J.D. Souther Movies
- 2002
- PG
- Add The Pennsylvania Miners' Story to Queue Add The Pennsylvania Miners' Story to top of Queue
In July of 2002, nine men were trapped 240 feet below the ground in a Somerset, PA, coal mine. For the next 77 hours, the attention of a war-beleaguered and economically strapped America was focused upon the rescue efforts, despairing along with the miners' families when the shaft began to fill up with water. Although everyone in the U.S. knows the outcome of the story, this made-for-TV movie manages to sustain a respectable level of suspense, expertly shifting dramatic focus from the entombed miners to the rescuers on the surface and back again. Curiously, the film's climax is inconclusive, as if the film had been made during the crisis rather than several months afterward. Originally titled The Miners' Tale and adapted for television by novelist Elwood Reid from the miners' bestselling joint autobiography, The Pennsylvania Miners' Story premiered November 24, 2002, on ABC. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- J.D. Souther, Graham Beckel, (more)
In this fantasy set in the Old West, Blackjack Britton (Eric Roberts) is an outlaw on the run from police after a bank robbery. Britton and his gang wind up in a small town called Refuge, where things are rather unusual -- outlaws are warmly welcomed and offered free food and lodging but warned not to swear, and none of the residents carry guns, including Sheriff Forrest (Sam Shepard). Britton and his gang notice that Sheriff Forrest bears a striking resemblance to the famous gunfighter Wild Bill Hickock, who died some years ago. Elsewhere in Refuge, Britton's gang meets dead ringers for such late, great outlaws as Doc Holliday (Randy Quaid), Billy the Kid (Donnie Wahlberg), and Jesse James (J.D. Souther). Britton learns that Refuge is actually Purgatory, where the gunfighters are stranded between Heaven and Hell, hoping to hoping to find a redemptive grace that will bring them salvation as they struggle not to backslide into final damnation. Soon Britton's gang becomes restless, and the men of Refuge may have to return to their guns if they are to protect the town. Produced for the TNT cable network, Purgatory also features Peter Stormare, Brad Rowe, and Richard Edson. The film is also available on home video in a Spanish subtitled edition. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- 1991
- PG13
Kendall and Claire have a lot in common: they are both successful women writers, they are about the same age, and they were both lovers of David Berry. In addition to all that, they are close friends. They have gotten what they want out of their careers, but they would like to find a man to share their lives with. In their get-togethers, they share their insights into their current and previous dating experiences, and it is gradually becoming clear to both of them that either one would be happy if David Berry were to come back into her life; however, the rivalry and jealousy this understanding creates is not sufficient to destroy their friendship. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Patricia Royce, J.D. Souther, (more)
Mike Nichols lends some comic structure to Carrie Fisher's best-selling confessional novel concerning a woman's struggles with drug addiction and mother-daughter rivalry (subjects Fisher admits to understanding all too well). Meryl Streep, in her most full-blown comic performance up to that point, plays Suzanne Vale, a popular movie actress well on her way to a Hollywood crack-up. Suzanne suffers from blackouts and memory lapses, and awakens in the beds of men she doesn't remember; she is a barely-functioning wreck on the set of her latest movie. When a coke dealer who delivers stops by her dressing room between takes, she swiftly finds herself being rushed to the hospital, suffering the effects of a narcotics bender. While in detox, Suzanne attempts to piece her life and career back together, but her confidence is shattered when her mother arrives at the rehab clinic -- Doris Mann, a famed film icon from the 1950s and 1960s (Shirley MacLaine). Doris is soon soaking up the adulation and applause of Suzanne's fellow recovering drug addicts. Upon Suzanne's release, she must compete with her mother for attention and fame as she tries to walk a thin line as a recovering drug abuser. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Meryl Streep, Shirley MacLaine, (more)
For all its state-of-the-art special effects, Always is essentially a remake of the 1943 Spencer Tracy-Irene Dunne fantasy vehicle A Guy Named Joe--minus the wartime context. Richard Dreyfuss stars as a reckless fire-fighting pilot who is killed in what was to have been his final mission. Ascending to Heaven, Dreyfuss is introduced to businesslike angel Audrey Hepburn (playing the equivalent of the Lionel Barrymore role in A Guy Named Joe). Hepburn instructs the spectral Dreyfuss to pass on his aviation knowhow to his young successor, Brad Johnson. Our ghostly hero also smoothes the course of romance for his earthly girl friend Holly Hunter, who after several months' worth of grieving has fallen in love with Johnson. John Goodman injects a dose of comedy relief as Dreyfuss' faithful buddy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Richard Dreyfuss, Holly Hunter, (more)
- 1987
- Add Roy Orbison: A Black & White Night to Queue Add Roy Orbison: A Black & White Night to top of Queue
One of the most distinctive vocalists in the history of rock and roll, Roy Orbison was in the midst of a well-deserved comeback in 1987 when he performed this special concert for television, beautifully filmed in black and white and featuring some famous friends helping him out. Orbison is joined onstage by Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Bonnie Raitt, k.d. lang, Jackson Browne, Tom Waits, and T.Bone Burnett as he sings "Oh, Pretty Woman," "Only the Lonely," "It's Over," "Blue Bayou," "Crying," "In Dreams," "Running Scared," and ten other classics. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
Rating Systems
Blockbuster
BLOCKBUSTER name, design and related marks are trademarks of Blockbuster L.L.C.
2013 Blockbuster L.L.C. All rights reserved.
Portions of Content Provided by Rovi Corporation. 2013 Rovi Corporation.