Peter Guber Movies
Peter Guber is one of the most successful and powerful producers and executives in Hollywood. He graduated from the University of Syracuse and then attended the University of Florence before earning an MA in business administration and a law degree at NYU. Soon after graduation in 1968, he was hired by Columbia Pictures for an entry-level executive position. Within four years he had become the head of worldwide production there, a position he held for three years. With his steady hand, and astute judgment regarding hit films such as The Way We Were and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the heretofore financially shaky company began to thrive. In 1976, he left to found Peter Guber's Filmworks and to work as an independent producer; soon he merged his company with another and produced his first film The Deep (1977). Though the film was considered a critical bomb, Guber's creative marketing helped make it a box-office success. In 1980, Guber became partners with hairdresser-turned-producer Jon Peters. After considerable wheeling and dealing with his production companies, Guber and his new partner founded the Guber-Peters company in 1983. The pair soon became one of the shrewdest, most effective teams in the industry, unafraid to take big risks that often resulted in giant box-office hits such as Flashdance (1983), The Color Purple, Rainman (both 1988), and Batman (1989). In 1988, they merged their company to form Guber-Peters- Barris Entertainment. The two were involved in a seven-year contract with Warner Brothers when Columbia Pictures was purchased from Coca Cola by the Sony Corporation for $3.5 billion at the end of 1989. Sony then paid Guber and Peters close to a billion dollars in fees and perks; in addition Sony also provided them millions of dollars to cover their operating costs. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi- 2015
A free-spirited English teacher offers hope to the citizens of a small Illinois town plagued by drought and the devastating effects of the Vietnam War when he grudgingly agrees to coach the high school baseball team. His unconventional coaching methods surprisingly effective, the hippie coach leads his long-haired players to the state finals, where they face off against a highly-ranked Chicago team with a reputation for winning. Based on the book One Shot at Forever: A Small Town, an Unlikely Coach and a Magical Baseball Season by Chris Ballard, and adapted for the screen by Wes Jones. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
A famous violinist (Gabrielle Anwar) goes to Mississippi for some rest and relaxation, but instead finds the third victim of a serial killer on her grandparents' property. Her involvement in the case deepens when the man she's seeing becomes a suspect. ~ Rhoda Charles, Rovi
- Starring:
- Gabrielle Anwar, Colin Egglesfield, (more)
- 2009
High Noon is one of four made-for-TV movies adapted from Nora Roberts' romance novels for the Lifetime channel in 2009 (along with Tribute, Northern Lights, and Midnight Bayou). Emilie de Ravin (Lost) stars as Phoebe McNamara, a single mom who works a stressful job as a high-stakes hostage negotiator for the police department. Phoebe's hectic life gets more complicated when she begins dating hunky bar owner Duncan Swift (Ivan Sergei) -- and finds herself targeted by a psychotic stalker obsessed with the Gary Cooper Western High Noon. This romantic thriller features Cybill Shepherd in a supporting role as Phoebe's neurotic mother, Essie. ~ Sandra Bencic, Rovi
- Starring:
- Emilie de Ravin, Ivan Sergei, (more)
- 2009
Northern Lights is one of four made-for-TV movies adapted from Nora Roberts' romance novels for the Lifetime channel in 2009 (along with Tribute, High Noon, and Midnight Bayou). Country singer LeAnn Rimes stars as Meg Galligan, an Alaska bush pilot who finds herself falling for her small town's new chief of police, Nate Burns (Eddie Cibrian), a former Baltimore cop haunted by the death of his partner. The couple's relationship is tested when Meg's long-missing father turns up dead in the Alaskan wilderness, leading Nate on a murder investigation that uncovers some unsavory town secrets. This romantic thriller features Rosanna Arquette in a supporting turn as Meg's mother, Charlene. ~ Sandra Bencic, Rovi
- Starring:
- LeAnn Rimes, Eddie Cibrian, (more)
- 2009
Midnight Bayou is one of four made-for-TV movies adapted from Nora Roberts' romance novels for the Lifetime channel in 2009 (along with Tribute, Northern Lights, and High Noon). Jerry O'Connell stars as lawyer Declan Fitzpatrick, who decides to buy a New Orleans mansion that captured his imagination when he was still a college student. After experiencing some ghostly visions, Declan comes to believe that his new home is haunted --and that he and a local Cajun beauty, Lena Simone (Lauren Stamile), are somehow connected to events that happened at the manor over 100 years ago. This supernatural romantic thriller features a supporting turn from screen legend Faye Dunaway as Lena's psychic grandmother, Odette. ~ Sandra Bencic, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jerry O'Connell, Lauren Stamile, (more)
Tribute is one of four made-for-TV movies adapted from Nora Roberts' romance novels for the Lifetime channel in 2009 (along with Northern Lights, High Noon, and Midnight Bayou). Brittany Murphy stars as Cilla McGowan, a former child star rebuilding a Virginia farmhouse owned by her actress grandmother, who died under mysterious circumstances. As she begins to investigate the case with the help of her hunky next-door neighbor, Ford Sawyer (Jason Lewis), Cilla encounters the ire of the local townsfolk -- as well as some family secrets that may put her own life in danger. This romantic thriller features a supporting turn from Tippi Hedren (The Birds). ~ Sandra Bencic, Rovi
- Starring:
- Brittany Murphy, Jason Lewis, (more)
- 2009
Recorded in the weeks before the 2009 Academy Awards telecast, this interview program features five of that year's nominees talking about the movie business in a roundtable discussion led by Peter Guber and Peter Bart for AMC. The panelists are Amy Adams, Danny Boyle, Penelope Cruz, Frank Langella, and Melissa Leo. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter Bart, Peter Guber, (more)
Years after her family's pizza parlor was burned to the ground by an out of control arsonist, a girl does her best to overcome her childhood trauma by becoming a seasoned arson investigator in this thriller starring Scott Bakula and Alicia Witt. But some careers are more dangerous than others, and when a madman emerges from the flames to terrorize the respected investigator it begins to appear as if her infernal destiny may have been sealed as a young girl. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Alicia Witt, Matthew Settle, (more)
Author Nora Roberts' tense tale of second sight comes to the screen in this drama directed by Stephen Tolkin. Lately, Tory Bodeen (Claire Forlani) has been experiencing a series of frightening visions that seem to be beckoning her back to her small hometown. As the visions become increasingly intense, the brutal murder of Tory's childhood friend Hope is subsequently revealed to have been but the first in a brutal series of slayings that rocked the tightly knit community to its very core. Every year the killer claims another life, and now it seems that he has anticipated Tory's return. Now, as Tory attempts to catch the killer before becoming his next victim, her blossoming romance with Hope's handsome older brother Cade (Oliver Hudson) proves that the only thing more powerful than passion is the fear of death. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Claire Forlani, Oliver Hudson, (more)
Heather Locklear and Johnathon Schaech star in this screen adaptation of the Nora Roberts novel concerning a withdrawn young woman who is forced to reconnect with the human race after her car fails in the town of Angel's Fist. The only problem is that by seeking the help of others, she may put her own life in danger once again. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Heather Locklear, Johnathon Schaech, (more)
Nearly anyone who performs in public on a regular basis is familiar with the notion of the audience member who makes their opinions loudly and clearly known during the show, and like most comedians Jamie Kennedy has dealt with his fair share of hecklers over the course of his career. However, when Kennedy moved from stand-up comic to actor, he encountered a new breed of heckler -- the on-line film critic who posts angry rants on the internet, taking Kennedy to task for nearly every aspect of such critically drubbed movies as Son Of The Mask and Malibu's Most Wanted. Kennedy teamed up with director Michael Addis to make the documentary Heckler, which explores the increasingly combative relationship between artists and their audience. Heckler features interviews with a number of comics and musicians discussing their experiences with loud-mouthed spectators (including Bill Maher, David Cross, Louie Anderson, Rob Zombie, Joe Rogan and David Allen Grier), but Kennedy goes a step further, confronting a number of the writers who've bad-mouthed his work and questioning their role in the creative process. Kennedy and Addis also talk with filmmaker Uwe Boll, who went so far as to challenge his critics to a boxing match. Heckler received its world premiere at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jamie Kennedy, Louie Anderson, (more)
- 2005
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Take a walk on the fine line between box-office blockbusters and instantly forgettable bombs as Oscar and Emmy-winning producer/director Bill Couturie sets out to explore just what separates such high-profile hits as Jaws from such room-clearing disasters as Howard the Duck. Executive produced by Variety editor Peter Bart, this documentary includes interviews with such movie industry heavies as Steven Spielberg, Danny DeVito, Peter Bogdanovich, Robert Evans, Pierce Brosnan, and Sydney Pollack, exploring precisely how the road to the Razzies is paved with good intentions. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Greed turns an idyllic vacation into a nightmare in this action drama. Jared Cole (Paul Walker) makes his living salvaging wreckage from ships off the coast of the Bahamas. He shares a rattle-trap trailer home with his girlfriend, Samantha "Sam" Nicholson (Jessica Alba), a shark expert who works at a nearby resort. While both are happy with their lives in the islands, Jared dreams of finding a major score and living the high life. One day, Jared and Sam are paid a visit by Bryce Dunn (Scott Caan), a childhood friend of Sam's who is now doing very well as a lawyer. Bryce and his girlfriend, Amanda (Ashley Scott), have come to the Bahamas for a few days of diving and fun, and Sam and Jared show them the waters while making use of his yacht. While diving with Sam, Bryce, and Amanda, Jared discovers the wreckage of a plane used to smuggle drugs, and thinks he may have found the big score he's always dreamed of. While Sam persuades Jared that the cargo is too risky to move, Bryce and Amanda think there's a fast buck to be made, and team up with Primo (Tyson Beckford), a local underground entrepreneur, to fence the contents of the plane. However, Bryce and Amanda have underestimated just how dangerous Primo and his henchmen can be, and now Sam and Jared must come to their rescue. Into the Blue was directed by John Stockwell, who previously took filmgoers to the seashore with the surfing drama Blue Crush. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Paul Walker, Jessica Alba, (more)
A troubled war veteran tries to unlock his memories of a terrible crime in this stylish thriller, the first American project for British filmmaker John Maybury. In 1991, Jack Starks (Adrien Brody) was an American soldier serving in the Persian Gulf when he was shot in the head; pronounced dead by a field surgeon, Starks somehow returned to life, though with no small number of psychological problems to show for his troubles. A year later, Starks is walking through the snowy Vermont wilderness when he discovers a woman whose truck has broken down, Jean (Kelly Lynch). Starks tries to help Jean and her young daughter, and later flags down a car for a ride into town; however, the car is being driven by a criminal on the run from the police (Brad Renfro), and not long after the car is cornered by police, Starks' memory goes blank. When he comes to, Jack is accused of killing a patrolman in the violent standoff that followed, and is told that the woman, her daughter, and the criminal existed only in his imagination. Declared insane in his murder trial, Starks is sentenced to a mental institution run by Dr. Becker (Kris Kristofferson), who seems to believe that the more brutal the treatment, the better. As Starks suffers frequent beatings and long spells in a frozen locker, his mind drifts from his harrowing past into the future, where he visits with Jackie (Keira Knightley), who once was the young girl Starks tried to help. The Jacket also features Jennifer Jason Leigh as Dr. Lorenson, a compassionate doctor who tries to help Starks and his fellow patients. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Adrien Brody, Keira Knightley, (more)
- 2003
Hollywood producer Peter Guber and journalist Peter Bart were the moderators of this weekend debate series from the American Movie Channel cable service. On each episode, the hosts and the guest panelists engaged in lively discussions over current movie projects and Hollywood gossip, with opinions frequently differing wildly. On occasion, the panel would dissect the "classic" films being run on AMC during the week. Sort of a "Meet the Press meets Entertainment Tonight," Sunday Morning Shootout was first seen on October 12, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Rob Reiner directs Luke Wilson and Kate Hudson in Alex & Emma, a romantic comedy about an author and his secretary. Gangsters will kill Alex (Wilson) in 30 days if he doesn't pay back his gambling debts. The only way he can do that is to finish his new novel. He hires sassy court stenographer Emma (Hudson) to transcribe his dictation. The film intercuts between the two of them writing the story, and the story within the story. Hudson plays three roles in the film, and Wilson plays two. Sophie Marceau and David Paymer round out the cast. The premise is (very) loosely based on a series of events that befell Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kate Hudson, Luke Wilson, (more)
Directors Al Giddings and David Clark, whose previous credits include Galapagos: Beyond Darwin, return to the flora and fauna of the Galapagos Islands for this IMAX documentary. The film focuses on the work of Smithsonian-based biologist Carol Baldwin and outlines Charles Darwin's theories on natural selection. Highlights include footage of the giant Galapagos tortoise and the Galapagos iguana, which perfectly camouflages itself against the gray rock on which it suns itself. Kenneth Branagh narrates. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kenneth Branagh
- 1998
This TV comedy series, an attempt to find humor in 1990s self-help, rehab and recovery programs, focuses on hard-drinking, former actress Billie Frank (Sherilyn Fenn), once the teen queen of primetime soaps, who now works for lowlife "B"-movie producer Harve Schwartz (Richard Lewis). Johnny (Michael Rapaport) is only one of an unending parade of predatory males standing in line to hit on Billie, and viewing the world through an alcoholic haze, she often has to check on the identity of the man next to her when she awakens. Matching Billie, drink for drink, is her mother Trudy (Lynn Redgrave). Sitcom segments are separated by onscreen titles, such as "Mother's Milk -- 80 Proof" and "Going Down -- This Time in the Elevator." Friends intervene to show Billie where she's headed, but their efforts go nowhere. Finally, the "rude awakening" happens when Billie drinks and drives -- and then collides with a fire hydrant. The next step is the first of 12, as she attends an Addictions Anonymous meeting, where Dave (Jonathan Penner) tries to score with her, and she encounters a wild lesbian, Jackie (Rain Pryor). Episodes titled "Lucky for Me Her Breast Exploded," "Three Dykes and You're Out," and "Vagina" followed the August 1, 1998 premiere on Showtime. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sherilyn Fenn, Lynn Redgrave, (more)
Harvard University graduate Alek Keshishian directed this tale about a homeless man who teaches some snotty Harvard students a thing or two about real life. Monty (Brendan Fraser) is a self-absorbed graduate student who is obsessed with finishing his thesis on government so that he can satisfy his demanding teacher, Professor Pitkannan (Gore Vidal). When Monty loses his precious thesis in the basement of the library's heating plant, it is found by a homeless man living there, Simon (Joe Pesci). Simon agrees to return the thesis one page at a time in return for certain favors. The relationship with the bearded vagabond changes Monty's view of life, and it also affects his housemates, who include Everett (Patrick Dempsey), a wisecracking radio host; Courtney (Moira Kelly), who is immature and sex-obsessed; and the studious nerd Jeff (Josh Hamilton). Simon becomes something of a father figure to Monty, argues history with Professor Pitkannan, and provides an earthy balance to the overly academic viewpoint of the students. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi
- Starring:
- Joe Pesci, Brendan Fraser, (more)
A single mother and her difficult son find family life isn't necessarily all it's cracked up to be in this drama adapted from writer and professor Tobias Wolff's 1989 memoir of the same name. Nomadic, flaky Caroline (Ellen Barkin) just wants to settle down in one place, find a decent guy, and provide a better home for her handful of a son, Toby (Leonardo DiCaprio). When she moves to Seattle and meets the respectful, respectable Dwight Hansen (Robert DeNiro), she thinks she's got it made. Toby, however, feels differently after spending a few months with Dwight and his children and away from Caroline. The boy's stepfather-to-be seems to want to mold Toby into a better person, but to do so he emotionally, verbally, and physically abuses the kid. The marriage proceeds, and soon Caroline, too, recognizes Dwight's need to dominate everyone around him. She sticks with it, though, convinced it's the best thing for her son, and several years of dysfunction ensue. During this time, Tobias befriends another misfit, the possibly homosexual young Jonah (Arthur Gayle), while continuing to chafe under the yoke of his repressive stepfather. This Boy's Life provided the first lead role for future superstar DiCaprio. The film was written by Robert Getchell, who also penned such mother/son fare as Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore and The Client. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert De Niro, Ellen Barkin, (more)
In this first sequel to 1989's Batman, the Caped Crusader (Michael Keaton) is up against the Penguin (Danny DeVito), the hideously deformed scion of a wealthy Gotham City family. The Penguin plots with evil businessman Max Schreck (Christopher Walken) to become mayor and then turn Gotham into a cathedral of crime. Upon overhearing these plans, Schreck's mousy secretary Selena Kyle (Michelle Pfeiffer) is tossed from a high-rise window by her boss. Rescued by a covey of kittens, Selena transforms into the leather-clad Catwoman. In this guise, she teams with the Penguin and Schreck to divvy up their ill-gotten gains and help discredit Batman-but she also has her own scores to settle. Paul "Pee-Wee Herman" Reubens, Vincent Schiavelli and Jan Hooks play significant bits, while Pat Hingle and Michael Gough make returns as, respectively, Commissioner Gordon and Alfred the Butler. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, (more)
Brian De Palma's Hollywood sanitization of Tom Wolfe's scabrous satire stars Tom Hanks as Sherman McCoy, the "master of the universe," a shallow Wall Street investor who makes millions while enjoying the good life and the sexual favors of Maria Ruskin (Melanie Griffith), a Southern belle golddigger. Sherman and Maria are driving back to Maria's apartment from the airport when Maria takes a wrong turn on the expressway and the two find themselves in the South Bronx. She sees a black youth approaching Sherman's car and Maria, frightened, guns the engine, running over the teenager and killing him. The two drive away and decide not to report the accident to the police. Meanwhile, indigent alcoholic journalist Peter Fallow (Bruce Willis), anxious for a story to make good with his editor, comes upon the hit-and-run tale through local black community activist, Reverend Bacon (John Hancock). Bacon plans to use the hit-and-run case as a rallying point for the black community, while Fallow recognizes the press coverage inherent in prosecuting the callow Sherman. As Sherman is brought to his knees, the New York community fragments into different factions who use the case to suit their own cynical political purposes. Finally, Sherman is left without any allies to support him except for the sympathetic Judge White (Morgan Freeman) and the remorseful Fallow. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tom Hanks, Bruce Willis, (more)
- 1989
- PG13
Behind the black cowl, Gotham City superhero Batman is really millionaire philanthropist Bruce Wayne (Michael Keaton), who turned to crimefighting after his parents were brutally murdered before his eyes. The only person to share Wayne's secret is faithful butler Alfred (Michael Gough). The principal villain in Batman is The Joker (Jack Nicholson) who'd been mob torpedo Jack Napier before he was horribly disfigured in a vat of acid. The Joker's plan to destroy Batman and gain control of Gotham City is manifold. First he distributes a line of booby-trapped cosmetics, then he goes on a destruction spree in the Gotham Art Museum while the music of Prince blasts away in the background, and finally he orchestrates an all-out campaign to win the hearts and minds of the Gothamites, hoping to turn them against the Cowled One. Meanwhile, reporter Vicki Vale (Kim Basinger) becomes the love of Batman's life-which of course plays right into the Joker's hands. Photographed by Roger Pratt, designed by Anton Furst, and scored by Tim Burton's favorite composer Danny Elfman, Batman was a monstrous box-office hit, making $100 million in the first ten days of release--$82,800,000 in North America alone. Incidentally, Billy Dee Williams' comparatively small role as DA Harvey Dent was originally designed to set up the sequel, wherein Dent was to convert into master criminal Two-Face; but by the time the producers got around to that character in 1995's Batman Forever, Two-Face was played by Tommy Lee Jones. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson, (more)
Sylvester Stallone tries his luck with his first cop buddy movie in Tango and Cash, directed by Andrei Konchalovsky. Stallone is Ray Tango, a Los Angeles narcotics cop who dresses in fancy suits, wears wire-rim glasses, and talks to his stockbroker more than he talks to his mother. Kurt Russell is Gabriel Cash, another Los Angeles narcotics cop who has long, disheveled blonde hair and dresses in worn-out sweatshirts. Together, Tango and Cash are the two best narcs in LA, which causes drug baron Yves Perret (Jack Palance) no end of distress. Since Yves controls a billion-dollar drug empire, Tango and Cash have to be taken out of the picture in some way. So Yves arranges for Tango and Cash to be framed for a crime. But the duo accepts a plea bargain that will give them 18 months in a minimum-security prison. Unfortunately, Yves arranges for their destination to be diverted to a maximum-security hell-hole where Yves's minions proceed to torture Tango and Cash --although they still have time to trade quips with each other. Ultimately, they escape from their torture chamber and seek out Yves and his gang. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russell, (more)
- 1989
James Brolin costars with his son Josh in the made-for-cable Finish Line. The film's ad copy says it all: "His father made him run. The steroids made him win." In a justifiably melodramatic fashion, the film, based on a true story, examines the win-at-any-cost mentality of high school athletes and their parents. As is proven in the wrenching finale, that cost is a precious one. Finish Line premiered January 11, 1989, on the TNT cable service. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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