Gift SubscriptionsRena Sofer
When a Jewish jeweler is found dead and his store is missing more than one million dollars in diamonds, a New York police detective (Melanie Griffith) goes undercover in a community of Hasidic Jews to find the criminal. Once she is immersed in the community, she falls in love with one of the most devout members, who helps her find the criminal. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Melanie Griffith, Eric Thal, (more)
This made-for-TV remake of the classic movie chiller Carrie is slightly more faithful to the original Stephen King novel--and slightly less profane and violent. Following in the bloody footsteps of Sissy Spacek, Angela Bettis stars as woebegone high school girl Carrie White, whose shy and awkward demeanor obscures the fact that she is "gifted" with awesome telekinetic powers. As part of a cruel and vicious student prank, Carrie's better-looking and more socially savvy classmates arrange for the hapless heroine to be elected prom queen--and one does not have to have seen the original film to know the terror that is unleashed once Carrie is crowned (in more ways than one). The climax is infinitely more "high tech" than in the 1976 film, but whether it is equally as frightening is a matter of taste; additionally, the 2002 version boasts a radically different ending, one that could very well accommodate a sequel or two...or three... Patricia Clarkson reprises the old Piper Laurie role as Carrie's abusive religious-fanatic mother. Carrie first aired November 4, 2002, on NBC. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2003
Based on the long-running British TV series of the same name, the NBC sitcom Coupling was clearly designed to fill the gap that was about to be opened by the departure of the network's popular ensemble piece Friends. The difference here was that the sexual shenanigans on Coupling had a lot more edge, and were heaps more complicated and controversial, with a group of basically selfish, unlovable Manhattan thirtysomethings perpetually seducing and/or betraying one another. Steve (Jay Harrington) fell in love with Susan (Rena Sofer, replacing the pilot episode's Melissa George), but was still attached to Jane (Lindsay Price). Susan was the ex-girlfriend of Steve's best friend, Jeff (Christopher Moynihan), and also of Patrick (Colin Ferguson). As for Patrick, he currently carried a torch for Susan's best friend, Sally (Sonya Walger, replacing the pilot's Emily Rutherfurd), and on and on and on it went. When it debuted on September 25, 2003, Coupling became something of a cause célèbre, with a number of special-interest groups complaining about the frankness of the series' sexual scenes and situations; critics were not as bothered by the series' raciness as by the fact that it failed to live up to the standards of the British original. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rena Sofer, Jay Harrington, (more)
- 1996
Working in a branch office of the Internal Revenue Service, Kerry Ellison (Rena Sofer) must suffer the unwanted advances of co-worker Jack Gilcrest (Victor Garber), who among his other "eccentricities" carries a live grenade in his car. Even when Kerry is transferred to another division, Jack's stalking does not diminish. Even worse, Kelly's bosses dismiss Jack's obsession as harmless, and her labor union refuses to take action. In a last-ditch effort to see that justice is done, Kerry files a sexual harassment suit against her employers -- and from this point forward, to say that the IRS makes her life hell would be understating the situation. Based on a true story, Hostile Advances: The Kerry Ellison Story was produced for the Lifetime cable network, where it first aired on May 27, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Actor Edward Norton debuts as a director with this comedy-drama about love, friendship, and faith. Priest Brian Finn (Norton) and rabbi Jacob Schram (Ben Stiller) have known each other since childhood. When Anna Reilly (Jenna Elfman), whom they both knew as children, returns to New York, both men find themselves infatuated with her, sparking both rivalry and personal dilemmas: Brian has taken a vow of celibacy, and Jacob is allowed to marry only within his faith. Award-winning director Milos Forman appears in the supporting cast, alongside Anne Bancroft, Ron Rifkin, and Eli Wallach; the screenplay marks the debut of writer Stuart Blumberg, whom Norton met when they were both undergraduates at Yale. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward Norton, Ben Stiller, (more)
Dashing into the street to prevent her daughter from being hit by truck, widow Joanna Burke (Sherilyn Fenn) is herself struck down an rendered unconscious. She awakens to find herself in a parallel world, where she has no daughter, someone else is living in her house, and there is no "Joanna Burke." Instead, everyone refers to Joanna as Sarah Randolph -- the same Sarah Randolph who has been accused of murdering her own son. Not surprisingly, no one believes Joanna/Sarah when she protests her innocence, except for Dr. Matt Westbrook (Thomas Gibson)...who may himself be trapped in a world he never made. Adapted from the paranormal novel by Margaret Tabor, the made-for-TV Nightmare Street was first telecast by ABC on January 18, 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sherilyn Fenn, Rena Sofer, (more)
- 2000
After his girlfriend dumps him and his family moves to Northern California from the East Coast, 15-year-old Jed (Milo Ventimiglia) encounters further misery when his parents enroll him in Evergreen Academy, a former all-girls school that has just started to admit boys. Although Jed's other two male classmates don't see any problem with the fortuitous girl to boy ratio, they are forced to reconsider their feelings when most of the Evergreen students make it all too clear that they don't want boys at their school. Jed and his friends decide not to give in to pressure, particularly when they find an ally in Miranda (Margot Finley), a junior for whom Jed harbors a strong crush. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Milo Ventimiglia, Kyle Howard, (more)
- 1992
That madcap gang from the popular TV teen show, Saved by the Bell, head for Hawaii to save the tiny resort of Kelly's grandfather from an avaricious developer. Mayhem, and romance ensue. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, (more)
- 1997
Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) smells a "million dollar idea" when a restauranteur notices that she only eats the tops of muffins. George (Jason Alexander) begins wearing the clothes found in a bag left in his care by a tourist who never returned. Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) shaves his chest to impress his girlfriend, but Kramer (Michael Richards) -- who for reasons made clear in the episode is currently posing as Elaine's boss, Peterman -- thinks Jerry is making a big mistake. This is the also the episode in which Steinbrenner trades George with "Tyler Chicken." (It was supposed to have been you-know-what chicken, but the NBC legal department got nervous.) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
It is not merely jealousy that prompts psychology major Darcy Canfield (Rena Sofer) to mistrust her widowed father Derek's new bride Joan (Linda Evans) and Joan's daughter Melinda (Bridgette Wilson). In fact, the audience is way ahead of Darcy: Joan is revealed early on to be a serial killer of wealthy husbands, who with the help of the equally sociopathic Melinda has bumped off a number of former mates for their money--and, of course, Dr. Derek Canfield (Alan Rachins) is loaded! This time, however, Joan falls in love with Derek and drops her plans to bump him off. Not so Melinda, who now takes it upon herself to eliminate not only her stepdad but also her own mother. In the end, it falls to Darcy to use her college-honed psych kills in a desperate effort to expose Melinda before she can kill again! Capped by one of those endings which suggests that "it ain't over till it's over", the made-for-cable The Stepsister was first broadcast May 7, 1997 by the USA network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Described by director Steven Soderbergh as "Nashville meets The French Connection," this multi-character drama explores the effects of international drug trafficking on all fronts: from their source, to the U.S. border, to the federal government, to the private lives of users. Based upon a miniseries originally aired on Britain's Channel 4, Traffic divides its time among three main storylines and almost a dozen locales. The first and primary plot thread, set in Ohio and Washington, D.C., concerns freshly-appointed drug czar Robert Wakefield (Michael Douglas), whose enthusiasm for his new prestige position is quickly offset when he realizes his 16-year-old daughter Caroline (Erika Christensen) is graduating from recreational drug use to habitual abuse -- a secret that his wife, Barbara (Amy Irving), has kept from him. South of the border, Mexican cop Javier Rodriguez (Benicio Del Toro) attempts to wage his own war on drugs, heading off a cocaine shipment in the middle of the desert with his less-than-virtuous partner Manolo Sanchez (Jacob Vargas). Surrounded by corruption, Javier approaches the drug war with an attitude of patience and compromise, which opens him up to investigation from General Arturo Salazar (Tomas Milian), the country's dubious drug-enforcement liaison to the U.S. Meanwhile, San Diego drug kingpin Carlos Alaya (Steven Bauer) is caught in a sting operation spearheaded by DEA agents Montel Gordon (Don Cheadle) and Ray Castro (Luis Guzman), leaving behind his very pregnant and very oblivious wife, Helena (Catharine Zeta-Jones). At the behest of Carlos' lawyer and shady confidante, Arnie Metzger (Dennis Quaid), Helena decides to carry on the family business -- with tragic consequences. Adapted by Rules of Engagement scribe Stephen Gaghan, Traffic marked Soderbergh's second major release in 2000 after the critical and box-office success of Erin Brockovich, as well as his second feature as cinematographer (credited under the pseudonym Peter Andrews). A favorite with various guild and critics' awards, Traffic won four Academy Awards in 2001, including statues for Best Supporting Actor (Del Toro) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Gaghan), and surprise wins for Steven Mirrone's editing and Soderbergh's direction. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Douglas, Don Cheadle, (more)
In this slapstick, family-oriented comedy, a wealthy businessman hires two muscle-bound, thick-headed brothers (Peter and David Paul, former professional wrestlers once known as "the Barbarian Brothers") to oversee his rambunctious twin sons while he goes to court and testifies against his mob-affiliated ex-partner. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Paul, David Paul, (more)
