Jim McBride Movies

A heroic fireman locked in a failing marriage accepts his father's challenge to take part in a 40-day experiment designed to teach both husband and wife the true meaning of commitment in this faith-based marriage drama starring Kirk Cameron and Erin Bethea. When he's battling blazes, Capt. Caleb Holt (Cameron) adheres to the old firefighter's adage about never leaving your partner behind; back at home, it's an altogether different story. Caleb and his wife Catherine (Bethea) have been married for seven years, but lately arguments over career, housework, finances, and outside interests have driven the once-happy couple hopelessly apart. Just as Caleb and Catherine prepare to officially dissolve their marriage, Caleb's father John (Harris Malcolm) presents his son with a most unusual challenge: commit to a 40-day experiment called "The Love Dare," and take one last shot at saving his marriage. While at first Caleb agrees to take a chance on "The Love Dare," the discovery that it's closely tied in with his parent's newfound faith causes him to momentarily reconsider. Still, Caleb carries on with the experiment despite being constantly rejected by his skeptical, embittered wife. When Caleb asks his father how he can be expected to love someone who refuses to give him a fair chance, John tells his son that this is precisely the same love that God shows for humankind. Now, with a little help from above, the man who makes headlines for saving lives will fight to be a hero to the one person who matters most -- his wife. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Iconoclastic film director Samuel Fuller spent decades nurturing his dream project, a movie about his experiences in the Army's First Infantry Division during World War II, but it wasn't until 1979 that he was able to finally bring the picture before the cameras. Unfortunately, Fuller was forced by his producers to work with a scaled-down budget, and he did not have final cut on the film; after his first rough cut ran nearly four-and-a-half hours, the studio took over editing on the project, and Fuller was vocally unhappy with the final results. In 2003, critic and film historian Richard Schickel initiated an effort to restore The Big Red One to a form that more closely resembled Fuller's original vision; using a large cache of newly discovered footage and the director's shooting script as a guide, the 113-minute theatrical version was expanded to 158 minutes, adding depth and detail to Fuller's sweeping and episodic tale of a hard-as-nails sergeant (Lee Marvin) and four inexperienced recruits under his command (Mark Hamill, Robert Carradine, Bobby Di Cicco, and Kelly Ward) as they battle their way across Africa to Europe between 1942 and 1945. Schickel's reconstruction received enthusiastic reviews when it went into limited release in the fall of 2004. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Ruth (Frances Conroy) takes decisive and overdue action by inviting Hiram over for dinner and then going to work for Nikolai, the family's amorous florist. David (Michael C. Hall) also takes a stand when he casts a swing vote in the church committee's decision to hire a progressive young priest. Nate (Peter Krause) and Brenda (Rachel Griffiths) decide to take a weekend vacation, unaware that Billy (Jeremy Sisto) might have objections to this, while an algebra class leads Claire (Lauren Ambrose) to question the subject's value in her life. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide

This made-for-cable drama concerns political unrest and personal crises set against the battle for a free Ireland in Belfast in 1983. Gingy McAnally (Anthony Brophy) is a member of the Irish Republican Army who, after serving a stretch in prison, is once again called upon by the IRA to work with them. While McAnally is not certain if he wants to get involved with "the troubles" again, he grudgingly agrees after the safety of his wife and children is threatened by IRA henchmen. However, McAnally is soon busted by Lt. David Ferris (Cary Elwes), a British army officer, and is ruthlessly interrogated by Chief Inspector Rennie (Timothy Dalton), one of the leaders of the Belfast Police who is determined to put the rebels out of business. Rennie convinces McAnally that his only hope is to admit to everything he knows about the IRA and its members; McAnally sheepishly goes along with Rennie's demands, and in time, he strikes up a friendship with Ferris. However, McAnally discovers that betraying the IRA has put his life in grave danger; just as significantly, his wife and family are no longer sure that they can trust him after he turns in his comrades. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

John Larkin (Timothy Hutton would seem to have the ideal life: A great job, a beautiful home, a happy marriage. Nonetheless, John has always been nagged by the feeling that "something is missing." The truth of this suspicion is violently driven home when John is inexplicably kidnapped from his home in the middle of the night by two sinister strangers. Managing to escape, John makes his way back to his wife (Suzy Amis--only to find out that she's not his wife at all, but instead a doctor for a top-secret government agency. Laboriously putting the pieces together, John realizes that he has never truly existed as a human being since he was nearly killed in a car crash: Instead, he is a semi-android, his brain implanted with false and misleading memories--all part of a master scheme to transform him into a "perfect" government assassin! Not dissimilar to such theatrical technothrillers as Total Recall, the made-for-TV Dead By Midnight (you'll have to see the film to understand the title's grim significance) was first aired by ABC on November 23, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This passable made-for-cable-TV vampire opus explores the clever concept of a Transylvanian immigrant community in the western United States. Young Cody (Jason London) is introduced to their legacy one fateful night when his parents are awakened, staked, and set on fire by ruthless vampire-hunters. After a narrow escape, Cody seeks out a distant uncle in Long Beach -- who happens to be a key figure in the "Carpathian-American" mob. Cody is eventually inducted into the culture, which is represented by various social strata, from a lawyer/journalist couple (who encourage further assimilation into non-vampire society), to a bloodsucking teenage biker gang. Cody becomes a full-fledged member of the family, learning the real secret which binds the community... but the new path to his destiny is soon blocked by the untimely arrival of the hunters, who have tracked him cross-country to his new family's Long Beach lair. This was originally conceived as a pilot for a TV series, and it shows -- the tendency to lapse into soap-opera conventions is all too apparent -- but benefits from a glossy look, high production values and some interesting plot twists. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

Until its last 10 minutes or so, this filmed biography of controversial recording star Jerry Lee Lewis plays like a live-action cartoon. As played by Dennis Quaid, "the killer" is a very mixed-up individual: a saintly sinner, a world-wise naif, a skilled performer with zero sense of discipline, a loving husband who uses his wife for a punching bag. The story takes place during the years 1956 through 1958, as Lewis rises to the top of the charts with such hits as "Crazy Arms," "A Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," and the title tune. Along the way, he falls in love with his second cousin Myra (Winona Ryder), eventually marrying the girl. When it is revealed that Myra is only 13 years old, Lewis is condemned as a molester and pervert by the public (his disastrous tour of England during this crisis is depicted in hilarious Tex Avery fashion). After establishing a brisk, satirical tone through most of the proceedings, the film plummets into heavy dramatics in its final portions, jarring disastrously with all that has gone before. Otherwise, Quaid is terrific as Lewis (expertly lip-synching to the original records,) and Ryder is equally good as the long-suffering Myra. Featured in the cast are Alec Baldwin as Jerry's cousin Jimmy Swaggart (the same!), Michael St. Gerard as Lewis' great rival Elvis, and Steve Allen as himself. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A botched attempt to remake Jean-Luc Godard's classic nouvelle vague entry, Á Bout de souffle, Breathless follows Jesse (Richard Gere), a fugitive wanted for the murder of a police officer. In the course of his flight from the law, he hitches up with a beautiful French college student (the stunning Valerie Kaprisky), and together the two attempt to escape to Mexico. From start to finish, Breathless places style over substance; the film is almost insufferably hip, although its hipness now seems more dated than a time capsule. More attention seems paid to wardrobe, set design and soundtrack than anything else, yet it lacks any of the stark visual impact the original managed to achieve. Gere is passable as the sociopathic killer (although he relies on shirtlessness to carry him through much of the film), but Kaprisky, though beautiful, demonstrates limited acting range. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide

In 1979, Jonathan Demme was still a cutting-edge director and The Last Embrace was his first effort at a completely commercial assignment. Very much in the Hitchcock vein, The Last Embrace is an intense suspense film concerning Harry Hannan (Roy Scheider), a government agent recovering from a catatonic collapse after the murder of his wife. After Harry's recovery, he is back on the job, but he can't figure out whether he is suffering from self-induced paranoia or if his former employers want to kill him. These conflicting feelings are exacerbated when he forms a connection with a nervous graduate student, Ellie Fabian (Janet Margolin), whom he discovers is living in his apartment. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Director Jim McBride took his first step from the avant garde underground to Hollywood with this beautifully photographed bit of thoughtful science fiction. Glen (Steven Curry) and Randa (Shelley Plimpton) are a couple in their early twenties who forage for survival after an unspecified apocalypse has wiped out civilization. Drifting from one camp of survivors to another, Glen and Randa behave like arrested adolescents with limited knowledge of the world that existed before their birth, which now seems like folklore. Glen has heard of the cities which existed many years ago and is convinced that they still exist. When they encounter a self-styled traveling "magician" (Garry Goodrow) who demonstrates ancient home appliances and plays old Rolling Stones records for his tiny audiences, Glen asks him about "the city." After the magician warns him that the cities are in ruins, Glen pilfers his collection of maps and Wonder Woman comics and sets out with a now-pregnant Randa to find Metropolis. After months of traveling, Glen and Randa arrive at the seashore where they are befriended by Sidney Miller (Woodrow Chambliss), an elderly man who gives them a place to stay and tells them tales of the world that once was. Originally rated X for several non-exploitive scenes of nudity, Glen and Randa starred Steven Curry and Shelley Plimpton who first worked together in the original Broadway production of the rock musical Hair. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This revealing documentary of the progressive jazz bassist Charles Mingus follows the musician for several days. The film opens up with Mingus and his young daughter getting evicted from his New York apartment loft for non-payment of rent. The camera follows him to the outskirts of Boston for a jam session at Lenny's, a favorite club of jazz musicians. Mingus is also shown marching in a parade advocating peace. Only 61 minutes long, interviews with Mingus and his live-music sequences will be certain to win new fans of jazz and greatly please those who have already recognized Charles Mingus as one of the great jazz bassists and composers of all time. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide