Katherine Willis Movies

If Damon Runyon, the author of the story on which The Three Wise Guys was based, were to summarize it, it might sound something like this: One December day around Christmastime I am in the city of Las Vegas talking to Harry the Horse about this and that, when I hear this yarn about a citizen by the name of Murray Crown (Tom Arnold), who runs a clip joint which he prefers to call a casino. It seems that this Murray Crown not only has the John Laws breathing down his neck, but it is also a fact that he is married to this doll called Shirley (Katey Sagal), who is known far and wide as the green-eyed type. In addition, it seems that there is another doll by the name of Mary Ann Davidson (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe), who has gotten herself in the family way courtesy of Murray, and who has taken a powder into the desert holding a computer disk containing the low-down on Murray's operation. These being the conditions that prevail, sweet Mary could very well send Murray up the river for a more than somewhat long semester. So Murray hires these three torpedoes called Joey (Eddie McClintock), George (Judd Nelson), and Vincent (Nick Turturro) to chase after Mary and button the doll's lip on a permanent basis....By the time this made-for-TV opus has galloped into the home stretch, it is a probable twelve to seven that Mary will have wrapped the three torpedoes around her little finger, and that a Merry Christmas will be had by all. Mooched from a story by Runyon from which an earlier theatrical feature had been sired way back in 1936, Three Wise Guys first showed up on the USA network menu on the evening of December 8, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The mystery of one man's guilt or innocence literally becomes a matter of life and death in this drama. David Gale (Kevin Spacey) was the head of the philosophy department at Austin University and the author of several well-regarded books; he was also an active and visible member of Deathwatch, an anti-capital punishment activist group. One of Gale's best friends was Constance Harraway (Laura Linney), a fellow Deathwatch activist with whom he became especially close, particularly since Gale's wife, Sharon (Elizabeth Gast), who had taken a lover in Spain, was usually absent. One night, Gale was seduced by an attractive student from his class, Berlin (Rhona Mitra), who had too much to drink; later, the remorseful student accused Gale of rape. While Gale was eventually cleared of the charges, the negative publicity cost him his career as an educator, and with no job and no wife, Gale turned to drink. When Harraway was found raped and murdered a few years later, Gale was charged with the crime, and convicted despite the best efforts of his well-meaning but ineffectual lawyer Braxton Belyeu (Leon Rippy). Now Gale awaits execution, and less than a week before his date with the fatal injection, Gale agrees to tell his story to Bitsey Bloom (Kate Winslet), a nervy journalist from a major newsmagazine, who arrives with her assistant, Zack Stemmons (Gabriel Mann). As Bloom discusses the facts of the Harraway murder with Gale, it occurs to her that the details simply don't add up, and soon a mysterious stranger slips evidence to her that suggests Gale has been framed -- leaving Bloom and Stemmons only a few days to solve the mystery and save Gale from the executioner. The Life of David Gale was co-produced by actor Nicolas Cage, who originally commissioned the script and intended to star in the film before prior commitments led him to hand the project over to director Alan Parker. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In this inspiring family drama, a little girl has only her beloved dog Fuzzy to protect her from the slings and arrows tossed at her and her impoverished family by their self-righteous small-town neighbors. Her father is a farmer who can barely scrape by in trying economic times and they are unable to provide young Charley the finer things her friends receive. She does not dress as well as her peers and is teased for it. Still the girl's spirit is strong and her heart is good. When she saves the life of an old farmer she teaches the town a valuable lesson about courage and real moral values. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide