Mimi Leder Movies
Mimi Leder cut her creative teeth in television as an Emmy award-winning producer/director before she got the chance to take on big-budget feature films in the late '90s.Leder was inspired by her father, independent director Paul Leder, to study at the American Film Institute. The first female cinematographer to graduate from the AFI, Leder began her career in TV as a script supervisor. Leder moved to the director's chair with an episode of L.A. Law in 1986, branching out into TV movies with the student nurse drama Nightingales in 1988. Balancing TV features and series, Leder worked on the Emmy-friendly drama series China Beach during the early '90s and directed several telefilms, including two Cybill Shepherd child crime dramas, There Was a Boy (1993) and Baby Brokers (1994).
Leder moved into the 1990s TV pantheon when she began working as a director and co-executive producer on the top-rated, award-winning hospital series ER in 1994. Equally skilled at handling the series' renowned rapid-fire pace and its intense emotional drama, Leder won an Emmy in 1995 for her direction of ER's "Love's Labour's Lost." After several years on the series, Leder's ability as an action director convinced Steven Spielberg to hire her to helm fledgling studio Dreamworks SKG's first theatrical feature, The Peacemaker (1997). Featuring George Clooney, Nicole Kidman, and a big budget, The Peacemaker became a moderate hit, prompting Spielberg to tap Leder for an even larger project, Deep Impact (1998). The summer of 1998's first asteroid blockbuster, Leder distinguished Deep Impact from the later Armageddon (1998) by giving it a more serious, character-driven tone as the central ensemble contemplates the impending doom. Audiences, though, were perhaps more eager to see the climactic wave engulf New York City. Either way, Leder proved she could handle large-scale, effects-driven action; she received the Franklin J. Schaffner Alumni Award from the AFI in 1999. Leder decided to avoid typecasting by going in a different direction with her next feature, the high-minded drama Pay It Forward (2000). Despite the A-list cast of Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt, and Haley Joel Osment, however, Pay It Forward earned scathing reviews for its blatantly manipulative sentiment and audiences stayed away.
Leder is married to actor/writer Gary Werntz and has one daughter. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
- 2009
Jim Longhi's memoir of his time in the merchant marines with Woody Guthrie is adapted for feature film land by the sibling filmmaking team of director Mimi Leder (Deep Impact) and writer/brother Reuben. The production plans on leaning heavily on Guthrie's music catalogue throughout the picture. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
An experienced robber (Morgan Freeman) heavily in debt with the Russian mob engages a novice thief (Antonio Banderas) to pull off one last heist in this crime drama from director Mimi Leder (Deep Impact). Radha Mitchell (Silent Hill) co-stars in the Millennium Films production. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Morgan Freeman, Antonio Banderas, (more)
- 2006
Debuting August 21, 2006, the hour-long Fox network series Vanished was a serialized drama in the tradition of 24 and Prison Break, this time with a bit of the "procedural" genre (à la Without a Trace) thrown in. Things got under way when Sara Collins (Joanne Kelly), the wife of prominent Georgia senator Jeffrey Collins (John Allen Nelson), abruptly disappeared during a fundraising dinner, the apparent victim of a kidnapping. Assigned to locate -- and, possibly rescue -- Mrs. Collins were FBI agents Graham Kelton (Gale Harold) and Lin Mei (Ming-Na). While Lin approached her job with a cynical sense of humor and an abundance of energy, Kelton was morose and taciturn, still blaming himself for the horrible death of a youthful kidnap victim which occurred right before his eyes. As the plot thickened, it became obvious that the two agents had more than a common, everyday abduction on their hands: the number-one suspect was killed off at the very start of the series; the trail was strewn with bizarre, contradictory clues and DaVinci Code-like cryptic messages; and finally, not only had Sara Collins mysteriously vanished on previous occasions, there was every indication that she wasn't really Sara Collins at all. Clearly, the missing Mrs. Collins was but a cog in the wheel of a larger conspiracy, in which (naturally) no one could be completely trusted. Other characters included Rebecca Gayheart as an unusually ubiquitous investigative reporter and Eddie Cibrian as Kelton and Mei's enigmatic FBI superior. Vanished was created by Josh Berman of CSI fame. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gale Harold, John Allen Nelson, (more)
In an era when at-sea disasters have grown increasingly rare thanks to "foolproof" naval technology, the September 28, 1994 wreck of the ferry boat M/S Estonia raised more than a few eyebrows. En route from Talinn to Stockholm, via the Baltic Sea, the craft capsized and 852 civilians never reached their destination. In recounting this tale cinematically, writer-director Reuben Leder (brother of Mimi "Deep Impact" Leder) adapted German reporter Jutta Rabe's conspiracy thriller about the event. The picture - like its source - suggests that classified weapons were being smuggled on board the vessel, and that Russia - after learning of this secret - deliberately torpedoed the craft. The picture recalls Costa-Gavras's Z, Alan Pakula's The Parallax View, and other conspiracy thrillers by unfurling most of its story after the fatalistic event; in the vein of those earlier films, it has a suspicious character (here Jurgen Prochnow, as accident survivor and Swedish attorney Erik Westermark) teaming up with investigative reporter Julia Reuter (Greta Scacchi) to determine the truth behind the inferred political cover-ups. Screen vet Donald Sutherland co-stars. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Greta Scacchi, Jürgen Prochnow, (more)
- 2002
Piecing together elements from such past series as The Profiler, Quantum Leap, and the 1967 cult classic Coronet Blue, John Doe starred Dominic Purcell as the title character. Awakening naked on a desert island, the hero eventually washed up in Seattle, where he quickly gained a reputation as a walking encyclopedia of arcane facts. If one wanted to know how many dimples there were on a golf ball, or the name of the ruler of Peru in the early 16th century, all one had to do was ask "John Doe," who literally knew all the answers save one: He had no idea who he really was, where he had come from, or how he had managed to accumulate so much knowledge. Even so, John offered the benefit of his expertise to the police to solve baffling crimes and missing-persons cases. While some of the authorities welcomed his input, there were those who thought there was something very fishy -- if not other-worldly -- about the enigmatic Mr. Doe. As expected, each hour-long episode provided tiny clues as to the protagonist's identity, but never enough to give the whole game away. John Doe debuted amidst much publicity fanfare on September 20, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dominic Purcell, Azura Skye, (more)
A young boy stumbles upon a simple way to change the world in this drama. Trevor (Haley Joel Osment) is a bright 11-year-old boy who comes from a troubled home; his mother Arlene (Helen Hunt) is an alcoholic trying to hold down two jobs to support her son, while Trevor's father Jon Bon Jovi) left his family behind some time ago. At school, Trevor's class is introduced to their new social studies teacher, Mr. Simonet (Kevin Spacey), a guarded man with severe facial scars. Simonet gives his class an unusual assignment -- think up a practical way to make the world a better place, and put it into action. Trevor comes up with the notion of Pay It Forward" -- do a needed favor for three different people without being asked, and then ask them to do the same for three others. Trevor starts by letting Jerry (James Caviezal), a junkie living on the streets, stay in his home. Next, he tries to fix Arlene up with Mr. Simonet, since both seem to be lonely and the clean and sober teacher might help Arlene stay away from alcohol. Finally, he tries to rescue one of his schoolmates, who is constantly tormented by bullies. Meanwhile, journalist Chris Chandler (Jay Mohr) finds himself stuck on the road without a car late one night when a man stops and give him the keys to a new car, asking him only to pay the favor forward to someone else; astonished, Chris wants to find out where this philosophy came from. Based on the novel by Catherine Ryan Hide, Pay It Forward also stars Angie Dickinson and Liev Schreiber. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kevin Spacey, Helen Hunt, (more)
Mimi Leder (The Peacemaker) directed this science-fiction disaster drama about the possible extinction of human life after a comet is discovered headed toward Earth with the collision only one year away. Ambitious MSNBC reporter Jenny Lerner (Tea Leoni) stumbles onto the story, prompting a White House press conference. United States President Beck (Morgan Freeman) announces the government's solution: a team of astronauts will travel to the comet and destroy it. The team leader aboard the spaceship Messiah is Spurgeon Tanner (Robert Duvall), who was once the last man to walk on the moon. However, the mission fails, splitting off a chunk of the comet, now due to land in the Atlantic with the impact sending a 350-foot tidal wave flooding 650 miles inland, destroying New York and other cities. The larger part of the comet, hitting in Canada, will trigger an E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event), not unlike a "nuclear winter" as dust clouds block out the sun and bring life to an end. President Beck reveals Plan B: a cavernous underground retreat constructed to hold one million Americans, with most to be selected through a national lottery. Since teenage amateur astronomer Leo Biederman (Elijah Wood) discovered the comet, his family gets a pass to enter the cave, but his girlfriend Sarah (Leelee Sobieski) and her parents will be left behind. Meanwhile, still in space, Spurgeon Tanner devises a plan for a kamikaze-styled operation that could possibly save the Earth. Special visual effects by Scott Farrar and Industrial Light & Magic. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Morgan Freeman, Robert Duvall, (more)
- 1997
- R
The first motion picture produced by DreamWorks SKG, The Peacemaker (1997) was a spy thriller that married the exotic locations and derring-do of James Bond with the high-tech obsession and post-Cold War politics of Tom Clancy. Greedy Russian military officers crash two trains into each other, the warheads aboard one causing a nuclear blast. The accident is a cover for the theft of some of the weapons for sale to terrorists and rogue governments. In the U.S., intelligence officer Lt. Col. Tom Devoe (George Clooney), isn't fooled. Neither is Dr. Julia Kelly (Nicole Kidman), the acting head of a White House task force on nuclear smuggling. Devoe and Kelly team up to find the nukes, and they are able to stop the transfer of the weapons in a raid at the Iranian border, but one warhead is missing. It's in the hands of Dusan Gavrich (Marcel Iures), a grief-stricken terrorist planning to call the world's attention to the war in the former Soviet Union with a nuclear explosion in Manhattan. Although fictional, The Peacemaker was based on the magazine article "One Point Safe" by Andrew Cockburn and Leslie Cockburn, a factual investigative news report about nuclear weapons smuggling in Russia. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Clooney, Nicole Kidman, (more)
- 1996
Paramedics Shep (Ron Eldard) and Raul (Carlos Gomez) are trapped in an apartment fire while trying to rescue three children. Back at the ER, Shep's lover, Carol (Julianna Margulies), anxiously awaits word on his fate as dozens of burn victims pour in. Elsewhere, Ross (George Clooney) accepts his long-estranged father Ray's (James Farentino) invitation to a Chicago Bulls game, even though he intuitively suspects that Ray will stand him up again, just as he has so many times before. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
Christmas and Hanukkah are simultaneously acknowledged during the holiday season at the ER. The faith of Holocaust survivor Hannah Steiner (Joan Copeland) is sorely tested when she is injured in a carjacking and her baby granddaughter is apparently kidnapped; and a priest (Tony Plana) who has been mortally wounded in a shooting at his own church prays that this tragedy will not result in wholesale gang war. As for the staffers, Greene (Anthony Edwards) sullenly prepares to spend his first Christmas without his wife; and Shep (Ron Eldard) finally expresses his true feelings toward Carol (Julianna Margulies). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
In this Emmy award-winning episode, Greene (Anthony Edwards) takes a potentially career-destroying risk after he misdiagnoses the condition of a woman (Colleen Flynn) and her unborn child. Although Greene's OR battle to save his patients' lives is the episode's focal point, several other subplots wend their way through the story. Among these is the ever-deteriorating condition of Benton's (Eriq La Salle) mother, and the accidental poisoning of young Joey Page (Theodore Borders). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
Greene's (Anthony Edwards) miserable personal life continues to spill over into his professional one. Ultimately, he risks dismissal by admitting a patient (Michael Galeota) for observation against the orders of Pediatrics chief Dr. Neil Bernstein (David Spielberg). Meanwhile, Ross (George Clooney) faces a violation-of-ethics charge for spending the night with med student Harper (Christine Elise), and Jeanie Boulet (Gloria Reuben, now joining the series' regular cast) is surprised by the aloofness of her former lover Benton (Eriq La Salle) during her first day as the ER's new physician's assistant. And Carol (Julianna Margulies) encounters innumerable distractions while filling out the necessary papers to purchase her own house. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
Carol (Julianna Margulies) takes a more than professional interest in Tatiana (Milana Vayntrub), a six-year-old Russian girl with AIDS who has been adopted -- and then abandoned -- by an American family. Overachiever Deb (Ming-Na) accidentally ingests some candy-coated LSD. And despite their volatile professional differences, Kayson (Sam Anderson) asks Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) out for a special Valentine's Day dinner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
In the opening episode of ER's second season, Carter (Noah Wyle) gets off to a bad start on his first day as new surgical sub-intern by showing up extremely late and woefully unprepared. Also on hand is new third-year student Harper Tracy (Christine Elise), who endures an ordeal by fire thanks to a psychotic patient -- and who catches the eye of the still-unattached Carter. Elsewhere, Greene (Anthony Edwards) ruffles more than a few feathers with his choice of new chief resident: the contentious and highly irritating Kerry Weaver (Laura Innes). With this episode, William H. Macy returns in the role of ER chief Dr. David Morganstern. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
The wedding of Carol Hathaway (Julianna Margulies) and John Taglieri (Rick Rossovich) is complicated by the fact that bridesmaid Susan Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) is called away to care for the baby of her missing sister, Chloe (Kathleen Wilhoite). This minor crisis, however, is supplanted by a major one when Taglieri seemingly disappears from the face of the earth. And back at the ER, Carter (Noah Wyle) celebrates his last day at County General with some harsh words aimed at Benton (Eriq La Salle) -- words that Carter is forced to eat after a sudden change in the scheme of things. This was the final episode of ER's first season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Based on a true story, Woman with a Past is about a prosperous real estate agent whose hidden life is revealed when federal agents arrest her for her past crimes. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pamela Reed, Dwight Schultz, (more)
- 1994
A blizzard has left Chicago blanketed in two feet of snow -- and the ER is completely bereft of patient activity. But no sooner does the staff try to take advantage of their unexpected "layoff" than disaster strikes in the form of a horrendous 32-car pileup. In the midst of the ensuing chaos, Dr. Angela Hicks (CCH Pounder) makes her first appearance. Meanwhile, Carol (Julianna Margulies) has a surprise in store for her colleagues. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
In the first "official" episode of ER, Ross (George Clooney) tries to save the eight-year-old victim of a drunk driver, and finds time to visit Carol Hathaway (Julianna Margulies), still recovering from her botched suicide attempt (for which Ross holds himself partially responsible). Elsewhere, Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) has trouble securing psychiatric help for a mentally ill patient, and novice Carter (Noah Wyle) tackles the members of a wedding party who have been brought into the ER suffering from food poisoning. As for Greene (Anthony Edwards), his attentions are divided between his patients and his wife, Jenn (Christine Harnos), who is anxiously awaiting word as to whether or not she passed her bar exam. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Carter (Noah Wyle) pulls off his first major blunder when he tells the wrong family that their teenaged son died in a car accident. Resident Romeo Ross (George Clooney) steps up his campaign to win Carol (Julianna Margulies) away from her current beau, Dr. Taglieri (Rick Rossovich). And the volatile Benton (Eriq La Salle) attacks his brother-in-law, Walt (Ving Rhames), for neglecting his family, then turns his wrath upon Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) for a misdiagnosis. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
An autistic boy is a police officer's only hope at catching some robbers in this made-for-TV crime drama. Kelsey Grammer stars as Detective Frank Marlow, a cop assigned to track down some thieves who committed murder. He pins his hopes on a eight-year-old autistic boy (Keegan MacIntosh) who was the only one to see the murderer's face without a mask. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kelsey Grammer, Polly Draper, (more)
- 1994
The sneaky underworld of baby selling is the subject of this made-for-television movie. Cybill Shepard stars as a doctor who is trying to adopt a baby. She turns to a couple who claims to be willing to sell their child, only to be swindled out of her money and the child. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cybill Shepherd, Anna Maria Horsford, (more)
