Judith Scott

A structural engineer (Anthony Hopkins) and an ambitious young district attorney (Ryan Gosling) become locked in a deadly battle of wits when the former is found innocent in the attempted murder of his wife in director Gregory Hoblit's tense tale of courtroom mind games. Ted Crawford (Hopkins) is an engineer who lives with his wife, Jennifer (Embeth Davidtz), in the couple's lavish Southern California home. One day, after carefully planning out the details to ensure that there is no way he can be convicted of murder, Ted shoots his wife in a blatant attempt to kill the woman. When head hostage negotiator Rob Nunally (Billy Burke) arrives on the scene to speak with Ted, he is shocked to find that the victim of the shooting is in fact his longtime lover. Though Jennifer survives the trauma of being shot in the head at close range, she hovers comatose between life and death as star prosecutor Willy Beachum (Gosling) reluctantly accepts the case while preparing to leave the Los Angeles criminal court system behind for a more promising career at a posh private law firm. Though the DA (David Strathairn) vehemently resents Beachum's lofty plan for departure, the hotshot young lawyer remains convinced that he can expedite the apparently open-and-shut case and be on his way to greener pastures in one week's time at the very most. Beachum's swelling ego betrays him, however, as his future boss Nikki Gardner (Rosamund Pike) begins to turn up the heat and fracture mechanics specialist Ted chooses to represent himself at the trial knowing well that a career spent spotting structural flaws in aeronautical systems has instilled him with just the kind of argumentative skills needed to riddle the swaggering young lawyer's "foolproof" case with doubt. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A woman is forced to prove her own sanity to save the life of her daughter in this taut thriller. Kyle Pratt (Jodie Foster) is a successful aircraft designer who has recently been dealing with the traumatic death of her husband. After traveling to Berlin on business with her six-year-old daughter, Julia (Marlene Lawston), Kyle falls asleep on their flight back to New York, only to discover that her daughter has gone missing. While not knowing where Julia has gone is troubling enough, even more disturbing is the insistence by sky marshal Gene Carson (Peter Sarsgaard) and Captain Rich (Sean Bean) that no records indicate that the child ever boarded the jet. As Kyle becomes increasingly desperate to find her daughter, she must prove to the men in charge that her daughter did in fact board the plane with her, and that this turn of events is not a product of her imagination. But if Julia has gone missing, who has taken her and why? Also starring Erika Christensen and Kate Beahan, Flightplan was the first English-language feature from German director Robert Schwentke. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Written and directed by Academy Award-nominee Mike Leigh and set in England during the 1950s, this movie revolves around Vera Drake (Imelda Staunton), whose unrelenting dedication to her family is well known throughout her blue-collar town. However, there are more people than her rapidly aging mother and ill neighbor who depend on Vera's care. Though abortion was illegal and, of course, widely frowned upon in the '50s, Vera sees women going through unwanted pregnancies the same as she would anyone else -- human beings deserving of treatment. With this in mind, she regularly induces miscarriages for those who need them, and her patients are consistently grateful for her gentleness and understanding. Unfortunately for Vera, the law doesn't see her as aiding those in need; they interpret the abortions as murder, as do most of the other people in her life. When Vera's activities are revealed, her family life and relationships with those around her -- including the ones she helped nurse back to health -- are put in jeopardy. Vera Drake also features performances from Jim Broadbent, Heather Craney, and Philip Davis. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

In the second episode of a three-part story, Niles (David Hyde Pierce) seems uncharacteristically calm as he prepares to undergo heart bypass surgery. Martin (John Mahoney) is not calm but pretends to be, while Daphne (Jane Leeves) cannot hide her anxiety. As the story progresses, a heavily sedated Niles suddenly begins reciting the story of his life, in minute and excruciating detail -- while helpful older brother Frasier bids fair to drive the attending physician crazy. This episode won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Editing. ~ All Movie Guide

A girl finds that both love and tragedy are a short walk from her house in this intimate drama. Jessica (Jenna Harrison) is a teenaged girl from a wealthy family living in a small community in the British countryside. Jessica enjoys exploring in the woods and sometimes rescues wounded animals; another youngster who spends a lot of time in the woods is Tom (Ben Whishlaw), a troubled soul who is obviously attracted to Jessica. Jack (Adrian Rawlins), a teacher at Jessica's school, lives in her neighborhood, and one night he rapes her; emotionally shattered, Jessica retreats to the woods, where she meets up with Tom. Unable to talk with anyone about the incident, Jessica finds herself bonding with Tom, and a tentative romance begins to grow between them. One day, Jessica stops by Tom's house to find him being molested by his father (Jonathan Hackett), who has hated his son ever since his wife died while giving birth to him. Tom avoids Jessica after he realizes she knows his secret, but when she's finally able to speak with him, she tells Tom about Jack's attack upon her, hoping to share their common shame and humiliation; to her surprise, Tom reacts with a startling and unexpected vehemence. My Brother Tom was shot on digital video equipment by cinematographer Robby Muller, well known for his camerawork for Wim Wenders and his ground-breaking work on DV with Lars Von Trier. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Grissom (William L. Petersen) and Sara (Jorja Fox) get more than they bargained for while investigating the kidnapping of a millionaire's wife (Jolene Blalock) in the desert. Back in Vegas, a 14-year-old girl is killed in a hit and run. Using the slimmest of leads, Catherine (Marg Helgenberger) and Warrick (Gary Dourdan) go after the perp. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

During a flight to Vegas, an obnoxious and obstreperous first-class passenger dies mysteriously. Everyone on board the plane has a slightly different version of the incident, and some of them appear to be hiding something. Grissom (William L. Petersen) comes across evidence that the victim was murdered, and intends to use all the resources of the CSI unit to verify his suspicions. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Suggested by a real-life homicide case which occurred in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania in 1986, the made-for-TV Murder at 75 Birch gets underway when the wife of dentist Rick Todson (Gregory Harrison) is killed. According to Rick, his late spouse Pat (Wendel Meldrum) had been murdered by a burglar, a story the police find hard to swallow. One person who is willing to stand by Rick is his sister-in-law Gwen (Melissa Gilbert)--and when Gwen's own husband Dave (Vyto Ruginis) dies in a car accident, she turns to Rick for comfort and solace. Ultimately Gwen falls in love with Rick, but their relationship begins to unravel after a series of strange incidents which suggest that the authorities' suspicions concerning Rick's involvement in his wife's death were not entirely groundless. Reaching a tense climax as Gwen and the police work together to crack the case, Murder at 75 Birch first aired February 9, 1999 on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Katy Boyer stars as Sarah, a professional nurse and the grown daughter of dysfunctional couple Don and Lily Zarn (Gerald McRaney, Shelley Fabares). During a visit home, Sarah can clearly see that Lily is being abused by Don, but she cannot persuade her mother to leave her father. Subsequently, however, Lily disappears, and Don ruefully insists that his wife has finally walked out on him. But when Sarah begins enduring horrific nightmares in which her mother is brutally killed, she decides to learn the truth behind her mom's disappearance--this despite a total lack of cooperation from her family, her boyfriend and even the police. Based on fact, the made-for-TV A Nightmare Come True debuted over the CBS network on February 12, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This Canadian drama, set in Toronto's Afro-Caribbean sector, chronicles the plight of a Jamaican-Canadian struggling to survive in an urban environment. Tyrone Taylor is in his in his twenties. He works in a salon, but he doesn't like the work. What he really wants is some easy money and a way to get out. He starts collecting debts for Winston Price, a gangster and the owner of a nearby club. The work is violent and illegal, but Tyrone rationalizes the work and ignores those aspects. He just keeps the money he earns in hopes of getting into a cleaner business. Though his girlfriend and family warn him of the dangers of the life he has chosen, the naive Tyrone continues, foolishly believing he is too careful to get caught. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Television sitcom star Tim Allen made his big screen debut with this light, family-friendly holiday comedy. Allen stars as Scott Calvin, the divorced dad of Charlie (Eric Lloyd). Scott is distressed to learn that his ex-wife Laura (Wendy Crewson) and Charlie's psychiatrist stepfather Neal (Judge Reinhold) have informed his son that there is no Santa Claus. While a sullen Charlie visits his dad on Christmas Eve, a noise on the roof brings them outside, where Scott startles the intruder, who tumbles from the roof. It turns out that there is a Santa after all, and Scott has just accidentally killed him. Because of a legal technicality known as "the Santa clause," Scott inherits the jolly old elf's job. As the next year passes, Scott rapidly gains weight, grows a white beard and meets the elf Bernard (David Krumholtz) -- who is the one who really runs the North Pole -- while Charlie regains his Christmas spirit. However, Neal becomes concerned about Scott's sudden change in appearance and insistence that he's Santa, and he forces him to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. Director John Pasquin previously directed Allen in the TV series Home Improvement and would team with him again for Jungle 2 Jungle (1997). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

This suspenseful thriller follows the exploits of a young wife as she tries to escape from an abusive mate and ends up on the gritty city streets. Jenefer manages to get away from her husband but must give her baby up for adoption before she can do so. Alone on the scary streets she encounters Ola, a street-wise hooker who takes her under her wing. Ola also tries to protect Jenefer from the murderous Hassan, her pimp and king of the neighborhood. Ola sees Hassan brutally kill another whore, but refuses to testify against him. She resists McClaren, a harsh police officer, and his attempts to interrogate her. She is then deported. The suddenly bereft Jenefer gives into Hassan and becomes a prostitute. This helps her become stronger and streetwise so that she is finally able to confront and dispatch her husband in the blood-filled conclusion. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this early film, award-winning director Mike Leigh uses a loose, open-ended narrative structure to unsettle cinematic expectations and create a truly inventive and very honest film. High Hopes opens with the arrival of Wayne, a small-town lad in his twenties, in the London metropolis. Completely lost in the hustle and bustle, Wayne asks for directions from a cyclist named Cyril. Unable to assist him, Cyril brings Wayne to his house to examine a map and meet his long-time girlfriend, Shirley, also a working-class intellectual. After the opening credits roll, Wayne, equipped with directions, leaves and turns to wave goodbye to the helpful couple. Completely unexpectedly the camera stays with Cyril and Shirley, Wayne exits the film as a minor character, and the viewer's notions of what to expect from a narrative drama are completely shaken. Throughout, High Hopes' seemingly innocuous events turn out to be crucial incidents in the characters' lives. After this abrupt change of direction, Cyril and Shirley pay a visit to Cyril's aging mother, Mrs. Bender, and meet her neighbors, the vapid Boothe-Braines. In a parallel story, we meet Cyril's high-strung sister, Valerie, who perpetually neglects her mother as she herself is neglected by her wandering husband, Martin. The remainder of the film explores the dull, unfulfilled lives of the middle class and the wasteful and purposeless lives of the upper-middle class (the Boothe-Braines), and Cyril and Shirley's struggle to decide if they should bring a child into this mess of a world. As with his other films, Leigh did not work from a script in filming High Hopes, relying instead on the actors' improvisations which contribute to the lyrical, open-ended quality of the narrative. ~ Brian Whitener, All Movie Guide