Fred Berner Movies
Award-winning short filmmaker Jessica Sharzer makes her feature debut with the teen drama Speak, based on the young-adult novel by Laurie Halse Anderson. Kristen Stewart stars as high school freshman Melinda, who has lost her ability to speak. Ever since a traumatic event that occurred at a party over the summer, she has chosen to remain silent. She's abandoned by her friends, while her mother Joyce (Elizabeth Perkins) is too wrapped up in her own problems to notice. By recalling the details of the past situation, it becomes clear that a date rape occurred. Yet no one has offered her support in order to deal with the psychological consequences. Eventually her art teacher Mr. Freeman (Steve Zahn) reaches out, helping her develop ways to express herself. Also starring Hallee Hirsh and Eric Lively. Speak premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004 as part of the American Spectrum competition. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kristen Stewart, Eric Lively, (more)
Artist Jackson Pollock revolutionized American painting in the 1940's with his exciting abstract canvases that used dripped and splattered paint in a manner at once excitingly physical and structurally intelligent. While Pollock became a heroic figure in the art world, his private life was nothing to envy, and this biography looks at both his professional triumphs and personal tragedies. In 1941, Pollock (Ed Harris) was a bitter and struggling painter when he met Lee Krasner (Marcia Gay Harden), a fellow artist with whom he was appearing in a joint gallery show. Krasner was intrigued by Pollock, and immediately sensed the importance of his work; they quickly became lovers, and as Krasner realized his superior talent, she began devoting herself to promoting Pollock's work. When Peggy Guggenheim (Amy Madigan) agreed to present a show of Pollock's paintings at her Art of This Century gallery, his name was made, and a profile in Life magazine solidified his reputation as one of the art world's most important figures. But success did not bring Pollock peace of mind; while he long had a taste for alcohol, his new fame sent his drinking out of control, and his infidelity with numerous women (including Guggenheim) eventually destroyed his relationship with Krasner. Pollock was the first feature directed by actor Ed Harris, who also plays the title role; the cast also includes Val Kilmer as artist Willem de Kooning and Jennifer Connelly as Ruth Kligman, one of Pollock's lovers. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ed Harris, Marcia Gay Harden, (more)
Boxing is more than just a sport -- it's also a business and a con game in this satirical comedy. Rev. Fred Sultan (Samuel L. Jackson) is a shrewd boxing promoter and manager whose meal ticket is heavyweight champion James "The Grim Reaper" Roper (Damon Wayans), a fighter whose skill and confidence significantly outstrips his intelligence. While the top-ranked contender for Roper's title is Marvin Shabazz (Michael Jace), Sultan isn't too keen on the idea of Shabazz fighting Roper -- it seems that both fighters are black, and Sultan's figures show that mixed race matches stir up a lot more media attention and pay-per-view customers. Eager to find a white challenger for Roper, Sultan digs up Terry Conklin (Peter Berg), who won a Golden Gloves fight against Roper many years ago but is now out of the game and fronting a rock band called Massive Head Wound. Thanks to a few bribes and a couple of fixed fights, Sultan is able to arrange for Conklin to be next in line to battle "The Grim Reaper." However, Conklin is taking his renewed career as a boxer quite seriously, while Roper, convinced that Conklin doesn't stand a chance, has let himself go and gained a lot of weight. Suddenly Sultan realizes that Roper might just lose the piece-of-cake fight he's so carefully arranged, while journalist Mitchell Kane (Jeff Goldblum) smells a rat in Conklin's sudden rise to ranking status. Jon Lovitz, Cheech Marin, and Corbin Bernsen highlight the supporting cast, while members of the well-regarded alternative rock band Local H appear as Massive Head Wound. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Samuel L. Jackson, Jeff Goldblum, (more)
In the late 1980s, noted theatrical director Andre Gregory assembled a group of friends and actors and began rehearsing a new translation of Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya by David Mamet, not with any specific performance in mind but as a way of exploring the beauty and precise construction of Chekhov's play. Louis Malle, a friend of Gregory's, became interested in the project and spent two weeks filming Gregory's actors as they performed Uncle Vanya without an audience in a run-down theater near New York's Times Square. In these performances, the line between theater and real life is blurred as conversations between actors -- juggling take-out cups of coffee and wearing street clothes -- slowly grow into a superb performance of Chekhov's classic, with Wallace Shawn as Vanya, Julianne Moore as Yelena, Brooke Smith as Sonya, and Larry Pine as Dr. Astrov. With a certain sad irony, this marvelously realized adaptation of a play about people wondering what they've done with their lives proved to be Louis Malle's final film; he died of cancer in 1995. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wallace Shawn, Andre Gregory, (more)
The Ballad of Little Jo is based on a true story -- several true stories, in fact. Suzy Amis plays demure young Josephine Monagan, who in 1866 is run out of her home town after bearing an illegitimate child. Fleeing westward, Josephine is terrified by stories of how treacherous the frontier can be for a woman alone. As a result, upon arriving in the muddy burg of Ruby City, she disguises herself as a man, going so far as to scar her face to suggest that she's been in a few scrapes. In this guise, "Little Jo" does just fine by herself for nearly 30 years! Almost as good as Suzy Amis is Bo Hopkins as gunslinger Frank Badger, Little Jo's best buddy (if only he knew....) Written and directed by Maggie Greenwald, The Ballad of Little Jo does a marvelous job conveying the people and places of its period; and, unlike Bad Girls (which was released around the same time), we aren't bludgeoned to death by feminist revisionism. Unfortunately ignored when it went out to theatres in the fall of 1993, The Ballad of Little Jo has fared rather better on video. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Suzy Amis, Bo Hopkins, (more)
Dolly Parton and James Woods as the screen's hottest new romantic team? That's only one of several casting surprises in this romantic comedy. Shirlee Kenyon (Dolly Parton) has had enough of life in her small Arkansas town, not to mention her small-minded Arkansas boyfriend Steve (Michael Madsen). So she decides to head for the big city of Chicago, where she applies for a job as a receptionist at a talk radio station. However, she arrives at the studios just as the staff are frantically searching for the psychiatrist hired to host a call-in show for people seeking advice with their personal problems. Shirlee is put on the air by mistake, and, while she lacks a degree in psychology, she has common sense to spare, and her no-nonsense advice makes the show a hit. Soon "Doctor Shirlee" is the talk of the town, but reporter Jack Russell (James Woods) senses that she might not be all she's supposed to be. Jack does some investigating and finds out the truth about Shirlee, but by this time the two have met and he's fallen in love with her. Will Jack obey his responsibilities as a journalist, or follow his heart? Straight Talk's supporting cast includes filmmaker John Sayles, monologist Spalding Gray, actor and producer Griffin Dunne, and future Lois Lane Teri Hatcher. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dolly Parton, James Woods, (more)
- 1990
Brian Dennehy stars in this made-for-cable drama about a blue-collar family man laid off from his auto-industry job who learns that his resentful son plans to drop out of medical school. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
A hot tamale tries to throw off a different sort of heat in this comedy of small-town manners. Carnelle Scott (Holly Hunter) is best-known in her hometown of Yazoo City, MS, for her unrepentant promiscuity. An orphan taken in by her genteel relatives, she idolizes her older cousin, Elain Rutledge (Mary Streenburgen), a former Fourth of July "Miss Firecracker" contest winner who is taking time out from her life as a pampered wife in Atlanta to give a speech on "My Life as a Beauty" at this year's pageant. Determined to follow in Elain's footsteps, Carnelle puts a damper on her libido and enlists the help of local seamstress Popeye Jackson (Alfre Woodard) in preparing for the pageant. She also implores Elain to let her borrow the red dress in which Elain won the contest in 1972. Meanwhile, Elain's brother, ne'er-do-well Delmount Williams (Tim Robbins), arrives with a get-rich-quick scheme that involves hocking the family estate. Into this mix steps Mac Sam (Scott Glenn), one of the men who contributed to Carnelle's scandalous past. Adapted by Beth Henley from her own play The Miss Firecracker Contest, Miss Firecracker finds Hunter reprising her stage role. The actress also starred in Henley's Crimes of the Heart on Broadway, although she did not appear in the 1986 film adaptation. Woodard and Steenburgen previously appeared together in Cross Creek. Miss Firecracker was shot on-location in real-life Yazoo City. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Holly Hunter, Mary Steenburgen, (more)
- 1988
- R
Also released under the title A Crack in the Mirror, this drama follows the events that befall a well-to-do couple when the husband's loss of a job tempts them into the lucrative drug trade. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robby Benson, Danny Aiello, (more)
- 1987
- R
In this drama, a New York professional finally agrees to assist a local crack dealer and finds himself embroiled in the seamy world of drugs. The film is also titled "White Hot." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1986
- PG13
Pamela Segall gives a winning performance in this gender-bending comedy about a girl who wants to be a boy and gets her wish. 14-year-old Milly Niceman's "deepest, darkest heart's desire" is to be a boy, as she feels that boys' lives are simpler and more interesting than girls' lives. After her best friend's brother sells her an "eclipse powder," she wakes up in the middle of the night to discover that she has grown a penis. When she becomes a boy, calling herself Willy, she finds that her girlfriend has now developed an amorous interest in him/her. Willy also makes friends with a handicapped boy named Alfie (Eric Gurry), who also confesses his "unnatural desires" for Willy. Finding that being a boy is as confusing as being a girl, Willy wishes upon a star to be changed back to a girl. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pamela Segall, Eric Gurry, (more)
- 1984
- PG
Tom Schiller, best known for the short subjects he wrote and directed for Saturday Night Live's early seasons, made his feature film debut with this offbeat fantasy. In the future, the city of New York is governed by the Port Authority, and aspiring artist Adam Beckett (Zach Galligan) is depressed because the powers that be refuse to grant him a creative license. Instead, Adam is assigned to direct traffic in the Holland Tunnel, where he meets a woman named Mara Hofmeier (Apollonia Van Ravenstein). Adam offers to show Mara a side of New York's underground that few people know about; however, they mistakenly board the wrong bus and find themselves on a trip to the moon, which has been turned into a shopping center. In time, Adam finds his way back to Earth, where at long last he finds artistic success and the love of his life, Ely (Lauren Tom). Incorporating clips from a number of classic silent films, Nothing Lasts Forever also features an interesting supporting cast, including Bill Murray, Sam Jaffe, Eddie Fisher, Dan Aykroyd, Lawrence Tierney, Imogene Coca, and Calvert Deforest (aka Larry "Bud" Melman). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Zach Galligan, Apollonia Van Ravenstein, (more)
- 1983
- R
In this psychological horror movie, an art student begins to seriously question his sanity after a terrifying nightmare recurs over a long period of time. In the dream, his twin, who died at birth is trying to kill him. The dream eventually becomes so intense that the young man is barely able to function. The film is also titled Brainwaves. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Alfieri, Nathalie Nell, (more)
- 1980
- R
An agoraphobic author decides she needs a more suitable environment in which to pen her best-selling Gothic novels and so moves to a decaying Victorian mansion. She isn't there long before she discovers that it is being haunted by a pack of ghostly prostitutes, all of whom died there when it was a house of ill repute. The spirits take over the woman and use her as their instrument of revenge. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robin Groves, Christopher Loomis, (more)
Director Jeff Lieberman followed his horror-science fiction film Blue Sunshine with this effort, which rehashes many of the themes explored in Wes Craven's seminal horror work The Hills Have Eyes. The plot concerns a teenage land owner who heads for the mountains of Oregon with a deed to his new property and an RV full of young friends only to discover (to their extreme peril) that words on paper mean less than nothing up there... or, in the words of horticulture-loving park ranger George Kennedy, "Those mountains can't read, son." By nightfall, the youths learn the gravity of this warning, as they are set upon by a hulking Mongoloid in a knit cap and pilot's glasses who seems capable of being in two places at once. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- 1977
This animated children's film tells the story of the two popular dolls who go off to find a pretty French doll who has been stolen by pirates. Many songs from popular children's composer Joe Raposo ensue, including: "I Look and What Do I See!," "No Girl's Toy," "Rag Dolly," "Poor Babette," "A Miracle," "Ho-Yo," "Candy Hearts," "Blue," "The Mirage," "I Never Get Enough," "I Love You," "Loony Anthem," "It's Not Easy Being King," "Hooray for Me," "You're My Friend," and "Home." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
