Ed Elbert Movies
A girl who will risk it all to get into the United States and the boy who will follow her through hell to get into her pants embark on the biggest adventure of their lives in director Simon Brand's adaptation of author Jorge Franco's bestselling novel. Reina and Marlon are both from middle-class neighborhoods in Columbia. While Reina longs for the day she will escape to the United States in search of the American Dream, Marlon bides his time in hopes of winning Reina's heart. When Raina announces that she has discovered a way of getting into the United States illegally, Marlon reluctantly agrees to join her on the journey. Shortly after arriving in New York City and checking into a ramshackle hostel, Reina disappears into the city. Now left to fend for himself on the unfamiliar streets of Queens, Marlon is forced to navigate this shocking new world on his own. During his search for Reina, memories of the pair's harrowing journey into the U.S. come flooding back to Marlon. Just as Marlon is beginning to feel hopelessly lost, however, a stuttering sadomasochist (John Leguizamo) who rules over a dank crash pad takes the frightened boy under his wing. But with every step Marlon takes towards a new life, his old obsession with Reina threatens to drag him down into the abyss. Despite the fact that he once dreamed of building future together with Reina, Marlon is about to discover that sometimes you have to lose what you want in order to discover what you really need. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Aldemar Correa, John Leguizamo, (more)
When a woman serving time for the murder of her husband is granted early release on the condition that she remains under house arrest for the remainder of her sentence, her past strikes back with a supernatural vengeance in this thriller from director Eric Red (Undertow and Bad Moon). Marnie Watson (Famke Jansen) was suffering under the brutal hand of her husband Mike (Michael Pare) - a violent New York City cop - when she struck back in self-defense. In the aftermath of that tragedy, Mike was dead and Marnie convicted of manslaughter. Now released from prison and outfitted with an electronic ankle bracelet the will alert authorities to her location at all times, Marnie is given strict orders to remain in her house until her sentence is served in full. As Marnie begins to serve her time, her late husband's partner observes from a patrol car parked across the street - eager for the moment she violates her probation and he can lock her up for good. But there's something else in the house with Marnie, and now the woman who thought her nightmare was finally over is about to discover that it's only just begun. Marnie's husband is just as evil in death as he was in life, and he's determined to strike back at the woman who killed him with savage ferocity. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Famke Janssen, Michael Paré, (more)
Adapted from a Hugo and Nebula Award-winning novelette by author David Gerrold, Menno Meyjes's Martian Child stars John Cusack as a widowed science fiction writer who adopts a boy (Bobby Coleman) who claims to be from the Red Planet. The writer believes the child acts strangely in order to process the difficulty he has had in his young life, but soon both he and his sister (Joan Cusack) begin to wonder if the boy might be telling the truth. Amanda Peet co-stars as the woman who becomes a mother figure for the boy. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Cusack, Amanda Peet, (more)
- 2001
'N Sync is one of the biggest pop groups in America, and they get even bigger in this concern documentary, which was shot and originally distributed in the high-definition IMAX format. Shot at several dates during the band's sold-out tour in support of the album No Strings Attached, 'N Sync: Bigger Than Live captures the best-selling "boy band" on stage, playing nine of their biggest hits (eight of which appear on No Strings Attached, as well as taking a brief look at the backstage pastimes of Lance Bass, Joshua "J.C." Chasez, Joey Fatone, Chris Kirkpatrick, and Justin Timberlake. Curiously, 'N Sync features no director's credit, though John Bailey is credited as "photography and camera director." ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- *NSYNC
The true story of Anna Leonowens' experiences as a governess to the children of an eccentric Asian king has been adapted into a book of memoirs, a biography, a stage play called Anna and the King of Siam -- which was adapted into a 1946 film, a stage musical called The King and I -- made into both the live-action The King and I (1956)) and the animated The King and I (1999) feature films, and a short-lived 1972 TV series. Now the story is brought to the screen yet again, as Jodie Foster stars as Leonowens, hired by the king of Thailand (Chow Yun-Fat) in the 19th century to help care for his children. The king wants the best for his children, but Anna soon discovers that he is a strong-willed but quixotic leader, and her stay in Thailand becomes a struggle for power with romantic overtones, as they decide who will have authority over the royal youngsters. Anna and the King was directed by Andy Tennant, best known for his 1998 variation on the Cinderella story, Ever After. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jodie Foster, Chow Yun-Fat, (more)
A family of incestuous Dutch aristocrats emigrates to New England, and 300 years later, their long-lost descendent returns to the ancestral environs to research his rare blood disorder in this low-budget horror flick based on a mothballed Dan O'Bannon script. Orphan John (Roy Dupuis) yearns for more information about his family -- and the genetic disorder that threatens his life. Arriving on the Maine island to which he's traced his ancestry, just as its cemetary is being dug up and relocated due to health-code violations, he and his wife, Kathleen (Kristin Lehman) encounter a gin-soaked old M.D. (Rutger Hauer) who agrees to help them in their search for more information. Meanwhile, residents of the island begin to disappear one by one and it appears that a race of horrific mutants is to blame. Slowly realizing the links between John's family legacy and the attacks, the island's surviving residents band together to fend off the monstrous threat. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rutger Hauer, Roy Dupuis, (more)
- 1992
- R
Because of her thieving new husband, a young woman is thrown into jail where she is harassed by fellow prisoners and by the warden. Before long, hubby gets a chance to take on the identity of a guard so he can help her escape. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- 1991
- R
Certain fans of cheesy women-in-prison movies may be somewhat disappointed in this feature, as there is no nudity throughout the picture. In this story, Kristen Bell (Kristen Cloke) has taken the rap for her boyfriend's theft of an expensive ring and has been sentenced to prison. She finds herself in the thick of swirling conspiracies and alliances and is pushed into low-level "trusty" status, which only serves to put her into closer proximity with the head of prison security, a man who seemingly has it as his mission in life to rape her. The prison inmates include at least one certified dangerous psychotic, played by genre favorite Karen Black. Meanwhile, Kristen's no-good boyfriend (David Keith) has managed to take over the identity of a policeman (Ray Sharkey) who died while chasing him. It seems the cop was to become the warden of the prison Kristen is in. This is good luck for Kristen, but might not be such a good deal for the dissimulating jewel thief. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Keith, Deborah May, (more)
Xavier Quinn (Denzel Washington) is police chief of a tiny Caribbean island. Quinn's efforts to straddle the fence between the local blacks and the moneyed whites have lost him the respect of both groups. When a murder is committed, Quinn suspects that the killer is Maubee (Robert Townsend), a notoriously elusive criminal who has become a folk hero to the locals. Despite various political pressures -- and the fact that he and Maubee were childhood friends-Quinn vows to solve the murder, and, if necessary, bring Maubee to justice. A mess of merry plot twists distinguish this diverting fox-and-hound caper. Filmed entirely on location, The Mighty Quinn was based on Finding Maubee, a novel by A.H.Z. Carr. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Denzel Washington, Robert Townsend, (more)
- 1982
- R
This unfunny attempt at sexual comedy looks at the adventures of five different couples spending one night in a cheap motel. A 300-pound fullback is still a virgin and will be losing that distinction thanks to the hooker he has hired for the night, while a couple unfaithful to each other quibble over the lousy accommodations -- in skits much like those of the TV series, Love, American Style. Phyllis Diller and Slim Pickens are the motel managers. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Terri Berland, Brad Cowgill, (more)
