Helen Evans Movies
One woman's day goes all to pot in this resinous comedy from independent filmmaker Gregg Araki. Jane (Anna Faris) is a college dropout and aspiring actress who suffers from a certain lack of ambition, doubtless reinforced by her fondness for marijuana. One morning, Jane wakes with a busy day ahead of her -- she has a big audition, she has to pay the electric bill on her apartment to prevent the power from being shut off, and she needs to pick up some pot after paying her debt to her dealer -- and decides to take the edge off her anxieties by getting a little stoned. Under the influence, the cupcakes her roommate Steve (Danny Masterson) has made for his friends to enjoy at the weekend's Sci-Fi convention look too good to resist, and she gobbles them down. What Jane doesn't realize until it's too late is that the baked goods were laced with some especially strong marijuana, and what starts as a pleasant buzz turns into a world-class high that refuses to go away. As Jane struggles to make her way through the day, fate keeps throwing her into strange and surreal situations involving police officers, Steve's lovesick best friend, and a rare original manuscript of The Communist Manifesto. Smiley Face also stars Adam Brody, John Krasinski, Jane Lynch, Michael Hitchcock, John Cho and Roscoe Lee Browne. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anna Faris, Roscoe Lee Browne, (more)
Rod McCall wrote and directed this slice-of-life melodrama about a woman in a mid-life crisis who struggles to preserve her home and family. Sally Kirkland stars as Jenny, who must deal with a serious problem involving her errant husband Henry (James Brolin) as she prepares for the wedding of her youngest daughter Kat (Renee Estevez). Henry has taken off for New Mexico with his most recent lover and business associate Patsy (Laura Johnson), where they plan to pay off Jenny's mortgage, sell the property and split the money. Meanwhile, Jenny's other daughter Samantha (Pamela Gidley) arrives at the wedding with her life in an uproar -- she is undecided whether to stay in New York City and pursue her classical music career or head back home and marry handsome cowboy Bill (Michael Moore). Henry arrives at the wedding only to be slapped by Jenny for his callousness. Afterwards, Patsy, tired of all the internecine family squabbles, denounces Henry for his cavalier ways and threatens to keep their proposed business deal (an auto dealership) all to herself. But heading in the same direction is Jenny and Samantha, with Jenny chaffing at the bit, preparing to let Henry have it in a final cathartic confrontation. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sally Kirkland, James Brolin, (more)
- 1987
Outwardly respectable Australian wife and mother Carmen Duncan harbors a secret past. A former German terrorist, Duncan is sought by both the authorities and her former associates. One of these, IRA assassin Michael Aitkens, insists that Duncan share some of the loot she's squirreled away. She escapes Aitken's clutches, with both the money and her 15-year-old daughter Annie Jones in tow. Thus do the two female leads become the "moving targets" of the title--though unlike other targets, Duncan has the will and the wherewithal to fight back, and fight back hard. This tight little Australian chase thriller, which boasts a to-die-for rock music score, was based on When We Ran, a novel by Keith Leopold. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1945
A New-York-bound hitchhiker is hit by a car. The driver, a successful art dealer, stops and finds that he has hit a beautiful girl. He takes her to his home and later learns that she was to be a dancer. As she recovers she cannot help but notice that her benefactor and his stepdaughter both seem a little touched. The suspense comes in when she figures out that the greedy dealer is planning to kill all his female relatives in order to receive a large inheritance. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Arnt
