Michelle Manning Movies
- 2011
Borat director Larry Charles makes the leap from funny to frightening with his third feature film, a no-holds-barred biopic of hedonistic, 1980s-era hair metal masters Mötley Crüe. Based on the best-selling book The Dirt: Confessions of the World's Most Notorious Rock Band, The Dirt documents the notorious rise of rockers Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee, Mick Mars, and Vince Neil as they carve a self-destructive path of total annihilation in their rock & roll quest for world domination. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2009
An American spy veteran steps out of retirement to team up with a younger agent to tackle a terrorist threat in the heart of his old Cold War stomping grounds, Mother Russia, in this Universal Pictures production. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang's Shane Black directs from a script by Chuck Mondry. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
Sydney Wells (Jessica Alba) has been given the gift of sight, but it comes with a horrifying price in the English-language remake of Danny and Oxide Pang's The Eye. The double corneal transplant was to open up a new world for Sydney, a concert violinist whose blindness has plagued her since childhood. With the help of Dr. Paul Faulkner (Alessandro Nivola) and sister Helen (Parker Posey), Sydney's operation and recovery seemed to be on the road to success -- until horrific images start to tear their way into her newfound vision. What's worse is that these episodes appear to foreshadow future deadly events, leading Sydney on a mission to track down the person whose eyes she has inherited and discover what kind of mystery from beyond the grave lies before her. The film is directed by David Moreau and Xavier Palud, the duo behind the acclaimed 2006 French terror flick Them, and is produced by Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner under their Cruise/Wagner production banner. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jessica Alba, Alessandro Nivola, (more)
- 1999
Jonathan Frakes is both star and producer of this made-for-TV fantasy, which originally aired as part of UPN's "Nightworld" movies series. Teenager Rachel Linden (Hayler DuMond) drowns as the end result of a nasty scheme hatched by Vanessa Cunningham (Shannon Elizabeth), Rachel's rival for the affection of Matt Jannett (Gabriel Mann). As her spirit leaves her body, Rachel is met by Will (Jonathan Frakes), a guardian angel assigned to gently escort the girl to the Next World. But vengeful Rachel refuses to leave until she can make Vanessa pay for her sins. With only token reluctance, Will arranges for Rachel to temporarily inhabit the body of her best friend Leslie Chambers (Linda Cardellini)--who, suffering from arythmia, may not be able to survive the habitation. It's a teen-oriented combo of Ghost and All of Me, with a major surprise at the climax. Dying to Live was first broadcast on April 22, 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
When prodigal son Billy Turner (Judd Nelson) returns to his Florida home town, he's caught in a brawl and thrown in jail. He tells the guards to call his father, the mayor, who will have him released; however, he soon discovers his father has been killed. After Turner finally gets out of jail, he starts to hunt down his father's murderer, with the eventual help of Annie Rayford (Ally Sheedy) and her brother Joey (David Caruso). Their nemesis is the nasty crime boss Perry Kerch (Scott Wilson) and his henchmen, though the slow-witted police chief (Paul Winfield) is not much help, either. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, (more)
John Hughes wrote and directed this quintessential 1980s high school drama featuring the hottest young stars of the decade. Trapped in a day-long Saturday detention in a prison-like school library are Claire, the princess (Molly Ringwald); Andrew, the jock (Emilio Estevez); John, the criminal (Judd Nelson); Brian, the brain (Anthony Michael Hall); and Allison, the basket case (Ally Sheedy). These five strangers begin the day with nothing in common, each bound to his/her place in the high school caste system. Yet the students bond together when faced with the villainous principal (Paul Gleason), and they realize that they have more in common than they may think, including a contempt for adult society. "When you grow up, your heart dies," Allison proclaims in one of the film's many scenes of soul-searching, and, judging from the adults depicted in the film, the teen audience may very well agree. Released in a decade overflowing with derivative teen films, The Breakfast Club has developed an almost cult-like status. ~ Dylan Wilcox, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, (more)
On the eve of her sister's wedding, suburban teenager Samantha (Molly Ringwald) suffers silently as her family forgets her birthday. Even worse, some total dork (Anthony Michael Hall) keeps propositioning her with sophomoric innuendo when she really craves romantic attention from high-school hunk Jake (Michael Schoeffling). Moving from Samantha's family home as it's invaded by outre relatives to a high-school dance where nothing seems to go her way, this bittersweet teen comedy traces the hopes and disappointments of not only Samantha, but also a host of incidental but memorable characters, from a hapless Japanese exchange student to a prom queen and a posse of barely pubescent nerds. A climactic party scene at which these various strata of young America overcome their rigid hierarchies sets the stage for resolutions both tender and torrid. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, (more)
