Stephen Hopkins Movies
Stephen Hopkins had a diverse background in graphic design and storyboarding prior to taking off as director of Hollywood action features. Hopkins steadily gained clout through the 1990s, and in 2001 linked up with his most visible venture, serving as co-executive producer and director of about half the episodes of Fox's breakthrough real-time television drama 24.Hopkins was born in Jamaica and raised in England and Australia. He ventured out into the working world as a designer of album covers before getting in good with Australian director Russell Mulcahy, who was then working as a music video director. Hopkins worked as a storyboard artist for Mulcahy and set designer on his videos. Forging his own opportunity, Hopkins began directing videos and commercials himself, but eventually returned to Australia to serve as second-unit director on Mulcahy's cult hit Highlander (1986). This paved the way for his own directorial debut, Dangerous Game (1987).
Upon migrating to Hollywood, Hopkins was quick to establish himself as an effective genre director with A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989) and Predator 2 (1990). His films increased in stature and budget, if not necessarily impact or ultimate success, as the 1990s progressed. He followed up the Tommy Lee Jones-Jeff Bridges bomber flick Blown Away (1994) with another high-powered duo, Michael Douglas and Val Kilmer, in the 1996 lion-hunting odyssey The Ghost and the Darkness. He graduated to genuine popcorn-flick status with the big-screen adaptation of the TV hit Lost in Space, released in 1998. The failure of that film dulled Hopkins' star a little, though he did end up dating star Heather Graham for a short period.
When the Gene Hackman-Morgan Freeman thriller Under Suspicion (2000) slipped under the radar, Hopkins followed suit. But the director restored some urgency by becoming a main creative force behind one of the catchiest television gimmicks in years. 24 debuted in the fall of 2001 to the tune of great critical buzz about its real-time format, which included 24 hour-long episodes charting an exhausting day in the life of a targeted presidential candidate (Dennis Haysbert) and the counter-terrorist agent (Kiefer Sutherland) who tries to protect him from assassination. 2004 proved an especially good year for Hopkins, with his critically acclaimed biopic The Life and Death of Peter Sellers earning a staggering nine Emmys, including one for Best Director, and his three-part mini-series Traffic - co-directed with Eric Bross - earning an impressive three nominations. Two short years later Hopkins was back in the theaters with The Reaping; an apocalyptic tale of a small Louisiana town beset by a series of apparent biblical plagues and starring two-time Oscar-winner Hilary Swank. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
Her faith shaken by a family tragedy from which she was never quite able to fully recover, a professor of theology from Louisiana State University moonlighting as a debunker of unexplained religious phenomena finds herself faced with an apocalyptic series of events that seem to reflect the ten plagues of Exodus in director Stephen Hopkins' Southern gothic chiller. The terrified citizens of Haven, LA, have been beset by swarms of locusts and watched as rivers turned to blood. As if that wasn't enough to put the fear of God into any Bible-reading Christian, ominous rumors of a local swamp cult have left many of the small-town citizens turning to prayer for fear that the end is finally nigh. Enter Katherine Winter (Hilary Swank), a skeptical myth-buster and renowned theology scholar with a special knack for spotting religious trickery. Though at first exceedingly confident that she will uncover a human component behind the otherworldly occurrences, Katherine quickly learns that just because one doesn't believe in the supernatural doesn't necessarily mean that it doesn't exist. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hilary Swank, David Morrissey, (more)
- 2007
Divided into two parts - "The First Human Clone" and "Cloning the Dead" - producer/director Peter Williams' probing documentary reveals the controversy and technology of a particularly sensitive subject matter. In "The First Human Clone," we look at the controversial first attempts at cloning a human being. Under the guidance of Dr. Zavos, a dedicated team of doctors and scientists strive to develop cloning techniques despite vehement opposition from both the government and the public. Later, in "Cloning the Dead," Dr. Zavos makes a shock announcement: his team has succeeded in producing an embryo from the tissue of a dead man. Before long, grieving relatives from across the globe are pouring in with requests to clone their deceased loved ones. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2007
Former X-Files star David Duchovny played for laughs rather than chills in this Hollywood-based Showtime dramedy, which first aired August 13, 2007. Duchovny was cast as writer Hank Moody, whose highly acclaimed best-selling novel "God Hates Us All" had been made into an innocuous romantic comedy film with Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise named "A Crazy Little Thing Called Love." The novel, alas, may have been the summit of Hank's literary career; after a lengthy professional slump, he was suffering from the mother of all midlife crises. To boost his tattered self-esteem, Hank had turned to booze and drugs, to say nothing of his innumerable one-night stands with an endless parade of nameless starlets, waitresses, and assorted floozies. As a result, his relationship with his 12-year-old daughter, Becca (Madeleine Martin), was somewhat shaky; while Becca's mother, Karen (Natascha McElhone), weary of Hank's self-destructive hedonism in particular and the L.A. scene in general, had become engaged to another man. At the same time, Hank's brief fling with a girl named Mia (Madeline Zima) would prove to sobering long-range ramifications...but we're getting ahead of ourselves. Rounding out the cast was Evan Handler as Charlie, Hank's agent and best friend (a unique combination in La-La Land!). The weekly Californication had originally been conceived as a theatrical feature by series creator Tom Kapinos, who'd been inspired by the famous cautionary bumper sticker "Don't Californicate Oregon." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2004
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The often-troubled life of one of the greatest comic actors in the history of the British cinema provides the basis for this biopic. Peter Sellers (Geoffrey Rush) was raised by a domineering mother (Miriam Margolyes) and meek father (Peter Vaughan), and at an early age discovered he liked to hide behind the emotional curtain of playing a character. In time, Sellers put this skill to use as an actor, and discovered he had a great gift for comedy. In the late '50s, Sellers rose to fame on the wildly popular radio series The Goon Show alongside Spike Milligan (Edward Tudor Pole) and Harry Secombe (Steve Pemberton), but as his success on radio gave way to stardom on the big screen, Sellers' ego began to get the better of him. While working on a film with Sophia Loren (Sonia Aquino), Sellers fell in love with the great Italian beauty, and eventually left his wife Anne (Emily Watson) to pursue her; when it became clear that Loren wanted nothing to do with him, Sellers fell into an affair with her stand-in instead. Professionally, Sellers career hits a new high when he agrees to take a role in a picture being directed by American filmmaker Blake Edwards (John Lithgow) called The Pink Panther, and personally he finds a new love with the beautiful Britt Ekland (Charlize Theron). But Sellers' mood swings eventually put paid to their marriage, and while he finds commercial success as a funnyman onscreen, he achieves little in the way of happiness or respect. Produced for the American premium cable service HBO, The Life and Death of Peter Sellers was screened in competition at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Geoffrey Rush, Charlize Theron, (more)
Inspired by the themes of Steven Soderbergh's Academy Award winning 2000 film of the same name, Traffic: The Miniseries focuses on a group of people involved in the highest levels of illegal trafficking; dealing with the sale and trade of chemicals, weapons, and even people. DEA agent Mike McKay (Elias Koteas) goes missing in Afghanistan while at home, his son treads dangerously close to addiction. Meanwhile, different storylines follow Fazal (Ritchie Coster), whose wife and child die during illegal transport to the US, and Ben (Balthazar Getty), whose father's shipping company is being used to transport illegal immigrants into the country. The seemingly unconnected lives of the characters eventually begin to converge, illustrating the interconnected nature of issues surrounding the war on illegal transport. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cliff Curtis, Martin Donovan, (more)
- 2002
As the polls close in California, the networks report that Palmer (Dennis Haysbert) has swept Super Tuesday. He thanks his supporters, who have gathered to celebrate. Melanie (Navi Rawat) hassles Kim (Elisha Cuthbert) as they sit in a holding cell. Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) calls CTU and tells Mason (Xander Berkeley) about Victor Drazen (Dennis Hopper), and urges him to send a field unit out right away. He does. Mason also gives Nina (Sarah Clarke) grief about her romances with Jack and Tony (Carlos Bernard). Tony brings Teri (Leslie Hope) into CTU, but no one will give her any information about Jack. Mason reassures her that Kim must be okay, because the assassin that attacked Teri demanded to know where she was. Mason can't reach Chappelle (Paul Schulze) to tell him about the field unit. Jack finds himself in a standoff with Drazen's men. He holds Victor at gunpoint, while Andre (Zeljko Ivanek) has DeSalvo (Lou Diamond Phillips). When Jack drops his gun, Andre kills DeSalvo, and with the CTU team poised to attack, Jack is taken hostage. Mason still can't reach Chappelle to get the authority to send the team in. Kim backs up Melanie when another prisoner tries to plant drugs on her, so Melanie tells Krugman (Darin Heames) the truth about the drug deal. He calls the number Kim gave him, and she's released. Palmer gently fends off the advances of his aide, Patty (Tanya Wright). Chappelle finally talks to Mason, and he wants the situation cleaned up immediately, without regard for Jack's safety, so the media won't get wind of it. Kim calls Teri to say she's on her way, just before she's intercepted. Victor and his men elude the CTU team. Victor is about to kill Jack until Jack offers to lead them to Alexis. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Mason (Xander Berkeley) gets word that Alexis is coming out of surgery. He tells Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) they should be there to question him. Jack opts to remain in Saugus, trying to figure out why Alexis wanted the power cut off at 7:20 p.m. to what looks like an empty field. Teri's (Leslie Hope) memory returns, and she's horrified, until Tony (Carlos Bernard) tells her that Kim (Elisha Cuthbert) called CTU; she's still alive. Kim, meanwhile, is in police custody. Rick (Daniel Bess) tells her to tell the cops everything, and he'll back her up. She tells the cop who arrested her that she was kidnapped, but he doesn't believe her. After the press conference, Sherry (Penny Johnson Jerald) angrily tells Palmer (Dennis Haysbert) he's just made his concession speech, and tells him, "It's over." He asks her, "Do you mean the campaign or us?" and she walks away. Jack finds some kind of underground facility and goes inside, where he's attacked by guards. He wakes up in a cell. Andre Drazen is outside the compound with his squad, waiting for the power to go out. When Jack wakes up, DeSalvo (Lou Diamond Phillips) tells him he's in a Department of Defense Detention Center. They're expecting a prisoner at 7:20, but his identity is classified. Jack tells DeSalvo to call for backup, and to arm everyone at the facility. The prisoner is delivered. Andre doesn't make his move because the power doesn't go out. Palmer finds out that his press conference actually helped him in the polls. Jack manages to get a look at the prisoner. It's Victor Drazen (Dennis Hopper), the man Jack and his team supposedly killed in Bosnia. Jack realizes that somebody will try to spring Victor, and convinces DeSalvo that they need to move the prisoner. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- 2002
As the first season finale of 24 begins, Kim (Elisha Cuthbert) has managed a daring escape from the Drazens. Sherry (Penny Johnson Jerald) harangues Palmer (Dennis Haysbert) about letting the media think the assassination attempt on him succeeded, which he's doing to help Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) save Kim's life. Victor (Dennis Hopper) has agreed to exchange Kim for Jack. Jack goes to the pier to make the trade, but he won't show himself until he gets to talk to Kim, which leaves Victor and Andre (Zeljko Ivanek) in a jam, because Kim isn't there. Jack lets Nina (Sarah Clarke) know that Palmer is still alive, and Nina passes that information along to Andre. Alerted that Kim is safe, Mason (Xander Berkeley) sends two tactical teams to support Jack. Sherry surreptitiously lets the media know that Palmer survived the explosion, and Palmer, thinking she's jeopardized Kim's life, really blows up. Nina lets the Drazens know that CTU is en route. Victor tells Nina to tell Jack that Kim is dead, in order to lure him out into the open. Nina tells Victor to make sure they kill Jack, because if he survives, and finds out Kim is still alive, her cover will be blown. As news of Jack's foolhardy one-man raid against the Drazens reaches CTU, Teri (Leslie Hope) goes looking for Nina to find out what's going on. An alternate ending to the episode was shot to discourage leaks, and this "decoy" ending is included on the DVD release of season one. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Kevin (Richard Burgi) is reluctantly leading Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) to Gaines' (Michael Massee) compound. Teri (Leslie Hope) and Kimberly (Elisha Cuthbert) hide Eli's body. Nina (Sarah Clarke) sends Jack GPS imagery of the compound, to prepare him for going in. Palmer (Dennis Haysbert) shares his suspicions about Carl (Zach Grenier) with Mike (Jude Ciccolella). Palmer tries to call Ferragamo (John Prosky), the shrink, to warn him, but Ferragamo mistakes the warning for a threat and hangs up. Palmer decides to go see him in person. Kevin gets Jack into the compound, but then tries to fight, and Jack knocks him out. Jack manages to find Teri and Kim, and they have a tearful reunion. Alberta (Tamara Tunie) suspends Tony (Carlos Bernard) and Nina until one of them tells her where Jack is. She threatens them with dismissal from CTU and criminal prosecution, working Tony especially hard. Gaines (Michael Massee) sends Rick (Daniel Bess) to find Eli. Jack gets rough with him when he shows up. Rick offers to get them a van so they can all escape together. He's about to drive off when Gaines stops him. Then Gaines gets word that one of his men has found Kevin, and orders Rick to drive him to Kevin. Palmer gets to Ferragamo's office, only to find that it's been destroyed in a suspicious explosion. Mike urges him to be cautious. Alberta is about to get Tony to crack when Jack calls her, explains about the kidnapping, and asks her to send in the troops. Alberta tells Nina and Tony they're off the hook...for now. Rick manages to get away from Gaines, who learns from Kevin that Jack is on the compound. With Rick's help, Jack, Teri, and Kimberly attempt a daring escape. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) and Rick (Daniel Bess) are on the run from Gaines (Michael Massee) and Kevin (Richard Burgi). With CTU on the way, Kevin suggests cutting their losses, but Gaines says if they don't kill Jack, Drazen (Zeljko Ivanek) will kill them. Teri (Leslie Hope) and Kimberly (Elisha Cuthbert) get lost on the way to the water tower. Nina (Sarah Clarke) apologizes to Tony (Carlos Bernard) for her attitude toward him during the crisis. Alberta (Tamara Tunie) tells them to question Jamey's mother. Palmer (Dennis Haysbert), shocked by Ferragamo's death, decides to go to Maureen Kingsley (Devika Parikh) and tell her the story before going to the D.A. Mike (Jude Ciccolella) urges him to talk to Sherry (Penny Johnson Jerald), who warns Palmer that he's got no evidence, and suggests that he needs the power of the presidency to fight Carl's (Zach Grenier) people. Jack and Rick reach the water tower, but Teri and Kim aren't there. Jack tends to Rick's wound, but angrily suggests he take responsibility for his actions. He then goes to look for Teri and Kim, finding them in the nick of time. Tony tells Mrs. Vasquez (Christine Avila) that Jamey was a traitor, and demands any information the woman might have. They find out that the wire transfers to Jamey came from Belgrade. Palmer finds Maureen, who's quit her job and is leaving town in a hurry. When he goes to talk to the D.A., Carl is waiting for him, and threatens to pin Ferragamo's death on Palmer's son. Both Kevin and Rick take it on the lam, and Jack has a final confrontation with Gaines. Meanwhile, Nina learns that another assassin was paid out of the same account as Jamey. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Ellis (Wade Andrew Williams) is murdered while Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) is on the phone with him. Milo (Eric Balfour) uses Ellis' information to get photographs of the three assassins that are in the country. One of them is Alexis Drazen (Misha Collins). Jack calls the safe house to talk to Teri (Leslie Hope). She admits that she has to talk to him about something, but says it can wait until things settle down. Palmer's (Dennis Haysbert) staff sees the photos of the assassins, and Elizabeth (Kara Zediker) is horrified when she recognizes Alexis. During her debriefing, Kim (Elisha Cuthbert) lies to Nina (Sarah Clarke) about her continuing contact with Rick (Daniel Bess). Palmer tells Jack about Elizabeth, and Jack brings her into CTU for questioning. Teri offers to continue her debriefing with Nina, but when questioned about Kim's veracity, Teri gets testy. Because of the tension between them, Nina decides to let Paulson (Kevin Ramsey) finish the debriefing. Mason (Xander Berkeley) returns to CTU, replacing Alberta. He has qualms about Jack's plans to have Elizabeth keep her date with Alexis. Palmer promises to "be there" for Keith (Vicellous Shannon), but Keith wants his father to tell the police about Ferragamo's murder, and he won't. Myovic (Henri Lubatti) waits outside the safe house, and tells Drazen (Zeljko Ivanek), "The women will be dead soon." Keith slips away from the Secret Service, and goes to meet with Carl (Zach Grenier). Elizabeth agrees to meet with Alexis, and to try to plant a tracking device on him. Myovic makes his move, killing several agents. Paulson helps Teri and Kim get out of the safe house, with Myovic in pursuit. Carl threatens to pin Ferragamo's murder on Keith, who is secretly taping their conversation. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Kim (Elisha Cuthbert) survives the car crash, wanders the roadside, calling for Teri (Leslie Hope). Teri has amnesia, and she's been picked up by Tanya (Pauley Perrette), who's taking her to the hospital. CTU sets up surveillance in Alexis' (Misha Collins) hotel room, as Nina (Sarah Clarke) preps Elizabeth (Kara Zediker) for her "date." Palmer (Dennis Haysbert) confronts Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) about putting Elizabeth at risk. Jack offers reassurance -- the SWAT team will be right outside the door -- but Palmer says he'll hold Jack responsible if anything goes wrong. Kim gets to a pay phone and calls CTU. She tells Tony (Carlos Bernard) what happened at the safe house, but she won't tell him where she is, and Jack isn't there. Mason (Xander Berkeley) tells Tony he'll tell Jack about the call after the situation with Alexis is resolved. Kim calls Rick (Daniel Bess) and threatens to rat him out if he doesn't help her. Keith (Vicellous Shannon) gives Palmer the tape he made of Carl's threats. Drazen (Zeljko Ivanek) tells Alexis to kill Elizabeth after he gets the information about Palmer's itinerary. Jack gives Elizabeth a small tracking device, and he suggests she surreptitiously put it in Alexis' wallet, after which he'll call her on her cell phone, she can make her excuses and leave. He tells her to say, "I hope I'm not getting a cold" if she feels unsafe, and wants them to come in and arrest Alexis. Teri makes Tanya stop at a familiar restaurant, where the manager recognizes Teri and calls a friend. Kim arrives at Rick's, where not everyone is happy to see her. Just before Alexis arrives, Nina tells Jack that Teri knows about their affair. Elizabeth goes to meet Alexis, and has trouble concealing her true feelings for him. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Palmer (Dennis Haysbert) is evacuated from the power plant after the assassination attempt, while Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) is taken into custody. He tells the secret service head, Simes (Michael Bryan French). Jamey (Karina Arroyave) tells Nina (Sarah Clarke) and Tony (Carlos Bernard) that she's working for Gaines (Michael Massee). They have her call Gaines and tell him that she's removing the tap on CTU's surveillance, which she does. Once again able to move freely, Nina has Milo (Eric Balfour) take over Jamey's work. Jack tells Simes that the people trying to kill Palmer are holding his wife and daughter hostage. Simes says he can't help Jack, and prepares to turn him over to the FBI. Jack manages to grab a gun and escape. He forces a woman, Lauren (Kathleen Wilhoite), at gunpoint to drive him away. Jamey tries to explain her actions to Tony, who calls her a traitor. She refuses to cooperate further until they give her immunity. Jack, now with a hostage, gets to a phone and calls Nina, who tells him that Jamey was the mole. He talks to Jamey, promising to get her out of trouble if she'll help them find Gaines. She refuses, so Jack tells Nina to send a car for him, and to bring in Jamey's son. Mike (Jude Ciccolella) tells Palmer about Jack. The name Jack Bauer sounds familiar. Eli (Silas Weir Mitchell), one of Gaines' goons, tries to rape Kimberly (Elisha Cuthbert), but Teri (Leslie Hope) offers herself instead. She somehow manages to lift his cell phone while he does his business. Sherry (Penny Johnson Jerald) gets the reporter to hold off on the story about Keith (Vicellous Shannon). Tony tells Jamey that they're bringing her son in. Jack asks Lauren to get his car, giving her a chance to escape. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- 2001
Jack (Kiefer Sutherland) transmits the thumbprint to a lab, but they can't find a match. Teri (Leslie Hope) tells Jack about Kim's (Elisha Cuthbert) phone call, and Jack asks her and Alan (Richard Burgi) to wait for Kim at the furniture store. Mandy (Mia Kirshner) apologizes to Ira (Michael Massee) for Bridgit's (Kim Murphy) demands. Ira calls Rick (Daniel Bess) and Dan (Matthew Carey) for an update on Kim. Palmer (Dennis Haysbert) meets with Carl (Zach Grenier), some kind of PR guy, and tells him there's a story out that the senator's son Keith (Vicellous Reon Shannon), killed the man who raped his daughter. Carl promises to take care of it. Jack tells Jamey (Karina Arroyave) about Walsh's allegations, and has her confirm that the key card came from Nina's (Sarah Clarke) computer, while he keeps Nina occupied by asking about her relationship with Tony (Carlos Bernard). Once the origin of the card is confirmed, Jack accosts Nina, demanding to know who she's working for. Nina pleads her innocence. Kim (Elisha Cuthbert) and Janet (Jacqui Maxwell) manage to temporarily escape from Rick (Daniel Bess) and Dan (Matthew Carey). With the boys hot on their trail, they get unexpected help from Larry (Keram Malicki-Sanchez), a street hustler. They manage to get their hands on a cell phone, and Kim puts in an urgent call to her mother. But as the girls race off, Janet gets hit by a car, and Kim is caught. After Ira transfers another million dollars into their account, Bridgit gives up the ID card, and pays dearly for her greed. Jack learns that the weekend the key card was created on Nina's computer, she was away with him. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- 2001
Tony (Carlos Bernard) wants to know what happened between Mason and Jack (Kiefer Sutherland). Nina (Sarah Clarke) comes up with a cover story. Mandy (Mia Kirshner) touches down, and hides the ID she took from the photographer on the plane. Teri (Leslie Hope) and Janet's (Jacqui Maxwell) dad, Alan York (Richard Burgi), get to the furniture store, but the kids are long gone. Walsh (Michael O'Neill) meets a frightened agent, who gives him a card key encoded with classified information about Palmer (Dennis Haysbert), which he says was created by the mole in CTU. Before Walsh can act on the information, the agent is killed, and he finds himself pinned down by unseen gunmen. He calls Jack for help. Mandy meets with Ira Gaines (Michael Massee) and he pays her for the ID, which her partner is bringing. At Gaines' hideout, Mandy sees Jonathan (Rudolph Martin), who's been surgically altered to look just like the photographer. Jack reaches Walsh, and helps him kill two of the gunmen. Jack cuts the thumb off of one corpse, for identification purposes. Bridgit (Kim Murphy), Mandy's partner, shows up at the hideout, but won't give up the ID until Gaines doubles their money. Secret service agents show up at Palmer's hotel room and tell Sherry (Penny Johnson) about the threat against his life, but the senator has taken off on his own. Walsh is killed after giving Jack the key card. Jack gets away, and transmits info on the card to Jamey (Karina Arroyave), who tells him that the card came from Nina's computer. Rick (Daniel Bess) and Dan (Matthew Carey) order Kim (Elisha Cuthbert) to call her mother and say she's okay. Dan smashes Janet's arm with a tire iron when Kim refuses. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
When a powerful man is accused of murder, who tells the truth -- the man, or his estranged wife? Henry Hearst (Gene Hackman), an American attorney living in Puerto Rico, is called in to speak with police detective Victor Benezet (Morgan Freeman). A few days earlier, Hearst reported finding the body of a 12-year-old girl while taking his dog for a walk; however, investigators now believe that Hearst may have had a greater involvement in the crime than he's admitting. Under intense questioning by a confident young cop named Owens (Thomas Jane) and gentler but firm interrogation from Benezet, several cracks begin to appear in Hearst's story, but he's able to persuade the police to allow him to leave long enough to take part in a fund-raising function he'd promised to attend. However, upon his return, Hearst discovers that Benezet and Owens have been questioning someone else -- his wife Chantal (Monica Bellucci), who has been on poor terms with her husband for some time. Under Suspicion was based on the novel Brainwash by John Wainwright, which was previously filmed by French director Claude Miller as Garde a vue. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Morgan Freeman, Gene Hackman, (more)
- 1999
This omnibus film is both a tribute to 1990s Cool Britannia and an opportunity for many of Britain's best actors to step behind the camera. Set in the London's underground (AKA the Tube), the film's nine shorts depict England's most hallowed form of public transportation in wildly divergent manners, from gritty to surreal. Jude Law's "A Bird in the Hand" is a quietly affecting tale about an ailing old man, while "Horny", by Stephen Hopkins is an extended sexual fantasy imagined by a sweaty commuter enduring both the dog days of summer and his obvious arousal. Ewan MacGregor's "Bone" is a fanciful tale about a trombonist and his imagined lover on their way home from a concert, while Bob Hoskins' "My Father the Liar" is an emotionally powerful tale about a child who witnesses a suicide. But perhaps the standout segment from this film is Armando Iannucci's uproarious "Mouth", featuring a beautiful, poised woman vomiting on her fellow commuters set to Bruckner's 9th Symphony. Frank Harper appears in a number of these short works as an overly officious subway staffer. This film premiered at the London Film Festival and was later showed on the UK's BSkyB cable channel. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kelly MacDonald, Jason Flemyng, (more)
This $90 million science fiction adventure is adapted from the television series, created by Irwin Allen, which originally ran on CBS from 1965 to 1968. The original series employed a Swiss Family Robinson in outer space premise; sent to colonize a planet in the Alpha Centauri system, the Robinson family was thrown off course by a stowaway and was left wandering from planet to planet (and changing along the way from a black-and-white series to a color series). The 1998 remake is set in the year 2058, when the United Global Space Force sends Professor John Robinson (William Hurt) and family -- wife Maureen (Mimi Rogers), daughter Judy (Heather Graham), teen Penny (Lacey Chabert), and 10-year-old Will (Jack Johnson) -- on a promotional space jaunt to herald the "offshore" future for the human race (now saddled with eco problems on Earth). Major Don West (Matt LeBlanc), more accustomed to fighting menacing Global Sedition forces, is reluctant to sign on as the Jupiter II pilot but quickly changes his mind after he gets a good look at Judy in her fetish-fashioned space togs. Space spy Dr. Smith (Gary Oldman), hired to sabotage the mission, programs in problems but winds up aboard the craft unconscious. Once awake, he summons the Robinsons from suspended animation, and they save the ship just in time, passing through hyperspace to arrive near an Earth ship where they encounter space-pet Blawp and hordes of teethy spiders. A spider bite makes the villainous Smith mutate, one of some 750 special effects, from animatronics (Jim Henson Creature Shop) to CGI, and other adventures await throughout the galaxy. Cameos include actors from the original series, including June Lockhart and Robot Voice Dick Tufeld. In a curious coincidence, the TV series took place in the future of 1997, the year this movie was produced. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Hurt, Mimi Rogers, (more)
A man bringing modern transportation to the ancient jungles of Africa discovers one of man's oldest enemies lays in wait for him in this period adventure drama. John Beaumont (Tom Wilkinson) is the owner of a British railroad firm who is building a rail line through Uganda. A bridge is needed so that the tracks may cross a large river, and engineer John Henry Patterson (Val Kilmer) is summoned to the African nation to supervise construction. While Beaumont has placed Patterson under a strict deadline, the bridge designer is certain that with his guidance, the local laborers will be able to complete the job in time. However, when several workers are killed in an attack by a lion, Patterson is forced to deal with the animal; while he bags a lion who invades the work site one evening, it soon becomes obvious that there's more than one predator in the nearby jungle. The lion attacks continue, eventually claiming the lives of 130 men, and Patterson and Beaumont finally agree to call in Charles Remmington (Michael Douglas), an expert hunter who understands the nature of the man-eaters and knows how to lure them into his trap. The Ghost and the Darkness is based on a true story, which was previously brought to the screen in 1953, in Arch Oboler's pioneering 3-D adventure Bwana Devil. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Douglas, Val Kilmer, (more)
Opening within one month from each other in 1994, Blown Away invited many comparisons to Speed. Both are pyrotechnical displays involving mad bombers and a multitude of flying building debris and body parts. The cop and the mad bomber in this one are Jimmy Dove (Jeff Bridges), a veteran of the Boston Bomb Squad planning to retire from the force, and Ryan Gaerity (Tommy Lee Jones), a revenge-crazed explosives expert who has recently escaped from a detention center in Northern Ireland. It seems that Gaerity is out to get Jimmy and has been nursing his grudge for the past twenty years. Back in his Irish past, Jimmy, then known as Liam, was a student of Gaerity, who constructed bombing devices for the IRA. But when Gaerity's bombing plans included the killing of innocent civilians, Liam opposed him and thwarted his efforts. As a result, Liam escaped to the United States to become Jimmy, and Gaerity was arrested and sent to prison. But now that Gaerity is out of jail, he is traveling to Boston to wreak havoc upon the city in revenge for what Jimmy has done to him. His plan is to create so many bombings in Boston that the bomb squad's strength will be depleted, allowing him to get to Jimmy and his family. The goal? Blowing up Jimmy's wife (Suzy Amis) and stepdaughter at a Boston Pops concert. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeff Bridges, Tommy Lee Jones, (more)
In Judgment Night, an action-packed thriller directed by Stephen Hopkins, a group of young middle-class men Emilio Estevez Cuba Gooding Jr. Jeremy Piven and Stephen Dorff on a night out with the boys take a disastrous wrong turn that leads to a run-in with a vicious street gang led by Fallon (Denis Leary). A cold, vicious and frightening criminal, Fallon and his band of thugs threaten to permanently silence the foursome after they witness a murder. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emilio Estevez, Cuba Gooding, Jr., (more)
- 1991
- R
Patrick Murphy (Steven Grives) is a disgruntled former cop forced to take a job as a security guard in a department store. When computer hacker Jack Hayward (Marcus Graham) and his friends enter the store at night on a lark, Murphy locks them in. Murphy has waged a long campaign of harassment against the lad. This began because Jack's late father was his superior and he holds the man responsible for his poor ratings on the job; Jack's subsequent complaints of harassment probably led to his being kicked off the force entirely. The cat-and-mouse game turns deadly when Jack's pal Tony (John Polson) is killed by the sadistic Murphy. Miles Buchanan co-stars with Sandie Lillingston and Kathryn Walker in this thriller that builds momentum after a sluggish beginning. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Miles Buchanan, Marcus Graham, (more)
- 1991
In "Abra Cadaver," Marty (Beau Bridges) and Karl (Tony Goldwyn) are two brothers who are both doctors, and also share a rather morbid sense of humor. One day, Karl plays a practical joke on Marty that goes much too far, though Marty finds a startling way to return the favor. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
