Ed Wheeler Movies
- 2008
Responsibility clashes with freedom as a young New York City couple experiences two decidedly different holidays in this drama from filmmaking duo David Siegel and Scott McGehee (Suture, The Deep End). It's the Fourth of July, and Kate (Lynn Collins) and Bobby (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) are struggling to make a decision: do they stick with tradition and spend the weekend with Kate's family, or do they set out on their own for a spontaneous adventure? After making their initial decision, an alternate narrative emerges to show just what would have happened had they chosen to do otherwise. While the decision-making process may seem mundane, the implications of each choice are profound. Sure, a holiday with the family doesn't seem nearly as exciting as an impromptu romantic trip, but that doesn't mean it will be any less dramatic. As the stories diverge and a "what if" scenario becomes reality, it soon becomes apparent how much one seemingly minor decision can ultimately affect the rest of our lives. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lynn Collins, (more)
American independent filmmaker Lodge Kerrigan returned after a six-year hiatus with this formally challenging tale of a disheveled man desperately searching New York City for his young daughter. Keane takes its name from its central character, a middle-aged man (Damien Lewis) who wanders Port Authority with a seemingly tenuous grasp of his sanity, muttering to himself and causing altercations with passers-by. He claims to have lost his daughter at a bus station, and consistently pleads for assistance from indifferent authority figures. When he's not roaming the streets, he uses his meager savings to rent out a room nightly in a cheap hotel; there, he meets Lynn (Amy Ryan), a single mother with a daughter, Kyra (Abigail Breslin), almost the same age as Keane's missing child. As he grows closer to Lynn and Kyra, he starts to see the young girl as instrumental in deciphering his own loss. Keane premiered at the 2004 Toronto Film Festival before securing a 2005 theatrical release. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Damian Lewis, Abigail Breslin, (more)
Can a high-attitude African-American politician who says what he thinks stand a chance in a presidential campaign? Mays Gilliam (Chris Rock) is a straight-talking alderman representing a inner-city neighborhood in Washington, D.C. In the midst of a hard-fought race for the White House, the Democratic presidential and vice-presidential candidates are killed in an airline crash, and with little time to prepare a new campaign, the Republican candidate, Vice President Brian Lewis (Nick Searcy), seems all but guaranteed to win. With practically nothing to loose, party head Martin Geller (Dylan Baker) approaches Gilliam and asks him to stand as the Democrat's presidential candidate. While Gilliam is dubious at first, before long his streetwise style and willingness to face the issues head-on earns him surprising figures in the polls, especially after he persuades his short-fused older brother, Mitch Gilliam (Bernie Mac), to join the ticket as vice presidential candidate -- a big jump for a bail bondsman. Gilliam's love life also becomes more complicated as his ex-girlfriend Kim (Robin Givens) decides she wants him back now that he has a shot at the White House, even though Gilliam only has eyes for Lisa (Tamala Jones). Head of State marked the directorial debut for comic and actor Chris Rock, who also co-wrote and co-produced the film. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Rock, Bernie Mac, (more)
- 2002
Once again, a real-life tragedy proved to be grist for the Law & Order story mill. The detectives investigate the bizarre death of an 11-year-old girl. All clues lead to an unorthodox, and highly dangerous, "rebirthing" procedure recommended by a child therapist. This episode provides some choice acting moments for such recurring characters as Medical Examiner Rodgers (Leslie Hendrix) and police psychologist Dr. Emil Skoda (J.K. Simmons). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
A Harlem community leader is beaten to death with a baseball bat. In addition to building a case against the likeliest suspect, struggling college student Jerome Warren (Avery Kidd Waddell), the D.A.'s office must also deal with a chaotic and potentially dangerous racial situation. "Haven" was originally telecast in tandem with another Law & Order episode, "Hunters," on February 10, 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
It looks like a clear-cut case of suicide when a young woman plunges off a bridge. However, disturbing questions are raised during the ensuing investigation thanks to the evasive behavior of the witnesses. The subsequent prosecution boils down to a case of arson, a probable instance of blackmail, and a grown-up version of the traditional "big bully." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
A cab driver is murdered, putting the detectives on a long and circuitous trail of clues. Along the way, such elements as a loan shark, a missing plumber, and a forged check determine the proceedings. Ultimately, the investigation focuses on the dead man's widow, Denise Johnson (Lisa Gay Hamilton) -- and, of course, Johnson's resourceful attorney, Brian Elliott (Michael Beach). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
A Jewish jeweler is murdered and his body is burned. Early evidence suggests that the killing may have been motivated by the anti-Semitism of four black youths. But the detectives and the DA's office uncover proof that the murder was committed for an entirely different, but equally odious, motivation -- and that the murderer was not entirely unknown to the victim. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Rusty Sabich (Harrison Ford) is a bland, oppressed man who burns with a quiet, corrosive intensity that can flare uncontrollably. A Philadelphia prosecutor, Sabich's fire seems to have one outlet: his job. He loves prosecuting people. Otherwise, his life is dead-ended. He has a loveless marriage to a neurotic woman (Bonnie Bedelia) and an overbearing boss (Brian Dennehy) in a labyrinthine law enforcement world of corruption and twisted relationships. Then Carolyn Polhemus (Greta Scacchi) comes into his life. Lovely and seductive, Polhemus easily entices him to break his marital vows, but she schemes to get him to try for his boss' job. When he refuses, she leaves him. When she turns up dead, the victim of an apparent rape-murder, clues begin to point to Sabich. His blood type almost perfectly matches that in the semen found in the victim, carpet fibers at the crime scene match those found in his house, and most damning, his fingerprints are found on a beer glass in Polhemus' apartment. His protestations of innocence ignored, Sabich is put on trial for the murder and hires his biggest adversary (Raul Julia) to defend him. ~ Nick Sambides, Jr., All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harrison Ford, Brian Dennehy, (more)
Writer/director/producer James L. Brooks scores on all counts with this clear-eyed look at the television news business and the dysfunctional types who work in it. Brooks' intelligent script introduces us to Jane Craig (Holly Hunter), an ambitious producer at the network news division's Washington D.C. branch, who is calm under fire yet has a good cry at her desk every morning over her empty personal life. Jane works well with Aaron Altman (Albert Brooks), an excellent reporter who lacks the visual charisma to make him a star. Into their lives comes Tom Grunick (William Hurt), a regional newscaster who admits he can't write news and doesn't understand many of the events he's covering, but has the presence and physical appeal that the increasingly entertainment-oriented network wants for its news programs. Jane is also physically attracted to him, which drives her crazy, because Grunick stands for everything she's fighting against in the news business, while Altman is devastated by her attraction because he secretly yearns for Jane. As Grunick becomes a rising star at the network, and layoffs of the old guard loom, the three leads deal with their feelings for each other, their careers, and their values. Hunter, Hurt, and Brooks are all superb, as is the excellent supporting cast (including an unbilled turn by Jack Nicholson as the network's smarmy national anchor). Brooks' script is funny, poignant, gritty, and brutally honest in its examinations of the television industry and the ways in which professionals interact on and off the job. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Hurt, Albert Brooks, (more)
