at Wounded Knee in the early 1890s. The story is largely seen through the eyes of two protagonists (and their families): Jacob Wheeler (Matthew Settle), a wheelwright who leaves his Virginia hometown and his family's business in 1827 to seek his destiny in the company of legendary mountain man Jedediah Smith (Josh Brolin); and Loved by the Buffalo (George Leach), a Lakota Sioux holy man who spends a lifetime seeking the answers to his profound and disturbing images about the future of his country -- and his people. Eschewing the usual "old-age makeup" route often pursued in epic tales of this nature, the main characters are played by progressively older actors in the course of the story: for example, Loved by the Buffalo is portrayed by no fewer than four different performers! In a more traditionalist How the West Was Won vein, the miniseries is festooned with major stars, some cast in very brief roles: among these are Josh Brolin, Keri Russell, Matthew Modine, Beau Bridges, Gary Busey, Tom Berenger, and Judge Reinhold. Nor is How the West Was Won the only inspiration for the multi-plotted storyline: other films echoed and emulated throughout the saga include The Iron Horse, The Big Trail, Westward the Women, The Searchers, and Dances With Wolves. As mentioned, the story is divided into six parts: "Wheel to the Stars," in which the fates of Jacob Wheeler and Loved by the Buffalo become forever intertwined; "Manifest Destiny," chronicling the first major trek to California; "Dreams & Schemes," wherein the Lakota lands are despoiled by Gold Fever and war breaks out between the North and South; "Hell on Wheels," chronicling the postwar chaos and the coming of the railroad; "Casualties of War," wherein the conflict between Native Americans and the white man results in wholesale bloodshed -- and, surprisingly, a "counter-revolution" of compassion and understanding; and "Ghost Dance," the last great stand of the Lakota, which brings the story full circle. Largely filmed in the Canadian Rockies over a six-month period, and utilizing the talents of six directors, Into the West premiered June 10, 2005, on the TNT cable network. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the premiere episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Jim Brass (Paul Guilfoyle), head of the Las Vegas PD's forensic team, resents the presence of novice team member Holly Gribbs (Chandra West). Brass' efforts to scare Holly result in tragedy, but not before the unit investigates a disturbing variety of crimes: overnight-shift head man Grissom (William L. Petersen) looks into a suspicious suicide, number-two team member Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger) joins Warrick Brown (Gary Dourdan) in probing the death of a not-so-homeless drunk, and Warrick's friendly rival Nick Stokes (George Eads) searches for a woman who drugged and robbed a hapless tourist. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Former Hal Hartley collaborator Adrienne Shelly directs her second feature about a blind date gone horribly horribly awry. Still thoroughly depressed after his girlfriend dumped him three months ago, Bill (Reg Rogers) is coerced by his sister (Shelly) into going on a blind date with Bernice (Ally Sheedy). Bill is immediately underwhelmed by his cheerless date, and as the night grinds on, he bluntly tells her what he thinks. Instead of ending things, Bernice becomes obsessed with the man, telling him at one point that since the date, he has "taken something away." After trying more standard means to worm her way into his life, she takes drastic action; she pulls a gun on Bill and ushers him to her vintage Mercury. Soon Bill finds himself the unwilling accomplice to Bernice's serial gunpoint robberies of boutiques. Meanwhile, she lambastes him for not being adequately respectful. Before long, Bill finds himself in upstate New York and out of his rut. I'll Take You There was screened at the 1999 Telluride Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

Plagued by debts, New Yorkers Brad (Tim Allen) and Caroline (Kirstie Alley) Sexton continue to live the high life while maintaining the deception of wealth. But then real estate developer Brad learns his accountant has balanced the books in his own favor, appropriated $5 million, and flown to South America -- after first devising a set-up in which only Brad and Caroline would be blamed by the IRS. With IRS agent Derek Lester (Larry Miller) on their tail, the Sextons escape from New York. They arrive at the Amish community of Intercourse, Pennsylvania, where they pose as the Missouri relatives of farmer Samuel Yoder (Jay O. Sanders). It's the perfect hiding place, but it requires Brad and Caroline to suppress their previous sophisticated lifestyle, as they attempt to adopt Amish attitudes and customs. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

In this sci-fi adventure an intergalactic ambassador and his entourage are kidnapped by terrorists. Ironically, they were heading out to a hostage negotiation. If they do not escape in time, a war between planets could ensue. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

The Road Flower was given a limited release in 1993, then reissued two years later under the title The Road Killers. Essentially a rehash of the old drive-in perennial Hot Rods to Hell, the film stars Christopher Lambert as the taciturn head of a vacationing family. While motoring somewhere in the middle of Nevada, the family man and his loved ones are terrorized by a looney gang of hot-rodders, headed by wild-eyed Craig Sheffer (he did get better). Political correctness be hanged: these dysfunctional drivers must be dealt with, deprived childhoods or no deprived childhoods. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Judd Nelson is the ex-brat-packer in this particular direct-to-video gem. Befriended by a wealthy but depraved young couple (Joanna Pacula and Patrick Bauchau), Nelson joins the pair in their bizarre notions of fun and games. He thinks he knows the score, but even he isn't parade for the kinkiness of his hosts. Though much is suggested, surprisingly little happens. The suspense elements in Every Breath are in fact stronger than the film's sexual allure. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

When a photographer is murdered, he is somehow able to capture the killer on film; when the negatives end up in the hands of the deceased's brother, the killer is soon after another victim. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi

In this suspense film, a couple goes on a weekend vacation to get some much needed peace and quiet and instead find themselves entangled with murder and blackmail. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi