Melora Walters Movies
A versatile actress who can bring a keen emotional edge to either comic or dramatic roles, Melora Walters is best known for her work with director Paul Thomas Anderson, who, more than anyone, seems to have known how to best utilize her gifts onscreen. Melora Walters began her career in acting doing off-Broadway theater in New York before she began to make a name for herself in television, in 1989 scoring a small recurring role as Debbi on the popular sitcom Roseanne. After making her film debut in an undistinguished low-budget thriller, 1988's Underground Terror, Walters earned her Screen Actors Guild card for her work as Gloria in the 1989 hit Dead Poets Society. Over the next several years, Walters made a number of appearances on episodic television shows, including such hits as The Wonder Years, Seinfeld, and NYPD Blue, while playing small roles in several forgettable films, as well as occasional high-profile items such as Cabin Boy, Ed Wood, Eraser, and the critically respected indie film Twenty Bucks. In 1996, Walters was cast in a small role in a little-seen independent film called Hard Eight. However, the film's director, first-time feature filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson, was impressed enough to cast her in a much meatier role in his second feature. Walters played Jessie St. Vincent, a soft-hearted second-string porn actress in the breakthrough hit Boogie Nights, and the film made a name for both Anderson and Walters. Walters' new notoriety helped her land a regular role as Felicity on the television drama series L.A. Doctors, but the show only lasted a single season. Thankfully, Anderson once again had plans for Walters, and cast her as Claudia, a cocaine-addled woman on the verge of emotional collapse in Magnolia; hers was one of the strongest performances in one of the year's most eagerly anticipated films, and the critical response to her intense portrayal led to a string of leading roles in independent films, including Rain, Desert Saints, and Jupiter City. ~ All Movie Guide
Lies told, secrets kept and truths revealed make for a riveting third season of Big Love, the critically acclaimed HBO \drama about your average American polygamous family. As the season opens, the Henricksons are still reeling from publicity generated by the U.S. government's raid on the Juniper Creek compound, and worrying that Nikki's association with the now imprisoned Roman Grant (Harry Dean Stanton) will reveal their closely guarded secret. Their exclusion from a neighborhood block party seems to confirm their fears, and only the quick thinking of Nikki (Chloë Sevigny) at the event saves them from disaster. However, Nikki has secrets of her own. She's working at the DA's office under Margene's name to find out information about Roman's upcoming trial. And she's letting the family think she's having fertility issues while secretly taking the pill. Both deceptions place her marriage to Bill (Bill Paxton) in jeopardy. Meanwhile, Sarah (Amanda Seyfried) hides her pregnancy and makes plans to get away from her family after learning they're considering taking on Ana (Branka Katic) as a fourth wife. But Sarah's condition is not something she's able to hide for long. Meanwhile, "boss lady" Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn) has troubles of her own. After enduring a cancer scare, she must defend herself in front of a Mormon disciplinary council for her polygamous lifestyle-but not before undergoing a sacred Mormon ceremony shown in a controversial episode. Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin) shows her independent side and begins a new business venture. Tragedy strikes for Bill's brother Joey (Shawn Doyle) and his already troubled family. As for the Henrickson patriarch, Bill finds his efforts to launch the casino continually thwarted. But soon a new opportunity shows itself. Season 3 guest stars include Ellen Burstyn as Barb's loving but disapproving mother. ~ Dianne Zoccola, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Paxton, Jeanne Tripplehorn, (more)
The critically acclaimed hit series, Big Love, returns for its second break-out season. Bill Henrickson works hard and plays by the rules. All he wants in return is a happy, secure, normal life for his family. Is that too much to ask? Maybe so. For a polygamist like Bill, the American Dream comes with strings attached. Season 2 opens with even more drama, as Bill's mission to learn who tipped off the authorities and exposed first wife, Barb, as a polygamist escalates. Not surprisingly, his search will lead him to the polygamist compound of Juniper Creek where his primary suspect is Roman Grant. Bill contemplates changes in his personal and professional life that promise to impact every member of his family.
- Starring:
- Bill Paxton, Jeanne Tripplehorn, (more)
Meet the Henricksons. They're the typical suburban American family, occupied with hectic schedules and bills to pay, as well as trying to make sense of an increasingly complicated world. Oh, and they also happen to be polygamists. In the first season of this unconventional, critically acclaimed drama, every day is a new adventure for patriarch Bill Henrickson (Bill Paxton), who lives outside Salt Lake City with his three wives -- Barb (Jeanne Tripplehorn), Nicki (Chloë Sevigny) and Margene (Ginnifer Goodwin) -- and their collective brood of seven children, including Bill and Barb's teenagers, Ben (Douglas Smith) and Sarah (Amanda Seyfried). Owner of a profitable home-improvement superstore, Bill is anxious to expand his empire (and support his growing family) by opening another Home Plus location with his business partner and fellow polygamist, Don Embry (Joel McKinnon Miller). However, an unwanted investor hoping to share in Bill's good fortune emerges: Roman Grant (Harry Dean Stanton), the scheming "Prophet" of the remote Juniper Creek polygamist compound who is also Nicki's father. There's been bad blood between Bill and Roman ever since the former was expelled from Juniper Creek as an adolescent, largely by the latter's hand. Bill also clashes with Adaleen (Mary Kay Place), one of Roman's wives, and their power-hungry son and chief enforcer, Alby (Matt Ross). But Bill is not alone in this feud, as his father Frank (Bruce Dern), mother Lois (Grace Zabriskie) and brother Joey (Shawn Doyle) still live at Juniper Creek and identify, to varying degrees of familial allegiance, with Bill's enmity for Roman. On the home front, third wife Margene risks exposing the Henricksons' illicit lifestyle by befriending a Mormon neighbor; Nicki tries to hide a shopping addiction and the tens of thousands of dollars of credit-card debt that goes with it; and Barb tiptoes into the spotlight after one of her kids nominates her for Utah's Mother of the Year award. ~ Joe Friedrich, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Paxton, Jeanne Tripplehorn, (more)
- 2003
Definitely a series for the post-9/11 generation, ABC's Threat Matrix detailed the exploits of an elite task-force unit of the Homeland Security division. Headed by John Kilmer (Jamie Denton), the unit, comprised of the cream of the FBI, CIA, and NSA, was dedicated to stopping terrorism before it started, using the multitude of threats and warnings received on a 24/7 basis by the White House as their guide. Kilmer's multicultural, multiethnic team included his ex-wife Frankie Ellroy Killmer (Kelly Rutherford), as well as Tim Serrano (Kurt Caceres), Lia Larkins (Melora Walters), Jelani (Mahershalalhashbaz Ali), Mo (Anthony Azizi), and Holly (Shoshannah Stern). Created by Daniel Voll, Threat Matrix debuted September 18, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jamie Denton, Kelly Rutherford, (more)
Wild Things director James McNaughton explores the doomed efforts of young couple to salvage their failing marriage in a dark romantic comedy starring Bill Murray, James Spader, Jay Mohr, Melora Walters, and Catherine O'Hara. In the grand scheme of things their relationship has only just begun, yet everything seems to be falling apart for a once-loving couple whose marriage has hit the skids. Despite the best efforts of an insightful marriage counselor, a depression expert, and two well-heeled attorneys, what was once an attempt at preserving their relationship soon devolves into a heated series of random affairs. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Network television's first "interactive" mystery-suspense series, Push, Nevada got under way somewhat in the manner of the 1945 theatrical feature Murder, He Says, with stalwart IRS agent Jim Prufrock (Derek Cecil) venturing into the hinterlands in search of a huge cache of stolen money. Prufrock followed the trail of evidence to the cloistered community of Push, NV, which seemed to be populated exclusively by weirdos with deep, dark secrets. Each time that Prufrock thought he'd figured out what was going on, a new riddle or enigma was added to the mixture, such as a motel which looked like a dump on the outside but was luxurious on the inside, or a bizarre casino where everyone was forced to speak in lousy French accents. As Jim tried to piece things together, the viewers at home were invited to interpret the clues right along with the protagonist. If the viewer was able to solve the mystery before the first 13 episodes had played out, he or she would win one million dollars. Co-created by actor Ben Affleck and boasting a production staff gleaned from Affleck's popular cable-TV documentary series Project Greenlight, Push, Nevada debuted on September 17, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Derek Cecil, Scarlett Chorvat, (more)
Love, death, and troubling secrets lurk beneath the surface of a quiet Iowa farming community in this independent drama. Ellen Biddle (Melora Walters) is a Iowa housewife who has reached the breaking point -- a drought is devastating the family farm, creditors threaten to foreclose on the property, and Ellen learns her husband, Paul (Tahmus Rounds), has been sleeping with Patsy (Jo Anderson), the unsatisfied wife of the town sheriff, Tom Gibson (Jamey Sheridan). One night, Paul comes home late from spending the evening with Patsy, and Ellen murders him with a shotgun. After cleaning up the scene of the crime and disposing of Paul's body, Ellen tries to go on with her life, but Tom -- with whom Ellen had a fling many years before -- begins poking around, seemingly interested in starting up with her again, though Ellen's mother (Diane Ladd) warns her daughter to keep her distance. Meanwhile, Tom is also running for mayor, but the behavior of his loose-cannon son, Richard (Kris Park), is quickly becoming a liability, while Richard finds an unlikely ally in his private war against his father in Ellen. Katherine Lindberg's debut feature was one of two films called Rain which was screened at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Melora Walters, Kris Park, (more)
In this offbeat thriller, a refined and well-educated hired killer has an unusual way of doing business: He finds women, forces them to help him with his murders, and then kills them before they can tell anyone about his work. With police detectives on his trail, the killer picks up a woman hitchhiking in the desert, planning to use her in his latest assignment, the murder of a drug kingpin in Mexico. But the killer discovers that his latest "accomplice" is not so eager to cooperate and knows more than he imagines about his life of crime. Desert Saints stars Kiefer Sutherland, Melora Walters, Jamey Sheridan, and Leslie Stefanson. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kiefer Sutherland, Melora Walters, (more)
- 1998
Dissatisfied with the way her life has turned out, Beth Sager (Molly Ringwald) would give anything for the proverbial Second Chance. Upon breaking a wishbone during Thanksgiving dinner, Beth finds her dreams coming true; she is whisked to a parallel world where the people are familiar but the circumstances aren't. Among other things, Beth's dull boyfriend Joe (George Newbern) is now in love with her office rival Alannah (Melora Walters), leaving our heroine free to renew her relationship with her former beau, a handsome international celebrity. Need it be added that Beth begins having second thoughts about her sudden rush of Good Fortune--and that maybe, just maybe, things weren't all that bad in her "real" world? Produced for the Lifetime cable network, Twice Upon a Time first aired on November 9, 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ellen Crawford, Carolyn Fears, (more)
- 1998
This TV medical drama examines egos and ethics as a trio of doctors enter private practice. Doctors Roger Cattan (Ken Olin), Tim Lonner (Matt Craven), and Evan Newman (Rick Roberts) recruit Dr. Sarah Church (Sheryl Lee) to join their team, and they're in business -- occupying a posh office with dubious decor, and ready to display their bedside manners while building bank accounts. Will workaholic Sarah and sensitive, single-dad Newman become a twosome? Filmed in L.A., this series premiered September 21, 1998 on CBS. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ken Olin, Matt Craven, (more)
- 1995
Simone (Jimmy Smits) confronts Russell (Kim Delaney) over her drinking, then tries to protect John Irvin (Bill Brochtrup) and his lover from gay-bashing fellow cops. An unexpected "witness" surfaces in a serial-killing case. And in off-duty matters, altar-bound Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) asks Simone to be his best man, while Medavoy's wife (Deborah Taylor) wants a reconciliation for their children's sake -- much to the dismay of Donna (Gail O'Grady). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
The IAB wants Bobby Simone (Jimmy Smits) to keep an eye on a possibly "dirty" cop, Detective Drucker (Michael MacRae). This causes some discomfort for Bobby as he and Drucker investigate the case of an alleged flasher. In another development, a young woman claims to have witnessed the murder of a pimp in a laundromat. And while cutting Sipowicz's (Dennis Franz) hair, gay cop John Irvin (Bill Brochtrup) asks for advice as to how to approach the equally "uncloseted" Adrianne Lesniak (Justine Miceli). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This variation on the themes of 9 to 5 (1980) and Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (1990) presents one philandering man as the target of revenge for all scorned women everywhere. When Brian Hartley (Zach Galligan) has been unfaithful yet again to his fiancée Linda Alissio (Teri Hatcher), he shows up at her Malibu beach house expecting to beg for and receive forgiveness. Except that this time, Brian is going to get the lesson of his life. Lisa's housemates Kim (Lara Harris) and Sharon (Tracy Griffith) take him hostage, tying him to a bed. For three days, the trio of vengeful women inflict Brian with a series of psychological tortures, including using his credit cards, shaving him with a rusty razor, getting him fired from his job, and forcing him to watch a home shopping cable channel. When they're convinced that Brian will sin no more, they put him in a skirt and release him. Brian's got a few surprises for them, however. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Zach Galligan, Teri Hatcher, (more)
- 1993
Cybill Shepherd takes a ride into the dark side in this two-part TV movie, purported based on a true story. Shepherd is cast as wealthy and seductive Phoenix socialite Faith Kelsey, who opts not to get mad but to get even when her husband, Terry (Christopher McDonald), enters into an affair with Stacey Eckhart (Denise Gentile), herself a married woman with children. When Stacey is brutally murdered, the police have great difficulty linking either of the Kelseys to the crime -- and no one has more difficulty than Detective Jay Jensen (Ken Olin), who, entranced by Faith's beauty and charm, concludes that she is as "much a victim" as the dead woman. But as the story unfolds, it becomes painfully clear that Faith has hatched an elaborate scheme to get away with murder, and to cover her tracks by persuading a number of people -- mostly male people -- to help her cover her tracks and leave the dots unconnected. But will Jensen finally wrest free of Faith's alluring spell and see to it that justice is done? And of more importance, can this be done before Faith makes her good her plan to leave the country and totally escape extradition? Telling Secrets was originally seen over NBC on January 17 and 18, 1993. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Feeling that something is lacking in their lives, the family of suburbanite Charles Grodin adopts a stray St. Bernard puppy. The cute lite beast grows up to be the less-than-cute Beethoven, a sloppy, slobbery, oversized and extremely destructive animal. Beethoven also brings with him a lot of hidden baggage in the form of evil veterinarian Dean Jones, who'll stop at nothing to steal Beethoven for the purposes of his insidious lab experiment. Several sequels followed, beginning with 1993 Beethoven's Second. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Grodin, Bonnie Hunt, (more)
- 1992
For various reasons, some of them legitimate, Frank (Joe Regalbuto) and Jim (Charles Kimbrough) turn down the opportunity to be Murphy's Lamaze class partner, while Murphy (Candice Bergen) herself turns down Corky's offer to help out (the fact Corky [Faith Ford once assisted in a calf's birth does not qualify her as an expert). Thus it is that Eldin (Robert Pastorelli) shows up to assist Murphy in preparation for natural birth. However, the prospect terrifies them both--especially Murphy, who pays next to no attention to the instructor--and to top it off, the rest of the class is fed up with our heroine's imbecilic wisecracks! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
Child star-cum-talkshow host Danny Bonaduce is the hapless hero of America's Deadliest Home Video. Receiving a video camera for his second wedding anniversary, Bonaduce tests it out in his bedroom, where he records his wife (Greta Bonaduce) and her lover having their own celebration. Later on, while taking a (solitary) cross-country vacation, he is kidnapped by a scuzzy gang of thieves. Anticipating Natural Born Killers by two years, the crooks insist that Bonaduce record their homicidal hijinks. By passing a theatrical release, America's Deadliest Home Video was released directly to-where else?--video. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The millionaire of the title is Joan Rivers, an over-aged Beverly Hills brat whom many of the film's characters want to see dead or in rags. Armed with only her mile-a-minute mouth, Rivers fends off con men, fortune hunters, and would-be murderers--among them, possibly, her own husband (Alex Rocco). Thank heaven for her faithful household staff, headed by manic chef Mesach Taylor. The villains include Morgan Fairchild and David Ogden Stiers, for whom the audience may be rooting after fifteen minutes or so. How to Murder a Millionaire was made for TV--but not for my TV. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joan Rivers, Alex Rocco, (more)
- 1990
Continuing her search for a job, Roseanne finds she can excel at her usual household chores cleaning up at a beauty salon. She is surprised when she actually gets along with her co-workers Marsha (Elizabeth Franz), Iris (Lori Tan Chinn), and Debbie (Melora Walters). ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- 1988
A New York City police officer struggles to remove the threat presented by a gang of crazed killers who are wreaking havoc in the subway system. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Doc Dougherty, Lenny Loftin, (more)
A grieving family contends with a growing sense of dread after moving to the desert and experiencing a series of tragic, inexplicable accidents. When Robert Coltrane died suddenly, the life his family once knew was forever changed. In an effort to regain some sense of normalcy, his widow Helen (Melora Walters) takes their teenage children Conrad (Jackson Rathbone) and Lenore (Johanna E. Braddy) to live with their reclusive uncle Darryl (William Mapother) in Arizona. But life around William's house is far from normal; not only is the seldom seen uncle something of a gun fanatic, but just as the family is settling in they receive a most unusual visitor. It seems that before Robert died, he agreed to take in Sarah (Sofia Vassilieva), a lovely yet troubled young girl from a particularly unstable background. Shortly after Sarah's arrival, the Coltrane's are plagued by a series of macabre occurrences that seem to have no reasonable explanation. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Melora Walters, William Mapother, (more)
A man seeking to escape his turbulent family life is dragged kicking and screaming back into his dysfunctional past when his two siblings summon him to a remote cabin to discuss their late father's true fate, and finally call the lies of the past out into the open. When Peter (Patrick Wilson) took a wife and entered into a new career, he assumed his painful past would simply fade away. But old ghosts have a habit of lingering around even when they can't be seen, and as Peter arrives at a run down cabin at the request of his siblings Rick (Neil McDonough) and Norman (Scott Michael Campbell), it quickly becomes apparent that the specters of Peter's past are still very real in his former reality. As Peter's brothers relay the details of their final moments with their recently deceased father, those old familiar mind games come into play once again. Something about their story just doesn't seem right, because the presence of their father still looms heavy in the air around the brothers - stirring up the lingering lies that once protected them from the bitter truth of their lives. The joyful memories are fleeting, gradually giving way to revelations that will serve as the only honest moments these brothers ever shared. No one will leave this cabin until this volatile situation has reached its logical conclusion, and each man has finally ventured into the dark place they have spent their entire lives trying to avoid. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrick Wilson
Final Destination 2 screenwriters Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber make their directorial debut with the sci-fi thriller The Butterfly Effect. Evan Treborn (Ashton Kutcher with facial hair) wants to free himself from his disturbing childhood memories. As a kid, he often blacked out for long periods of time and tried to detail his life in a journal. As a young adult, he revisits the journal entries to figure out the truth about his troubled childhood friends Kayleigh (Amy Smart), Lenny (Elden Henson), and Tommy (William Lee Scott). When he discovers he can travel back in time in order to set things right, he tries to save his beloved friends. However, he finds out that relatively minor changes can make major problems for the future. The Butterfly Effect also stars Eric Stoltz, Ethan Suplee, and Melora Walters. The title was inspired by the story A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ashton Kutcher, Amy Smart, (more)
