Peter Rader Movies

This musical release from soloist Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg and the New Century Chamber Orchestra captures a live performance by the ensemble, recorded on February 9, 2011 at the Eli and Edyth Broad Stage in Santa Monica, CA. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi

Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg is not the sort of person you might expect a world-renowned classical violinist to be; she likes to drink beer and shoot pool, she chain smokes cigarettes, she cracks a lot of jokes, and she is obsessed with Star Trek (especially Captain Kirk). She's also known for the extremely emotional nature of her performances, which have fascinated some audiences and enraged others. Speaking in Strings, directed by Paola di Florio (a longtime friend of the violinist), proves that's no accident. Prone to mood swings, Salerno-Sonnenberg discusses her bouts with depression and a suicide attempt; as well as a finger injury that nearly derailed her career; and her thoughts on the link between music and human emotions. A telling look at an unusual and compelling musician, Speaking in Strings premiered at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Widely considered to be an expensive failure, Waterworld was an epic vehicle for Kevin Costner, who starred in and co-produced the film, with his friend Kevin Reynolds as director. It was based on a 1986 screenplay by Peter Rader and cost an estimated $235 million, more than any film in history up to that time. Costner eventually fired Reynolds and directed the last few scenes himself. The story was filmed in Hawaii, using several artificial islands, and is set in an apocalyptic future, after global warming has melted the polar ice caps and flooded civilization. The Mariner (Costner) is one of the human beings who has adapted by growing gills. The survivalist lives on a boat on which he is growing a precious tomato plant. He tries to sell the plant and its dirt to the residents of an artificial island built of industrial waste. They imprison him when they discover that he's a mutant with gills. But the island is attacked by the Smokers, a group of oil-guzzling raiders on jet skis headed by the Deacon (Dennis Hopper). The Mariner escapes with Helen (Jeanne Tripplehorn) and her daughter Enola (Tina Majorino). Back at sea, the Smokers repeatedly attack, using planes and boats, until they kidnap Enola. Enola's back is tattooed with a map showing how to get to Dryland, the last unflooded area on Earth. But Deacon, who needs to get to Dryland to replenish the Smokers' oil supply, can't immediately decipher it. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi

Peter Rader directed this horror film about a teen-aged orphan named Lynn (Kim Valentine) who accompanies her young brother David (Eric Foster) to live on their grandparents' farm after their father dies. Before long, it becomes obvious that all is not right on the farm, and that the grandparents (Ida Lee and Len Lesser) are hiding a dark secret. Cult favorite Brinke Stevens stars as the kids' insane mother, whom the grandparents have drugged to control her homicidal impulses, and screenwriter Peter Jensen provides the atmospheric photography. Some chilling moments and a particularly creepy performance by Lesser make this average slasher film worthwhile. Producer Nico Mastorakis had co-written the story for the abominable The Greek Tycoon (1978) before turning to genre filmmaking. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi