Gordon Joseph Weiss Movies
- 2004
Missing for several days, 16-year-old Tani McCain (Amanda Seyfried is found bound and beaten in an abandoned building. When the girl claims that she was kidnapped and raped by three uniformed men, suspicious immediately falls on a group of college army cadets. But in the days that follow, Tami keeps changing her story, much to the confusion of the men and women of the SVU: Obviously, the girl was raped by someone, but who? With media rabble-rousers and an outraged public breathing down the SVU's neck, the detectives work overtime to track down the actual perpetrator--only to find that the solution to the case may be tragically close to Tandi's own home. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2004
A talented young man's idyllic life is shattered when he learns the truth about the small town he calls home in this independent drama. Sperry Rock School is a well-respected progressive school in Athens, VT, a small town that seems the picture of propriety on the surface. Sperry Rock's instructors encourage their students to follow their own path and create their own study plans, which has worked out well for Charlie (James Martinez), a gifted science student who has already earned a full scholarship to the college of his choice. However, his best friend Vernal (Paul Sado) lacks Charlie's intelligence and discipline, and is caught in a self-destructive spiral of disruptive behavior. Of even greater concern to Charlie is his girlfriend, Joy (Autumn Dornfeld), who dropped out of school for no apparent reason before leaving town without notice. As a difficult year wears on, Charlie and his friends learn some startling truths about the underside of Athens, the rivalry between the city's privileged and blue-collar communities, and a shocking secret that leads to an ugly act of violence. The Undeserved was the first feature film from writer and director Brad Coley. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frank Wood, Paul Sado, (more)
- 2000
- R
This historical comedy-drama is based on the true story of Joe Gould, a bohemian eccentric who was a fixture in New York's Greenwich Village from his arrival in 1916 to his death in 1964. Gould, who claimed to be a graduate of Harvard, would cadge drinks and subsist on catsup as he regaled patrons of neighborhood saloons with stories, poems, opinions, and his imitation of a seagull. In a 1942 New Yorker profile by journalist Joseph Mitchell, Gould spoke of his life's work, a book entitled An Oral History of Our Times, which he claimed would be eleven times longer than the Bible, contain a variety of overheard conversations from throughout the years, and document the decline of 20th century culture. Mitchell kept tabs on Gould, and tried to introduce him to publishers who might put his work into print, but nothing ever came of it, and it wasn't until Gould's death that Mitchell discovered the surprising truth about his friend. Directed by Stanley Tucci, Joe Gould's Secret stars Tucci as Mitchell and Ian Holm as Gould; Hope Davis, Steve Martin, Susan Sarandon, and Patricia Clarkson highlight the supporting cast. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ian Holm, Marc Alan Austen, (more)
- 1999
Carey Lowell makes a return appearance as former A.D.A. Jamie Ross, now in private practice as a defense attorney. Jamie's reunion with her former partner Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) and boss Adam Schiff (Steven Hill) is hardly a festive occasion: She is representing a previous client who claims to have new evidence concerning a death-row prisoner. If what her client says is true, Jamie is in the unenviable position of going head to head with her ex-colleagues in a tense courtroom battle. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1998
An embittered HIV-positive male goes on a sexual rampage, infecting as many women as he can. After one of the perpetrator's partners dies, Assistant D.A. McCoy (Sam Waterston) charges the man with murder. The subsequent prosecution is endangered by a tricky ethical issue involving "right to privacy" -- and this time, McCoy may not be able to implement damage control. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1998
Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) is edgier than usual as his ailing partner, Bobby Simone (Jimmy Smits), goes in for more medical tests. Back on the job, the squad investigates the murder of a Pakistani in Central Park. The sole eyewitness is distressingly inconsistent in her testimony -- not because she herself is guilty, but because she fears reprisals from the well-connected killer. Later, as his wife, Diane (Kim Delaney), waits nervously, Bobby is told that he needs a heart transplant. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Awakening in bed with hoodlum Jimmy Liery (Christopher Meloni), Diane Russell (Kim Delaney) can remember nothing that happened after Jimmy drugged her. Back at the 15th precinct, a victim of muscular dystrophy is murdered, and the victim's neighbors seem extremely nervous about providing information. As Bobby Simone (Jimmy Smits) and Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) investigate a frustrating homicide involving a clever married couple, Lt. Fancy (James McDaniel) nervously anticipates informing Bobby and Andy that only one of them has been promoted to detective first grade. And back in Liery's apartment, a confrontation ends in gunfire -- and guess who pulled the trigger? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
A gay councilman is murdered, leading detectives Logan (Chris Noth) and Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) to question such "probables" as the dead man's roommate, Joe Gibb (Michael Lichtenstein), and a married man (Robert Joy) with whom the decedent might have had a brief affair. When the investigation narrows down to Councilman Kevin Crossley (Daniel Hugh Kelly) who, despite his outspoken homophobia, insists that he was a good friend of the victim, an outraged Logan completely loses his cool. Suffice to say that this final fifth-season Law & Order episode also represented the last regular appearance of co-star Chris Noth. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This film is a darkly humorous, determinedly ambiguous adaptation of Alan Dershowitz's book about his successful legal appeal of Claus von Bulow's conviction for the attempted murder of his wife, Martha "Sunny" von Bulow. Sunny (Glenn Close) -- who remains in a "persistent vegetative state" resulting from a suspicious injection of insulin -- narrates the film, summarizing the first murder trial, which ended with Claus (Jeremy Irons) convicted and released on bail pending appeal. Claus approaches Harvard Law professor Dershowitz (Ron Silver) to handle the case. Working with a small group of law students recruited from his classes, Dershowitz presents sufficient new evidence to cast doubt as to Claus' guilt and the veracity of the star witness, her maid. Jeremy Irons' extraordinary, Oscar-winning performance dominates the film. He plays the role of Claus with a alternatively pompous, aloof snobbishness and an engagingly enigmatic, kinky, sly humor. Barbet Schroeder was also nominated for an Academy Award for his extraordinary, off-beat, direction of this sophisticated, exceptionally intelligent legal drama. Reversal of Fortune with its sharp, witty, Oscar-nominated screenplay by Nicholas Kazan is unusual in its understanding that legal guilt and moral culpability are not the same thing -- making for an unusually provocative tragicomedy of bad manners and bad behavior among the rich. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Glenn Close, Jeremy Irons, (more)
- 1990
Summoned to an expensive Upper West Side elementary school, detectives Greevey (George Dzundza) and Logan (Chris Noth) find a young pupil in a semi-comatose state. The investigation leads to prominent therapist Jacob Lowenstein (David Groh), a chronic philanderer, and Lowenstein's wife Carla (Marcia Jean Kurtz), who shows signs of being severely battered. After the death of the Lowensteins' daughter, assistant D.A. Stone (Michael Moriarty) realizes that the only way to find out who was responsible is to turn the defiantly protective Mrs. Lowenstein against her control-freak husband -- or vice versa. Clearly inspired by the infamous "Steinberg Case," this was the Law & Order telecast which prompted the series' producers to include a disclaimer at the beginning of each subsequent "based on fact" episode. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
From experimental filmmaker Jon Jost comes this romantic drama comprised of mostly improvised scenes. Emmanuelle Chaulet plays Anna, a struggling French actress in New York who meets an overworked financial broker named Mark in the Vermeer Room at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Anna resembles one of Mark's favorite paintings, so he asks he out for coffee. From there, the two struggle to overcome their personal baggage and attempt to allow themselves to fall in love. Director Jost was awarded the Caligari Film Award at the 1991 Berlin International Film Festival for this film and Sure Fire. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emmanuelle Chaulet, Stephen Lack, (more)
Based on a true story as related by neurologist Oliver Sacks, Awakenings stars Robin Williams as the Sacks counterpart, here named Dr. Malcolm Sayer. Something of a klutz and naif, Dr. Sayer takes a job at a Bronx psychiatric hospital in 1969. Here he's put in charge of several seemingly catatonic patients who, under Sayer's painstaking guidance, begin responding to certain stimulati. Apprised of the efficacy of a new drug called L-DOPA in treating degenerative-disease victims, Sayer is given permission to test the drug on one of his patients: Leonard Lowe (Robert De Niro), who has not communicated with anyone since lapsing into catatonia as a child. Gradually, Lowe comes out of his shell, encouraging Sayers to administer L-DOPA to the other patients under his care. Julie Kavner and John Heard also star. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robin Williams, Robert De Niro, (more)
