Sonja Smits Movies

An adman who puts career success ahead of ethics has the tables turned on him in this thriller. Eddie Schneider (Til Schweiger) is an ambitious and talented young executive at a top advertising agency. Eddie is on the fast track to the top at his firm, aided by the fact his fiancée Judy (Stefanie von Pfetten) happens to the daughter of CEO Russel Birk (Art Hindle), though he has a habit of bedding other women when he thinks he can get away with it. Angelina (Lauren Lee Smith) is an old friend of Eddie with a job at the same company; one night she's assaulted by Anthony (Sebastien Roberts), Judy's deranged brother, but rather than come to the aid of a friend, Eddie sides with Judy and testified on Anthony's behalf in court. When Anthony is found not guilty, Angelina snaps and murders him in revenge, while Eddie's perjury turns out to be worthless when Judy learns of his infidelity and her father takes away his job. Soon Eddie is charged with killing Anthony, and he realizes the friend he betrayed is the only one who can clear his name. One Way was the first English-language project for German leading man Til Schweiger, who also co-produced the picture. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A seemingly ordinary bank employee develops an obsession that could destroy his life and that of those around him in this drama. Dan Mahowny (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is a quiet, unassuming employee of a bank in Toronto; he lives modestly, drives a used car, and is dating one of the bank's tellers, a sweet but mousy girl named Belinda (Minnie Driver). What no one knows is that Dan has a secret life -- Dan is a compulsive gambler, and after running up massive debts with his bookie Frank Perlin (Maury Chaykin), he begins making regular visits to Atlantic City in the United States, where he often bets (and loses) far beyond his means. Dan's expertise at the bank is rewarded with a promotion to assistant manager; his new responsibilities include approving loans, which gives him the authority to transfer funds in and out of the bank. Needing to cover his debts, Dan starts approving loans to non-existent clients and adding hundreds of thousands of dollars to other accounts, and Victor Fox) (John Hurt), manager of Dan's favorite Atlantic City casino, is more than happy to "help" Dan, comping him to luxury suites and all the attendant amenities and working with him to transfer bank funds into his casino account. As Dan's debts begin to grow into the seven figure range, his dealings become harder to hide, both from the authorities and from Belinda, who has become aware of Dan's addiction to gambling but doesn't know just how far it's grown. Based on a true story, Owning Mahowny was directed by Richard Kwietniowski, who previously worked with John Hurt in the acclaimed Love and Death on Long Island. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Page Fletcher stars as the title character in this 1983-1988 made-for-cable suspense anthology. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

In this upbeat though by now routine story, Louis (Timothy Weber) has agreed to stay home and mind the hearth while his glamorous wife Suzanne (Sonja Smits) rapidly heads for fame and fortune as a TV professional. Problems arise when Louis insists they should start a family, but then life is quite different after their little baby eventually comes into the picture. Not exactly making things easier for the new father is his old buddy Bob, who thinks Louis should be back in the job market and not in an apron. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Hardcore pornography, sadomasochism, mind control, and living televisions all play crucial roles in Videodrome, one of director David Cronenberg's explorations of dangerous sexuality and technological obsession. The morally questionable hero of the tale is one Max Renn (James Woods), a television executive searching for an intense new program for his sex-oriented network. He ultimately discovers an underground program called "Videodrome," which appears to broadcast pornographic snuff films of actual murders. Horrified but perversely intrigued, Renn sets out to find the truth behind the program. During his search, he meets alluring femme fatale Nicki (Blondie lead singer Debbie Harry), technology cult leader Bianca O'Blivion, and other mysterious figures. Things become even more disturbing for Renn as his addiction grows, and the program begins to infect the outside world -- or perhaps merely destroy own his sanity. Cronenberg mingles his cerebral concerns about the nature of reality in the video age with enough visceral gore (courtesy of Rick Baker) to satisfy the film's intended horror audience. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide

War Brides was originally produced for Canadian television. Drawing from the life, the film details the tribulations of European women who impulsively married Canadian servicemen during WW II. Some of these ladies were genuinely in love, others merely wanted free passage to North America. Whatever the case, most of the brides were subjected to persecution and discrimination once they reached Canadian shores. Layne Coleman and Sharry Flett star in War Brides, which premiered in America via cable TV. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide