Peggy Roeder
- 2008
Love is in the air thanks to a magic potion whipped up by an imaginative student in this playful independent comedy with music. Timothy (Tanner Cohen) is a bright young man who is attending an upscale private high school, Morgan Hill, thanks to the hard work and sacrifice of his mother (Judy McLane). Timothy is also gay and doesn't care who knows it, which doesn't make him popular with his classmates, and his closest friends, a girl nicknamed Frankie (Zelda Williams) and her boyfriend Max (Ricky Goldman), attend another school. Timothy has a serious crush on Jonathon (Nathaniel David Becker), but Jonathon isn't interested in boys, to Timothy's chagrin. Timothy is cast as Puck in the school's spring musical, a musical adaptation of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, and inspired by his character's machinations Timothy tries to recreate the love potion used in the play. Miraculously, Timothy arrives at a formula that actually works, and after accidentally dousing Max and having to fend off his advances, Timothy sprays Jonathan with the concoction and soon has the boy of his dreams. However, before long Timothy's magic potion gets loose, and things get very lively on campus, among both the students and the teachers. Were The World Mine was the first feature film from director Tom Gustafson, and won the Audience Award at the 2008 Torino International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tanner Cohen, Wendy Robie, (more)
A socially isolated IRS agent whose every move is documented by a disembodied female voice discovers that his life is the subject of a book currently being written by a best-selling author, whose creative block has stunted her repeated efforts to kill him off, in a quirky fantasy comedy written by Hollywood hot property Zach Helm and directed by Finding Neverland's Marc Forester. Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) lives a life of solitude. Kay Eiffel (Emma Thompson) can't seem to find a way to finish her latest book. Though Harold and Kay have never actually met, their fates are about to become intertwined in a most unusual manner. With her publishers growing increasingly impatient with her apparent inability to put the finishing touches on her latest novel, Kay is assigned a new assistant whose task it is to help provide the creative push needed to get her book finished and into the hands of her many eager fans. The subject of Kay's novel is a lonely and despairing IRS agent named Harold Crick, who believes that his life has lost any real meaning. As Kay continues to weave Harold's woeful tale without realizing that her protagonist is actually a living human being unable to concentrate on his life and career due to the constant interference of the narrator who inexplicably seems to anticipate his every move and read his every thought, her continued efforts to kill her perplexed subject finally provide him with the incentive needed to fully experience life by seeking out the source of the voice that plagues him. Penned by the screenwriter named by Variety magazine as one of the "Top Ten Writers to Watch" and who was also included in Esquire magazine's "Best and Brightest" list of 2004, Stranger Than Fiction features supporting performances by Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman, and Queen Latifah. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, (more)
The acclaimed graphic novel from crime writer Max Allan Collins becomes this big budget Dreamworks drama from director Sam Mendes and screenwriter David Self. Tom Hanks stars as Michael Sullivan, a morally conflicted Depression-era hit man committing murder in the name of his employer, John Rooney (Paul Newman). A kindly, aging Irish crime boss who raised Sullivan as his surrogate son, Rooney is affiliated with Al Capone in Chicago and thus wields great power in the "Tri-Cities" of Moline, IL; Rock Island, IL; and Davenport, IA. Curious about his father's mysterious profession, Sullivan's son, Michael Jr. (Tyler Hoechlin), stows away in his father's automobile one night and witnesses the execution of a man at the hands of Sullivan and Rooney's biological son, Connor (Daniel Craig). Although Michael keeps his promise to remain silent about what he's seen, the paranoid and unstable Connor tries to wipe out the entire Sullivan clan anyway, succeeding only in killing Sullivan's wife, Annie (Jennifer Jason Leigh), and youngest son, Peter (Liam Aiken). Enraged at this and another surprise betrayal by the Rooneys, Sullivan embarks on a path of bloody retribution, Michael in tow. Although he intends to leave his boy with relatives in the rural town of Perdition once the coast is clear, he ends up exposing Michael to the goriest aspects of his talents, slaughtering former associates as he dodges contract assassin Maguire (Jude Law) and cripples the cash flow of the Rooney and Capone organizations through a series of bank robberies, attempting to force either mob family to offer up the sequestered Connor as a sacrifice. Inspired by the popular Japanese comic book series Lone Wolf and Cub and based loosely on an episode from the life and career of notorious real-life crime figures John and Connor Looney, Road to Perdition co-stars Stanley Tucci as legendary Chicago mobster Frank Nitti. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, (more)
- 2000
Traces of blood found in an apartment belonging to a separated couple (Tessa Ghylin, Michael C. Williams) suggest that the couple's missing baby may have met with foul play. The investigation is stymied when each parent claims that the other has the infant. The D.A.'s office takes over when the police find the body of the child, who has apparently starved to death. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Carrying Keiko and O'Brien's child in her womb, Kira goes into labor, resulting in a flurry of activity and interest amongst her fellow crew members. The only person unaffected by the excitement is Odo, who has his hands full with his own baby, a Changeling infant who he has purchased from Quark. As Odo struggles with the trials and tribulations of parenthood, his former mentor and eternal nemesis, Dr. Mora (James J. Sloyan) arrives. Written by Rene Echevarria, "The Begotten" first aired January 27, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Having endured four consecutive night shifts, Greene (Anthony Edwards) reluctantly tackles night number five with only a skeleton crew -- and an inordinately large influx of patients. Among those passing through the doors of the crowded ER are an abusive husband whose wife has retaliated in a violent fashion, a lap dancer, a teenager who has swallowed antifreeze, and a young girl who was injured in a car accident that Greene had witnessed while grabbing a sandwich at a nearby restaurant. At the end of it all, Carter (Noah Wyle) can only express admiration for Greene's handling of a near-impossible job -- not to mention a last-minute innovation in patient care. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
This episode was clearly inspired by the 1993 arrest of Vietnam-era activist Katherine Anne Power. While pursuing a routine robbery investigation, detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Logan (Chris Noth) follow the trail of clues to 1960s war protester Susan Forrest (Mary-Joan Negro), who has been in hiding ever since participating in a 1971 burglary in which a policeman was killed. As the dead man's widow (Marilyn Chris) presses for full retribution, Forrest enlists the services of none other than "Chicago Seven" defense lawyer William M. Kunstler -- played by Kunstler himself. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Bill Murray plays Phil, a TV weatherman working for a local station in Pennsylvania but convinced that national news stardom is in his grasp. Phil displays a charm and wit on camera that evaporates the moment the red light goes off; he is bitter, appallingly self-centered, and treats his co-workers with contempt, especially his producer Rita (Andie MacDowell) and cameraman Larry (Chris Elliot). On February 2, 1992, Phil, Rita, and Larry are sent on an assignment that Phil especially loathes: the annual Groundhog Day festivities in Punxsutawney, PA, where the citizens await the appearance of Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog who will supposedly determine the length of winter by his ability to see his own shadow. Phil is eager to beat a hasty retreat, but when a freak snowstorm strands him in Punxsutawney, he wakes up the next morning with the strangest sense of déjà vu: he seems to be living the same day over again. The next morning it happens again, and then again. Soon, no matter what he does, he's stuck in February 2, 1992; not imprisonment nor attempted suicide nor kidnapping the groundhog gets him out of the loop. But the more Phil relives the same day, the more he's forced to look at other people's lives, and something unusual happens: he begins to care about others. He starts to respect people, he tries to save the life of a homeless man, and he discovers that he's falling in love with Rita and therefore wants to be someone that she could love in return. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, (more)
In My Life, Michael Keaton stars as Bob Jones, who has just been informed that his wife Gail (Nicole Kidman) is pregnant with their first child. However, he has also been told he has kidney cancer that has spread to his lungs; the longest Bob is expected to live is four months, which will deny him the joy of witnessing the birth of his child. Raging within, he visits a Chinese healer, Mr. Ho (Haing S. Ngor), who encourages him to let go of all the anger and fear he has kept trapped inside himself. Bob proceeds to videotape himself, on the advice of Mr. Ho, where Bob will talk to his unborn child and discuss what he has learned in life. In the process of the videotape sessions, Bob discovers that his anger resides in his past with his family, and Bob reveals secrets that he has kept hidden from himself and his wife through the years. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Keaton, Nicole Kidman, (more)
- 1992
Made for television, In the Company of Darkness was first aired on January 5, 1993. Helen Hunt stars as a small town rookie cop. Her first big assignment is to extract a confession from a male stalker who may be responsible for the murders of several small boys. The task drains her emotionally, especially when she endeavors to "enter" the psyche of the suspect. Rather reminiscent of Silence of the Lambs, it takes forever to get started, but you're not likely to tune out once you've tuned in. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Helen Hunt, Jeff Fahey, (more)
- 1992
- PG13
- AddHeroto QueueAddHeroto top of Queue
Stephen Frears' Hero is a contemporary re-working of a Frank Capra-styled fable about a two-bit criminal named Bernie (Dustin Hoffman) who saves several passengers from a plane crash and leaves the scene without being identified, leaving only a lost shoe for identification. One of the passengers happens to be news-reporter Gale (Geena Davis) who is intent on finding her savior, and offers a million dollars to the "hero" of the crashed flight. Bernie has since given his remaining shoe to a homeless man named John (Andy Garcia) who decides to cash in on the offer. A handsome, charming man, John wins the hearts of the entire city. Soon, Bernie realizes that he's been cheated out of a million dollars, and he begins an effort to get his proper recognition--and his money. Hero manages to be quite funny and satirical while sticking to a story that is essentially a Hollywood fable. That is to the credit of director Frears and the cast, who turn in uniformly excellent performances. Nevertheless, Hoffman is superb as a bitterly comic and spiteful variation on his classic Ratso Rizzo character. By the way, be on the lookout for Chevy Chase in a very funny cameo. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dustin Hoffman, Geena Davis, (more)
- 1991
Dillinger is a messily directed, haphazardly edited TV movie, which takes a revisionist squint at the criminal career of the 1930s' Public Enemy Number One. Mark Harmon captures some of the charisma but little of the ruthlessness of John Dillinger, while Sherilyn Fenn gives an anachronistic interpretation of the gun moll who eventually betrays Johnny D. to the Feds. Vince Edwards is supposed to be FBI founder J. Edgar Hoover, but comports himself more like a grouchy crossing guard. The film is rife with poorly staged gun battles (including the Biograph Theatre finale), shot in a shivery "MTV" fashion which suggests that the camera operator has St. Vitas' Dance. Most of Dillinger was lensed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; the 1930s-style exteriors were well chosen, though the interior scenes at FBI headquarters look like they were filmed inside the Milwaukee Public Library--which indeed they were. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mark Harmon, Sherilyn Fenn, (more)
- 1990
In the first half of a two-part story, brothers Joe (Tim Daly) and Brian (Steven Weber) are once again two cogs in a never-ending romantic wheel. Brian's ex-wife Carol (Kim Ulrich), who had dumped Joe in favor of Brian six years ago, subsequently divested herself of Brian to pursue another man. Now, the "other man" is history, as are several of Carol's interim romances. When Brian finds out that Carol is making a stopover in Boston en route to London, he decides to re-spark the old flame, choosing the Prudential Building as their meeting place (not quite Sleepless in Seattle, but it'll do). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A magical jeweled skull makes the wish of 11-year-old Charlie (Fred Savage) come true in this routine but entertaining situation comedy. Charlie wishes he can switch places with his father Marshall (Judge Reinhold), a shallow junior executive of a toy-manufacturing company. Marshall retains his adult form but has the mind of an 11 year old. Charlie still looks 11 but has all the cynical wisdom and experience of his father. The switch provides for many amusing episodes, as father and son try to cope in each other's worlds. Marshall (as Charlie) goes to school while Charlie (as Marshall) tackles the pressures of the corporate boardroom. The performances of Reinhold and Savage are the highlights of this amusing comedy. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judge Reinhold, Fred Savage, (more)
