Valerie Spencer Movies
- 2006
Eve Ensler's theater piece The Vagina Monologues has become an international phenomenon and a source of empowerment for women of all walks of life. However, in 2005 Ensler became involved in a special production of The Vagina Monologues for a group of women whose story was not dealt with in the play -- women who used to be men. A group of transsexuals were interested in staging a version of the show that was unique to them, and Ensler not only gave her blessings to the project, but worked with the cast of transgendered performers to give the text a voice that was appropriate to their circumstances. Filmmakers Josh Aronson and Ariel Orr Jordan were on hand to witness the gestation of this unique performance, and Beautiful Daughters is a documentary which not only chronicles the writing and rehearsals for the transsexual Vagina Monologues, but explores the lives and experiences of the women performing the play, who run the gamut from a respected computer science instructor to a exotic dancer turned real estate salesperson. Produced for broadcast on the premium cable channel Logo, Beautiful Daughters was also screened as part of New York City's 2006 NewFest Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
In Blink, a woman regaining her eyesight after a double cornea transplant operation glimpses the killer of her upstairs neighbor and then must fight for her life as the killer stalks her. Emma Brody (Madeline Stowe), a musician in an Irish folk-rock band was blinded as a result of childhood abuse by her mother. Her doctor, Ryan Pierce (Peter Friedman) performs an operation to restore her vision, but soon Emma is suffering from retroactive hallucinations in which she sees things that have happened hours, or even days, before. As she was the only witness to the murder, her credibility soon comes into question, but she is believed by Detective Hallstrom (Aidan Quinn) who has been tracking what he believes to be a serial killer. Hallstrom also believes that Emma may hold the key to the murderer's motives. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Madeleine Stowe, Aidan Quinn, (more)
Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey find the two obtuse pals battling The Grim Reaper, God, robots, great philosophical questions, and girls -- although not necessarily in that order. In this loose parody of the Terminator movies, directed by Peter Hewitt, the ultimate has happened -- at Bill and Ted University of the future, for many years now the people of the world have been "excellent to each other." But fed-up with Bill and Ted's peaceful world and even more fed up with heavy metal, the evil De Nomolos (Joss Ackland) decides to do something about it. De Nomolos creates a cyborg Bill and Ted, who travel back in time to kill the original Bill and Ted, win the Battle of the Bands and pave the way for the hellish reign of De Nomolos. In the past of 1990, Bill (Alex Winter) and Ted (Keanu Reeves) are immediately dispatched by the time-traveling cyborgs. And while the cyborgs Bill and Ted make time with the real Bill and Ted's girls (Sarah Trigger and Annette Azcuy) and prepare to take the real Bill and Ted's place in the Battle of the Bands, Bill and Ted are forced to deal with Hell ("Just like an Iron Maiden album cover"), the Grim Reaper (William Sadler), and God himself. When Bill and Ted are asked the secret of the universe, they get it right and as a reward a pair of Martians construct a set of "good" Bill and Ted robots to go head-to-head with the "bad" Bill and Ted robots at the Battle of the Bands. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, (more)
