Todd King Movies
When high-powered attorney Louise (Meg Ryan) learns that her husband, Ian (Timothy Hutton), plans to leave her after 13 years of marriage to run off with his twentysomething girlfriend, Sara (Kristen Bell), she impulsively decides to take drastic action. She ties up Ian in their country house, and refuses to let him go until they talk things through. Naturally, he resists, and things take an even worse turn for the couple when a young hooligan (Justin Long) hears Ian's cries for help, and decides to rob the couple blind instead of helping the hapless husband. Serious Moonlight was scripted by the late Adrienne Shelly. Shelly's husband, Andy Ostrow, who produced the film and has a small role in it, decided to go forward with the project, for which Shelly had been seeking a producer, after the actor-director's tragic death. Serious Moonlight marks the feature directorial debut of actor Cheryl Hines, who co-starred in Shelly's last directorial effort, Waitress. Several key crew members for Serious Moonlight -- including composer Andrew Hollander, casting directors Sunday Boling and Meg Morman, costume designer Ariyela Wald-Cohain, and line producer Brigitte Mueller previously -- worked with Shelly on Waitress. Serious Moonlight had its world premiere at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival, where it was shown in the Encounters section. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Meg Ryan, Timothy Hutton, (more)
Veteran AIP genre star Larry Bishop (son of famed Rat Packer Joey Bishop) directs and stars in this gritty revenge tale concerning a biker gang that rallies to avenge the violent murder of a fellow gang member. An homage to such classic biker films as Chrome and Hot Leather and Angel Unchained, Hell Ride was conceived when director Bishop was invited to Quentin Tarantino's home to view a print of The Savage Seven. Upon realizing that there hadn't been a true biker film in years, the pair quickly contacted Bob Weinstein and conspired to produce a lean and mean two-wheeled revenge flick that would more than make up for lost time. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry Bishop, Michael Madsen, (more)
Trapped in a miserable marriage and blessed with the ability to transform her misery into delicious desserts, a small-town waitress finds her life forever changed by an unplanned pregnancy. Every day, Jenna (Keri Russell) ties on her apron and serves her customers with a smile, and every night she goes to bed knowing that she is one step closer to the day that she can kiss her scarily domineering husband (Jeremy Sisto) goodbye forever. A smart and sassy baker whose extraordinary pies are inspired by her daily trials and tribulations, Jenna fears that her dreams are all but dead when handsome Dr. Pomatter (Nathan Fillion) reveals that she is soon to become a mother. As Jenna begins penning a series of letters to her unborn baby, her life starts to change for the better in ways she never could have imagined. The final film from actress/filmmaker Adrienne Shelly, Waitress debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah just months after the director was discovered dead in her New York City apartment -- the victim of a homicide. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Keri Russell, Nathan Fillion, (more)
Writer/director John August ponders the metaphysical aspects of life and art in an episodic allegory that follows three artists as they embark on a soul searching journey of fate versus free will. When a troubled actor is placed under house arrest in "The Prisoner," his imagination begins to run wild due to the fact that his spirited publicist and cynical neighbor provide his only link to the outside world. Later, after the planes of reality fold in on themselves during the production of a Project Greenlight-style show which documents the filming of a popular sitcom in "Reality Television," "Knowing" follows a successful video game designer and his family as they become stranded in the middle of nowhere due to automotive issues. Ryan Reynolds, Hope Davis, and Melissa McCarthy star in a drama that peels back the layers of reality to ask whether or not mankind really has any control over his ultimate fate. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ryan Reynolds, Hope Davis, (more)
- 2006
In his 1961 speech to the National Association of Broadcasters Newton Minnow claimed that television had become a "vast wasteland," and with this comedy the warped folks at National Lampoon prove that Minnow's so-called "vast wasteland" has since been flooded by a festering cesspool of filth and depravity. Absolutely nothing is sacred as Jackass stars Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Preston Lacy, and Jason "Wee Man" Acuna skewer small screen conventions by targeting everything from reality television to talk shows. For viewers looking to find out just how far the bar has been lowered, who better to turn to than the satirical minds at National Lampoon? ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steve-O, Jason "Wee Man" Acuna, (more)
When seed and sod entrepreneur Daltry Calhoun's (Johnny Knoxville) abandoned ex-girlfriend shows up on his doorstep with the daughter he never knew he had, the reformed ladies' man finds out that you can never truly escape your past -- even when it seems you may have no future. Calhoun is a local celebrity and self-made entrepreneur who made a name for himself by selling locally produced turf that blankets many of the nation's most exclusive golf courses, and his quirky television spots have won the hearts of television viewers across Ducktown, TN. When Daltry's ex-girlfriend May (Elizabeth Banks) arrives unannounced with talented teenage daughter June (Sophie Traub) in tow, she confides that her terminal illness has forced her to seek him out in hopes that he can care for their daughter after she is gone. Despite the early success of Daltry's business and the popularity of his kitschy commercials, things have been looking rather grim lately and Daltry has begun liquidating his assets in hopes of keeping his head above water. Though smitten shopkeeper Flora (Juliette Lewis) has offered financial help to Daltry, the kindly offers have fallen on deaf ears. Now, with the odds weighing heavily against him, Daltry vows to make up for lost time by doing right in the eyes of his family and community and caring for his daughter while getting his business back on track. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Knoxville, Juliette Lewis, (more)
Following in the footsteps of Ed Gein, Speck, Dahmer and Gacy, travel back to Los Angeles, California, between 1977 and 1979, and reexperience the stomach-turning crimes of one of modern history's most notorious serial killers: Kenneth Bianchi, better known as The Hillside Strangler. This gripping and terrifying thriller - helmed by director Chris Fisher - approaches the events as docudrama, framing the tale with an interview between psychiatrist Samantha Stone (rittany Daniel) and Bianchi (portrayed by Clifton Collins, Jr.), and periodically flashing back to study - in graphic detail - Bianchi's grisly murder spree. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
Gary Ellis' crime thriller Tough Luck stars Armand Assante as a man named Ike who hires Archie (Norman Reedus) to murder his wife. Archie begins to suspect that many of the people he has come into contact with while carrying out the job might be less than honest. Will he get away when the double-crosses start flying fast and furious? ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Armand Assante, Norman Reedus, (more)
What was once a brave frontier town has become a haven for enlightened oddballs in this unusual drama from director Michael Polish, written in collaboration with his twin brother, Mark Polish. Northfork is a small town in Montana which, in 1955, is soon to disappear in the name of progress; a massive hydroelectric dam is to be put in nearby, which will flood the entire village. A group of six men sent by the power company -- led by Walter O'Brien (James Woods) and his son Willis (Mark Polish) -- arrive in Northfork to evacuate the few remaining residents. If the men are successful, they'll each be given parcels of land on the banks of the new lake which will be where Northfork once stood. Most of the townspeople have already left, but a few remain, among them Father Harlan (Nick Nolte), a man of the cloth who is caring for Irwin (Duel Farnes), a strange, scarred boy apparently on his deathbed, and a handful of enchanted eccentrics who have taken over a local bar, including Flower Hercules (Daryl Hannah), Cup of Tea (Robin Sachs), Happy (Anthony Edwards), and Cod (Ben Foster). As Walter and Willis try to persuade the stubborn stragglers to move on, Walter must search for a new final resting place for his late wife, whose coffin is the last to be relocated after Northfork's cemetery is dug up. Northfork received its world premier at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Woods, Nick Nolte, (more)
Richard Ramirez was a deeply disturbed Californian who worshiped Satan, believed he was in direct contact with demons, and was fascinated with the darker undercurrents of heavy metal music. Ramirez was also a serial killer; known as "The Night Stalker," Ramirez killed 19 people in Los Angeles and San Francisco between 1984 and 1985, putting both cities in the grip of fear until he was captured by authorities and eventually sentenced to life in prison. Director and screenwriter Chris Fisher made his feature debut with this dramatized account of Ramirez (played by Bret Roberts) and his crimes, as well as the detective who finally brings him to justice. As Ramirez stalks his prey under cover of darkness, Gabriella Martinez (Roselyn Sanchez), a female Los Angeles Police Department officer who has just been promoted to detective, is put on the case, and as she gets closer and closer to uncovering the identity of the killer, she runs a greater risk of becoming his next victim. Nightstalker was produced in part by character actor Danny Trejo, who also appears as Martinez's former partner on the LAPD. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roselyn Sanchez, Bret Roberts, (more)
Director James D. Stern debuts with this darkly comedic, archly ironic look at America's obsession with guns. The film opens with Helen and Warren Harding (Joan Allen and Jeff Daniels) awaking one night to the sounds of their suburban trophy getting broken into. Warren grabs his trusty handgun and blows away the intruder, only to complain about the blood spots on his newly purchased bathrobe from Sundance. The unlucky guy turns out to be Warren's business partner, and it does not take long for him to wonder out loud if his wife and the dead man were having an affair. Meanwhile, Warren's lawyer Tim (Andre Braugher), whose civil-rights leading father was gunned down when he was a boy, receives a handsome gun from his film fanatic boyfriend Chris (David Schwimmer). Others involved include the young nymphet Annabel Lee (Anna Paquin) and her thuggishly violent brother Sidney (Giovanni Ribisi); Mr. Morgan (Gary Sinise), an eccentric and extremely paranoid Internet tycoon; and Tennel (Josh Brolin), a video store manager turned poet. All of these characters have their own personal axes to grind and all have easy access to guns. The result is as violent as it is senseless. All the Rage was screened at the 1999 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joan Allen, Andre Braugher, (more)
- 1996
Aimed at children, this epic fantasy adventure is set in the mythical and peaceful land of Aralon and centers on its king's courageous struggle to protect his people from the warlike Morlin people. To forever quell the violence and bloodshed, the desperate King Francis requests that the royal alchemist Aeschylus devise a means by which Francis could control time. In that way, he can become the master of the universe and decide exactly who shall live or die. But as is the way with fairy tales, things don't go exactly as planned when the raven-haired witch Karnissa gets involved. Meanwhile, a page falls in love with a princess and endeavors to win her love by proving that he is just as brave as his older brother, a famous knight. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1993
A beautiful artist is blinded by an attacker after witnessing a murder. Andrew Stevens is a widowed cop assigned to protect her from the mob and a corrupt police captain. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1990
- R
An avenging rider roars off in search of the Grim Reaper who killed his love in this violent actioner. The rider, Wade Olsen, is an ex-cop and the Reaper is a black-leather-clad gang leader who has been a major thorn in Olsen's side for the two previous films. Riding off with Olsen are the mystical Rainmaker and the beautiful Skin, who wants to get back at the Reaper for torturing her lover Catfish and leaving him for dead after stealing a treasure map. To help him find the huge cache of stolen Civil War gold, Reaper and his enormous gang kidnap an archaeologist. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Williams, Robert Random, (more)
- 1988
- R
This low-budget fusion of erotic vampire tale and hard-boiled detective thriller pits Roger Sutter, a tough-as-nails, Dirty Harry-style L.A. detective (Jason Williams, who also directs) against Victor Radkoff, a strange and charismatic pop psychologist (Gustav Vintas). Sutter is convinced of Radkoff's role in a spate of gruesome murders, and he soon takes on the mantle of vampire hunter in pursuit of his elusive suspect. Bucking the annoyances of standard police procedure, he sets out to destroy Radkoff before he can transform his next target, a concert pianist (Leslie Milne), into his undead bride. Though Williams owes a sizable creative debt to Hammer's Count Yorga: Vampire, this is still an entertaining and sexy tale, kept afloat by interesting characters and good performances. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Williams, Gustav Vintas, (more)
