Ellis Williams Movies

Director Lee Abbot takes a satirical look at the stereotypes and mythologies of marijuana in this satirical mockumentary following a father who is forced to speak honestly with his daughter about pot, and a pro-pot advocate who hatches an ingenious plan to change the way America views weed. Thirty-seven year old concerned father Dave Berman was hosting a barbecue for his old college debate team when militant medical marijuana activists kicked in the door and seized his home. Later, after discovering that his teenage daughter Gina Marie has taken to reefer, Dave is forced shed his preconceptions about the drug if he holds out any hope of reconnecting with her. Meanwhile, pro-pot advocate Dr. Willa Peterson has grown so frustrated with her grassroots campaign being sabotaged by prohibition-minded corporations that she ultimately decides to take the battle to the next level. After convincing the makers of Fun-Onion snack foods that their profits would soar following legalization, Dr. Peterson enlists the aid of Public Relations genius Arturo Goldman in changing public opinion about pot. If his firm can successfully counter the government's tactics of using terrorism to frighten people away from pot by convincing the masses that pot can prevent homosexuality, Goldman may achieve the elusive goal of finally decriminalizing a substance that has never been proven either addictive or deadly. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Director Gus Van Sant returned to the low-key style of his early independent efforts with this semi-improvised exploration of how violence makes its way into a typical American high school. Eric (Eric Deulen) and Alex (Alex Frost) are two close friends who are students in a well-to-do suburb of Portland, OR. Eric and Alex are at once ordinary and misfits; while they seem to be confined to the edges of the clique-oriented social strata of high school, little about their behavior draws attention to itself. Or at least not during a typical school day; on their own time, the two boys are fascinated by Nazi iconography, enjoy violent video games, tentatively explore homoerotic desires, and coolly begin to make plans for an armed ambush of the school, drawing up working diagrams of the lunch room during study hall and buying rifles over the Internet. Drawing an expected degree of controversy, Elephant had its world premiere when it was screened in competition at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival, where it won both Best Director for Van Sant and the Golden Palm award. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Andy (Dennis Franz) is relieved to learn that his son Theo is out of the woods regarding his medical condition -- at least for the present. Danny (Rick Schroder) and Diane (Kim Delaney), back together again, decide to keep their renewed relationship quiet. On the job, Andy and Danny investigate a series of violent attacks on cabbies; Capt. Brass (Larry Joshua) takes over Fancy's (James McDaniel) office for his new task force; and Diane's contact Danny DiSalvo (Jay Acovone) offers to "take out" drug smuggler Don Kirkendall (if and when he is ever found), thereby absolving the 15th precinct of any complicity in Kirkendall's activities. In a related development, the ex-wife of Diane's old nemesis Denby (Scott Cohen) may be able to clear up matters in the Kirkendall case -- or maybe not. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A young boy and a brilliant scientist attempt to thwart an evil cyber-villain's attempts to take over the world in this inferior sequel to the 1992 sci-fi adventure The Lawnmower Man. Former Max Headroom star Matt Frewer replaces Jeff Fahey in the title role of Jobe, the mentally challenged gardener transformed into a brilliant, computerized megalomaniac by a series of virtual reality experiments. Though destroyed at the end of the first film, Jobe finds a way to return to digital life, and he sets out in search of an important computer chip that will grant him frightening levels of power. A group of young hackers, led by Peter (Austin O'Brien), discovers this nefarious scheme and turns to retired virtual reality pioneer Ben Trace (Patrick Bergin) for help. Chase scenes and gunfights follow, both in the virtual world and the real world, as Trace and the boys try to figure out how to defeat Jobe. Despite a more blatantly futuristic setting, the sequel's special effects fail to match the standards of the first film, and the confused storyline proves more illogical than suspenseful, limiting the film's appeal to die-hard genre aficionados. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide

In this high-tension thriller, Christopher Reeves plays Dempsey Cain, a paralyzed detective (ironically, it was filmed a year before the tragic accident that would make him a quadriplegic) whose arrogance and penchant for perfectionism has alienated his family to the point that his wife Gail (Kim Cattrall) turns to his brother Nick (Edward Kerr) for love. Nick is also a cop, but unlike Dempsey, he tends to be irresponsible and sloppy. It was he who was responsible for Dempsey's paralysis. Dempsey knows that Nick and Gail are trysting. This coupled with his disability makes life unbearable. Wanting to end his life, but knowing that his million-dollar life insurance policy will not cover his suicide, he approaches Nick and Gail with the perfect solution -- to murder him and make it look like a burglary. Dempsey plans his demise to the nth degree. Unfortunately, despite his careful scheming, Dempsey makes one fatal flaw -- he did not include his suspicious, resentful and jealous colleague Allan Rhinehart (Joe Mantegna) into the equation and things go horribly awry. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Danny Glover plays Jerry, a caring street person who takes a mentally retarded Matthew Dillon under his wing, teaching him the survival smarts so necessary to society's left-overs. The two team up with three other vagrants in an attempt to build a nuclear group-support community and find little lasting security in the cold NYC street world. ~ All Movie Guide

In this lively comedy, an African American yuppie rethinks life on the corporate fast-track after he falls in love with an ultra hip club promoter. Knowing that she finds him a total square, he seeks the advice of a swinging young mail boy. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Hangin' with the Homeboys follows four young men--two Black, two Puerto Rican--over the course of one night in the Bronx. During the night, they have several misadventures as they talk, argue, play and get into accidents. This coming-of-age film was directed by the late Joseph B. Vasquez and features an early performance by John Leguizamo. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide

Writer/producer/director James Bond III also stars in this innovative supernatural thriller as Joel, a divinity student from rural North Carolina who has a serious crisis of faith and travels to New York to seek the advice of his friend, aspiring actor K (Kadeem Hardison). In an effort to loosen up his conservative companion, K gives him a taste of New York nightlife -- personified by an alluring club vamp with the less-than-subtle name of Temptation (Cynthia Bond). Although her true nature as a soul-stealing succubus is more than obvious to the audience (particularly after several scenes of unsuspecting wannabe players torn limb-from-limb), Temptation nevertheless ensnares naïve, innocent Joel in her devilish spell, prompting K to investigate the woman's background with a little help from a detective (Bill Nunn) determined to connect her with several murders. Bond's intelligent morality play is a step above simple homage to horror and blaxploitation genres of the '70s, avoiding many of those films' stereotypes to present three-dimensional characters and realistic dialogue. The vibrant, color-rich cinematography is the work of frequent Spike Lee collaborator Ernest R. Dickerson. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

Wills, an ex-cop (John Larroquette), and Bobby (Bronson Pinchot), who's a psychic, team up as sleuths in Wills's new "Second Sight Detective Agency." To add a little spice, there's a very pretty nun who catches the eye of the laughable detective. ~ All Movie Guide